Saturday Morning at Sadies (among other things)

I am a planner. I like schedules, order, and routine. Boring? Yep probably so, but I yam what I yam - and wasn't it Popeye who said that? Oookay, that's kinda weird - even for me. Must be all that spinach in my morning smoothies. *laugh* I am, most definitely, a creature of habit (one reason horses and I get along like a house on fire ;o) I try so hard to make allowances for glitches, hiccups and/or any of the various and sundry things that can cause a project (please excuse me for swearing) to fall behind. You know what I just can't figure out though? If I have something that should take two days, so I allow four, why then does it perpetually seem to drag out to six? What in the world am I supposed to do with that much time per "ToDo" in a summer that is flying by at warped (ha) speed? I've been in "pure panic mode" for a couple of weeks now. Does this happen to you? As of this paragraph, I have less than two weeks before I am due to return to reality. I have not ridden at all. Not one time. That may, possibly, maybe, perhaps, have been uttered with a teensy-weensy bit of a whine there. Apologies. The almost patio is STILL not finished - though it's getting closer - and DH is going on vacation (so he can drive me bonkers full time, instead of part time *rolls eyes*). Sometimes I think I spend all my time in a constant state of frustration; do you struggle with that? On the upside [photo inset] just look at the awesome fabric I found for the "patio classroom" table our visitors will be using. I love it! I even found some heavy duty clear vinyl to put over top to keep it nice (I hope ;o) I found it at the Carolina Cotton Company on Etsy (click here to visit the shop). Now all I need is to find someone that knows how to sew, since the edges are unfinished (oops ;o)

True to form, DH is indeed driving me bonkers full time (and didn't I say that very thing a paragraph ago? *laugh*). DH's nephew has come for a visit; we haven't seen him for years and years, and we have been thoroughly enjoying ourselves catching up. DD and her canine entourage came as well, so she could see her cousin, and we are fairly bursting (barking?) at the seams around here. At this point I have been knocked so far off my normal schedule/routine I'm not even sure which way is up (mostly because my eyeballs are completely crossed :oP I am hopelessly behind in my blog reading, among a bazillion other things, *grumble, grumble*, but I hope to be back on track soon! Happily, I did [finally!] get to sneak in a ride which went a long way toward helping me unwind a bit after a stressful couple of weeks. Unhappily, Faith [photo right] had six very bad seizures in a row the week before last. Frantic, DD rushed her to the vet where she was diagnosed with "Cluster Seizures" in addition to her Epilepsy (click here for more information on seizures in dogs). Faith could barely walk for the first couple of days following the seizures. Her mental state had regressed alarmingly (e.g. she did not know her name, forgot her potty training, and did not even recognize DD initially), though she is now, thankfully, improving, she still has a long way to go. Strange as it may sound, Diamond's reaction was a shocking aggression toward Faith (who is her daughter); even going so far as to attack her physically, prompting DD to quickly separate the two. Thankfully, after a few days the aggression disappeared as swiftly as it had come. Diamond is reteaching Faith how to play, and hopefully her new medication will prevent such a frightening thing from happening again. [Photo inset: Faith with her, "Can we come inside now?" face - taken this morning.]

DH's nephew came with his own little (and I do mean little) canine entourage. The most adorable and funniest looking little dog I think I've ever seen. "Buddy" is an English Jack Russell Terrier, which is something I've never heard of (the Jack Russell part, yes, but not the "English" version). Click here to read about the distinctions between the Jack Russell breeds. Faith, whose dad is a Jack Russell, towers over him. Even Diamond (who is mostly Chihuahua with a little Russell of her own tossed in) is taller than he is. Of course he's still a puppy; and a pudgy little one at that. Is he not just the funniest little thing? His personality is just as happy as can be. I think Diamond has a crush on him, though Faith seems to think he has cooties. He is just so doggone cute!  I couldn't resist taking a few more pictures of him for you. The one shot I wanted that I couldn't get, was a full-body photo of him sprawled out on the floor gnawing away on one of his natural chews (a beef trachea). He was literally laid out; stubby little back toes stretched straight out behind him. So funny. He had us all in stitches watching him run and play with  the girls (Faith and Diamond), those itty bitty legs going like gangbusters as he gamboled about with surprising speed and agility. I'll say one thing for him; for all his chunky-monkey appearance, that little guy can GO. Gravy, I'm starting to feel more like a DogBlog here, than a horse one. *sigh* Well. Here are a couple more for you...

He has the cutest little face:

He seemed a little tuckered after coming in from playing with the girls outside:

Guess they really wore him out, eh? (sorry for the blur). Poor little man. *laugh*

Next time I hope to have a small slide show with a handful of butterfly photos; I couldn't quite pull it off in time for this post. Though they weren't as good as I'd hoped for clarity-wise, I think they will be worth sharing. Have a blessed week everyone!

