3 months ago Paul was head hunted by a competitor of his current employer. After numerous interviews and negotiations we had written off the whole idea because the numbers just didn't make sense. Last week the company came back with a better offer so Paul has decided to take it.
Unlike many industries, you cannot give 2 weeks notice. When you decide to change employers you are terminated the day you give your resignation. Today is the day that he hands in that letter and he starts his new position tomorrow.
We are very excited but also a little apprehensive. The position has the means to put us in a much better financial position but there is no safety net, it's straight commission which is something we've never done before. If he didn't know the industry or hadn't been doing the same type of job for the last 3 years I don't think we would have even considered it. But he has had a very tough year with his current employer and was going to be losing his biggest accounts as of the first of next year. He had been looking for second job for a few months so we would be in a better position when that happened and wasn't having any luck. The new position will allow him to have only one job and I can continue to stay home! We prayed about it and made the decision to go forward, we have faith that God will provide so we are trying not to stress.
Monday, September 28, 2009
School time
This is one of those hurray for homeschooling posts!
I actually buckled down and started school 2 weeks ago. I ordered the few books that we needed, high school stuff is expensive, and it arrived last week. I haven't had time to plan out our year yet but we had a number of things that I wanted to finish up before we started anything new.
Lorna is out riding this morning so I figure that she's doing PE and getting some socialization at the same time since she's working with the endurance trainer :) As I talked to a few of the girls that ride in our gymkhana club over the last few weeks I was saddened by how rarely they get to ride. They have to get up for school around 6am and they don't get home till after 3pm. They also have tons of homework so there really isn't any time for them to ride during the week. Even their weekends are spent catching up on homework and other things that just don't get done during the week. They don't have time for much of anything. That is in contrast to Lorna who rides every day (she usually has time to ride more than one horse), she gets to volunteer at the vet once a week, and she gets to go out to work with the endurance trainer once a week. She's having absolutely no problem keeping up with school, still has time to read for fun, participate in Sweet Adeline's, and has started sewing a crazy quilt. Oh, she also gets paid to ride someone else's horse once a week since it needs more exercise then they have time to give it. Sure there are some days that are busier than others but we have the flexibility to rearrange things if need be.
I'm not saying that homeschooling is perfect because it does have its drawbacks. With a little effort to find opportunities to supplement what I do at home with the kids, I think they are getting a well-rounded education with lots of free-time to explore their own interests.
I actually buckled down and started school 2 weeks ago. I ordered the few books that we needed, high school stuff is expensive, and it arrived last week. I haven't had time to plan out our year yet but we had a number of things that I wanted to finish up before we started anything new.
Lorna is out riding this morning so I figure that she's doing PE and getting some socialization at the same time since she's working with the endurance trainer :) As I talked to a few of the girls that ride in our gymkhana club over the last few weeks I was saddened by how rarely they get to ride. They have to get up for school around 6am and they don't get home till after 3pm. They also have tons of homework so there really isn't any time for them to ride during the week. Even their weekends are spent catching up on homework and other things that just don't get done during the week. They don't have time for much of anything. That is in contrast to Lorna who rides every day (she usually has time to ride more than one horse), she gets to volunteer at the vet once a week, and she gets to go out to work with the endurance trainer once a week. She's having absolutely no problem keeping up with school, still has time to read for fun, participate in Sweet Adeline's, and has started sewing a crazy quilt. Oh, she also gets paid to ride someone else's horse once a week since it needs more exercise then they have time to give it. Sure there are some days that are busier than others but we have the flexibility to rearrange things if need be.
I'm not saying that homeschooling is perfect because it does have its drawbacks. With a little effort to find opportunities to supplement what I do at home with the kids, I think they are getting a well-rounded education with lots of free-time to explore their own interests.
Friday, September 25, 2009
September Gymkhana
Our first show of the season was last Saturday and it well for our kids. Paul has been voted on to the board for the club and volunteered to help get the arena ready ahead of time, this along with the fact that I help run the booth where we take money and record times on show days, means we are starting to see some of the things that go on behind the scenes which isn't so fun. We are trying really hard not to let this affect our attitudes...
Malachi and Amigo have worked together most of the summer which was evident! Their times are still improving and the patterns were very clean for the most part. One of the things that Malachi learned this show was that when you are going faster and you need to stop in a certain area you need to let the horse know earlier. He blew through the back of the chalk keyhole because of this. Other than that they did great!
Lorna rode both of her horses. Lorna worked really hard with Sierra all summer and I could see a major difference. They seemed more comfortable with one another and the patterns went really well. Lorna is extremely hard on herself though so she is not thrilled with their times even though they improved most of them. They received high points in their division because they were consistent. Lorna's going to work on letting Sierra go a little more so they can get a bit more speed but stay controlled.
