Truthful Tuesday

I have a few confessions this week. We'll start with this:

Last week, one of my coworkers decided to sponsor a make your own sundae bar for all of us. (She's awesome by the way. In case you couldn't tell.) I mean ice cream at work one day isn't so bad. But then today I took a peek in the freezer...

There were leftovers. SO MANY LEFTOVERS! So I made the above sundae. I refrained from adding the caramel, chocolate, and marshmallow sauces though! So I mean, it's practically a diet sundae right?

Well... That leads me to confession number 2. I've been a terrible running slacker. TERRIBLE! I ran once last week. Not at all this weekend. And so far not at all this week. What is my problem?! I do have my regular Thursday run planned with Vanessa, and then a Fourth of July run in my town on Saturday. Four miles of HILLS. Ugh. It's a tough one when I'm fit. It's going to be pure torture with my new run once a week plan. Why do I do this to myself?

And confession number three. I had bought from Tack of the Day awhile back a cute purple polo shirt with pink ponies on it. Well as it turns out, I have breeches that match the ponies exactly.

This wouldn't be so bad if I was twelve. But being 35, it's worthy of confessing. Also... the breeches are from the kids section.

Those are my confessions for this week... Anything you need to get off your back?

Heart To Horse Box: June

 My June Heart to Horse Box arrived while I was showing Jampy in Saratoga. What a great surprise to come home to!
Heart to Horse Box is a horsey subscription that you can order either as a one time box or as a subscription. I opted for the sub since I like presents. You save a little each month that way too. This sub is unique in that it includes something for the horse AND something for the rider each month. My favorite part is that 25% of sales each month is donated to a local charity.This month that Charity is Gentle Giants Draft Horse Rescue.

 The info card tells you which charity will be that month's recipient and usually shows you one of the horses in the rescue too!

First Look

 Ok, let's see what was inside this month!
4 oz Cowboy Magic Detangler and Shine $7.49

 I haven't tried this yet, but I think I'm going to use it on Rio's tale... It's in a bad place my friends... A knotty, poopy, dirty bad place.

12 oz The Original Mane 'N Tail and Body shampoo $3.37

 A tried and true old standby! It definitely is bath season, so I was happy to receive a decent size bottle of shampoo! This one is fairly gentle on the skin, and I've always liked it.

4 oz Noble Outfitters Wound Care $14.99

 Thankfully I haven't needed to use this yet. Having horses is much like having 6 year old boys though, so I'm sure I'll get to try it out at some point in the not too distant future.

Tough 1 3 Piece Wash Kit: $6.74

 Yay! New bath tools! I kind of wish they were green to match my decor, but honestly, they work the same way in any color. And I love purple so... All is well! This set has a scraper, a sponge, and a jelly scrubber. Very useful this time of year!

Shires Hay Net $7.49

 I currently don't have a need for a hay net, but they are definitely good to have around, just in case! So I'll keep this guy in the barn.

Kensington Grooming Tote $14.99

I'm not really a fan of the color red. But I am a HUGE fan of Kensington Products. So I shall pretend it's hunter and tan and enjoy it fully. Just maybe not at horse shows.

All totaled this box had a retail value of $55.07. Since I am a monthly subscriber, I only paid $31.49 for this box. And shipping is free. I think that's a great value for the price. Plus all of the items are useful. The only thing in here I may not use any time soon is the hay net, but I really don't mind having it around just in case. I've been impressed every month with this box, and honestly, I think it's gotten better each month. Keep up the good work Stateline!
If you're interested in trying Heart to Horse Box, head over here and check it out. That's not a referral link. As far as I know they do not have any referral incentives. If they do, someone tell me so I can cash in!
What do you think of Heart to Horse Box?

Hand Gallop Blog Hop: Tack Setup

I was catching up on my blog reading this morning and saw that Tracy from Fly on Over had joined in on a blog hop from Stephanie at Hand Gallop. I love tack so I wanted to jump on the band wagon too!

