Chickens...sad tale

Sorry I haven't blogged in awhile. Life is always busy busy busy!

Things were going pretty well with our chickens. They were big enough to go outside, and all was fine and dandy until something ate four of our chickens in less than 36 hours! :( So, we had two left...hoping they were hens. Turns out they are both roosters! So, we gave one of the roosters to my mom and dad, in trade for three of their chicks. A varmint also killed the last rooster we had, leaving us with the three new chicks. They were still little, so we kept them in a dog kennel in the barn. Not even a week went by and one of the chicks was dead...eaten by a varmint through the dog kennel! It was awful! We still have the two chicks left and they're doing well...I just hope nothing eats them!

99 things

Rules: Bold the things you've done!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo (in grade school, does that count?)
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty - it was closed for security reasons, but I have seen it!
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked - kinda.
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangeo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted - drawn, actually.
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies - do 4-H pizzas count?
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Chickens!

Growing up at the ranch, we started raising chickens (and the occasional duck and turkey) for 4-H. Andy and I did pretty well...I think we had reserve champion turkey at the state fair one year, even! My dad became pretty accustomed to having "bockers" around up at the barn. Andy and I moved out about the same time as our chickens also passed away or got eaten by darn varmints around the ranch. The White Buffalo Ranch was chicken-less for a few years...until 2008, when my dad decided he wanted some more bockers. I think he missed his pets, and we all missed farm-fresh eggs. (They are the best eggs, ever!) So, mom ordered him some chicks from McMurry's Hatchery...yes, you can order chickens online! They ordered 26 chickens, and a year later, are down to 4. Chickens at the ranch don't have very good odds! Dad did get 4 eggs from them the other day, so at least they're producing! Mom ordered him 25 more chickens this year. They should be here in May. I hope they have better luck this year!

So, Cody and I walked into Feldman's on Saturday to get a few things. We walked out with horse feed, grease for the tractor, and 6 baby chicks! That's right...now Cody and I are in the egg business, too! Well, they probably won't lay eggs for another six months or so, but so far, they're doing great! We purchased two Black Australorps, two Rhode Island Reds, and two Araucanas. The Australorps and the Reds will lay brown eggs, and the Araucanas will lay bluish-green colored eggs.

I'm very excited to have my own bockers!

Let me know if you want any farm-fresh eggs in a few months!








Black Australorps














Rhode Island Reds


















Araucanas

The latest addition to Abigail Ranch

Things are looking great here at Abigail Ranch, thanks to our latest addition...a Kubota tractor!

We bought a Kubota B2400. It's hydrostat and is really easy to drive. There's really no shifting...just push one pedal to go forward, and the other to go backwards. It has a loader and a 60 inch mower deck. We also purchased a box blade.

I am so in love with this tractor! It's the perfect size, is fun to drive around, and will make quick work of all of our projects.

Check it out!

Roses for me on his birthday?

Cody's birthday is on Feb. 12, two days before Valentine's day. I promised to cook him a birthday pie and take him out to dinner...I'm such a great girlfriend. ;) That afternoon, a bouquet of a dozen beautiful red roses arrived at my office with a sweet note attached. My Valentine's day roses were delivered a little early! Yep, he sent flowers to me on his birthday!

Thank yous

My parents taught me to send thank yous anytime somebody gave a gift or did something nice for you. And I still send them. It's the right thing to do, and who doesn't love getting mail!?!?! ;) After Christmas this year, I had this great idea to BLOG my thank yous, with a picture of the item received being used! Great idea, huh? Yes, it would have been a spectacular idea if I actually had time to do it and remembered to take pictures of stuff. I told myself that I'd try to do it for my birthday presents, and I did better about the picture taking. I went ahead and sent out real thank you cards for both my Christmas AND birthday presents.

So, you're left with the few pictures I remembered to take...



Spuddy and Rose got me these GREAT mixing bowls! They are lined with rubber on the bottom so the bowl won't slide around. Here is one of the bowls in use, mixing pancake batter. Yum!



Mom surprised me with this very very cool rug for my birthday. Isn't is neat?!?!


And my grandma got me the matching pillow!


I've been asking my dad (for a year, now!) if I could have one of the alumnium stall fronts from my old barn at the ranch. With a little help from mom, check out what he delivered for my birthday! Thanks to Dad and Cody for installing it!