Lorna's new horse, Studmuffin, did remarkably well considering he had never done any of these pattern before and had never been in an arena to our knowledge. He listened well to what Lorna wanted and by the end was starting to anticipate what Lorna was going to ask of him. One thing Lorna has found is that he works better with spurs. She's able to get him to turn obstacles with very little pressure and the turns are better. Spurs aren't really used to kick the horse with, generally you use them to put pressure either with your right or left leg. When you use your right leg the horse understands you want to go to the left. Some people may use them to kick their horse hard but any tool can be abused. Lorna doesn't need them when she's out trail riding Studmuffin but will be using them for gymkhana so she doesn't have to pull on the reins and bit so much.
Malachi and Amigo have worked together most of the summer which was evident! Their times are still improving and the patterns were very clean for the most part. One of the things that Malachi learned this show was that when you are going faster and you need to stop in a certain area you need to let the horse know earlier. He blew through the back of the chalk keyhole because of this. Other than that they did great!
Lorna rode both of her horses. Lorna worked really hard with Sierra all summer and I could see a major difference. They seemed more comfortable with one another and the patterns went really well. Lorna is extremely hard on herself though so she is not thrilled with their times even though they improved most of them. They received high points in their division because they were consistent. Lorna's going to work on letting Sierra go a little more so they can get a bit more speed but stay controlled.
Lorna's new horse, Studmuffin, did remarkably well considering he had never done any of these pattern before and had never been in an arena to our knowledge. He listened well to what Lorna wanted and by the end was starting to anticipate what Lorna was going to ask of him. One thing Lorna has found is that he works better with spurs. She's able to get him to turn obstacles with very little pressure and the turns are better. Spurs aren't really used to kick the horse with, generally you use them to put pressure either with your right or left leg. When you use your right leg the horse understands you want to go to the left. Some people may use them to kick their horse hard but any tool can be abused. Lorna doesn't need them when she's out trail riding Studmuffin but will be using them for gymkhana so she doesn't have to pull on the reins and bit so much.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Horse Events
I've held off posting about Lorna's adventure with the Jr Queen competition because of all the emotions involved.
Short story is, she didn't win. She is glad that she tried it but it isn't something she wants to ever go through again. She put a tremendous amount of time and energy into practicing and getting sponsors (although we drove her to the businesses it was her responsibility to do all the asking) and the day itself was really long. She took this very, very seriously and most of the other girls didn't so it was frustrating to watch her lose. I can't even say that she really enjoyed the day itself because of the way everything was handled. We are very proud of the way she handled herself throughout that day though. She was a very good sport and made sure to fulfill all the duties asked of her even though she knew she had lost long before the winner was announced. I can't say the same for most of the other girls. I am very glad the whole thing is over and we won't have to be hauling a horse out that direction every week.
That said Malachi had a very good evening at our gymkhana awards banquet tonight. He and Amigo placed 4th overall in the club!
He also received awards for 3 events, attendance, and participation.
Lorna and Sierra received awards for attendance, participation and one event.
In other horse news Lorna bought a new horse a few weeks ago.
She really wanted a horse that could be ridden everyday and one that she didn't have to be careful with since it is so young. The new horse is exactly that. Lorna is still riding Sierra 4-5 times a week and working on a number of tricks but she isn't pushing her very hard because she is only 3.
The new horse's registered name is Shaka Zulu Spirit (not our choice). We've been calling him Studmuffin because he was a stallion when we got him. We had him gelded 2 weeks ago and he has healed up nicely. He has a tremendous amount of energy and is really quick to learn. When Lorna first got him he would walk, trot, and stop. Now she has him loping, backing without any resistance, and side-passing in both directions. He's been ridden out with Amigo all over the neighborhood and they get along pretty well. Because they are of similar size they keep up with one another most of the time. Once he has some more weight and muscle on him he is going to make Lorna a really great endurance horse. We will find out pretty soon whether he enjoys gymkhana or not :)
Lorna's internship at the horse trainer's place has come to an end. Not through any fault of her own, the trainer just doesn't seem to have the time or inclination any longer. Although Lorna is a bit disappointed she has another opportunity that has kind of taken it's place. She's been training with another woman for an upcoming endurance ride. It's been a wonderful experience and she is learning a tremendous amount. I love it when Wednesdays come around because Lorna always comes home with a very large smile on her face. This has given her an opportunity to see a very different style of training and riding. This has led Lorna to alter a few things in what she's been doing with Sierra and she has seen some wonderful results!
Lorna continues to volunteer at the vet 1 day a week. The summer has been very slow so she hasn't had a tremendous amount to do there, we are hoping things pick up soon.
That's pretty much all the horse news. The new gymkhana season starts next Saturday so I'm sure I'll have more to post about then.
