Contest Winner A Little Late

Well I guess I am kinda running behind because I said the contest was goon be drawn on Friday and all the sudden its Monday!  I even missed Sunday Stills yesterday cause I wasnt home.   I kinda been busy riding everyday and cleaning the barn at Jardis.  I am going to a cutting clinic in Ponoka with Jardi and Vic Almond this coming weekend, so we thought we should get our ponies rode lots this week before the clinic.  I am taking both Gypsy and Razz and it should be fun, I cant wait!

I been having trouble with Gypsy moving her bum.  She moves her shoulders very easily, but its hard for me to get her to move behind, so I put her in a three piece snaffle (which she seems to really like) and I got like two steps!  I was pretty excited. 

But then on Sunday I was loping and I never tightened my cinch before loping, even though that little voice in my head said I should, and I could feel my saddle slipping to the inside, so I leaned to the outside and slid right off and hit the wall pretty hard.  I scared Charlene pretty good and we decided to go to the hospital even though I wasn't feeling too bad, so he looked at me and wanted me to come back this morning for x-rays on my sacro/lumbar region.  I stayed over at Jardis overnight and she drove me back to the hospital and we got the x-rays done and had to wait to see the doctor again to read them, and it looks like I will be fine, but just strained the muscles/ tendons in my shoulder and hip area.  I am supposed to rest and then move carefully, so if I feel okay I may go ride tomorrow and see how that goes.  Prolly will be a short ride though.

Anyhow, my contest winners are Lisa from Laughing Orca Ranch, and 5 Starr Farms!  If you will email me your address, I will get the soap on its way.  Congrats all winners, and it sounds like Family is the best gift of all!

Yipeee, Warmer Weather

Well we finally warmed up!  It has been a long cold two weeks, sure glad that's over with.  I finally got to go riding yesterday and it was so good to be back there.  I sure miss them ponies when I don't want to be out in the cold.  Razz was very energetic again, and Jardi thinks I will have to start doing something more with her cause she is anticipating what we are gonna do next.  I try, but its hard when she wants to lope all the time and shes so sensitive that a leg on her she wants to go faster.  I have been trotting her lots (about 15 minutes) at a time doing circles when she wants to go faster until i can finally make it around the arena one time with out her trying to lope.  I think shes understanding its not going to always be walk, trot, lope, then we are done, but its hard to do it any other way.  Maybe I should lope her first before trotting then see how that works.  I haven't loped her the last two times and she still seems to want to.  I guess I will keep trying different things until I can figure it out. (this is Disco again, sure is hard to get good pics of a dark bay horse in winter, shes just a shadow)

Gypsy on the other hand is quite fun to ride in a group, because she is easy to speed up or slow down, depending on where others are so we don't catch up to them or them up to us.  It makes me feel pretty good to be able to do that because I remember being the one always jammed up because walk or trot was always one speed, usually the speed the horse wanted.   I thought I had a halter around here I wasn't using and would use it for Gypsy rather than the rope one she has now, but I went to put in on her and it was wayyy to small, not sure how that worked, cause it used to be Henry's and I didn't think he had that tiny of head.  Maybe I will try it again when its not so cold and dark, and I am more coordinated without gloves on.

I also got the babies in (and Dinero) because he thinks hes a baby and doesnt even think to pick on them, although he might not have been the best choice casue he has never spent the winter in the corrals at my house.  Im not sure what I was thinking leaving him out last winter as a yearling to fend for himself for food.  But it doesn't seem to have hurt him any, he was fat and he's tall, so I guess he did alright, and I fed them oats almost every day, so he had lots of advantages. 

I guess tommorow or the Sunday I may have to go get halters on them, I think that Jazz will just let me put one on her no problem, Jamaica may need a little smaller pen and not sure about Fly, he's kinda an independant fellow, not overly interested in humans.  But sometimes thats the easiest cause he isnt a pet, so we'll see.

Puzzle

Since it has been so cold this week and I haven't been anywhere except out to check the ponies and feed the cats.  So I have needed something to do with all this crazy spare time.  So last week when I was at Value Village with my sister, I bought this puzzle she found for me.