So, I've been eyeing this really cute horse shoe necklace at Zales for the last month or so, and hinting to Cody that it'd make a great birthday gift. He told me that he could get me jewelry, or what about a dutch door for Shiloh's stall? Well, I picked the dutch door, of course! It's not entirely finished (still needs tin on the outside), but look how cool it is! Shiloh has a real stall now, complete with a sliding stall door and a dutch door. Besides getting Fanny for my 7th birthday, the stall is perhaps the best birthday present ever.



Thanks, everyone, for making my birthday so special!

More Random Things About Me

I loved filling out the "25 random things" survey, so I decided to do a few more!

1. I love working in the Crown Center area. And I don't feel like I live in a big city when I drive from my house to work. There is hardly any traffic coming into downtown from Wyandotte County, my route just has a few stoplights, and then it's straight into the parking garage, which is very handy. Going to the barn is a different matter, though. When I leave work, I drive north, through downtown. I pass one of the busiest bus stops in the city, and there are usually at least 50 people waiting there to get on the bus. I also usually drive by a homeless person, begging for money, and also usually hit tons of traffic headed to KC's Northland. It's then I realize that I live in a metropolitan area with a population of 2 million people.

2. When I told my mom I was adding Ag Communications and Journalism as a major she asked me if that's the kind of degree where you get a job working for the High Plains Journal. Two years later, I completed a three-month internship with the High Plains Journal in Dodge City and loved every minute of it.

3. When I was a sophomore in high school, I attended the Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership seminar, a three-day leadership experience that changed my life. A year later, I returned as a junior counselor, and one of my ambassadors was Jenn H., who became my best friend. We've talked approx. once a week ever since, and have even hiked the Grand Canyon together. After the organization restructured, I got re-involved through my college roommate, Kristen D. I've volunteered almost every year since, and currently serve as Communications Director. Each year, during those three to four days, I'm constantly on the move, get very little sleep, and sing silly songs, but those high school sophomores rejuvinate me for the rest of the year and give me reason to keep going.

4. Speaking of Kristen, I went "potluck" on my roommate choice in the dorms for my freshman year of college. I was so nervous when I got the letter in the mail and just knew I'd have some psycho crazy person to live with. Instead, I got Kristen, who I already knew and loved! We went to Discovery Days and Yearbook Camp together in high school! It's a small world.

5. I also knew my rush roommate, Jessica Smith. We both participated in the Saline County/Johnson County 4-H exchange program in the 4th or 5th grade, and then went on the 4-H Washington D.C. trip together in high school. Again, what a small world.

6. I was way too involved in college, but I wouldn't change it for the world. Kappa Alpha Theta, Blue Key, and Horse Judging were some of the best times of my life, and the friends I made are friends forever.

7. Do you know how I know I was too involved in college? I have a giant t-shirt quilt with college t-shirts that my grandma created and still have enough t-shirts to wear a different one each day for 3 or 4 weeks. I must've been too involved in high school, too, because I have a giant t-shirt quilt with high school t-shirts, which was also made by my grandma.

8. I know how to slaughter cattle, sheep, and hogs. I took meat animal processing class in college. You'd be amazed at how often this knowledge is used at my job.

9. Cody and I have an ongoing contest to see who can say "Good morning, I love you" first. The rules are that it has to be sometime after 12:00 midnight, and text messages also count. He wins 90% of the time.

10. I met Cody through a friend, and he moved in as a roommate a month later. He was going to school in KC, and I had just purchased my house. I figured I could rent him one of the upstairs bedrooms and have some help paying my mortgage. Almost two years later, we're still living together, although roommate probably isn't the most appropriate term to use any more...boyfriend works much better. And he hasn't paid any rent, but has probably put at least $50,000 into labor, working on the house. I love him dearly.

11. In 2000, I was the second runner-up for the Tri-Rivers Fair Queen.

12. I lived in St. Joe for nine months. There were probably only three weekends out of those nine months that I actually spent in St. Joe. All of the others were spent traveling to horse shows, Manhattan, the White Buffalo Ranch, and various places inbetween. When I was in St. Joe on the weekends, I watched Lonesome Dove with Micky. She was the best roommate ever.

13. My parents are amazing people.

14. My best Halloween costume was a bunch of grapes.

15. When I was a junior in high school, my family hosted a Japanese exchange student for 9 months. Her name is Yuya, and I plan to visit her before I turn 30.

16. One of the most awful noises I've ever heard is a pig's terror cry. My 4-H pigs escaped from their pen one day and went to visit the buffalo across the pond dam. The buffalo didn't like their visitors and proceeded to gore them. The pigs' cry was awful.

