My Birthday

I must say that I had one of the best birthdays EVER! The only way it could have been better is if Rob could have been there. I went out to eat with four of my friends from the barn, and we had a blast as you can probably tell from the picture above :) From left to right is Carissa, Marietta, Melissa, and Heather. Yes the crazy fool (note the sweater, wink) they are holding up is me of course. Thank God I lost 19 lbs for this moment!



I loved all my gifts! I got a Brighton bracelet, a horsey coloring book (and crayons) in which everyone colored a page to look like their horse, fun cards, a horse puzzle, gloves for riding, and a Black Beauty dvd ya'll!! What was so cool was how horse related it all was. I swear it was the birthday party I dreamed of when I was a little girl. I felt like a kid all over again. Even our waitress had horses. We made her sit down with us and have a piece of cake, which was made by Melissa (as well as my own personal baby cake) and was quite delicious I might add. Thanks so much girls for making my day so special!! You made turning 33 a whole lot easier than I thought it would be! I'm blessed to have such wonderful friends :)

Pictures soooon

Ok so I've knit 4 hats and made a ton of bracelets. I'm actually quite proud of the bracelets. I still can't show you until they make it to their recipients.

Things have been going really well for me. I have been getting out to the barn as much as possible. I guess that's the main reason it has been so quiet here on the blog. All I really have to talk about is my horse. It's actually kind of funny, I have always loved horses, but I had no idea that I would become quite so obsessed. I had only known one person in my life that owned a horse, so I wasn't quite prepared for the obsession. DC and I have been doing a lot of bonding. He comes to me when he hears me call at the gate. I guess he has finally figured it out that we belong to each other :)

In other news, I turn 33 on Thursday, and I decided to go nuts with my hair! Does that make me a cliche? I have been on this whole beautification kick for a while. I started losing weight and getting in better shape. I have lost 19lbs so far! Then got on this awesome skin care system prescribed by my dermatologist. I really feel better, and I think I'm starting to look better too. Here are some pictures Rob took of me :D It was fun goofing off and taking fun pics of my fun new hair!

Merry Christmas!!

I hope that you all have a blessed and merry Christmas! I'll be compiling pictures of all my creations that I am unable to show right now. Christmas is hard on blogging. Who am I kidding? I hardly blog anymore anyway. Bad me.

Before I go I wanted to tell you about the bestest Christmas gift our family recieved this year. My brother Nick returning safe and sound from Iraq!!! Yay!! What more could anyone want for Christmas!

Horsing Around...

One of the main reasons that I haven't been blogging as much, is that I have been spending all of my spare time at the barn. For the first time since we moved here a year ago, I feel like I have found a place where I fit in.

I have been in love with horses ever since I found out what one was. I would play with toy horses, draw horses, read books about horses, dream about horses, and even pretend I was a horse. When I was 4 1/2 years old, my mom and dad brought my baby sister, Misti, home from the hospital. My reaction?

"Take that baby back! I wanted a horse not a sister!!"

True story. As you can imagine, working with horses is a dream come true. I keep expecting to wake up at any moment. I remember how green I was on my first day at the barn. I didn't even know how to put a halter on the horse's head, and my first real riding lesson was probably one of the most humbling experiences of my life. I asked the owner of the barn how I did after my last ride, and she said, "You had some moments." I jumped up and down doing the happy dance shouting, "I'm getting better! I'm getting better!" You see, "you had some moments" is way better than "you're doing everything wrong". Haha!

On October 6th I'll be competing in my very first horse with the awesome horse you see in the picture above. His name is DC, and I must tell you that I am in love :) That camera phone picture does not do him justice. He is absolutely stunning in person, and I need to get my real camera out to the barn to get better shots. I'll be sure to have it with me when I show.

I don't think I will ever have the words to tell Rebekah how much I appreciate her letting me be a part of the barn. I really admire what she does for her rescues. I just didn't realize I would end up being one of them :)

So much going on...

I have so much going on that I have very little time to blog. I cast on for the Origami Cardi from IK. I am using a different stitch pattern for the edgings. I've been working,playing with horsies, taking care of my zoo, working out almost every night, helping a friend with a website, and on and on and on. Marco was just diagnosed with asthma, so I've been dealing with that, poor baby :( My knitting classes have picked back up again, so that's one less free night a week. It's no wonder that I'm up at 3am blogging. When else do I have time?? I'm just going to stop sleeping. Who needs it! For now here is a slide show with some random pictures. I hope to get back soon with a better entry. I hope you all have a great weekend!

Go to ImageShack® to Create your own Slideshow

Kiss Our Butts Cancer!!!

Terry's radiation worked!!! Praise God!! Cancer you can kiss all of our butts!! Get on out of here! Congrats on your clean bill of health Terry! We love you!!

