Truthful Tuesday

I've been known to make terrible life choices on occasion. The most recent being to sign up for half marathon number 7. It's not until October, so training time is aplenty. Which is good, because I want to finish under 2:15. Seriously. This is an unattainable goal. I've run two races under that time. Of course the other four were more around the 2:30 mark... but still. It's attainable. We'll see how training goes I guess. My reason for the lofty goal is that for this race, if you beat the spectator train (which will arrive at the finish in 2 hours and 15 minutes) you get an extra prize or medal (to be determined). I like extra stuff. This is the first year for this race, and it sounds super fun. Plus it's one town over from me, so it's also local. Win-win. Except for the having to run 13.1 miles part. You can check it out here if you want to run through CT with me in the fall: http://steamtrainhalf.com/

But that's not my confession today. It's just the precursor. Since I have to lose a solid 25 lbs. AND my company is currently hosting a biggest loser competition, I have started back to running three days a week. I'm easing into it VERY SLOWLY, by way of the Couch to 5K program. That's what I used to start running in the first place about 8 years ago. It's going great, I forgot how nice and easy it is at the beginning. I've been having a terrible time getting up early enough for my runs though. Which leads (finally) to today's confession:

I slept in my running clothes last night, so I could just hop on the treadmill without having to change first this morning.

a. PJ's? b. Running Clothes? c. Yoga clothes? D. All of the above

Only it's worse than that. My company started free yoga classes on Monday evenings, so I went to that. I wore this outfit. I didn't sweat or anything... And then proceeded to put my clothes on over top of it to drive home, check on and feed the ponies, and grocery shop. So basically, I wore my yoga clothes to bed, and then ran in them this morning. I ran inside on the treadmill, so I never faced the public. But still... I think that's pretty bad. And THAT my friends, is today's confession.

Do you have anything you need to get off your chest today? Feel free to talk about it in the comments!

Thursday's Threads

Outfit Day!!!! It's a short one since I haven't gotten to ride yet... (MAYBE this weekend if someone isn't a lumpy mess still.) It's unseasonably warm here today, with an expected high of near 60. I was feeling springy, but didn't want to jump the gun. So here's what I put together:

Pretty calm with a hint of spring! Just like today's weather... Literally, because despite the warm temperature it's kind of gray and gloomy out there. Let's look closer!

Top: NYDJ

This is one of those sweaters with parts of a fake shirt attached to it. I was always kind of against those hybrids, but for some reason, I really liked this one. It didn't hurt that it was on final clearance at Nordstrom Rack. I like that it doesn't have a full fake collar, but just rims the sweater collar. And the colors are some of my favorites.
Jeans: Twentyone Black

These are Forever 21's premium brand of denim. I'm a big fan. They're stretchy, really comfy, and fit me really well.

Booties: Joe's Jeans

These were a find and a half! They were at the Marshall's in Florida on final clearance for super cheap. I forget how much exactly, but it was as if I stole them. I felt like they kept my outfit firmly in the it's-still-actually-winter-mode, yet still work with the top.

Arm party!
Lefty:

Lefty is sporting a gunmetal bangle with a pretty purple stone from Express and my trusty apple watch.

Righty:

Righty is all hand crafted today! The first is a cuff bracelet I made. You may recognize the insert in there... It's the same material I made my spur straps from! The other two are stretch bracelets made from acrylic and brass beads. I love the iridescent colors and they really match the fake shirt colors well!

That's what I'm wearing today! What do you have on?

What's Up Wednesday

Lol. There is almost nothing at all up this Wednesday. I'm trying to rein in my spendaholic ways as of late, but that's going terribly. Why does everything have to go on mega sale when I'm trying to be good?! Hopefully I'll be better at that next week..... hahahaha. I need a support group.
In horsey news, it's been REALLY warm here in CT for February. I'm talking consistent days in the mid 40's and more than a few over 50! Sunday it was 62! SIXTY TWO! That's riding weather except that my ring is still covered in snow. And now that it's melting from the top down, it's not safe to play in. It's just slippery and dirty and gross. So that was a total tease.