Not too far from here is a marvelous place chock full of junk trash treasures waiting to be discovered. I LOVE going to the Flea Market! Funny thing is, I haven't been there in a really long time (time being the very reason of my absence). When DD and I decided to go, I could hardly wait. I'll admit it was awfully hot, but I wouldn't have missed that for anything. We had a fine time poking through all of things for sale; some of which were quite interesting (and some, utterly bizarre ;o) Like this chair that looks like something from a Hollyweird movie set from 1929. Who needs a Barcalounger when you can park this heinous monstrosity in front of your flat screen? Although I'm sure it's a definite conversation piece, I can't quite fathom the context of that particular conversation (though I can hazard a guess at the general direction of it *giggle*).

What really blew my mind, was the astronomical price tag hanging from the top. Of course now I'll have to go back, if for no other reason than to find out if someone is ridiculous enough to actually cough up 700 Simoleans for it. Can you imagine? Not even if you moved that decimal point three places to the left, buddy. Although, if that's an offer of payment to take it off your hands...

Well, this is as far as I got for this week's post. Not doing too well, am I? We've had quite a bit going on; the details of which I hope to be able to share with you next week. One thing I DID take the time to do for you was to make a ('nother-other ;o) slideshow. I went to a privately owned zoo (McClellands) with my friend Carolyn and her two girls (who I'll call big J and little j for privacy purposes). I mentioned my friend Carolyn a long time ago (this post), when Lori and I had a decorative field day in her guest bedroom. She had made the monumental decision to become a foster parent and had asked us to help her set it up for children. Embarrassingly, I realized just this morning that I spelled her name wrong in the old post. I couldn't remember if she was an "i" or a "y", so I guessed; quite wrongly it seems. Profound apologies, Carolyn! :o/ She's cared for numerous children since that time and endured all manner of criticism for opening her heart and home as a foster parent. As for me? Well, I happen to think it's the most awesomest thing ever :o) I've been blessed to watch her grow even stronger in her faith through it all. Carolyn made the decision to officially adopt the two little girls (you'll see them in the slideshow) awhile back; they had long been the daughters of her heart. I've been equally blessed to watch those two little girls bloom and grow under her loving care. I put descriptions (found top center) on most the slides, though I didn't know what every single animal was. Feel free to enlighten me, if you know for sure ;o) Click on the Reindeer eye in the top left to open it in Lightbox (I hope - had some trouble with this). Email friends can click here. Enjoy!

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Have a blessed week everyone - Hugs!

You know, I make jokes all the time about being chief operating officer of the duct tape and band-aid brigade, but honestly? It's not really all that far from the truth. Sometimes I think nothing around here works when I/we need it. Do you ever have that problem? We seem to be having non-technical difficulties inside and out this week. Why is it (as long as I'm on a min-rant here *laugh*) that I struggled to get my computer and phone to sync, which was supposed to be easy-peasy but developed digital hiccups, yet our refrigerator and oven are deteriorating in perfect synchronicity? The oven has either a malfunctioning keypad or "box". Naturally, both items are heinously expensive to replace, and (of course) there's no way to know for sure which one needs to be replaced (replacing both would be more than half the cost of a new oven). As a result, we're learning to do the "new math". Baking at 400 is done at 399 (the zero doesn't work) and setting the timer for 40 minutes equates 39:59 (because the 1, 4, and 7 don't work either). Pretty annoying, but until I win the lottery (and HaHaHa) I can afford to be annoyed more than I can afford a new oven. The refrigerator has decided it would rather be a freezer, and for some reason it has started freezing anything we put on the bottom shelf. [Photo inset: my duct tape stash - DH calls it 100mph tape}

Surprisingly, DH, his work schedule and the weather all cooperated (a rare happenstance, that ;o) and I was SO thankful considering the twelve foot weeds in the pasture. Too bad the sprayer had a flat tire; one which had no desire to air back up. The tire was unwilling to be removed, a small war ensued, and many bad words were snarled. (Jen bailed in the heat of the battle ;o) Didn't I say I was waiting for the other shoe to drop? Kerplunk. Of course by the time the tire was repaired it was too doggone dark out to spray. Why was I even surprised? The chainsaw has also crumped, which makes perfect sense since DH and I found another tree down in the far back corner of the pasture. It is on the fence (where else?) and though it didn't break - whew! - it did compress it, so we need to get it off before you-know-who finds it and decides to see if Mr. T. still has a vegetable patch in his yard (I am, of course, referring to Mad Max, who else?) While we do have a second fence beyond that one, you can't be too careful when dealing with a hoovenile delinquent, and I'd rather be sane than sorry (and no, that wasn't a typo *grin*) [Photo inset: messy, but you can see how the fence is compressed and just see the trunk in the top left corner of the photo]

One of the things that did go well this week was I got to shoot a bird (bwahahaha ;o) No, no, no, not that kind silly! Anni, if you're 'listening' - I got him I got him I got him! The Cardinal. The one I've been stalking for months. I swear, any time I stepped outside, sans camera, he was right there. If I had the camera with me, he was gone in a flash (HA that was a good one ;o) He'd stop just out of sight and start singing. Mocking me. I know that's exactly what he was doing; the little cretin. I'm pretty sure I've taken about a hundred lousy photos of him, although I think I did get one other shot that wasn't too awful awhile back. Actually, I suppose we had considerably more than just one thing. This is as far as I got with my post this week. Why? Because DD and her entourage have been here for most of it, and she's been helping me with the patio project (excuse me for swearing).
Between DD, Kimby and our pint-sized volunteers (this post), we've gotten quite a bit accomplished in the past two weeks *WOOT* Here is a photo update of our progress (along with a couple of other random and irrelevant shots because, well.... because ;o)

Random like this tiny Carolina Wren who finally paused long enough for me to grab a hasty shot with the camera. They're almost never still, but they are SO cute!

