October 2023

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The shed will be going next to the dog pen. However, between the instructions not making sense (it wasn't just me), the wind blowing and the dogs barking at us, the cats, and each other, working on the shed quickly became very irritating. We thought we would have to put it off, but Bob came up with the brilliant plan of assembling it in the garage and we can drag it out once we are finished. :) We are now half-way through the assembly steps. Bob expects we'll be working on it after work this week so he can be free to work on another project next weekend. Besides, it can't stay in the garage very long as he needs to do some vehicle repairs before winter sets in.

If you don't recall, we had two major water leaks right after moving in - one originating from the bathtub. For the last year, we've had FlexSeal tape sealing the cracks around the edges on top of the globs of silicone the previous owners had from a previous leak that they had to quickly patch themselves. Our tape was starting to peal and we knew it was just a matter of time before we had another leak. So, Bob also started the bathroom renovation this weekend.

He removed all of the patches and found lots of broken tiles and an uneven frame with massive gaps. He removed the tiles, I helped clean them up, and he reused them with plenty of fresh grout. If we get another leak, he says we will need new tile that can be set closer together.

He is not finished. I just grabbed a shot before he cleaned up and covered the walls with plastic so that we could enjoy showers this week while the grout cures. ;) I'll post some before and after shots next week. :)

I finished. Still have plenty of practice to implement and it will be an on-going work in progress, but I do believe I am well on my way to rediscovering the confidence I once had. :)

I was working toward a Master certificate, but it appears the requirements have changed and I need a different set of courses to obtain it. And, here I thought I'd take a break from learning for a bit. :p It looks like I need People Pleaser (overcoming being a people pleaser) and Therapeutic Art now. It isn't a big deal since I have an all-access pass for these courses, but I am anxious to be done with this part of my journey and get on with other parts. ;) Oh the choices! Switch gears as planned or finish despite the hiccup? Hmm.

Last night, a load of hay was delivered. This morning, I unloaded ALL of it (just shy of 100 bales). The bales were slightly lighter and the weather is way cooler than last time; but, even with these thing going for me, just a few months ago I struggled to do 30 in a day. So, I am accepting this as a win! :)

Bob came home and noticed the empty trailer. He even went over to the shed to see what was left to stack. Needless to say, he was super impressed that I even stacked every bit of it.

I do this amazing thing this morning and got taken down by a migraine this afternoon. I guess we win some and lose some. ;)

This year, while becoming a holistic life coach, I have learned to embrace being my "Authentic Self". It is what I had envisioned doing when I started my essential oil business and called it Essentials of Life. However, marketing experts and others said that I really needed to focus on one thing in my business or I would never get any where. So, I focused on the essential oils and didn't do much on the spiritual or other things I love sides. I started lots of projects that I never finished and in focusing on just one thing trying to make others happy I lost my purpose and spent years spinning my wheels.

When I started entertaining the idea of Healing Horse Touch, I tried to keep the horse stuff separate from my essential oils business even though they mesh perfectly.

Then, when I started writing Tools for Victorious Living, I again tried to keep my spiritual side separate.

It's not working. I am getting confused. I simply can not separate myself like this and I have come to realize that there is no reason to. My "niche" is not essential oils, or horses, or spirituality. My "niche" is me. All of me. And those whom I am called to interact with will be drawn to that.

So, I've decided to start next year differently. I say next year, because it will take time for me to get my act together. Since Essentials of Life is associated with my old life and Healing Horse Touch started in my new life, I have decided to drop the idea of all of the projects I started with Essential of Life and focus on Healing Horse Touch. It is a big move for me and a bit scary with plenty of emotions involved, but I do believe this is the direction I should be going.

The shed is finished (at just under a 12 hrs total), in place, nearly full and the garage has been re-organized.

The cats are a little disappointed... they were sure the shed was their private play house complete with toys (bags of screws, bolts, and nuts)...

Before and after shots of the bathtub as promised. Bob used clear silicone instead of white and we are super thrilled with the results. The faucet was loose, so he installed a brace and now it doesn't dare wiggle.

