Almost Wordless Wednesday: Waterlogue

For people like me with no painting talents to speak of, I've found a very cool app that turns my ordinary pictures into beautiful watercolor paintings.  It's called Waterlogue Photography, distilled by TinRocket, LLC. 

Just look at these beautiful watercolor paintings.  They look nice enough to print and hang on the wall...which I just might do.

 

 

 

It doesn't do so well (just like real watercolor paintings) with detailed pictures, but I love the results of these. I wasted away over an hour running many of my favorite pictures through the app.  It is really fun watching the process as it happens. 

You can purchase this at for $2.99 either through the iTunes website or visit the Waterlogue website. I wish is was available for android products too, but I love using it on my iPad.  Maybe if you don't have an apple product you could visit their facebook page and ask them about creating an android version.

Well I just wanted to share this fun app...now I'm off to play with more pictures!

Keeper of 1 husband, 3 dogs, 
3 cats, and 17 Chickens!

*This was an unpaid, unsolicited post about the products shown above that I have purchased myself.  Neither the owner of this app nor iTunes have asked me to include links to their products in this post.  There are NO Affiliate links in this post, please see my Full Disclosure here. 

Happy 30th Birthday to my Baby!

Oh my...my baby is 30!!!

Happy Birthday Whitney!

My baby just turned 30.  I remember last year when she turned 29, she had such a hard time because she said she thought her life would be more on-track by then.  Happily I can say that this year, her life is on-track.  She is in a loving relationship, she is finally getting to be the stay at home mom she wanted to be.  She has also discovered that she has an artistic side that she never had time, or the confidence to realize it.  Look at the adorable chicken sculpture she made me.

She knows I love kooky things...and Chickens!

This sculpture of a pregnant woman was her first sculpture, isn't it beautiful?

I am so happy that she has found contentment in her life, and is now discovering who she really is, not just doing what she needed to do as a single mom to get by, working back to back double shifts on weekends, while the kids stayed with their dad or us, so that she didn't have to be away from her kids all week or put them in daycare.  I am happy that she met a man who loves and adores her and the kids, bringing his own two children into the family has made my daughter even happier.  He is the one who encouraged her to try sculpting.  He asked her what she would like to do if she had the time and money to do what ever she wanted that would bring her peace.  She said she always wanted to sculpt.  He bought her some basic tools and a box of clay, and told her to enjoy.  I have since bought her two more boxes of clay and she is slowly building her tool supply.

I am so happy for her (and them).

So, Happy 30th Birthday my baby. I love you!

The 3 Musketeers as my dad called them. Whitney (center), sister Jessie (left), cousin Eva (right)

Keeper of 1 husband, 2 grandkids, 3 dogs,
3 cats, and 17 Chickens!

 

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Do You Like My New Header?

I have wanted to include a cool header to my blog for a very long time, but just didn't know what I wanted.  I searched far and wide for just the right image for the background.  I wanted something that kind of defines who I am when you see it, but it also needed to match the general colors and theme of my blog too.  I went through over 9,000 photos on my devices. (Wow, I can't believe I had that many pictures!) I couldn't find one that fit the criteria needed and was of high enough resolution that it would still look good once I made it the appropriate size.

I ultimately found this image at FreeDigitalPhotos.net after searching for a couple of hours.

It took so long because they have so many images, and I wasn't sure exactly what I was looking for.  I had a ball searching through all the images.  And I can tell you this, they are going to be my go-to place for free images to use on my blog in the future.  All of their images are free...Yes, I said ALL and FREE!  You can use any image you find, in the small size, without a watermark, as long as you give credit to the particular artist who submitted it and to FreeDigitalPhotos.net.  How awesome is that? 

Now if you want to use an image where giving visible credit isn't feasible, or if you need a larger or high resolution image, then you can purchase the rights to an image at really reasonable prices.  Go check them out next time you need an image for use online.  Tip: be sure to register before you purchase any images (or even use the free ones) because you will then be able to see your image use/purchase history, and that makes it so easy to appropriately give image credit where needed now and in the future.  You can even download your image again and again from the history page as well, without the need to search for that particular image again.

Just so you know, this is not an affiliate based post, I have no connection to FreeDigitalPhotos.net and they have not asked me to post a review of their product or service, I just loved them so much that I wanted to share it with you.

So, what do you think about my new header?

Keeper of 1 husband, 2 grandkids, 3 dogs,
3 cats, and 17 Chickens!

 

I would love it if you 'Liked' my Page on Facebook too!

Did this post stir something inside of you? If so, Please leave me a comment, I would love to know what you're thinking!!!

Are Miniature Donkeys In My Future?

Terry is about to get the acre of property next to the house cleared of scub oaks and manzanita's.  We bought that property specifically for me to raise backyard farm livestock...I just haven't decided what that livestock will be.  I've thought about goats, (I haven't ruled them out) but I am expanding on the idea to maybe include a bigger run for my chickens as well.  This would have a double benefit because it would give me more room for more chickens and it would also move the chickens away from my bedroom window.  Then I might get another rooster so I could fertilize and hatch my own babies to keep my flock growing.

