New Years Eve

This is a picture for Dr. Do. Amelia is his horse. She is really a chubby cheeks. I will need to find the first pictures when she came so we can have before and after.

Our outside group having their supper. The white spots are snowflakes showing up in the flash.

I loaded this by mistake but love it. My good old friend who will be 29 in 2010. I have posted this picture before but love her pink tounge.

From the other end of the feeder. Wrangler, Raven, Abby, Liberty and Rosie the pinto pony.

They are a happy group and were chomping down at their hay. Love them all. I could just sit there and listen to them chew.

Barn kitties, big and small and smaller. They are so cute and friendly. They love be because I feed them.

Those who want to do the 30 day challenge that Tracey on Mustang Diaries gave a few weeks ago. All you have to do is take a picture a day and post it. I put 30 words on 30 pieces of paper in a little box and will draw a word each night and post it. And I will post my picture. The word for tomorrow is WIDE. That will take some thinking. I think I have an idea already. I will post my picture and a new word each day. You post yours and we will have a chuckle and see where our minds go.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EACH OF YOU. May 2010 be filled with blessings and that all your dreams and you hopes will come to pass. I am so blessed.

Wednesday

Another of my favorist gifts. The sweatshirt was from my sister. She always thinks of the most clever things. Way more than me. Bethel High School is where we went to high school and I graduated in 1956. That really tells my age huh? I graduated from the first class that went for all four years in the brand new school. It was a State B school at that time and now it is a 4A school. I missed my 50th reunion. I was really disappointed.

This great mustang mug and the kitchen towel came all the way from Michigan from my sweet friend Sue. The towel cracked me up. I love them.

We had some snow today. Not even an inch but more is coming tonight and tomorrow it is supposed to turn into rain/frozen rain. That sounds icky. I am glad that we are not planning anything for tomorrow night. We will probably go to bed early. Bob has a dental appointment because he has a fierce toothache. I would imagine they will pull it. So we will probably be housebound for the evening. Would be anyway though.

Hope your last day of 2009 is reflective.

Thankful Tuesday

One of my favorite gifts.. My polka dot boots. Nikki got me a pair of rainbow colored ones for mothers day a few years ago and I literally wore them out. I was so excited about them Love my boots.

I used this with my new long lens. I love how it turned out. I finally figured out where the automatic focus was. It was in plain sight. Bob asked me what that meant AF and MF. Duh. So now it works. Yeah Bob.

Spider Man Isaac. I loved his big blue eyes looking out.

Another picture with my new lens going over Snoqualmie Pass. The sun was shining so bright on the snow. It was beautiful.

There is a cliff that I have been trying to get a decent picture of. It freezes like this ever year. I used my little camera. It looks like it is black and white but its just the way it was.

This too. This is just about crossing the Columbia River. Loved the sun peering through.

Our moon tonight. Its not full yet but not a cloud and it was just sitting up there saying take my picture, so I did.

And My Thankful Tuesday is for a year nearly gone by that had some down places and some sad times but we are all (our family) well and loving each other. My sister has new meds that help, her family is doing well, our kids are all well. Some still looking for work but the Lord is looking out for them. Our grandkids are doing well and we are expecting a little great grandson any day now. Life speeds by at times but that's our age isn't it? Its a year we have had to say a final goodbye to friends. That is the sad but I am thankful for this year, and thankful that its about over.

Monday and we are home

I still don't have the pictures ready to post. We got home this afternoon late. Our daughter Christyn stayed and took care of Maggie. My house was spotlessly clean and fresh baked cookies on the counter. Now thats the way to come home. Bless her heart. She didn't stay here actually, she took Maggie to town with her and spent days here. I am so blessed by her.

