Get your Corn, Get your Corn HERE!!!!

Well apparently the sweet corn sign was a hit, my mil is selling the sweet corn at a local gas station and has sold out for the day, and they have people trying to pay them for tomorrow's batch. and I must say, it is REALLY good sweet corn...K picks it fresh and yummmmm...

So since MIL is doing so well with the corn and we are having a heck of a garden this year, I've decided to up my pumpkins to 4 plants total...my plan is to sell them at the same place for $1 less than Wal-Mart come fall. We also might have her sell some zucchini since it looks like we will be overflowing with it VERY soon!

We have ourselves quite the little garden and quite a variety for us, we have:

• 2 tomato's
• 4 zucchini
• 4 pumpkin
• 1 cinlantro
• 1 banana pepper
• 1 cantalope
• 1 cucumber

That should keep us out of trouble and hopefully will keep our grocery bills down! Have you SEEN the price of veggies, ouch!

Getting non-sb use out of my Scrapbooking Supplies

Well, I haven't been scrapping or stamping much lately, but my scrapbook supplies have come in handy. My MIL is going to sell sweet corn by the road in town, so I made her a sign...irl it's about 4' X 8'...the letters are about 10" each. I cut them out using my cricut and design studio software and then traced them onto the sign (which took 6 coats of paint...5 cans of spray paint...talk about some dry wood!) and then painted them. Then I found some clipart of the corn and traced and painted that on as well... I figure if you were doing 50 mph you should be able to see that!

The Green Sprinkler

Dealing with a horse's recent health issue reminded me of this story I thought many of you non-horse people would enjoy.

K & I had several clients at a show a couple of years back, including one couple, she rode (& her horse in training with us) and her husband showed halter (think swimsuit phase in Miss America, only for horses...), however her husband, to this point, had never SHOWN. And none the less, they brought a horse from home that had never shown. So the morning of the show, they check on their horse and his manure, is, ummmm, a little runny and has run down his back legs. So a quick run to the wash rack, and the horse is clean, however his intenstinal needs requires that the wife "stand by" with a clean rag and some baby wipes until his class. This is a young horse that was slightly nervous. The husband was also slightly nervous and while didn't have intestinal problems, tried to calm his nerves with a beer or two while barking orders at his wife, who at this point is holding horse, a semi-green towel, the groom bucket and barely her sanity. Husband disappears for some last minute stuff and wife and I are standing there, killing time until his class starts. Her conversation to me is something like "if anyone ever told me I would be wiping a horses a$$ for fun last year, I would have told them they were insane!" ha ha ha... and THEN it happened, her husband reappeared and the horse had shooting diarrhea, which of course unnerved all of us! She was holding his head, while trying to clean up the back end and while she was going for the back end of the horse, the horse of course, followed her, thus making the largest green sprinkle I have ever seen...LOL... all I could do was giggle...they did end up winning their class, but boy was THAT a LONG morning! LOL

The Coveted Plaque

Ok, I have taken 3 pictures from different angles of this plaque and for the life of me can not get it right itself...so here's the plaque (pretty isn't it?) albeit sideways... gosh he worked so hard for this one! This one was 5 years in the making...

My Backyard

Many people have wondered, why Indiana...why not California or Colorado where I have family? I love the green out here...and this a.m. this is what my backyard looks like, green as far as the eye can see...and for those that don't know those are soybeans on the left and corn on the right... The picture was taken from my back deck.

Sweet Endings

Well, for a horse show neither K and I were excited about, it ended very, very well. Let's see:

• My MIL won Showmanship Circuit Champion
• She then qualified for the shoot out class (the champion of champions, you must qualify throughout the year by winning your class)
• 2 Clients won their classes.
• K won not 1, not 2, but 3 plaques! And was recognized by his peers with the horses he showed (that's a HUGE accomplishment!).
• K also won $$$ (my favorite:)
• Last but not least, our novice client moved up in the placings, from close to last, to middle of the pack...all in one show...

So I'd say we made some progress! We also made it home before dark and went to see the new Batman Movie (if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it). I think I'm almost caught up on sleep (well, maybe by tomorrow)...I've got lots of laundry to do...

More later...and possibly a picture of one of the plaques!

And you thought MY legs were hairy....

