Blue Moon.....

(I bet you started to sing it, didn't you???)

So, the "big news" is that tomorrow night, New Year's Eve, there will be a Blue Moon. And, as the saying goes, that only happens once in a blue moon. There won't be another one on New Year's Eve for another 19 years.
I found that interesting, especially since tomorrow is my birthday! Kinda cool. I wonder if there is any special significance to a Blue Moon on New Year's Eve when it is your birthday???

We have a fun day planned tomorrow. I'm bringing along my trusty camera so I can share some pics with you all. Until then, enjoy your Blue Moon New Year's Eve!

Bunny Sunday

This was a Christmas present from my friend Julee ~ what a perfect gift! We let the bunnies out in the front courtyard to run around a little this morning. It's sunny and about 60 degrees today. It feels even warmer sitting in the sun.

I wanted to get an actual bunny in front of the Bunny Crossing sign. Bully cooperated, but she got a little washed out in the sun. I'm still deciding exactly where to put the sign...

The rest of the bunnies had fun running around the courtyard, doing binkies and chasing each other. Lots of action with 5 bunnies running around at once.Ginger stopping to clean his foot. And always inspecting everything to see if it might be edible...

Not sure what Turbo is doing here...she looks mesmerized by the light on the wall.

Bully found herself a comfortable chair to sun in.

Looks like a very good idea. I think I'm going to head back outside right now and soak up some sun for a bit... gotta enjoy it while we have it!

Happy Sunday everyone. :)

Christmas Eve

I think Christmas Eve is my favorite day of the year. When I was little, it meant aunts, uncles and cousins coming over to visit, Christmas cookies and candy, going to look at all the houses lit up with Christmas lights and presents! We always opened our presents from Santa on Christmas Eve. You see, he always stopped at our house first (while we were out looking at the Christmas lights). Now that I'm "older", I still love Christmas Eve. It's quite a bit different here in the desert than it was in cold and snowy Michigan growing up, but the magical quality still remains.

Wishing you a Christmas Eve just like when you were a kid!

Customers, Dogs and Other Sentimental Things

I met one of my customers last week. She lives in Tucson and has purchased several things from my Etsy shop but we had never met in person. Last weekend she stopped by my house on her way back to town from herding lessons with her dog.

I love meeting my customers (who, more times than not, have gone from customers to friends). We visited and she did a little Christmas shopping. She also asked me to create a custom Cowgirl Cuff for her from her dog Otie's collar (sadly, he is no longer with her). I thought that was a great idea and was happy to do so.

The design was hers. She knew she wanted something simple with a heart on it. I love how it turned out. And I really love the sentimental quality of it. She told me the collar had been hanging on a hook that she passed by every day. Now she can wear it on her wrist and have a sweet reminder of her beloved Otie.

I really am a sap when it comes to keeping momentos of the animals that have come and gone from my life. I'm happy to know there are others out there who feel the same way.

What momentos do you keep of the special animals you've shared your life with?

Bunny Sunday

The other day while I was working at home, I closed the bedroom doors to keep the bunnies from going in there and getting into trouble. A little while later, I couldn't find Nutmeg, so I checked the bedroom. This is what I found: Queen Nutty on her throne. Except that this happens to be our rottie Angel's bed (who, by the way, was not entirely happy about her bed being taken over). Doesn't she look comfy and smug? I can just hear her little bunny thoughts: "Lock me out of the bedroom, will you? I think not."

Sibling Rivalry

(Piper:) "Hey, why is the old guy getting all the love?" I'm the baby around this place, I should be getting all the attention.

Mom! Mom! Mom!!!! Over here, what about MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE????????

It's so hard to be 2 and 1/2...

Poor Piper, she never gets any love. YEAH, RIGHT.

And yes, that is me, in a t-shirt yesterday. It was sunny and 73 DEGREES outside! Not exactly the kind of weather that gets you thinking about Christmas. But hey, I'll take it.

Cowgirl Wisdom

I don't feel my age and I usually don't act it, either. I think that is part of the secret! (How is a 40-something cowgirl supposed to act anyway?)