We have been planning this stall divider project all year to keep Chrissy from chasing the other horses out of the barn during feeding time. I am glad to have it done before winter! This will make it easier to ensure that each horse gets their allotment of grain and reduce the possibility of injuries slipping on the ice. Plus, it will force me to get a few extra minutes of walking in in order to go back out and turn her loose each day. ;)

The Empowerment master certificate that I was working towards got redesigned and they created two other master certificates in it's place. I am half way through the last course needed to get the next one and really hope to be done by the end of the week. :)

One thing that I learned in this course is that I am NOT a people pleaser. My love language is Acts of Service. I do enjoy doing things that may make others happy, but I do not do it to be the person or because the person may find someone else and I will then feel neglected. Nope. Not me.

I have been forced into situations that I had to please other people in order to establish the peace. I truly hated it and thought the situations should be handled differently, but I was out voted. So be it.

I truly enjoy being wanted over needed. I truly love being valued and appreciated just for being present. I find that my core being really does not have a need to be needed.

Yeah... Actually, I am more of a bubble popper, not a people pleaser. lol

Hurray!

That's the last certificate for awhile (there are still a few Udemy courses that I do want to take). I still have other goals I aim to achieve this year. ;)

I have been planning for the past three weeks to go to my Dad's tomorrow to help with projects. But, last night, my body decided that it hates me (female problems :p), leaving me tired, weak, and moody.

On top of that, last year, our youngest's truck's defrost quit working mid-winter. That was an ordeal that no one wants to repeat. We finally were able to get the replacement part and Bob was planning on installing it today while our youngest was available to help. Only Bob got called into work, so the truck will not likely get finished today (it is a very big job). Since I'm not feeling up to traveling, I decided it may be best to post-pone our plans so that the truck will still have a chance to get done this weekend.

As I feel up to it, I think I'll start unpacking the last of the boxes left from our first move 7 years ago (wow! has it really been that long?! ) that we stashed in the storage room this week. We are still missing hardware to put together a desk. Hopefully it is in here somewhere... if not, at least Bob will be able to figure out what is needed and we'll finally have everything unpacked. :)

Well... other than the items I still have in Dad's storage shed...

Yesterday, I was looking for t-shirts to add to my wishlist and stumbled across Amazon's print on demand options. As I was looking over the requirements and such, I share the information with Bob and ask:

Should I try designing tshirts and maybe selling some of my art work?

He looks at me completely bewildered and emphatically nods his head YES! Talk about a supportive gesture!

So, I'll be adding some designing to my to do list. ;)

Buddy woke me up at 2am to let me know that he had caught a mouse, ate part of it, vomited, and I could clean it up. Now.

Who's a good kitty?

My youngest brought home a 4 horse stock trailer! Chrissy is going to be super happy (and, hopefully, won't fight so much getting in the trailer now that she won't be in such a cramped space ;) ). It does need all new wiring and such, but nothing the guys can't handle. :)

This afternoon, my youngest helped me place tires where the barrels will go once the fencing is done (just planning ahead ;) ). And I am super-duper excited because I am very nearly certain that we'll be able to include a permanent round pen in one corner if we use a couple of removable panels to keep the barrel run without having to cut down trees. And I've figured out how to keep costs very low. I am so, so very excited!

Bob doesn't quite understand my excitement since I already have a riding area laid out (though it isn't up at the moment) and this barrel run plan. And, plans laid out for a separation pen. But, adding an affordable round pen that will be available whenever I want (weather permitting ;) ) is... is... is... AWESOME!! It is more than I expected that we would be able to do with the space we have.

We will have a nearly complete, tiny equestrian center to play in. The only thing we will be lacking is an indoor riding arena, but that is a loooong way from affordable. I can hardly wait for winter to be over so that I can get these projects done and I can start enjoying the space to the fullest - and winter hasn't even started yet!

I'm glad that I have winter projects lined up to keep me busy. ;)

The cats were delighted to have the grand kids come play a couple of days ago.

First snow of the season! It is already gone. ;) Bob says he's not ready for the cold and is already keeping his knit cap on even inside. lol