December Featured Favorite Bird - Junco!

■ Dark-eyed Juncos are neat, even flashy little sparrows that flit about forest floors of the western mountains and Canada, then flood the rest of North America for winter. ■ Juncos are the snowbirds of the middle latitudes. Over most of the eastern United States, they appear as winter sets in and then retreat northward each spring. Some juncos in the Appalachian Mountains remain there all year round, breeding at the higher elevations. These residents have shorter wings than the migrants that join them each winter. Longer wings are better suited to flying long distances, a pattern commonly noted among other studies of migratory vs resident species. ■The Dark-eyed Junco is one of the most common birds in North America and can be found across the continent, from Alaska to Mexico, from California to New York. A recent estimate set the junco's total population at approximately 630 million individuals. ■ The oldest recorded Dark-eyed Junco was 11 years 4 months old.

Featured Bird of the Month - The Cardinal!

One of my favorites! I guess because red is also my favorite color. I have a few cardinals that like to frequent my yard and I love watching them. Here are a few facts about cardinals:

■ Only a few female North American songbirds sing, but the female Northern Cardinal does, and often while sitting on the nest. ■Cardinals attack their own reflection in spring and early summer. Within a few weeks, aggression hormone levels begin to subside and these attacks should end. One female Cardinal kept up this behavior every day or so for six months without stopping. ■The Northern Cardinal is the state bird of seven states. ■The oldest recorded Northern Cardinal was 15 years 9 months old. ■Nearly any bird feeder you put out ought to attract Northern Cardinals, but they particularly seem to use sunflower seeds. Leave undergrowth in your backyard or around the edges, and you may have cardinals nesting on your property. View our line of cardinal products at: http://thefamilystore.net/Birds.htm

Ways in which our products are featured by our customers

We love it when our customers email us pictures of how they use our products.

A big thank you for sending this picture to us! This is Papa John Muggly, he and his family of Muggly's are planters that are a big hit with our customers. You have to admit he looks life-like! Love seeing him with his sunglasses on! These loveable planters are indoor/outdoor safe with a drainage system for outdoor use and a removable plastic cup to retain and hold water for indoor use. You will love these truly unique and whimsical "folk art" style planters. You can find Papa John and his family including their dog and cat by copying & pasting the following link in your browser: http://thefamilystore.net/ToadHollow_Mugglys.htm

Featured Bird for the month of September

Goldcrest Distributing is featuring the House Wren for September. Here is a few facts regarding the most common, over-looked bird everyone knows: ■A House Wren weighs about as much as two quarters, but their small size does not keep them from harassing and pecking at much larger birds. They have been known to drag eggs and young out of nest sites they want – even occasionally killing adult birds. ■The oldest known House Wren was nine years old. ■The House Wren has one of the largest ranges of any songbird. It breeds from Canada through the West Indies and Central America, southward to the southernmost point of South America. ■The House wren eats a wide variety of insects and spiders, including beetles, caterpillars, earwigs, and daddy longlegs, as well as flies, leafhoppers, and springtails. They also eat snail shells, probably for the calcium they contain and to provide grit for digestion. ■The House Wren clutch size is 3-10 eggs with 1-2 broods. Incubation period is 9-16 days. Nesting period is 15-17 days. Eggs are white, pink-white, or grayish, speckled or blotched with reddish brown. View all our bird houses, feed, and other items pertaining to all varieties of birds at http://thefamilystore.net

Featured Bird of the Month for August

I'm a little late in posting this. Especially since the woodpecker is one of my husband's favorites. The red-headed woodpecker especially. I guess it goes back to the cartoon about Woody Woodpecker. We have a tree in our front yard that had what he called a "woodpecker condo" in it. The tree has since died and the woodpecker has moved on to better accommodations now. He loved sitting and watching "his" woodpecker make new homes and look for food in our tree. Here are a few facts about downy woodpeckers:

■In winter Downy Woodpeckers are frequent members of mixed species flocks. Advantages of flocking include having to spend less time watching out for predators and better luck finding food from having other birds around. ■In the winter time, the male and female Downy Woodpeckers split up and look for food. The males feed more on small branches and weed stems. Females feed on larger branches and trunks. Males keep females from foraging in the more productive spots. When researchers have removed males from a woodlot, females have responded by feeding along smaller branches. ■Woodpeckers don’t sing songs, but they drum loudly against pieces of wood or metal to achieve the same effect. People sometimes think this drumming is part of the birds’ feeding habits, but it isn’t. In fact, feeding birds make surprisingly little noise even when they’re digging vigorously into wood. ■Downy Woodpeckers have been discovered nesting in the walls of buildings. ■The oldest known Downy Woodpecker lived to be at least 11 years, 11 months old. ■The Downy Woodpecker clutch size is 3-8 eggs and just 1 brood. Incubation period is 12 days. Nesting period is 18-21 days. Eggs are completely white. View all of our Woodpecker products by pasting the following URL in your browser: http://thefamilystore.net/Woodpecker.htm

The most beautiful jewelry!