Okay, okay, back on task here. DD helped me lug the half barrel planter around to the patio and I planted some Zinnias in it. Maybe next year I can put a knockout rose in there (that's what I wanted to start with, but the checkbook said NO *laugh*). Have to say I do love the mixed colors and blooms though. Aren't they pretty?

I finally hung the welcome sign my Mom bought me forever and a day ago next to a hanging basket with some Summer Purslane. I'll take an updated photo once it grows a bit more - it's very pretty too. Should I add that people will be coming from the other direction, so that's why it's backwards?

The entourage supervised from their favorite place on the planet: the big drum. I think they like feeling "tall". Faith seems to be saying, "What? We're sunning." (the lawn mower has also been acting up; can you tell? The dogs almost completely disappear in the grass - we can only see their tails ;o)

We got the outhouse sign hung (remember my Picture Happy Potty Post? Click here if you missed it) and the hose minder up. Now I just have to finish painting the sink so DH can hook it up and we can have water! *WOOT* Not the best shot, but you get the idea...

I tried to capture a bird perched high up in the tree top, but he took off. I still got him, but it's definitely not the crisp, clear shot I was looking for (guess I'll take it, though ;o)

The best thing? I finally finished painting the horse DD cut out for me a REALLY long time ago and we hung it up by the sink. I've got another neat welcome sign made out of horseshoes that I think I'll put up there (we want our visitors to feel really, really welcome *laugh*). We also moved one of Bella's pedestals over by the sink so little kids could borrow it to wash their hands after visiting the horses. I think she did an awesome job. What do you think?

I have to say, we were all pretty doggone (hee) worn out by the end of each day. We got quite a bit done; though there's lots left to do. I really hope there aren't any horrible errors and/or typos in this post, as I have not been very diligent in my proofreading this week (I'm pretty doggone tired myself). If I've made any, please accept my profound apologies. As for now, it's time to get back to work. *groan*

Have a blessed week everyone!

Beyond Blessed and Scared to Death

July? JULY?!? What do you mean it's July? Where the heck did June go?? Oy. I think I have whiplash. *facepalm* I can't believe the summer is half over already! Well, at least for me it is. Seems the PTB's (Powers-That-Be) have once again changed our school calendar and we're back to work at the end of July. Probably wouldn't have been so bad had we not just finished up the school year in the first week of June. *sigh* I feel like I've spent the whole month running around like a lunatic and have precious little to show for it. Outside of wearing myself out, that is. My grand plan (and hahaha, right?) was to spend most of June outside playing *ahem* working with the horses and finishing up outdoor projects, then migrate indoors to work on our online stuff because it just gets so doggone hot outside in July. And what in the world was I thinking, making plans? Raspberries! As I mentioned in last week's post, the temperatures here have been bizarrely high and the heat indices were off the charts so I reluctantly flipped my summer around and started on the indoor stuff. Has it been crazy hot at your house? A week or two ago, I started working on our website (a behind the scenes total overhaul) and wouldn't you know it? Now that I'm hip deep in edits, the temperatures have dropped back into the normal ranges, so you know what that means. The website might have to wait a bit longer *rubbing hands together with glee* 'cause it's GAME ON. I'm coming to get you Maddeus Maximus! Mwah-ha-ha-ha...
[photo inset: A droopy little dragonfly who stopped to rest for a bit on a nearby post at feeding time when it was so heinously hot. I know just how you feel buddy ;o)

THIS is the gate for Max's stall; broken in several places and hanging drunkenly from its hinges. Isn't it lovely? (I'll interject an apology here for the obnoxious weeds in the background. We've had quite a bit of rain recently and they are currently thriving - it's on "The List" *sigh*) You'd think it was 500 years old as sad and broken down as it is, but it's not. No, this is a relatively new gate. Its two predecessors (which were constructed using 2x4's) met fairly quick and untimely deaths, so the third generation replacement (this one) was constructed using far sturdier 2x6's. Yes, well. Although it has lasted longer, this gate was also doomed from the start due to a certain BLOCKHEAD WHO WON'T STOP STANDING ON IT!!! *snarl* I am, of course, referring to Mad Max; our resident hoovenile delinquent. Sometimes that boy just makes my eye twitch. I think it's a safe bet to say that everyone within a 50 mile radius of the farm knows that there is a "mentally challenged" and mischievous nitwit named Max, who is in constant trouble, living somewhere in the vicinity. I say this because I bellow it with annoying regularity; generally along the lines of, "MAAAAAAX. ARRGH! What is WRONG with you? HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?!?" If I weren't so all fired certain that there was an amazing equine buried under all that idiot I would have drop-shipped him to some remote village in the Tibeten Mountains by now (Timbuktu is passe and besides, just think of all the climbing he could do. OVER THERE ;o)

