Thursday's Threads

We're back to winter here in New England. I mean it could be a lot worse; Lake Placid, NY had measurable snow yesterday. Ugh, I would die. But it's in the 30's, dreary, and rainy. There is a bright side however... This weekend should be gorgeous with temps in the 60's! Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In my refusal to accept the restarting of winter this week, I am dressing somewhat springy. And freezing my booty off in the process. There is a price to pay for being fashionable sometimes!
Here's what I'm wearing today:

I had to show the back of this top as it's a gorgeous, open-weave lace back there. I'm not normally a huge fan of transparent backs, but for some reason, I had to have this one. It didn't hurt that it was on clearance for $7. So let's look closer!

Top: Poof $7.00 at TJ Maxx

I love the heathered blue and cream on the front too. I can't figure out why this top didn't sell. It is marked XS so maybe because it's mis-sized? (I'm definitely no XS these days.) I really like the length of this. My only difficulty was trying to find the right tank to wear underneath. I wanted a blue one, but I either don't have one, or I couldn't find it this morning. It definitely needs to be something with thick straps so your bra doesn't show. I tried a racerback first, but it didn't work with the neckline. I wound up just wearing a light tan one. Works well enough, but I do think I'd like the contrast of a blue one better. Next time!

Pants: Rue 21 (Not sure on cost, these are oldies)

The stars on the back pockets are adorable. The color is hard to see in the photo, but all of the stitching is baby blue on these pants. I like that it's a little different than the normal tan.

Shoes: Steve Madden (kids section) $16.00 TJ Maxx

My name is Stacie, and I like things that are shiny. I saw these adorable slip ons when I was in Florida but they didn't have my size. I was bummed at the time! Then this week when I was supposed to be grocery shopping but went to TJ Maxx instead, they had them! Yay! Patience often pays off. Not only did they have them in my size, but also on sale. Win!
Here's a side photo:

Seriously, I think I'm addicted to glitter.

Jewels!
Lefty:

First is a little stretch bangle I made awhile back. It's gold bars with Lapis beads. Next is a really pretty bracelet from Lydell NYC. It's an older one, so probably not available anymore. I had gotten this one from Little Black Bag. (I seriously miss that site! I have been thinking about how fun it was to trade for things like that and that I really wish I could do it again. Someone needs to start a business like that back up!) And lastly is my trusty watch.

Righty:

Righty is sporting this glass and leather bracelet I made not too long ago. The colors are perfect with my sweater!

That's what I'm wearing today! How about you?

What's Up Wednesday

Another dreary day here in New England... But you know what they say: April Showers bring May Flowers! Hopefully that's true... Though I'm not sure how tonight's ice storm will play into that. This was a busy (but light on photos) type of week! With the start of spring, comes adjusting to a new, busier schedule AND holidays. Lots of holidays. Here's What's up this Wednesday!

-Working ponies!

FINALLY the equine are starting back to work. This is definitely the latest I've ever gotten started with them, and it's been terribly inconsistent to say the least. These photos are from last Wednesday. Thursday P had a vet appointment after work, which didn't leave me time to work the ponies afterward. Friday was the first Seder for Passover, so another day off. Saturday was full of 40-50 mph winds. Not conducive to working wild ponies! Sunday=Easter. Monday though, I got to RIDE! It was glorious. I rode Jampy first and he was quite well behaved. And also horribly unfit. Eh, join the club Jampy, join the club... Then I hopped on the Duck. He was a little too unruly to do much, but we did succeed in starting and stopping without argument. Huge improvement over last year!

-As earlier mentioned, Friday was the first night of Passover. I enjoyed a lovely Seder with my family and stuffed myself accordingly. Us Jews really know how to celebrate a holiday! And eat. Oh can we eat. Sorry for the lack of photos. I meant to take one of the Seder Plate, but I forgot.

-Saturday I ran a bunch of errands and did barn chores. Since it was too windy to ride, I spent some time prettying up the ponies and getting them ready for spring!

-Saturday evening was a quiet one. I SHOULD have gotten a run in, but instead I took some time to do some bracelet making. It's been a little while since I've made anything, and I was DYING to work with my March Blueberry Cove items. (I'll do a review on that a little later!) Unfortunately, I had beaders block when it came to that, so I made a quick piece up for their challenge and then focused on some leather bracelets instead.

I enjoy making these leather bracelets because they're quick to do (other than drying time) and I LOVE the way they look!  But I also feel minimally creative. I mean can I honestly say I MADE these bracelets? I feel it's more accurate to say I assembled them. But either way, I'm happy with the results and can't wait to feature some of them on Thursday's Threads.

-Sunday I took care of the horses in the morning, and then headed to my step grandma's house for Easter dinner. My step mom did an amazing job of making a passover friendly meal. Everything was delicious and I ate myself into a decent food coma. These holidays are killing me! I love eating, but it's really starting to show. And that my friends is why I need to get back in my running shoes!

