Cowboy tricks

It is cold out. I know, not really a news flash for Michigan in December, but true nonetheless.

Today our temps, in the (rare) sunshine of our version of the west coast have soared to 28. However, with the fabulous wind chill, it feels much closer to 20. Well, that's not too bad, until you attempt to perch yourself up on a horse, and spend a few hours.

You would think that this is not a big problem for me, and true - I don't mind the cold. I DO take serious issue with the wind though. Ugh. Pet peeve of the whole dang season of winter. I hate the wind. I am keenly aware of it. I would rather ride in 10 degree weather windless than 30 degree weather with a breeze. The problem I have is simple. I have nothing that cuts the wind to keep me warm. Sure, the horses have a nice thick coat, and my coat is great - puffy, down filled, wind resistant. Deerskin leather gloves that don't keep warm, but stop the wind. My legs though - WOW. Frozen legsicles are no fun for me or anyone that I will snuggle next to later.

Then, yesterday I had a total mental breakdown breakthrough. I DO have a pair of motorcycle chaps that ought to do the trick.

Problem is, I am NOT a working cowboy, and I have not had any real use for chaps up to this point. So, how long are they supposed to be?

Jean length? A couple inches longer? The cowboys I've seen all seem to have them just over the arch of the foot. I was confused. So, I did what I would do on any given day, and asked the general list of friends on facebook.

An old cowboy pal told me right off, as well as another horsewoman I know. The answer was the same - put on your boots and go to the floor with 'em. And so I shall. If I can get the hubs to take some pics, I will post some of Velvet, me & our mismatched tack :) It doesn't bother us - gets the job done, and everyone's happy.

Hopefully it will do the trick - how else am I supposed to pull THIS off a little later this season??

New Year's Looms ahead

Here's hoping that everyone had a great Christmas, Hannukah, Solstice or whatever you choose to celebrate, filled with family, love and peace!
Ours was better than I thought it would be, truth be told. Davey's first Christmas seemed to go well. He liked opening up his presents, but was fascinated with some of the fancy paper as much as the new toys. I can't blame him - there was some pretty sparkly/opalescent blue that I would put on my walls I liked it so much.
Larry didn't get much on his big list, though try try try we did. Just couldn't find anything he asked for that wasn't ridiculously expensive - has anyone seen the pricing on Legos lately? They're frickin' nuts!!! SO, we did what we could, and came up with some great stuff that he enjoyed anyhow. He was irritated that his wish list wasn't fulfilled, but who as a kid actually got everything on their wishlist? I know I never did!!!
Larry & I exchanged token gifts(we both knew what we were getting), and that was pretty much all that there was. I felt bad not being able to get anything for my folks & Gramma, but there was nothing that she wanted, or needed that I could afford to give her. To top that off, she's read all the stories that are in the genre she enjoys, and I can't find another series that she has taken to yet. I will find one, but she's a tough sell. If anyone has any suggestions, I'll take em! She likes fantasy books, and has read the Harry Potter series so many times the bindings are coming apart on all of them. Her Twilight set is in similar shape - the cover is missing off the first novel (paperback) and the other 3 all have torn pages, coffee spills, etc here and there. The Eragon Series, or whatever it's called, is in the same shape as the Harry Potters, and don't even get me started on the poor condition of the Lord of The Rings set.... only problem is, Tolkien doesn't flow as easily to read, so she doesn't want to mess with it. That's one that she'd rather just watch the movies for (and she does!) But, I digress.
In short, hope all have a good week leading up to the New Year. I'm sure it will be more or less same ol' same ol' here. Season's Greetings!!!

I Sure Do Like Those Christmas Cookies, Babe.

For anyone that might be interested, I am posting up Christmas Cookie recipes from here until Christmas on my 'other' blog. You see, I've tried to keep things here from turning into a food blog, and so started a second one just for my Swedish delights. Feel free to browse what I have up. I try to give a little insight and background on every nordic tradition that I write about as well, so a little fun with that too!
Today I covered Rosettes, but have already done several others. Here's the teaser .... The Rosettes...


Spritz cookies... Little Davey's favorite -



Pepparkakor - a year round Swedish hit.



Fattigman's Bakkels - a Norwegian treasure.



And there will be more. Most if not all are going to be Swedish, Norwegian or Finnish in origin, though I may have to throw in something Danish. At any rate, all are lovely, and relatively easy to do yourself at home. Thanks for listening!!!

Please, check em out!!! http://swedish-is-sweetest.blogspot.com

Christmas Cheer & The Magical Mundane

I was recently tagged by an old friend that I went to school with. We have yet to do a margarita night, but I, personally, am ready for it any old time ;)


So, Jessica at The Magical Mundane, Thanks for the tag - looks to be a good one!!
http://themagicalmundane.blogspot.com/



This was originally started by Heather at the Top Ten Christmas Blog. I don't know if I know of enough blogs to complete the tag, but I will sure as sugar try.

http://toptenchristmasblog.com

RULES::


*Just simply copy & past the questions into your blog and then answer them.


