Day after too much fun!!

Hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving! We sure did--and I am SO grateful for our friend of the Homestead--Petra of Rockford IL! This sweet llama was dropped off at her farm this past week--not sure she actually caught the fellow but how desperate he must have been to find a home for this beauty? Someone surely loved the llama because he is sweet, healthy, tame and happy to be around people. Petra lost her appaloosa llama a bit ago to old age so how about karma?? wow!


And I hope you don't get sick of our baby pictures--Macie cracked a huge smile and my sister was there and caught her!! :0)



And this is how we spent our Thanksgiving--me, Macie and hubby Jim. Now you can't say you don't know what we look like right? Names to faces! ha! We were very naughty and held Macie LOTS. Everyone else DID get a turn though--really they did!


We are working on an update for later today--lots of batts, fiber, roving and yarn! Giddyup!

Thankful for all of you....

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! We are blessed with a lot here--starting with the gift of all of you that help us create a safe place for our sheep to live out their lives--happy, (my shearer says fat) and sassy. You do not know how much you mean to us--with out you, all of this sheepy wonderful would not be possible-specially on the scale we have grown into over the years. Thank you--and many holiday hugs from your sheepy family--and us of course!! (although the sheep are much cuter than I am!). We have gotten to know so many wonderful, talented people through this business--learned much & have a circle of friends who are far flung across the US & the world--amazes me still how far this group of sheep can reach.... & also how well we seem to get to know each other without truly meeting face to face!

I cannot be thankful enough for the wonderful family who supports us through good & bad--we have had a lot of 'bad' the past few years but every day brings so much promise with it. Promise of a good future, good people and good times too. My husband--my thanks can never be enough--you are a saint! My son-never a better son! I could go on but suffice it to say, the Hiltons and Ryans are a wonderful bunch of people that we are lucky to call family. I love you all and am thankful every day to just know you are there.... (This is Miss Macie's latest picture--isn't she just a sly little pixie? Saving that smile for when the camera moves away????) And the second picture is of my sister Kristie--smooching up Macie the day she was born. Beauteous girls don't you think??

And we are also grateful that we can make a small difference in the lives of those less fortunate than we are. My mom Nancy and her best friend Barbara (we three are the 3 Chic Knits) spend their time knitting for the two groups we support by sending warm, styling items for winter. One group is west, an organization that collects items for the Elders on the Navajo Reservation. The second is closer to home in Madison- a group that helps mentally challenged adults remain independent in their own homes, with their own jobs--many have to walk to work and shopping so warm items are a happy occasion. We are all (sheep included) glad to have a way to pay things forward. Many people have helped us when we were desperately in need (our basement cave in-argh) of emotional support and financial. We owe this world a lot and hope we can leave it better in the process.

Thank you all again, I could go on but will do some personal emails to spare you all a novel! Please please be sure to hug your families & friends. Enjoy your day tomorrow where ever it finds you!

The sheep & the Ryans

Late day update!!

First, a sneak peek of the yarn update for tomorrow--and we will also be launching our new Jordan Valley Mill Spun yarns!!! Wheeee! Something we have always wanted to offer and the wonderful girls at Argyle Fiber Mill are helping our dream come true! The sheep are SO excited! We will be offering blends of our wool and fiber from our Jen's alpaca/llama sanctuary--good karma all the way around!!

Marshall (pictured) said he is not sure what we are paying the sheep to model yarn--but it CAN"T be enough for that humiliation! Doesn't he look shocked?? No, I mean Marshall! I had to hire models because the actual sheep would not cooperate--imagine that! Marshall's wool is available on today's fiber update--it is gorgeous, soft and Merino-like even though he is a purebred Corriedale--scrumptious fleece--and sheep!!

Also washed Alpaca fiber--soft and silky barely silver/gray--from Jen's 'family'.....

AND the llamas took over the dyepots this week and raised some havoc with the alpaca fiber! Several selections of dyed alpaca fiber available to be sure to browse through! They are some beautiful colors and fibers....

And one more fun picture--drool--a matching 'set' of our Savanna's Lincoln/Romney cross fleece (carded into loose roving --thank you Shari!) and matching Cotswold locks--all dyed in the same dyepot! Sneaky sheep!! Much more to see for this update--and the yarn update will be done tomorrow so be sure to stop back!! Thanks for your patience and happy evening to you all!!

My world for a camel? maybe!

Humphrey is my dream camel--first picture with a member of his lucky family! Smooch!! The second is of Humphrey and his buddy baby pony that he played with all summer--he loves his babies, babysitting is his favorite--running and playing and wishing that baby would have some manners probably? ha!

This is NOT Humphrey but a camel from somewhere (forwarded by a friend-thank you!) that maybe could be a long distance pen pal for Humphrey? Get a load of the look on the horse's face!!! What the HECK are you? ha! Anyhoo, someday my camel will show up right? :0) One can hope....

update tomorrow so keep an eye out--the sheep are working today--not by choice though--buggers!