The other day I had the 2 old guy horses out roaming around while I was outside doing chores. Phoenix came up to the fence panels and I didn't even think about it, just climbed up and jumped on his back. He took me for a little ride -- no reins, no saddle -- just a handful of mane. And I lived to tell about it...ha ha.

And when I'm 60, I hope I'll be doing the same!

Bunny Sunday

A few from the Christmas archives:

Reindeer Nutmeg and Santa Patches getting into the holiday spirit (whether they want to or not!). This picture is from 2007 when Patches was only a little bigger than Nutmeg. Now she is twice her size. BIG bunny.

Santa with an attitude: Reindeer-Santa Turbo (alternate title: Reindeer-in-the-Headlights)

OK, I know I'm not the only one out there to dress up my poor bunnies (and other animals) with silly holiday props. Fess up. Let me know if you have some pics posted on your blog so we can go check them out.

Ho Ho Ho...

Yoda Kitty

Back in April I posted about a little kitty that we "rescued" from our barn (see that post here). One of the neighbor's cats had her kittens in our barn and then ended up moving them, but she left one behind. I bottle fed this little guy (who, looking back at my post, we thought was a she at the time).

We ended up finding a home for him when he was about 6 weeks old. We were sad to see him go, but knew he was going to a great home where he would live indoors with other cats.

We received this picture of Yoda (now known as Cloud) the other day:

He sure turned out to be a pretty boy! It does warm my heart that he is safe and happy in his new home. And he has his own fish Christmas stocking, what more could a kitty want...

Santa Paws is Coming to Town

Don't try to tell Snuffy and Angel that Santa Paws isn't real...They know better. Every year, their stockings are hung next to the tree and on Christmas morning they are full of treats. Who else could it be but Santa?

Well...let's just say I give Santa a little help. Not only do I like to bake all kinds of people goodies during the holidays, but I always bake up a batch of my famous Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits for the pups.

I have dog bone cookie cutters in lots of different sizes and sometimes I use holiday cookie cutters (bells, stars, trees). You can also just drop these by rounded balls onto the cookie sheet and press down with a fork, much like peanut butter cookies.

The recipe is easy and the dogs LOVE these biscuits. Here's the recipe:

Angel and Snuffy's Peanut Butter Biscuits

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 T. baking powder

1 cup smooth peanut butter

1 cup skim milk

1 T. flax seed meal (optional, but it's good for their coats)

Mix the peanut butter, milk and baking powder together. Add flax seed and flour and mix thoroughly. Roll out and cut out with cookie cutters or roll in 1 inch balls, place on cookie sheet and crisscross with fork. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. When I am done baking all of the biscuits, I turn off the oven and put all of the biscuits back in the oven, close the door and let them dry out for several hours.

No dog has ever turned up their nose to these!

Bunny Sunday

OK, I'm warning you ahead of time. Put down your coffee. Maybe even go use the bathroom if you need to...

The bunnies have made a special Christmas video just for you. Enjoy!

Leather Cookies

I've been doing a lot of baking lately. It's sort of therapeutic for me. I like all the measuring and mixing to get the final yummy result. And I also like to do it the old fashioned way ~ no fancy Kitchenaid mixer for me. I use a wooden spoon and my favorite 70s-era Pyrex mixing bowl that was my mom's.

I suppose the old fashioned way is appropriate for the cookies I whipped up yesterday. This recipe for "Leather Cookies" (believe me, they taste much better than leather!) comes out of the Cowgirl's Cookbook by my friend, Jill Charlotte Stanford.

These slightly chewy cookies have a great gingerbread-y flavor and do bear a resemblance to tanned and distressed leather (well, you might have to use your imagination a little bit)Not only does this cookbook have some great recipes, it also is chock full of vintage cowgirl photos and quotes. And what a fun Christmas gift this would make for all those cowgirls (and cowboys) on your list. You can purchase this great little cookbook through Amazon by following the link here.

If you'd like to learn a little bit about the author behind the cookbook, head on over to Cowgirl Goods and check out the interview that Marj did recently with Jill.

Long live cowgirls!

December Already???

Wow, December 1st already! The mad shopping rush is on. As for me, I much prefer to do my shopping online and avoid the crowds.

