Thursday's Threads

I have a half day at work today so I can meet with the squirrel man and the horses can get their spring vaccinations. Thus, I needed an outfit that was both work and barn appropriate. I went with my old stand by:

Jeans and a cable knit sweater. Kinda boring, but gets the job done and keeps me warm in the tundra.

Sweater: Tommy Hilfiger

This one is OLD. I think I've posted it before, but I can't quite remember. I have several cable knit sweaters! It's a nice chocolate brown colored washable cotton. Everyone should have one (or 11, whatever).

Pants: Seven

I've had these quite awhile too, and I'm pretty sure they've been on the blog before. Are Seven's even cool anymore? I'm not sure. I remember when they were super popular and cost like $200. These were maybe $20 at TJ Maxx, so I'm guessing they've lost their cool. I think they're cute though!

Boots: Ariat

These are actually riding boots.  But I really like them so I don't ride in them. Logical right?! If I wear them for riding, they'll end up bathing horses and hanging around in mud and poop and they'll die a quick painful death. If I save them to just wear around they'll live a long happy life. These are by Ariat, who makes the BEST boots. They are so comfy. They teamed up with 5A Baker to incorporate the famous brown plaid. (If you are a horse person, you KNOW Baker. If you're not, this plaid here... that's Baker Plaid. They started out just making horse blankets but have branched out into riding apparel as well.)

Belt: Equine Couture

Hey look! There it is again! I know you're shocked to see my belt matches my boots. 5A Baker has also teamed up with Equine Couture to showcase their plaid on belts, jackets, breeches (riding pants), and shirts. Obviously I had to have the belt. (And maybe a polo shirt and two pairs of breeches.)

Arms:
I kept it simple with bracelets today since playing with horses and jewelry don't really mesh well.
Left:

 Lefty is wearing that photo bracelet you've all seen in the past. I really love that one! And my trusty watch.
Right:

Righty is sporting this pretty leather bit bracelet from Fornash. I love their equestrian line!

That's what I'm wearing today. What about you?

The Struggle is Real: A post about the misery of extended cold temps. And how to entertain yourself despite them.

This was what I woke up to yesterday. At least the sun was out? Ugh. It was so cold, my truck stalled in the middle of the highway. So scary! Thankfully I was able to guide it to the shoulder before it shut off completely. The cause? Diesel fuel will congeal in the extreme cold. Seriously, spring where ARE you?!
Other things that happen when it's cold? Rodents will chew their way into your home. I'm not even kidding. I live in a very old house (256 years this year!) so I've come to terms that the occasional mouse family moving in. A few years back I had a terrible flying squirrel infestation. I'm talking like 60 of them living in my walls, and eventually just hanging around the house. It was the most disgusting thing I've lived through. They're nocturnal, and they enjoy making a lot of noise at night. Well, the most recent invader is, I think, a gray squirrel. I had one once before (during the flying squirrel debacle actually) so I'm somewhat learned in what to look for. This was my first piece of evidence:

I did no bite that apple. Ugh. Thankfully, I know a guy who specializes in trapping these guys. He also finds where they are getting in and fixes it. But if I had a choice, I wish it wouldn't happen at all! Critters do not belong in my house! (Unless the critter is a pug. Those are all welcome.)
Another side effect of extended cold temps? This one is very closely related to the truck incident. My farm equipment won't run. My Gator runs on diesel fuel, just like the truck. Obviously, it's not running at all. It also somehow has a flat tire. So off it went to the Gator Hospital on Monday night.

I'm attempting (not very well) to not be a complete Debbie Downer despite my disdain for the arctic life I now lead. So I've been trying to keep busy.

 Sunday was a little bipolar, and despite it snowing until late morning, the afternoon warmed up to 35 degrees. (It's a sad day when 35 feels amazing.) I decided to have some fun with the ponies and build them a snow jockey.

When it gets too cold to stay outside, I've been getting some beading projects completed too.

Shoveling snow and all the extra lifting of things that goes along with it, is a great way to stay in shape in the winter. But it doesn't really offset all the eating my feelings I do...

I accidentally went to Five Guys on Sunday evening for dinner. This one just opened not too far from where I live. It's the only Five Guys that serves milk shakes! (I'm assuming it's a test market, and I also think it's because they opened up about 1000 feet from Jake's Way Back Burger who serves amazing shakes.) So, I've been making good use of that treadmill I got!

Admittedly, I'm STRUGGLING with getting my fitness back. STRUGGLING! But I know it takes time. In an effort to ease my frustration I've been running with intervals. Run 3 minutes, walk 1 minute. I think I may find that frustrating outside having to watch my time constantly, but on the treadmill it's actually great. Obviously my times are slower, but I feel much stronger and it's a lot more bearable. I plan to lengthen the run time on the intervals over the next few weeks and work my way back up to running longer distances without walking. I have that half marathon coming up in May, so I have to get to work!

