Suzanne's Dulci-Vida

A New Year

2010-01-04T10:04:00.000-08:00

A new year, new beginnings and I hope and pray that this one is better! I wont' bore you all with the details, but suffice it to say that 2009 proved to be very challenging and I am glad that it's over and I do not want to revisit it!
Sun shining on snow is a picture to treasure and that's what I am enjoying today....from inside as it's COLD out there!

just a word or 2

2009-05-21T18:35:00.000-07:00

Been busy trying to catch up after my hubby was home for 6 weeks! He is now in Siberia! And I am happily waiting for my next 4 llamas to arrive early Sat. morning! This time it will be 2 mamas and 2 babies!
I'll put pics up on my farm site as soon as I take some!

It's definitely spring here in the Mo. Ozarks and beautiful hardly describes it!
And then there is that going to sleep to a gently breeze, looking out the window to see so many stars between the branches of the huge tree outside my window....then to wake up to soft bird sounds and look out to see the bluest sky between the branches full of bright green leaves! Heaven on Earth! I am truly blessed!

In HIS will,
Suzanne

thought I died, huh?

2009-04-09T09:42:00.000-07:00

Well, the move is done, I have llamas and some sheep here on the farm so far, and I LOVE it!
Check out the farm web site at http://jubilationacres.com and see some of the happenings so far.
I'll post more when I can, but it's so much fun being here, I forget to do much of anything besides play outdoors!
Love,
Suzanne
(happy as a pig in "u know what" in Missouri!)

Finally, huh?

2008-11-20T08:20:00.001-08:00

Ok, I know that I have been very lax in posting lately....but, I did finally get a few more pics for you to see.
Here is Paladin, possibly small enough to register mini llama, and surely to produce minis:

And I have a few baby pics to share of Paladin and Dusty (you can see the "llamatude" in Dusty, and see the pride in Pal:)

Musical Connections

2008-10-09T13:08:00.001-07:00

A fun place for music lovers!

As promised - pics ;-)

2008-10-08T11:16:00.001-07:00

My little llama girl, Dusty, with her pal, Razzle Dazzle (paint female, for sale, I believe:)
Taken in the morning as we sipped our coffee on the back porch (what a life, huh?)and the little girls enjoyed their munchies:)

Spinning Wheel(s)

2008-10-08T10:32:00.000-07:00

Yahoooooo!
I now have 2 lovely spinning wheels, having just received my newest one yesterday! I was blessed to buy a used (and well cared for) Kromski Prelude, a traditional type wheel:) And, I got her put together in short time and was spinning some targhee on her in no time at all!
Now, the excitement associated with this is that when I was first trying to learn to spin on a wheel, a friend tried to teach me on an Ashford Trad., single treadle (normal), and I was terrible! So, my first wheel is a nifty little double treadle made by my friends at Heavenly Handspinning, in fact, mine was the first double treadle that they made and they wood burned my name on her and stated that she is the 1st:). And I pretty much decided that I was too "spastic" to use a single treadle and didn't even look for one.....until this one showed up.......to know that I could spin on her, my dear friend, Sara, who raises llamas (with whom my llamas live and were bred by)taught me to spin on her Ashford Trad., only she suggested that I put both feet on the treadle and that did it!!!
So, now I have targhee on "Maureen" (new Kromski, named for my hubby's mother), and some very nice corridale on "Jenny" (my first, named after my mother:)
Another new thing I have learned from Sara is how to separate llama guard hairs from the undercoat....and it's not hard, and in fact is one of those things that you can do while kicking back on the couch, watching tv:)....and all the while, you get to touch fiber!!! hhehehhehehh
I PROMISE.....pictures to follow soon!!

SCROLL down to see my "girls", Sassy and Dusty......I'll show you all the new "studmuffin" when I take pics of him later this month:)

God Bless,
Suzanne

New Toy and more......

2008-09-17T12:12:00.000-07:00

Well, it's further after the storm, I've gotten in touch with pretty much everyone for whom I had some concern regarding 'ol Ike. All is well, aside from some still with no power and torn up neighborhoods....but all are safe ;-)

I got myself a drum carder! For those of you who are not fiber freaks/artists ;-), you wouldn't know what that is, and frankly, you wouldn't care, lol
I'm already so impressed with it, though I had the chance to try the same model out at the same time that I went up and met my llamas:) I got a Strauch Petite as advised by some friends and ordered it from Copper Moose. It arrived a day earlier than expected and I am happy!!!
I've started just hand brushing my fleeces after washing them and them placing into nice little piles, and can spin from those, but it's so much easier to have something similar to roving/batts, to spin from and that is my first objective...then on to the FUN stuff....blending fancy batts!

And, my DH was just called in to pick up stuff (laptop, ticket....) to go out of town on a job, so I'll be on my own for awhile.....don't know how long, and dadgummit, I have nothing to get me into trouble....LOL

I'll take some pics and post yarns, etc when I get some done.....I am working on spinning up some targhee to dye just now, so have nothing exciting to show you.

Take Care friends, and I hope that none of you had Ike troubles, since that dangedy storm stayed strong clean across half the country!!!

Laters,
Suzanne

After the storm! We made it!