Short story is, she didn't win. She is glad that she tried it but it isn't something she wants to ever go through again. She put a tremendous amount of time and energy into practicing and getting sponsors (although we drove her to the businesses it was her responsibility to do all the asking) and the day itself was really long. She took this very, very seriously and most of the other girls didn't so it was frustrating to watch her lose. I can't even say that she really enjoyed the day itself because of the way everything was handled. We are very proud of the way she handled herself throughout that day though. She was a very good sport and made sure to fulfill all the duties asked of her even though she knew she had lost long before the winner was announced. I can't say the same for most of the other girls. I am very glad the whole thing is over and we won't have to be hauling a horse out that direction every week.
That said Malachi had a very good evening at our gymkhana awards banquet tonight. He and Amigo placed 4th overall in the club!
He also received awards for 3 events, attendance, and participation.
Lorna and Sierra received awards for attendance, participation and one event.
In other horse news Lorna bought a new horse a few weeks ago.
She really wanted a horse that could be ridden everyday and one that she didn't have to be careful with since it is so young. The new horse is exactly that. Lorna is still riding Sierra 4-5 times a week and working on a number of tricks but she isn't pushing her very hard because she is only 3.
The new horse's registered name is Shaka Zulu Spirit (not our choice). We've been calling him Studmuffin because he was a stallion when we got him. We had him gelded 2 weeks ago and he has healed up nicely. He has a tremendous amount of energy and is really quick to learn. When Lorna first got him he would walk, trot, and stop. Now she has him loping, backing without any resistance, and side-passing in both directions. He's been ridden out with Amigo all over the neighborhood and they get along pretty well. Because they are of similar size they keep up with one another most of the time. Once he has some more weight and muscle on him he is going to make Lorna a really great endurance horse. We will find out pretty soon whether he enjoys gymkhana or not :)
Lorna's internship at the horse trainer's place has come to an end. Not through any fault of her own, the trainer just doesn't seem to have the time or inclination any longer. Although Lorna is a bit disappointed she has another opportunity that has kind of taken it's place. She's been training with another woman for an upcoming endurance ride. It's been a wonderful experience and she is learning a tremendous amount. I love it when Wednesdays come around because Lorna always comes home with a very large smile on her face. This has given her an opportunity to see a very different style of training and riding. This has led Lorna to alter a few things in what she's been doing with Sierra and she has seen some wonderful results!
Lorna continues to volunteer at the vet 1 day a week. The summer has been very slow so she hasn't had a tremendous amount to do there, we are hoping things pick up soon.
That's pretty much all the horse news. The new gymkhana season starts next Saturday so I'm sure I'll have more to post about then.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Another school year
It's that time again.
I find that I have absolutely no motivation to even think about starting school this year. I haven't even ordered the books we need, although I do have them all saved to a wish list. I keep finding excuses not to order. I figure at this point I might as well wait a few more weeks because everyone has already placed their orders and the place I buy from is usually really backed up at this time of year.
Not wanting to start school seems to be a reoccurring thing for me. Maybe I just enjoy all the extra free time I have when we aren't actually doing school. When the kids were little and we first started doing this I really looked forward to the new school year. I wish I could find that same enthusiasm now!
I find that I have absolutely no motivation to even think about starting school this year. I haven't even ordered the books we need, although I do have them all saved to a wish list. I keep finding excuses not to order. I figure at this point I might as well wait a few more weeks because everyone has already placed their orders and the place I buy from is usually really backed up at this time of year.
Not wanting to start school seems to be a reoccurring thing for me. Maybe I just enjoy all the extra free time I have when we aren't actually doing school. When the kids were little and we first started doing this I really looked forward to the new school year. I wish I could find that same enthusiasm now!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Back update
I had my first check up for my back since I left the hospital.
Unfortunately my fractures aren't healing as quickly as they would like so I have to wear the brace for another 6 weeks. The good news is that I can start weaning off of the brace at night. Last night was the first night without it and I slept so much better! I'm a bit sore this morning but nothing too bad so 2 nights from now I get to sleep without it again! I know it doesn't sound like that big of a deal but it is for me.
Paul has been looking for a second job since right before I got hurt. He's had 2 interviews at Target with a third one scheduled for tomorrow. We attribute much of his success at getting called back to the way he has dressed. The store is interviewing for all positions since it's a new store, so there are lots of people there having interviews. He was amazed to see people in t-shirts and shorts with most men dressed in jeans. We were taught that you show up to any interview, regardless of the type of job, in business clothes. Paul was the only one in a shirt and tie when he was there. Many of the women were dressed in slacks and nice blouses but most of the men showed up in less than professional attire. With the economy the way it is and the lack of jobs out there I would think you would want to give the best impression possible, jeans and shorts just don't do that.
Unfortunately my fractures aren't healing as quickly as they would like so I have to wear the brace for another 6 weeks. The good news is that I can start weaning off of the brace at night. Last night was the first night without it and I slept so much better! I'm a bit sore this morning but nothing too bad so 2 nights from now I get to sleep without it again! I know it doesn't sound like that big of a deal but it is for me.
