Thursday's Threads

Outfit DAY! I'm embracing our heat wave and actually wearing some of my cute summer dresses to work this week.

I love wrap dresses because for the most part, they fit whether you're plus or minus a few pounds. I'm currently plus about 20, but this dress doesn't show it! Good dress.

Dress: Fantastic Fawn

I got this dress and a second one in a different pattern from the now out of business Moxie.Style. While my wallet may not agree, I miss Moxie tons. I love these dresses and Jackie, the owner, offered them up at great prices. This dress may be a tad short for work, but we're pretty lenient here, and besides, I sit a desk most of the day anyway.

Shoes: Kate Spade

Sorry about my disgusting feet, but how cute are these shoes?! They're jelly shoes, and as they literally say, they're FUN!

Arm Party!
Lefty:

Lefty is wearing the cutest ever Pug bracelet. It has an adorable pug face on one end and pug butt (complete with curly tail) on the other.

Righty:

Righty is donning an obviously FUN bracelet also from Kate Spade. I love how quirky she is. Though I do wish the letters were the same colors as the shoes.

I also have a pretty silly riding outfit to share:

Yep, pink again! But this time NEON!

Helmet: Charles Owen AYR8

You saw this guy last week. He's finally getting his day in the sun! Literally! Ha!

Tank Top: Signature Tshirts

This awesome 80's inspired tank has those weird super wide arm holes that I didn't realize it had when I ordered it... But I wore a black cami underneath which made me feel ok about it. It might be fun with a neon pink cami too. I'm way too old to have my bra showing though. Do any of you youngsters even know what those things are on my shirt?!

Belt: Royal Sports

Have you all seen the Facebook ads for Royal Sports tack? I was curious about them as the prices are crazy low. They're not top quality leather, it's Indian, and vegetable dyed, but they're pretty nice for the money. They had a large 60% off sale so I grabbed a couple bridles and a two belts. This is one of the belts. I love that it's patent leather AND has fancy stitching.

Breeches: Tuffrider

These are on sale absolutely everywhere for around $30. I got mine awhile back and paid a little more, but I've worn them enough that I'm not sad about it. I like the gel patches on these.

Paddock Boots and Half Chaps: Broghini

I warned you last week about these. Are they as amazing as you imagined?! Yes, yes they are. Pink piping AND pink stitching, Patent leather... What more could you want?! Oh and also I paid under $60 for BOTH the half chaps and the boots total.

Obviously, if I'm going to be all decked out in neon pink and black, I had to carry my matching stick:

This was one of those I need $15 more dollars for free shipping purchases. No regrets here!

That's what I'm wearing today! How about you? Any favorites from today? Thoughts on Kate Spade and her quirky accessories?

What's Up Wednesday

Wednesday... Thursday... I don't even know what day it is! My morning was spent watching my computer update itself rather than typing out an exciting edition of What's up Wednesday. Super fun. Like watching grass grow.

No kidding it will take awhile. An hour and a half to be exact. Should have slept in!

This past week was far more fun and exciting than my morning computer update thankfully. As you all know, I've been having some troubles with Romey and his unwillingness to move. But I've been trying every day. And I think I may know what some of the issue was. Many months ago I started Romey on a supplement called Total Calm and Focus. I haven't found that it really makes him lots calmer (he's more or less a pretty chill guy, except for when he's not) but I think it does help with focus quite a bit. The place I order it from made a mistake and sent me a one day tube in error the last time I ordered. Because I ordered a bit late, I ran out of the daily powder before the replacement arrived. THEN, the replacement was wrong too. So he was off it for almost two weeks. Just about the same amount of time that my #inanimateottb problems arose. The correct item finally arrived Monday, so he's been back on for two days now. And today, he finally moved. I got him to walk pretty willingly for a decent amount of time. We walked, we halted, we walked again. There was a battle initially, but he finally gave in. We battled once more over the trot, but he gave in there too. We shall see if he continues to improve or if I just got lucky today....
But let's not dwell on Romey. It was a busy weekend full of ponies mostly, and a trip to the local carnival.
Saturday morning started early. I had a few horses to braid for Derby day at a local horse show. I planned to meet them at 6:30 to get started. Fortunately, the local venue is the barn where I grew up riding, which is only 15 minutes from my house.

I haven't done tails in awhile, but they all came out great (phew!).

I was done braiding by 10:00 am but I stuck around and watched for a little bit. My friend's daughter (also the junior from my green eyed monster post last week) was catch riding a medium pony in the 2'6" derby. I was dying to witness the #ponysquishing! She did a great job with him, and they wound up 5th.