How to describe Max to the unitiated? Did you see that nice hole in the panel on the previous photo? That, was compliments of Shadow's hoof; Max aggravates him constantly. He has figured out how to "roll" his head sideways over the top of the panel and bite Shadow in the boo-tay. I yelled at Shadow for two straight weeks to quit kicking the panel before I finally caught that sneaky snothead in the act. UGH. Max would definitely qualify as the annoying "little brother" that Shadow never wanted (this post),  He is spatially challenged. He is the arch nemesis of Cinnamon and destructor of the divider/round pen panel (this post). He suffers from advanced stage BCSS (Bull-in-China-Shop Syndrome). He killed Larry, Moe and Curly... (this post). He talked Champ into staking midnight raids on Mr. T's vegetable garden at the top of the pasture. Little booger even found a way to sneak into the fenced off area where we store the new hay (caught on video here). I could go on all day, I think. I suppose if you wanted to get technical, we could call him a therapy horse. After all, he certainly does aggravate everyone to the point we need therapy. *grin*
[photo inset: Max, standing by the water trough outside his stall and pretending he can't see me. Not a remarkable photo, perhaps, except that I had just left that little miscreant locked inside his stall. MAAAAAAAX!]

DH has been stockpiling lumber for the boy's stalls; again. With all of my medical misadventures, we got a little financially sidetracked for awhile. Unfortunately, they will need to be completely redone. When we built them the first time, we had gotten a great deal on some culled pressure treated lumber, that was supposed to have been fine (outside of aesthetics). Do I even need to finish that thought for you? *sigh* It has NOT held up well at all; the walls are pretty much falling down around the horses as we speak. One of the things on the list for the boys's (or is it s'? I never remember that one) new-new stalls is a "climbing wall" for our perpetual problem child. I've already got the plans, and I'm hoping that will keep him from killing off any more gates, panels, and/or stall walls. I'm also going to introduce him to Bella's pedestals as soon as we get the riding area fixed. It didn't weather that horrible wind storm we had too well (this post) and part of the fence is down. Somehow, I have the feeling that Max will take to pedestals like a fish to water ;o) Speaking of pedestals, I really wish I'd had my camera with me the other day when our farrier was here. He had raised a brow at the condition of Max's gate (and stall) as he began filing his front hoof (for my non-horsey friends, the farrier put his foot on a metal tripod kind of like this one). No sooner had I finished my explanation of Max's annoying tendency to stand on everything around him, when Max suddenly lifted his other front foot from the ground and stood straight up on the farrier's stand. I could have sworn I heard him say "WHEEEE" before the stand tipped over and he was back on the ground all but shrugging and looking at us like What?!? As the farrier and his assistant stood there gaping (poor man had apparently only thought he'd seen it all), I simply hung my head. You know, as much as I love to talk sometimes there are just no words to be found.
[photo inset: The top of the gatepost by the girls's stalls - isn't that cool? I love wood!]

I'll sign off with a few photos I took at feeding time yesterday. DH found a squirrel sitting by the fence for me to photograph, but by the time I'd grabbed the camera the little gal (right?) was already on the run up a tree. I got what I could, which was basically: Going...

Going...

Gone! Well most of her anyway, eh? ;o)

Believe it or not I did manage to get one more shot - although the little hussy was all the way at the tippity top of a [very tall] tree keeping an eye on DH, who was tapping the trunk trying to get her to move so I could find her through the lens. I almost went over backwards getting the shot, as I had to lean back pretty darn far; and wouldn't that have been special? Not to mention totally me. *laugh*
AHA! Found her:

This week's random thought: If you're ever interested in learning to use essential oils, start with Lavender. Amazing stuff: great for bug bites, making insect repellent, soothing burns, treating poison ivy and rashes, softening your hair, strengthening eyelashes, ingrown toenails (stops the hurt), and preventing/treating muscle cramps. I mix a drop with my foot lotion and it has stopped the awful cramps I kept getting in the arch of my foot. The horses love it too; totally relaxes them. Weird, but true ;o)

Have a blessed and safe Fourth everyone - thank you so much for reading [this far] and I'll see you next week!

**This one might be a coffee and TWO donut post (oy)**

After last week's positive post (here), I guess that title may sound rather odd, but not to me. I feel almost like I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. You know the one I mean. I'm talking about the ten pound steel-toed boot; the one suspended over your head that inevitably drops and beans you a good one on the noggin because you've migrated to LaLaLa Land and weren't paying attention (who, me??). After so many years of struggling so hard with so many things (horrible health, horsekeeping, housekeeping, shoot - just existing, yadda yadda), it is making me positively twitchy that things are going well (though I am genuinely thankful - particularly for the amazing people God has put into my life - which is the point of this post). How silly am I to sit here and worry about it, I ask you? Maybe not so much, when you consider that I just know I will somehow manage to mess it all up. I suffer from self-inflicted stupidity on regular basis. Not to mention being a champion pick-it-apart-er (er). Maybe it's just me, but lately I've been thinking how important it is to simply acknowledge the people in your life; does that make sense? Don't we all have that need? To be acknowledged? To know that what we think or say or do matters to someone? Even here, in the bloggosphere. It's why I asked Carrie to add that silly little sun for comments, and why I try to always respond to them. After all, you took the time to leave one, right? Shouldn't I respond in kind, by letting you know how much I appreciate it? At least that way you know I read what you wrote, right? Of course if I suddenly find myself flooded with hundreds I may have to revisit this topic. HaHa. Maybe acknowledgements can be made enmasse then, eh? Okay, delusions of grandeur aside...

