Treasured // ...I opened grandma's chiffonier

...I opened grandma's chiffonier

I feel like I've stepped back in time, gazing at this treasury of vintage beige and soft creams.

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Vintage Hat // Basic Beige Bow // Wool & What-not

Harness Training // Day One

This is my friend Glenda and her horse Mariah...

My mom's pony Freckles is trained to pull a cart, and Glenda had the brilliant idea that we should teach Mariah how.  So, we are.  Isn't that an awesome summer project?!  Neither of us have ever trained a horse to pull a cart, so this is going to be a learning experience for all of us, that's for sure!

We took it easy our first day and just got Mariah comfortable with wearing the harness, then the headstall with the blinders.  She's used to be ridden with a hackamore (bit-less bridle), so we started with that.  Eventually we'll begin using a d-ring snaffle bit, but the hackamore is best for now.

It seemed wise to leave the halter on under the bridle for now, and we took turns with one of us holding the lead rope while the other walked behind holding the reins.  Since it was just the two of us, we couldn't really get any pictures of us doing that.  Next time, I'll bring my bro and he can take some pictures.

When it was Glenda's turn to walk behind with the reins, she practiced starting and stopping Mariah using voice commands and the reins.  Mariah is very well trained with voice commands, which made that step much easier.

Mariah took to it all very well!  I thought for sure we'd have a fight on our hands when we put the blinders on, but nope.  Nothing.  We gave her lots of treats and pats for being such a good little girl.

Of course, this is the easy part.  Just wait till we try adding a cart to the mix...;)

Happy Trails, y'all!

Treasured // Pink & Green

Pink & Green Spring {Inspiration}

With the sun shining and fresh green all around, this delicious collection of pinks and greens is perfect!

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Granny Square iPad Cover in Mint Green, Pink, and Cream // Wool & What-not

Purple Houndstooth

Yes, it's the non-fashion blogger with another outfit post!  I've recently been able to buy some super cute skirts and dresses that I normally couldn't afford, thanks to winning a giveaway and using some coupon codes, and I thought y'all might enjoy seeing how I've styled them.

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jean jacket {thrifted}

mint green v-neck tee shirt {Fred Meyer}

heart locket...which you can't really see {gifted}

purple houndstooth print circle skirt {Shabby Apple}

brown flats {thrifted}

nail polish {Essie - St. Lucia Lilac}

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When I won the Shabby Apple gift card giveaway hosted by Bramblewood Fashion (thanks again, Ash!), I knew exactly what I wanted to buy.  It's purple, it's just below knee length, it's 50s style...it's perfect.  And I love the high waistband.  I'm definitely seeing this becoming a spring/summer favorite!  And the jean jacket, you'll be seeing a lot of it until it warms up here. *grin*  I almost wore my Essie Mint Candy Apple polish with this outfit, but decided on the lilac instead.  I'm pleased with the results.

Today there was a potluck at church before they had a church business meeting.  I love potluck Sundays - it's such a blessing to spend extra time with my brothers and sisters in the Lord!  Plus, while the business meeting was going on, I got to help keep an eye on my favorite little girls, Annie, Ruth, and Naomi.  They're so, so cute!  We played in the church nursery for a bit (yes, we played - some of those baby toys are fun!), and then Annie sat in my lap while I read to her.  I love reading to kids but I don't have very many opportunities to indulge, so it was a real treat for me. *smile*

I hope you all had a blessed Sunday, too!

Question: How would you style this skirt?  I want to know!

Keep on the Sunny Side

The Whites - Keep on the Sunny Side .mp3

Found at bee mp3 search engine

Oh my goodness.  This weekend has been really rough, but also wonderful.
Funny how that works.