Photo from Saturday when it was less warm but still awesome.

Despite not being able to ride or graze or do anything out doors with my horses, I still wanted to hang with them in the nice weather. So we opened up the barn doors, and got to work making them look less feral. This included mega curries and pulling manes. I'm happy to report that Rio and Romey are nearly down to their summer coats. Jampy is taking a bit longer which is the usual pattern for him. (One in every crowd...) Since I have very little to talk about, I shall share before and after photos of our new mane-do's.
Romey:

Feral

Mane Pulled

And braided over!

Jamp:

Wild animal

Pulled, but still wild

Banded over. Hopefully under control by next week.

Rio:

Long, Flowing Locks

Shortened

Rio only needs a few training braids, because he is nearly perfect.

I also cut off the feathers Rio has been growing all winter. I swear he's part draft horse. Also, his ergots. Man. Those things are fatter than my fingers! No lie.

Of course, once I got everyone looking nice, they had to try and ruin it. Last night I found Romey with a slightly fat leg. Thankfully I think a little cut he gave himself is the culprit. I cleaned it up and slabbed some good ointment on it, and hopefully it will be better tonight. Jamp decided to break out in hives:

They're kind of hard to see in the photo, but he was lumpy all over. I called the vet, and he said to give it a day and see if they go down. He wasn't any more itchy than he normally is, was acting completely normal, and had no fever. So I'll check him at lunch to see how he's doing. If no better or if they're worse, I'll start him on some benadryl for a day or two. No idea what could be causing them because I haven't changed a thing. We're working on the same load of hay we got in the fall, the shavings are the same as always, and no changes in feed. I suppose it's possible there was something in just one bale of hay though. You never know what gets in there.
Thankfully Rio didn't pull any weird stunts last night. Two is enough for one day guys.
That's about it on the equine front this week. I'm crossing my fingers that lots of melting will go on this week and MAYBE I'll get to start these guys back to work soon! A girl can dream!

In other news, my small town had their Winter Carnivale on Sunday. As mentioned before, it was a beautiful day to hang out in town! They close down the roads (my town center is like a block long, seriously small towny!) and the local restaurants all sell delicious food right on the street. It's kind of a big deal around here, especially on such a nice day. Here are some photos for your viewing pleasure:

Shuttle Bus, no parking near the center for this event

Fife and Drum

This pony had zero interest in partaking in the Fife and Drum

Kind of far away, but it's a girl on stilts, and a dude juggling on a really tall unicycle. How do they get up there?

The best ice sculpture

Probably second best.

More ice sculptures

Tractor Parade

That was probably the most exciting thing to happen to me this week! I suppose that's good, who needs excitement?
What's up with you this Wednesday? How's the weather by you? Does your town hold any events our like our Winter Carnivale?

Truthful Tuesday

Today's confession is that I am severely lacking in workplace motivation. I've been fairly motivated outside of the job. The house is getting somewhat in order, and the horses are starting to look less feral as Spring approaches... But work? I was 50 minutes late today. That's nearly a whole hour. No one noticed... I'm not sure what that says. But still. I really need to make an effort to start showing up closer to on time.
Once I actually arrived to work, I went through my emails and responded to them all. And then I window shopped at Zulilly for a good 45 minutes... Seriously. I'm the worst employee. Oh and now I'm typing out this blog post.
I better get to work.....


Anything you need to confess today? Are you a diligent, good little employee, or do you sometimes stray like I do? Is your office very strict with start times?

Thursdays Threads

Outfit Day!!! No riding outfit today or for the foreseeable future. Substitute CT trainer is in FL for the month, so no lessons to be had. Womp womp. But I do have a work outfit, so all is not lost!

Sweater weather... It's kind of odd to have a great farmer's tan while wearing winter clothes isn't it?