2008-09-15T09:13:00.000-07:00

Howdy ya'll:)
Ike has come and left and we fared quite well, compared to others! We were hit with only the west side, not even the eyewall:) Had some tree damage and small damage to our roof via a tree banging against it, but other than that, lost power for a day and a half and phones went stupid for awhile, but all is better now.....just time to pray for all those who lost so much!!!

God Bless,
Suzanne

On a much better note;-)

2008-09-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

I do have cool stuff for you to see, and some news; 1st, I've decided on the breed of sheep to raise; targhee! Will also have some shetlands:)
2nd, here are some pics of my grown up llama, communing with her pal;
Sassy and Pearl, girlfriends:)

Take a hike, Ike!

2008-09-11T08:09:00.000-07:00

Yikes!!!
God has spared us any real connects with the hurricanes in the 6-1/2 years that we have lived in SE Texas, but I think that this time there is no way we will slide! However, Rita was supposed to do just as Ike is predicted to and turned at the last minute! Not that I wish any more on those folks, but I wish the danged thing would just run out of steam and be much less destructive than they expect.
Am I scared? More worried about having what we need if we lose power, but then, we live in a double wide mobile, tied down, but still.......we are praying that things will be ok! And, I ask ya'll to join us in our prayers til Ike has done it's thing.

God Bless and keep us safe!
Suzanne (shakin' in my boots, if I had any on!)

It's Monday......

2008-09-08T10:32:00.000-07:00

And a sorta blahhhh one for me,.....not sure why, but my mood is on the down side......I guess one cannot be so chipper all of the time!
I did find a new goodie and hoping to post it here......and if a cute little animated llama shows up, I was successful!

Everyone have a super Monday.....I'll have some really cool llama pics to share later on!

Blessings,
Suzanne

adopt your own virtual pet!

Ain't She Sweet?

2008-09-05T08:50:00.000-07:00

Well, here are a couple of pics of my new baby, Dusty:)
6 mos. old here, she's about 11 mos. now.

Llamas, llamas and wonderful friends!

2008-09-02T09:04:00.000-07:00

What a cool weekend I had while the hurricane threatened and then thankfully avoided us later on!!!
I went up to Nacodoches to meet my new friend, Sara, and her llamas! And to choose and solidify my choices in llamas that will be part of my little farm in Missouri, when we have it;-)
First, I have to say that Sara and I had such a blast with fibers, talking, cats, talking, dogs, talking and llamas.....oh, and talking! Plus, I played dulcimer quite a bit on Sat. evening and again on Sunday (hymns and gospel tunes for Sunday worship:) Next time I'll take an extra dulcimer and start teaching Sara to play!

Llamas! I had already decided that I wanted one female whose name is Sassy, a deep red/auburn color with thick and soft fiber, who is due to have a baby in the spring. That choice held when I met her:)
My 2nd choice turned out to be a bit different than I had "planned"; instead of another adult, I chose the most lovely little girl with a cute little nose/muzzel and bangs! She is appy patterned, white with red spots and has a ton of freckles on her face.....in short, she is GORGEOUS! And, I'm not a prejudiced new llama mom....ha ha:) Her name is Stardust, we call her Dusty:) She is also a very smart little gal and I am going to have a lot of fun working with her!

Well, I had to share this, and also give praises to God for keeping Gustav away from us and for making my travel this weekend as uneventful as it was.....which means safe road trip:)

Take Care ya'll,
Blessings,
Suzanne (and critters;)

Already on the road!

2008-08-27T10:44:00.000-07:00

Well, my dear hubby has already been sent out on the road with his new job! This is good and I think that it's going to work out well. I get to keep things quiet and simple while he's gone, and when he gets back home......mmmmmlotsa fun!!!
Other than that, not much happening. I am still knitting things for my niece's baby, due in Nov. and having fun with that! I love making things that don't take too long...I think that I enjoy getting something done more than the actual act of making it......;=)

Have a good Wed.!
Suzanne

2008-08-25T07:58:00.001-07:00

In the crazy process of fixin' to move to Mo. (back home), and trying our best to only do as God wills, we area ever ready for change.
Well, at the beginning of this month, my DH went to Springfield, Mo. and started a new job, staying there alone as I tried to pack and do something with this house here in Magnolia, TX.
3 weeks later, he gets another call from a company here who has been pursuing him and he decided that in the interest of making enough money to really be able to start a little farm, re-model an old house (fixing up as well as prettying) he would take the job here. So, he's back here with me in TX and we are quite glad to be together again.
The good stuff, the job here is a field service job and we can live anyplace. So, the move is still on and we hope (pray) to be able to make a deal on the place that we want in MO.
So....the end of my quiet life here w/o DH, gotta cook more, do lots more dishes and other stuff......I am now sleeping next to my honey (grin) and I got my strong man back to do stuff that I just can't do anymore.
Life is good, God is the BEST

In Christ,
Suzanne

The First!

2008-08-21T11:34:00.000-07:00

Ok, here I sit now, I have my very own blog and haven't the foggiest what to say! lol
Today I should be working on packing, but the weather seems to have added aches that make me just want to kick back and knit, or perhaps spin......or maybe I'll go practice my hammered dulcimer and try to learn to actually play it! Especially since I am getting another one....photos to come eventually!

More later......

In the meantime, ya'll are welcome to listen to the only recording that I've posted so far on my space:
Suzanne's My Space
It's my own arrangement of Danny Boy with harmony accompaniment by Shelly Stevens!