My two ewes Ingrid and Emma finally lambed.  Ingrid began lambing Thursday evening around 8:00.  Everything seemed to be going well, normal presentation (head and both front legs coming out together), but she wasn't getting on with it.  I wanted her to do this on her own, but at around 10:30 I decided it was time to give her a hand and pulled the baby out.  Unfortunately, it was dead.  Nothing I did revived it.  Also, I was beginning to notice a bad smell.  An hour later another lamb was showing, but after feeling around I discovered that both of its legs were back.  Quite stuck.  I could tell that this one was also dead and the smell was worse.  With my brother holding Ingrid still, I tried unsuccessfully to push the baby back in so I could get at least one leg around.  But it was really stuck.  So, my bro and I switched places.  Thank the Lord he has small enough hands to be able to reach in there!  He successfully brought a leg forward and got the baby out.  I'm guessing that they'd been dead for a while, although not too long since they seemed fully formed.   I have no idea why they died, but I know there wasn't anything I could have done differently.
That is an experience I hope never to repeat.  It was horrible.  But I praise the Lord for being there with us and helping us to get that lamb out without injuring Ingrid!  Also, that it only took us about 30 minutes...that's a huge blessing right there.

Ingrid is doing well, eating, and looking perky today.  We're giving her shots of penicillin once a day for two or three days to make sure of that.  Better safe than sorry, the way I look at it.  I would hate to lose her, too.

But despite that, life on the farm has it's sunny side, too.  This morning when I went out to feed the sheep, I discovered two new faces, a ewe and a ram lamb!

They'd probably been born for about hour or so as they were both up and mostly dry when I discovered them.  Emma didn't need any help and she's such a great mom.  It was a bit windy, wet, and cold today and this evening, but they're all as snug as can be in the lambing pen under the shelter.

Above is the ram lamb and below is the ewe lamb.

I decided to name them Amy and Rory.
For those of you who are not Whovians, Amy and Rory are the 11th Doctor's companions in the British TV show Doctor Who.  And Rory is awesome.  Just sayin'...

That's Amy above, and Rory below.

Amy snuggling with her momma.

Yes, I think Amy and Rory are the perfect names for these two...

*smile*

And here's a few pics of Sweet Pea and Katniss...

Katniss is 1 1/2 weeks old now, and getting bigger every day.  I'm calling her my "monster baby".  Seriously, that's a big baby!  And she never stops moving.  She's probably the most active lamb I've ever seen, although her yearling sister Maggie (aka the Nibblin' Lamb) comes close.  There's a log in the sheep pen which Katniss jumps over.   It's just about the cutest thing ever and she makes me laugh so hard.  Here's a short video of her...

Oh, and pay no attention to what I'm saying while filming.  Well, you can if you want to, but I was talking to my Aunt Lizzie on the cell phone while filming, describing Katniss to her. *grin*

And that's it, lambing is done for the year.  No more midnight trips in the rain to the sheep pen!  I can sit back, relax, and enjoy my lambs.
Happy Trails, y'all!  I hope you all have a blessed Sunday!

p.s.
You've all left such lovely comments on my last few posts!  I haven't had time to respond to them yet, but hopefully tomorrow or Monday.  You're the best readers ever:)

Mauve Lace

While I'm not a fashion blogger by any stretch of the imagination, I think it's fun to share an outfit every once in a while.  I know I find it inspiring to see what my bloggy friends are wearing, and I'm guessing you do to. *smile*  So, here's what I wore to church today...

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jean jacket {thrifted}

embellished stretch lace blouse {thrifted}

denim skirt {Chadwicks}

black flats {Fred Meyer}

This is the first time I wore this blouse, and I absolutely love it!  Very comfortable and feminine, I can dress it up or down, and I love the color.  I decided to go a bit more casual today by wearing a denim skirt and jean jacket.  Thanks for telling me I needed to buy that blouse, Kellie dear!  You were right, as always. :)

I hope you all had a blessed Sunday!  Today's sermon at church was titled "The Ministry of Public Worship".  We read from 1 Corinthians 14, where Paul is talking about speaking in tongues.  The focus was on what is edifying for the worshiper and what is edifying to the entire body.  It was really good!  I love our church so much.  There's so much emphasis on loving one another, and that's very rare these days.

During the sermon I entertained my favorite little girls, Annie and Ruth, by making flowers, hearts, and butterflies out of pipe-cleaners.  My status as Master Pipe-Cleaner Artist Extraordinaire is secure thus far. ;)

Happy Trails, y'all!

p.s.

