Free photo editing class

Several of us are planning to take the free photo editing class taught by Jessica Sprague. If you're interested in joining the fun you can register here!!

A late surprise!

This evening while cooking dinner another pregnant doe shows up! This is the first time we have even seen one go this late into the season. Usually they always have their babies starting the end of May through the first of June. I find it fascinating that they come out into the open to deliver their babies. She's been acting a bit peculiar and I think she's experiencing some contractions by the way she's acting. I bet she'll have it tonight!! I have my camera set up and ready, but I fear once again dusk will turn to darkness and I wont get any photos of the birth! Sweet looking isn't she!!! I don't like the flies on her face, but guess that's a part of nature!

Big Red & the Twins

Big Red had her set of twins this past weekend!! They are just as cute as can be!! So we now have a total of 5 newborns running around here!!! They're so cute!!

Big Red is such a good mommy letting the baby fawn nurse and keep a watchful eye out for danger.
These little babes are so frisky & playful and so much fun to watch!!
Ooops....they hear something that makes them run for cover!

And then this handsome fella shows up this afternoon and just lays around for most the day. He's got some nice spike horns on him!Wonder which one will show up next?

Fawns

Every year, for the past ten years, we have enjoyed witnessing the miracles of spring. Our newborn fawns are always born during the first two weeks of June. So I have been waiting all year for this event!

On Thursday we had a severe storm blow through knocking down trees and taking out power, so I was a bit concerned the deer might go into hiding for a few days. But when hubby came home from work on Friday he said he thought Babes (yes, we give them names...LOL) was having her baby up behind the barn. So I grab my camera a run up there as fast as I can. We get back up there just in time to see the fawn trying to stand up. It's was still wet and legs so wobbly. I took a few photos but just the click of the camera made the doe nervous, so I stopped and we just watched!

Babes and her newborn. This fawn was born sometime after 5:30pm on Friday. I took this photo at 7:22pm. I'm so disappointed that all my shots are blurry!! Not sure if it was from my heart pounding so hard after running up to the barn to get these pictures....or if I just don't know how to focus!

We stood and watched her for about half an hour or so, and then they started to walk away!


Here's Babes with her newborn walking around on Sunday afternoon.


Little Miss Splitear and her new little fawn!

Not sure of the birth date. She was still pregnant when I saw her on Friday night.....so this little one is a couple of days old.

Last night we had another doe go into labor. She was right out in the middle of the pasture. So I set up my camera and tripod hoping to get some good shots (since I obviously can't hold still to take a decent shot). Well, dusk soon turned into darkness and I wasn't able to get any photos. I haven't seen her yet this morning, but I'm confident we will see her within the next day or so with a little Bambi in tow.

There's still two more does due to deliver. One is mega huge, so we're hoping for twins again! For as long as we've lived here there has always been a set of twins born each year, so we're keeping our fingers crossed!

Here's some interesting facts about deer:

A deer's gestation period is 200 to 205 days, most of the fawns being born in the latter part of May or the first part of June. A doe giving birth for her first time will have a single fawn, thereafter she will have twins. in areas of good food, triplets are common as well as occasional quadruplets. There are even three records of quintuplets.

At birth a baby doe weighs about 4 1/2 pounds while a buck weighs 5 1/2 pounds. At the time of birth, the doe may return to a preselected spot or she may give birth wherever she happens to be. The fawns are born over a period of time that may extend from ten minutes up to two hours.

As soon as the fawn is born, the doe licks it dry with her tongue, Even before it can walk, the fawn in a matter of minutes seeks out the doe's udder and starts to nurse. The doe remains lying down so that the wobbly young can reach her nipples.

By the time the fawns are twenty minutes old, they can walk slowly on very shaky legs. The doe, as soon as possible, will lead her fawns away from the place of birth where her body fluids have soaked into the earth and may attract predators.

When a suitable place of concealment is reached, the doe leaves her fawns and moves off perhaps 100 yards away. The fawns in their spotted coats are almost impossible to see and are almost odorless. The doe comes back five to eight times a day to nurse the young and then leaves again. She always remains somewhere in the area where she can see if danger approaches or can hear the little ones if they call to her.

June's Reveal at MCS

This month's MCS kit features the beautiful Lily Bee papers! Pam does such an amazing job selecting the products and putting the kits together!! The kit also includes die cuts, ribbon, Petaloo & Prima flowers, Zva Crystals, Pink Paislee chipboard and much more! The Petaloo flowers are my new fave!!

The deco edged paper that's included in the kit is wonderful. I was actually able to create three layouts using it. I didn't even plan it that way in the beginning, but was quite thrilled with the results!


A few years ago we took a trip to Moab, Utah. We visited Canyon Land & Arches Natl Park. Breathtaking views and also very hot!!!

I love the Petaloo flowers on this layout!!! In their package I think they look like an apple blossom. On this layout I inked them and sprayed them with Glimmer Mist. I think they now look more like rose buds! I have a very sentimental attachment to this sewing machine....it was my first 'Big Girl' purchase!

This is my grandson fishing with his Spiderman pole. And yes, he actually caught fish with it! Five to be exact!! One was a record breaker so he now has his photo on the wall of fame at the local market!!

This is a book with a photo frame front that I decided to altered. I painted the chipboard gold, sprayed the Prima bloom with gold Glimmer Mist (not included in the kit), added some ribbon and voila!

All the girls on the DT did a fabulous job with their kits this month! Have a peek here to see all their lovely creations!!

The Bear & The Mountain

We had an absolutely amazing time in the Olympic National Forest. The views from Hurricane Ridge are breathtaking!


You are literally on top of the world! We were so fortunate to have nice weather.......hot actually, as you can see by my tank-top!

The park is so beautiful and filled with wonderful hiking trails! After we did some hiking & exploring we returned to the car. Just as we started driving down the road I spotted this bear!

He's just over the bank...(that gravel along the bottom of the photo is the shoulder of the roadway.) So of course we stop to snap some pictures. First we looked around for cubs or additional bears. Since the coast looked clear we got out of the car to get a closer look. Not sure if that was crazy or not, but it was exciting! I was shaking like a leaf and snapping pictures like a mad woman!!

The closer we got to the bear, the closer it walked towards us! As you can see the ground was steep & gravely. I was afraid of slipping & falling, but so excited at the same time!


We finally got to about 100 feet from the bear. I took this shot of the back of hubby's head just to help give perspective of the distance between us and the bear.


I think he or she really does look snuggley....(from a distance!) Thankfully it seemed more interested in dinner than in us.....but we were ready to run at a moments notice!!