Kissy Kissy

I know it's a lot of pictures of Claire... but seriously! I mean, with a pucker like that how could I not post all of them? And did you see that sweet little wrinkled nose? Oh my.

Oh and in the latest news... She has a tooth! Just one pearly white (sharp!) tooth.

And now folks, I'm off to kiss my baby!

WIP Wednesday ~ a new doll and more wooden toys

Here are a few of the toys I have been working on over the past week when the kids are in bed :-). My stock of handmade Christmas presents for our Handmade Holiday is growing!

This little Waldorf inspired doll has her under things made, but she still needs a dress! (I put the pint jar in the picture for size comparison...) I was going to give her purple or black eyes, but Rodrigo thought she should have aqua colored eyes to match some tiny aqua colored highlights in her woolly hair. I just love her huge ponytails with her big white bows.  I hadn't really planned on making Claire another baby doll... but once I had made her tiny head I couldn't stop myself, it just felt right to make her! Maybe I'll find a new home for her, but she is really cute... hmm...

Her lacy undies!

Playing hide-n-seek!

Mama and Baby Skunks... aren't they adorable!!! So far they are my very favorite wooden animal I've made! I used a wood burner to outline the details then I painted them with water based non toxic paints.

 A trio of hedgehogs, with wood burnt details and lightly painted. All of my wooden toys are sealed with a handmade organic beeswax wood sealer, made from local beeswax and organic cold pressed coconut oil.

 Four friendly snakes...

I have lots more wooden toys drawn up and ready to make... I am having such a great time doing this! I think everyone on my list just might need little wooden toys or Waldorf dolls for Christmas, don't you?

Our backyard barnyard... or, they multiply like rabbits!

Yesterday I mentioned that we live in a very understanding neighborhood. When we moved to the United States from Guatemala a few years back and started looking for a house to buy, the one thing I knew that was important to me was finding a place that had no restrictions against things like having a clothesline to hang out our wash.

But especially important to me was NO Restrictions against Chickens! This year we have lots of chickens! 24 chickens to be exact! I love my little flock.  Most of the time they have free run of our entire backyard. Any time they see me walking through the yard they all flock around me and follow me everywhere, hoping for a handout!

(This is our little tiny bantam rooster... isn't he a doll? He is smaller than all of the hens, even the other bantams!)

Fluffy chicken butts! I love fluffy chicken butts!

Last week we went to the Tennessee Valley Fair. We saw lots of farm animals that I wanted to bring home to live in our backyard. But while my neighbors don't mind the chickens running around our yard (or the farm fresh eggs we share with them) they might not be too thrilled with a flock of sheep or a herd of goats out there! Those kinds of animals will have to wait until we have our farm. (soon... I keep telling myself...soon!)

But I've always loved the rabbit show there. After we came home from the fair the first day I told my husband that I wanted to get a pet rabbit. He suggested that I put an ad on craigslist saying that if someone had a pet bunny that they no longer were able to care for we would take it in. Well, less than 24 hours later this is what we had...

and this...

and these three adorable bunnies that someone abandoned behind an office building where brought to us as well...

And lastly the one bunny my darling husband bought for me the last day we went there... she's a Jersey Wooly Rabbit. I had been wanting a wool rabbit for a while now, and he found her there and bought her for me! She is such a sweety! (Someday I am going to learn how to spin and knit... but for now I'll just harvest her fur when it's ready and let someone else spin it)