Miss Millie Loves Prairie Song - Wagon Train Fiction!

Miss Millie here - just had to let you all know about a great new book that's coming out in August.

Prairie Song

  

by my good friend, 

Mona Hodgson

It's a story of a plucky little gal names Anna Goben, who reminds me of me. She's a woman who sees a problem and sets to work solving it. Her family has been devastated by the death of Anna's brother during the war. Since then, Mother has...let's see, how shall I put this? It's a rather delicate problem and not really talked about in proper circles, but I'll give you a hint...whiskey. Shhhhh - it's a secret that Anna doesn't want to get out.

On top of that, Anna's usually vibrant grandfather has taken to his rocking chair and is acting really...well...old.

As any good sensible gal would do, Anna decides that a trip west on the Boone's Lick Company Wagon Train will solve her family's problems. (That's exactly what I would have suggested!) So, she packs them all up and heads for California for a new start.

Adventure, disaster and romance awaits Anna Goben on the trail.

Can I just tell you that I loved this book? Of course, it don't come out until August 6, 2013, but Mona let me read it ahead of time. (Did I mention that we're good friends?)

You can pre-order Prairie Song now or better still, win a free copy by entering Mona Hodgson's Prairie Song giveaway HERE.

Go West Young Monkey

Here's a video I made a while back. Haven't shared it in a while and thought you might enjoy seeing it again.

That's a Latte Monkey!

Oh the tip I'd leave for the barista that poured me this cup of coffee!

Now, that's a Latte Monkey!

Never miss a chance to rescue a sock monkey!

sad little sock monkey
sittin' all alone
wishin' for a little boy
to come and take him home

years ago a grandma's hand
stitched him from a sock
filled him full of lovin' stuff
and said his name was Doc

she gave him to an ailing child
who loved him til the end
then Doc was given to a store
placed in a second-hand bin

and now he waits with love to give
to mend another heart
to be held, to be hugged
and to be loved again



*Thanks to Regina of Oh Albatross for the
   use of this sock monkey photo.

Love me some Sock Monkey Pirates!

I was looking through pictures of sock monkeys I've made and realized that some of my favorite sock monkeys are pirates!

 Scurvy Sam

Barnacle Bob

 

Jolly Jim Dugan

Billy Black Heart

Bad Billy Blart

 

See what I mean? They're just too darn cute, but don't tell them that. They hate being called cute!

Sock Monkey Eggs - Seriously?

Ok, these are semi-ridiculous, but I love them anyway! If I woke up to these in my Easter basket, it would just make my day. I can't look at them without laughing.

Want some for your very own? Or want to buy some for me? You can find them here, in Heidibg's Etsy Shop.

Monkey Brains and Guts

Got this adorable sock monkey mug for Christmas this year. I love it, but I hesitated awhile before I got up the nerve to make a cup of hot chocolate in it. There was just something disconcerting about drinking out of the top of a monkey's head. The marshmallows didn't help much because they sort of looked like monkey brains. Not that I've ever seen monkey brains, but they were all puffy, lumpy and floating around in brown goo, so you can see how I would make the connection, right?

I pushed past the swirling thoughts of monkey brains and took a tentative sip of hot chocolate. I was surprised...nay, amazed to discover that drinking hot chocolate out of a sock monkey head gives it a slight, but distinct banana flavor.

Then the image of floating marshmallows transformed from monkey brains to puffy polyester fiberfill, which is what I stuff my sock monkeys with. Suddenly the image of monkey brains mutated into monkey guts and I was dealing with a whole new dilemma.

Sigh - all I wanted was a sweet snack of cinnamon toast and hot chocolate!

Must have - Sock Monkey Umbrella

Never mind that I live in Phoenix, Arizona where we see rain maybe twice a year...I just have to have one of these adorable sock monkey umbrellas!

 

I found it over at The Neato Shop

Don't come home a drinkin'...

 

He'd done it again - come home with whiskey on his breath and smoochin' on his mind, but this time she'd had enough, so she hung him out to dry. His name is Lucky...but he's not!

Can I borrow a quarter?

It's Saturday and I have a date,

but don't have a 25 cents to pay for a bath.

The girl is purty,

but I'm a bit smelly,

so pardner, can ya lend me a quarter?

Monkey Sighting at the Brass Armadillo

Mr. Lee and I spent an hour or so browsing through The Brass Armadillo, a large antique mall here in the Phoenix area.

