We Have Become A Statistic

It's a rainy Thursday evening here in Indiana, cold and blustery, just plain out nasty.  I am sitting around waiting for laundry to finish, so what better time to do a little bloggin'.

We have officially become a statistic.  I hate this, I have dealt with my husband going from job to job for years, but after 6 years with his last employer, I felt like he had found a permanent home.  Unfortunately, they didn't feel the same way.  Today is day 6 of unemployment.  He's lucky to have lived through the past 4.  I am a creature of habit, and I HATE having my schedule changed.  Oh yes, I hate it very much.  So, this is the first time in 10 years that we have spent a solid week together.  Some of it has been very pleasant, most of it has been irritating, aggravating, annoying and just plain out bad.  It's not helping that it has rained for 3 straight days and I have been trapped inside with him.  I would much rather be doing my normal things at the farm and outside.  I am praying that it gets better.  FAST.  I work at night and therefore sleep in the daytime.  He's up and moving around.  The birds and cat are up moving around.  This leads to a very edgy me.  A very edgy me who is trying desperately to not blow a gasket about his former employer, and I know everyone says it, but they did him dirty.  He had 3 years seniority over 2 other employees, yet they "chose" to lay him off.  I am frustrated, worried and irritated.  I know it will get better, I just hope it comes before it's too late.

So, in my quest to save money, I have been price checking things against other stores in town.  OMG, I am so angry about this!  I cannot believe how much money I have been wasting on groceries!  I checked prices from Main Street Market to Walmart and the difference in just unbelievable!  I thought it would be a few cents here and a few cents there.  Nope, we're talking DOLLARS!  Yes, I said dollars!!!  Some things are more than a dollar and a half cheaper at Walmart.  Seriously.  How can they do this and get by?  Shouldn't that be considered price gouging?  So, needless to say, as much as I dislike Walfart, I'll be spending my grocery money there.  Plus they have the new policy to accept other store coupons, and they price match.  I think I'll fair pretty well if I can just keep on top of things.  (And stick to my list, not venturing out into the rest of the store!)  That may not be so easy coming into the holidays as this is a crazy, crazy time for me, but I'm going to do my best!  I'm going to try and set aside a couple hours on Sunday to check ads and coupons.  My printer is out, so Internet coupons won't be available for me, for now.  That will make it a little tougher, but I am determined to slash my grocery bill and save a few bucks while he's unemployed.  Especially since we are losing $400 a month.  I have to do something!  Looks like I may be in for a second job, which is not going to make for a happy me. Looks like those hand made gifts are going to be a must for me.

Well, here's to things getting better,  I certainly hope it happens soon.

Good morning.  It's finally FRIDAY!  This has been the longest week.  Anyone else out there feel the same way?  Yep, I thought so.
I have been back to riding Dakota, and for the most part she is doing a fantastic job!  She is fighting the bit when I ask her to turn right, but we seem to be working through it okay, just a little fussy about it.  And I'm ecstatic to report that we had our first trot together!  YES!  She did amazing, me-not so much.  Yeah, I have discovered that it's like riding a bike, it does all come back, but after 8 years of not being on a horse and at least 14 years of not riding seriously, I am rusty, clumsy, unbalanced, out of rhythm, and a little nervous.  The nervousness is going away very quickly, however the rest of it is coming back in a slow manner.  She is an amazing little horse, I am such a proud Momma!  She has come through this injury, even without those tendons a sound pleasure to ride!

This is a picture of her playing about a week ago, I was standing in her field and snapped this with my cell.  She is just so beautiful!  I can't help but be so proud of her!

I hope everyone has a wonderful day and weekend!

Be Careful What You Say....

Good morning!  It's sunny and beautiful here in Indiana today, a perfect day if I may say myself.  Too bad I have shopping to do, I'd much rather be outside working with the horses or in the yard.  Ah well....the to do list must come first, especially when the critters need some chow.
I have been seeing a lot of people posting things on Facebook about true friends.  Some times I let things bother me that really shouldn't, but some of this stuff is really getting to me.  Being a person who is always busy, and I mean ALWAYS busy, I feel like it is selfish for people to make these remarks.  Things like, "if you can't make time for me then I don't need you", and "Don't make room in your heart for someone who can't make time for you".  Well you know what, I love many of my friends dearly and I don't always keep in touch very well, but that doesn't mean that I'm not a good friend.  Or maybe it does.  Does the fact that I have so much to do that I barely sleep 4 hours a day, hardly eat and when I see the inside of my home I almost feel like a guest mean anything to anyone?  Really, you want to condemn people for taking care of their lives?  For me means taking care of 3 properties, my ill parents, my animals, my home, conditioning the horses and working.  Yes, so I take care of my life first, but that doesn't mean that I'm not a friend, it means that I don't have much time to play and when I do, I make the best of it with the best people.  I guess it just hurts because I have seen those kinds of posts from people that I consider good friends.  I don't know, maybe I'm just being oversensitive.....