To make it even easier, I'm offering FREE U.S. SHIPPING on all items in my Etsy shop through Christmas. AND, as a special offer for my friends who read this blog (that means you!) I'll take 10% off your entire purchase. Just send me a note before you purchase and I'll adjust the price accordingly.

Here's a few of my favorite picks for that cowgirl on your shopping list:

Turquoise and Sterling Star Cowgirl Cuff

Antiqued Silver Cross and Turquoise Necklace

Denim Lapis Earrings

Horse Lover Braided Leather Bracelet

Check out all of my designs in my Etsy shop here. Happy Shopping!

Bunny Sunday

Look how sweet these two are...sharing a carrot.Share? No, I don't think so. It's mine, all mine!

Wrong. It's mine. I am the one known as Queen Nutty Brown around this house.

But sometimes I am a benevolent queen and give to those below me...

But YOU (bipod with the camera) did not hear me say that.

It's best to keep bunny secrets. You never heard it from me...

Happy Thanksgiving!

As always, I'm taking time today to give thanks for all the blessings in my life. Thanks for being one of them!And Angel... she's giving thanks that I did not find this outfit to dress her up in!

Enjoy your day!

The Journey is the Reward

Every year on the Saturday before Thanksgiving Tucson hosts the El Tour de Tucson, a bicycle race that draws more than 9,000 cyclists from around the world. The route travels the scenic perimeter areas of Tucson and has race lengths of 109, 80, 66 and 35 miles.

My brother, Grant, participated in his first "Tour" this year in a hand cycle. He's no stranger to racing, though. He travels the country doing marathons in a specially designed racing wheelchair and has competed in races from LA to New York. Lee and I were Grant's "pit crew" for this race. The race route took the riders through a half mile of a very sandy wash so we were there to push him through, as needed. The rest of the riders got off their bikes to walk them through this area.

The weather was perfect for a race -- sunny and mid 70s. Gotta love Tucson in November.After we made it through the wash, Grant was back on the road cranking for the next 3 and 1/2 HOURS. He chose to do the 66 mile route. Lee and I chose to go have lunch and then meet him at the finish line. :)

The race ended up in downtown Tucson. We waited at the very last corner before the finish line. Here's Grant coming down the home stretch:

His goal was to finish in less than 4 hours. His official time: 4 hours and 36 seconds! Pretty darn close, I'd say. If it hadn't taken us 15 minutes to get through the wash, he would have been well under.

Way to go Grant! Oh, and by the way, HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

Today is his 48th birthday! He'll be reading this post, so be sure to leave him a note. Don't you think he should start up his own blog where he can post about his racing and training?

I'd be his first Follower.

Bunny Monday???

It's been awhile since I've been featured in an Etsy treasury. This one, curated by Annette, at Dragon House of Yuen, has nothin' but bunnies! You can view the actual Treasury here where you'll be able to click on each pic for a larger view.

Thanks Annette for including my "Band of Bunnies" bracelet in your fun treasury (bottom, middle row). The beads in this bracelet are a beautiful blue iolite and are combined with 3 southwestern style sterling silver bunnies. Perfect Christmas gift for any bunny lover!
I'm putting this bracelet on sale for 20% off the regular price this week only. It can be purchased through my Etsy shop. Just send me a note prior to purchasing and I'll adjust the price accordingly.

Annette, being the bunny lover that she is, is hosting a raffle on her blog to benefit the Rabbit and Guinea Pig Welfare Rescue in Rugby, England. Several artists have graciously donated some beautiful prizes for the raffle. Check out her blog post about the raffle where you can purchases tickets via PayPal if you are interested. Thanks!

Bunny Sunday - Bunnies Gone Wild

Attack of the bunnies! There is a napping person under this pile of bunnies. Or I should say, there WAS a napping person prior to "Invasion of the Buns"...

The sun was streaming in through the blinds and painted the bunnies with streaks and spots that aren't normally there. It made for some interesting pictures.

It also made for some sleepy bunnies. After exploring for a bit, they settled in for a nap.

Cozy, sleepy bunny brothers (Digger, Ginger and Sandie)

Sundays are made for naps in the sun...