What's Up Wednesday!

Happy Wednesday! I had a whirlwind of a week, and can't believe how much got stuffed into just a few days.
Thursday was the saddest day ever. Well... that's a little dramatic. But it was a bummer for sure. Remember how I spent all those hours last weekend cleaning the barn floor? Thursday the horses got new shoes. And farriers are messy!

That was just the wash stall! I had that same mess all over the aisle too. So sad. So, SO sad. So before riding I had to get that cleaned up. It worked out ok though since a thunderstorm rolled through quickly at the same time. It meant for a late night riding though.

I gave the ponies a vacation day on Friday because I was supposed to have six (SIX!) horses to braid. But somehow six turned into three, so I probably could have ridden. I think the tall kids were happy for the day off though. After feeding them, I took the short kids for a quick walk before heading off to my braiding job.

It was nice to get a little exercise before standing on a ladder for three hours. I felt mildly less guilty for leaving the short kids alone for the evening too.

All of the horses were great to braid AND their manes were in perfect braiding condition. Makes for a very happy braider.
I got home around midnight and spent a few minutes with the short kids before bed:

We were up early though, because P had an 8 am appointment for her yearly shots and they both needed pedicures.

They're not morning dogs. All went well at the vet though, and we were home by 9:00. I dropped them off and headed out to run some errands. Also stopped by a car wash fundraiser to get Betty a little bath:

Much needed. People were starting to judge me for how dirty my car was. Poor Betty.
Back at the farm a little birdie was failing the survival of the fittest test.

Sadly, he wouldn't stay in the box and recover. I found him outside the barn the next day definitely not still breathing. RIP little buddy.
Because I'm an epic procrastinator, after my failed attempt at bird rescue, I made some bracelets before working the horses.

I use the term "made" loosely... I bought the bracelets and the leather, and then glued them together. Not exactly making... assembling might be the more appropriate term. Whatever, I think they're pretty and can't wait to wear them! And yes, I did glue my fingers together a little... twice.
The kids all hacked well when I finished arts and crafts. I don't push them too much after a day off unless I have to for a show or something. Plus, I had a friend coming to hang out Sunday so I was saving fun things for when I had someone around who could take some media!
I was supposed to have more braiding to do, but the horse show was apparently sadly small and my clients opted to not braid for day two. I wasn't too disappointed because that meant I had time to go to the local carnival!

Since I hadn't planned on being free, I didn't have anyone to go with me, but I gladly meandered around on my own. And stuffed my face too.

I felt like a little bit of a creeper playing games alone, but I got over it when I won toys!

Apparently there is no spell check in China where this toy was made. I gave it to the puggers. They can't spell either.
Rio's swollen back leg is doing much better... unfortunately now the other leg is stocking up. I haven't been working him much, but we've been doing tack walks. I took him out in the yard Sunday and wedged my phone in a the fence and we had a fun photo shoot. By ourselves... we're cool like that.

I know. He's so handsome, you almost can't handle it. I get it. You can understand my unhealthy obsession with him. How many horses are this ridiculously good looking, AND also perfect in every other way? The answer is 0. He's one of a kind.
As mentioned earlier, I had an extra human around Sunday when I rode the other two tall kids. We didn't get too much media of Romes since he doesn't really do much exciting yet. But here he is walking around looking handsome.

He dreams of filling Rio's shoes someday. We'll see buddy...
I'm really proud of little Romey. I think he's making a real effort to figure things out. I switched his plastic bit to a broken copper roller. Such a good idea! He's really chewing on the bit and starting to reach for my hand a little. Progress!
Jampy has been feeling a lot better and I figured it was time to jump some sticks. Nothing too crazy of course. I like living. I think the jumps were around 2'6" and we kept to singles. I also wasn't brave enough to jump the ones he likes to run away from. Maybe next week? Anyway, he was great! He was calm and listening well for the most part, though he was a behind my leg a bit. I'd much rather that than the runaway train he sometimes likes to be.

Hopefully this good boy Jampy sticks around awhile. I'd like to get the jumps up a little over the next week or two and then try and get to some shows! My plans to put him back in the jumper ring have obviously changed, but I don't mind spending another year in the equitation. It would be super if he'll stay sound for medal finals next month. I won't get excited just yet. But let's all cross our fingers, k?

The work week was killer so far, but since I'm a spoiled brat, I only had a three day week! Today is my fake Friday and tomorrow (actually today since I'm still typing this at midnight...) I'm heading north to Vermont! Baby Badger is at the Vermont Summer Festival this week (and last). He made his horse show debut last week. He finished out of the ribbons, but had a respectful first time out. Today was technically his second horse show and he actually won himself some satin! He did the schooling hunters and the baby greens. He finished up in 8th place in one of the schooling rounds. I'm super proud of him, but especially so because there were FORTY-TWO horses in his class! Can you believe it? Good boy Badger!

I'm a little bummed that I missed his first outing, but I'm excited to check out the photos tomorrow. Rumor has it there are some cute ones! Fear not, I'll share them here once I get them.

And that's What's up this Wednesday! What's up with you?