Sweater: Vineyard Vines

I love Vineyard Vines sweaters but they are stupid expensive. I had some free time one evening while in Florida so I headed to my mecca TJ Maxx to see what was on clearance. The Palm Beach Gardens TJ Maxx and Marshalls definitely get better stuff than the ones near me in CT! And oddly enough they get a decent amount of winter clothing which never sells and then goes on final clearance for me to find. It's very exciting. So that is where I found this beauty at a much more reasonable price. It's a crazy blend of fibers but does have a small percentage of cashmere. It's very cozy and ridiculously soft. Happy to welcome it to the family!

Jeans: True Religion

I've worn these on Thursday's Threads before, and I can guarantee this won't be the last you see of them. I've completely jumped on the True Religion band wagon. I love their pants! (Not their price tags...)

Belt: C4

The colors on the C4 Hunt Scene belt are perfect with this sweater! I suppose the themes are pretty different, but whatever.

Shoes: Steve Madden (kids)

I guess these are basically paddock boots. Ha. No wonder I'm so at home in them! They're actually a really soft leather, and I live the light blue color. They're perfect to bring out the light blue pattern in the sweater.

Arm Party!
Lefty:

Lefty is donning a shimmery beaded bracelet from Nakamol and my trust Apple watch.

Righty:

Righty is wearing a Stacie original horse bracelet (the cord is the same green as my sweater!) and a vintage bangle from unknown origins.

And that's what I'm wearing today! What do you have on? How's the weather by you? It's sunny today, but pretty gold with highs in the mid to upper 30's. Have any favorites from today?

What's Up Wednesday

I'm back in the frozen tundra, but that doesn't mean we can't finish recapping my trip south! When we left off last week, Badger had managed to knock himself over lunging, but still was able to show on Wednesday. We figured we'd toss him on the lunge Thursday morning before I braided to see how he looked. He was just fine so I braided him up but forgot to get a photo before he rubbed... Boys. They looked better for day two, you know, prior to said rubbing.

post rubbing... could be worse, right?

Badger looked sound after a few stiff steps when he first started out. But once in the ring, he decided to let us know that he was feeling sore from his antics the day before. He doesn't tell you by, oh I don't know, limping? But rather by acting like a feral child. He started out nicely over the single, but played through his lead change and would only give a tense 10' stride at the canter. Know what that results in? Adding. It results in adding. He also threw in some small hops and lots of ear pinning. The second trip was mildly better, but he was still pretty ornery. This is why trainer shows him! Haha. Babies. It wasn't a total loss in my eyes though. He showed in a different ring on day 2 than he did on day 1. So again, it was a brand new ring to him. This one was next to the road, but there was a large privacy hedge  between the ring and the road. The weird thing about that though, is they can still kind of see the traffic, but not really. Pretty spooky in my opinion! But he didn't spook. He never was worried about being in a new place nor about jumping new jumps. So while he had a terrible attitude about the whole thing, he still had some redeeming qualities in the ring.

And also, he jumped like that. EVERY SINGLE TIME. Seriously. He's so fancy. I wish I could get along with him.
So after his telling us all about his sore body, we checked in with his vet. She said a few days of bute and no riding until Monday. Yep. I flew down to Florida for seven days to ride my horse and I got to ride him twice. Never even got to jump. Or canter a ground pole. Nothing. He literally is just eating and pooping my money. It's a good thing he's so darn cute! I guess if nothing else, he fits in well with the rest of the herd. (Also, now you probably understand my need for retail therapy...)
Fortunately, trainer shared Cara with me most days, so I did get to ride almost every day. She was perfect as always.

I didn't get to ride Friday because someone was trying Cara, but I went to the barn anyway to stuff Badger with cookies. And then I got irresponsible... You guys. La Mundial has an outlet store in Wellington. They sell all the orphan boots that didn't work out for people. I figured I was safe popping in since I'm so awkwardly sized. I wear a size 6 shoe, but have a solid 16" calf. Also, I'm a short girl, but calves are fairly long. Super awkward. And yet, I apparently have some size twins out there in the world. After trying on about six pairs of boots, I realized I couldn't leave empty handed. These two beauties are shipping to me this week... Because I have no self control.

