Garden

I thought I would post a few pictures of our garden for this year. We have a 4 x 8 raised bed and a few rows next to it.



Last year the only things that lived were the squash and zucchini plants. This year we've had a small amount of peas and a few squash with everything else still growing and really green. I have high hopes for the tomato plants, they are already bigger than last year's plants ever got. It's been really hot the last few weeks so I've been waiting for everything to die. I've been watering every two days and that seems to be sufficient while we have triple digit temps, when it was cooler I could wait another day between waterings.



If things work out well we will be adding one more 4 x 8 bed next year. Since we have to be very careful with our water usage we can only add one bed at a time until we are sure we have enough water to keep the plants alive.

Tagged

I've been tagged so here it goes...

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?

I had a 2.5 year old and a newborn and was working at an insurance company as an underwriter. It was a bad time for us since we were living in a dumpy rented house in a less than great area. I went back to work when Malachi was 6 weeks old so I was often depressed.

2. What are 5 things on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order):

I'm supposed to have a list?
I need to sew, the stock in my store is really low (which is a great thing!)
I need to get in touch with the farrier for Amigo
Laundry
Sewing
Sewing :)
It's too hot to do much else :)

3. Snacks I enjoy:

Most things milk chocolate, peaches, any type of bread

4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

Move
Get rid of all debt
Support missions of my choice
Get a few more horses :)
Help out some friends

5. Places I have lived:

Newport Beach, CA
Lake Forest, CA
Amboy, IN
Hotchkiss, CO
Lake Isabella, CA

6. Jobs I have had:

Waitress/Trainer
Gallup Poll interviewer
Newspaper delivery driver
Insurance underwriter
Math teacher

7. 6 Peeps I would like to know more about (in no particular order)

Marie
Cheryl
Elizabeth

I'm not sure who has already been tagged so I'll leave it at 3 :)

Amigo

We have a new addition to our menagerie. Amigo is a 10 year old Arabian horse.



He belonged to an older woman who recently died and her grandchildren didn't want him. He is gentled and did well during the hour Lorna rode him this morning. Even though he hadn't been trailered in 3 years he walked right into our trailer for the long ride (90 miles) home. The guy we bought him from breeds and trains quarter horses and didn't want this particular horse since he has little use for a gelding. He was open and honest, answering each question we had and riding the horse so we could watch what Amigo could do. He was quick to point out all of his horses' faults. It was a great buying experience for us.



The guy wasn't able to catch Amigo but I was able to walk right up to him and Lorna put the halter on him. Amigo gets along great with Ginger and he enjoyed the first of many grooming sessions when we got home. Lorna will start working with him tomorrow since it's been about 3 years since he's been really ridden. He needs to build up some more muscle and get used to being ridden daily. Once we know him a little better Malachi will be able to ride him.

No Reservations

We watched this movie tonight and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. It was sweet, simple, and clean. There was no nudity,no bad language, and only one scene that alluded to the couple having a physical relationship outside of marriage. Since it was about cooking it made me really hungry :)

We really needed to watch something fun and uncomplicated since we spent the day sitting at a yard sale in triple digit temps. The kids only sold $9 worth of junk for all that effort but strangely they are ready to do it again next Saturday.

Arggg!

I keep wondering how many things can go wrong in one day...

I ordered some fabric for my store back on May 12th; it shipped out 2 days later and I still haven't received it. It was coming from Canada and got lost somewhere. I called the fabric place last week and had them put a trace on the package. They promised to call back on Friday but didn't. I called Monday to see what was going on. I got a call later that day from Canada Post who asked if I had received my package. The guy was really nice and said he would let the shipper know the package was lost. I talked to the owner of the store on Wednesday who said she would be shipping out a replacement order yesterday. We decided to try UPS this time so I gave her my street address. Today I received an email from Canada Post saying they received a package for shipment. Problem! The address is the one for UPS and not the post office since they refuse to deliver here! I called the shipper again and explained the problem, they were hoping to catch the package. I'm thinking I won't be ordering from them again unless I can't find what I want anywhere else, their customer service is horrid!

