28 years!

Today, I think I worked to hard in the yard. I am totally worn out and think I will feel the pain tomorrow for sure. Hubby and I made a trip to Lowe's today and bought 20 bags of mulch and got half of it in the gardens today. The rest I'll try to get done over the next couple of days. It sure was a beautiful day, bright and sunny and got up to 81º. Cooked a couple of pork chops on the grill for supper. They were so good! Yesterday was our 28th Wedding Anniversary. Can hardly believe it. Time sure does fly, and even faster the older you get! Why is that, anyway??? Who knows....Well we went out to eat last night at Red Lobster. Very Good I might say!

Here is a trio of my little birdies that I made last week and are listed on etsy right now!

Spring Robin

Finished up this sweet robin today. It will be listed on my website for sale in a little while.

I wanted to have have her sitting in a nest and didn't know where to get such a thing, so I made one!! I think it turned out pretty cool!!

I first started with bark covered wire, attached some old cotton batting, then weaved in and out some twine, added some excelsior, Spanish moss, sheet moss, and some twigs from my yard. I found a branch in my back yard that was in the shape of a "Y" and attached the nest to that. It was actually pretty fun trying to make a nest!

Ducks!!

So tonight while eating supper I am looking out my kitchen window and notice something moving in my neighbors bushes across the street from us. It was a momma Wood Duck and her babies!! I watch them for awhile while I am cleaning up the dishes and notice she is heading toward the street!! I just prayed that no cars were coming as they made it across the street, directly to my yard! I quickly grab my camera which just so happens to be on the kitchen counter and snap 2 pictures of them as they come up to the bushes in my front yard. Then my cameras batteries die. I am lucky I got those 2 pictures before they go into the bushes. I think I counted 14 baby chicks from what I can tell from the pictures. They were so cute!!!! That really made my day that I got pictures of them. Never seen a Wood Duck around here before. I've seen Mallards but never a Wood Duck. I looked up on the internet about the ducks and the male Wood Duck is gorgeous! Lots of different colors.

Etsy Treasury

Cathy aka Hazelruthe has included my Americana Star E-Pattern in a treasury she made at Etsy. I love being in treasuries! If you want to take a look, go here http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=44421 There are some really great primitives that you will want to check out! The treasury will expire on Saturday afternoon, so hurry on over and take a look!

New Birds

Finished up a couple of new birds today. Listed one on etsy today and the other one will be listed tomorrow. I'm working on various other projects and trying to get a little bit of flower planting at the same time. So glad the weather is warming up!

The Hummers are Here!

I mentioned a couple of days ago that I put up my hummingbird feeder last week and have had them at my feeder everyday. I found a pretty cool website where you see them migrating back for the summer. It's the Spring 2008 Migration of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds at http://www.hummingbirds.net/map.html

The picture at the left is not one that I took. I am still trying to get a picture with my camera.

Open For Business!!

Rock River Stitches
My new website is offically open for business now! Click on the graphic button to the left, to go there now! I have all my patterns there along with a few handmade items. Will be adding more as the weeks go by. I Had Carrie of "Harvest Moon Hill Graphics" do my webset and Brenda of "Hattie's U Design It" set up my site. Thank you ladies for all your work!

Back to Winter??

Where did spring go?? Today it only got up to 42º and we had snow showers off and on. We have a freeze warning for tonight. I set up my hummingbird feeder on Friday and have already seen one little hummer at it, all day Saturday. Hope he finds a nice warm place to stay tonight. This picture is of one of many black squirrels we have around here.

Beautiful Day!

I am so glad after a morning thunderstorm that the sun came out and warmed up into the 70's Yay!! Another beautiful spring day! Here are a few pictures of flowers that are blooming in my yard, a Bleeding Heart and some Wild Violets that are everywhere in my yard. So Pretty!

Busy Day!

Got alot of work done today and still more to do! Finished up this special order for a customer on Etsy. This is one of my designs from last year. I think it turned out pretty good.


I think I am going to make another to sell on my website when I get it open. I am currently selling the pattern on patternmart and etsy. It was a beautiful day today after yesterday's rain and cold weather. Got up to 72°!! Had the windows open while I was painting and sure was nice to hear all the birds singing. Also got 2 of my folk art birds that I sold on Etsy, packaged up to mail tomorrow.


Here is a picture that I was pretty happy to get today out my window. It's a female goldfinch. Tried to get the much brighter male, but he flew away. They are one of my favorites.

Deer?

I am so mad! It doesn't look like I am going to have tulips blooming for the second year in a row. Last year a hard frost got them and now something has eaten them!! I am guessing deer, because the way they are eaten all the way to the ground. Don't think a rabbit can do that on a whole row of tulips, that I have planted behind my garage. I have never had this happen before. I live in town, in a residental neighborhood. I've been living in the same house for about 24 years, and in the last 2 years have been seeing deer when we have never had them around here before. Just 2 weeks ago around 7 a.m. I looked out my front living room window and there about 6 feet away from my house was a deer looking into my backyard! The deer population has really gotten out of hand around here. Back in January I saw a coyote walking down the middle of our neighborhood street! I've only seen them out in the country. Poor animals don't know where to go anymore. Ok...for anyone that reads my blog, maybe you can tell me if this looks like deer that have eaten my tulips, and if there is anything that I can do to prevent this from happening again?

I've Been Tagged!! How the Business Name Came to Be

I've been tagged by Kathy of Hazelruthe's to tell you how I got my name. I picked my name from a river that is close to me, the Rock River. I live in Rock Island,Il. Actually I live by two rivers, one on each side of me, the Mississippi and the Rock. The Rock River is flooding right now, because of all the rain we have had lately and the spring thawing going on. Lots of people that live right along the river have had to move out. I feel for them. Not really to exciting about my name, but that's how I got it. :)

I guess now I have to tag 3 others and see how they got their names!
Doreen of Vermont Harvest
Kris of Painted Kreations
Maggie of Cedar Hill Rustics

New Blue Bird

Got this little guy made up and listed on etsy today. He's made with a civil war reproduction fabric.

New Website?

Finished up this Americana Flag this weekend and listed it on etsy. Been seriously thinking about opening up my own website. This is something that has been on my mind for a very long time. Everyone keeps telling me I should do it. I just need to jump in and just do it now, with everything going on with ebay and its new fees and rules. It's as a good time as ever to do it. Bought my own domain last night, so will see how it goes.

Americana

Well it's finally starting to look more like spring around here! I've noticed that my tulips are up. When they start blooming going to post some pics for everyone to see.

Finished up this Americana Star door hanger last night. Got it listed on etsy today. Well, time to get back to sewing. Working on a America Betsy Ross Flag.