The top pair is black with navy patent leather for the top trim. I figure I can wear them for everyday, but they'd also be a nice spare pair to show in if my zippers break or something. The other pair is navy blue all over. I have no good excuse for these. They're just SO PRETTY! And I got both pair shipped (and the blue ones are having some alterations done) for about $350 less than I spent on my Parlantis. So I mean... that's a good deal right? Two for less than one!
Friday after pony related activities, I headed over to the house to spend some time with the nieces. We had lots of fun swimming and playing with my little ponies.
Saturday was supposed to be my last day, so I spent some extra time at the barn stuffing Badger full of cookies and watching some lessons. I got all packed up and sat down for some lazy tv time when I found out my flight the next day was canceled. SO SAD! Oh wait, no. Not very sad at all! I mean, I missed all the fur kids at home, but another storm was hitting and I didn't mind missing that too much. Trainer takes Sundays off unless she's showing, so that meant no ponies on my extra day. Instead, I slept in a bit, and went to my favorite Florida breakfast place, the Lazy Loggerhead.

Probably not good for my "diet" (hahahaha, yeah right, I'm dieting...) but it was delicious! After breakfast, I enjoyed some sunshine on the boat:

And I came up with a potential logo for the farm. Not that I really need one... but I totally want Winthrop Corner gear and I definitely need a logo for that. What do you guys think?

I'm thinking it might be better to have the farm name written on the horse shoe instead? Or maybe just the initials on the rosette? I dunno. For now it's ok as is I guess.
At this point it was still only around 12:30. I have 10 million reviews to write for Beeju Boxes, but my internet was awful during the day (too much traffic I think) so that wasn't going to be a good use of my time. I decided instead to take full advantage of my day off and went for a pedicure. Definitely a good choice.
And then it was time to mentally prepare for the Tundra.

Land of ice.

My flight Monday was slightly delayed. There were high winds in CT, and so they had to clear a different runway back at the airport for a safe landing. Our plane couldn't take off until the airport in CT confirmed we could land there. It wasn't a long delay though thankfully. The flight was uneventful despite warnings of bad turbulence which didn't come to fruition thankfully. I was home snuggling ponies by around 4:30. I missed them SO MUCH! Once they were appropriately snuggled and fed, I set to work trying to de-ice Jorge.

There was a solid 3 inches of ice covering about 5 inches of snow. So that was fun. (No, no it wasn't.) It took about an hour, but I finally freed him and went to get the short kids! I hate leaving them, but I LOVE reuniting with them. The horses all kind of ignored me when I got back (well not Jamp, he's always happy to see mom) but the Pugs celebrate like it's the best day EVER! I heart those kids.
Tuesday was Valentine's Day, which I don't really celebrate as a single old spinster. But my friends are pretty awesome, so I still got some spoils:

I spent the evening giving the tall kids extra good groomies. They were definitely in need after my week away. I'm happy to report that shedding season is in full effect:

my fuzzy valentine

That's about it from here this week! But I won't leave just yet... I know you're dying to know what all those pictures were yesterday on Truthful Tuesday. Well, two of them were the boots above. One is my surprise from Equine Affaire, but I'm not revealing that until it's finally here. Sorry! All I can say is, "OMG SO PRETTY! I CAN'T WAIT ANOTHER MINUTE FOR ARRIVAL!" Two of the photos were of spurs. I brought a couple of pairs of spurs down with me to get colored by Color Tack. I'm getting one pair done in gold and one in hunter green. I think they'll take about two weeks. And then I shall outfit them with my homemade spur straps! Woohoo! Well maybe... Another of the photos is a new Mane Jane belt. One side is green crocodile and the other side is purple croc. But in addition, I got a pair of spur straps also in the green crocodile. I think I got princess crowns on the keeper too. I promise to share everything once they all arrive!
Ok, that's really all that's up this Wednesday!