Lilac Purple

Hello!  I hope you all had a blessed Sunday.  I certainly did!  It was sunny, I got to cuddle a precious baby, and brought home the latest addition to my farm...but more on that later. *wink*

Before we left for church, I had my bro snap a few photos of my outfit.  The beautiful lilac blooms make a perfect background for my purple houndstooth skirt!  This is my second time wearing it, and I love this skirt more every time.  I can't wait to style it again!

o u t f i t

blouse - gifted

necklace - gifted

skirt - Shabby Apple

brown flats - thrifted

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And now, I'd like you all to meet my new baby.

Those who guessed "goat" were 100% correct!

Isn't she adorable?! 

Some friends from church gave her to me.  She's a year old...and in the excitement of it all, I forgot to ask my friends what breed she is. *sheepish grin*  Never fear, I'll find out eventually!  But she's small for a year old and probably won't get much bigger.  We transported her in the Bonnie dog's travel crate (which is a size...large, I think?) and she fit just fine.  I haven't quite named her yet.  Still debating between Beatrice (Much Ado About Nothing), Princess Buttercup (The Princess Bride), or possibly Primrose (The Hunger Games).

Oh, and why did I decide to get a goat?  Mostly for weed eating purposes.  Whether I do anything else with her in the future depends on if she gets any bigger.  At this point, she's a weed eating pet, like Calvin. *smile*  I'll share more pictures of her in another post.

For now, Happy Trails y'all!

Question: Which of the three names for Miss Goat do you like best?  I want to know!

Sheep Shearing // Vlog no.3

And here it is, folks!  The much anticipated sheep shearing video!

Once again, sorry it's so small! YouTube is misbehaving...again.  Is it just me, or is the "share" tab not working for other people?  Maybe it's just Google Chrome...maybe not.  I don't know.  If you'd like to see a larger video (which I recommend) here's the link.

As you can see, Hank is very good at sheep shearing.  Even if he weren't my friend, I'd want him to shear my sheep.  I truly appreciate how careful he is not to injure the animals, and how clean and even the wool is when he's done.  It's so fascinating to see all of the wool come off in one big fluffy fleece!

My brother's sheep catching and moving skills are to be envied, are they not? *wink*

Oh, and despite what he says in the video about not showing it to anyone, I asked and received Hank's permission to share all of the footage with y'all.  So I did, because I didn't want to leave anything out.  Thank you for your permission, for your patience, and for shearing my sheep, Hank!

Well, I hope you enjoyed watching the video as much as I did!
Hop over to Day by Day's channel to like, favorite, and share!

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Changing the subject, I wanted to say thank you to all of the lovely ladies who have been tagging me!  I love tags, but there is simple not enough time in my day to do all of them.  However, I decided to accept Treskie's challenge and am planning to answer the tags vlog style.  I think it will be faster that way...but we'll see how that goes.  No promises as to how soon that will be done.  It will be finished when it's finished.  In the meantime, thank you so much for the tags!

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Have a lovely Memorial Day weekend, everyone!

Question: Would anyone be interested in a Q&A vlog?  Are there any questions you'd like to hear me answer?  Leave a comment and ask me anything!

On the Farm | Life Goes On

May has been the busiest month yet, even busier than lambing season in April...and that's saying a lot.  There are so many things that need doing during spring.

The sheepies have been enjoying the tender grass in the orchard and now the rich stuff in the lower pasture.  We've been blessed with the perfect amount of sunshine and rain, and the pastures are all doing so well.

As you may have noticed, they've all been sheared, too.

My sheep were very well behaved this year.  In fact, Hank says they were better than his own sheep.  Yes, this is me gloating...but just a bit. *grin*

I'll be sharing the sheep shearing video sometime soon-ish...I hope.

Miss Picabo the llama went to her new home and is doing very well there.

In the horse trailer - I love how easy llamas are to load.

Here she is with her new pasture mate Savannah...

Checking out her new home...

I'm so thankful to have found a good home for her where she will be well cared for.  And I'm very thankful to only have two llamas to feed of this coming winter.  That'll save me some hay!

Picabo's new home is also the farm where I bought my five extra meat lambs.  They're Katahdins, which is a hair breed instead of a wool breed like mine are.  Not what I'd want for breeding purposes, but they'll do for meat.  I think they're pretty cute, too. ;)

The horses have enjoyed being out on pasture, and I'm happy to be conserving the last of my grass hay.

If you follow me on Twitter, then you know that I had the opportunity to help shear alpacas at a friend's ranch last weekend.  Way too much fun!  I took a lot of pictures so I'll be sharing more about that in a separate post at some point.