The most amazing part is when I opened the box the pieces were still in the bag! It hadn't been opened yet, weird I think.  So All the pieces of the puzzle are kinda a weird shape which made doing the puzzle a little harder because the edges aren't so visible and you never are sure of which way a piece goes.

I was sorting the pieces into colors (green grass, blue sky, and all others) and I noticed some pieces had really cool shapes!  I don't know how they cut them into the pieces but too neat.

So now I have all the grass done and much more to work on today as its still -30 this morning, but the weather man is still saying warm for tomorrow, so here's hoping!

I don't have to worry about my truck today even cause if it really is warm tomorrow, I wont need to plug it in or anything and it should still start I think.  Since I have to go get it serviced in town, i need it to start.

Still Winter

Is it so wrong to want winter to be over already?  It has been here for a week and I'm sick of it already, if it would warm up a little bit it wouldnt be quite so bad, even with all this snow.

This afternoon I was supposed to go back to the dentist to get another cavity fixed, but my truck decided it didn't want to start, so here I am still at home.  I don't really enjoy going to the dentist, but I know I have to go back again later, so I would rather it get done when I can't get anything else done.

Our tractor needs a new battery too, it also said it was too cold out to start and the battery says charged, but there is no life to it.  Of course that means to way to feed the creatures cause Neil's feed truck is over at the neighbors getting a new hood and fender.  Another neighbor brought his truck over and fed the calves another bale till we can get something going around here.

I just hope the weather people are not lying when they say 0C (32F) on Thursday!  Oh and don't forget to enter the contest!  Draw is on Friday.

Recipe Swap

Over at Fresh From The Farm there is a recipe swap.  It sounds like a lot of fun so I thught I would join in, im sure there are lots of recipes and this way I dont have to try them all out and still get some that everyone likes.  So the recipe I picked isnt really a family recipe although I have made it for my family, and its from a Companys Coming cookbook.  It also isnt really a Christmas recipe although its very good and it should be :)

Its Jiffy Cinnamon Rolls

2 cups all purpose flour
2 tbsp white sugar
4tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup hard margarine
1 cup milk

1/3 cup hard margarine
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup currants or cut up raisens

Glaze
1/2 cup icing sugar
milk for thinning

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.  Cut in first amount of margarine until mixture is crumbly.  Make a well in center.

Pour milk into well in flour mixture.  Stir to form soft dough, adding a bit more milk if needed.  Turn out onto floured surface.  Knead 8-10 times.  Roll out into rectangle about 1/3 inch thick and 12 inches long.  Width will vary.

Cream second amount of margarine, brown sugar and cinnamon together well.  Drop by teaspoonfuls in each of 12 greased muffin cups.  Spread remaining cinnamon over dough rectangle.  Sprinkle currants on top.  Roll up as for jelly roll.  Mark first, then cut, into 12 slices.  Place cut side down in muffin cups.  Bake in 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.  Turn out onto tray.

Glaze:  Mix icing sugar with enough milk to make barley pourable consistancy.  Drizzle over cinnamon rolls.  Makes 12 rolls.

This is really quick and easy!  And they are fantastic!

Sunday Stills Old School and New School

This week our Sunday Stills was an old school item nest to a new school item, this was going to be lots of fun but not a good week here for me to take what I wanted,  I was gonna get a fork next to a tractor, but the tractor wont start,.  Or my wagon nest to a b-train, but too cold and the neighbor never brought his over.  Or a grain auger next to a scoop shovel, but again so cold never used it.  Or my horse next to the pickup, but never got to ride this week cause way too cold.  But I did come up with a few interesting things after looking in the basement.  Like this lamp, and this other lamp:

Or for fun these beer bottles, which I don't think the Lethbridge company is in business anymore and if they are, certainly not making stubby bottles anymore:

And this mixing spoon and bowl next to the blender, which mostly I actually prefer the wooden spoon:

And I had to do a couple fun ones like the film next to a memory card, and I even found a black and white film!

And of course this one, wishing I had an e-book (and not just for the challenge either)  but the book next to the computer set on Sunday stills of course!!

Check out more at the Sunday Stills website,  I sure will be.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

I forgot to give a date when I am going to draw for the contest, so I guess it will be next Friday, the 26th. 

