Heart to Horse Box: August

Heart to Horse Box is a horsey subscription that you can order either as a one time box or as a monthly delivery. 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's charity recipient is Gentle Giants Draft Horse Rescue. They seem to be a favorite as they've been the recipient the last few months.

This month's box was pretty heavy and I really couldn't wait to see what was inside!

As always, there is an info card detailing the contents of the box. They threw in a few little extras this month that weren't on the card as well. Thanks Heart to Horse Box! I love surprises :)

Extras:

 This little luggage tag is adorable. It's perfect for me too since my luggage is purple! (Purple is a lot easier to see on the baggage carousel than black. Truth!)

Also as a bonus was a sample of Absorbine Botanicals liniment. I've gotten this same sample from my local tack store before, and it's a nice product.

So before I show you the rest of the items this month, I have to pause and exclaim that this was EXACTLY WHAT I NEEDED this month! It's like they were following along on my blog with all of Rio's foot woes. Seriously. You'll see.

SyrVet Bandages: $1.43 each

Not one, but TWO rolls of self adhesive bandages. I've been going through about a roll a day for Rio's foot, so this is SO needed!

Hoof Brush: $2.51

I'm not desperate for a hoof brush, but I don't have one, so it's a nice addition to my grooming box. The horses may appreciate my using this rather than their regular body brush on their feet.

Bigeloil Poultice Hoof Pads: $6.29

I definitely could have used these a month ago! They are hoof pads with poultice in them so you don't make a huge mess getting clay all over everything. I'm excited to have these in the medicine box! Hopefully I won't need them for a long, long time.

Animalintex: $7.19

Animalintex is much like that hoof pad above, but it comes in sheets to be used on legs. I actually had been using this cut up into smaller pieces for Rio's foot last month. I used all of mine up, so I'm happy I don't have to go out to replace it now! Thankfully we're done with the poultice stage for Rio.

Tough 1 Cooling Ice Boot: $31.49

The "big" item! This thing is awesome! I mean, I wish it wasn't red, since red isn't our color. But other than that, this is amazing. It's an ice boot! So basically each of those little squares is filled with a gel. You store this in the freezer so the little gel pockets get very cold. Then when you need to ice a leg, you just wrap this bad boy around and you're good to go! It's very flexible and has four straps to hold it in place even if your horse moves around. I've been using a human leg boot for my horses which works ok, but it tends to slide down and doesn't really get tight enough. This will be so much better. Though again, I'm hoping to not need it for a long, long time!

This month's box was probably the most useful I've received so far. It was low on presents for the human (just that little luggage tag really) but the items are amazing! They are exactly the items I've been using all month for Rio's sore foot. And that boot would have been handy last week for Jamp's cellulitis.

The box had a retail value of $50.34 (not including the extras). The ice boot alone was worth the cost of the entire box! This was definitely a great deal. I don't think there's a single thing in this box that I won't use, and that's kind of rare when you get a box of surprises in the mail. Definitely a win this month!

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?

Thursday's Threads

Happy Thursday everyone! I'm having another DAY at work... ugh. But am trying to write this post in between phone calls and being yelled at. If it seems disjointed... well.. that's because it is. Anyway, let's take a look at some clothes!
Here's what I'm wearing at work today:

I'm trying to wear white as much as I can since Labor Day is fast approaching! I will say though, this was totally a poor outfit choice as it's utterly arctic in my office today. Good thing I have a blankie. And fingerless mittens. And an ear warmer. Brrr.

Top: Le Lis

I got this beauty from the Moxie.Style sale. I LOVE it! I just learned about this brand this past year, and I really like what they have to offer. The materials are high quality, and the fit is fantastic. Navy and giant polka dots is so fun for summer too!

Belt: No brand

This photo came out dark, but the belt is navy leather. I know NORMALLY it's nautical stripes you pair with an anchor belt, but I thought these dots worked with it too.

Pants: Vigold Jeans

This is one of my favorite jeans brands. They just fit me really well and the length is pretty close to perfect. It doesn't hurt that they're on the cheaper end of the spectrum too!

Shoes: Rocket Dog

You saw these just a couple of weeks ago. They were definitely a good buy as they're getting plenty of wear! I do wish I had some socks on in here though. I'm so cold! I really wish the A/C would take a break. It's not hot out today! Ugh.

Arm Party:
Lefty:

Lefty is really embracing this look... I haven't changed it up at all in days! I love this KEEP Collective leather bracelet, and it's soooo perfect with my watch! Love love love!

Righty:

Righty is clearly embracing what's left of summer. (I'm with you righty. Hang on to it tightly!) Sunnies bracelet by Kate Spade, leather and chain wrap bracelet by Ettika, and a lobster bangle from Fornash.