Paul has been looking for a second job since right before I got hurt. He's had 2 interviews at Target with a third one scheduled for tomorrow. We attribute much of his success at getting called back to the way he has dressed. The store is interviewing for all positions since it's a new store, so there are lots of people there having interviews. He was amazed to see people in t-shirts and shorts with most men dressed in jeans. We were taught that you show up to any interview, regardless of the type of job, in business clothes. Paul was the only one in a shirt and tie when he was there. Many of the women were dressed in slacks and nice blouses but most of the men showed up in less than professional attire. With the economy the way it is and the lack of jobs out there I would think you would want to give the best impression possible, jeans and shorts just don't do that.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Lower taxes?
Most people would rejoice if they received the notice we received in the mail. Our county has lowered the value on our house by $52,000 for tax purposes. Wow! Lower taxes and we didn't even have to ask. But I wonder what this means for us as we are trying to sell our house. I don't think it's anything good.
In case anyone was wondering how the whole trying to sell in this market is going... it's not. We haven't had even one showing. I guess there were initially a few calls but nothing since. We've even tried lowering the price but to no avail. So I guess we will be living here indefinitely. This is a very depressing thought! At least we won't have to pay so much in taxes each year!
In case anyone was wondering how the whole trying to sell in this market is going... it's not. We haven't had even one showing. I guess there were initially a few calls but nothing since. We've even tried lowering the price but to no avail. So I guess we will be living here indefinitely. This is a very depressing thought! At least we won't have to pay so much in taxes each year!
Saturday, August 08, 2009
Wholesale and stuff
I don't have a whole lot to report other than I received my first wholesale order!
I'm really excited, the order was for 60 items and they will be going to a UK store. Of course with my back it's taking me longer than I'd like to get things made up. I never realized all the things I use my back for like cutting, tracing, sewing. I can only sit for an hour or so at a time before I have to get up and do something else.
The heat wave broke so we are finally enjoying some cooler weather. Lorna has started practices for the Jr Queen competition that will take place the first weekend in September. She has sold all of the required tickets in order to compete and has continued to sell more in hopes that she will win the bit for the most ticket sales. Amigo did great at his first practice and he seemed to enjoy himself.
I can tell that summer is almost over since our calendar is starting to fill up with activities again. Gymkhana starts up again next month, which I'm sure the kids are happy about. There seems to be a lack of horse activities in the middle of summer because of the heat.
Malachi has discovered the joys of reading for pleasure. We are now having to take his books away in order for him to get anything done! I was wondering if this was ever going to happen. The rest of us all read voraciously but up until now Malachi couldn't care less whether he had a book to read or not. He enjoyed reading once in awhile but not like the rest of us. Now we can all be seen sitting around the dinner table engrossed in our books and we frequently have to remind Malachi to go to bed because he's so busy reading.
I'm really excited, the order was for 60 items and they will be going to a UK store. Of course with my back it's taking me longer than I'd like to get things made up. I never realized all the things I use my back for like cutting, tracing, sewing. I can only sit for an hour or so at a time before I have to get up and do something else.
The heat wave broke so we are finally enjoying some cooler weather. Lorna has started practices for the Jr Queen competition that will take place the first weekend in September. She has sold all of the required tickets in order to compete and has continued to sell more in hopes that she will win the bit for the most ticket sales. Amigo did great at his first practice and he seemed to enjoy himself.
I can tell that summer is almost over since our calendar is starting to fill up with activities again. Gymkhana starts up again next month, which I'm sure the kids are happy about. There seems to be a lack of horse activities in the middle of summer because of the heat.
Malachi has discovered the joys of reading for pleasure. We are now having to take his books away in order for him to get anything done! I was wondering if this was ever going to happen. The rest of us all read voraciously but up until now Malachi couldn't care less whether he had a book to read or not. He enjoyed reading once in awhile but not like the rest of us. Now we can all be seen sitting around the dinner table engrossed in our books and we frequently have to remind Malachi to go to bed because he's so busy reading.
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Generational
I learned something last night, humor is generational.
The Sweet Adeline's chapter Lorna and I belong to does a yearly ice cream social. Last year was the first time I saw or was a part of the show. It was based around a larger show that was taking place later in the fall. The mini show was sort of corny but not too bad.
This year's show is downright slapstick. I just don't find it funny and my 13 year old finds it downright stupid. Think "I Love Lucy" kind of slapstick. Talking it over with Paul we've come to the conclusion that humor can be generational. I think it can also be regional. We don't find this stuff funny because we grew up with dark, dry humor.
If I had seen this type of show prior to joining this group I would have never attended my first rehearsal. I want to sing. I enjoy the performances where we get up in front of a group of people and focus on singing well and performing choreography that adds to the music not stuff that detracts. But as I was told last night, that's not entertaining enough and people don't want to come to hear us sing. I find that funny since we are supposed to be a chorus!