Poor Pups

My friend and I found these two little skinny little puppies in our neighborhood. We searched and searched for the owners, but we had no luck. *A big group of kids said that they had been dropped and had been wandering around for TWO WEEKS!! Now why would anyone let puppies wander through the streets for two whole weeks and not do anything!? I just don't get it. The bad news is we never found the owners, but the good news is we found them a home!

*The kids had asked their parents if they could keep the puppies. The parents told them no and made the kids leave the puppies to fend for themselves on the streets :(

In Memory Of

I just found out, from a good friend of mine, that Annie Modesitt's husband has just been diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma. She is collecting donations for all the added expenses beyond health care (man oh man does it all add up), and in return you get a pattern called Red Carpet Convertible. I donated in memory of my loved ones lost this year to various forms of cancer. If by some chance you read this, Annie, I want you to know that you, Gerry, and your children are in my prayers.

So how was your Thursday?

Mine pretty much stunk. I'm sitting her with 5 craters in my skin in various parts of my body trying to decide if I want to talk about my day or not. I figure by the time I get to the end of this I'll either hit post or just close the window. I guess if you're reading this I must have just said $#!# it and posted.

I went for a skin cancer screening today, expecting not to have any problems, and I ended up having 5 suspicious areas removed for biopsy. Now you have seen pictures of me and you know that I'm a red head, with very fair skin, and freckles. I have also had a few blistering sunburns as a kid, and members of my family have been diagnosed with skin cancer. My beautimous Grandmommy just had a melanoma removed. If you have ever read up on skin cancer, you would know that puts me at a very high risk. Needless to say, I'm worried. Yes I do know that I could be totally fine, and it's just possible that I have a great doctor who is just being cautious. Let's hope that is the case. I still can't help but worry. I mean to add insult to injury, one of the spots is on my face. Do you know how much flesh has to be removed if it turns out to be melanoma? Ugh, I don't even want to think about it.

On the way home from the doctor's office, I learned that my Aunt Peggy lost her battle with lupus and cancer today. She is the fourth loved one I have lost in about six months, three were lost to cancer. I realize that as you get older people in your life will start to pass away, but this is just ridiculous. These were not old people. My cousin Debbie was just in her early 40's. I know that they are all in a better place now, but I mourn for those of us left behind to miss them. I mourn for my Uncle who had to make a really horrible decision today. I mourn for my cousins who lost their mother, and for my Grandmommy and her surviving siblings who lost their little sister. I pray for their comfort.

So if you pray, please throw one up for my family and maybe toss one in for a clean bill of health for me. If you don't, cross your fingers and your toes and send us all some happy thoughts :) All will be very much appreciated.

And please, for the love of God, and all that is holy, wear sunscreen, with zinc!! Go get a skin cancer screening!! Can't afford it? Don't have insurance? That's ok. Here is a link to a website where you can find dermatologists in your area who are participating with the Skin Cancer Takes Freinds campaign and are offering free skin cancer screenings.

Ignorance is not bliss!
It is deadly!
Sorry for yelling.
I'm a little emotional.
Here is a hug.
I'm going to bed.

Pictures!

Ok this is one of those posts where I'm not really sure what to say but I do have some pictures to show you. This predicament usually creates major blogging procrastination. I decided to just upload the pictures and just start typing. Let's see how that goes.

I was lucky enough to marry a guy that came from a super crafty family. Rob's a great artist, does amazing work with ceramic tile floors, and is a pretty darn good "Builder of Stuff" if you ask me. We are also a very recycle friendly couple, and Rob often builds things from recycled materials. Remember my yarn shelves? After a trip to the pet store, Rob decided that he could "totally build one of those cat thingies". Let me just tell you, when Rob gets something in his head you better watch out. First thing he does is go to carpet stores to get some free scraps and then made a trip to the homedepotlowessomethingorother store to get what we didn't have around the house. He showed me all the materials he had acquired for the project and I basically came up with a design. He called me the Executive Creative Producer hahaha. Anyways, he did most of the work and I did the "here hold this and grab that over there and hey could you please bring me this..." A day and a half and a bunch of sweat later, and our kitties have this...

Is that not the coolest Cat Thingy you have ever seen!? I have seen towers half this size for $164, and the only thing we paid for was the rope, staples, and a cardboard tube. The rest of the materials were all recycled/re purposed. I think the post used to be in our flower bed before Rob replaced it with rock he got out of the river. The cats absolutely love it, especially this guy...






Wow he's getting so big isn't he. I realized that I have never posted a picture of Kayne. This is mostly because she is in a constant state of motion when she is awake. After about 20 blurred pictures, I successfully captured this one.



She is such a pretty cat. She really ought to stand still more often. Of course I could take a picture of her sleeping, but then you would not be able to see those beautiful eyes!

