Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Riding the Range

Well, sort of anyway.....It was a great day...I got up wondering what I was going to do today to amuse myself.... it turns out that Becky and Katheryn wanted to go riding at Rafter D's and I got myself invited to go along....Becky brought one of her horses for me to ride (Rose). George had taken our big truck to work, so I couldn't haul Goldie today....and she and I may not be ready to go out in public yet. But we're working on it....hopefully my helper, Heath, will be able to come out tomorrow and work with us some. Goldie and I just need an opportunity to get used to each other.

It was a great day out on the trails...the sun was out and the temperature was just right. We had lots of fun--I'm glad I went.

Monday, December 29, 2008

A day alone

Today is the only day during the whole Christmas holiday that I have been or will be completely alone....for those of you that know me, you know I enjoy time alone...but I also enjoy the time spent with my friends and family....but....today, I took advantage of this alone time....I got up this morning, fixed myself a cup of coffee to go and drove to West Plains..I made a loop from my house to WP and back thru Ash Flat to my house again....I was on a search....a search for a saddle.... and you will never believe it.....I found one.... all morning, I had no luck...and then I come across a nice used 15" leather saddle...light weight and priced rigth too! I now have all the tack required to ride and haul my horse too....(at least I think I do)....I've discovered that though it looks simple, getting it all together and getting it right takes a little practice...put practice makes perfect and I'm planning on getting this right soon.... I know that I've got a lot to learn but I'm determined to make this work. I've even got a couple of people lined up to give me horse care and riding lessons....get ready Heath...I'm fixin' to call you!

Sunday, December 28, 2008

A day outside

We have had a beautiful day after such in icky stormy day yesterday. It was sweatshirt weather and dry! We got a lot done today and I really enjoy being outside with the animals.... I took a ton of photos today...I'm sharing several but not nearly all that I took...I think I should change the name of my blog to A Day in the Life of a Goat and Other Creatures.

After getting lucky enough to get back into our bed at night (Russell is out of town...she's been sleeping with him), Tess is having a hard time getting out of it in the morning. You'll notice that she is in the middle and not at the foot of the bed....this is her favorite spot at night.

This morning when I went outside to feed Goldie (the horse) and the goats, I noticed that the frost had thawed from the porch...with the exception of a few spots....it is amazing how such a small amount of shade could keep a spot from defrosting.

Sometimes, Goldie and I don't see eye to eye on where she should stand so that I can take a picture. Today, she wanted to stand with her nose touching me...I think she was sniffing for apple treats...however, she had eaten them all before I started taking pictures. She and I took a walk to the new barn so that she could check it out.

Another "bird's eye view" of Goldie....

Aggie is one of my most favorite goats. She is not shy and is very curious. She is a milk goat and has twins that are almost as big as she is now....anyway....Aggie likes to investigate and she was very interested in my camera today.

This is Andy and Annie...Aggie's Twins.... aren't they sweet. They come close but are a lot more timid than their Mom....maybe one day they will be like Aggie and Mable...

Sadie and Aggie can't let you walk through their pen without getting some attention. Isn't Sadie beautiful. She is the sweetest thing and craves attention, even though she gets plenty (I promise)!

Here's how we spent our day....very productive if you ask me (and I'm sure Goldie will appreciate it....I think she was thinking "a day late" after that rain last night.

This is how the barn looked this morning when we started.... Ryan, George, Russell, my Dad (Tommy) and I have all worked on it some before today....

Ta-Dah! It's done...other than the paint job that is...and that will be a while probably....it can be used now. There will be some fence building to follow very shortly.

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Hum...what are we doing now?

All is quiet on the homefront....Just me, George, Tess and the rest of the animals hanging out on the hill today.....waiting out the icky weather.....

We've picked up, sorted thru, tossed out and all that stuff...so now, I've got to have something else to do today.... Yesterday we went to Jonesboro to have George's dad pick out a new mattress and springs set... had dinner at Outback...and today...I'm in my pj's just piddling around.....

Don't misunderstand...I'm not ready to go back to work ;-)....just having trouble deciding what I want to do....

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Merry Christmas

A holiday such as Christmas should be shared with your family and friends...up to this day, I have celebrated with my friends....today I celebrate with my family.... This photos is of my parents, my brother and me...Tommy, June, Thomas and Nancy.