About halfway through, I rounded the corner and spied this cute little guy. I stopped for a chat and found him quite a pleasant fellow...so much so that I offered to adopt him and bring him home to live with the other monkeys at Sock Monkey Ranch.

Much to my surprise, he thanked my kindley, but refused my offer, stating that as the only sock monkey at the Brass Armadillo, he feels the responsibility of representing his kind there. I almost believed him until that strange little fellow behind him addressed him as Your Highness, Sir Monkedy-Monk.

I realized then that he had a good thing going at the antique store. He's convinced everyone that he's the King and I'm not gonna mess with that!

I love it - a sock monkey mug!

Just had to share a picture of my sock monkey mug, given to me by my friend, Judy-O.

Whether I'm sippin' hot chocolate, tea or coffee it all tastes yummier in this fun mug.

Thanks a bunch - I love it.

Bottom's up!

A letter from The Duke

Miss Millie was so excited today when she received a letter from The Duke, who lives with Rascally Ray in Florida.

She just loves receiving news from sock monkeys that have left the Ranch to live out their dreams. All the other monkeys were eager to hear what The Duke is up to, so she read the letter out loud to them. 

Seems he's fittin' just fine, but there was a bit of confusion at first.  You see, Rascally Ray was a bit mixed up about why they're called SOCK monkeys.  He thought maybe they were stress relievers until his wife Ginny explained that socks are what they're made from, not what you do to them!

 

Photos from our Sock Monkey Friends

We were tickled pink to receive this delightful sock monkey Christmas greeting from The Andersons today.  That's Samantha, Jessie, Jillie and JoJo enjoying tea and cookies. These sock monkeys live with the Anderson triplets.

 

             And another friend, Ellie sent pictures of three Sock Monkey Ranch monkeys that turned up under the Christmas tree this year...

I love it when the monkeys write home!

Merry Christmas from Sock Monkey Ranch

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas from Miss Millie, Dusty, Lucky, Tumbleweed, Betsy, Skippy, Mike, Molly, Lenny Longtail and Little Bit.

 

and a blessed Holiday Season from Grandma Jan!

 

Miss Amelia visits Germany

Recently received a picture from Miss Amelia who was visiting Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany. She's just as pretty as a flower and has obviously adapted well to her life with the Thomas family!  Thanks for sharing her travels with us.

 

 

America's Next Top Model?

Sock Monkey Ranch had some very special visitors today, but because of a confidentiality agreement, we are unable to give you names.  Let's just say someone who wasn't Tyra Banks...but looked a lot like her, and someone with a camera who wasn't Nigel Barker, but looked a lot like him stopped by for lemonade on the veranda.

We were all havin' a pleasant visit when the Nigel look-alike  started making this little square thing with his hands and looking at Miss Millie real funny.  Then he asked her if he could "shoot" her.

Well, Miss Millie, being the cowgirl that she is was ready to draw down on him in the middle of the street until he explained that he meant take her picture.

They had lots of fun with different poses, and Ms. Not Tyra Banks selected her favorite pictures from all Miss Millie's frames (that's photography/model talk). She said Miss Millie had "fierce eyes" in this picture.

 Miss Millie is not going to be signed by the top modeling agency in New York, nor will she win a photo layout in Cover Girl, but we're mighty proud of our Sock Monkey Ranch Top Model.

You are unique!

We all come in different shapes and colors, but we're all simply adorable.
(And I'm not just talkin' about monkeys!)

God made each one of us special. Celebrate your uniqueness!

Sock Monkeys in Italy!

McKenna and Kaitlyn live in Germany with their parents. Dad is in the military so these lucky girls get to travel to wonderful places. Of course, they take their Sock Monkey Ranch monkeys (Juliet and Baily) with them.
Juliet's favorite sight was the statue of Juliet in Verona. While there she quoted the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet - playing both parts! And she seemed to be on a constant look out for a Romeo of her very own.

Bailey loved the Tower of Pisa. (Except she thought it was the Tower of Pizza and was just a little bit discouraged because she was very hungry.)

Thanks so much for sharing these pictures with us, girls. It's always fun to get to know our monkeys' new people and hear about their adventures after leaving the ranch.
 

Sock Monkey Ranch Craft Room Makeover

This week I decided if I was going to work in my craft room every day and earn a living from there, that it would be cool if it was an environment I really enjoyed being in...so I did a makeover.

