August 2019

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Today is my birthday and Bob has given me an absolutely wonderful birthday present! smile

Actually, it was an early present... two days ago, we went out to check on the horses... all was well and we started headed back to the truck to leave when Bob asked me if I planned on riding my horse sometime... my horse that I've had for over a year and haven't ridden yet tongue out ... I told him that it had been on my mind quite a bit lately but I just hadn't followed through on it...

So, he says: How about now? Now? Really?! YES! big heart

Bob helped me saddle Destiny and he rode one of the other horses bareback. It was only 15 minutes or so - most of which was just standing still while I tried to regain control of my nerves… I was done when my saddle slipped a little...

I have been teased quite a bit before about short rides…

“what kind of horse girl are you?”

“you spend more time saddling than you do riding!”

“such a waste of time”

“what’s the point in owning a horse?” grimace

But not Bob! He was perfectly content with doing whatever I felt comfortable with and happy to encourage me. smile

Yesterday found me saddling up again… on my own this time! wide eyed

Doing so reminded me of a marketing challenge question that I had been contemplating over the previous few days: what is your limiting story?

I suddenly realized what mine is…

I have this mindset that if I can’t be present every day and focus on my goals, then what is the point of doing the work?

It’s a perfectionistic thing, I know, but this mindset limits me in soooo many areas of my life – including time with my horse (because just working with him once a week allows him time to forget the previous lesson, so what's the point?)! annoyed

I shared this limiting mindset with Bob, along with my desire to do more with my horse, and his response was: we need to make your horse time a priority! cool

I still have a lot of doubts and negative self-talk to work through, but I am super grateful for the encouragement that Bob has given and his willingness to help me move past my limiting mindset! love

Bob and my youngest having a little weekend fun smile

Rainbow over our town (from a couple of weeks ago) smile

My oldest needs a little help, so I'm packing up to spend a few days with her and her family. Buddy, in the mean time, is trying to UNpack laugh

Most of you know that I became a vegetarian as a teen because I simply don't like meat and spent over 20 yrs as a vegan... My oldest, who has been moving toward vegan eating for some time since the little one is allergic to milk protein, had to empty her freezer because the door had been open and was starting to thaw. Lots of fruit, veggies, and various meatless options came out...

Later, she made a pan of some breaded stuff that smelled super great so I just popped one in my mouth... When I bit down, I realized something was wrong... As I leaned over the trash can to expel whatever it was that had assaulted my tastebuds (something I rarely do... ), I saw the empty package of CHICKEN. Ugh!

Yeah, still don't like meat - even if it does smell good from time to time wink

We celebrated my grandbaby's 1st birthday this past weekend love

The family gathering (14 people) was a bit much for me; but, thankfully, there was plenty in the kitchen to keep me busy and I could enjoy some one-on-one socializing from there wink

My oldest's vegan cupcakes were a hit (even if she did have to alter the online recipe three times to make them edible tongue out ) - especially by the birthday boy!

Bob didn't realize they were vegan until he started his second one and I said, "Not too bad for vegan, huh?" wink

I didn't take any pictures, but this one was shared from another grandma... thank you ! smile

After spending most of a week following my grandson around so his parents could get the house to sparkle for the party (and it surely did! smile ), it's very quiet here! Thankfully, I have a list to keep me busy wink

A friend commented the other day that she could use another 20 or so feet of counter top in her kitchen. I laughed and said: You should see MY kitchen! wink So, here is a shot from the edge of the living room.

This is the kitchen view from the washer and dryer... that's the entrance we use every day next to the refrigerator... the first sight you get to see is the refrigerator and bathroom! But, the front door steps right onto the living room carpet, which does NOT work with the mud! So, we have a large indoor/outdoor rug on top of the carpet to protect it. wink

A couple of hailstones that fell out of the sky a few minutes ago... a little smaller than golf balls... was rather LOUD tongue out Thankfully, it didn't last long!

Remember that article "A Warning for Backyard Mechanics" that I wrote? This is the car from whence the inspiration came from! Some new tires and less than $100 in parts (and a much needed bath!) and they have it entered in a local car show - dubbed as the city's "Junk Vehicle" laugh

9:45 pm... Bob is "on call"... the fire department has lost phone and internet in a city an hour away during a severe thunderstorm... Bob is a good driver... still... there is a storm raging (both inside and out now) and I pray for his safety... and for the storm to pass quickly. Most people don't think of emergency services when they think of the "cable man"... I know I didn't until Bob started this job! He has an important job and I'm proud of him. energy

Me (if I'm feeling too bad to cook): help yourself to whatever you can find in the kitchen (there's usually, at least, a cake)... here's a pillow and blanket - feel free to stay on the couch...

hmmm... maybe that's why Bob doesn't bring anyone over! He's afraid they'd never leave! laugh

I have a new obsession! wide eyed

Back when I hurt my back, I was wishing for a tablet; but, I couldn't decide what I wanted and didn't want to pay a lot for something I wouldn't use... the idea got shelved since I was healing well, until my son-in-law found out that an elementary school was selling outdated iPads for $20/each. I was like: get me one! smile I figured it was cheap enough to play with. wink

After I got it all setup, I started looking for the apps that I wanted to use... 90% of them are incompatible because of the age of the iPad. tongue out I almost gave up on it.

Then... a friend posted a picture using a coloring book app...

I need to back up a little here... I have been having a crazy desire to paint (paint fumes give me a headache)... not wanting to spend money on a hobby that I'm not going to enjoy, I decided to ask my oldest for some of her gel pens to play with... she happily supplied me with some. smile I printed off a few coloring pages and spent several days coloring... only to become very frustrated because I didn't have the colors that I wanted and there is no undo option! blank expression

So, when my friend posted about this coloring book app, I was intrigued... surprisingly, there were several available that are compatible with my old iPad. Most are too annoying for me to use - requiring a weekly subscription to do anything I would want to do. tongue out But one (Happy Color) has held my attention enough so that I bought the ads free version smile

I called it my new obsession... well, I've had it for four days now...

123 pictures (consisting of 37,800+ areas) are now colored laugh

I've also added a newer tablet to my wishlist... maybe for Christmas... Bob's doing some research for me smile

The other night, Bob got a phone call... my oldest was becoming frantic... where's Mom? why isn't she answering her phone? I've been trying to get a hold of her for HOURS!!!

I admit, it had been a weird day... I kept checking the phone to see if I had missed a call or text (seriously, there are an increasing amount of times that it simply doesn't ring but lists a missed call tongue out ).... nothing. That just NEVER happens.

As it turns out, both kids were trying to get a hold of me and nothing was coming through... which caused them both to become slightly frantic. Guess Mommy's not allowed to be unreachable for a couple of hours... wink

And, yes, we're looking into getting a replacement phone... smile