We had a wonderful time with Nikki and her family. We didn't go anywhere or do anything. Sat around and ate and ate and ate. She is a marvelous cook. She baked 8 pies and most of them are gone. She baked a HUGE ham and a small turkey for me. I am not overly fond of ham and she knows that. I love turkey sandwiches. Not deli turkey but real turkey left over sandwiches. Plus she had tons of home made fudge and cookies. Nothing like a child decorated sugar cookie to give your heart a lift. Her raspberry, blueberry and apple pies were from home grown fruit and I think a good part of the fruit salad was home grown too. She makes crust from scratch too.

Its a good thing to get away from all of it though or my clothes won't fit. As I have shrunk to a size 12 from an 18 in the past couple of years, I don'[t want to go back BUT I love to eat. I will go walk tomorrow and get back into a routine.At least that is the plan.

The horses were all in good shape. Shannon, our neighbor, did the outside chores and we really appreciated her. Usually we get Katie to come stay but that wouldn't work this time. I will go give them hugs tomorrow.

The day after..................

We made it to Nikki's just fine. Clear and bright and dry roads all the way. I slept over half way so I was pretty chipper by the time I got here. Dinner smelled so good cooking. She baked a ham and a small turkey. I don't eat ham much so the turkey was for me. I appreciated it but not something she needed to do. She had invited a single mom from the neighborhood and her son Ben to join us. It was so nice. I ate so much I can't believe it. She had also baked (from scratch) 8 pies. She made a raspberry one for me. Oh was it good. So good in fact that is what I had for breakfast.

She and I ran some errands today and that probably is the only reason I got dressed at all. We had a good day just laying around for the most part. I have tons of pictures but they still are in the camera.

Have a great Sunday, we will.

Merry Christmas

Wishing each and every one of you the most blessed of days. Jesus truly is the reason we celebrate. No, he probably was not actually born on this very day, but this is the day set aside to celebrate His birth so he could come to this earth for us. For God so loved the world (thats us) He gave his Son....................Merry Christmas from Bob and I.

Christmas Eve

Our Christmas tree before all the packages got under it. It was so fun. Everyone got a couple of packages and had fun. A fun Christmas Eve. Bob's prayer before dinner was a sermon but that's OK. We all needed to hear it.

Our sweet granddaughter in law and our great grandson that is due in about 10 days. Heather is so uncomfortable. Sorry her eyes are closed but wanted the tummy anyway. She is such a tiny little thing. When she and Joel got married about 4 years ago she had a size 0 wedding dress and they had to take it in. they both look young. When she had their first baby they talked around both she and Joel. They thought they were still teens. They weren't.

Their daughter Lilianna. She wore out by dinner. She was bound all those packages were for her.

Isn't this what ones riding arena is for. Ice Skating. Well not with skates. Ryan Seth and Sheya got heely shoes (shoes with wheels in the heels) and they were using their heelys on the ice. The picture is of Seth and Sheya. A while later Ryan fell and cut his chin but just a lot of blood but not a big cut.

This is the latest addition to Toms family. It is Christy's Maximus Max AKA as Max. He is an AKC registered poodle - seven weeks old. He weighed 1 #5 Oz when they got him this past week. He fits in the palm of your hand. He is so cute. He should be about the same size as Skeeter. Skeeter weighs exactly 10#.

We had a wonderful day. We will leave in the morning for Nikki's. I will post a Christmas greeting if I can. May blessings fill your day.

Christmas Eve Eve

Wishing each and everyone of you a very Merry Christmas. May your day be filled with peach and love and God's blessing in all that you do.

This tree is in Riverpark Square downtown Spokane, Washington.It is a beautiful tree and the Christmas music playing was wonderful. Bob and I had a "date night" this evening. We went down town and looked at store windows, Christmas trees, listened to music, held hands and walked along the sidewalk until we looked at each other and said "its cold out here" and went back to the car. All that was missing was snowflakes falling. But it was fun and we had a good time.

Ole Santa here is in front of O'Dougherty's bar. We didn't go in, just took his picture as kept walking. After we shivered back to the car, we drove around looking at the Christmas lights. Then we went back to the edge of downtown to Frank's Diner and had breakfast for supper. It is a railroad car made into a diner. They serve really good food at a reasonable price. Bob had his all time favorite, biscuits and gravy and I had bacon, eggs and hash browns. We were both stuffed but it was fun.