-Speaking of running shoes... I just can't seem to drag myself out of bed and go running. Just. Can't. Do. It. I know, I know. Don't say can't. Just do it! (Thanks Nike.) I feel the same way. It's a real struggle internally for me! So yesterday I did manage to kick myself in the pants and get on the treadmill (it was pouring outside). Unfortunately, by the time said kicking occurred, I only could fit in a mile and a quarter. Better than nothing though right? RIGHT? Kinda. I then planned to do more miles in the evening since it was too rainy and cold for riding. But alas, errands took too long, and I wound up hanging with the pups instead. Overslept again this morning. I'm honestly disgusted with myself. I mean, how hard is it to GET OUT OF BED?! Apparently very. I miss my running club. Knowing the girls were waiting for me definitely helped get me out on the road. Let's go self! Get those miles logged!

So that's what's up this Wednesday. What's up with you? Anything fun and exciting happen this past week? How are the workouts going?

I shall leave you with that awkward moment when my breakfast matched my phone case:

Truthful Tuesday

Sorry I'm so late getting to this post! I've actually had to <<gasp>> do my job all day! Oh the horror....
It's been a relatively quiet week as far as embarrassing myself and/or doing anything terribly gross. I guess this week's confession is more of the same. I haven't gotten back on the running wagon very well. I keep intending to, but I just and am plain old exhausted when I have the opportunity. Which is likely the result of not running. Such a vicious cycle! I did however get up and get my increasingly larger bum on the treadmill this morning. Unfortunately it was later than I anticipated and only had time for a mile and a quarter. Hoping to get three more done either tonight or tomorrow morning.

On the other side of the coin, I DID finally get to ride yesterday! Yay! Jampy and I put in about 10-15 minutes of work. Gotta take it slow so I don't cripple us. He was a gentleman, and I'm hoping to get another chance to ride tonight. It's a rainy day here though, so we'll have to see what the evening brings. I hopped on Ducky too, but he was a little on the wild pony side... He's always the challenging one!
Anything you need to confess? How's the exercise going?

Thursday's Threads

That's it. If spring is going to take its sweet time showing up, maybe I need to give it a little fashion kick-in-the-pants. It's pseudo spring-like today: sunny with highs near 50. (31 degrees when I left the house however...) So here's what I picked to try and force the season:

Anchors! The outfit was going to be more springy with off-white pants. My dilemma was that the pants were ankle length, which would totally work with those shoes except for one thing: too cold to go sock-less. Socks and ankle length jeans looked ridiculous. So I settled on blue jeans.
Let's look closer!

Top: Rue 21

This baseball t-shirt is adorable with the anchor pattern all over. It's a bit chilly in my office, so I'm a little bit wishing it was a sweatshirt... but that's not the shirt's fault! Even better, this must have been a leftover from last year, as I got it in the clearance section for $3.

Pants: Seven Jeans

Oldies but goodies. You've seen these a bunch! I apologize for the blatant butt pic, I forgot to snap a photo before dressing myself.

Shoes: Sperry's (kids section)

I love these slip-ons! I found them online... I think from Rue La La? Maybe Zulilly? I can't remember. They were closing them out at the end of the season, so I was able to snag them for under $30. Good deal! I love the rope detail on the side and the anchors are made from SEQUINS! I like shiny.

Arm Party:
Lefty:

Apparently my camera does not love shiny... Sorry for the terrible photo. I don't really need to mention the trusty watch at this point, do I? The bracelet is a lobster bangle for Fornash. Lobsters make me think of summer. Summer makes me happy. Thus, this bracelet makes me happy!

Right:

First up is a stretch bracelet I made with some lapis lazuli beads. Next is a bracelet I was able to score for free! It's from Ettika. They just celebrated they're birthday and offered up a free bracelet to the first 50 orders on their anniversary day. I bought a horseshoe bracelet I've had my eye on for awhile, and was surprised to get this perfectly adorable beaded number for free! (You didn't know what they would send, so it was a blind surprise. I definitely got a good one!) And last is another Fornash bracelet. This one is super preppy, and I love it!

I really didn't plan my outfit ahead of time today. I wish I had though. I have an adorable bucket bag that navy and off white, with rope handles, which definitely would have completed the outfit. Alas, it's still tucked in safe for the winter. Time to start switching things over!

What are you wearing today? Is it warming up in your neck of the woods?

What's Up Wednesday!

Happy April Fool's Day friends! No tricks here, just your usual What's Up Wednesday post. The weather is pretending to be turning toward Spring... Hopefully that's not an April Fool either! BRING ON SPRING!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here's what's been up with me:

-I went to Florida as you know, for a long weekend. It was glorious!

  -Thursday: Thursday was a travel and relax sort of day. I arrived in Palm Beach around 12:30 and was home by 1. It was pretty warm out (the warmest day of my trip in fact!) so I wasn't interested in going for a run. I was hoping maybe for evening time. But then it stormed. So that didn't happen. Which I already told you yesterday. Instead I did a little shopping, had some dinner, and of course stopped for frozen yogurt.