Then I went to leave and got stuck waiting for a horse to load that REALLY didn't want to. There's one long driveway to get in and out of this venue, and that driveway is NOT the place to load horses.

I couldn't believe that's where these people decided to load. Thankfully the second horse got right on the trailer.
And then it was back home to work my own kids!

Jampy had a jump school, and he was mostly great. I say mostly because he did for some reason keep spooking down the one line I have set up. Eventually he got over whatever it was that was scaring him.

He's definitely getting stronger and jumping better. Hopefully he'll keep it up! I think we're ready to start putting the jumps up a little more. Nothing crazy, but I'd like to get him jumping around 3' so MAYBE we can get to a horse show. Or maybe he'll just be a derpy model forever:

Rio was perfect as always.

Even if he did want to meander the barn before getting untacked. He's such a voyeur, I think he was just checking out the new neighbors.

After ponies, I headed out the carnival a few towns over. I wasn't sure if I was going to go, so didn't make plans to meet up with anyone. But I had a great time on my own. I played some games:

In between gaming I stuffed my face with a baked potato and then more than my fair share of cotton candy. By the end of the night, I accumulated all sorts of crap prizes. I won this magical creature:

My friend asked me what I was going to do with it. I had no answer for her other than it was awesome. I mean, do you need a reason to have a neon green unicorn? Perhaps it shall be the new Winthrop Corner mascot.
I also won poop emojis for the pups and stocked up on candy apples for the tall kids:

Sunday morning I slept in a little cause I'm lazy. Then headed to town for a breakfast sandwich and the farmer's market.

There's a stand there that always has carrots, and they gave me a bag full of carrot greens for the ponies. They really made out well with the snacks this weekend!
Then it was back home for more riding. Rio and Jamp just flatted, and Romey pretty much did nothing while I tried to ride him. Thus, Romey lost his candy apple privileges. Jampy devoured his:

Rio ignored his. He normally likes them, but he can be picky. I gave his to Jamp eventually. No point letting it go to waste.
Post pony time I decided to walk down to the lake to listen to the band for a bit and have a lobster roll.

I would eat a lobster roll from the Snack Shack everyday if I could.... So buttery! So delicious. Monday brought high humidity and temps in the 90's so we've been taking it semi easy. We're still riding every day, but keeping it short and easy. It should break by Friday, so I'm hoping to jump Jampy around after work.
And that's what's up this Wednesday (or Thursday as the case may be). What's up with you?

Truthful Tuesday: The one in which I admit I'm a terrible rider

Well. Romey's reluctance to work isn't a quick passing phase I'm afraid. So today I'm admitting that I'm the worst, and somehow cause these horses to shut down completely. It's like Ducky 2.0! I've been talking with trainer and other knowledgeable horse friends, but none of us can figure out what it is that I'm doing to cause this. But if it happens once it's a fluke. Twice, it's obviously something I'm causing. Ugh. Saturday he wouldn't even leave the barn:

Eventually I got him outside where he resisted mounting, first by turning away from the block before I could climb aboard, and then by turning around and attacking me as I put my foot in the stirrup. Such a friendly guy. (eye roll.) Eventually I got on and succeeded in only walking around the ring after much coaxing/arguing.

Don't be fooled by this innocent face.

So like any good horse owner, I've called the vet to rule out pain. He'll be out Friday hopefully. I've experimented some since then with a different bridle. He has TMJ so sometimes he doesn't like the browband pressing on his face. I used Ducky's old western bridle instead which just has one ear, but it didn't make a lick of difference. So I guess that's not the issue. Tonight I'm going to try my saddle that has the wider channel to see if maybe he's uncomfortable in his back from my saddle. He doesn't show any problems when I palpate his back, so I'm not convinced there's a problem there. But I'm willing to try anything to get my horse to, at the very least, pick up a trot.

Saturday evening I stopped at Saks Off Fifth outlet to see if they still had a bag I was pining over (they didn't) and proceeded to make purchases based on my current feelings of inadequacy:

#accurate

Have any of you run into this issue? What did you do to get the horse to move forward? I wear spurs and have tried using the stick, but he just kicks out and throws his head around. I do have some pretty mean western spurs, but I don't really want to go that route. Any suggestions are definitely welcome! Also welcome is someone to say, "please send him to me! I love a challenge and I'll keep him forever!" Seriously, if anyone in blogland wants a pet pony, please email me.