Now we are home, Bob is watching his usual old western movie on TV and me and my book are headed for bed. The kids will start arriving by 10 or 11 I would imagine. No snow for a sleigh ride as in some years. (I have a sleigh and a pony that pulls it) but we will find something fun to do. We are having lasagna, salad, garlic bread and cookies for dessert. No big stressing out over a fancy dinner.

Your gift to me is being my blogger friends. Thank you each of you.

Thankful Tuesday

Have you ever been hugged by a donkey. I have ,today. I went out to take some pictures this afternoon and Chemmy came up to me. He wanted me to to love on him. I petted and put my arm over his neck and Chemmy turned his head around and just hugged me. He let me rub his ears, his nose and just hug him back. He is so sweet. Aren't those wonderful ears.

And isn't this a sweet nose? I tried to take his picture and he kept trying to touch the camera so that is all I got That sweet soft nose. This wonderful little donkey is my Thankful Tuesday. I really needed a hug today and he gave it to me.

And this is Yuma. I think he was a little jealous but he wouldn't let me hug him. I did pet his face and that was OK. He just was a little stand offish today. He is a sweet boy too, just not in a huggy mood today.

My two donks. They were glad to get out of that mud pit. I did not blame them a single little bit.

These two guys in the mud pit. They were getting ready to go in to eat. This is Cody and Rusty. I love Rusty' mane.

This was our view on the way to church last Sunday. We had just come out from being in the fog to under it Usually there are deer or turkeys in the field but not that morning. I thought it was kind of an austere picture.

Have a wonderful Wednesday.

Monday

It rain all day. I mean rain like out of a bucket. The round pen is flooded, the arena is flooded, the donkeys pen is flooded. Cody and Rusty are standing in water. I will let them all out into a pasture first thing in the morning. This is terrible.

I could not go to sleep last night until sometime after 3 this morning and then had to get up at 7 so I am really sleepy and tired. I am going to bed in just a few minutes and no one had better wake me up until I feel like waking up tomorrow.

Had good news first thing this AM. My grand nephew came through his surgery fine this morning. He has a seizure disorder so even a tonsillectomy is difficult on top of his CP and all that is with that. This was good, he seems to never be able to get a good good report on anything and this was a good report.

Tomorrow will be a better day.

Foggy Sunday

We went to church this morning in pea soup fog. It was ugly. Glad I didn't have to drive. When we did get down more towards town, we got under it and then it just looked grey but clear. We live in an area that gets fog when no where else in the state does. And guess what. We are 15 minutes from the airport. Right in the middle of the fog plain.

Bob cleaned the stalls good and bedded one. We are out of bedding. We can not seem to find any shavings other than buying it by the bale and that is pretty expensive. We need to get some straw. Bob has a couple of ideas of where to get it. Amelia went in for him this evening. That was a surprise.

I was really lazy. I curled up on the sofa and with my polar fleece blanket and read the better part of a book. That makes me sleepy but I do have things to accomplish this evening.

Kind of boring reading today huh?

A Nice Saturday

My sweet friend Kim and her husband came through this morning on their way to Seattle for Christmas. We sat and talked a long time. Paul and she took us to breakfast at a restaurant in Airway Heights called The Rusty Moose. They have lots of cute things around their restaurant both outside and inside.

Kim and the bear, It was so good to see her so soon again.

The old Rusty Moose. He is about half the size of a real moose. Maybe not even half the size.

Kind of cute laying there in the snow. If it had not been raining I would have sat on him and had my picture taken.

Father Christmas by the fireplace all dressed in fur. I would have loved to have had his boots. They look so warm and snugly.

The inside moose. They also have a large life size head on the wall above the door that talks to you when you come in. He tells you welcome.