The Sweet Adeline's chapter Lorna and I belong to does a yearly ice cream social. Last year was the first time I saw or was a part of the show. It was based around a larger show that was taking place later in the fall. The mini show was sort of corny but not too bad.
This year's show is downright slapstick. I just don't find it funny and my 13 year old finds it downright stupid. Think "I Love Lucy" kind of slapstick. Talking it over with Paul we've come to the conclusion that humor can be generational. I think it can also be regional. We don't find this stuff funny because we grew up with dark, dry humor.
If I had seen this type of show prior to joining this group I would have never attended my first rehearsal. I want to sing. I enjoy the performances where we get up in front of a group of people and focus on singing well and performing choreography that adds to the music not stuff that detracts. But as I was told last night, that's not entertaining enough and people don't want to come to hear us sing. I find that funny since we are supposed to be a chorus!
Friday, July 24, 2009
Chores
If you are one of those mothers who does all the cleaning and laundry for the family I'm going to give you a bit of advice, teach your family how to help you now. I can't tell you how glad I am that I have made the kids do their own laundry since they were old enough to reach the washer.
Back injuries like mine mean you can't bend over or lift anything more than 5 pounds. If my family relied on me for clean clothes they would be in a world of hurt since I can't carry laundry anywhere and I certainly can't hang it on the line. Because the kids have been doing their own laundry for years they not only haven't had a disruption in their schedule but they have been able to help with my laundry. The same is true for cleaning the house. My mom has been here for the past 2 weeks helping out but at least I know we will be able to function when she leaves on Sunday. The kids are more than capable when it comes to cleaning because they have done every job imaginable around the house at one time or another. Sure they will have to pick up the slack over the next few months as I recuperate but at least they already know how to clean the bathroom and kitchen.
Back injuries like mine mean you can't bend over or lift anything more than 5 pounds. If my family relied on me for clean clothes they would be in a world of hurt since I can't carry laundry anywhere and I certainly can't hang it on the line. Because the kids have been doing their own laundry for years they not only haven't had a disruption in their schedule but they have been able to help with my laundry. The same is true for cleaning the house. My mom has been here for the past 2 weeks helping out but at least I know we will be able to function when she leaves on Sunday. The kids are more than capable when it comes to cleaning because they have done every job imaginable around the house at one time or another. Sure they will have to pick up the slack over the next few months as I recuperate but at least they already know how to clean the bathroom and kitchen.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Update
Things here are getting back to normal, sort of. I'm up and about a lot more. I've resumed going to Sweet Adeline's rehearsals and Lorna has had a few rides that I've sat through but I'm still sleeping a lot. Today I'm going to try to drive myself to a music meeting, we'll see how that goes since I'll have to forgo the pain meds until I get home.
Lorna's had a rough week where riding is concerned. It's been really hot (105+) so she hasn't been able to ride much, the trainer she interns with has been busy with breeding the last month or so we haven't been going over there much, and she tried out a horse on Friday where some hurtful things were said about her riding ability during the trial. She ended her week on a good note though, she was able to go out riding on Saturday. She rode a horse that she hadn't ridden before and did well. The best part of it was that I got a glimpse of the happy girl I know is in there but that I haven't seen much of lately. The big smiles and chatter afterward reminded me why we do this. She learned a tremendous amount and is looking forward to trying an endurance ride in October.
Lorna's had a rough week where riding is concerned. It's been really hot (105+) so she hasn't been able to ride much, the trainer she interns with has been busy with breeding the last month or so we haven't been going over there much, and she tried out a horse on Friday where some hurtful things were said about her riding ability during the trial. She ended her week on a good note though, she was able to go out riding on Saturday. She rode a horse that she hadn't ridden before and did well. The best part of it was that I got a glimpse of the happy girl I know is in there but that I haven't seen much of lately. The big smiles and chatter afterward reminded me why we do this. She learned a tremendous amount and is looking forward to trying an endurance ride in October.
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Ouch!
I have to say that the ending to our July 4th weekend wasn't good.
The weekend started out great, we were able to visit with some friends down in the LA area. There was lots of food and conversation. It was really nice to get away from the stress in our lives for a day.
Sunday we went out for a pleasure ride. Well it was supposed to be a pleasure ride but Missy freaked out at the end and dumped me on the ground. Our day ended up at the emergency room. I spent one night in our little hospital up here and then was transferred via ambulance to the big city hospital 50 miles away where I spent another night. I have 2 fractured vertebrae and I am very sore all over.
At this point I'm home but there isn't too much I'm allowed to do. I have to wear a brace for 10 weeks 24/7 and then I'll be wearing it a little less each day. It's amazing to see how many friends we really have.