Still cold here, but a little warmer than yesterday, and they are saying by Wednesday it will be only -3C.  I cant wait, but if it gets above freezing, that means there will be mud, icky!  We have quite a bit of snow here, over top of my cowboy boots in most of my yard, we sometimes get that much snow, but not ussually in November, more like in April or May. 

I went over to K & K Livestock today and never even bought anything.  It was weird.  Jardi needed feed and a few other things, so she bought a bunch of stuff, so it wasnt a wasted trip.  And what else is there to do on a cold day here.

I went out this morning to see the babies cause I was feeling kinda bad for them, but as I got out there, they were snow covered and playing, so I guess I have no need t feel bad for them, but it just seemed so cold out.

Craft Sale and a Contest!!

Well I went to the craft sale this morning even though after I looked at the thermometer I wanted to go back inside and curl up, but since I ordered a table and would have to pay for it, i sucked it up and went anyways.  It wasn't so bad after I go there.  I am sure loving my remote start though.

I set up my table and got the 4-H table to take my picture at it.  She was taking pictures of all the volunteer kids at their table at the same time.  I brought three boxes of jams and jellies and two piles of dishcloths my mom makes.  I ended up selling two boxes of jams and about 5 dishcloths.  Not bad, I was asked numerous times for crab apple jelly and strawberry jam, guess I shoulda gone and picked some off Linda's tree this fall when she offered me to.  Well next year I will try to get more of them.

I also ended up buying all kinds of fun things, I got two Christmas gifts done and an amazing candle that smells like Pina Coloda and makes my whole house smell fantastic, like I should be on the beach!

I got a bunch of tea as well, I am really getting in to tea, now that there are so many flavors that aren't black and bitter.  Cant wait to try them all out!  I also got a community calender and what everyone is waiting for...a contest for homemade soap!  I have three different kinds, I will give two away (cause I want one for me:) all you have to do is tell me the best Christmas gift you ever got.

There is a big bar of oats and honey, two small bars (Prairie Rose and Prairie Wildflower) and two small bars (Prairie Rose and Prickly Pear Cactus)  made by my neighbor Gwen and they are amazing soaps that have fantastic smells! all 100% natural made with things from our neck of the woods!

BRRR!!

Just thought I would let everyone know its a nice -28.5C or about -19 F this morning!  What am I thinking going out in weather like this!!  Sure glad I have remote start on the truck today!!

Still Cold and Snowy here

Yuck winter hasnt gone away yet!  I forgot how bored I get in winter if I am stuck in the house, no homebody here  unless I want to be, when I have to be, not so much fun.  I even contemplated going for a walk until I went out to feed the cats and check the horses and just about froze after five minutes!  yuck!

We have snow piled up in spots around the yard, just annoying enough to be where we want to walk.  It is clear for about halfway then a big drift with no way to get around it.  I guess it would work better if I got out my winter boots.  At least today I wore my cowboy boots instead of my crocs like yesterday, that was a mistake!

I did go out yesterday to town to pick up some hinges from the auto wrecker for the new hood for Neils truck and since I was already there I went riding ;)  I thought it was colder than it must have been because by the end of the ride, I had my coat and gloves off and was not even cold a little bit.  Probly helped the barn was full of horses too.  Razz was pretty good, all we worked on was trotting till she could make it around the arena without thinking of loping.  I did two sessions of trot, and she was getting pretty good after about half hour, so we quit before she got too warm and sweaty.  I think I need to ride her alone more so I can keep working on that without getting in any ones way.  She sure didn't like no rest times though, it was funny trying to quit and I keep her going, she probly like riding with others so we can take a rest sometimes.

I am almost got everything ready and the babies will be coming in this weekend and everyone else gets wormed and we will be ready for winter... maybe.   Got a feeder in for the babies, but got to get a bale to put in it.  I think I will keep Dinero in with them for a few weeks (till he gets super fat) to get them used to life in a coral.  I got to get halters on them and start working with them as well, good thing the weather is supposed to get warm next week again.

I am going to the craft sale in Cessford tomorrow to sell some jams I made as well as dishcloths my mommy made.  I'll let you know how it turned out, maybe I have a new business going on.