...it's the night before we leave for another horse show (this one for only 6 days...only...hahaha!) So today was a flurry of activity, washing horses, clipping faces, clipping their hairy legs...and the next time I gripe about shaving my legs, I'll think twice, I don't have NEAR as much hair as the horses....and mine are MUCH easier to shave! I also stand still while I'm doing it.... tee hee! So let's see, everyone got their whiskers shaved off, their grandpa ear hair removed and their legs waxed (err I mean clipped) and then several of them got Bob Marley dread locks (ie got their manes braided). I wish we were done, I have ungodly amounts of laundry to do and a house to clean (I hate coming home to a dirty house)...and we still haven't found a horse sitter for the remainder of our equine charges. Nothing like leaving it to the last minute...it's fair week here, so all of our help is at fair showing their animals. You'd think someone would want to earn $25/day for 1 hours worth of work...(rolling my eyes)...you would think, wouldn't you? Good thing grandpa lives next door and we are taking 75% of the barn with us.
Oh well, I need to get going, loads of laundry is calling my name...and probably SHOULD go and shave my legs, no need to be hairier than the horses eh?

A "Fair" Amount of Success

Well I was up 'til 11 p.m. braiding one fair exhibitor's horse last night and then back up at 4:00 a.m. to feed said horse so they could go to fair by 6:00 a.m. (yawn)
And the results:

Our fair exhibitor won her showmanship class and then won the champion of champions class (which means not only did she win her initial class, they then group ALL the winners of ALL the classes and have "the champion of champions)...and she won (that's MY speciality, showmanship)

She then went on to win western pleasure (K's specialty).

We don't go to watch anymore, because we are "trainers" it is felt since this is the child's project that WE may have influence over her showing abilities...gee not like she hasn't shown the horse the last 4ish years and has taken hours of lessons, might be a clue as to why she does well... So since the "other" parents/exhibitors cause ours grief when we show up, we don't and just get the updates via cell phone.

So the long lessons and the late nights paid off...I'm tired, I, don't have to work tomorrow (supposedly), so I'm D.U.N. done...

A Flea Ring Circus

Since returning from our week long horse show, I've noticed the dogs scratching...they were given their flea medicine before we left, but apparently all of the swimming in the lake wore it off and they came home with a few, ummm, "pets". Now it took me several days...actually K yelling at the dogs to quit moving the bed (one would be leaning on the bedframe scratching away) for me to actually notice and about 3 days to remember to go and GET the stupid medicine...I've had a lot on my mind.
So after sending off the last client last night, I took a breather in the recliner and Spanky took his spot right next to me when I saw it....Fleas doing their trapeze acts off of his back...ugh! A simple flip here, a swing and a catch there, well you get the idea. So K wants to purchase dinner instead of waiting on me to make it and I get the brilliant idea to swing by and get some flea medicine. We get dinner AND flea medicine and now the fun REALLY begins.
For SOME reasons the dogs DETEST the flea medicine, you have to apply a vial size of oily medicine from their collar to their hineys. So the chasing begins, it's always easy to get the first dog because they have NO CLUE IT's COMING! However, the other two, clued in on the smell, now KNOW and I'm left chasing dogs around the house, hiding behind, underneath and just plain out squeezing around furniture.
Now the heelers are fairly easy to corner and conquer, they are too big and too slow to get too far too fast, however Spanky proves to be his own problem altogether. He can dash under the bed, behind the recliner and I'm beginning to feel like a cutter (this is a horse that keeps cattle from going back to the herd), so he darts left, I dart left, he darts right, I dart right. Yelling at him, bribing him...all no go's. Finally with some minor help from K, I get him cornered and apply his medicine.
He gives me this (what did I do to deserve this look as only dogs can) and went and hid in the bedroom as the living room is no longer acceptable since it is being occupied by ME, the flea medicine wielding caretaker. I can live with that title I suppose... as long as his little circus moves their traveling show elsewhere!

How do I KNOW it's the week of the county fair?

Because we're giving lessons until 9 p.m. at night, EVERY night. And dinner is at about 10 p.m.
Any questions? LOL

Fair starts Friday...color me happy!

When did shipping cost become more than the gift?

