Thursday's Threads: Travel Edition

Happy outfit day! I'm heading down to Florida for a long weekend, so I think this is my first post done entirely from a tablet... Hopefully it goes ok! 

Edit: Annoyingly glitchy on the tablet! It did not go ok. I am finishing it at home in Florida. Boo.

I'll start with my travel outfit since I titled this the travel edition.

Comfy clothes for airplane is a must!

Cardigan: Modcloth

Top: Ronner Design

Modcloth calls this sweater the Airport Cardigan, so I figured I should wear it there, right? I have it in a few colors. I like that it's cute open or closed. You already know of my love for Ronner shirts. This is my last one to show you guys. (Until I buy more, let's be real.)

Belt: Tory Burch

I think you've seen this one a bunch. I got it at the Tory Burch outlet a few years ago. It's soft, gold, and shiny! What more could you want?

Jeans: Seven Jeans

The heavy, tan stitching on these feels really horsey to me, so I thought they were perfect to pair with the pony shirt.

Socks: Blue Q

I don't normally share my socks, but I heart these. Pardon the language...

Shoes: Seychelles

I LOVE Sechelles shoes. They're pretty and they're also comfortable which is not an easy combo to find. They can be expensive, but I've always found them on sale for reasonable prices.

Arm Party!

Lefty:

My arms decided to be fancy pantsy today since I'm heading to fancy pants Florida. Lefty is donning a (secondhand) leather bracelet from Louis Vuitton along with my trusty apple watch.

Righty:

Righty is donning an H bracelet along with a couple actual Hermes arm pieces. The wrap bracelet was a gift from my dad and stepmom a few years ago, and the other I got on Poshmark.

That's what I wore to travel today! But I also have a riding outfit to share!

That's a very tired, post lesson me.  

Helmet: One K

That's a slightly less tired pre-lesson me....

Jacket, vest, and top: Eddie Bauer

This jacket and vest are the same as the black ones I've worn the last few weeks, just in a pretty teal color. I really love these. They're super warm, but not bulky. And I've had both sets for a few years now, without them showing much wear.

Belt: Harry's Horse

I recently jumped on the rose gold bandwagon with full force... So clearly, I needed this pretty rose gold and black bit belt.

Breeches: Harry's Horse

I found these on Tack Dealz awhile back. I got these and a navy pair, and I really love both. The fit is perfect, and they have just the right amount of stretch. I think the streaky paint-like details are super fun too.

Boots: TuffRider Regal

Yeah, I'm still sticking with the old comfies for lessons. Don't want to be distracted by partially broken in boots.

And that's it for today! I have a relaxing weekend ahead. I don't think I'll get to do any riding down here this year, but I'm still going to visit my trainer and maybe the horse show. So that will be fun and get me my horsey fix! 

Any favorites from today? Did you snag any horsey clothes deals last weekend?

What's Up Wednesday

It was so nice having a four day weekend last week. SO NICE. I got a lot accomplished, which is always a good feeling.
Thursday was Thanksgiving, which meant I did the pony chores in the morning. I actually kind of love spending the first part of my holiday that way. Firstly because it gets me out of bed early, so I don't waste the day. And also because it's just really quiet, me and the boys. However. I wasn't super excited about the idea when I saw the forecast. It was about 12 degrees when I walked out the door, but with the wind chill? -2. That's Fahrenheit. Effing cold my friends. Fortunately, earlier in the fall I had ordered the boys new turnouts that are supposed to be warmer than their old ones. They looked awfully cute in their new snowsuits.

They aren't quite hunter green, but they are some sort of green with tan accents. Close enough.
These boys are both aged, and used to spending much of their time indoors. So I decided to give them shorter turnout time, and just do one at a time while I did their respective stall. This might sound like it gave them only 15 minutes outside, but I'm the world's slowest stall cleaner/bucket scrubber, so they were out 45 minutes to an hour. Jamp wanted no part of it. He was bouncing around doing an angry dance the entire time. Rio didn't seem particularly phased, but the nicker he gave me when I came out to let him in suggests that was plenty of time for him too. I think we were all really grateful for the heated barn that morning.

heat and hay is all this boy needs.