Just more decorations. It is a good place to eat. Not the cheapest but really good food and you get huge portions. They could charge less and smaller portions and most people would be happy. Bob just got biscuits and gravy because he knew I could not eat all my Denver Omelet and hash browns and biscuit. So I ate half the hash browns, 1/3 of the omelet and the biscuit and Bob ate the rest of it for me. Paul ate the last half of Kim's too.

Tonight I helped Bob with the chores. It is so funny. I have no problem putting the horses in the barn in the evenings. Bob on the other hand can not get Amelia to go in. She just snubs her nose at him and won't come out, nor will she get caught. I just open the gate and call her and out she comes. He just grumbles at her when she does that. We have got to do stalls tomorrow. Its not so bad when its frozen and they don't get done but when its warm like it is now, they get gross. I guess Amelia likes me best. Hahahahahahahaha.

Another day of rain and now fog. You can not even see the road in front of our house. Hope it leaves by morning. I hate driving in the fog.I won't be driving but Bob hates it worse than I.

My Merry Christmas today to you all. I love this Santa. He used to be motion censored and say MERRY CHRISTMAS very loud. I have never replaced the battery. It used to make Bob jump and I would laugh. Ugly aren't I? LOL

Friday

This is what happens when you have 4" of snow and it melts off in a day when it turns 45 degrees. This is a corner of my arena. Won't be riding in there any time soon. I was practicing with my new long lens. I need more practice but this was viewable anyway. That is Henry in the background. He was born last March.

Speaking of new lenses, Bob had promised me one for Christmas and I went downtown to Huppins to pick it out. It isn't really really long, but way more than I had. I was standing by our porch where I took the tree in the snow picture. There will probably be some funny pictures here while I am learning. I think I messed up the automatic focus. At least I hope that works. I don't focus so good.

I am watching the RFD channel on TV and they are driving draft horses. It is fun to watch. I love to drive a horse and buggy but those big guys might be a handful. I have never driven a team either. Just a single. I would love an opportunity to try it though.

Finished my shopping today, baked 6 loaves of applesauce spice cake and got them frosted. Some things wrapped and a soaky hot bath. So now its time for crawl in bed with my book and settle down for the night. Have a date for breakfast with friends in the morning so will have to get up and get at the day. Have a Sunny Saturday.

Thinking Thursday

Every night when we go to bed, this is what we find. Some times more. Skeeter puts his toys up there so the other dog nor the cat will bother his stuff. Now Maggie would not play with a toy at all. She is an old dignified lady. And Trouble, well he doesn't do toys either. He is an old pest. But Skeeter just wants to make sure I guess. We put them off the bed and the next morning when I make the bed, it starts all over again. He lays on out bed and looks out the window so I guess he wants his things close at hand. On Thanksgiving our DIL's tiny poodle Star was playing with one of his toys and when she dropped it for a minute he grabbed it and took it and put it up on our bed. She only weighs 3 pounds, teeny and can not jump that high. I told him he was selfish and gave it back to Star but he took it away and put it on our bed again. He gives us a lot of laughs.

In our barn sits a little red wagon. It is a Radio Flyer 90. It has an orange and a blue hay string tied to the handle. I don't remember where we got it but I remember all of our grandchildren and great grandchildren playing with it. The have pulled each other around the place. They have "helped" feed horses and cos and fill the wagon with hay and followed us to each horse. They have hitched it behind a bicycle and pulled each other around. It have seen it hooked directly behind a four wheeler tearing around. One it was hooked behind the riding lawn mower. One time it was tied to the four wheeler wagon and the four wheeler. It was full of laughing children. I have seen our adult grandchildren pulling their toddlers behind them.

It is getting battered and worn but every time I look at it, I think of all the memories.......In our barn sits a little red wagon ------------------

Wednesday

When I went to put the horses out this morning I heard geese honking. There were several hundred in the bunch. It was quite awesome. I wished I had my longer lens on but this is what I got. When I went into town later they were on a field in the wheat stubble. I didn't have my camera with me then.