I love riding with my dad to the dump and part of the charm is riding in our farm truck, the one I'm sitting on in my header picture.  I love old Ford trucks.  On our way back home my dad pulled of to the side, I slid over, he got back in on the passenger side, and explained to me how the clutch and the stick work.  Yep, my first time driving manual. 

*grin*

Going up our gravel driveway, dad had me step on the brake and the clutch, stopping the car.  Now I'm pretty sure he was setting me up, because we were going up a slight incline.  When I tried to get going again, the truck died.  I got it going again, hit the gas and popped the clutch.  Ooooh yeah!  Power!!

*bigger grin*

Once I'd parked the truck in our driveway, my dad says, "Okay, now go inside, get your camera, and go take a picture of what you did to the road.  You can put it on your blog."  Hehe...

Yep, he set me up.

This two inch deep rut?  It's mine.

I can't wait to drive the truck again - I think I'm going to really love driving manually.

I'm currently focusing my time on fence fixing, mainly tightening the fence so the animals won't push it over.

Also, I'm bringing home a new addition to my menagerie next Sunday!

Can you guess what "it" is?  Hint: I've never owned this kind of animal before.

That's all for now folks!

BB Gun Fun | Vlog no. 2

It was a sunny morning, the first really warm day of spring.  

And who wants to stay inside on a day like that?!  This completely impromptu vlog is the result...

Sorry it's so small...silly YouTube was misbehaving.
*grrr*

You can visit Day by Day's YouTube channel to like, favorite, and share!
Comments are always fun, too;)

Happy Trails, y'all!

Question: What do you enjoy doing with your siblings for spur of the moment fun?  I want to know!

p.s.
Next week, keep your eyes open for Vlog no. 3 - sheep shearing!

Saturday Matinee | no. 8

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A while back, my friend Maria asked me what I thought of Heartland.  Here's your answer, Maria:)

Heartland {TV series} | Amy Fleming loses her mother in a car accident when they rescue an abused horse, and her entire life is turned upside-down.   Set in beautiful Alberta, Canada, join the family as Amy adjusts to life without her mother, meets the dad who was never there for her, falls in love, and makes a name for herself as a horse trainer.

I've not read the books the TV series is based on, so I'm not going to do a book vs. movie comparison.  Apparently the books are set in Virginia??  But I'm not going to argue with the setting - Alberta, Canada is breathtakingly beautiful!

I really enjoy this show, mainly because of the horses, but also because of the characters and the rustic country feel.  Amy's grandpa Jack is fantastic!  Love him. :)  My friend Glenda recommended this show to me, and as her husband says, "It's a western soap opera."  This is true.  There's a lot of drama, lots of teen romance (which makes me gag), lots of hype.  But, I love it anyway.  Looking at the gorgeous scenery, country roads, enjoying all of the farm trucks (I love a good farm truck:), and the beautiful horses...yes, I really do enjoy this show.

I know that a show like this is considered a "family show" these days, but like I said, there is a lot of teen romance which I don't feel is appropriate for younger kids.  There's also some drinking (including teen drinking), some rather wild parties, a bit of mild language (mostly d**n and h*ll, b**ch once or twice), and some innuendo.  I would recommend this show for age 16 and older and give it a TV-PG.

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And that's it for today!  I haven't been watching many movies these days (aside from a few episodes of Monk each evening;) because I've been spending almost all day every day outside.  It's so beautiful and there's so much to do now that the weather has warmed up!  I have a lot of farm happenings to share, which I will hopefully get around to this week.

Have a wonderful and blessed weekend, y'all!

Question: What's your favorite present day (modern setting) TV show/series?  Or do you not enjoy a modern setting?  I want to know!

Treasured // feeling grey & local in Idaho

feeling rather grey...

crochet + grey = perfection

I love grey.  It's such a soft, beautiful color, especially when paired with pink, purple, or mustard yellow!

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Granny Square Laptop Sleeve // Grey, Yellow, Lavender // Wool & What-not

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Shop Local in Idaho

A beautiful collection of gifts for mum on Mother's Day!  And the best part?  They're all made in Idaho!

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Granny Square Laptop Sleeve // Lilac Purple, Lime Green, Aqua Blue // Wool & What-not

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Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!  

And to all of the mothers reading, I hope you have a lovely and blessed Mother's Day!

Classic Movie May // Famous Classic Films I Don't Like

I'm linking up to...

Okay, here we go.  Those famous, well known films which everyone else may love, but I don't.