The trainer Lorna works with watched the kids for 2 days since they weren't allowed at the big city hospital. Since we've gotten home we've had food delivered for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. My friends are keeping us covered until my mom gets here in Friday. We've had numerous offers of help that we've had to turn away. I feel so loved and blessed! I couldn't ask for a better group of friends.
The weekend started out great, we were able to visit with some friends down in the LA area. There was lots of food and conversation. It was really nice to get away from the stress in our lives for a day.
Sunday we went out for a pleasure ride. Well it was supposed to be a pleasure ride but Missy freaked out at the end and dumped me on the ground. Our day ended up at the emergency room. I spent one night in our little hospital up here and then was transferred via ambulance to the big city hospital 50 miles away where I spent another night. I have 2 fractured vertebrae and I am very sore all over.
At this point I'm home but there isn't too much I'm allowed to do. I have to wear a brace for 10 weeks 24/7 and then I'll be wearing it a little less each day. It's amazing to see how many friends we really have.
The trainer Lorna works with watched the kids for 2 days since they weren't allowed at the big city hospital. Since we've gotten home we've had food delivered for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. My friends are keeping us covered until my mom gets here in Friday. We've had numerous offers of help that we've had to turn away. I feel so loved and blessed! I couldn't ask for a better group of friends.
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Gift
Some children bring their mothers cards or flowers, my daughter brought me this.
I guess this is what happens when your daughter volunteers at the vet. She got an anatomy lesson and she and the vet dissected the other one. She very proudly came home to tell me how the various pieces and parts worked. I'm glad she's learning and retaining what she sees there but I think I would have preferred chocolate or flowers!
I guess this is what happens when your daughter volunteers at the vet. She got an anatomy lesson and she and the vet dissected the other one. She very proudly came home to tell me how the various pieces and parts worked. I'm glad she's learning and retaining what she sees there but I think I would have preferred chocolate or flowers!
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Jr Queen competition
Lorna has decided to run for Jr Queen at the local team penning.
The riding and interview will be the easiest thing for her, the most difficult thing is the raffle ticket and sponsorship sales. She is required to sell 200 raffles tickets.
Willingly speaking to people and asking them for things is not something I thought I'd ever see her do. The last few months of interning and volunteering at various places has made a tremendous difference though. She has visited 3 businesses so far and received two maybes and one sponsorship. Not a bad start. The vet's office is tomorrow and they have already offered to take some tickets to sell to their customers when Lorna isn't there, Lorna will also be asking them for a sponsorship while she's there. We have a Sweet Adeline's mini-show tonight and the directors have agreed to allow Lorna a few minutes afterward to ask the audience for support. She has also spoken with a restaurant owner in the valley who is just waiting for the printed information to decide what level she will sponsor Lorna at, so I guess she really has 2 sponsorships!
I'm so proud of Lorna for stepping out of her comfort zone to pursue something she really wants! I'll be posting pictures of the practice sessions over the next few months, it should be fun to watch her try to pen a cow!
The riding and interview will be the easiest thing for her, the most difficult thing is the raffle ticket and sponsorship sales. She is required to sell 200 raffles tickets.
Willingly speaking to people and asking them for things is not something I thought I'd ever see her do. The last few months of interning and volunteering at various places has made a tremendous difference though. She has visited 3 businesses so far and received two maybes and one sponsorship. Not a bad start. The vet's office is tomorrow and they have already offered to take some tickets to sell to their customers when Lorna isn't there, Lorna will also be asking them for a sponsorship while she's there. We have a Sweet Adeline's mini-show tonight and the directors have agreed to allow Lorna a few minutes afterward to ask the audience for support. She has also spoken with a restaurant owner in the valley who is just waiting for the printed information to decide what level she will sponsor Lorna at, so I guess she really has 2 sponsorships!
I'm so proud of Lorna for stepping out of her comfort zone to pursue something she really wants! I'll be posting pictures of the practice sessions over the next few months, it should be fun to watch her try to pen a cow!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Name that stone fruit!
I need help.
Does anyone know what kind of stone fruit this is?
We received a number of them in our weekly produce box but cannot figure out what they are. I'm not adventurous enough to eat them without knowing what they are and how to tell if they are ready to eat!
Does anyone know what kind of stone fruit this is?
We received a number of them in our weekly produce box but cannot figure out what they are. I'm not adventurous enough to eat them without knowing what they are and how to tell if they are ready to eat!
Monday, June 22, 2009
June Gymkhana
Saturday was the last show for the season for our gymkhana district. I have to say that this was just not a very good season for Lorna. Sierra came down with a cough on Wednesday evening and it got worse on Thursday so we had to take her to the vet on Friday. The cough wasn't anything serious but the vet said she shouldn't be ridden for 3-4 days so her airways could have a chance to become less irritated. Of course this meant Lorna wasn't able to ride her on Saturday. She did have Missy to ride in schooling runs but she didn't receive any points towards year end awards.
