Puppies, Colts, and Friends

It has been a few days since I wrote on here and I must say that is not from lack of things to talk about, but just lack of time. I have not even had time to do the writing that pays me fairly well so this has certainly been on the back burner.
Our new puppies are doing well and have began to open their eyes. If anyone is looking for a new puppy and doesn't mind having a mixed breed puppy, I will be giving some away soon. I may keep one of them so that it can grow with Bridget, but for the most part, they will be given to good homes.
I also hope to start training the colt this week to learn to walk on a lead rope. It should have already been done but I just haven't had the time. I will try to get better at finding a schedule and keeping it.
We made some new friends at the fair and we are looking forward to continuing some of those friendships into the new year and hopefully, we will be at many future shows with them.

Ready For Week to Begin

As the fair has wound down and is now over, we are rested and ready for a new week of activities to begin. Bridget done well in her first year of 4-H and I am proud of the young lady that she was during all of the competitions, even when showing in temperatures over 100 degrees with a heat index of 120.
She won 6th place in her sloppy showmanship competition and she won a hoof pick for that class. For the week, she ended up with 1 blue ribbon, 4 red ribbons, 2 white ribbons and the hoof pick as well as many new friends and a lot of experience. She also ended the week with many hours of fun behind her and many learning experiences.
It was fun but hot! With Indiana seeing some of the hottest weather in several years, we were troopers for being in the heat and humidity all day long. However, it was time to sit and enjoy time together and I actually miss going each day. We worked on our tans or burns, whichever the case might be. We met new people and learned a lot about showing that we didn't know. Overall, it was an exciting week! I am glad it is over, but already looking forward to next year!
Now, it is time to begin to get curriculum and lesson plans ready for the fall and the new school year. I am excited about her learning this year as she has progressed so much over the summer in her reading. Her math skills have also improved this year and I am finally seeing much needed progress in her skills! She has worked hard and continues to strive to improve each day.
It is also time for appointments. We all have eye doctor appointments this week and we are in the process of getting physicals and dental checkups as well. I am sure that at least a couple of us are going to need glasses.
I hope to include more recipes and lesson ideas for the next few weeks so keep stopping by and learning new things about our lives!

Bridget didn't place in the costume contest last night at the fair, but she had fun! It was absolutely amazing to see the imagination that these kids had with their costumes! If anyone ever has a chance to see one of these shows, it is certainly a beautiful competition and these kids pour their hearts into the competition.

In her class, the winner had her horse dressed as a rocking horse. The second place winner was a John Deere Tractor and farmer and third place went to a beautiful horse that was dressed as a poodle and the girl riding had a poodle skirt on. Other honorable mentions were Fred Flintstone and Dino, an elf in the forest, and a convict who had her horse shackled.

Bridget had dressed as Lady Liberty and the horse was patriotic, but she really didn't deserve to place as the others were a lot better thought out and planned. It was fun and we learned that we really need to step up the game when we enter this competition next year.

It has been a hot week with heat index temperatures hitting over 105 degrees and she will be doing her fun show today with a heat index possibly hitting 115 degrees. The temperatures were hot but the costumes that these kids done were even hotter!

Hot Day But Two Ribbons

Yesterday was an absolutely toasty day! As we stood in the sun to watch the horse show at the fair, we realized just how hot it truly was. I felt cooked inside by the time I left the fairgrounds yesterday evening.
My daughter was in her first show a little after 10 a.m. and it was a halter class. She knew what she needed to do and she done it for the most part. She missed turning for the judge one time, but she done well. As names were called, I was in tears after she wasn't called by fourth place as I knew she was going to get higher than that. She got third and I was thrilled with her!!
Her next class was novice showmanship and she was a little nervous about it as she had a pattern that she had to remember but it was easy. After what seemed like hours of keeping her as cool as we could considering she was in a jacket and a long sleeve shirt, she entered the arena and walked to the judge, after inspection she was supposed to do a complete circle andtro to her next marker , but she forgot the turn there. At the next marker, she done her turn but she was supposed to back her horse five steps, but she didn't. I knew she realized what she had done but she went on, which I was proud of. After all that, she got third place with this show also. How thrilling!
We both came home hot, sunburnt, hot, and very tired, but so proud of her!!

Another Ribbon

Bridget got a blue ribbon on her rabbit last night! I am so proud of her!! She has a beautiful blue registered English Spot rabbit named Dorthea. She shows her chicken today. It is going to be a busy day as we have the poultry show, the horse to be hauled to the fair, stall to decorate, and the parade today. Plus feeding the rabbit and cleaning the cage.
Hope you all have a great day!

4-H in full force

Well, fair time is upon us and all the 4-H projects are going full force at the moment. Yesterday, Bridget turned in a dog poster and a horse poster and won red ribbons on both of them. She was very excited as this is her first year in 4-H and so she was not expecting to do as well as others.
Today we have her Creating With A Mix project due. It has been an early morning for us as we got up at 5:30 so that we could make her cake fresh today. I am hoping that it brings a blue ribbon home, but if not we will be happy with what she does get.
I will try to give a daily update here for the next few days, but not sure how next week will be as we will be at the fair most days. If you are near the area, stop by the Johnson County Fairgrounds and look for us at or near the horse barns.

Reminder of God's Grace

Yesterday, God got my attention. I have been so overwhelmed with all the work that we have to do this week to get ready for the fair and how we are so short of time before projects are due. Plus, my husband is working out of town and may be gone longer than we thought so he won't be here to help and I was complaining that I could not find time to get here and update my blog. Suddenly, the phone rang which I grumbled about.
It was my daughter's best friend, who I just adore like she was my own. She was crying and I could not imagine what she was going to say next. Her grandmother , who lived with her family, had passed away in her sleep. What? She had just driven her to the library the day before! What? She had just talked to me about going to the horse show next Sunday to watch the girls. How could it be? Her husband was in worse shape healthwise than she was- was it true?
Then I thought of the verse in the Bible that states that man knows not the day or hour that he will be chosen to go to his Heavenly home. God spoke volumes to me! He reminded me that He is in control and that we need to be ready at any time.
The next time you wake up late or not feeling great because of staying up too late, be thankful that you woke up at all!