Happy Birthday Bunnies!

Our little band o' bunnies turned 6 years old on August 4th.  Hard to believe they ever were this small:

 And to celebrate their birthday, I bought them a special surprise --- a bunny fort!

This way, they can spend some time outdoors when the weather is nice and I don't have to worry about them being out in the open.  I put this in the courtyard outside my studio and I can look out the window and see them while I'm working at my bench.  :)    

They had fun running in and out and eventually they all flopped inside (even though the door was still open).

Even Bully approved!

 Digger and Sandie thought the willow chair was much more interesting, though.

 

Turbo gave the bunny-diva seal of approval (and seized the opportunity to look adorable, as always)

"They don't call me the bunny supermodel for nothing."

And last, but not least, Ginger.  He was more interested in the treats than the fort.

It has been another great year for this little family of bunnies.  Everyone is happy and healthy and well loved.  As it should be!

Till next time ---

XOXO, Sandie, Digger, Ginger, Bully & Turbo

Bunny Sunday

We're BAAACCCKKKK!  We've been really busy, sorry for skipping out on Bunny Sunday the last few weeks.  Among other things on our busy schedule, we've been helping mom rearrange her studio so she can be more productive, work more efficiently and make more money for (what else?) lots of treats for us!

You know we have to give our stamp of approval on any furniture rearranging in the house...and then go around "chinning" everything to be sure it has our scent.... Moving things around without bunny approval is just unacceptable.

"I approve of the new arrangement."

"I second the approval."

Now get back to work mom! 

Happy Bunny Sunday everyone :)

Sandie Picked the Winner!

Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who purchased tickets for the Heartland Rabbit Rescue Raffle. I am excited to announce that your generosity helped raise $270 for the bunnies!

I gave all of the bunnies a chance to pick the winner. The first one to grab a name was Sandie (bun on the far right). But, I missed the shot where he had it in his mouth. Darn it!

And this pic turned out blurry, but you can still "sort of" read the name (and see the wet/torn upper corner). Congrats Layla O., you are the winner of the Leaping Bunny Necklace! I hope you love it. I'll be putting that in the mail to you today.Thanks again everyone for supporting this wonderful bunny rescue group. I know they will put these funds to good use in caring for all of the bunnies waiting for their forever homes. If you'd like to see some pics of the bunnies available for adoption, please do visit their website or blog.

Cowgirl Relections on a Saturday Afternoon...

How true! Growing up in Michigan, I did not have horses, goats, chickens or bunnies. In fact, the only pet I had as a kid was a dog. As I got older, it became my dream to one day have a little ranch with LOTS of animals. I always wanted "one of everything". I'm not quite there, but we've got our hands full with the animals we do have and love every minute of it.

From Michigan small town girl to Arizona cowgirl. The Wild West, who'da thought it???

Bunny Sunday

My love affair with bunnies began long before I ever brought Nutmeg (the original bunny) home to live with us. I always WANTED a bunny and knew it was just a matter of time and finding the right bunny (or more like the right bunny finding me).


I found this one on a walk with the dogs one day. I looked down on the trail and there it was, a perfect sitting bunny! (I love looking for odd shaped rocks and have an entire collection of heart rocks...)


This bunny was a thrift store find. I saw it in the glass case (you know, where the really good thrift store finds are) and just knew I had to have it. When the lady handed it to me I almost dropped it on the top of the glass. Turns out, this guy is made of cast iron. Even better! I had no idea what I was going to do with him, but something told me I should buy him. When I brought him home, I came in the gate to the courtyard (the gate that doesn't stay open unless you prop it open with a rock) and he found his new home. It was fate.

So now this little metal bunny has a friend. I really love this guy's big jack rabbit ears! His butt has a hinged door that opens and you can put a tea light inside. Too cute to pass up.
Inside the house, the bunny obsession continues...
This little easel (made by my dad) sits on my work table right next to my computer where I can flip to a different little work of art every day. ... These bunnies should look familiar....

And you didn't think I'd get through Bunny Sunday without posting a pic of a real live bunny, did you??? Turbo knows she is adorable... she's not worried about all of the imposters around this place!