I also struggle with what it is [exactly] the Lord wants me to do about things, and all too often go haring off in the wrong direction. This generally garners me what I call the DHT: Divine Head Thump. (I can hear you laughing from here, Lori ;o) Yep, I earn them all the time. Sad, but true. Sometimes I think I'm the slowest learner on the planet. Gotta be somebody all the way down at the very bottom of that list, right? *sigh* One of my most frequently uttered [and most fervent] prayers is, "Tell me what you want me to do about this Lord. PLEASE make it really, really clear - idiot friendly even - but don't hurt me though, 'kay?"  [above photo inset: A piece of "sackcloth" covered in Scripture (hand written, obviously) and given to me a few years ago by my friend Lori - when things in my life got "move over Job" bad - I laughed 'til I cried, then laughed some more. Only you would think to do such a thing for me - I love you Lori!]

One of the things I've really missed is having a horse crazy friend nearby. Sandy moved away long before the horses came (the heifer), though I visit her when I can, and Lori lives almost an hour away in another state (though I do see her every week at church, but that isn't the same thing at all). Please don't misunderstand me here; I have been incredibly blessed in my life with some truly wonderful friendships (my picture happy galpal Sarah being another recent blessing there). As friends go, I am a very rich woman. What I'm talking about is a local, horse crazy friend; one I could hang out with on a regular basis (sans road trip). One I can carry on important conversations with; the kind where every third word is "horse". I'd been praying away for that local horse-crazed friend to appear for a really long, time (as in years and years). Well, several months ago I finally got an answer. Idiot-friendly, even! I was floored. It came about from a completely unexpected direction too; interpreting. Once a month, I try to go to "Deaf Church" with DD. It's mostly the deaf adults we've known since DD was diagnosed with a hearing loss (forever and a day ago), though there are sometimes students from an area ITP (Interpreter Training Program), as well as visiting deaf from other areas. Anyway, one Sunday an ITP student introduced herself as Kimby and asked if I would be willing to tutor her. I told her I didn't tutor per se, but that I would be happy to help her practice her signing and invited her to come by the house sometime. [photo inset: The steeple on the sanctuary where we go for deaf church taken at daybreak. For some reason the sky came out blue and green (the blue I understood, but the green?). Pretty sure I had the camera on the wrong setting or something, but I loved it. The white streak in the top left is a jet, but it looks almost like a shooting star - isn't that crazy?]

Not long after that, Kimby took me up on my offer to practice her signing and came by the house. She even shadowed me at work for one of her classes. You know how sometimes you meet someone and you just "click"? We seemed to hit it off right away, and we chatted about everything under the sun whenever she dropped by. At some point, the subject of horses came up and she visibly brightened. I asked her if she would like to see them, and she jumped up right away. Note: If you're not a horse person or you're a person who "likes" horses, this may sound a little out there (weird, even) - BUT - if you truly are horse crazy, it will make perfect sense. As we headed out the back through what I call the "Tacky" room, Kimby suddenly stopped and grabbed Champ's hackamore. "I'm sorry, but I just really need to do this." She closed her eyes and took a BIG whiff of horse. And there it was. The answer to my longstanding prayer; my new [local] horse-crazy friend. I just stood there, mouth hanging open, staring at her. I guess she thought I was freaked out by her behavior (and hello? Not even a little ;o) because she blushed and apologized right away - but that wasn't it at ALL. I just could not believe how clearly that dusty old prayer of mine had been answered and completely out of the blue, too (for me, anyway - God knew all along. *laugh*). He is so good; and it was a good worth waiting for! Turned out that she had even owned a horse growing up; and missed just being around them terribly (hence her need for a "fix" in the tacky room). Boy, when You answer, You really answer Lord! [photo inset: Our tacky wall, with Champ's hackamore hanging on the far left]

Not only did I make one fantastic new friend, Kimby came with three rambunctious and totally terrific boys that are a blast and a half to be around. They are definitely a credit to her (and husband too!). What continuously surprises me is that she doesn't seem to notice anything remarkable at all about herself (so see me just remark on it for you there, chickie ;o) She is my twin in many ways; a love of horses (obviously), strong faith in God and strong sense of family, and a really wicked sense of humor. Pretty sure we have a hefty handful of matching neuroses as well because hey, nobody's perfect, right? *grin*  In others, we are complete opposites: she is soft spoken (I'm kind of loud), unbelievably generous (though I'm not too terrible, there), calm no matter the crisis (so sayeth the Queen of Spaz), thoughtful with her speech (I eat my own foot all the time), and she may well be the most gracious person I've ever met. I marvel at the things she gets done in a day; she attends college online, makes and bakes all kinds of natural/organic goodies, cares for critters, home schools all three boys, takes care of her husband, keeps tabs on her mother and extended family, and does a boatload of other things for people she meets along the way. Do you have new friends you are thankful for? What about the "old" ones? Do they know how much you appreciate them? Are you sure? Maybe you should tell them...I bet they'd appreciate it. Sandy, if you're reading this...I love you too-too! *laugh* [Photo inset: Kimby's three boys and Bella modeling their supercool matching sunglasses]