To anyone who feels this way about me, please feel free to give me a hand with my work sometime so that I can play too.  I guess the fact that I don't really complain about my life leads people to believe that I am relatively happy, but I would love to be able to have time to sit down and chat on the phone, catch up on Facebook and hang out whenever I please.  However, until I get some help, that is NOT going to happen.  Either work with me, accept me for who I am, or get the hell over it!  Either way you choose to do it, remember, be careful what you say, you never know who is reading it and who may be hurt by it!

Hope you all have a fabulous day. 

Dance Moms

Good morning all! 

We don't have much time to watch television, so it amazes me the caliber or shows that are on that thing.  I have a few shows that I follow religiously--Fringe, Law and Order: SVU, Dancing With The Stars, and Parenthood are pretty much it.  And those aren't "I'm gonna die if I don't know what happened" shows, just ones I enjoy when I'm home.  So last night I was doing laundry and cruising the channels for something to watch, when I came across "Dance Moms".  Oh my, this show is dramatic to say the least!  What is with those people?  WOW!  I think that Abby knows what she is doing as far as teaching the kids to dance, but those mothers on there....they are a whole different bunch of people.  I cannot honestly say that I would associate with any of them, and they are a bunch of whiny, cry-baby, drama queens!  Give me a break!  I watched a couple of episodes and was floored by the petty things that these women had to say.  They all have a problem with Abby, the dance instructor, for one reason or another.  One doesn't want her daughter doing "ethnic" dances, because it's stereotyping her.  Um, NO, it's teaching her to be able to do ethnic dances for auditions!  Good grief!  Another was griping because her daughters never have costumes.  Well, seems to me if you were concerned about it you would approach the instructor more than 15 minutes before you kid goes on stage.  DUH!  Another mom was complaining because one of the girls gets special attention all of the time and her daughter is mistreated.  Well, okay, I don't know what she means by special treatment, but from what I can tell she treated them all the same.  These women are so jealous of their kids and think the world revolves around them to the point that they seriously need to grow up.  If they are soooooo unhappy with Abby Lee's then why the hell don't they find someone else to teach their kids dance?  Or better yet, let Abby do her job, encourage their kids to listen to her and correct problems that they have and quit being so jealous of your kids!

That's just my honest opinion, but the show did it's job, it kept me watching to see what ridiculousness those petty moms could come up with next!

Happy Hump Day!

Happy hump day!  The middle of the week always seems like it takes forever to get here, but when it does the rest of the week just flies by.  Today it's rainy and chilly out, giving me the fall fever.  I love this time of the year, the leaves changing, the cooler air, and the fall holidays!  Love, LOVE, LOOOOVE Halloween, and I'm excited for it to come this year. 

I got back on Dakota to ride on Monday, and it went well.  She's was seemingly unsure of herself, but after watching the videos back, I believe it was because the ground is so muddy.  She did much better yesterday.  I hope she comes out of this insecurity completely, I would like to go more than 10 steps without stopping.  LOL!  But, with teaching her comes much patience, and I know that just like 2 years ago, when she was a wild child that I thought I would never be able to ride, she'll come into her own.  She has grown into the most gentle, respectful, attentive horse I could have asked for.  She listens very well and is always eager to work.  I am hoping that once she realizes that when I'm riding her she's going to get to go out and see everything, she'll be excited for that too.

Cheyenne has grown so much in the past few months, I have a lot of ground work to do with her, and she's trying my patience at every turn of the hand.  Today she came running at me with her ears pinned back when I came to her field with her grain.  My exact words were, "OH NO YOU DON'T!"  LOL, she thought she was gonna get away with it and got a rude awakening.  I'm not an abusive person, but when she did this, she got a firm smack on the neck.  I then got a grasp on her halter and walked her around until the ears came up and she was more pleasant.  I know they have bad days just like we do, but that is absolutely unacceptable behavior!  She is also pushing into my "personal space" often now, so I have a lot of work to do there.  I am a firm believer in groundwork and manners on horses, I mean who wants to be pushed around by a 1000 lb animal?  NOT ME!  I earned every ounce of respect that Dakota gives me, and I have a funny feeling that I'm going to have to work twice as hard to get the same level of respect out of Cheyenne.  I call her my red-headed step child, LOL, she's so ornery and has the temper of a redhead.  I'm definately working on it, and will continue to do so for eternity.  Dakota will occasionally try me too, so it's an ongoing lesson for them both.  I am currently reading a book by Clinton Anderson, someone who I have just recently learned about.  His Downunder Horsemanship seems to have very good training techniques, so I'm going to work on his program with Cheyenne and see how she reacts.  I sure wish I could afford those DVDs of his, but that is waaaaay out of my price range! 

I have a few ideas for holiday gifts this year, I just wish I could find the time and inspiration to get started.  I actually have had the ideas for a few years and just never accomplished them.  I'm going to really try and sit down tonight and work out a few plans on how to do them and maybe get started.  I need to hold myself accountable to this.  DO IT, dang it!    I will keep you all posted on my progress.  Heck if one of the ideas work out well, I may even try to sell them!  :)  We'll see!

Okay, so I need to get to bed, I have a mountain of laundry to move today and horses who need work too.  Hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday.