Thursday's Threads

Outfit Day!!!! You guys. Are you sitting down? I got up at 5:45 this morning and went running with a friend. No really! I did. I mean, we only ran one mile. But still. I did it! Which means I also have a running outfit to share today! Let's start there:

Obviously the best day to start running is when (according to the weatherman) it is oppressively humid outside. Dive right in!

Top: New Balance

I figured wearing my Outrun 38 tank would give me a little extra motivation this morning. It didn't... But it was a nice thought.

Tights: Fila

My favorite thing about running is that neon is totally acceptable. These have reflective spots on the yellow stripe as an added safety feature.

Shoes: Mizuno Wave Sayonara

I'm so glad I found Mizuno. They have been completely life changing for my running. It's really important to have sneakers that fit you well and provide the appropriate support for you. Everyone is different, so Mizuno might not be your magical shoe, but they definitely are mine! Plus they often come in bright colors. On a side note, can you believe that shade of white my legs are? #howtospotarider

Our first run was super short. We only went a mile. But it was a non stop running mile, and I'm gonna be honest, it felt great! I for sure could have squeaked out another, but it was nice to start easy, and have it end easy too. I didn't break any records. It was a SLOW and steady mile. But it got done and felt good, so that's all I wanted.

Ok, on to my work outfit:

So country summer isn't it?! I've loving anything checked lately. I found this tank last year, but this is the first time I've worn it this season.

Tank: One Clothing

I like the little criss cross thing that's going on in the front there. I also like that it's a roomy cut so I don't feel like I'm hanging out anywhere.

Belt: C4

This belt gets worn A LOT. I had no idea when I bought it just how many outfits it would match.

Jeans: True Religion

I like the whisker detailing these have at the top. I mean, I realize fake wrinkles are pretty ridiculous when you think about it... but they do look cute.

Shoes: Western Chief

Why yes, these do match the belt EXACTLY. The checks on here and the belt are a lot smaller than the top, but I think it's working ok. These shoes are made of rubber which I find kind of hilarious for some reason. They're a nice soft rubber though, and are super comfy. They'll be perfect when the storms roll through later.

Arm Party!
Lefty:

You had to know my inner five year old would show up somewhere today, right? Here she is! With this shiny Unicorn bracelet I bought on Nantucket. In a children's store. Shut up. It's adorable.

Righty:

This is like the Canadian Tuxedo of jewelry. Righty's bracelets are made by me, and consist of a horse clasp bangle and a wrap bracelet.

Speaking of horses... I almost didn't have a riding outfit for you today because we were supposed to get some severe weather during my riding time last night. Thankfully it held off long enough for me to hop on Rio so I do have something to share.

PINK! I actually have some pretty fab pink and black half chaps but I wasn't feeling motivated enough to wear brand new leg wear last night. All in good time. I'm sure you'll see them eventually.

Helmet: Charles Owen AYR8

I found this brand new fancy pants helmet on ebay last year from a British Seller for well under $100 shipped. I'm not one to pass up an awesome deal on something pink so I clicked buy it now pretty quickly.

Polo shirt: Horsewares

These are on sale pretty much everywhere, so if you like it, go snap one up! My favorite thing about this shirt (other than it being pink and covered in horses) are the pretty buttons. They're a mint green with gold on the edges. Such a nice touch!

Belt: Ralph Lauren

Another fun ebay find. I love poking around on there when I'm bored at work when I have free time. You never know what you'll find at a crazy good price. This pink stirrup belt was a steal!

Breeches: SmartPak Piper

These are an older model of the pipers with the regular knee patches (as opposed to the newer gel ones). I like the Pipers well enough. I don't think they're as comfy as some of my ariat or TS breeches, but they're definitely good enough for the price point. And the pink piping doesn't hurt either.

Boots: Caldene

Alright you caught me. You may remember that I had very similar looking boots but they were made by HKM. After wearing them a few times, I realized they were a bit too big so I sent them off to Used Horse Stuff. But then I really missed them, so I went looking (on Ebay obviously) to see if I could find them smaller. Instead, I found these beauties which I liked even more. The zipper placement makes them much more comfortable and easier to break in. And I love how the toes are capped too. And the wooded heels. There's a lot to love here.

Spurs: Professional Choice
Straps: Ovation

You can't have boots with croco detailing and not have matching spur straps. That's clearly some kind of fashion don't. These spurs are cute too with the little blingy horse shoes.

That's what I'm wearing today! How about you? Any favorites from today? What are you favorite running shoes and/or riding boots?