17. I am a huge horse lover, but I'm also a realist. I would like the U.S. horse slaughter business to reopen so unwanted horses have a way in which they can be disposed.

18. I like it when people play with my hair.

19. I spent many weekends between Thanksgiving and Christmas at my grandparent's Christmas tree farm when I was growing up. Great memories.

20. I use Aussie Sprunch Spray in my hair every day.

21. I got my first horse on my 7th birthday. Her name was Fanny and she had a pink halter. Since then, I've had Libby, Oscar, Gus, Big Guy, Sonny, Sam, Stuart, Hank, and now Shiloh. I know all of their registered names, too - Sundown's Fanny, Miss Liberty Rooster, Sequoia My Ole Man, Talent Seeker, Mr. Zippo Pine, Green Bay Sky Walker, Millenium Mister, Ironically Hot, Cadillacn Hot, and Scotchs Jet Set.

22. I do not balance my checkbook, but I do look at my bank account balance online every day.

23. All of my grandparents are still living, and I am very lucky. I love them very much.

24. I hardly have any single friends any more, and a lot of my friends are having babies. These facts are quite shocking to me.

25. I love getting mail.

25 Random Things About Me

This note is making it's way around facebook. I filled it out yesterday, and thought I'd also post it here!


1. In 1999, I was in car wrecks on January 7, June 7, July 7, and October 7. Oh, and my mom hit a cow that year, too, but it wasn't on the 7th.

2. Most of my family calls me RHB, aka Red-Headed B. Most of the time, I'm quite proud of that nickname.

3. Cody and I think it's funny to mess with our "relationship status" on facebook. It's great to see peoples' reactions!

4. I get very nervous when driving in the snow and ice. During my freshman year of college, I was driving the family's old green Suburban when it slid down McCain hill sideways and took out three cars at 1 AM.

5. I have a new motor in my truck, thanks to Jiffy Lube's mess up.

6. There's nothing better than riding a horse with a good western pleasure lope. It's like floating.

7. I should have given up my AQHA amateur status years ago. I love giving riding lessons and training horses, even though I'll probably never do it at a breed show level.

8. I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.

9. I LOVE attending red-dirt concerts. I saw Pat Green at a concert at Longhorn's Saloon in 2002, before he'd hit the big time (he was barefoot for the entire concert!). Reckless Kelly and Eli Young Band put on the best concerts.

10. My favorite thing to drink in the summer is sugar-free cherry Kool-Aid. I do not like regular Kool-Aid.

11. When I was 7 or 8, my brother and I won the box turtle races at Brookville's Labor Day Celebration. The only reason our turtle was fast was because we hadn't fed or watered him in a couple weeks, and he was trying to get away from us.

13. My parents left me at Pizza Hut when I was little. It was time to leave, I went to the bathroom, and they both thought I was getting in the car with the other parent. I still give my mom and dad a hard time about this.

14. When I'm in KC, I really miss being able to see the stars at night.

15. I rarely go out in public without wearing mascara. Sure, I'll go grocery shopping (in KC!) covered in dirt, smelling of horse, wearing mud-covered boots and coveralls, but I'll be wearing mascara!

16. I don't think I could ever be a stay-at-home mom. Kudos to those of you who do it! Sure, I want to have a couple kids, but I like working.

17. My only requirement when I bought my house was that I could keep a horse there without any special permits and it was only 20-30 minutes from downtown. I didn't care about garage spaces, bedrooms, or kitchen islands. No, my house isn't perfect and needs some work, but it's in a great location.

18. In the year and a half I've owned my house, with the help of one amazing boyfriend, an incredible family, and the best friends ever, I have built a barn, poured part of a new foundation in concrete, cleared away two huge dirt piles, enlarged the driveway, poured a concrete pad to park on, built stairs to the deck, repaired the deck, painted the kitchen, installed a new microwave and dishwasher, replaced one window and one door, installed a new porch light, painted the front porch railings, planted lots of grass, installed white vinyl and high tensile fence all the way around the property, hung lots of gates, completely repaired the closet that was falling off the side of the house, ran water and electricity to the barn, planted lots of flowers, trimmed lots of trees, repaired the door and entry way into the sausage room, repaired the roof, cleared away grass and rocks for my arena, cleaned up the pasture, poured concrete in the barn, repaired the well cover, cleaned out the gutters, poured a concrete sidewalk, and completed countless other home improvement projects. Whew!