Happy Birthday Hubby and Horse Pictures

Good afternoon! I'm up and at 'em early today, lots going on. First off, our cable and internet have been acting stupid for the past few months, and we finally broke down and called Comcast out to fix it. After the guy spent 1 1/2 hours trying to "pin" it on us because we replaced our wiring under the house, it boiled down to the main line isn't set up for digital. Well, now why wasn't that changed BEFORE we were forced to go to all digital? Yeah, I'm not a very happy camper. Especially since I went to bed at 11:30am and was back up at 1:45pm, for this.

The other thing going on--HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY HUBBY, ROBERT! He's officially 30! Time to grow up now, Honey.... :) To celebrate, I thought I'd post a picture of the first time he rode Dakota. I'm so proud of my baby girl, you have no idea! Here it is:

If you look closely, you can see her wound on her right hind leg. Picture was purposely taken from this direction so it's not so gory. We have grown accustomed to it, but it still grosses the majority of people out.

This is a pic of my second ride on her, as I'm not happy with the pics of the first ride. I know, it's silly....

And next are pictures of our new baby, Cheyenne. The first is the day we bought her, she was still wooly with her winter hair and so small. I can't believe how much she has changed in a few months. The second two were taken about a month ago, right before her first bath. Yeah...that was an experience! :)

I have thought to myself several times, "Why in the world did I get two young horses that need so much conditioning??!!!" But after spending the evening with them and having such a great time, I remember why, because I wanted to learn. Oh boy, they are sure teaching me! I love them both very much, I wouldn't trade this experience for the world! I have many, many years to come with both of them and that thrills me to my very core!

Well, I must go corral the dust bunnies now, company is coming at 6!

Hugs & Love,

Gone, But Not Forgotten

Well, Hello! I haven't blogged in over a year, and I doubt very seriously if I have anyone to even read it, but here goes!

I'm going to start with an update on the horses. (Since they have become my life!) We lost Cherokee, the old pony, back in March. He had a twisted gut and there was nothing that could be done for him. I was totally heartbroken, in shock and mad at myself for letting it happen. I couldn't have been more devastated, and spent the better part of a week sitting in his barn balling my eyes out. I miss him so much, he was my big brother and such a huge part of my life. Dakota is doing really well! She still has her injury, though I am happy to report it is only about 1/3 of the size and FINALLY, (Yes, FINALLY!!! After 18 months), starting to heal well. She has complete use of her leg, even without the tendons, and has adapted well. Most people don't even notice that she's got a problem! I got down to business with her in early April, started back into her conditioning after we got the A-OK from the vet to do so. And I'm happy to report that she is doing fantastic with it and WE ARE RIDING HER! Yep, you read that right. The vet seems to think that she will be just fine, I mean she's not going to win the Triple Crown or anything, but just around the farm, she is doing AH-MA-ZING! I'm so proud of her! We also have a new addition to the farm family, Cheyenne, a 13 month old paint horse. She's become the baby and knows how to use it. (On everybody but Mommy, that is!) She had never been handled until we got her 4 months ago. She's doing fantastic too, lots of groundwork put in on her and she's coming around nicely. I'm one proud Mom to 2 amazing paint horses! (And 13 barn cats and all of the critters at the house.)

Speaking of all of the critters at the house, everyone is doing great here, no passages in the past year, which is a blessing! Everyone is fat and happy as usual.

As I type this, my hubby is getting ready to turn the big 3-0! Yep, he's gonna be 30 on Monday, and doesn't seem to give a hoot about it. I think it'll hit him eventually, but so far no reaction whatsoever. I guess that's okay, but I can remember how I felt when I turned 30, in fact I believe there's a blog about it on here..... I'm excited because there's cake. :) HA!

Not a whole lot new going on with Mom and Dad, Dad is the same, and getting a little worse. Mom is having a lot of problems now too, she just recently had 3 teeth pulled and found out that she has pyrhia (sp?) and will have to have the rest of her teeth pulled soon. I can't imagine how she is feeling, but I'm doing my best to support her and help with everything I can.

I haven't sewn anything in quite some time which depresses me deeply. I just can't find the time to do it with taking care of Mom and Dad, the horses and the farm work and the housework. I miss it SO much, you have no idea. It was my creative outlet and now it's getting all backed up itching to get out. But since money is SO tight this year, I am going to attempt to make some handmade gifts. I'll be sure to keep you posted on how that goes. It may blow up in my face and be a total disaster. Especially since I haven't picked up a needle in almost a year!

So, long story short, I'm trying to get some sort of normalcy back into my life and attempting to get back in touch with some long lost friends that I miss so dearly. I hope that they don't all hate me for good, and will understand that my life has been so busy that something had to give and unfortunately, a lot of my friendships suffered. So if you are reading this and care to get back in touch with me, please do! I try to keep up with Facebook...not very well most of the time, but I do my best to check in at least once a day. I'm Christy Heaston-Thornburg on Facebook, look me up! I'm also going to be blogging as much as I can. I look forward to hearing from you all!

Love and Hugs~