Did I mention she's always calm? Always. No matter what the current chaos, e.g. bickering boys or an overflowing call-her-crazy schedule, she is one of those people who simply exudes calm. It's like having a walking diffuser with you; all that peace and serenity. Me? Ha. Ha. I'd be half bald, with the kids dressed in head-to-toe duct tape and stapled to the furniture, and the husband stuffed in a closet before the end of the very first day. *laugh* If she weren't younger than me, I would say I want to be her when I grow up (and maybe I should say that). I know she's rolling her eyes at this post (caught'cha!) but genuine friendships are such a rare and precious find; I am just too doggone happy to be able to add one more to my life to keep it to myself, so there. [Photo inset: Kimby hiding behind Rina: She's also just a little bit camera shy.] Well...maybe more than a little. I'm right there with ya on that one too, sistafriend! ;o)

You know what? Call me cautiously optimistic, but I do believe the Lord may have simultaneously answered another longstanding prayer: One for some pint-sized volunteers. Somehow, I think they'll fit in around here just fine, don't you? Though now that I think about it I might have a teensy bit of trouble with a certain silly pair, there (I'm talking about those two on the right side... Clyde *laugh*).

I'm currently pulling my hair out working on our website, which has been horribly neglected due to our internet woes (this post). Okay, maybe I'm doing that figuratively not literally, as it has finally started growing back in after I'd lost almost half of it (and thank you, thyroid). Naturally, the design software has completely changed since the last time I worked on the site *blowing raspberry at screen* and, just to add a bit more insult to my injury, I cannot access the existing site to make changes; I have to start completely from scratch. I can't even add a note to the site that's up now to say I'm working on it (so I'm sticking it in here). This has resulted in an extremely tedious game of copy and paste. Meh :oP After giving it considerable thought, I have opted to pull some of my Squidoo lenses (who sold out to Hub Pages) and pull them back to our site. Particularly my Body Language 101 page, which is where my heart lies (horse-wise), and was a humongous labor of love. Hub Pages just isn't the same sense of community as Squidoo (with whom we were a partner charity). It's just too commercial for me, so I'll be relocating most of my work from there to our site.  Anyhoo...with temps in the upper 90's outside and the heat index hovering around 105-109 (it's JUNE, and are you kidding me??) I figured now was as good a time as any, you know? I've still got to finish the pages on here, too.... *head thuds on desk*
[photo inset: A screenshot of our shiny new homepage - it's the only page completely finished thus far. One down, 2,384 cut and pastes to go....]

MAN, this post is really long (profound apologies to all!) - and no, I'm not dying or anything so dramatic. *laugh* Just thought I'd take time to actually share my happy thoughts "out loud", instead of keeping them to myself. Who knows? Maybe it will put a smile in place of someone's sad, or it could even inspire somebody else to blog about their friends and how much they are appreciated (it might even be you!) I'll just bet you've got someone somewhere in your life who could use an appreciative word - or ten - right? ;o)

This Week's Random Moment: Is it just me, or have [the newer] T-shirts hit an all-time low both top and bottom? Judging by the one I picked up (and subsequently dropped) earlier this week, it'll not only take me two days to get it all tucked in (down around my knees, thank you very much); I'm scared I'll have random strangers pelting me with Mardi Gras beads.... *facepalm*

Thank you for reading so [very, VERY] far this time, and have a blessed week!

**Coffee and a Donut post**

A little over a year or so ago my mom started going to a watercolor painting class every week. My dad thought it would be a fun thing for her to do; possibly helpful as well since she had been diagnosed with Dementia. He was so right - she absolutely loves it! Although retired my dad is a busy guy, so in an effort to pitch in and give him a break (albeit a small one), I offered to run by the class each week to pick up mom and bring her home; then he could run some errands or do whatever he needed to do during that time. Since he was staying there with her - trying to work from a chair in the studio - I thought it would at least buy him an extra hour or so's worth of [more comfortable] productivity each week.
Now I'll cop to a teensy bit of wishful thinking here, as painting (and I do NOT mean the walls in the house ;o) has been a dream of mine since forever, though I've never made mention of this to my dad or anyone else. I figured if I sat there and paid attention to Mom's lessons, I might even learn something. Photo inset: Isn't that the coolest door? I loved the peeling paint, weathered look, and the overall symmetry of it. This is a local church, and one of my "Scripture Pictures" (to wit: Rev 3:20 "Behold, I stand at the door and knock...")