I haven't been doing much knitting lately. I lost my freakin pattern for the shawl I was working on, and I got bored with the 3 sweaters. I will definitely finish them (they are awesome sweaters), but I am taking a bit of a break from them.

I got the urge to crochet, and started on a Carnival Throw. Technically the pattern is for a shawl, but I thought it would be more useful as a throw. Here is a picture of two motifs seamed together using an invisible seam.



After seeing other people's motifs, I realized I made a mistake on mine. Luckily the mistake I made is just on the last row, and crochet is so easy to add to. The yarn I am using is TLC Cotton Plus in Kiwi which is a cotton/acrylic blend.

Well that's enough pictures for one entry. I'll be back with more! I hope everyone has a great weekend! Mine has been awesome so far. I went to a spa on Friday courtesy of the best bosses ever, and got a Swedish massage and a body polish. Can you say, HEAVEN! Today I helped out with my very first horse show! I got to ride (not in the show just for fun) two of the most beautiful horses I have ever seen!! One was a jet black Tennessee Walker stallion, and the other was a black and white Paint. The stallion was hands down the most powerful and amazing horse that I have ever had the pleasure of riding. The most amazing thing is how gentle and well behaved he was, because a horse like that could really be a handful. Tomorrow will probably be quite uneventful, but after those two days I am fine with that!

Thank You!!

Thank you for all the happy anniversaries :) You are all too sweet!! We had a wonderful weekend together. Hey girls my hubby made me breakfast in bed. Heaven!

So I have been quite the Slacker Blogger lately haven't I? I hate to say this, but I guess I simply haven't felt like blogging. I had stuff to blog about, but just didn't get motivated enough to get out the camera, take pictures, upload the pictures, edit the pictures, try to type something half way interesting... I used to feel bad about not blogging often, but now I am of the attitude that if you don't feel like it, don't force it. I think that once you start having to force yourself to blog, you start resenting the blog. It becomes a chore, and what good does that do? It takes all of the fun out of it, and wasn't that why you started the darn thing in the first place?? I toyed with the idea several times to give up blogging all together, but could never bring myself to do it. Despite the decline in the frequency of my entries, I would honestly miss blogging. I would miss reading your comments and visiting your blogs in kind. Yes even though I'm slow to answer, I truly look forward to reading your comments after I post an entry. So I'm going to keep blogging for as long as it is fun, but I'm not going to feel guilty anymore when I don't post. I don't feel guilty when I don't watch a movie, go shopping, and any other fun things like that. Ya know?

Ok so let's see. Here are some things I do have pictures of. I finished one of my Baubles....

I really, really, really love this bracelet. I wore it out tonight and got lots of compliments. This was a very easy project. Once you get all that stringing done the knitting part is done in a flash. I have an idea for a necklace to go with it. I'm going to start stringing that tomorrow.




That up there is the turquoise and sterling silver bracelet I made Mom for her birthday, and here are the gold threader earrings I made to match a bracelet I made for her once upon a time ago.



I hope you all have a great weekend!! I'm gonna go play with my rescue horsies on Sunday. I'll see you Monday, or Tuesday, or Wednesday...

The Best I Told You So Ever

I met Rob in '91, and we became close friends our Senior year of High School. I always thought he was one of the nicest guys I had ever met, but like so many girls my age, I was not interested in the nice guys. My mom would tell me over and over, "You need to dump that one you are with and date Rob. Can't you see the way he looks at you." I would always reply, "But Moooooooom," in that whiney teen voice, "Rob and I are just friends. I don't see him that way." She'd drop the subject for the time being, but it was a conversation we would revisit from time to time.

Rob and I remained friends after graduation, and through a series of events we ended up roomies in '96. It was at that point when the conversation with my mom changed. "Stacie you need to marry Rob. Can't you see the way he looks at you?" Again, I would reply, "Mom we are just friends. I don't see him that way." Well as it turned out, Rob agreed with her, and he wasn't the shy kid I met 5 years before in High School. He knew that this was his chance, and he began to literally court me. He would write me poetry and have flowers sent to my office. Rob made it abundantly clear that he was in love with me and that was that.

It took me a little while, but I remember when I finally realized that I loved him too. He took me on a hiking trip up a mountain called The Priest. I don't know if it was getting away from all the drama, getting out in the fresh air, or both. But whatever the reason, it was at that moment that I realized how incredible Rob really was. It was like I woke up, and truly saw him for the first time. The night I told Rob that I loved him too, he cried. He says to this day that was one of the happiest days of his life.

One beautiful starry night, Rob took me for a walk in a field. When we came to this really pretty tree he stopped, got down on one knee and said, "I brought you here because I have always loved this tree, and I couldn't think of a better place to say this. You are my best friend, and I have always loved you. I cannot imagine growing old with anyone else but you. Will you marry me?" I remember feeling my legs shake, and my heart felt like it could just explode right out of my chest. The only thing I could manage to say was "YES!"