Scrapbooking

This past weekend I spent at a scrap booking retreat.  It conveniently is at the place where I board my horses for the winter, so I got to ride each day as well.  That is actually how I met Jardi was through her bed and breakfast when me and my mom wanted to go away scrap booking for the weekend, i phoned a bunch of places and she said they were open and not busy, so we picked there.

After visiting with her all weekend and seeing her horses and place, I said something about taking lessons, and she said to call her in the spring when it go a little nicer out, so in March or so I went over and she said she had her stud ready for me, well this was all wrong according to everything I had ever been told and she had never seen my ride and I was pretty nervous, but I went for it and am sooo glad I did cause he was amazing!!  I was just taking riding lessons, but she let me do some fun stuff like rollbacks and spins, that was soo cool.

I kept going back and eventually took my own horse and learned a lot on him and she still cant get rid of me, lol.  I have had lots of fun there and every year we still go back and scrapbook there even though she doesn't run the bed and breakfast anymore, she does it just for us once a year.  And it helps that she scrapbooks as well, although only when we do the retreats.  I got a lot done this year, about 30 double sided pages, not the most I have ever gotten done, but pretty good for 3 days with breaks to ride between.

I never rode on Friday because we were late getting there and I was enthusiastic about scrapping.  But Saturday I got my girls up and we were gonna ride outside cause it was so nice out, so me and Jardi went out to the coulee and since I had Razz, we thought we should do some trotting cause I have only trotted her outside a few steps before, well she was really good, not getting super excited and not even going super speedy.  She was going faster than Jardi, but not too bad.  Next thing I know Jardi is on the ground cause Twister lived up to her name and twisted in the air cause she saw a deer that was still hidden, |I turned and went back to make sure she was alright (which she was) but Razz was more scared about her being on the ground than of the deer which Twister was still staring at.  Luckily Twister never run off, so she got back on and we went back home.

I never rode Gypsy that day cause I was a little worried about Jardi but all that happened was a bruise, so On Sunday I thought I better get them both rode. I rode  Gypsy with Charlene out on the trail, she has been Riding a 3 year old of Jardis that she is trying to sell (Billy).  It was uneventful and so we came back and rode inside with Razz and Ricky, we had made up a pattern and rode it, it was very simple, but we were afraid to make it too long because we might forget it.  It had a full lap around the arena, two figure eights, stop, backup, one and a half turnarounds (or a small circle then a half turn for Razz), then a full lap the other way, then a 2 more figure eights and stop in the middle.  It was interesting even though the horses thought we were crazy I'm sure.

On Monday I rode Gypsy in with Ricky and Charlene and Jardi wanted to see our pattern, so we did it and then she thought we could do it at the lope!  That meant lead changes!  But we did it and Gypsy got the lead change the first time each round but not the second one, I think it was my fault though.  She tries to turn her head too much into the spin too, so I have to hole her head straighter, otherwise it was really good.  I also rode Razz and she was really good, and is figuring out when I ask for a trot I mean to stay at a trot, not lope.  I have been asking her to lope from a walk and its getting clearer to her  think.  I skipped out on riding yesterday cause the roads were soo bad after going to the dentist I just wanted to go home.  So I did and was glad for a day off, maybe this afternoon will be better.

BRRR!

This afternoon looking out the front window at Disco and Dinero grazing

in the snow that fell last night.



Sunday Stills-Coffee/Teacups

This week, our Sunday Stills challenge is coffee/teacups.  My favorite teacup is at my moms house so I will not get a picture of it, which is too bad cause its a three legged one with pretty pink roses.  I wish I woulda known earlier cause she was trying to make me take it home, but I have no where to keep it at home right now.

So I got this picture of not really a mug, but its cute anyways.

And This is a teacup I thought I might order from some magazine I get in the mail and it has all kinds of cool stuff in it.

And of course I have to add my Eeyore Mug cause its my favoritest ever.

For More go to Sunday Stills. 

Touring the Countryside

Last week after my massage and Chiro and Dentist appointments in Hanna, I took the back roads down to Drum, scenic route they call it.

It was kinda a pretty view going down there.  Way better than last time I took that route.  It was so foggy I could hardly see the road in front of me, never mind the view.

I like how the road goes around corners and there are such pretty hills with trees on them up there. 