19. Cody and I really really really need a tractor...a compact tractor with a loader, mower, backhoe, box blade, and tiller, to be exact. Donations are being accepted.

20. One of my life-long goals is to run over an armadillo.

21. I have naturally curly red hair. I dyed it once, when two of my friends and I decided to switch up the order of the blonde, the brunette, and the red head. It was supposed to be blonde, but my hair turned into a funny looking brown color. Did you know only 3% of the world's population has red hair?

22. I can still recite the Gettysburg Address. We had to memorize it in the 8th grade.

23. When I was a kid, I took lessons for just about everything. Piano, bowling, dance, golf, baton, canoeing, saxophone, horseback riding, archery, and even gymnastics.

24. Yes, my eyes are very green. And yes, I wear contacts, which makes them even more green.

25. I love my life!

Christmas, New Year's Eve, and....why haven't I blogged in so long?

So why haven't I blogged in so long? I'm just a little busy, I guess! I love spending time at the barn, giving lessons, and training horses.

Christmas was a blast. I spent time with Cody and his family, with my family in Salina, and visited all three grandparent households. Cody and I got a LCD TV for my parents, which was a big surprise! They also received a hall tree from Cody that won't fall over no matter how many coats you put on it!

The coolest present I got this year? A Dyson vacuum! It's incredible! Mom and dad got me the "animal" version, which is perfect for our house with two long-haired Aussies! Cody has been vacuuming (which we now call dysoning) with it almost every day. (Thank you, Cody!)

We spent New Year's Eve down in New Strawn, just like we did last year, with a huge bonfire next to Redmond lake. The fire did a great job of keeping us warm, as long as you turned around every few minutes!

Cody and I still can't seem to stay put in KC for very long. We've already spent three weekends visiting two sets of grandparents, and the White Buffalo Ranch, and Cody has made a few trips to Burlington. We'll be home this weekend...my parents and grandma are coming to KC to celebrate my birthday.

Guess I'd better clean my house, huh!?!?!

Snow!

We have about 3 inches of snow on the ground from yesterday's storm. It's pretty, but makes me very unmotivated to go ride horses at the barn. Ugggg...and there's even an indoor arena to ride in!

Ice is expected tomorrow... I know my mom is probably having flashbacks of last year's ice storm when the ranch was without electricity for two weeks! No fun!

I can't believe Christmas is a week away! I'm leaving work on Dec. 23 and not coming back until Jan. 5! Yay for vacation!

Mulkie Fraggle, come!

This post is about lessons learned.

Every morning, I wake up and let the dogs outside. I used to stand at the front door and watch them go about their business, and then call them back inside. Lately, I've been letting them outside for 20 or 30 minutes and then call for them and they come back in. They like to play, so I figured, hey, what's the harm, right? They're pretty good about staying in the yard.

Well, this morning, I let them out, like I always do, and came back inside for awhile. I then went to the door to let them back in and called, and Mazda came running. No Mulkie Fraggle. So I kept calling, and calling, and calling...still no Mulkie Fraggle.

I woke up Cody and we went searching. It had snowed yesterday, so we could follow the tracks. I talked to our neighbors, and Jean, next door, said that Mulkie had been on her porch this morning. So much for staying in the yard!

We came back inside and waited and called every few minutes, hoping she'd come home. I am a bad dog owner and didn't have her collar (with tags) on (I had just taken it off to give her a bath over the weekend). So finally, we got back in the Subie and went searching some more. We drove down Edwardsville Drive, stopped the guy from Atmos checking gas meters and asked him to keep an eye out. We saw an Edwardsville cop stopped on the side of the road checking for speeders and asked him to keep an eye out. We drove all the way to Camp Naish, just in case she went that far. We stopped at Ani Pals, the pet resort just up the road, thinking she may have wandered there because of the smell of other dogs. We stopped at another neighbor's house and talked to him, too.

Finally, we just decided to drive back home, and there she was, standing in Jack and Jean's driveway. ARRRGGGHHH!! I was so glad to see her! I really thought that she had run away for good, or been picked up by somebody who thought she was pretty and took her because she didn't have a collar. Thank goodness we found her! She's still in trouble for running away and will be spending some time in her kennel and will go outside on her leash.

Whew...that was enough stress for a Wednesday morning! Needless to say, I will NOT ever let the dogs out unsupervised again! Well, at least until we install our Underground Fence system...is it springtime yet?

Mourning the loss...