Nicole's Creations: October

I'm totally behind on sharing my Nicole's Creations pieces for October. But believe me, it's worth the wait. Before I reveal them though... For those who don't know, Nicole's Creations offers a monthly subscription service that delivers handmade jewelry to your door each month. There are two options, $10 a month or $20. I went with the less expensive option, and I have to tell you, I'm MORE than getting my money's worth! Nicole goes out of her way to read this little blog to get an idea of my style. And she completely delivers each month with a piece (or pieces) that I've totally loved!
Let's see what I got this month!

These bracelets are GORGEOUS! I'm really loving the wide bracelets Nicole has been making. This one has an extra special Halloween surprise... It glows in the dark! How cool is that?! You would never know just by looking at it in the daylight. So neat!

Seriously, this bracelet is amazing. It's so tightly woven and perfect. And as is always the case with Nicole's jewels, it fits me PERFECTLY!

As if this bracelet wasn't enough, it came with this adorable little braided guy to keep it company:

It's simple and cute all on its own, but it's even better with the wider bracelet:

I really can't believe the value you get with this subscription. I hope Nicole loves making these pieces as much as I love receiving them!

I say it every month (literally), but I'm really impressed with the personal feel to this subscription. Nicole does a great job of designing pieces that she knows I'll love. Not only that, but she's excellent at her craft. Everything is so well made and fits perfectly. PERFECTLY!

What do you think of my new pieces from Nicole? If you'd like to try out the subscription, or even just browse the online shop, click here to head over to Nicole's Creations and see what she's all about! 

Nicole's Creations: August

It's Nicole's Creations August Surprise time! I love this sub so much. For those who don't know, Nicole's Creations offers a monthly subscription service that delivers handmade jewelry to your door each month. There are two options, $10 a month or $20. I went with the less expensive option, and I have to tell you, I'm MORE than getting my money's worth! Nicole goes out of her way to read this little blog to get an idea of my style. And she completely delivers each month with a piece (or pieces) that I've totally loved!
Let's see what I got this month!

Ahhhh!!! PINK! Love! As summer winds down, I'm not ready to embrace fall and winter colors. NOT READY. So this was perfect.

These bracelets could either be worn alone or stacked together. I love the rose quartz beads! Nicole's pieces are so high quality and the semi-precious beads definitely reflect that. I especially love how Nicole personalized the one bracelet to me by adding the pony charm. OBVIOUSLY I love that!

I say it every month (literally), but I'm really impressed with the personal feel to this subscription. Nicole does a great job of designing pieces that she knows I'll love. Not only that, but she's excellent at her craft. Everything is so well made and fits perfectly.

What do you think of my new pieces from Nicole? If you'd like to try out the subscription, or even just browse the online shop, click here to head over to Nicole's Creations and see what she's all about!

What's Up Wednesday!

Happy Wednesday! I had a relatively uneventful week other than dealing with poor Rio and his hurt foot. It was kind of nice, yet somehow not relaxing at all... How does that even happen? Anyway... Here's what's up this Wednesday!
Horses:
You can read about Rio and his sore foot on yesterday's Truthful Tuesday post. Here is a photo of him looking cute though:

Jampy thinks he's on vacation. When I asked him to school over some jumps on Monday he was mildly offended. He tried to be super lazy until he knocked a rail down and scared himself. Then he ran away with me. And then he was quite good. And quite hot, as we've been having a heat wave here in New England. I love summer!

The Duckling has FINALLY decided to behave himself. Or at least while it was super hot he did. We'll see how it goes tonight now that it's cooler out...

I finally put all the jumps together. The ones that have arrived. I have a few more items coming still. But here they are:

new standards and rails, the walls are old

well this is dark... everything is new on this one

This is a terrible photo. I forgot to take a daytime pic. The brown standards and rails are new. Hurdles are old.

The rest of this jump hasn't arrived yet... but these birch rails are so nice!

The rails are really interesting. The have a wooden core, but the outside is PVC. We'll see how they hold up. I like the weight, and I love that I don't get splinters when I move them. And Rio can't chew them! I don't think anyway. Time will tell on that.

Pugs:
The puggers have been lying low in the heat. They aren't hot weather dogs. But we went out for a walk Saturday evening when it wasn't too bad out. They are hilarious:

The walk was successful since they arrived home and crashed:

Sunday we fit in a half hour at the pool. P loves to sunbathe. And this is why I have pug shaped tan lines:

Pia has a better tan than I do.

Artie prefers the shade. I leave the door open so they can go in if they want. It's risky with all the critters living at the farm... but I think the squirrels all stayed outside.

Other:

Monday night, after I finished in the barn at 10 pm (10 pm!) I decided to jump in the pool since it was still 80 degrees out. Best decision ever! It wasn't buggy which was surprising. And the water was perfect.

I got a little crafty on Friday evening. I had seen a cute bracelet set at Golden Tote that I wanted, but I didn't really want to spend the $18.00 for something I could totally make.

 

 I couldn't find the exact same colored beads, but I found some I liked better. And then I made two sets:

I kind of like them all stacked together! I wore them Saturday night when my bestie and I went to see Trainwreck. (Which is HILARIOUS by the way. As long as you aren't offended by sex and potty jokes.)
So that's what's up this Wednesday! What's up with you? Tell me about your week in the comments!