There are also some old barns and houses out there.  They look like someone just moved out except they are old, but in really good shape otherwise.

I love some of the views out there, you can look forever from up there.

And there was this cool sign I had to stop and get a picture of.

It was a fun day and a pretty drive, dont mind driving so much when I can see cool scenery.

She's Here!!

First off Rememberance Day, very important day to remembcer why we live in such an awesome country and for all the people who sacrificed thier lives for us to have a great place to live!  Thanks!

Yesterday I went to get my new girl.  It was a great day, I spent 3 and half hours visiting with Gloria and it seemed like it went by in seconds!  We looked at all her horses, solved all the world problems and all in all just had a great time.  She just bought a new stud to replace the one who died this spring (Jazz's dad).  He is just a yearling and he is from Texas and on his way home today, should take about 3 days if they can get him accross the border easily.

I really enjoy talking horses with people and especially sensible knowledgeable people.  The weirdest thing is, now they live just under 4 hours from here, but her husband grew up near Hanna and he knew our neighbors!  What a small world!

I brought Bailey up with me for the trip and so Disco would have company when she got here, and i turned her out last night and she just followed Bailey arounds, It was rather uneventful way to add a new member to the herd, Im sure there will be a little arguing, but so far pretty quiet.

I saw Razz's half sister, her mom (wow is that a stout mare), and the stud that Disco is bred to.  She sure has a few more I wouldnt mind being in my herd, if there was more room ;)

She seems to be settling in well, they mostly still chase her away, but there is lots of room out there since I moved them into the winter pasture again, and hopefully (well see how things work out) next thursday I will be able to get my babies in and finally get Jamaica weaned.  I am going away for a scrapbooking weekend with my mom, so that is next on my neverending list of things to do.

Winner!!!

On November 1st, i was declared the winner of a $75 gift certificate at CSN Stores.  I won it over at Linda's blog, Just Another Day on the Prairie.  She is a neighbor of mine and has a very interesting blog, go check it out.

I haven't been home much, but yesterday I finally picked out what I wanted and ordered it.  I really liked a few things that were not in stock so I didn't order them, like this end table

I really wanted something in stock that ships to Canada so I could get it soon.  Of course there were cool tables like this one as well.

I also looked at wine racks and seen some I liked. But finally settled on Anthony California End Table in Dark Oak and the shipping wasnt too much, although they do say Imy postal code was from a remote area and shipping needs to be calculated seperatly so I will see.

They have so many options there, and almost everything a person could need, but no horse stuff! 

Catching Up

Whew its been kinda crazy busy here and I havent posted in a while, but after this past week, I should be able to slow down a little bit and get back to normal.  It seems like my birthday has dragged on forever this year, I love my birthday, but wow it was takking forever.  I finally  got the picture of Gypsy in her new bridle.

I think it looks good on her, she seems to be okay with it, although I never have tried the one ear one, like I wanted to start with, but two ears are cute too.

I got a cute little shirt from Neils mom and Dad that Neil couldnt understand why I got it, lol.

Until I tried it on, he thoought it was meant for a little kid or doll or something, didn't realize it stretched to fit all  sizes.  My mom has one, so I knew already.  Ignore the pjs with it, lol.

I got these cool Eeyore 3-D placemats with notepad and lip gloss from my aunt Bonnie.

And this sandpaper file folder which I had no idea existed till my Mom got it, and pinking shears which I wanted forever, and the pliers and lighter which are just a bonus, pretty cool!  I always wanted a way to store sandpaper in my shop but never had a good system and I think this one might work.

I also got a couple lottery tickets which I havent checked yet, so I might have an even better present coming yet.  And my sister never got me a gift cause shes been crazy busy as well this week cause it was her sons birthday on Saturday and he got a hamster and is over the moon about it.

Sunday Stills- Food

This week our Sunday Stills was a little easier one, food.  Has to have more than three different types on one plate.

This was my birthday dinner we had on Wednesday night at the Douglas Country Inn in Duchess.  It was amazing, I highly recomend it.  We had reservations and there was another party there, so they had a turkey dinner.

We also had apple pie and ice cream for dessert, mmm.  I sure wasnt hungry when we left there.

For More check out Sunday Stills.