Blackberry Pearl White

On December 1, 2008, Blackberry Pearl White died of unnatural causes. She was brutally murdered when she was dropped into a vat of cool, creamy, 2% milk. Although she tried to come back to life on December 5, 2008 when she woke up when her alarm clock was scheduled to go off, showing signs of life by making strange ringing noises (scaring Abby half to death thinking that there was a burglar in the kitchen). She was finally removed from life (and battery) support and took her last breath.

She is proceeded in death by her grandmother, Sanyo VI-2300 Green.

She is survived by her mother, Sanyo Katana Pinkish, and her daughter, Nokia Cheapest-I-Could-Find-At-Target Black.


Nokia is with child and is expected to give birth to Blackberry's granddaughter, Blackberry Flip Charcoal sometime soon...maybe around Christmastime?

Where are we going?

After Thanksgiving with the Strawder Family, Cody and I loaded up our dogs, got in the truck, and headed south. We didn't really know where we were going, but wanted to take a road trip and end up someplace at least half-way warm! We finally picked our destination of choice when we reached Dallas...let's go to Galveston Island and dip our feet in the ocean!

We stayed just south of Dallas the first night, and made it to Galveston the next afternoon. We stopped by Moody Gardens Aquarium and saw all sorts of fun creatures - sea horses, sharks, sea turtles, seals, tons of fish, and an octopus! Then we found a beach (just typed in "beach" and Carmen, the Garmin found the closest one) and went for a walk. Mazda and Mulkie Fraggle LOVED the ocean! It was tons of fun.

We experienced some authentic Texas food...we ate at Whataburger and a Mexican restaurant (although I think La Casita in Salina is the best Mexican ever). We stopped just north of Dallas to sleep on the way home, and the next morning, Cody and I made a trip to Sergeants Western World (a horse-lover's dream store). I bought some nice reins, a new headstall, and we ooogled over the show saddles. We made it home on Tuesday evening...tired, but we had a blast.
















Carmen, our trusty Garmin.




















This is Cody's "Yes, I just spent 12 hours in the truck with you!" look. ;)
















Me outside of Moody Garden's Aquarium in Galveston.





















Look out! Shark attack! Inside Moody Gardens Aquarium.
















Me, Mazda and Mulkie Fraggle in the ocean!

















They played, and played, and played some more.
















A friend of mine asked if our dogs were the good photographers...lol, no, we found a nice lady to take our picture.
















Isn't is gorgeous?!!?

Awards!

It's a fact...I love going to horse shows. I love showing horses, period. This year, I decided to try out a new show circuit, the Golden Circle shows. I wasn't able to show at very many shows this year, but when I did, Shiloh and I did pretty well. Cody and I attended the 2008 awards banquet. They gave away some really neat bronze sculptures and I think they are soooo cool! I was very surprised to win a bronze sculpture and then, even more surprised to win Reserve High Point Adult for the year. Thanks, Golden Circle shows! We'll be back next year!




















Isn't this cool?!?!

















Check out this really cool garment bag!

Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving was a blast! Cody and I celebrated the first Thanksgiving/Christmas of the year at my Aunt Cindy's. It was great to catch up with my cousins and see their growing children! Here's a pic of us at Aunt Cindy's very festive house.















Then, we went to Cody's family's Thanksgiving down in Coffey County. I didn't take any pictures there, but I'm sure his sisters have a few.


Our next Thanksgiving was at the White Buffalo Ranch. Despite the fact that were were NO deviled eggs (ahem, Grandma!), we stuffed ourselves silly. ;)

You have to raise your hand if you want to get a word in.




















Madi (Andy's girlfriend), Jim Jr., Doni D., Beckem (Madi's son), Mom, and Andy.



















Madi again, Grandma, Unca, and Dad. And Cody somehow didn't get in my Thanksgiving eating pictures, but he was there, too! ;)
















My mom and I braved Black Friday to get a Wii at Sam's. It's a ton of fun! I'm a particular fan of cow racing. Here's a pic of Grandma and Cody playing Wii.
















We really had a great time this Thanksgiving. Now, on to Christmas!

Vacation!

I left the office tonight, and will not be back until December 1! It's a great feeling.

I'm playing at the barn tomorrow, and then I have my awards banquet for the Golden Circle Horse Shows. I didn't attend that many shows, but they said I have enough points to at least win something! www.goldencircle.org

On Saturday, we're headed to New Strawn for Strawder Thanksgiving on Sunday. Then, on Sunday afternoon, Cody and I are leaving for a road trip! We have a new Garmin Nuvi to be our guide, and we have no idea where we're going, except that we're headed south. It'll be an adventure!