It rained all night and off and on today. It went to 45 degrees. I loved it being warmer but I don't like the mud pit that we now have. Everything is squishy and ugly. BUT it is warmer. I am trying to stay on the bright side.

This is my special Friend Kim. We (Bob included) went to dinner at Chili's. I was so happy to see her. She is a flight attendant and had a layover here this afternoon and tonight. I tell her she is a daughter in love. Has been like a daughter for quite a few years. She lived just down the road for a long time but now lives in NW Montana with her husband and 2 stepsons. I have really missed her and was so glad to be able to spend the day with her.

So I had a good day. Hope you did too.

Thankful Tuesday

When I went out this afternoon to take some snow pictures I could not make my camera work. The settings got changed somehow. So i went ahead and put the barn horses in and felt so sad because Amelia's long mane was filled with ice and just the kind of picture I wanted. Oh well, it all melted off in the barn just a little while. I came in and messed with my camera for a while and got it back to working but by that time all I got was the tree from the front porch. There will be time for more later I am sure.

Today I am thankful for a husband that still calls me baby and does not expect me to do the chores in this kind of weather. I did it all but forking hay into the pasture horses feeder. My back won't do that too good. He does not get too frustrated when I forget things. Just rolls his eyes but if you ask him he doesn't roll his eyes. I just am so thankful for him. We got a Christmas card from friends in Katy, Texas. Bill had a series of strokes and now has Alzheimer's. They have been married about as long as we have. We are so blessed.

Someone drove down our road today, slid on the ice probably going to fast and knocked over our mail box. They didn't even come to the house and tell us. I found the mail box across the ditch in the snow. Our mail was in the leaning over paper holder. Well the paper thingy wasn't leaning over, the post was. Bob fixed it when he got home.

Have a wonderful Wednesday.

Monday

It is snowing here. Our first other than a little that one day. It had avoided us to this point. I will take some pictures tomorrow. I moved Rusty in with Cody today and put the donkeys in Rusty's pen so they would have cover in case it did what its doing.

When I put the horses out this morning, Ditto who is usually mild mannered and is obedient, wasn't this morning. She pulled away from me - I only had a hay string around her neck - and went thru the gate to the pasture she had been in all summer and fall until we moved them into the winter paddock. I just let her go. She was at the gate this afternoon. I closed and locked it so she won't be able to do that again. And, the first one through the gate to come in from the paddock tonight was Amelia. She said, with her eyes of course, I am sorry I was naughty. I don't like it out there at night. So she is safely tucked into her stall tonight. So is Pepper and Ditto of course. The others don't mind being outside.

I finished several of the gifts I was working on and have things ready to take to the mail to send to Tennessee and Mississippi tomorrow. I had a hard time finding a talking book for Jimmy that had a story for his age. I found one at Borders. Hope its OK. I could have ordered one on line but fooled around too long. I know they have blind children's books.

Have a Terrific Tuesday.

Sunday

My Christmas cactus is outdoing itself again this year. It is still loaded with buds. I love it. I rarely do anything with it, just water it occasionally.

The advent wreath burning today, this third Sunday in Advent. Bob went turkey hunting today and I went to church. It was the day of the children's program. I absolutely love the little ones. Usually a little girl in the front row pulls her dress up over her face, today no one did that but one took off her halo, took off her little white cape and stretched out on the floor on her tummy. It was a riot. The whole group rocked out on Go Tell It On the Mountain. From the 6th. graders to the teeny two year olds. They got a standing ovation. It was wonderful.

Didn't do much outside, my back still was not completely over its little fit throwing. The muscle relaxers from when I had my accident in April worked wonders though. I did put the barn horses out. Amelia refused to come in this evening so she is out for the night. She would not come and she would not be caught. Bob ran out of patience. We are supposed to get snow tonight too. Well we were last night too - up to 6" and it never came. I am not complaining mind you just filling you in. It is supposed to be raining by Wednesday and I might complain about that.