This is George and the kids.... Ryan, Russell and Nicole. We really enjoy getting to have all the kids together.


Here, George decided to tell me all the things on his wish list...too bad it was the night before Christmas when all the shops were closed!


This is just a portion of all the Christmas goodies. We had a huge mess when opening of gifts was over.



This is the turkey and the turkey chef (you can decide which is which...haha) that we enjoyed on Chrismas day! It was soo goooood! George tried a new fried turkey recipe that included injecting the turkey with an onion and cajun seasoning...it was really good.



This is the pie that didn't get eaten....but isn't it lovely....I think it's the prettiest pumpkin pie that I've made.



It was a great Christmas holiday! I have had more attention, friendship, and love from the people in my life this year! I have achieved more, fulfilled my dreams and had received things that I have wanted forever..... This has been a year to be remembered thanks to my family, friends and most importantly, my George.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Kickin' back

I've spent this morning kicked back enjoying a cup of Ghirardelli Caffe Chocolate Peppermint Coffee with some Raspberry White Chocolate creamer (I know the mixture might not sound that great but...YUM!!!!) I got up at my usual time (even though it's my christmas holiday) to feed the animals and have some time to myself before the kids got up.

Christmas is fast approaching.....tomorrow is Christmas Eve and my family will be coming to visit...the kids are all here already.....I'm ready...groceries are bought, the decorations are up and the presents are bought and wrapped.....

Next week is our anniversary....I've been trying to think of something to do during the day but I'm not having any luck. I thought about Blanchard Springs Caverns or Ripley's Believe It or Not and stuff in Branson....it would have been fun with a group...but our group has dwindled... Looks like it's just going to be me and George for the daytime....maybe we won't do anything at all...who knows.....

Monday, December 22, 2008

Twice in one day......



Ryan has a girlfriend, Ryan has a girlfriend, nah-na-nah-na-nah-na....Ryan and Leah sitting in a tree...k-i-s-s-i-n-g.....

I guess you get the idea. This is Ryan (my oldest) and his girlfriend Leah. Leah's mom took some photos recently and Ryan let me scan them. We're looking forward to Leah coming to visit during the Christmas holiday break.

It's cold outside


The goats water froze last night and again this morning....I have broke it twice today...the second time, I actually got all the ice out of the trough.


Goldie helped me get here ice chunk out...I put a hole in it and poured some warm water in...when I came back in a couple of hours to see if it needed to broken again, the ice was beside the bucket....I promise I asked the kids if they did it and they said no...so somehow, Goldie removed it herself....way cool huh.... that earned her a nice bucket of warm water added to her waterbucket.

It's about 23 degrees! If the wind wasn't blowing, it wouldn't feel so bad but I swear it was way worse yesterday....bitter bitter cold.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Family Christmas gathering

Yesterday was the Dust Family Christmas gathering. By the end of the evening, all of the brothers and sisters had managed to get together (which is a big deal since there are 6 of them and they are all spread out).... It was a nice day....lots of food and fellowship to celebrate the holiday season.

This year, we have a new member of the family..... Fatena Celine celebrated her first Christmas this year...her proud mamma and pappa are very blessed with another beautiful daughter. We welcome her with delight. What is better than a beautiful baby girl to hold and love (and then send back to mamma and pappa ;-) )

I drug out my camera and took a few photos...I was going to take some during the gift opening, but when I got a chance to feed Fatena with George, I did that instead...


This is Henry, Rita and Christie...George's Dad, Mom and youngest sister.


This is George....

We had a nice day and it was good to see everyone again...

Saturday, December 20, 2008

After the dust settled.....

Well, it happened...and I survived.....I turned the big 4-0 this week. After much dread, it came about fairly easily. I have had a lot of fun, my friends and family have given me wonderful gifts and I don't feel old at all...(no matter what my friend Kim says)...we went to PJ's at Red's Landing last night for the final day of celebration....since the big day was on a Thursday, we decided to go out on Friday.

My wonderful, loving husband who treats me like a princess gave me these lovely pearls...I think pearls are so classy and classic...I'm so pleased with his choice.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Slipping and sliding

Well,I don't know how the roads are, because I've been at home but....my yard sure is slippery....I've been out to feed and I was slipping and sliding all around. Goldie is all thawed out and was very eager to see me. I think she's getting trained to come to the fence when the back door of the house opens... :-)

George needs his truck taken to Skeeter's today, so I guess I'll be getting out this afternoon....we'll see...George has made it to work both days with no trouble so far...