I'll post more about our adventure when we return!

Counter Space

I have a small kitchen. It's basically a kitchen in a hallway, so counter space is VERY limited.

So, Cody, his dad, and I found this really good deal at Lowe's...an over-the-oven stainless steel microwave for cheap! The only bad thing is that there wasn't any electric plug in over by the oven, just the BIG plug in for the oven. And, installing one of these isn't as easy as setting the microwave on the counter. The cabinet had to be moved up, and it has to attach to the cabinet, but not be too close to the stove top.

So, this weekend, with help from Ron, Ron's friend, and Cody, (okay...I wasn't even there, they did all the work...) I have a new over-the-oven, installed mircowave! It's fabulous!

And my favorite part!?! It has a "minute plus" button, so you only have to hit one button to heat up your food!

We're giving away the old microwave. And say HELLO to more counter space!!

Food

I typically think of myself as someone who will eat anything. However, there are some foods I don't like...

I don't like corned beef, sauerkraut, or Brussel sprouts. And I really don't like turkey. Or Swiss Cheese. Oh, and I my cousin, Kayla, and I had our "initiation into the family" by trying raw oysters that they eat every Christmas....we failed miserably. They are terrible.

I'm not a big fan of grape jelly. I like strawberry much better. And I don't really like mustard. And I have to be in the right mood to eat dill pickles, but I LOVE bread and butter pickles. And I do not like jalapeños peppers. They're too hot for me! I used to eat olives when I was younger, but I don't really like them any more.

I've grown to like the taste of beer, but I have to be in the mood to drink it. Otherwise, a give me a whiskey and coke with a lime and I'm happy! Or any fruity girly drinks...watermelon smirnoff or mike's hard lemonade.

I eat a lot of buffalo burger (thanks, Mom and Dad!). I love grilled ham and cheese sandwiches with apple sauce on top.

Side note: I used to have a cat named Pickles.

Life as a horse trainer

Boy 'o boy...where has all of my free time gone? To the barn, of course!

I'm giving lots of lessons, but also have two horses in training.

The first horse is Sam, who you may remember from 2002-2004. I skipped my senior prom to drive to Nebraska to buy him. He was a skittish, skinny, scary-looking two-year-old who I bought for the 4-H futurity. We did really well at shows, and I sold him in 2004. He is now a really cute, quiet, stout, loving eight-year-old. I'm going to tune him up and sell him for his owner. He hasn't done much in the last four years, but remembers a lot! He's so much fun! I really hope I find a good home for him. So, if you know of anyone looking... ;)

Here's a photo of Sam from the 2003 KS State Fair:
















The other horse I have in training is a four-year-old Missouri Fox Trotter with CURLY hair! He has the curly hair gene! He's sorrel, and his coat is even more curly than my hair! He doesn't have much of a mane or tail, though. He's owned by a lady who adopted him from a horse rescue. Right now, we're working on the basics, like saddling, moving forward when you pull on the lead rope, and not being scared of the world. He also had his first bath last weekend. It was a huge success! And now he doesn't stink! Yay! Note: it is a lot easier to give a horse its first bath when you have access to warm water!

Here is a pic of Cody holding Phoneix after his bath, and another pic with the saddle on! I'll have to take more pics of him with a real camera so you can see his curly hair!

Mailbox wars

When I was little, somebody shot the mailbox at the end of our lane. I remember it was a big deal because the mail lady cut her hand on the sharp edges.

Well, Cody and I have become victim to mailbox vandalism, too. We went to the Wade Bowen concert on Friday night, and came home to a dented mailbox. Cody pounded out most of the dents, but the door doesn't shut very well any more. I'm thankful it wasn't damaged very much and we don't have to buy a new mailbox!

The other mailbox news in Edwardsville is about our neighbors across the street. Their mailbox is on our side of the road, right in front of our house. It was your typical white mailbox when I moved in, but a couple months ago, they painted a confederate flag on it. Now, I can be pretty redneck myself, but a confederate flag mailbox?!? Are you kidding me? If it was on their side of the road, I don't think I'd mind it as much. But it's right in front of our house!

Well, it only took a couple days for that issue to be taken care of. Somebody spray painted the confederate flag mailbox gold. So now, it looks gold, with some red, white, and blue showing underneath. Classy, huh?!