 Once I was done at home, I headed over to the boarding barn. They give the staff the day off and do a mucking and mamosas morning for anyone willing to help out. They were nearly done by the time I arrived, but Eros is the second to last stall, so I did his at least. He was outside but seemed pretty happen when I was done and came to bring him in. We were allowed to ride, but it was so bitter cold. And it came on so quickly, I decided it wouldn't be all that healthy for either of us. Plus I was kind of running out of time. So after I finished my mamosa and stuffed Eros full of cookies, I headed home to get cleaned up for dinner with the family.
Thanksgiving dinner was served at my brother's house at 2pm. I guess it was more of a Thanksgiving late lunch... It was a really nice time to do it though, because normally, I get to eat dinner, then have to drive home to feed the horses and dogs, and then go back for dessert. But with the earlier time, I was able to stay and just enjoy the family. It was a lovely day.
Also, I finally got to see the play scape and play house my dad and stepmom got my nieces over the summer. If it wasn't antarctic out there I'd have been all over that.

Know what I did after dinner and feeding the horses? NOTHING. I put on my jammies and sat down on the floor with the puggers. And maybe did a little online shopping. (Obviously.)

1.5 pugs. One lap.

Friday morning I was up and ready to go for a 10:30 lesson. I got to the barn early, and had to go find Eros out in the grass paddocks. He had everyone all riled up running around out there... Silly pony. He let me grab him though, and after getting passed the horse in the paddock next to his, he calmed down and walked politely. I got him in and put him on the cross ties (I was going to let him pee first, but the tractor was in front of his stall), when I saw this:

That would be an unshod hoof. And yes, Eros, you DO wear a show on that foot! So I waited with him on the cross ties until the tractor moved, and then headed outside (where it was warmer than Thursday, but still only 16 degrees) to hunt for the shoe. Thankfully I found it fairly quickly.

he didn't need that hoof wall anyway.

Alas, no lesson for us with that shoe missing. Maybe if half his foot hadn't come off with it, I could have taped him up and ridden. The ring is super soft with the GGT footing. But I didn't want to risk it with that much hoof gone. The farrier was able to come that evening though, so it wasn't too long of a vacation for him.
I had the repairman out for the washer Friday too. He thinks the board is bad on it, so he's replacing that when the new one arrives later this week. Cross your fingers that fixes it, because if not, I'm out $500 and a washer.
The rest of Friday was spent with the bay boys. Rio was flaunting his horn in front of Jampy.

And that was pretty much it for Friday. I wanted zero part the black Friday shenanigans. I spent the rest of the evening switching over the summer and winter clothes, and doing a ton of laundry. Not very exciting, but nice to have that done!
Saturday was similar. I did brave the great outdoors to run a couple of errands, and then spent the rest of the day riding Eros and grooming the bay boys. And then FINALLY!!! on Sunday I got to have my lesson. Eros was fantastic, and we even jumped a couple of 3' jumps. I think we're getting to know each other. I'm starting to get really excited about showing him this spring. I love that he has a huge stride, and he knows exactly where he is in any line. We did have to jump into a line and halt straight a few times because he was taking over a bit too much. But once we did that, he was a perfect gentleman.
This week has been the usual so far, grooming the bay boys, flatting Eros, and work. I'm having my usual lesson tonight instead of Thursday because I'm heading to Florida for a long weekend (woohooo!).
And that's what's up this Wednesday! How was your week/weekend/Thanksgiving? Do anything fun? eat a ton? Score some great deals shopping?
I shall leave you today with the cutest picture of Pia sleeping:

Truthful Tuesday: Black Friday Edition

I'm almost embarrassed to write this post. Almost. But like... you guys get me, so I think it will be ok. Let me preface this by saying I had zero plans to get more boots. I haven't even broken in the ones I have. And let's be real, I have almost all the colors covered at this point. But...
There's always a but.
I'M A SUCKER FOR A DEAL OK?! And if that deal is limited? It's too hard to pass up. I mean, if it's meant to be, you can't ignore fate, right? Right.
So I'll get to the point. I've been drooling at the Celeris boots for awhile. I tried to get some leftover boots from them once but the only pair in my size was a dressage boot with a side zipper, so no luck. Well. They were offering 20% off a custom pair to the first twenty people to respond at a certain time on Black Friday. So I figured I'd give it a shot. I was already late when I saw the post (it was an hour and half after it was posted) so I figured I wouldn't get there in time. Well. I did. I haven't placed my official order yet, just the deposit to hold my spot for the discount.
I bet you want to know what I'm planning though, huh? I've  been wanting a black boot with rose gold accents to match my fancy new One K helmet (and maybe the horses have some rose gold stuff also... Too bad Eros will look terrible in that shade.) So that's going to be my color scheme. Fairly simple in the color department, but I think they'll be really pretty.
I'm going to mix and match a few things. I want a field boot (laces), so this model:

Picture it black though...