I am now offering the most beautiful, out of the ordinary jewelry! These are definitely not your run of the mill, everyone is wearing it jewelry.

They are of the finest quality and I am so excited to offer them to you. Please check them out at: http://thefamilystore.net/RomanticForHer.htm Any questions please email me, looking forward to hearing what you think about them.

New Items Added

I have added new items today that I am really excited about! First, sun protective hats for both him and her. They carry 50+ UPF ratings, are very stylish and pack flat for traveling.

We have several styles to choose from, the usual baseball style as shown, the Havana, the Kauai, and the Caribbean. All are wonderful styles and the best quality to shield you from the sun! Click here: http://thefamilystore.net/Hats.htm The next items are accessories for your dog. We are now offering a car hammock, and a wonderful extend-a-seat to give your dog a little more room and two sizes of booster seats. Makes traveling with your pet a little more comfortable for them!

The link to these items and many more accessories is: http://thefamilystore.net/Dog_Cat_accessories.htm Let me know if you are looking for something in particular and I will see if I can find it for you!

Come visit our booth in the Benbrook Antique Mall!

We now have our own booth in the Benbrook Antique Mall. It is on Aisle #B2, booth 535. The Mall is located in Benbrook, TX at 9250 Benbrook Blvd. (Hwy 377), Benbrook, TX 76126. Please come and see us!

May is Largemouth Bass Month

Our supplier, American Expedition, claims May is Largemouth Bass month. This should make my grandson very excited! He is only 4 years old, but fishing is one of the things he loves to do, he can even tell you how to load and unload a boat from a trailer. That's how much he goes fishing. For those who don't know a bass from a perch, which is me, American Expedition is educating me on them. So I thought I would pass that on to my customers just in case they need to know as well.

Largemouth bass grow to be 12 to 18 inches, with the record being 29.5" and weighs from 6 to 12 pounds, the record is 22 lbs. 4 oz. and they can live 15 to 20 years -- that is if they don't run into my grandson first! You can view our American Expedition products that feature not only Largemouth Bass, but a variety of creatures on our website, just click on the link to His & Her Gifts then scroll down to Gifts for the Outdoorsman (showing the mug) and click on the link. The link to all American Expedition products are at the bottom of each page. Enjoy!

Featured Bird for the month of May

One of our largest suppliers, Goldcrest Distributors, features a bird a month. For May, they are featuring the Goldfinch. A very beautiful bird and my grandson's favorite color - yellow! Here is a little about the Goldfinch courtesy of Goldcrest: Active and acrobatic, these little finches cling to weeds and seed socks. They fly with a bounce and often call in flight, drawing attention to themselves. American Goldfinches are the only finch that molts its body feathers twice a year, once in late winter and again in late summer. Goldfinches are among the strictest vegetarians in the bird world. They select an entirely vegetable diet and only accidentally swallow insects.

The oldest known American Goldfinch was 10 years, 5 months. The Goldfinch clutch size is 2-7 eggs. They have 1-2 broods. Incubation period is 12-14 days. Nesting period is 11-17 days. Eggs are pale bluish white, sometimes with small faint brown spots around large end.

New products available this week

I have added new products to our website this week! Additions to carry alls and totes from Coynes are amazing and very colorful. Butterflies are my favorite, and I am very happy to have them depicted on our new totes and wristlets. We have added crystal tails for wind spinners that will catch the sunlight and make wonderful additions to your spinners or use alone for prisms. We have also obtained a new supplier for our garden flags. Please check them all out and let me know what you think.

Article regarding things NOT to buy online!

I just read an article regarding things NOT to buy online. I didn't have a problem with several -- groceries; appliances; and clothing. I agree with those three, but I have a problem with another one they listed -- "heavy stuff". The Family Store only charges a flat rate of $8.00 shipping no matter how heavy the "stuff" is. Most online retailers do charge per weight, size, and the zone the order is being shipped to.... WE DON'T! No matter how heavy, how much, or how far (within the continental United States) SHIPPING IS ONLY $8.00!! It is very affordable to shop with us and have it shipped either to you or to a friend as a gift. Hope to hear from you soon!

Dew Drops Hydro Beads used in amazing floral arrangements!

We are now carrying the Dew Drops Hydro Beads! Drops are made of a super absorbent polymer which absorbs, stores, and slowly releases water creating a fantastic way to drench your flower arrangements with color and depth. Just add water to these little beads and after awhile they transform into little liquid gems that not only look beautiful, they help secure flowers in a vase, too. Each package makes approximately two gallons of Dew Drops. Eight colors are available.