I know I get really upset when someone criticizes a film I love, so no offence is intended to those who love these films.  I happen to not like them, but I'd love to hear why you do! :) 

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Citizen Kane | Maybe I'm just stupid, but I honestly do not understand why this film is so often heralded as "the greatest film of all time".  Nope, I don't get it.  I mean, I don't just watch comedies - I'm perfectly capable of understanding a deep, complex, dramatic plot.  But this film wasn't any of those things.  The plot was flat, depressing, and just plain boring.  It's been a while since I've watched it, but I'm not wasting several hours of my life re-watching this film just so I can more accurately explain to you how much I hated it.  I do remember thinking that the cinematography was very good - fantastic, in fact.  But besides that...no.  Just because it's on every single "100 movies you must watch before you die" kind of list, doesn't mean you should actually watch it.  Believe me, it would be a complete waste of time.  You're welcome.

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The Philadelphia Story | You'd think with a cast like Jimmy Stewart, Cary Grant, and Katherine Hepburn, that I would love this film...but I didn't.  I wanted to like it, I really did.  But I couldn't.  The acting was good, of course - with those three it couldn't be anything but good!  It was the story I didn't like.  There was something missing.  You know when you're with someone who keeps trying to be funny, but isn't?  It felt like that.  Awkward.  I didn't like some of the plot twists either, and I especially didn't like Tracy.  What a spoiled little brat!  I do however enjoy the musical remake High Society - it's cute and fun.

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Rear Window | I know, I know...please don't hate me, but I just don't like this film.  Yes, it's Alfred Hitchcock!  Yes, it's Jimmy Stewart!  It's the plot that I don't like...also Grace Kelly (again, please don't hate me).  I found the entire concept of some guy murdering his wife, then chopping her up into pieces, and concealing them in a trunk extremely gruesome and disturbing.  I don't like Hitchcock's Rope for similar reasons.  Psycho, I like.  Please don't ask me to explain why, because I'm still trying to figure that one myself.   The concept of a photographer laid up with a broken leg and observing everything going on in his apartment complex is interesting, though.  I like that.

Grace Kelly is one of those actresses that I love in some films (like High Noon and The Country Girl) but greatly dislike in other films.  She was just irritating in Rear Window.  Please forgive me.
Also, I freely admit to having only seen this film once.  I'm willing to give it another try and see if my opinion changes...but I'm rather doubting it.

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West Side Story | I wish I could just copy Kristin's paragraph on why she dislikes this film, because she said everything I want to say. *grin*
I watched this film for the first time last week.  First, you have to know that I have an intense dislike for Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.  I'm sorry, but I don't.  I get frustrated reading it, because all of the tragedy could have totally been avoided if everyone had just done one simple thing.  Communicate!!  So, I knew West Side Story was basically R&J set in NYC with the feuding taking place between two gangs.  That actually sounded rather intriguing to me and I like Natalie Wood, so I thought I'd give it a chance.  I'm sorry to say that I didn't like it.  I'm not much for the "love at first sight" thing, add to that Maria's complete insensitivity to the fact that her brother is dead, singing about her love for Tony in front of  her brother's girlfriend.  Yeah...that didn't do much for me.  The rest...well, it was a musical.  And I love musicals.  But the musical numbers just didn't do much for me.  Gangsters dancing ballet??  I mean, really!

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The Third Man |  Another film that is so often hailed as a masterpiece.  It's certainly interesting from a visual perspective, with very unusual camera angles and uses of shadow and light.  I typically love film noir...but not this one.  Once again, a convoluted and sometimes extremely dull plot.  It wouldn't be fair to say that the entire film was boring, because there are some really exciting bits (the escape through the sewer tunnels had me on the edge of my seat), but mostly boring.  Also, the music.  Nothing but an unseen zither-player through the entire film.  I like unique and original film scores, but this just got monotonous.  And last, but not least, the romance...or lack thereof.  They had something going there for a bit, but it totally fizzled out at the end, leaving me feeling like the story was incomplete.

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So there you have it!  Five Famous Classic Films which I don't like.

Question: What are some famous films that you don't like?  I want to know!   

Classic Movie May // Favorite Actresses

I'm linking up to...

And I'm back to do some more classic film rambling!  It's my favorite silver screen leading ladies this time.

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Olivia de Havilland | My favorite actress for as long as I can remember, adorable Olivia made her film debut in the 1935 production of Shakespeare's  A Midsummer Night's Dream as Hermia.  Her sweet little voice and loveliness lent itself well to her earlier roles as romantic heroines.  But don't let her fool you, she wasn't just eye candy - she could act!  If you've seen her in Gone with the Wind, The Heiress, The Snake Pit, or Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte (that one is not on my recommended list, by the way), then you know she could hold her own with the best of them.  She could do comedy too, as she proved in Princess O'Rourke and Four's a Crowd.  Olivia's screen pairing with Errol Flynn was perfection itself.  The chemistry between those two is delightful!  They made eight films together, including Captain Blood and The Adventures of Robin Hood, and all of them are on my favorites list (I've marked them with an *).