Now it was time to tell the family, and I guess you can imagine what my mom had to say.

"I told you so! I told you so! I toooooooooooooold you soooooooooooo!!!"

And that was the best "I told you so!", ever.

Happy Anniversary Rob. My Best Friend, my Husband, my Life.

Click on pictures to flip through the book.

Some Gave All - Billy Ray Cyrus

I knew a man called him Sandy Kane
Few folks even knew his name
But a hero was he
Left a boy, came back a man
Still many just don't understand
About the reasons we are free

I can't forget the look in his eyes
Or the tears he cries
As he said these words to me

All gave some and some gave all
And some stood through for the red, white and blue
And some had to fall
And if you ever think of me
Think of all your liberties and recall
Some gave all

Now Sandy Kane is no longer here
But his words are oh so clear
As they echo through out our land
For all his friends who gave us all
Who stood the ground and took the fall
To help their fellow man

Love your country and live with pride
And don't forget those who died America can't you see

All gave some and some gave all
And some stood through for the red, white and blue
And some had to fall
And if you ever think of me
Think of all your liberties and recall
Some gave all

And if you ever think of me
Think of all your liberties and recall, yes recall
Some gave all

Some gave all

Whew

You could tell I was really tired on that last post.

What a week!

Last week was very busy, but honestly I think I am happier that way. I got more hours at work which is always good, and I have been quite busy outside of work as well. My friend Nancy and I have been going on 2-3 mile superduper power walks ever day, and then when it gets darker I take another 1-2 mile doggy walk. I spend my Sunday afternoons volunteering at the stables and my spare time in the evenings helping organize the patterns on Ravelry. I have managed to do a little knitting and beading in between it all. Here is the progress I have made on Debbi's sweater...

Honestly, I could be done with this sweater, as bulky as the yarn is, if I were able to knit more. At least she'll have it by next winter. Bulky yarn knitting in the summer. Now that's love people.



I am pretty much done stringing the beads for Bauble. I just haven't had the energy to unwind it from my lipgloss tube and measure. Tangles at 2am happen and are not pretty. And just because I couldn't wait until my beads arrived, I started stringing another Bauble...



I have some pictures of jewelry that I made, but I can't post them here until my mom gets them. Don't hold your breath, we're waiting on the USPS.

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Hey Mom!

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And to those of us who have FurKids...

It's About Time

After a year of living in Tennessee, I am finally getting out of the house and meeting people. One of my many obsessions on the Internets is Craigslist.org, and knowing how much of a sucker I am, I always avoid the Pets section. For some reason, I decided to visit the forbidden section and saw an ad asking for help with rescued Arabian horses. I could not believe my eyes!! I have been a horse fanatic since I knew what one was. I read every single horse book in the school library and would spend hours drawing from them. I would draw on just about anything I came across, including my school desk. While my teacher did admire my artwork, she was not too pleased with the chosen medium. Arabians have always been my favorite horse by far, and I would dream of having one of my own. Working with these horses is like a dream come true for me. I have spent the last two weekends giving them baths and nursing wounds from neglect. I can't wait to go out there tomorrow and see how far they have come in a week. Volunteering is such a rewarding experience, and I have always tried to be involved with some sort of animal rescue group. Never in a million years did I think that I would have the opportunity to work with the horses of my dreams!! I didn't want to bring my camera out so I took some pictures with my cell phone. The first three mares are the rescues. They already look so much better than they do in these pictures. I can't wait until I can show them completely recovered.

Get Your Own!

Rob and I have also been doing some landscaping. Check out the new entertainment center for the cats. They sit at the window watching the birds all day. And you know I just had to buy the birdfeeder with the faery!























I have been knitting. I am nearly finished with a sweater for my friend Debbi. I will get you a picture really soon I promise. I am also in the process of stringing the beads to make Bauble. Unfortunately, I ran out of beads and have to wait until they come in the mail to finish stringing the 3.5 yards of beads. I haven't worked on my shawl lately because I have been a bit distracted and I do not want to screw it up. Ariann and Deli are snoozin' in a basket at the moment. I have Oragina screaming for a swatch, and I just bought more beads for another Bauble. I am making myself tired just thinking about all this stuff. I'm goin to bed!

Virginia Tech Tragedy

Words fail me. All I can do is pray.

From Us To You

Looky!

My cousin drew this sketch of me! Didn't he do a good job :) I think it only took him about three hours to draw it. Thank you Josh. You are too sweet.

For some reason I have a mean case of writer's block tonight. That's usually solved by writing until it comes to you but that doesn't seem to be happening. I think maybe I'm just tired. I just started rambling about watching the movie Just Friends and it was so lame I had to delete it to save your brain. I'll be back once I'm rested with more pictures and hopefully more interesting blogging. Thanks again for the sketch Josh. I love it.