Both horses use the same saddle, so we'll start with that. I ride in an Hermes Essentielle, which I actually think has been discontinued. It's my most favorite saddle I've ever ridden in, and I've had it for 13 years. It is quite similar to the Butet.

Jampy wears two different bridles depending on if we're schooling or showing. To school, he is currently wearing a very inexpensive jumper bridle from Da Vinci. The leather is so-so quality but for under $60 I have no complaints! I was unprepared for this post, so I don't have a good photo of him wearing it close up, but it's on him here:

He also wears a happy mouth three ring to practice. For showing he wears a bridle from Joseph Sterling. Also on the lower end of the price range (around $150), these bridles are GORGEOUS, and really great quality leather. I like them better than the Hadfields and Beval bridles. You can find them on SSTACK.com. He shows in a "D" ring bit with a smooth, thin mouthpiece.

Ducky wears either a Joseph Sterling Bridle with a three ring or a western bridle of unknown brand with a slow twist long-shank bit. His Joseph Sterling looks the same as Jamp's. Here he is wearing his western bridle:

 As for pads, we use mostly one basic set up: a baby pad and a fleece half pad. Lately, we've been having some fun with brands and patterns. We have 3 sets of matching ones from Mae Equestrian (which is out of business). We have the yellow that Ducky is wearing above, a pink and blue pattern, and a blue and orange one. Sometimes we use a baby pad from Lettia with the pink and blue half pad as seen above in Jamp's jumping picture. I also sometimes use receiving blankets from Vera Bradley as baby pads:

 My FAVORITE baby pads however are from Wilkers. You can customize them in whatever colors you want, and they hold up really well. Unfortunately I don't have a photo. My most often used half pad is from Horze. I found it on sale around holiday time and it is a chocolate brown color. I like that one best as it's real sheepskin and offers more padding than the silly ones from Mae Equestrian.

Ducky doesn't wear boots. Jamp wears Heidi boots for schooling. If he shows in the hunters he can't wear any boots. In the equitation I usually just use black polos on his front legs. Nothing too fancy! Rio wears Heidi boots to lunge.

So I think that's everything! What does your horse wear? Hop on over to Hand Gallop and see what other bloggers are dressing their horses in!

 

My First Golden Tote!

**Disclaimer: container referral links... Should you follow my links and purchase from Golden Tote, I'll get something pretty in return (eventually, if enough of you try it out)!**

Since I'm a shop-a-holic, I finally decided to give Golden Tote a try. What is it you ask? Golden Tote is an online store with a twist. You purchase either a large or small tote for either $149 or $49 respectively. Once you choose which size tote you'd like, you get to pick 2 items for the large, or 1 item for the small. A stylist at Golden Tote will surprise you with the rest of your items. The large tote will have 5-6 additional things, and the small with have 1-2. You fill out a very in depth survey about your likes and dislikes and your stylist uses those answers to curate your tote. Obviously due to my shopping problem and need to get the best deal, I opted for the large tote.
Important to note, Golden Tote is all or nothing. So if you don't like an item in your tote, you have to either return the whole thing or keep it all. There is a trading group on Facebook though, so you can probably re-home what you don't like and get something better in return. Just takes some extra effort. Or you could just donate it to a women's shelter and feel good about doing a nice deed!

I chose these two items:

Oat+Fawn Elephant Tank:

La Reyna Button Down:

I am completely in love with both of them! So much so that I received this tote on Tuesday night and already wore them both to work. Yay!
Now for the surprises:

Priddy by Pruella Swing Tank

I'm a little undecided about this one. I think I'd like it better if I were taller. Or if it was a touch smaller? I think it makes me look a little like I'm with child? But honestly it's really comfortable, and I bet I'll wear it a whole bunch for that reason alone. Most people got one of these in their tote. There was also another color option, but I like this one best.

Lime & Chili Tee:

 It's hard to see in the photos, but this comfy tee has a slight lavender tint to it. I really like the color. And I like the top itself. It's comfy and casual and perfect for hanging out in the summer!

