What's Up Wednesday

It was a relatively unexciting week as far as horses go around here, but it was a super exciting week as far as getting new stuff goes! And I don't even feel all that guilty because I bought most of this stuff in November! Next week should be exciting too and also guilt free. Because next week my replacement Fama's should be here! THESE:

Photo credit to Fama 4 All

I can't even. If they're even half this amazing in real life... SO PRETTY!
But back to now...
Yesterday my Pioneer boots finally arrived! YAY! So you wanna see?? You've probably already seen some sneak peeks if you follow me on the Instagram. Unfortunately, I didn't get to play with them until late so the photos are crap. Maybe this weekend I can try and get some daytime pictures. Anyway, without further ado... I give you (some crappy photos of) The Vittorios (in navy):

I know. They look black in these photos. You'll just have to trust me that they're blue. So the top cuff part is patent, the outside of the leg is regular leather, and then the foot and inside leg is also patent. I kind of thought patent would be slippery, but I'm reading that it's very grippy. Guess we'll find out eventually, won't we? One thing I love on these is the natural colored heel. Not sure why I love those so much, but I really do.

And (some more terrible photos of) The Clios in Glitter Celebrity:

And a little photobomb by P!

So everything that looks black on these boots is actually black, and those parts are all patent. The outside leg panel is a glittery fabric. I was really curious what that would actually be like. I kind of thought it might be sort of plasticy or worse, be dropping glitter everywhere. But since it's more like a fabric, that doesn't seem like it will be a thing. They're actually pretty amazing despite being ridiculously over the top.  Whatever, I love glitter!

I can't do any sort of review currently since I'm not riding. But I would like to talk about the process a little really quickly, as well as how they fit.
After measuring myself twice for boots last year and kind of failing both times (the purple ones that are ridiculously short and the Fama's that I had to sell because the foot was three sizes too big), I was a little worried this time. I measured myself probably 12 times before sending in my info. The Connected Rider (the tack store I ordered through) supplied me with a measurement chart which really took a lot of the guess work away. I think my measurements were pretty spot on this time. The Connected Rider also reached out to me when I forgot to pick a rhinestone color for the Vittorio's and they also kept me up to date on how they were coming along if I checked in. Really great customer service! I think the were as excited as I was for the boots to arrive!
So let's talk fit. I was surprised that despite using one set of measurements for both pairs, they actually fit a tiny bit differently. That may simply be because they are slightly different styles. The Vittorio I think I could have added a little to the height. I'm always weary to do that because I hate them digging into the back of my knees. But the Spanish top is really high, so it won't be noticeable if they're a hair short. Other than the height, they fit me PERFECTLY. Like exact. I'm amazed. The Clio's seem to be a hair taller, and I think the height is exactly right on them. But the legs are a touch snug. I can get them zipped so I think they'll probably stretch a little anyway and be just fine. Plus, I'm hoping to lose a little of this winter weight, and that should also help. If it happens. I'm not good at such things. Anyway, overall I'm THRILLED with my new Pioneer boots. As far as wearing them around my house at least. We'll have to see when I can ride again how they are on a horse. Even if I hate riding in them, they'll look fab with jeans!

But that's not all that showed up this week... I fell victim to Amanda (from the900Facebookpony fame) AGAIN. I dunno what her deal is, but I think I've been brainwashed. I'm not supposed to be buying stuff! But also it didn't count because I used a gift card that was expiring soon anyway. I also failed to take photos of what I bought from Lux Eq through her, but I will tell you, and you can wander over to HER blog and see the photos. I got a pair of Iquip show gloves that are black with green piping and a quilted TS belt (Lol, I almost wrote girth there...) in a really pretty kind of sage green. And those showed up on Monday.

And then I accidentally went on Etsy. That's never good. I popped over to Sweet Billy's Bits because I was thinking about seeing if I could get a loose ring with brass rings for Rio's custom bridle (Those finally came too, but I'm saving their reveal for a bit since the boys haven't tried them on yet). Turns out, that was easy to do, and then I accidentally also got him a unicorn leather bit too. They came STUPID fast.

So yeah, it was a really good stuff week. I did a few other things besides open packages though... Let's see...
I spent a TON of time this weekend working on the closet. It's getting so much better! I'm almost done, and can't wait to schedule the veterans to come pick up all this stuff and get it OUT OF MY HOUSE! So much stuff. Has to go.
Some friends hosted their annual Chili cookoff, so that was fun. I don't really cook. Almost never honestly. So I didn't submit a dish, but I did taste ALL the different chilis. It's definitely not on my list of favorite foods, but I like it well enough to enjoy the tasting. It's so interesting how one dish can be done in so many different ways.

They take things really seriously. There's even a trophy for the winner! And cash prizes for first through third. Anyone wanting to vote donates $5 to the pot. And free hats for everyone!

This is the trophy. I love that it's a spoon!

I also spent some time making stuff.

It's really amazing to me how much time you can spend doing things like cleaning out your house or making things when you can't ride. The barn really is some kind of time warp/black hole.
And OF COURSE, I still managed to spend plenty of time with the tall kids. They had some nice groomies, and I let Rio have a turnout in the barn. Jamp doesn't understand why I don't let him do that. But the answer is because he gets too rude when you give him too many privileges.

Jampy didn't get a photo, but I swear he's not like the rotten step child or anything. I think my phone was charging when he was out for grooming.
And last but not least, if you follow me on instagram, you may remember I put this poll up:

I've been wanting a Boy O Boy Bridleworks belt FOREVER, and the ECEquestrian has a coupon code up for them! BOB doesn't really do sales or coupons, so I figured I need to jump on that while the jumping is good. But I could NOT decide on a pattern. Instead of being a grown up and making my own choice, I asked Instagram:

I'd really like to get collars and leashes for the dogs, and a couple lead ropes to keep in the trailer, but that's going to have to wait awhile. BOB is super pricey. From what I hear though, the quality is A+++ and being handmade, I think there's a reason for the cost. You DO get what you pay for. And seriously, I REALLY need to stop buying stuff for a LONG time now. I mean... you all saw what happened in the stock market right? Reel it in Stacie.
 So what's up with you guys? Have you been getting to ride? Any fun non riding events happening? What have you bought and or received lately new for riding (or just horsing around). Let's chat in the comments!