I don't want that top on it, I want this one:

Everything here that's gray, will be black, and that black part will be metallic rose gold.
And then for fun, I want to change the toe to this one:

No leopard obviously. The leopard will all be black, and the brown barn would be the rose gold.
And then I'm hoping to add rose gold piping around the laces and heel details. I'm also going to ask for an elastic panel in the back. I know the whole point of custom boots is to not need the elastic, but with the way my legs swell, I much prefer having a little give.

So yeah. Boots. I wish that was it... but I also have another pair in the works with Fama. Because I had a brain storm, and they were having THIRTY PERCENT off! So... you know. And they will literally do anything you can think of if they're able. So here's what's happening there (tentatively, awaiting approval from the boot maker if it's possible.
It's going to be a field boot, much like these:

But, the boots will be green, like these:

I'm not doing that fancy top like this one has... Instead, the boot will be all one color up top. And I'm having my logo cut out of it.

It has to be simplified some for it to work, the horse shoe and ribbon will need to be solid instead.
Behind the cut out will be (hopefully, this is what we're waiting on approval for) this shiny gold leather:

So it will look like this boot top, but instead of the horse, my logo:

And then I'm hoping to do the toe cap and heel in the same gold leather. Or maybe just do something similar to the Celeris foot with the gold. That might be better, not sure how well that gold will hold up on large surface areas.
Of course, it would be really selfish to only get myself presents on Black Friday. The bay boys really have everything they could ever need, so they didn't really benefit too much. Rio got some new wraps and flavored sugar. Jamp got a pair of Back on Track hock boots. I also got a set of quick wraps they can share (in GREEN!).
Eros made out the best since he has less stuff. He went on a Back on Track shopping spree... Tack of the Day was giving away a pair of quick wraps if you got a mesh sheet, so I got him one of those in navy (to match his barn's colors). Also grabbed another pair of quick wraps for him, so we can do all four legs. Not even sure I'll like quick wraps... But I love how the BOT stuff makes me feel when I use it, so I figure they're worth trying. Grabbed him a navy neck cover also.
Then I was perusing the interwebs for some things for my blogger secret santa gift and found this browband for $35 that would look fab on Eros:

He also got a wool color from PS of Sweden in navy and a saddle pad. Seriously, that horse is spoiled. Other random stuff was a pair of George Morris breeches in navy from Riding Warehouse ($59!), some bell boots for Eros (his went missing already), and I got an Ariat sweater from RW also.
Needless to say, I went a little nuts, and selfishly, most of the expensive stuff was for ME. Oops. Well, me and Eros really. He did quite well this year.
So what about you? Snag anything exciting in all the sales? Have anything fun on your gift list that you're  hoping for? On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being totally amazing & fun, not ridiculous at all, 10 being out of control, there should be a rehab program for people like me), how ridiculous do you think I am with the boots?
And lastly, (but most fun) if you could design a pair of boots all on your own, what would they look like? Let me know here, or get creative and write your own blog post about your dream boots!

Thursday's Threads

Happy Thanksgiving everyone (in the US anyway...)! It's BITTER cold here today, so my originally planned super cute outfit was set aside for something cozy and warm instead. Warmth over cuteness every time.
So here's what I wore:

And a little cameo from P too! See, warm clothes!

Sweater: Cabi

I'm mildly obsessed with this sweater. I got it about a month ago, and I've worn it a bunch already. It's warm and cozy, and the cowl neck is perfect.

Belt: Rebecca Ray

I think you've all seen this one before. I'm a big fan of the Rebecca Ray belts, but wait for a sale, because they're too expensive otherwise.

Pants: Kut from the Kloth

It's corduroy season! I got these at the end of the season last year for a steal! I just hope I can keep them fairly animal hair free for awhile... hahahahahahaha! Yeah I know. Won't happen.

Boots: Two Lips

It's also boot season. I have mixed feelings about this height boot. I think because I'm a crazy horse chick I expect all boots to be super tall. But in real life, maybe that's not required?
That's actually all I have for today's outfit. I didn't dress up the arms because (I know this is shocking) I was running a bit late for dinner.

I DO have a riding outfit though! AND fun boots!