  -Friday: Friday I planned to be at my trainer's farm for 9 am. It's about a half hour drive from my house and thankfully I hit no traffic. I rode my horse for the weekend, Candy 521, and then we stopped for lunch before heading over to the horse show. We had to do entries, and I wanted to get learn my way around before showing on Saturday. I got back to the house in time to meet up with my dad and step mom (who had just arrived) for some dinner. And then early to bed because Saturday was an early show day!

  -Saturday: Show Day! I was super nervous/excited to show Saturday. I hadn't jumped a horse over a fence since... oh... December. (The last time I was in FL.) Nothing like feeling prepared. The jumps weren't super big, about 3'3" so that was reassuring at least. Here's a photo of one of the jumps:

My class started at 8, and I went 15th, which was perfect. I did the course walk, then watched a few go, and got right on. We schooled really well, and I felt about as ready as possible. The class went pretty well, though in the jump off, Candy was a wee bit excited! We wound up having a rail down, because I let her get too fast and too close to the jump. But otherwise, all things considered, it went great! The one rail put us out of the ribbons (there were 40 riders in my class!) but that was okay with me. Can't win them all!
After showing, we trailered Candy back to my trainer's farm. My class the next day was late enough to bring her back to the show in the morning. We figured she'd be happier sleeping in her own bed and having some free time outside in the morning before showing. Once Candy was settled, I stopped back at the show to do some shopping. It's been several years since I've shown a jumper, and my white breeches no longer looked so acceptable... (Ok fine, I've gotten too chubby for them!) I found a new pair, and also finally found a new pair of tall boots to show in. Ouch. Those broke the bank.
I went back home to shower and change and collect my parents, because we were going BACK to the show to watch the Grand Prix that evening. This was the last one of the season and offered $500,000.00 in prize money. Which meant all the big riders were there. The same people you would see at the Olympics.

The jumps were huge, and so was the crowd! It was tough to find seats! It wound up being an exciting class. My dad and step mom really enjoyed seeing this top level of competition in person. (Me too!) We got home late and it was straight to bed for me!
  -Sunday: Classic Day! The jumper classic is usually the last class of the section, and offers the most prize money. You have to wear certain attire for these classes (hence my needing white breeches) and usually the courses are a little harder and a little bigger. As I watched everyone go, it seemed maybe this course wasn't actually much harder than the day before. It was going much more smoothly than the day before, and nearly everyone was getting to the second round. Unfortunately for me, I had a rail down in the first round so no jump off for me. I was disappointed, but only a little. I really had a much better ride than the day before, and also was careful to remember that I haven't been practicing AT ALL! Nice work just staying on really. Seriously!
Below are some photos of Candy 521 and I from the classic. I'm not really supposed to post these from the internet, but I did buy all three of them. They just have not arrived yet, and I can't wait to share!

It was close to dinner time when I got back to the house, so we went out for some delicious barbeque. And that was pretty much it.

-Monday: Travel day. I did a little work before my flight home. The trip back was smooth and uneventful. I was a little worried, as it had been snowing all morning here in CT, and I had left my rear wheel drive car at the airport... NOT my sturdy 4 wheel drive truck! Thankfully it was actually pretty warm when I got back and it had stopped precipitating. And lots of melting had happened while I was gone! (Despite two snowstorms that happened while I was away! Seriously. TWO!)

Looks to me like the boys will be going back to work! Last night it was in the 30's and raining when I got home from work. But today is looking promising for a little pony time!
While I was away, some kind person (no one has fessed up to it!) fixed my mailbox for me! Thank you, whomever it was!

And the best part about Monday? Reuniting with my short kids (also the tall ones, but I don't have a cute photo of them for you.)

Grandma's house really wipes them out.

Yesterday and today have been full of work, work, and more work. What's up with you this Wednesday?!

Truthful Tuesday

So... I went to Florida where it was warm, but not too warm. And I didn't run at all. I planned to. I really did! I packed sneakers and running clothes and was excited to run OUTSIDE! But then, it just didn't happen.
I arrived Thursday afternoon and it was stormy. Not like CT stormy, but Florida stormy, where the skies open up and lightning strikes like crazy. So obviously I wasn't going out in that. Friday I ran out of time. I left the house to go riding at 8:15, and didn't get home until dinner time. I maybe could have gone before riding, but I haven't ridden in so long, I thought my legs might hate me. And I WAS there to ride. Saturday I showed first thing and was done really early. But I loitered around the horse show for awhile. I got home early enough, but somehow never made it out to run. I can't even remember what I did instead. Probably sat around and enjoyed this view:

Sunday I showed mid day. I didn't want to run beforehand and risk being too sore and tired to ride well. And by the time I was done and got back up to the house, it was late again. Oops.
That left Monday. I was all about going out for a run in the morning. But then I got stuck doing work for my job and working on some potential exciting news which I'll share later if it happens. Next thing I knew... Time to go to the airport. Ahhhh, there's never enough hours in the day!
I'm planning to get those free loading horses in the barn back to work tonight. I do plan to at least get a few miles in on the treadmill though.... We'll see how it all goes!