Ok, so I made another diaper cake for my cousin in California...it's to be a decoration for her baby shower. With all of the business of life, I got a hint behind, but I got it done, checked the internet for prices to send it...I figured it was 7 lbs (close it was almost 6) and USPS says it'll be $18 for priority and it'll get there Friday (perfect! the shower is Saturday). I take the box down to the p.o. and the very nice gentleman behind the counter tells me $30ish and it'll be there Saturday OR Monday, he's not real sure...ummm...excuse me? That's almost DOUBLE of what the internet quoted...well then what will get it there ON Friday...ok I can go Express and of course on the SIGN they GUARANTEE MOST places the NEXT DAY, but apparently not MY place...but it will make it there Friday afternoon...for $40...so I ponied up and paid it...ouch! I wish I could say I procrastinated, I didn't, but really...ouch!

So the flies are following me...

...and let's just say the dogs think I smell GREAT! It's not that I didn't shower this morning, I did, scrubbed behind my ears and everything! It's not that I didn't put on my deodorant, Secret normally does it's job. However when it's hot and muggy and I'm not even finished cleaning the first stall and I'm soaked head to toe...well it's gonna be a non-hugging kind of day, if you know what I mean! So by the time we finished with the farrier (he wasn't smelling like a garden of roses either) and the last of the days chores, our clothing walked us back to the house and straight for the shower. It's not supposed to be any better tomorrow either...I just wonder how those folks in Florida survive?

I'm Melting....

...it's muggy today, kind of one of those days where you step out of the shower and you feel like you didn't really ever get dry, type of days. It wasn't brutally hot (although if you asked my showmanship student who had to jog circles, she'd say otherwise!), but hot enough to break a good sweat while cleaning horse stalls!
Really not much new in this arena, made another diaper cake for a gift for my younger cousin, other than that, same ol' same ol'. I need to do some major organizing and I've tried to do that on my (ha ha) day off (somehow lessons keep showing up), so I'll be making up a Lessons Policy to send out with the next bill cycle, so HOPEFULLY our day off, will be just that...a DAY OFF! Well until more exciting things happen...later dude!

Miniature Fireworks

Did everyone enjoy the fireworks last night? We can view 3 different shows from our front yard, but my favorite fireworks are IN our front yard...fireflies. K thinks I'm nuts, but I didn't grow UP with fireflies and I love looking over the fields and seeing them light up...there are thousands. I've tried to catch them on my camera, but it never catches more than just a mere few at a time from the thousands that are seen, so no pictures! I just love their little twinkling lights as we drive to or from somewhere in the evening.
The dogs didn't mind the "actual" fireworks until we went inside and heard the booming as they shot them off...Spanky felt the need to "woof" with each launch...I think he would be hoarse this a.m.!
So that was our 4th of July...fairly quiet...so to speak!

What a week!

Or should I say, more like 8 days... The show went fairly well, everyone got their name called and we figured out a few of the problems some of the clients were having in the show pen. I made my debut as a Pro...I've got a LOT to learn! However, I didn't embarass myself.

We had one horse go lame, but got the problem solved, now we just have to wait on mother nature to take it's course, so we let the owner (a 15 y.o. girl) show one of the horse's we brought along for Kevin to show and she ended up with 3 1st's and a 2nd... which inspired another client to purchase the horse. So that was good and surprising, all at the same time.

The hours were long, 13-15 hour days, but I think everyone had a pretty good time! K borrowed everyone's scooters, I really liked him on the pink scooter, however didn't get a picture of it.

Here's ONE THING I learned while I was there...never put fix a flat in a flat wheelbarrow tire or a scooter tire...it will blow out! and it's messy to boot!

Relaxing - The Cowboy Way

This is probably THE most photographed dog by strangers that we own. Hank LOVES this chair we got for free (it was buy 2 pair of jeans, get a free chair)...and Hank thinks this is the perfect chair to nap in. Apparently the armrest is the perfect pillow and when we're at horse shows he claims it as his own. I've had more strangers take a picture of him in his chair...he looks quite content...doesn't he?

We've returned

We've been gone for 8 days to a horse show in DuQuoin Illinois (6 1/2 hours from us)...needless to say we're wiped out. It had it's ups and downs, but the biggest news is that we sold a horse (pending a vet check), so that's a good thing considering how lousy the economy is.

I'm hitting the sheets and will update you with a picture or two and all the BORING details later! Nighty night!