I was an art major in high school and we did all kinds of different things, but we never covered painting. I guess because it was too expensive; it certainly couldn't have been the mess, as we made some spectacular ones on a regular basis. In any case, I was not allowed to pursue art beyond high school (long story, that) and I gave it up completely after I graduated. Well, until my cancer diagnosis, that is (more on that whole story here, if you're interested). Although I did attempt to learn to paint on my own, it was a little too complicated for me figure out without professional help (so I just went back to my faithful friends - #2 Pencil & Company ;o) I did manage to create one halfway decent work with watercolor pencils [photo inset] and a whole boatload of "Meh" before I gave it up in frustration.

After I had picked up and delivered mom a few times, my dad and I had the following conversation:

Dad: You know, if you're going to go get your mom every week you should probably just take the class with her.
Me [rolling my eyes and laughing]: Yes, well. That'd be great there, Pop, but I'm afraid extravagances like art classes don't exactly run around in my reality.
Dad [shrugging]: We'll pay for it.
Me [horrified]: Oh my goodness, that's not what I meant at ALL! No, no, no, I couldn't let you do that. It's way too much!
Dad: I'd be happy to do it. You're going there every week anyway; you might even enjoy it.
Me [backpedaling]: Well I'm sure I would, but I don't want you to feel like you have to do that. I'm happy to just pick her up for you. Really, I am. I don't mind it at all. Honest!
Dad [in exasperation]: LOOK. We may not be rolling in it, but we can certainly afford to do this for you. You know that.
Me [now sputtering]: Well, yes...Maybe, but...Well, I...I mean, you can't...I couldn't... it's just SO much... 
Dad [eyeing me strangely]: I don't see the problem. You like art, I know you do. We want to do this; I know good and well you'd enjoy it. Besides, are you seriously going to keep arguing with me about it?
Me [having a major V-8 moment]: Uh... No. No, I'm not. Not at all, actually. I think I'm done being an idiot. Mostly, anyway. THANK YOU, Pop!
I guess this might sound a bit silly, but I actually cried a few happy tears in the car on my way home. (I mean honestly, what's a girl to do when she's overwhelmed by an out of the blue blessing like that, you know? :o)

Not sure why, but after the first two or three sessions, I decided to start keeping up with the weekly progress on my third painting of a Nandina (done from a photograph of a bush behind the house that was taken a long time ago). My second painting (a Rose of Sharon) is in the blog slider above. The first one may (or may not) ever see the light of day. I have a LOT to learn, and I am incredibly slow. I did do my sketch at home (seemed wasteful do use class time for that, since I can at least draw all by myself ;o) Each slide change is one class; it took me about 23 or 24 weeks to finish this. I told you I was slow. *laugh* Disclaimer: In my defense, I didn't know I was going to share these, so the cell phone photos are not the best (#3 is simply dreadful):

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And now for an update on the "P" word (project). I'll bet you thought I forgot all about it, didn't you? Surprisingly, I didn't (though maybe shockingly would be the more appropriate adverb ;o) We definitely needed somewhere for our visitors to wash up after petting the ponies (or using the outhouse), and decided to go with your basic el-cheapo laundry tub. Not only was it basic, it was also incredibly booooring. Added to that, of course, was how utterly ridiculous a blinding white sink looked with the rustic theme we had going on (remember my potty post?) Plus anyone with an ounce of brain cell knows that while it is all shiny and white and pretty right now, it certainly isn't going to stay that way. As if all that were not enough already, don't we all know by now that Jennifer just can't leave such things alone? [Cue eye roll and dramatic, self-deprecating sigh] I decided to paint it, but with what? For the outside I knew I could use outdoor paint made specifically for plastic, but what about the inside? I decided to try Leak Seal (the stuff you put on your gutters). It's made for outdoor use and it's tough (at least I hope it is). Wasn't sure if it would work or not, but it looks like it just might do the trick. *WOOT* I started with the bottom, which still needs another coat or two...

...and then I went for the interior and top portion. So far so good, but it definitely will need another coat of Leak Seal (this was the whole can).

Hopefully, I'll have some "all finished" photos for you in the near future :o) I also [FINALLY] started painting the spectacular wood cutout DD made for me (which was longer ago than I care to acknowledge *laugh*):

I might have gotten just a little bit sidetracked somewhere in the middle of all that to play with some dangling Zenspirations (this info's for my creatively crafty blogging buddy, Ann ;o) to spice up a birthday bag for my friend Kimby. I'll tell you all about her next week - she's amazing! Not my best work, but it was a lot harder to doodle on that bumpy bag than I thought it would be (plus the .07 pen was a bit too thick for my liking - .03 worked much better). Sure was fun though!

I'll be adding something new here called a "Random Moment" periodically. Sometimes I have something I learned or came across that I want to share with you, but it's often short and not relevant to whatever I'm talking about at the time (that's so very... Me: not relevant - HA). Anyhoo, here's the first one:

Random Moment: Paper Karma is the most marvelous app! I guess you could call it the postal version of "Do Not Call". I know one thing; it cut our junk mail down to almost nothing. We had an unbelievable deluge of "spammy" snail mail and credit card offers every single day; it drove me bonkers tearing them all up (can't just toss it all because now they plaster your name all over it and you have to worry about identity theft don'tcha know). Now we barely get a handful all week. Hooray!! Find it on Google Play here, and iTunes here. It really does work!

Thank you for reading so [very, very] far this week; have a blessed day y'all!