Originally, I had 3 huge bookshelves filled to overflowing with craft supplies. They were dark and heavy and made the room look so small and depressing. I also had a huge entertainment unit that served as home for Miss Millie, Dusty, Cletus Dean and the rest of the Sock Monkey Ranch gang...it, too was overflowing.

BEFORE MAKEOVER

Those of you who know me, know what my craft space usually looks like...chaos. It took me 3 days to do the makeover, but I love it.

AFTER MAKEOVER

I love this mirrored wall. It's fun and whimsical. Mirrors are from IKEA. The table under the mirrors are my packing/shipping and occasionally, my painting and journal making area. Shelves behind that hold my fabric stash. (That's Oliver, my Schnoodle, lounging on the floor.)

A double-wide table with two sewing machines. Now I have room for a friend to come and sew with me!"

And notice the organized shelves. Yes, those are labeled bins...woohoo!

 

 

I've moved Miss Millie and the gang to a new white hutch. They're much cozier and the drawers are used to store extra monkey clothing and accessories. The bottom drawer holds "monkey skins" just waiting to be sewn, stuffed and born.

I'm ready to create!

Seeing Double?

Folks around Sock Monkey Ranch have been seeing double lately.

Miss Mollie                              Miss Millie

I'd like you to meet Miss Mollie (on the left), Miss Millie's little sister. (That's Miss Millie on the right.)

They look so much alike that sometimes they're mistaken for twins. One big difference, however that Miss Mollie has a sweet tooth. Heck, she has a whole mouthful of them, which is why she's insisting on carrying a bag of sugar wherever she goes...weird, huh?

After a brief visit, Miss Mollie was off to live in San Jose, CA with Catherine, who promised to keep her sugar intake under control.

We'll miss that sweet little gal!

Hiking Sodona

Cletus Dean Baker (AKA Tumbleweed) hiked the West Fork Trail in Sodona yesterday.   (I got to go along as his photographer.) What a beautiful place...we've got to go back and do it again, soon! Maybe next time he'll let me be in some of the pictures.

 

Wearable Sock Monkey Art!

My friend, Carrie over at Poet Summer has created another gorgeous sock monkey charm bracelet featuring Sock Monkey Ranch monkeys. 

Pop on over to Poet Summer's Shop and have a look at her amazing work.  Just click on the picture above and it will take you right to her shop.

Lucille Ball and Vitameatavegamin

Ok, I've been dying to post my latest sock monkey on the blog, but I had to wait because a friend custom ordered it for his wife's birthday and I was afraid she might see it.

He wanted a Lucille Ball sock monkey.

Front View



Back view (add a bow to her tail later)



Her cute little hat.

Vitameatavegamin - I used a Watkins vanilla bottle
and filled it with Coke, then made a cool label .

I included a spoon for tasting.



This was one of the most challenging sock monkeys I've made yet, but she was a lot of fun.

Oh, and...HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JUDY!

It's a Sock Monkey Tea Party!

I'm so excited!  Carrie over at PoetSummer on Etsy has created the most wonderful charm bracelet featuring some of the monkeys from right here on Sock Monkey Ranch!

Sock Monkey Tea Party Charm Bracelet

Pop over and take a look at Carrie's stunning bracelets in every theme you can possibly think of...and if she doesn't have one you want, I bet she'd make one especially for you!

Update from Clovis

Just got a picture via email from Miss Cassie down in Canyon, Texas of Clovis Dean on his new horse, Big Brown.  Miss Cassie says he is settling in just fine and making lots of new friends.

Clovis and his new ride.

I'm sure he'll be spinnin' yarns with the fellers down on his new spread, just like he does when he's here at Sock Monkey Ranch with his brother, Cletus.

Thanks fer the update, Miss Cassie!

Clovis Dean Baker and Cletus Dean Baker

Cletus Dean Baker AKA Tumbleweed (on the right) has been hanging around Sock Monkey Ranch for quite some time, now, but his brother Clovis Dean Baker (on the left) just rolled into the ranch around dusk last night.

He and Cletus spent most of the evenin' sitting round the big old porch of the ranch house swappin' tall tales. I'm not sure which one of them tells the biggest golly-whoppers, but they sure kept the ranch hands in stitches and wonderin' which of the stories were true and which were pure hog-wash.