Not 2 hours later I received a UPS email for a different shipment from an Ebay seller, the address was wrong! They forgot the street name. When we called UPS they said we had to contact the shipper since the package hadn't been picked up. We didn't catch them in time so I'm really hoping UPS gets it here. We are in their system for address problems, and misaddressed packages usually get here okay, but it's frustrating!

There were a few more minor hiccups today that were added in. I figure I've had my share of frustration for the month so it should get better :)

June Gymkhana Video

Paul finally got the video uploaded as you can see. I had no idea the camera picked up sound as well as video so just ignore the commentary in the background :)

June Gymkhana

Saturday was the last show of the season. The next season begins in September so we have 2 long months without a horse show.



Saturday had it's ups and downs. Lorna and Ginger did great overall. They got 5 first places in their division and one no time. The no time was for a broken pattern, that was the down of the day. Since Lorna had enough rides as of the last show to earn her belt buckle for the year she was able to concentrate on just having fun and improving her times and control. I know that next season she will be working on cleaning up her rides, the faster she goes the more difficult it becomes.



Malachi added to his stash of money from manure scooping and is now seriously considering the purchase of his own horse. The horse market may be soft but we haven't been able to find anything that would work for him in his price range. We are considering adopting a mustang since the kids' riding instructor also trains horses. The adoption fee added to the training fee is within his reach and he would have a great horse that would serve him for many years. We still have a bit more considering to do since we would have to build a special corral to comply with the BLM regulations.

I learned how to record videos on our digital camera but haven't been able to upload it as of yet. Our connection is too slow so Paul is gonna try it at Starbucks later today :)

Comfort

There is a great comfort in attending the Divine Service and knowing the liturgy being used. We found a church that we feel we can live with. We've attended a number of times but yesterday was the first time I've really felt comfortable there. The church uses different liturgy settings depending on whether they are celebrating the Lord's Supper or not. Right before we started attending, the pastor and organist decided to teach the congregation a new setting to be used on Communion Sundays. For the past couple of months they have been learning the first setting in LSB, yesterday they went back to the setting from TLH.

Even with stumbling over the changes in the confession and creed, it was so comforting to use something familiar. Instead of wondering what was coming next I was able to concentrate on the words. Since the pastor doesn't want any one setting to become rote he will be using this setting on the 2nd Sunday and the other one on the 4th Sunday with something else on the rest of the Sundays.

Since this church is still over an hour away we cannot attend every week. We've been attending twice a month, on Communion Sundays, and I can now look forward to the 2nd Sunday of each month.

Another Dress

I've had this fabric for a couple of months but just got around to finishing the dress.



It's the same pattern as this dress with the new bodice supplement I purchased. This one closes with two drawstrings instead of buttons. I have to admit that I prefer sewing this bodice over the one with buttons; I just don't like doing buttonholes even though my machine basically does them itself.



Lorna was able to wear it to church this morning and we found that if you slouch while sitting the bottom drawstring likes to pull open. Since you are supposed to wear period correct underpinnings you don't have to worry about exposing yourself but it still looks bad. I added an hook and eye at the bottom drawstring to alleviate this problem. It also keeps the dress from opening when little brothers pull on the ties :)

Car repairs

The timing belt in Paul's car broke without warning yesterday. After having it towed to a mechanic and having it diagnosed, it looks like the belt took out a couple of valves as well. Of course it's not covered under the warranty. This is after we payed for the yearly registration, replaced the windshield, and fixed a leaky oil seal over the last month. The car was still a great deal but I wish we could spread these repairs out over a year instead having them all happen at once.

Thankfully we have had 2 calls on the old horse trailer we recently listed for sale. I'm hoping to have it sold before the repairs on the care are finished. Our life is never dull :)

Passions

We all have our passions, things that we believe really strongly in and want to share with others. Over the years I've learned that instead of telling people you know the answer to their needs you can only offer what has worked for you. You offer it without making any assumptions about whether it will work for them or if it is the best course of action in their particular situation. You don't denigrate their current practices and dismiss what others have found that works.

We all have differing resources and abilities. The perfect solution for one person isn't going to necessarily work for another. Assuming that there is only one solution is naive at best.

Those of you on Loopers understand what I'm talking about. I have to say that I'm happy I finally said something and I now know for sure that I'm not alone :)