Malachi had an off day, actually quite a few of our riders had an off day, but he still improved his best times on 4 events. Overall this has been a great first season for him, it's hard to believe he's only been riding for a year! Since most of his times have been in the A division (higher than the FC division he's actually in) he will be bumped up to the A division next year. His goal is to be running AA times by the middle of next season.
Missy continues to do really well. She's gained quite a bit of weight and is slowly building muscle. Lorna was able to lope her through a number of events and she was a really good girl. She's the type of horse that just really wants to please. I will be taking a few lessons on Missy over the summer so that she and I can build our confidence so we can do longer trail rides.
Lorna doesn't really have any goals for next season. I can tell that this year was really discouraging for her and I'm not sure what her plans are. Part of the problem is that it's difficult for her to watch everyone sailing through the events on these wonderfully trained horses (Malachi included) and getting these really great times while she continues to struggle with a green horse. When she rides her trainer's gymkhana horse in schooling runs she has a blast! I'm confident, if she can continue struggling through and working with Sierra, they will eventually be a really great team but it's going to take a few years to get there. I'm really hoping the next few months will see Sierra maturing so that they can progress a bit more. The most difficult thing for her right now is that she had to back off of training because Sierra was not mentally ready to go any further. I really miss seeing her smile when she rides and I haven't seen much of that over the past few months. She's considering running for Jr Queen in a small local rodeo in September. This particular competition is heavy on the riding with no modeling and only a short interview. She would be riding Amigo for the Queen run, pattern, and cow penning. If she decides to do this maybe it will give her something to focus on and look forward to.
Malachi had an off day, actually quite a few of our riders had an off day, but he still improved his best times on 4 events. Overall this has been a great first season for him, it's hard to believe he's only been riding for a year! Since most of his times have been in the A division (higher than the FC division he's actually in) he will be bumped up to the A division next year. His goal is to be running AA times by the middle of next season.
Missy continues to do really well. She's gained quite a bit of weight and is slowly building muscle. Lorna was able to lope her through a number of events and she was a really good girl. She's the type of horse that just really wants to please. I will be taking a few lessons on Missy over the summer so that she and I can build our confidence so we can do longer trail rides.
Lorna doesn't really have any goals for next season. I can tell that this year was really discouraging for her and I'm not sure what her plans are. Part of the problem is that it's difficult for her to watch everyone sailing through the events on these wonderfully trained horses (Malachi included) and getting these really great times while she continues to struggle with a green horse. When she rides her trainer's gymkhana horse in schooling runs she has a blast! I'm confident, if she can continue struggling through and working with Sierra, they will eventually be a really great team but it's going to take a few years to get there. I'm really hoping the next few months will see Sierra maturing so that they can progress a bit more. The most difficult thing for her right now is that she had to back off of training because Sierra was not mentally ready to go any further. I really miss seeing her smile when she rides and I haven't seen much of that over the past few months. She's considering running for Jr Queen in a small local rodeo in September. This particular competition is heavy on the riding with no modeling and only a short interview. She would be riding Amigo for the Queen run, pattern, and cow penning. If she decides to do this maybe it will give her something to focus on and look forward to.
Eggs!
We finally found our first egg yesterday! I would have taken a picture of it but by the time we found it it was crushed.
I say we finally "found" our first egg because the egg was a pretty decent size which means we've probably missed some of the really small ones. Today Lorna found a really tiny egg in the run and a medium sized egg in one of the nest boxes.
The chickens will be 21 weeks old on Wednesday so it's about the right time to start seeing eggs. We have 2 chickens that will lay blue/green eggs so I know they haven't started laying yet. The silly chickens that are laying right now don't seem to realize they are supposed to be laying in the morning, we've only found eggs in the afternoon.
On a completely different topic, our house is finally showing on the MLS. I have a really hard time being patient so I'm sure I will get some practice over the next 6 months.
I say we finally "found" our first egg because the egg was a pretty decent size which means we've probably missed some of the really small ones. Today Lorna found a really tiny egg in the run and a medium sized egg in one of the nest boxes.
The chickens will be 21 weeks old on Wednesday so it's about the right time to start seeing eggs. We have 2 chickens that will lay blue/green eggs so I know they haven't started laying yet. The silly chickens that are laying right now don't seem to realize they are supposed to be laying in the morning, we've only found eggs in the afternoon.
On a completely different topic, our house is finally showing on the MLS. I have a really hard time being patient so I'm sure I will get some practice over the next 6 months.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Organizing and Cleaning
I've been very lax the last few months. I've cleaned the kitchen and bathroom but not much else. It's difficult to make myself do anything when the house goes back to looking dirty just an hour later. We've talked about putting the house on the market for the past few months. Where we live now is just not conducive to the way our life is going. I've mentioned before that we live up a one lane road that goes up about 2500 feet over 2 miles, towing a horse trailer down that road a couple times a week gets really old. We had talked to a real estate agent last month but gave up on the idea of putting the house on the market because we figured we owed too much.