No photo, but I wore the black snakeskin One K helmet.

Top: Noble Outfitters

I like these winter weight shirts, they're perfect for layering with down vests and jackets. I did just that with the same layers you saw last week.

Belt: Mane Jane

I wore the black croc belt strap from Mane Jane to (sort of) match my boots. Notice that shiny new Mane Jane buckle? Finally upgraded the old beat up one.

Breeches: RJ Classics Gulf in Stone

Dover had the gulf breeches on sale for $49 and I've been wanting to give them a try. So these are them! I like them well enough, but I think I bought a size too big. I'll see if they shrink any in the dryer though. I wear a size 28 Tailored Sportsman, but a 30 in pretty much every other brand. These seem to run more like TS do. The material is nice, very stretchy, but the sock bottoms are pretty wide. Worth the $49 price I paid, but maybe not the full price.

Boots: Fama-4-All

Tada! Finally getting these bad boys broken in. I probably should have measured these a bit taller, but I'm really happy with them otherwise. Very comfy, and I LOVE the green crocodile accents.

Spurs: Punk Ponies
Spur Straps: Fama-4-All

I wanted black spurs for these boots, and Punk Ponies was the only place I could find the rounded ones for a reasonable price. But they didn't have them without the bling. So these are extra fancy.

And that's it for today! How was your Thanksgiving? I hope you had a chance to relax and managed to avoid frostbite in the arctic tundra out there!

What's Up Wednesday

I know, I know... late again. Wednesdays, ya know? Plus it's fake Friday on a Wednesday, and that's just nuts.  Let's jump right in shall we?
I've already whined about the snow last Thursday, but let's wander back there and talk about my truck. I haven't really driven the truck much since last winter due to not showing. I realize I should have driven it around town once in awhile instead of letting it sit, but I didn't. Fortunately, he started right up for me Thursday, and I took him to work. (Betty, my car, is useless in the snow. She's tiny, low to the ground, and rear wheel drive. Useless.) I drive home every day at lunch to feed the horses their lunchtime hay and let the pups out. When I was on my way back to work, a weird light came on saying something about servicing the charging system. No idea what that meant! So I called the dealership to see if it would get me home or not. They said to unplug the phone charger and if the light stayed off, I should be fine. I liked the sound of that! So I did, and all was fine. I made it home eventually in the horrible weather with no issues. For which I'm very thankful!

Despite all that gratitude on my part, the light came on again when I was driving to work the next day. Poop. But then it was off when I drove back home at lunch time. I figured I'd call the dealership again when I got back to work. But first I stopped at the rest stop to grab some lunch. I tried to open the window before I got to the drive through, and it wouldn't open. Odd. So I pulled into a parking spot. I turned the truck off, and then back on. Still no window function. Poop. So I figured, whatever I'll just go in for lunch. Only the truck wouldn't lock. Double poop. So I was like eff lunch, I'll just go back to work and scavenge for sustenance. So I climb back in, (literally, the automatic running boards weren't working either), and turn the truck on. All seems ok. Only it wouldn't go into gear. I couldn't get the damn thing out of park! UGH! I really had to get back to work.
So I called the dealership to explain what was going on, and the guy said, "huh... I've never heard of that!... Maybe I shouldn't have told you that."  Lol. Maybe not. Long story slightly shorter, I had to get it towed to the dealer.

My dad and step mom were kind enough to leave me a car (how lucky am I to have retired parents with spare vehicles hanging around) so while I had to sit with the truck for two hours waiting for my tow, I was able to get back to work a little before four. I stayed and got caught up, and still made it home in time for my lesson!

Eros and I had a great lesson. We got to ride with two other adults which was fun. After having a successful clinic with Nona the week before trainer decided it was time to up the difficulty. Oye. We did a tight roll back to a triple bar. Seriously. And it wasn't a nice tiny jump exercise either. Oh no. Those jumps were at least 2'9"! Which I realize is tiny in real horse life, but not for me at the moment. Anyway, it was hard, and it took a couple of tries, but we did it! And it actually went quite well once we actually got it done. This horse really is something special. I'm kind of amazed that he's in our lives.
After the lesson, I headed home to snuggle the other special four legged men in my life. They've been pretty bored. Hand walking outside obviously hasn't happened in awhile between the septic issue and then the snow. But they're being the wonderful boys that they are all things considered. They've been getting lots of groomies and peanuts.
Speaking of the septic... It's done now. But look at my yard:

Dirt. Nothing but dirt as far as the eye can see. UGH. I really hope some good grass grows back over there next spring. For the horses' sakes! (So much dirt, waaaahhhhh!)
Anyway, Saturday I was up early to run a 5K in my hometown. I ran this one last year too. It's hosted by and benefits the elementary school I attended as a kid. There was a table selling bracelets there to benefit a little boy with leukemia. He lives next door to my mom, and is a wonderful little guy. I bought a handful of bracelets and wore a couple for the race so he could run with me in spirit.