If any of you read Mustang Saga written by my friend Andrea you know her sister Amy had surgery because of breast cancer. I was so happy to read that Amy was home in a couple of days and did well. They think they got all the cancer too. Yeah Amy, Andrea and your family. Its been a tough few months.

I found a blog site - Heart of a Cowgirl. She has a bracelet that I want bad. I may have to buy myself another Christmas present (my red shoes were the first).

Have a good Monday.

Saturday

On this TWELFTH day of Christmas I have TWELVE Christmas tree ornaments. One is quite old, one I bought in Key West, One we got for our 25th. anniversary (27 years ago)and the pink one was on our first tree. The large one on the bottom has a picture of Ditto in it. My first riding instructor made it for me. Lots of wonderful memories

I hope you have enjoyed my version of the 12 days of Christmas. Its fun from one sleeping dog to 12 ornaments. And lots in between.

In a little while we will be going to our Mustang Club Christmas party. Hope lots of people come. You never know. It will be fun no matter.

Yesterday I meant to mention that it was the first day of Hanukkah. Hope if that is what you celebrate that it is a joyous time. Another thing I want to mention is my grand nephew was approved for his wheel chair. The insurance company had denied it. He is now 6 and his last one was when he was 3. He has spastic cerebral palsy in all four limbs and is blind. His daddy called their local state representative and it was approved immediately. GRRRRRRRR. And she had posted it on her Face Book account and she has been getting calls on how they can help her. Their church is purchasing him a stander which is necessary so his hips stay where they are supposed to. That is another refusal from Blue Cross. I am so excited for them. That will make it so much easier for Tina. She has to carry him everywhere and he has to lay on the floor. He is a darling little boy and so smart.

Have a very blessed Sunday.

Friday

On the ELEVENTH day of Christmas I have ELEVEN pairs of shoes (and may more). I guess I probably have a shoe fetish. LOL I love shoes, all kinds of shoes and all colors.

Today it was around 25 degrees. I got to ride Pepper. First we had to move some cows and Pepper does a good job at that. After the cattle were safely in their new digs, Bob asked me to move Rusty around the round pen a little and see if I could get close to her. I couldn't. He got a rope over her back and she stopped like she had a halter on her. He got it looped around her neck and led her all over and put her away.

It was a good thing to ride Pepper and get him moving. Last night the fat escape artist got out of his stall and got into the grain barrel. I have no idea how much he ate but he hasn't acted sick all day. The vet told me to give him some banamine and keep him moving. So I rode him. Bob said he acted OK this evening. I am supposed to watch his feet. They said founder was next to colic eating that much. I have talked to the vet a couple of times today. Naughty boy. We put a chain on his stall gate tonight so he can't get it open.

It was a beautiful day. 25 made it feel pretty good out there after it being down around zero. Have a great Saturday.

Thursday

This TENTH day of Christmas I give you TEN little horses from my collection. I have been collection little horses since I was a little girl. I probably have more than a hundred. More if you count the Beanie Baby horses and other stuffed ones. Love them. I have gotten them from all over the US. Love each and every one of them.

This evening we went back into town to our grandson Ryan's concert. Ryan plays percussion. He played the cymbals, bass drum and snare drum. He did well and we are proud of him. He is in the intermediate band.

I will get back to Thinking Thursday soon. This is a busy time of the year. Bob finished cleaning up where our deck was. Gosh it was a mess underneath where we could not see.

Tonight I was putting the horses in the barn and Amelia has obviously been watching Pepper and his antics because she played ring around the barn with me. She just kicked up her heels and played with me. When she finally went into the barn she dashed into her stall, grabbed a bite and was going to dash back out and play some more but I was faster. HAHAHAHA Amelia. Gotcha.

We had a heatwave again today. It went clear up to 20 degrees. Whooooooopeeeeeeeee. I think its about 12 right now. It is warming up though. I can tolerate 20, minus degrees though and I could head to somewhere warm.

Have a fun Friday.