Christmas tidings and the flu

We apparently I said I was back just a smidgen too soon.  Friday I loaded 100 bales of grass hay (with the help of two guy friends) and unloaded it in the snow.  Yes, it snowed again!  Saturday I awoke to 4 new inches.  Saturday night and Sunday night were filled with fun horse people Christmas parties.  Monday involved window shopping and Tuesday I succumb to the flu.  Thank goodness for sprinklerbandit who arrived at my house with soup and juice (and dog and cat food I'd been planning to pick up that day).  I don't even know when the last time was I got this sick.  Turns out she had even planned on helping with chores at the place I was house sitting, but my stubborn self didn't realize that until I was already well on my way.  Who knew that feeding and cleaning up after two horses could be such a challenge.  Most of that day involved shuffling between the couch and my bathroom.  Morbid laugh here, I love Christmas decorations, I typically call them 'Santa puke' (Grey's Anatomy reference), well instead I just had legitimate...sorry TMI.  Anyways Christmas eve and Christmas day were pretty miserable.

Maybe going to the Dr. would be more fun if they all looked like Alex?

Funny how exhausting feeding my horses can be while sick, I mean seriously a nap after caring for my guys and my house sitting place in the hills!?  Bleck!  Even typing this has been an exhausting experience and I believe some cheesy noodles and another nap are in order before I'm off to feed again.

Pretty right!?

Before all the snow arrived

Well I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and I can't wait to be riding again!

I'm baaaccckkkk!

Whew time flies when you have Thanksgiving, a visit from a friend, and finals.  Let me say it loud and clear finals are over! Happy dance!

I promised to talk about the awesome prethanksgiving lesson last time I was here so here is a tid bit about it.

DIVA. WAS. AMAZING.

Ok next...just kidding;)  She was calm, and sweet, and just perfect.  We worked on bending through her body and more quickly responding to my leg and poles and few jumps.

Best OTTB's ever!

Nothing too exciting, but a great outing.  Steph had some canter poles set that were pretty long for the other three horses and every time Dive went though it was awkward, she kept walking over and checking them.  Finally we go through and she is all, 'your horse has a freakishly long stride.'  *sheepish grin* I know.  You can see in the video we aren't even going fast and Diva still covers the ground.

After this my friend from Georgia rode her twice and then the weather did this:

Yes the 'realfeel' says -21!  And don't let the extended forecast fool (it lies) you we still haven't reached above freezing, fingers crossed for today.

Yesterday for a post finals celebration the sprinklerbandit and I loaded up the horses and hauled over for a quasi lesson.  Alyssa came to and took pictures, woohoo! It was in the low 20's and felt totally passable.  Courage ended up being great and Diva ended up being a pissy mare (apparently they take turns behaving).  Still though she hadn't been ridden in two weeks and I just hopped on.  The worst she did was squeal and kick out.  For a 4.5 year old mare I can't complain.

She reminds me of an equine ballerina

That face

Yes that is ice on her whiskers, at the end of the ride

Working on not being pissy

That is our trainer with my scarf and Courage's cooler

She is starting to look so fancy

In a mood

In the background you can see the hoar frost all over everything and the snow still on the ground from nearly two weeks ago!  I have lots of kitten pics and snowy pony pics too, but I figure this in enough photopuke for one post and now that I'm on break  the posts should be regular again.

So many fun happenings!

Do I need to be studying for a Molecular Biology of Cancer class? Yes.  So it seems like a perfect time to finally update my blog.  I've been slacking I know, but my house is cleaner and my long time friend who lives in Georgia is in town!  Also I was baking up a storm of pies for thanksgiving. YUM!

Apple raisin

Caramel apple

Peach

My kitchen is still recovering from the mess!
I was able to ride all of last week, Yeah!  But now it is raining and that is supposed to continue through tomorrow and then by thursday our lows are supposed to be in single digits.

wtf

I rode Gunner and Gigi and both are doing so very well, makes me happy!

Who needs to see where they are going?

Working on some halfpass

I love my pink scarf

Such a good boy

Redheads unite!

I also did a lesson with Diva, but that will be in the next post:)

The cold comes rolling in

Not much for riding pictures this week as it started with gallons of rain and has ended with a low of 17 degrees!  I did get to break out my quarter sheet and wool socks:

as expected Diva was a star

Diva also got to start wearing her warm and cozy spoiled princess blanket I bought her on sale last spring when I was feeling like I had money to spend.  I love it!

Plus it matches my truck and trailer, win!

I need to pick up some sleepy drugs for her so we can clip her.  By we I mean sprinklerbandit and I will tag team so that we can use less of the expensive sleepy drugs.  I am really wanting a princess crown or tiara on her behind or shoulder or both....

I was laughed at when I suggested this entire emblem

Yeah, so I don't even own any over priced Juicy Couture...but Diva brings out the princess in me, I want her to have all the things!  Also there is this princess, she just oozes cute!  Too bad cats don't like accessories.

no words for the cute level here

The other thing the cold weather brings out in me is my inner queen of the kitchen.  I baked scones.

Serious carb coma after eating these

And since next week is Thanksgiving break and I don't get to go see the Hubby I will be baking away my sorrows.  Ok so sorrows is excessive, but it worked well in my sentence.