Happy Mother's Day!

Sometimes our kids look just like us...

But not always...

No matter, we still love them just the same... Happy Mother's Day everyone!

Silent Sunday (Digger and Ginger)

Silent Sunday

The gang's all here (almost)

I was looking through my pictures and found this montage my brother put together for me awhile back of all of our animals. Well, at the time it was all of them... we've acquired a few more since then (specifically, 1 little filly, one dog and 5 bunnies) Top left is my mare, Liberty. She is no longer with us (a gal in Phoenix bought her and loves her to pieces. I miss Libs)

Top middle is Gerty sporting her hat (I did mention previously that I'd dress up anything that would sit still long enough, didn't I???)

Top right is Sassy, Lee's horse. She's a little princess and don't get in the stall with her or she'll stalk you and make you pay! I have personal experience with this.

Middle left is Bandit. aka Bandito Brown, Bandy Boy. He's a sweet old guy who is just hanging out, enjoying his retirement these days.

In the very middle is Sandie. Sadly, she is no longer with us. I adopted her from the Humane Society when she was 8 weeks old and she lived to be nearly 16. Sure do miss that girl, too.

Middle right is Nutmeg. Boy, she was a little fatty in this pic. It was shortly after we rescued her from living in a hutch in someone's garage, all but forgotten by the kids who she was bought for. :( Apparently they fed her well, but that was about it.

Bottom left is Phoenix, the old guy, smiling for the camera.

On the middle left is Patches. She was little in this pic! She grew up to be 10 lbs! She's our gunga-galunga bunny. Otherwise known as Patches Monster or Biggie.

The middle right is Valentine. Our "porch goat"... (see previous post)

And lastly, the bottom right is Angel, our Rotten-weiler. I picked her up on the side of the freeway in a thunder storm almost 10 years ago. Her official job is to go out and check on the horses every morning and make sure everyone is behaving.

The others that are not pictured are Piper (my rescued PMU filly), 5 "baby" bunnies, who are now a year and a half old (oops bunnies from a bunny I rescued that ended up being pregnant. Surprise!) and Snuffy (Snuffaluffagus) the neighbor's black lab who decided he liked it at our house better than theirs and and has basically never gone home. Oh, and our four chickens, none of which really have names, other than the Rhode Island Red, who we call "Red"... original, I know.

So, there ya have it, the entire bunch. Never a dull moment around this place!

Happy Holidays From Our Family To Yours!

This year I had Mary of Mary Richmond Design create a Christmas card for us with all of our animals. I e-mailed pics of everyone to her and she took it from there. She did a GREAT job! Horses, goats, dogs, bunnies, right down to the chickens, everyone is here with their santa hats on. (Bandit, Phoenix, Piper, Sassy, Sandie, Snuffy, Angel, "chickens", Ginger, Digger, Sandie, Patches, Nutmeg, Turbo and Bulldog).

We all wish you a Very Merry Christmas!

O Christmas Tree

Finally, the tree is up AND decorated! Come on in and have a look...
Naturally, our tree is decorated in western style with a mix of ornaments featuring our animals.

No tree is complete without at least one cowgirl ornament....

And this cowboy Santa with his Christmas foal is so sweet!

Had to add Lee's "Gunny Claus" ornament... (he's a retired Marine Gunnery Sgt)

This ornament is made from an original oil painting of our bunnies. Charlotte, of CharlottesWebArt created this masterpiece!



This is Sandie. She's been gone for a few years now, but is still with us in spirit! She lived a good long life, nearly 16 years...




Happy Holidays everyone!

Calling All Bunny Lovers!

Can you handle the cuteness??? I uploaded a new slide show of the bunnies. Scroll all the way to the bottom -- nothin' but bunnies. Pics of the whole gang. Enjoy!

Bunnies Eating Breakfast

Here are our baby bunnies gathered round the feed bowl, eating their breakfast this morning. I guess they are not babies anymore, they just turned one on August 4th.

From left to right: Digger, Ginger, Sandie, Bully and little Turbo.

If this scene doesn't put you in a good mood for the day, I don't know what will! Bunnies are good therapy. :)