This has been a nice little break and it sure did manage to uncomplicate my life...everything scheduled for these days has been cancelled or postponed until a later date....and since there are not many dates before christmas, some of them have been moved to the new year (yeah).

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Inclement weather

It's an inclement weather day...not a snow day because it didn't snow...it's sleet...so we have ice! This is part of my driveway...I was standing on my porch, so it's a long way off.



I have tromped around on the ice this morning to feed and water the goats, dogs and the horse...broken ice on their water and gave the horse some warm water, rode the 4-wheeler to the hay shed and got fresh hay for them and then broke the waterhose because it was frozen.... I was trying to put it under the house(which is probably warmer than in my house...my central heat unit is under there!) so it would thaw....apprently it didn't drain good on Sunday....UGH!

Tess is my tromping around partner....she goes with me to feed and she rode the 4-wheeler with me too...until I put 2 bales of hay on it, then she decided it was too crowded and ran....she was so funny....she was having some traction issues this morning...I was wishing I had my camera when she was sliding around on yard this morning....in the photo she had come to the kitchen to remind me that she hadn't had any breakfast even though the goats, horse and the other dog had!



Isn't she beautiful.



Here's Goldie this morning....She has weathered the icky weather though I have worried about her alot...and I broke the ice on her water 4 times yesterday afternoon and evening....but you know...when I went to feed this morning....she had broken it herself sometime during the night and drank quite a bit of the water. This photo isn't very good....there is a window screen between me and the outdoors at this point.....I didn't have my shoes on so I couldn't go onto the porch.



This is why I couldn't go out on the porch without my shoes on.....

Monday, December 15, 2008

Crafting Christmas

Christmas is getting closer and my decorations are up...our stockings are hung....these stockings were made my my mom, June. She has cross-stitched one for each of the kids. If you look closely, you will see the detail of each one. Mom spent a lot of time doing these....we used them last year (2007) for the first time. I love the old timey christmas feel they have.



Here's my christmas tree. I love christmas lights and ornaments....George thinks I go overboard on the lights...this year, I've scaled them back a little...they don't show up too much in the photo



This is the angel that stands at the top of my tree. I've always used an angel and I'm probably going to continue....I love the stars and bows but I just like my own traditional angel.



So, the only part of this post that is crafted are the stockings, but putting it all up and together is crafting christmas to me.

So, happy christmas to you!

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Toys for Tots

Man am I tired....I spent all morning in Mountain Home shopping for Calico Rock's Toy's for Tots (sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce)....As a chamber member, I did some of the shopping for the kids.... I was amazed when they gave me $20 per child and said get clothes and toys too....OMG! That took some serious bargain hunting! I had sizes and a wish item or idea (some reasonable and some not) but..... I did it...I managed to get an outfit and a toy or gift for each child. I've got them sorted and labeled.... It's all ready to go....I'm so tired....I hope these kids get some gifts from other places as well but at least they will get something.

This sure makes me more aware of how good I have it and how good my kids have it....it also gives me pause....makes me think about all of these kids that are getting so little while I throw money away on trivial things.

This season has really focused my attention on that more than ever. The college had a giving event for students with needs, our PTK group organized an Angel tree project and my husband's work did Angel tree kids as well, we got introduced to Operation shoebox and now this Toys for Tots thing....

I hope our community efforts help improve the season.

Friday, December 12, 2008

First day of Christmas parties

Today was my group's secret santa reveal day.... My friend Kim W was my Santa...she rocked too.... I got a gift each day this week and they were all very cool!

We had our christmas potluck today at lunch...lots of food!

Tonight my boss had a little christmas potluck at his house.... we had some really!!!! good food tonight...and the company was good as well....we had a good time .....