*Then, tag 5 or more of your favorite blogs, and leave them a comment telling them they have been tagged.


*When you post your blog, please spread some Christmas Cheer and leave a link back to the Top Ten Christmas Blog, and the blog that you were tagged by.





1.Have you started your Christmas Shopping?


Nope. Not even a little bit.





2.Tell me about one of your special traditions.


Um... I can't think of anything super special. We unwrap the presents on Christmas Eve(Swedish thing) and have the Swedish traditions & kind of a fun night on the eve, followed by a traditional dinner on the day. Also, then Santa's presents are there in the morning - ooooo magical.





3.Are you a black friday shopper?


Hell no. I avoid that train wreck if at all possible.





4.When do you put up your tree?


Sometime between the first of December and Christmas Eve.





5.Do you travel at Christmas or stay home?


Stay here on the farm. Mom, Dad & Gramma are all right next door, so no need to travel.





6.What is your funniest Christmas memory?


Not much funny happens here, at least not funny enough to stick in my mind.





7.What is your favorite Christmas movie of all time?


I dislike the movies. However, the christmas cartoons - awesome. I love MOST of them.





8.Do you do your own Christmas baking, and what's your favorite treat?
I do 90% of the Christmas baking for the whole family, and send treats to certain neighbors & friends. My fave? I can't really pick. Depends on the day of the week. Spritz, Date Bars, Fruit Drops, chocolate chip blondies, toffee squares, fig bars, sugar cookies, oh, just about everything.




9.Fake or real tree?
I prefer real, but it doesn't always work out for me.




10.What day (as a mom) does the actual panic set in to get it all done?
Depends on how far I have left to go/what is left to do.




11.Are you still wrapping presents on Christmas Eve?
Oh yeah.




12.What is your favorite family fun time at Christmas?
Watching the kids unwrap their presents.




13.What Christmas Craft do you like best?
I like building gifts - rocking horses, useful things... and making christmas cards, cutting out paper snowflakes, making paper heart baskets, all kinds of things.




14.Christmas Music: Yes or No? If yes, what is your favorite Christmas song?
Yes. Bing Crosby - just any Bing. White Christmas is a MUST.



15.When do you plan to finish all of your shopping?

Probably just before Christmas Eve - if I'm lucky.

Here are the folks I am now tagging - most of them, I just love to read their stuff :D

1) http://theredneckmommy.com This woman is the shit. I love her. I do not know her, but her writing has made me cry on many occasions - in a good way. LOVE this site.

2) http://anotherchanceranch.typepad.com/another_chance_ranch/ I love this lady too. Another I do not know, but I love her friendly writing style, and she comes up with great ideas for friends & family. It helps, too that she is on a ranch - something I hope for one day.

3) http://violenceunsilenced.com/ Not for the faint of heart, and a totally different direction than the other blogs I follow, Violence Unsilenced is an incredible blog that sheds light on the horrors, and sad commonality of domestic violence in all it's forms. Give them some support. These women are so brave to share their stories.

4) http://strawnequine.blogspot.com HOSSES! I would love to have a little extra room in my barn for one of this lady's gorgeous reining quarter horses. And so much red .... oh, how I love the reds..... Paige writes about some of her day to day activities on her farm... (I love that name too... Paige)

5) and last, but certainly not least ... www.screweduptexan.com this lady has such great posts, humor, recipes.... contests sometimes too. that's always fun :D Just another neat lady.

There are more - one notable blog I have left out, just because I am 100% sure a post by little ol' me would go totally and completely unnoticed, but I'll post the link for your enjoyment anyhow. It is.... wonderful. Proceed at your own risk. You will be addicted. http://thepioneerwoman.com

Thanks Jess for the game! This was my first attempt at one of these, so I hope I did ya proud ;)

So Comes December

Now, we welcome December. Deer season is pretty much over for me, and it passed me by nearly unnoticed. I did my traditional days, but could not go out much more than that with building days, babysitting, and just being stressed out to my eyeballs.

Turns out that I could have gone without the building portion of the game. NONE of the saddle stands I made sold at Shipshewana on Black Friday. I did end up with a compliment from a couple of Amish men, so that was a nice pat on the back. The big birthday bash was not big or a bash - but I am used to that. I went out to hunt with my iPod and a book, kind of knowing full well that there would be no action. Kind of the way hunting has gone for me for the past few years. Didn't read the book, and only had the iPod in one ear, but still. I took a little freeze your ass off time to my self. Seems like I just can't get enough of it! Sadly, it looks like most of the bucks I've been after have gone nocturnal.

Next, the time comes to finish some more woodworking, though the saddle stands will have to be on the back burner a little. I have to take one to the tack shop, but now is the time to make some peanut dispensers, pull toys, block sets, and rustic signs with smart ass comments. Probably make a rocking horse for my little boy too. Then comes the baking, the basket making, the cards, the mess that is Christmas!! Hold on, I will try to blog away this month, but if you don't hear much - well, it's probably because it's just too busy!

Today is my niece's birthday, so Happy 3rd to her!