We received a message last Thursday that the agent wanted to speak with us. It turns out he has someone looking for a home in the area we are in and the price range is right. From the description the buyer gave him it sounds like our home is exactly what he's looking for. We decided we didn't have anything to loose if we put the house on the market so we've spent the last 3 days cleaning. We aren't done yet...
I always forget how many books we have. Paul brought home boxes so we could pack them all up so there was more open space. He didn't bring home enough boxes so we just consolidated everything into 2 bookcase and took the other three out. We also moved everything around to let more light into the house. I don't know why we didn't do this sooner! The house is much more open and spacious with things moved around. Of course we had to pack up a bunch of stuff to do it so that's probably why it was so cluttered.
I still have to do some dusting and moping in the main areas of the house, but I really need to tackle my sewing area in the deck. Trying to sew, package, and store fabrics for my store have made quite a mess in that little area. Today I will be organizing and straightening it out so we can actually get to the dining room table. It's a daunting task so I'm blogging instead!
Even if we don't find a buyer I figure, at the least, I will have a clean house for a time!
We received a message last Thursday that the agent wanted to speak with us. It turns out he has someone looking for a home in the area we are in and the price range is right. From the description the buyer gave him it sounds like our home is exactly what he's looking for. We decided we didn't have anything to loose if we put the house on the market so we've spent the last 3 days cleaning. We aren't done yet...
I always forget how many books we have. Paul brought home boxes so we could pack them all up so there was more open space. He didn't bring home enough boxes so we just consolidated everything into 2 bookcase and took the other three out. We also moved everything around to let more light into the house. I don't know why we didn't do this sooner! The house is much more open and spacious with things moved around. Of course we had to pack up a bunch of stuff to do it so that's probably why it was so cluttered.
I still have to do some dusting and moping in the main areas of the house, but I really need to tackle my sewing area in the deck. Trying to sew, package, and store fabrics for my store have made quite a mess in that little area. Today I will be organizing and straightening it out so we can actually get to the dining room table. It's a daunting task so I'm blogging instead!
Even if we don't find a buyer I figure, at the least, I will have a clean house for a time!
Monday, June 08, 2009
Success I think...
It looks like we found a church!
I've put off posting about it because the cynical part of me kept thinking we would find some practice that would send us running. It's not the best church or the most solid, but there isn't any practice that we can't live with. We still haven't communed yet but that is due to our discomfort with the individual cups that they offer. Because of the distance (1.5 hours away) we aren't attending every week but we are attending every Divine Service that offers communion (twice a month for the "traditional" service).
Yes the church has a "contemporary" service, but we figure as long as we aren't forced to attend we can ignore that part :) Amazingly enough twice as many people come to the liturgical service as attend the other one! It's just really nice to find some place that we can be fed on a regular basis!
I've put off posting about it because the cynical part of me kept thinking we would find some practice that would send us running. It's not the best church or the most solid, but there isn't any practice that we can't live with. We still haven't communed yet but that is due to our discomfort with the individual cups that they offer. Because of the distance (1.5 hours away) we aren't attending every week but we are attending every Divine Service that offers communion (twice a month for the "traditional" service).
Yes the church has a "contemporary" service, but we figure as long as we aren't forced to attend we can ignore that part :) Amazingly enough twice as many people come to the liturgical service as attend the other one! It's just really nice to find some place that we can be fed on a regular basis!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
March Gymkhana Part 2
We had yet another gymkhana today. The day started out really hot but the clouds came in and the wind picked up so it ended up being a really nice day.
Malachi and Lorna both won High Points in their divisions. This was Malachi's first high points! Sierra was a good girl today, not throwing any fits in the arena. She did throw a fit at the trailer when Amigo went off without her. She was so angry she pulled my purse out of the trailer, dumped everything on the dirt and stomped all over it. I'm not thrilled with that but at least she didn't aim for the judges in the arena.
We also took my new horse Missy. Lorna rode her in 5 schooling runs and she did great. You could tell that she was feeling better than the first time Lorna rode her when we picked her up, her ears were perked up and she happily trotted all over the place. She seemed to really enjoy being doing the events so Lorna wants to take her next month as well.
Malachi and Lorna both won High Points in their divisions. This was Malachi's first high points! Sierra was a good girl today, not throwing any fits in the arena. She did throw a fit at the trailer when Amigo went off without her. She was so angry she pulled my purse out of the trailer, dumped everything on the dirt and stomped all over it. I'm not thrilled with that but at least she didn't aim for the judges in the arena.
We also took my new horse Missy. Lorna rode her in 5 schooling runs and she did great. You could tell that she was feeling better than the first time Lorna rode her when we picked her up, her ears were perked up and she happily trotted all over the place. She seemed to really enjoy being doing the events so Lorna wants to take her next month as well.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)