Pie anyone?

And for a peek at how my week leading up to break went at school check out this picture. 

The eraser was a present from Husband

That was the start of a Forensic Biology test, ended up being 8 full pages of hand written calculations. Nerd.

Finding the time

Contest plug: More amazing soap, I really really want this!
Life is crazy and I haven't been good about a regular blog for a few weeks.  Something about school, and homework, and horses, and kittens, and such.  The hubby ran a great 2nd with our horse 'Speedy' down in Phoenix, and he is looking to enter a first time starter for a client next week.  He is enjoying toasty toasty temps, while here at home I wimped out on going to the show this weekend.  I was just going to enter at the gate so it isn't like I lost entry fees or anything.  We woke up Saturday morning to this:

A solid 2 inches of snow!

So instead of showing we cooked, it was delicious!

 Instead of marinating for 4 hours we cut up the chicken in to bite size pieces and marinated for 20 minutes.  Then dumped everything in a grill pan for 10 minutes.  Then spooned of liquid into a sauce pan with just a pat of butter and simmered it while the chicken cooked.  Came out perfect.

Get in my tummy!

I forgot to tell you all, I rode Diva on Friday and jumped in quick course at dusk and she felt great!  We even did a new scary jump, and she was all, 'what scary jump?'

Sunday the sun came out so we tacked up and rode.  Diva was again amazing, she was coordinated and scopey (my computer doesn't think this is a word, where is a practical horseman dictionary) .  My phone camera said the sun was too bright and proceeded to get awkward timed pictures, oh well, she was still great!

the non-scary jump 

2'3" here, highest one yet!

We didn't knock over a single jump, that is a first for miss priss.  Then sprinklerbandit shared her amazing C-rage and while I will leave it to her to share all about it, here is one picture.

wowzers

He is so freakin scopey, seriously!  While I can imagine galloping across fields with Diva and jumping big tables and brush fences, I can imagine Mr. Courage winning all the jumper classes!  It just feels like he levitates into the air and then lands ready for anything!

Ok homework is calling, waiting til the last minute and all:)

The clipper monster

So I forgot to mention that we finally found out what gets Diva's goat.  Clippers.

Yup she looked like this guy (who is a total diva, I may or may not have used to watch ANTM)

After our great ride on Sunday I untacked in the cross ties and then went to clip her whiskers.  I turned them on, no response.  I put them near her nose, no response.  Now she is off the track and our racehorses can be clipped without a halter, bad news, she wasn't in our barn.  I touched her nose with the clippers and cut exactly one hair and she went all:

Only instead of a hurricane it was clippers

I have never seen her get worked up beyond a twitchy ear.  Needless to say, she still has whiskers.  I will me adding clippers to my brush bucket and she will be getting rubbed with them everyday.

I rode Bridger on Monday and he finally stood still at the mounting block, win!

I rode Diva tonight and she was fun as usual.  We worked on w/t/c and got the right lead on the first try!  Then we worked on standing still, very difficult indeed.  She seems to have gotten it into her head that since she is the best at lots of things that she no longer needed to stand on a long rein, or ground tie.  By the end of the ride she was standing still, and when we untacked the leadrope was on the ground and she didn't take a step, yeah for brains!

Moon ears

Power is hooked up in the tackroom now, yeah!

 Earlier today I rode Gunner, his dressage is really coming along!  His canter actually had some self carriage.

Look mom no feet on the ground

Sit up Lindsey sit up!

Finally I have another sunset for you:

Another great weekend

My prize from twopointober came in the mail from L. Williams, complete with the sweetest hand written card.  Yeah for cards!  I can't wait to try the products, but winter is upon us, so it may have to wait until spring.  At which point Diva and Mojito can be the shiniest softest horses ever!

Back to the weekend, Diva jumped like a champ.  Friday Sprinklerbandit came over and rode Bridger and I rode Diva on the flat and they were both pleasant.  Well, Bridger was nice, and Diva was a bit pissy.  I was cracking up at her ill fated attempts at bucking.

In the attempt to buck (swishing tail) her canter got more uphill, yeah!

This is getting to be her norm

So cute!

Nice finish to a Friday

Then Saturday was Idaho Dressage and Eventing Association's year end party.  There was a great talk by Trina Atkins about bio-mechanics of horse and rider, there was some really good information.  Then it was raffle ticket selling/ check in time where Sprinklerbandit and I manned the table.  Then food, then raffle and awards.  I won a sweet bucket with a fleece grooming mitt, apf, a hat, a bag, and a bath scrubber in the raffle, yeah!  Can't wait to use the apf.  The night ended with some crazy dancing which is always good.

Also got some good kitten love!

On Sunday I loaded Diva up in the trailer and hauled her over to play with some jumps and her buddy Courage.  It was by far the best she has done.  We did  a larger vertical and even a scary black tube.  She had no hesitation, in fact by the time we got the video she was a bit underwhelmed by the jumps and just sort of cantered across them.

Don't judge my position, bleck

She is so cute, and check out that hock engagement!

Possibly a schooling show this weekend, and then a lesson next week.  Yes, an actual lesson on my own horse, I am beyond excited!

I almost forgot to mention, go check out Hillary's contest for saddle soap, I want some so bad.  Like seriously, I will have to order some if I don't win!