OH-OH-OH! Did you see what Carrie did for me? Check out my new little ray of sunshine in the comment part below (I'm telling you, that girl is a digital rock star!) You might even leave me a comment; they really do brighten my day! ;o)

If Forrest Gump had been into photography he might have said something along the lines of, "Pictures are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get." As a photo hobbyist I've been thankful for any number of pictorial blessings (a.k.a. "happy accidents") over the past several years; many of which I've shared with you. I had a great system: God painted the picture and I pushed the button (actually I'm still using that particular system because, well, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" right?) Not long ago, I started practicing photography by faith. What I mean by that is, instead of heading out with my camera intending to take pictures of something specific, I just ask the Lord to grant me what He will in the way of opportunities (and then I ask Him to PleasePleasePlease help me not mess it up ;o) I've missed any number of "great" shots over the years, but I have slowly developed (see what I did there? *snicker*) a more accepting attitude by focusing instead (Oh! Oh! Who's on a ROLL now? Bwahahaha.... *cough* AHEM sorry) on being thankful for the shots I do get.

A week or so ago, my picture happy gal pal Sarah and I went on our biggest [photo] bender yet. All I can say is my new-and-improved attitude of gratitude must have been the right one, because BOY did He bless me! Did I get every shot? Nope, not at all. Did I care? Nope, not at all. I had a terrific day with a wonderful friend and came away feeling totally blessed all the way around. For those of you who think I may have slipped a cog, I can only tell you that is definitely not a recent happenstance (HehHeh). Although I really can't attest to what the norm would be as far as variety goes, I can tell you that I was absolutely delighted by the myriad of photo opportunities I had in a single day. Maybe I'll just let those blessings speak for themselves (obligatory disclaimer: please remember that I am not a professional, yadda yadda, and that I am using a regular point and shoot camera; though it is a nice one ;o)

To see the image title, move your mouse over the picture. Click on the Brown Thrasher (top left photo) to go to a full-screen slideshow. To see the entire image during the slide show, move your mouse up slightly from the scrolling arrow at the bottom of the screen; look out for an itty bitty butterfly blessing in the lower left corner of the tall water lily photo - I didn't even know he was there! These pictures will ultimately wind up on the photography page at some point, so I guess we can call this the early bird's sneak peek. *laugh* Enjoy! Oh, and there's a bit more to this post below the photos (I have LOTS to share this week ;o)

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DD came for a visit last weekend with her canine entourage, consisting of two tiny tail wagging furballs; Diamond and Faith (who love coming to "grandma's" house; mostly 'cause I spoil them absolutely rotten ;o) This is Diamond [photo inset] saying "Hello" from the ginormous puppy playpen we created from the small training area behind the house. Call me crazy; we wrapped a 40'x40' area with chicken wire so the dogs would have a safe place to play. Yep. Definitely certifiable. Faith [pictured below] was the first born of Diamond's puppies, and captured DD's heart from the beginning. Of course she just had to keep her. Sometimes DD is just so very.... Me. *sigh* Unfortunately, Faith was diagnosed with a seizure disorder (click here for more information on seizures in dogs) known as Canine Epilepsy. It is likely that this is due to a couple of things: Diamond's extremely young age at her pregnancy (she was only 7 or 8 months old) and her subsequent malnourishment; both by her previous [incredibly careless] owner. For those who missed it, Diamond was introduced here. Faith is on seizure medication and a strict organic/gluten free doggy diet (they both are). She has the sweetest personality of any dog I've met and totally adores DD (both of them do).

Believe it or not, I came across some fascinating research about Epilepsy/seizures and organic coconut oil (click here to read more at the Epilepsy Foundation on Ning). I've been taking coconut oil via smoothie for awhile (it's amazing brain food). After chemo for cancer and all the other scary drugs I took for Polymyositis, et.al. I was all over anything that would benefit the brain, believe me. *grin* I bought some for DD to use and she was giving it (in small amounts) to the dogs as well; it's good for them too! Anyway, poor little Faith had multiple seizures over the weekend. We determined that an "all natural" birthday cookie given to Faith by the pet store DD visits was the likely culprit. Although the treat itself may have been organic, we are fairly certain that food coloring was used in the "icing" and was likely the trigger. After the fifth seizure (grandma can only endure extreme heart palpitations so many times; not to mention the fact that it was killing me to watch her convulse as I held her) I got back on line and found that we could safely increase her coconut oil intake to a teaspoon to help control seizures. I gave her a dose (thankfully she loves it), and she hasn't had another seizure since. DD is now giving her two teaspoons per day, one AM and one PM (Diamond still gets 1/2 teaspoon in the morning), so time will tell. Oh, the picture inset is Faith hanging out in the shade by the fan in the puppy pen. Not the best photo, but it's important to keep the grandpuppies cool in the summer (particularly when one of them has Epilepsy).

Below is a better shot of Faith - both of them absolutely love the huge drum we rolled in there for them to play on. Can you say Queen(s) of all we survey? (in your haughtiest tone, of course ;o)

Well. I'd say that's probably more than enough of me for the week ;o) Thank you so much for reading this far, have a big horsey hug and a beautifully blessed day!