You can read about how they spent the evening entertaining the ranch hands here: READ MORE

I hear that Ma Baker had a third son...Clarence Dean Baker. (She gives all her boys her maiden name for a middle name...she was Etta Mae Dean before she married Pa Baker.)

I suppose it's only a matter of time before Clarence Dean shows up at the ranch!

Lenny Longtail Goes to the Zoo

My daughter invited me to go to the zoo with her family.  Of course, all of the sock monkeys on the ranch wanted to go, but there was only enough room in my backpack for one.

Lenny Longtail reminded me that of all the monkeys at Sock Monkey Ranch, he was the only one who had never gone out on an adventure.  I pointed out the fact that Lenny couldn't go because he is the only monkey on the ranch who isn't wearing clothes (because I haven't gotten around to making them) and he asked in a perfectly innocent voice, "Do the animals at the zoo wear clothes?"

Well, what could I say?  Lenny hopped in my backpack and away we went.

He had a wonderful time making new friends at the zoo, but after 5 hours of walking, he was one tired, but happy little monkey.

We had a wonderful, but exhausting time.

Sock Monkeys and Their People

Many people like to show off their sock monkeys, but did you know that sock monkeys like to show off their people, too?

Sock Monkeys, Sarge and Happy Happy Sam with their boys,

Ethan and David (my grandsons).

I just added a new features to the Sock Monkey Ranch web site called Sock Monkeys and Their People. It's a place to show off pictures of you with your sock monkey (or visa versa).

Send your pics with your sock monkey's name, your first name, and maybe a sentence or two about how you got your sock monkey, your history together, etc. and I'll post it in our new fun corner of Sock Monkey Ranch. Contact Info

Can't wait to see your pics!

Have you hugged your sock monkey today?

 By the authority vested in me as the Resident Grandma of Sock Monkey Ranch, I hereby proclaim 2009 as the Year of the Sock Monkey! (A round of Banana Smoothies for everyone!)

I predict the demand for quality, handmade-with-love sock monkeys will soar just after the new year begins.

Soon the question on everyone's lips will be...did you hug your sock monkey today? How can you hug one if you don't have one?????

Like Jigsaw Puzzles?

I love to do jigsaw puzzles with my Mom, so I thought it would be fun to make some online puzzles from my sock monkey photos for everyone to play.  Click the puzzle below to access the page with all the puzzles.  Have fun!

An Evening at the Ranch

Tonight we all kicked back to watch the National Finals Rodeo.  I was just takin' a sip of my soda when out of the corner of my eye, I spied Dusty slip his hand behind Tumbleweed's back and take hold of Miss Millie's hand.

Millie and Dusty holding hands?

I fully expected her to throw a hissy fit, but much to my surprise, she blushed slightly and kept her little hand in his!

Is romance blossoming at Sock Monkey Ranch???

You can sneak a peek into Miss Millie's diary and Dusty's journal to see what they wrote about this evening...very interesting!

Sock Monkeys Way Out West

Hey - I did my first YouTube video tonight! It's a little "rustic", but I'm tickled to have been able to figure out how to do it. I'm sure there will be more to come. Here it is...

Furoshiki!

I just discovered Furoshiki and I love it!  I plan to carry a square cloth with me at all times so when I go shopping I will have my own bag.  Plastic bags?  No Thanks.  I'm going to use this method for wrapping lots of Christmas presents, too!

Missionary Monkey writes Home

This must be the week for hearing from monkeys that have moved on from Sock Monkey Ranch. This week I received an email from Max (see earlier post) and from Precious, our little Missionary Monkey.

 

Precious is currently on the mission field in Malawi, Africa. She's been gone about 3 weeks and already she's visited orphanages, village churches, hundreds of miles of gorgeous tea, coffee, tobacco, and banana plantations. She loves the little thatched roofed African villages and says the people are so friendly, they make you feel like an honored guest.

She also took a speedboat upriver to Lilonde National Park and said they passed right thru big herds of hippos in the water and crocs everywhere.

She will also see Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Swaziland, Durbin, So. Africa and finally
Johannesburg before she flies home the first week of December. She's looking forward to seeing Victoria Falls and spend a couple days in Kruger Game Park.

We're praying for a safe return from the mission field for both Precious and her human escorts.

We love hearing from our monkeys, so if you are one, or you have adopted one...please...write home! (and send pics if you can)