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!

Yes you can bend

Diva was thinking maybe she didn't need to.  I rode her yesterday after several days off and she was pretty good.  She started out just a tad bit tense, I took a few trot steps on our circle to make sure there were no bucks or scoots and then off we went for a ride around the property.  She seemed like maybe she had something up her sleeve, but I think it was actually just a bit of pissy mareness (I guess sometimes she just can't help it, hey neither can I).  *note: spell check wants to change mareness to maleness...yup that works too, I know many many pissy males.  After our cruise around (during which I was noticing a lack of willing bend to the right) we headed back to the circle for some actual work.  She is so fun it is easy to just keep cruising, but I want her to be the best.  So work it is.  She is kinda funny, as in the trot she bends both ways and feels great, but in the walk if I try to bend right she just braces and falls in.  So around and around we went and I just kept methodically asking for some give, finally she licked and chewed and gave.  Then we were able to do figure eights with soft even bend both ways.  After that we took a break and cruised on the buckle then it was back to work with some of her best trot yet, then more on the buckle.  I was super pleased with her.

Kittens helping with the blog  

Sorry, I didn't even get an ear shot.  I also got to ride Courage yesterday which is always a treat, sprinklerbandit has really been working hard with him and he felt great!

So uphill!

He is going to be so fancy!

And finally a throwback to my first year on racehorses

Also, I changed the blog header.

Bedazzle all the things

Ok guys here it is, a post about how to make sparkly fly bonnets!  Because who doesn't want some of this:

Imagining this with a black bridle and silver clincher

First off, go to a bead store and find your favorite beads.  I'm always drawn to pearls, but beware they don't sparkle in the sun.

So many sparkles!!!

Try to keep with one or two general colors, unless you want a rainbow bonnet.

I want the purples on a grey bonnet

Also pick up some filament (heavy fishing line works, good bonding time with the hubby at Cabella's anyone?) and some clamp shells.

These are for the ends

First cut a generous piece of line, string on a shell and a small metal bead

This is also how you finish the strand so these pictures work for both

shell plus bead

Strand back through the hole in the shell and pull tight

Clamp the shell shut with pliers

After the first end is on string on the beads.  I like to lay out a pattern on a towel so they don't roll away.  I am rather OCD so I really like a perfect pattern, but with all the sparkle and the distance that this will be seen from it doesn't matter too much.

Strand 1 under construction

Me being OCD

Strand 2 under construction

After you have the strand finished off pin it on the bonnet

Lay it on

Pin it

Sew it on.  You can stop there or add another strand for crazy bling

Give it a try, go crazy.  

So if you read this and are feeling totally overwhelmed, sprinklerbandit and I are thinking about making these to sell, would anyone be interested?

WooHoo!

I can't believe I won!  I thought for sure someone would grind it out longer than me.  Thanks to Hillary and L for a fun contest and a great month of twopointober!  I can't wait to check out the prize:)

:)

Day one

Random practice

Almost final

Final final

While I'm not taking the stirrups off my saddle for the next month I do think I will remember to do a little no stirrup work here and there.  That is something I always 'put off til later' so I'm committing to doing it once a week.  I ride too many wacky horses on wacky terrain to do more than that!  Congrats to all the people that stuck it out and made their friends wonder about the self infliction.