Our New Babies

This morning I took a little trip to the local feedstore to pick up the newest members of our family~~four baby chicks.

For a little over a year we've been talking about getting hens so that we can have fresh eggs. We decided to wait until this spring to take the plunge, and here we are!

_{Our four little chicks: one Rhode Isand Red; one Buff Orpington; and two Ameraucanas}

In preparation, I've been reading several books about raising chicks, and I must admit all of the information put me in overload and made me feel overwhelmed and anxious!

The only pets I've ever raised were cats, and I've only had a handful of experiences with chickens. Luckily, I have some friends and family members who have been raising chickens for years, and they reassured me that books always make thing seem more complicated.

_{Buff Orpington - over a week old, with sweet pale yellow feathers}

I have also visited the feedstore on several occasions to buy supplies, and I'm pretty sure that I looked like an idiot in there. Definitely out of my element! But the owners were so gracious and helpful. That's the nice thing about living in a small Texas town-friendly customer service.

_{Ameraucana chick- a few days old}

We still haven't decided on any names yet, but I'm sure as their personalities emerge, it won't take long. Within 10 minutes of meeting the chicks, Amelia already suggested naming them

"Spotty, Wotty, and Totty" but that was after I discouraged the idea of naming them

"Amelia, Daddy, Mommy, and Zena."

Kids are so funny.

_{Ameraucana - a few days old}

I know it's probably really bad to have a favorite chick since I am technically their momma now, but I just love this little Ameraucana chick (picture above). She looks like she's wearing eyeliner- such a little beauty! And look at those patterns on her fluff!

_{Rhode Island Red - over a week old}

Two of the chicks are over a week old, and the other two chicks are just a few days old and actually arrived to the feedstore just this morning from the post office! That alone amazes me-little chicks in a little Priority Mail box.

_{Amelia gently welcomes new chicks}

Soon, I hope to show you the completed poulaillier {hen house} that Mr. à la parisienne has meticulously created~~~

In the meantime, Amelia and I will be paying the little misses frequent visits, gently stroking there soft down, singing them little songs, watching them peck and scratch around, and listening to them cheep cheep cheep in chorus.

_{images by à la parisienne}

{Happy Easter}...and My Mom's Handiwork

Easter is always a special day in our family since we celebrate not only the love Jesus displayed on the cross for all of humanity, but also His resurrection.

It gives us such a peace in our hearts to know that the One we serve lives in heaven and reigns over the earth!!! And because of this joy, we are able to appreciate all of God's blessings.

One blessing in my life is my sweet mother and her amazing talent for sewing.

This Easter, Amelia and I were dressed with my mother's beautiful handiwork.

_{vintage-inspired black dress made by my mom}

For my birthday this year, all I requested from my mom was a handmade vintage-inspired dress.

I selected the pattern/style and she found the fabric and whipped up this beautiful black frock.

Today, I wore an antiqued gold belt and gold earrings with the black dress, and

I look forward to finding some colorful coordinating vintage belts/accessories to wear with this dress this summer.

Amelia's dress is out of this world gorgeous!

It is made from a beautiful taupe fabric, that my mother had stored away in a stash of fabric, and embellished with a delicate lace around the waist and a large bow on the back. I requested that Amelia's dress also have a bubble skirted hem like her birthday dress last year.
My mom made an extra lace bow for me to put on a headband which helped to complete the outfit.
For the Easter basket, I found a vintage basket for $2.00 and spray painted it ivory and added a dark taupe satin ribbon.

_{candid shot of sheer excitement!}

The day was overcast but absolutely beautiful! At church, we sang the traditional song "Christ Arose!, " ate a delicious lunch, and enjoyed watching all of the kids hunt Easter eggs in a lush green pasture... The Lord is so good.

Joyeuses Pâques!!!

_{images by à la parisienne}

My Newest Venture: My Fashion Column in PFM & a GIVEAWAY

So I've had a few surreal moments over the last few months participating in a few things that I would have never imagined possible.

Picture a stay at home mom heading out to do a photoshoot for the cover of a magazine!

Or imagine a stay at home mom assembling an entire fashion column from start to finish with no prior experience and no budget- just armed with a vision, a camera, a model, a photo editing program, and a connection to the Internet.

It's been an interesting few months since, Angela, Parisienne Farmgirl, contacted me and asked me to write for one of her fashion columns in Parisienne Farmgirl Magazine!

_{a sneak peak of my fashion column in the premier issue of Parisienne Farmgirl Magazine- styling, text, and layout by à la parisienne}

As many of you know, I love color. I love mixing colors and creating beautiful combinations. So this task was definitely enjoyable. But imagine a newbie like me trying to funnel the world of color down into one fashion column...very daunting. But also very rewarding as I was able to feature a handful of very talented Etsy artists.

It also took a leap of faith when I made my color selections in the dead of winter for a spring/summer fashion column. How can one be certain about a color trend 6 months down the line? So my premise was to revolve two colors around a summer basic---white.

And, to me, summer whites look amazing with cobalt blue and with a zingy yellow, and one of these two colors is bound to look beautiful on any woman, any age.

This gorgeous girl was my model, and isn't she perfect? She has that type of beauty that can be city chic and country charming all in the same moment.

I took this extra shot during our fashion shoot for a play on color. It didn't make the cut in my fashion spread, but I just love the way the orange and cobalt blue complement each other.

_{Premier Issue Cover of Parisienne Farmgirl Magazine- photography by à la parisienne}

I was elated that Parisienne Farmgirl handed the honor of the cover shoot to me. Angela sent me a simple concept sketch (and that fun fluffy can-can skirt) that she and her mother, Savvy City Farmer, had envisioned, and I scouted a location and shot the photos---super fun! You should have seen me crawling around in that grass-not very parisienne-like, but it got the job done!

I used the same beautiful model in the cover shoot, and she actually brought the pair of boots and the pink scarf, which added the perfect touch of farmgirl and parisienne to the frame.

~~~~~~~

Many of you have followed my "artistic" journey for years via my blog and some of you have just recently joined me, and I want to thank you for all of your encouraging words. Like most people, a little bit of encouragment pushes me a long way. Without your applause along the way, I know for certain, I would have chickened out on this opportunity. I would have felt very inadequate and anxious about doing so many new things at one time!

But here we are; the first online issue has already been published and I have flipped the magazine and through my column many times...in disbelief!

Which leads me to say, thank you Angela for these amazing opportunities! And the magazine is gorgeous!

I would love for all of you to see my fashion column, Everywear Chic, in PFM, and if you are a subscriber to the online magazine, I would love to hear your feedback.

GIVEAWAY

For those of you who haven't subscribed yet, Parisienne Farmgirl has allowed me to offer a giveaway for a one year subscription to Parisienne Farmgirl Magazine.

To enter, simply leave a comment below.

To increase your chances at winning, post this giveaway to your Facebook or share it on your blog. Leave a separate comment for each entry.

The giveaway will close on Wednesday, April 11th at midnight CST.

And the winner will be selected randomly and will be announced on Thursday, April 12th.

Merci!

_{images #1 & #3 property of PFM; image #2 by à la parisienne}