My favorite of her films {that I've seen} are Captain Blood*, The Charge of the Light Brigade*, The Adventures of Robin Hood*, Four's a Crowd*, Dodge City*, The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex*, Gone with the Wind, Santa Fe Trail*, They Died with Their Boots On*, Princess O'Rourke, The Snake Pit, The Heiress, and The Proud Rebel.

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Audrey Hepburn |  Classy and caring, Audrey believed in smiling and laughing a lot.  She never thought of herself as beautiful, but we all know she was, both inside and out.   I love her outlook on life, and a more generous and compassionate person you will never find.  Reading about her inspired me to find my own fashion style, to be myself.  And is there anything more delightful than curling up and watching an Audrey Hepburn film?  No, I think not.  She was a talented actress and always conveyed such ladylike charm in her films.  Her smile makes your day better.

My favorite of her films {that I've seen} are Roman Holiday, Sabrina, War and Peace, Love in the Afternoon, Funny Face, The Nun's Story, The Unforgiven, Breakfast at Tiffanys (some content - please watch with caution), Charade, Paris When it Sizzles (ditto), My Fair Lady, How to Steal a Million, and Wait Until Dark. 

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Greer Garson | When my grandma and I have long conversations about our favorite silver screen actors and actresses (which we do rather often - I inherited my love of film from her;), sooner or later we always end up talking about this lovely lady.  My grandma remembers going as a child to the movies to see Greer Garson.  Stunningly beautiful, with red hair (which we don't get to see enough of), and a melodic voice, you're in for a treat whenever she comes on screen.  She was extremely popular during WWII, and won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1942 for her role in Mrs. Miniver.

My favorite of her films {that I've seen} are Goodbye, Mr. Chips, Pride and Prejudice, Mrs. Miniver, Random Harvest, Madame Curie, and The Happiest Millionaire.

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Ginger Rogers | Here is a actress who is greatly under-rated.  Most well known in her dancing roles opposite Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers could not only sing and dance, but she had so much more to offer than that.  Watch her in Kitty Foyle or The Major and the Minor, and you'll know I speak the truth when I say Ginger was a great actress.   Of course I absolutely adore her and Fred together.  This girl could really dance!  Her autobiography Ginger: My Story is a fun read, and I highly recommend it.

My favorite of her films {that I've seen} are Roberta, Top Hat, Follow the Fleet, Swing Time, Shall We Dance, Stage Door, Carefree, The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle, Kitty Foyle, The Major and the Minor, and The Barkleys of Broadway.

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Joan Fontaine | I didn't discover Joan until a few years ago, but I was immediately interested when I learned she was Olivia de Havilland's younger sister.  The sisters, who are two of the last surviving leading ladies from the 30s, are famous for their sibling rivalry and haven't spoken to each other for decades.  My brother hates it when I talk about their rivalry, but I find it rather fascinating...and very sad, too.  What makes me laugh (a bit) is that they are both extremely talented actresses in their own right!  Sometimes, while watching Joan in a movie, she'll wrinkle her nose a certain way or lift an eyebrow or smile a certain way, and I say, "Uh huh - she's Olivia's sister alright!"  While they don't look exactly alike, they are definitely sisters, no doubt about that!  And both stunningly beautiful, too.
Joan's performances in Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca and Suspicion are especially brilliant.  If you've not seen Rebecca, do yourself a huge favor and watch that movie!
My favorite of her films {that I've seen} are Gunga Din, Rebecca, Suspicion, Jane Eyre, Letter From an Unknown Woman, and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.

And just for fun, a picture of the two rivals sisters together...

   They don't appear to be killing each other here, which makes me wonder how much of the rivalry was just publicity doing what it does best - exaggerating.

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Just like my list of favorite actors, my list of favorite actresses is very long, indeed.  Here are the honorable mentions, all fantastic actresses who I enjoy watching: Maureen O'Hara, Ingrid Bergman, Jean Arthur, Irene Dunne, Teresa Wright, Rosalind Russell, Debbie Reynolds, Judy Garland, Jean Simmons, Myrna Loy and others, but I'll stop there;)

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Question: Who are some of your favorite silver screen actresses?  I want to know!

May the Fourth

Happy Star Wars Day, everyone!!