I'm so tired....my eyelids are drooping I wish I had thought to heat up my hottub before I left..(it's old so I have to warm it up...but it works! and it was cheap too)

Anyway, this weekend we're going to try to find a saddle and tact for Goldie....and maybe a stock trailer as well. I also have to do Toys for Tots shopping for the Calico Chamber....I have 12 names to take care of by Tuesday night...so I'm thinking Sunday will be a marathon shopping day....I'm hoping it's not freezing and I get done early...so I can try to saddle Goldie up and ride around the pasture.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

A Change Has Occurred

Today is a great day! Goldie the horse came to live at my house. I am so excited...I can't wait to spend some time with her and get to know her better. She is so sweet....and calm....she's ignoring Sadie the goat dog and Tess too. She just looks at them like, what? George was determined that she have some kind of shelter other than the trees, so we built a temporary shelter tonight....a sort of quanset hut shelter...probably a little small but it's just temporary and if she needs shelter, she has it.

Inside trying to warm up now... it's really really cold outside.

Another thing that happened today was our holiday open house at work..... My whole group was not able to make it but Suellen, Myself, Karla and Kim W were able to have our photo made together.... Aren't we quite the bevy of beauties.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Do you recognize this child



Do you recognize this child?


Is this the same one?



I was working on Russell's Sr. picture order tonight...man it takes a while to figure out which photos to order and how many.... when I logged onto my blog, I had another idea to talk about but, decided this was more interesting for the moment.

Isn't it amazing how kids change over the years....Russell was always so short...we didn't think he would be any taller than 5'-8" or so...but he's taller than his dad and brother and his blood uncles....not sure about his grandpa.... Anyway.... looking at all of those photo proofs made me think about how much he has changed over the years....

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Parade Day...Great Day!

Ok, I know....I've already blogged once today...but....all my friends blogged about the parade, so I think I must as well!

What an amazing day it has been! I did those odd jobs around the house that no one wants to do before we left for the parade....went to the parade and rode in the Ozarka Sleigh with Karla....we had a ball throwing candy and even bouncing down the gravel road after the parade!..... and I've been playing kitchen goddess...made some banana bread and tried out an angel biscuit recipe...pretty yummy....(will make them next Friday for Dr. J's party)...George couldn't let me rule the kitchen though, so he made us some chili for tomorrow and fixed dinner as well! This freed me up to give scapping a shot....I worked for a couple hours and finished up my Cozumel vacation stuff that I had started back in the summer.....

This is really what these great winter days should be like!

Isn't it amazing that something you really love to do can intimidate you....do I sound really loony?....I love to scrap, but I'm so overwhelmed by the skill of others (especially my friend Kim), that I don't think my stuff will be good enough....but....then I have to remember that it's my outlet and only has to please me....right....and who is my strongest critic?...me right....(of course I could name a person or two that probably are a litter harder on me than I am...haha) So, if I like it, even though it is so much simpler and symetrical than the lovely things I see from others....it's an expression of me and my personality right....

Anyway......I got started and can't wait to do more!

Going to Bono tomorrow to celebrate my Dad's 65th birthday...it was Dec. 5th

Commitment Phobia Conquered, this time.....

Well, I have always always always wanted a horse, but never had the opportunity to have one....the opportunity has arrived....and even thought it took us a week for me to make a decision, we finally did it!

Goldie, the beautiful buckskin below, is going to come live at my house....I'm so excited.....I wish she could come today, but we need to do a few things to get ready for her.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

A sense of accomplishment

Well, I just did it....I took the last test of the last class to complete my bachelor's degree. I had this strange feeling sort of bubbling thru me....a lightness of spirit and a sense of accomplishment...it all hit at once....I've been waiting for this moment for so long, that I didn't realize it would feel so good! I did it! I finally, finally did it!!!!!!!! I feel silly now...It's not like I haven't been waiting for this moment for weeks....but I have finally reached it!!!!!

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

What's up today?

Hello World....
It's a rainy evening in my part of the world. I left work early to go help my hubby pick out new frames for his glasses...then we went to the co-op to look at some sadddles and get me a pair of Georgia Mud Dog boots...for tromping around the "mini-goat farm" and thru the muck from the winter weather.....now I have boots just like George's....only smaller.... Finally picked out the new horse riding boots that I want...Justin Gypsies.... kind of like the Ariat Probabies.....Mom's getting them for me for Christmas (yeah)!

Monday, December 1, 2008

Warm and stylin'



Check out my new snuggly warm hat! I'm so not a fan of hats, but I bought this one recently....George laughed at me when I put it on but dude, it was warm!