 I felt pretty great for the first half of the race. Like maybe I'm actually getting a little fit? But the second half was tough. There's a lot more uphill on the return but also, my right knee was being a little difficult. After the last few races I've run, I have felt a little runners knee after I was finished. Usually it was fine the next day though. Never has it bothered me while I was running. But this time, on the way back, it kept kind of locking up and was pretty painful. I took some walk breaks along the way, but I still managed to finish right around the same time as my last one. So that was pretty good! And the knee is doing ok now, so no lasting issues. I haven't tried to run on it yet though.
Due to all the snow, I didn't have Eddie to ride this weekend. His mom's farm doesn't have an indoor, and her outdoor was ice and snow. Yuck. Maybe next weekend!
I went out and rode Eros though, and he was fantastic. As usual. And then groomies and short inside walks for the bay boys. I had planned to catch up on the horse laundry now that the septic issue was resolved, but alas, I loaded the washer and it wouldn't turn on. Of course it wouldn't. I had a moment of despair at which point I asked angrily if ANYTHING I OWN WORKS?! And then I told myself to calm the hell down, it was just a washing machine (and a truck, but who's counting). Repairman is coming out Friday. Fingers crossed it's fixable.
I spent the rest of Saturday actually being productive. A friend of mine had mentioned she was collecting jackets and coats for the kids in the school she works at. Sadly, there are many kids there who don't even have a winter coat. And it's been cold. I have tons of stuff I need to clear out mostly that don't fit me, so I got to work cleaning out the outerwear. Between that and laundry, it was most of the evening. But I wound up with ALL OF THIS to send to the school:

Well not the box on the left side of the bench, that's a weed sprayer... But everything else. Is it just me, or does it feel amazing to clear excess stuff out of the house? And extra nice to know it's going to good use, and not just getting tossed in a landfill somewhere. I have a lot of cleaning out still to do, but at least the outerwear is done. Gotta start somewhere!
Sunday was a dreary day, but also a fairly quiet one. I rode Eros and groomed the bay guys. Followed that up with a little more purging of crap in the house. And then of course the best part of the weekend:

Pug snuggles! Seriously. Best part of any day.
This week, though short, was CRAZY at work. It's like everyone panics because a holiday is coming. Everyone needed everything yesterday. ALL DAY LONG. Annoying. Today was completely insane, but they said people could leave at one if they were done with all of their work. I stayed until about two, and then took off. Of course I have like 25 emails sitting in my inbox because how dare I leave early ever? Settle down folks.
Anyway, I left at two, went home and fed lunch, but then I had to drive back to the truck dealership to bring them the other key. Evidently the part they are replacing requires reprogramming the entire truck. I dunno... doesn't bode well to me. It's possible I have a lemon. This is already the second part I've had replaced in this truck. I got it January 2017, and it has 7000 miles on it. Not good friends.
I got to the barn around 4 to ride Eros, and he was getting his winter shoes put on.

I was a little bummed about the timing, but he was really overdue for shoes, so no complaints. He felt great when I got on. And what I really like is that my same farrier that I use at home shoes horses at the boarding barn too. So I get to keep my same guy.
Tomorrow I'll be up early to do the barn chores. Which I kind of like doing on the holidays, but I am NOT looking forward to it tomorrow. The high is something like 23, and with the windchill it will be 7. And that's the HIGH. So imagine what the morning will feel like. Pretty sure the boys won't want to be out very long in THAT. I'll try to step up my stall cleaning speed for them. They're doing mucking and mimosas over the boarding barn, but I'm guessing they'll be about done when I finish my barn. We are allowed to ride, but I'm going to see how cold it is. Don't want to stress Eros' lungs or anything. My family is all gathering at my brothers for Thanksgiving around 2, so I'll be there the rest of the day. I can't wait to stuff myself to the gills!
How was your week/weekend? Do anything fun with the horses? How are you spending Thanksgiving?