Bonus:
Riding outfit!

 I'm not sure why I can't seem to resist breeches on sale... But I can't. So here's a cute new outfit to talk about!
Tops: Old Navy Tanks

 I never used to wear tanks to ride. As a boarder, I've always been very much in favor of looking proper in a collared shirt, tucked in. But since I ride in my backyard now, if it's hot, I'm wearing a tank! My less obvious farmer's tan thanks me. Anyway, these are from Old Navy. Super inexpensive and available in a wide array of colors. I usually stock up in the springtime.

Belt: No brand

You have seen this one before, not all that long ago. It came from Ebay and is probably supposed to be an Hermes knockoff. But it's not really... I've never seen an Hermes like this anyway. I like it, the edges of the buckle are actually gold. Cute!

Breeches: Ariat

 My favorite local tack shop, Reins, is clearing out their summer merchandise to make way for fall and winter, so I jumped at the chance to get these at 40% off! Ariat breeches are probably the best fitting for my body type, but are pretty pricey when not on sale. I am so in love with these! I wish they came in more color combinations. Or maybe they do? I will have to go hunting!

Socks: Betsey Johnson

I don't normally call out my boot socks, but these are so fun, I had to share. They actually have some metallic thread through them which doesn't really show in the photo. They matched so perfectly with my outfit! Too bad I had to cover them up with boots...

Well.. that's it for today! What's your favorite from above? What are you wearing? Is it an arctic tundra in your office too?

What's Up Wednesday!

Hey everyone! You thought I was going to miss What's Up Wednesday didn't you? Sorry for the delay, it was a crazy busy day. Probably why I should not expect to write blog posts when I should be working... but anyway, better late than never!

Things got a little bumpy with the tall kids on Thursday. Rio was once again having soreness in his abscessed hoof so we had to have his shoe pulled and the vet came out Friday to check on it. Thankfully it's back under control and he has a fancy new set of shoes ($$$$).

Jampy had a little case of cellulitis that turned up on Thursday. I guess if that had to happen, it was good timing since the vet was already coming out. He was prescribed some very large shots of antibiotics plus a couple days of leg sweating and Jampy was good as new by Sunday. Phew.
So needless to say, it wasn't a busy weekend with the tall kids. Other than bandaging and medicating obviously.

Today is National Dog Day, so in honor of that, here are adorable photos of the short kids enjoying the past week:

spooning...

Saturday, though not busy with the horses, was double booked with parties. Generally speaking, I have no social life to speak of... Horses, work, pugs, horses, pugs, work, sleep, horses, pugs.... you get the idea. But for some reason every one I know scheduled a party for August 22nd. I had RSVP'd to my friend's summer party waaaaaay back in June, so I was definitely planning to stop by for that. Unfortunately, my dad scheduled our annual Lobster Fest for the same day, so I had to attend the kid friendly portion of the party. Still a fun time... just you know... tame! Nice to see my friend though, and socialize a bit! I was hoping to head back after Lobster Fest for the less well behaved portion of summer party.
Lobster fest was SO FUN! My step mom had a lot of family in town plus our family friends all made it out. I think the head count was 48. Lobster count: 120. We know how to Lobster.

the men cleaning the leftovers

That's a lot of leftover lobster 

I wish I took more photos! But we had a great time. By the time I left my dad's it was 11 and I still had to wrap Jamp and Rio. So since I'm so old, I didn't make it back for the grown up portion of Summer Party. Sad tale, but it was a great day regardless!
Sunday was clean the house and play with horses and pugs day... Isn't every day?! But I did have time to sit in the pool and enjoy the band playing down the road at the lake in the evening. So that was quite lovely!

Well that's what's up this Wednesday! What's up with you? Did do anything fun this weekend? Eat your weight in lobster? Tell me your stories in the comments!

Truthful Tuesday

You know how sometimes you do something really stupid and it totally sucks? Well.... I did something pretty stupid, but this time it worked out kind of awesomely! I kept seeing in my bank account more money than I should have according to my records. I had just assumed that the roofer hadn't cashed my check yet so I didn't think much of it. But then I went back and saw that all the big checks and payments I had out were cleared and I thought... hmmmmmm... So I did a little investigating. It turns out that I never wrote a down a pretty significant deposit I had made. In April. Sheesh. Thank goodness I forgot to record a deposit and not a payment! That could have been ugly! But instead it was like found money! Guess who just paid off her credit card??
Have you ever done something dumb and had it actually work out for the better? Tell me your stories in the comments!

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!