Miss Love Faux Wrap Top

 

 I have mixed feelings here... I actually almost chose one of these tops instead of the button down so I do like the concept. I love the color too, though it's more of a fall tone in my opinion. But what I'm not sure I like is the back of it. The front is short and looks like I've tucked it in, but that's just how it sits. The back however is kind of long. It looks ok tucked in but then it's a little odd being tucked in the back but not the front... I'm not sure. I may try and trade this one.

Sugarlips Shift Dress:

I had many thoughts when I pulled this one out of the tote. First... Oh that looks tiny. Second, it's so pretty! And then third, Will this look like a tent? Thankfully my first thought was wrong. It actually fits PERFECTLY. Second, yes it is pretty. Unfortunately 3rd was also kind of on point. It does look a bit tenty. So I tried to belt it. Which wasn't much better. BUT I think maybe with a different belt it might look better? Or I could just embrace the shift look. OR maybe I'll try and trade it. I really don't hate it. I love the concept, the color, the quality! But I'm not sure the style works that well for me. And I'm also not sure I have anywhere to wear this one.

What are your thoughts? What's your favorite piece? Least favorite? If you're interested in checking out Golden Tote, just click this link and see what it's all about! If you decide to try it, I'll get a little credit from them. So that'd be pretty great!

Thursday's Threads

Happy Thursday all! I heard on the news this morning that it's Friday eve. I like the way the traffic lady thinks. It's actually a gorgeous day here in New England. The humidity has lifted and the sun is shining! I love summer. SO MUCH!
I mentioned yesterday about receiving my first Golden Tote. So today, I will give you a sneak peak at what I received since I'm wearing one of the pieces already.

Being at the horse show last week has left me in a preppy state of mind. Tucked in button down for the win! Also, on a side note, I need to switch out my shoes. My summer shoes are still tucked away and the boots are all still out. Thank goodness I never put away the Sperry collection, or I'd be wearing boots right now...

Top: La Reyna

This is one of the pieces I chose from Golden Tote and I am SO HAPPY with it! When I was looking through the gallery of items to choose from, this shirt was shown in white and I liked it but didn't love it. But when I opened the page for the shirt itself, I saw it was available in mint! AH! Then I LOVED it and had to have it. I am so glad I chose this! The colorful lines remind me a little of summers in the 80's, but totally in a good way. I decided to highlight the magenta stripe with my belt and shoes which you'll see closer in a bit.

Jeans: Seven

These are oldies that you've seen before. I love that they're dark and have a nice stitched detail, but are otherwise fairly nondescript. Makes them super functional in my wardrobe!

Belt: No Brand

Sorry that photo is blurry... it looked fine on my phone! This is one of my ebay finds, and I'm glad I went ahead and ordered it. Surprisingly, (or maybe not so much if you know me...) it goes with a lot of things in my closet!

Shoes: Sperry's (duh)

I found this pair at the end of last season and never even wore them! That little bit of shine you can see in the photo is actually gold speckling. I love the color on these!

Arm Party:
Left:

Lefty is wearing a chain bracelet with mint colored enamel from BaubleBar. And you'll recognize my trusty watch.

Right:

Righty has on a delicate wrap bracelet from Stella and Dot and a stretch bracelet I found at Loehmann's a couple years ago. I really love the mint and gold combo (as if you couldn't tell, right?)!

I finally got my lethargic bum out of bed this morning and met up with Vanessa and Pepper for our run. Thus, I also have a running outfit to share!

Top: OutRun38

I've spoken about OutRun38 a bunch already so I won't bore you. But I love sporting my OutRun gear on my runs! Not to mention, they have really comfortable tanks.

Skirt: Fila

I randomly went to Kohl's a few weeks ago and saw this skirt there. The neon green and pink stitching matches lots of of my running tanks, so I figured I should get the skirt. (Clearly I NEEDED it, right? RIGHT?!)

Shoes: Mizuno

These are my short run sneakers. I really like them; they're very lightweight and comfortable. I have tried running long in them however, and that was a HUGE mistake! They do not offer enough support for real distance running. Perfect for the 5K distance though!

So that's what I'm wearing today! What are you donning?