Still no new lambs.  I'm trying to shake the feeling that my ewes are doing this to irritate me on purpose. ;)

On the Farm | Spring

It's {spring}, people!!
I though y'all might want to see what's going on around here besides lambing.
No new lambs yet, by the way.  Sometimes, my ewes like to fake me out and keep me waiting. *sigh*

tulip bulbs

curious Dewey

getting to use the water hose again...and the water is back on at the sheep pens!  yes!!

shedding Freckles - there's white horse hair everywhere this time of year.

dusty horseshoes

horses who don't want their picture taken

The 10th was my Bobby Boy's 21st birthday!  Happy Birthday, Bob!  I've been blessed to have him since he was 11...goodness, I can't believe it's been 10 years!

spring seeding the pastures...the Bonnie dog was supervising.

waiting for this girl to lamb

floral wellies

Happy Trails, y'all!

Question: what's the first thing you want to do every spring?  I want to know!

Big Baby

Yesterday around 5 o'clock, I felt like I needed to go check on my sheep.  So I walked down there and found this cutie waiting for me...

Yes!  The first of my lambs has arrived!  Sweet Pea had one, big, single ewe lamb this year.  She had triplets last year, and I was hoping for twins this year, but I'm not complaining.  A healthy girl is always welcome!

Judging from how well she was getting around and how dry she was, I'm guessing she was born around 4 o'clock.  Apparently everything went smoothly, which is always a blessing!

I've named her Katniss. *smile*

Here she is today, exploring outside of the lambing pen for the first time...

You can see how big she is!  Isn't she lovely?

Now I'm just waiting for these ladies to lamb...

I could be wrong, but I think Emma (the white faced one) is going to have her's this evening.  She looks like she's getting really close.  But, I could be wrong.  Just have to wait and see. *smile*

Happy Trails, y'all!

Saturday Matinee | no. 7

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PG for some rude content

The Decoy Bride | The famous movie star Lara Tyler is marrying the love of her life James Arber, a bestselling author.  Wanting a simple wedding without being besieged by the paparazzi, they slip away to the Scottish island of Hegg.  But when a particularly persistent photographer follows them and Lara goes into hiding, there's only one thing her management team can do.  Get a decoy bride and fake a wedding! They recruit Katie, an unattached local girl who has given up on love, as their decoy.

Very much reminiscent of a screwball comedy from the 30s or 40s, this film was absolutely delightful from the crazy beginning to the happy ending!  Yes, I watched it in the first place because of David Tennant, but I fell in love with the setting, story, and cast after just a few minutes.  What could be better than a rom-com set in Scotland with the one and only DT?  Um, not much.  The only downside is that DT is playing a British character.  Yep, he doesn't get to use his native Scottish accent.  Tragic.  But DT wearing plaid pants and "playing" the bagpipes more than makes up for that, trust me!  I think the PG rating is fair.  Not really any language to speak of, some innuendo, and yes, some rude/crude content, but nothing to terrible in my opinion.  Well worth watching, and then watching again.

My mom watched it for the first time this week and loved it!  Although she did have a wee bit of trouble understanding what they were saying - if you don't watch a lot of British/Scottish films, it can be difficult to tell what they're saying, especially if they're talking fast.  But the solution to that is watch more British movies!

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PG-13 for some violence and language

O Brother, Where Art Thou? | Loosely based upon Homer's "Odyssey", this is the story of three convicts who escape from a chain gang in 1930s Mississippi to recover the loot from a bank heist before a flood hides it forever.  Everett, Pete, and Delmar have one adventure after another as they evade the law, get baptized, encounter sirens, a cyclops, a KKK lynch mob, and assist bank robber George "Babyface" Nelson.