The benefit of not hearing them making noise so close to my bedroom is also one of the drawbacks...I wont hear them if they are frightened by a predator.  That got me to thinking about living predator protection.  We talked about a Great Pyrenees dog, but Terry is such a softy with dogs I cannot see him letting the dog stay out in the barn with the goats.  And from what I've read, you can't make them your pets, you have to let them bond with the goats that they will be protecting.  So a dog wont work.  My next thought was a Llama but one of our friends has one and he is over protective and wont let anyone in the pasture but my friend.  He spits too...yuck!.

Another living predator protector is a donkey.  I have always loved donkeys, but didn't like horses.  I was raised around horses, my father broke them for other people, my uncle was a farrier until the day he couldn't drag his oxygen tank out to the corral, my cousin did barrel racing an showed her horses, but I just didn't care for them.  I liked the donkeys.  They were like the misfits of the horse world and I could relate to them.  There is just something about the 'HeeHaaaaaawww!' sound from a donkey that makes me smile every time I hear it.  The only drawback to owning a donkey is that they cost so much to feed.  Terry says electric fencing would cost less.

Thinking about donkeys got me started down a road that my husband may soon regret, hee hee. I started checking out miniature donkeys, not for predator protection, they are too small for that, but just as pets.  They are so adorable, they look and sound just like full-sized donkeys, but smaller so they are less likely to knock me on my butt.  They eat a lot less too.  Being a research nut, I started studying about miniature donkeys.  There isn't a whole lot available out there but fortunately I discovered a mini donkey breeder not too far from me.  I contacted her and asked if I could visit her farm.  She said 'YES!'

Yesterday I took my 'little' sister (as in Big Brother Big Sister) with me to the 'Pamarosa Pond Minuature Donkey's' in Chino Valley, AZ.  The owner Pam took us on a personal tour of her farm, first taking us to see her huge pond that was filled with the biggest Koi I have ever seen and half of it was covered with beautiful lush green lily pads, surrounded by  a strip of cat-tails. 

This is only one view of the beautiful pond. The other picture I took of the 'lush green lily pads' didn't turn out :-(

Next, we visited her 24 chickens with a mix of Silkies and several other breeds of mostly bantam sized birds.  And then she took us out to introduced us to her 20 miniature donkeys.

I tell you, if I was on the fence about getting donkeys before arriving, I fell squarely on the other side of that fence by the time we left.  They were so gentle and friendly.  They all started Hee'ing and Haw'ing when we approached the pasture, their excitement about our visit was so obvious.  They ran up and greeted us at the entrance by the barn.  My 'little' had never seen donkeys up close and personal.  She was a little bit intimidated at first, thinking they might bite her or push her over, but they were wonderful, kind of like big cuddly dogs. Although they did try to pull the shinny snaps off her back pockets a few times, and one kept trying to steal my keys handing on my belt loop...donkeys do love bling.  They loved us petting them and scratching the insides of their ears.  And even the most skiddish one stood right next to me as long as I scratched her hip/butt area.

It's fly season here in AZ so most of the donkeys were wearing their fly masks. They can see through them like sunglasses.

She had a two new babies just three months old.  One stayed with her mommy the whole time while the other one wouldn't take her eyes off my 'little' sister.

My 'littles' face has been blurred to protect her privacy.

Mother and baby (nursing). At just 3 months old baby is almost as tall as mommy.

Pam told me so much about raising mini donkeys that I didn't know from all my research, and she answered some of my questions about their personalities and strange personal habits.  She said she started with three jennets, then added a jack, then grew from there with only a couple of her current herd coming to her from outside sources.  As it turns out Pam grew up around horses and didn't care for them either...but she is in heaven with her mini donkeys.  She said I could contact her any time if I had questions about donkeys and she would tell me what I need to look for, and watch out for, if I decided to buy donkeys in the future.  She was so sweet, I really enjoyed our tour (and visit) that was well over an hour.

Pam also said that several of her donkeys are Therapy Certified so they can visit with ill, elderly, or handicapped people as therapy treatment.  She gives tours to local schools every year as well.  What started as a few pets has certainly bloomed in to something wonderful for her and our community. 

Yep, I definitely see mini donkeys (and maybe a full-size donkey for protection) in my future.
 

Enjoy these other pictures I took at the Pamarosa Pond Miniature Donkey farm.

My 'little' and one of the more skiddish donkeys loving the attention. She must have sensed that we were animal people.

One of the original three jenny's she started with.

Pam petting one of her newest babies.

Pam being followed by her 'kids'.

Keeper of 1 husband, 2 grandkids, 3 dogs,
3 cats, and 17 Chickens!

 

I would love it if you 'Liked' me on Facebook too!

Did this post stir something inside of you? If so, Please leave me a comment, I would love to know what you're thinking!!!

Happy to be home...Chick Photos

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend.  The stress from being evacuated all week is starting to dissipate now that we are back in our home.  So for today I thought I would just share some pictures I took of the chicks after getting back in their home Thursday night.

Barry enjoying the tall grasses in the grazing frame.

Big Red posing for a shot...

Big Red: "What the heck is stuck between my toes?"

Tiny sure missed her Chicken Fountain while we were in evacuation.

Buffy: "I know I saw something move down there, now where is it?"

Everyone else was either camera shy or moving to fast to get a clear shot.  So nothing much happening around our coop, how about yours?

Keeper of 1 husband, 2 grandkids, 3 dogs,
3 cats, and 17 Chickens!

 

I would love it if you 'Liked' me on Facebook too!

Did this post stir something inside of you? If so, Please leave me a comment, I would love to know what you're thinking!!!