May the Fourth be with you...and may the oods be ever in your favor.  Oops, three of my fandoms just collided.  Stand back, there may be stray bits of awesomeness floating around. *wink*

Ever since my eight-year-old heart first fluttered at the sight of Han Solo |scoundrel extraordinaire|, I was deeply in love with Star Wars.  Fantastic characters, brilliant dialog, strange creatures, spaceships, beautiful costumes and hairstyles, lightsaber fights, the John Williams music score, a beautiful romance... *happy sigh*

Han Solo was my first movie crush, and he's still my favorite Star Wars character. Princess Leia is definitely my second favorite character.  What I like most about her, is that she's a strong girl character without being tainted by a feminist spirit.  She can shoot a blaster and defend herself, but she's not obnoxious about it.  If someone else can do the job better, she steps back and lets them.  I also love her costumes and hairstyles.  She's one of my "long hair" inspirations. *smile*

Han and Leia's romance is among my very favorite screen romances.  I think it's perfect that their romance doesn't take over, yet it never takes a back seat to the main story.  It's perfectly balanced.  And these two together??  Totes adorbs!!

Luke Skywalker.  There is no doubt about it, he is a very awesome character.  I never had a crush on him like I did Han, but I've always loved him.  He never gives up, and his loyalty to his friends and family is inspiring.  Love his lightsaber battles!  He looks good with a blaster, too.

Yoda, C-3PO, R2D2, Chewbacca, and the Ewoks are high on my list of favorites, but really, I just love all of the characters in Star Wars, even the bad ones.  They're all so much fun to watch!
And James Earl Jones as Darth Vader's voice?!  Epic.  I have the New Testament on tape read by James Earl Jones.  I fell asleep once while listening, and woke up scared out of my mind when I heard Darth Vader in my room, reading the book of James!  I don't listen to those right before bed anymore. *grin*

I can't quite decide which of the original trilogy is my favorite.  A New Hope probably...but then I watch The Empire Strikes Back...definitely my favorite...but wait, The Return of the Jedi is sooo good.
You know what, I just love all of them.

I admit to also enjoying some of the prequels, but they don't come anywhere close to comparing to the original trilogy.  Just sayin'.  I like them for the back story, Obi-Wan, and the costumes.  That's it.  Just had to get that confession off my chest.

I know what I'll be doing tonight - having my own private Star Wars marathon!!
Have a wonderful May Fourth, everyone!

Question: Do you watch Star Wars?  Who is your favorite character and which film is your favorite?  I want to know!

p.s.
watch this.  because it's awesome.  and you cannot watch it too many times.

p.s.s.

this Kid Snippets episode is hilarious.  you will not be sorry you watched it.  promise.

p.s.s.s.

all images via my Pinterest Star Wars board.

Miscellany

Now that the weather is finally warming up, I've been spending as much time as I possibly can outside.
This afternoon I brought a towel out to the backyard where my sheep were grazing, spread it out in the sun, and stretched out for about an hour soaking in the warmth.  It felt like heaven...until Maggie came over and started nibbling on my feet.  That might have been cute when she was a baby, but it's not cute now!

Since my final lamb count this year was only three, and I'm keeping the two ewe lambs, I needed to buy more lambs for meat.  Last week, I drove up north to look at some Katahdin lambs.  The Katahdin is a hair breed, which means they shed every spring instead of being sheared.  I'm definitely not interested in them for breeding, but I think they'll be great as meat lambs.  I had a marvelous time talking sheep with their owner, Tess, and walking around her sheep pen examining the lambs and enjoying the sun.  I ended up putting a deposit down on 5 lambs, which I will be bringing home in about a week, and I'm giving her one of my llamas.  Finally, I found a home for one of the llamas!!  I have three, but I really only need two to guard my flock.  You would not believe how hard it is to find someone to take a llama, even for free.  Do not ask.  I'm so thankful that the Lord led me to Tess' place through the recommendation of a mutual friend.  Love when He turns the seemingly bad situations into unexpected blessings!

Next on the list will be dropping off the llama, picking up the lambs, and then sheep shearing.  Looking forward to all of that next week!

If - IF - I were ever to sing at church again, I would sing this song...

The beautiful melody and lyrics have been uplifting and blessing me all week.

And this is so true it's not even funny...except it made me laugh, so apparently I laugh at things which aren't funny.  But I already knew that.  Anyway...

This picture of David Tennant makes me extremely happy.

Like, really, really happy.

And that's about it.  Hope you all have a marvelous weekend! :)

Question: So...how have all of you been?  I talk about myself a lot here because...well, it's my blog.  But seriously, I want to know how all of you are doing!  What have you been doing this spring?  Anything new and exciting happening in your life?  Any songs that have blessed you lately?  I want to know!