So that's about it from here. The rest of my time I spend thinking and talking about how much I hate winter. What have you been up to? Do the cold temps have you down? Have you been enjoying any hobbies lately? Tell me what's up in the comments!

Truthful Tuesday

Sometimes I buy things twice... Usually it's not on purpose. But I just recently bought something a second time totally on purpose. But the second one was way better than the first.

Ok, maybe not WAY better... The boots on the left are from an unknown generic brand. They are synthetic leather. The pair on the right are Michael Kors. Real, buttery soft leather. Mmmmm... pretty. I had seen them at TJ Maxx over and over. Lusting at them from afar, but not buying them because a. they were $125.00 and b. I already had a VERY similar pair.
Fast forward to after Christmas and they were on clearance for $75.00 with a red sticker. I still abstained. Don't be wasteful Stacie. You don't need them! But then about a week ago, I saw them again. With a YELLOW sticker! $55.00! For Michael Kors Boots! Yeah. We all know I can only restrain myself so much. So now I have two pairs of nearly identical boots. BUT here's how I justify it: Everything around here is covered in ice, snow, salt, and sand. This is very bad for leather boots. VERY BAD. So in these instances I need a good pair of synthetics. Right?!

Are you ever frivolously wasteful? Have you ever accidentally bought something twice?

Blueberry Cove Beads

You may remember Blueberry Cove Beads sent me their first ever box for review. Well, it was so fantastic I decided to subscribe! So here's my next box and also some of the items I've created from what was included.

This month's theme was Vintage Tea Party. I am so impressed with how well Blueberry Cove Beads is able to stick with their themes! Even down to the info card:

Ok, let's go see what's in the box:

Charms:

 Silver spoons! I haven't decided what to do with these spoons yet. I think they would make awesome earrings, but I only wear studs. I would rather use them for something I would actually wear. Maybe a necklace?

 Tea time!

 Tea pots

More spoons! These are teeny and so cute.

Beads:

 I LOVE these floral beads. Which is funny because floral isn't generally my thing. But these? Love them!

 This kind of floral is totally my thing! These little flowers are so pretty!

 Pearls! Pearls definitely fit with the theme, and they are super trendy right now. I can't wait to make lots of things with these!

Lavender pearls! What's better than pearls? PURPLE ONES! These are fantastic too. I want to make all the things with these.

Findings:

 Ok, chain necklaces might not be findings, but just go with it. I'm so happy these were included! I shortened them some for the pieces I made, but you'll see that soon enough!

 I don't know what these are actually called, but they're really useful. You can turn any bead into a pendant or charm with these! And there are lots of them, so that's even better.

Itty bitty screw eyes! These are recommended for use with something in the next category. And again there are lots so they can be used for other projects too.

Other:

 Tea cup and saucer! How cute are these? I put them in the other category as they are not drilled. You'll have to see what I decided to with them below...

 Filigree pieces! The challenge this month is to make a necklace using one of these. So obviously you'll see one of those below too.

Cake! Mmmm cake.... So these are the pieces they recommend for the screw eyes. Unfortunately, I was only able to get one into the slice of cake. The others didn't seem to want me doing that... So I'm not sure yet what I'll do with them. They're adorable though, so I'm sure I'll think of something.

And now... My creations!

Pearl Stretch Bracelet:

 This is so simple, but so pretty! Sometimes less is more.

Charm Bracelet:

 This is my ode to the theme piece. Tea time clock, tiny spoons, and teapots! I also used some gold spacer beads that I already had in my collection.

Tea Cup Necklace

 I decided to glue the cup to the saucer and make it into a pendant. My go-to neck wear is almost always a chain with a pendant. I'm not really a statement necklace kind of girl. I honestly love this. Again simple, but so perfect!

My challenge piece:

I mentioned above that the challenge this month was to make a necklace with one of the filigree pieces. I thought about using the giant one, but again, I prefer daintier necklaces, so I used the smallest one instead and included those gorgeous floral beads! I was pleasantly surprised that they fit through the chain. I'm not sure it will win (winner of the challenge gets a free month) since it's nothing too elaborate. But I like it and will probably wear it at some point. 

That's it for now! I still have a lot of items left from this box, so we'll have to see what else I can come up with!

I think this box is a great value. It's $22.00 plus $5.00 shipping. It takes about a week to get to me, but since it ships from Canada, that's not bad! I don't think there is a referral program, but if you're interested in subscribing just click here for more info!