Right from the beginning, I found this film completely charming and delightful.  Beautifully filmed and acted, not to mention the fantastic music.  Oh yes, the music!  Old-time gospel and bluegrass. *bliss* I just bought the soundtrack the other day because I loved it so much. *smile*

There is a lot of language, so be warned.  The violence is mostly shoot-outs with the law (no one is hurt and it's not graphic), and one cow being shot with a machine gun and another hit and run over by a car (not graphic, although I found it disturbing).  One scene that some might find objectionable is the siren scene.  Nothing bad actually happens, but it's suggested, and the sirens are a bit scantily clad.  The PG-13 rating is appropriate.

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PG-13 for language

The Nanny Diaries | Fresh out of Montclair State University, 21-year-old Annie Braddock is ready to begin her career as a ---- what?  What does Annie want to do?  Undecided, Annie sits on a bench at the park and ends up saving a little boy from getting run over.  When his grateful mother, Mrs. Alexandra X, mistakes Annie's name for "Nanny", Annie is hired to be Grayer's new nanny.  But high society and life as a nanny is more difficult than she expected, especially after meeting the X's neighbor, "Harvard Hottie".

I saw a preview for this film and immediately decided I had to see it because it looked both cute and hilarious.  I was not disappointed!   There's no question that this film is cute and hilarious, but there's also a surprisingly touching message in this story that needs to be heard by more modern mothers these days.   You're little boy is only a child for a short time - don't waste that time.  There are a few scenes that had me in tears, my heart ached for that little boy so much.

I loved Scarlett Johansson as Annie, and who wouldn't love Chris Evans as "Harvard Hottie"?  Who knew that Black Widow and Captain America dated each other once upon a time?  Ahem, sorry, fangirl crossover there... *wink*

There was a bit of content, some innuendo, quite a bit of language (mostly uses of sh*t), but not enough to spoil this absolutely charming story.  The most objectionable scene would be the one where Grayer pulls Annie's pants down in the back just as Harvard Hottie shows up.  You do see Annie's underwear, but she's completely covered.  If you've seen the preview/trailer, than you've already seen the worst this film has to offer.  Not that bad, right?  Also, Annie deceives her mother by not telling her that she's become a nanny.  She does this because her mom has such high expectations for Annie's career.  Lying to your parents is never good, and the fact that Annie does that does bother me, although I can also understand where Annie is coming from.  The PG-13 rating is appropriate in my opinion.

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As I've said before, please do your own research and use your own judgement when choosing films to watch.  Keep in mind that everyone's standards are different and that I'm a 24-year-old adult.
Thanks and happy watching!

Question: What have you been watching this week?  I want to know!

It's awesome.

It's awesome...sitting on the front porch in the sun with a kitty on my lap.  There's still some snow on the ground, but the afternoon sun on our porch feels heavenly.

It's awesome...when you're dad comes back from the feed store with not only the bags of feed he was supposed to get, but a container of apple flavored horse treats.  I have no idea why he decided to get those. He's cute. :)

It's awesome...seeing Megan Follows (aka the Anne of Green Gables) as a guest star in Season 3 of Heartland!!  *squeak*  Actually, that was kind of weird - Anne is Ty's mom?!  But hey, things were already weird, so why not add another suitcase of weird while we're at it!

It's awesome...waking up from a nap and rolling over just in time to see my dog, who was curled up next to me with her face buried in my hair, breath in deeply and let out a huge contented sigh.  Not sure if that was because she was smelling my hair or because she was deep in her doggy dreams, but it was cute either way. ;)

It's awesome...introducing my bro to Robin Hood (BBC) while he was sick this week.  Me: How do you like it so far?  Him: Great!  I really like it!  Coming from him, that's high praise, indeed.

It's awesome...walking along the beach at Farragut State Park.  It was a bit breezy, but it felt so good to be at the lake again!

It's awesome...watching Wait Until Dark by yourself, with all of the lights out. *chills* I can't even watch the last climatic scene all the way through, it's just too creepy!  Possibly even creepier than the shower scene in Psycho...nah, they're both equally creepy in their own ways.  Yes, I do occasionally enjoy being scared out of my mind by a fantastic thriller. ;)

It's awesome...going to church on Easter Sunday.  There's no other Sunday that's quite so special and meaningful.  Because He lives, my faith is not in vain.