Video of the Week (Week 45)

Love to see these types of videos.  This is why I do "Parelli" - David O'Connor does such a great job explaining in a few sentences at the end of the video why it's so important to me!

Project 365 - Days 319-325

We had some special events happen during and around this week and I'm working on getting those up in their own posts.  Until then, enjoy these snapshots of our life!

Day 319/365 - November 14

Ava wanted to ride Tinkerbell to show her Grandpa & Grandma how much she has learned and Amelia wanted to be right in on the action.  So we saddled up Butters and Amelia rode him around for awhile as well.  

Day 320/365 - November 15

Ava turned eight years old today.  Yes.  Eight years old.  I can hardly believe it.  She looks so grown up here!  I hope to do a separate post about her special day so stay tuned...

Day 321/365 - November 16

This was taken a few days ago (because I needed a filler for today) but shows how excited Ava is to go to Awana!  I went through Awana when I was her age and loved it.  It is where I first learned and memorized so many of the Bible verses I still know today.  We started late in the year so this was her first week wearing her new vest and bringing her little Sparks tote.  So cute!

Day 322/365 - November 17

Riding lessons continue for Ava though now that school has started it's just two times a month, usually.  Here is Ava going over her little 'jump'.  Ava begs her instructor, Denise, to start jumping every week so Denise has used this as an incentive for Ava to work on other aspects of her riding.  If she does those other things well during her lesson, she gets to start 'jumping' ;-)

Day 323/365 - November 18

Amelia's Mother's Day Out class had their little Thanksgiving party so I came to join in on the fun!  I think here Amelia is finishing up a mandarin orange.  She loves oranges!

Day 324/365 - November 19

This picture is actually to memorialize an unfortunate event.  That's my farrier on the far left working on Tommy's feet.  My farrier had his standing appointment to take care of all the horses today.  When I went up to the barn that morning to get everyone ready, I discovered Belle in her stall with her right hind leg completely swollen again.  Fearing the worst, I called my vet (on the far right) who in this picture is reviewing Belle's x-rays.  Yes, 2 days before Belle was going to be let back into the pasture, freed from her 2 months of stall rest, she showed up with a new fracture.  Same bone, different fracture.  We're not sure how she did it - though I suspect she did it kicking at the stall wall - but this time it is a more severe fracture and will require 4 months of stall rest.  We are unsure if this is a pathologic problem but if she fractures it again or has too many other complications during her stall rest, we will have to consider putting her down.  At 24 years old she isn't extremely old for a horse but she's not a spring chicken either...

Day 325/365 - November 20

Here's Belle waiting for her stall to be finished.  Because I think she fractured her leg kicking at the stall wall, I had to move Belle to an end.  The end stall, however, didn't have floor mats completely on the floor and because I want to it be as cushiony as possible for her and I don't want her to trip on the edge of an exposed mat, I spent the day going to the store to buy new mats, filling in and leveling the dirt floor and arranging the mats in the stall so it will be safe for her.  Fresh bedding and it's all ready for her.  You can see how 2 months of stall rest has really atrophied Belle's muscles and that she's lost some weight.  Because she's bearing a lot of her weight on her good back leg, it's better to have her weighing less than more but it doesn't make for the prettiest pictures :-(  

Until next time...

My Favorite Things...Wen Hair Care!

I'm a pretty simple girl when it comes to my hair.  I don't use a lot of products and I don't take a lot of time.  It's got to be fast and yet work well at the same time!  And up until this point in my life, I've always done the shampoo and conditioner routine.  And that is, I always have to use conditioner or there is no way I'm getting a comb or brush through my hair after a shower!  There was a time about a decade or so ago, that Shampoo and Conditioner combos became popular (and I believe you can still find those).  When they first came out, I was very excited!  How great to save a step but get the benefits of both!  Well, as most found out, it's really just a shampoo.  The conditioner element was a little lacking - at least for my hair.


Enter Wen Hair Care.  I'd heard or seen an infomercial on this product awhile ago and wrote it off.  A "cleansing conditioner"?  Right.  That will never work on my hair!  But then, I started seeing it featured on QVC.  (Ok, I admit it - I have been known to watch and buy things from QVC!!)  And I heard one of their popular hosts going on and on about it.  (Ok, I know she's paid to say those things but I really believed her!).  And there were tons of customer reviews that just raved about it.  So, I decided to try it.  

Oh my goodness.  I love this stuff.  It feels like a conditioner but it does clean your hair.  And it leaves it feeling soft, strong and manageable!  I ordered the lavender (there are 4 other scents, I believe) and it smells heavenly!  It is seriously like an aromatherapy treatment every time I use it.  You can check out the Wen website for info on how to use the product in more detail, but basically you scrub it into your hair (there is no sudsing because this is NOT soap, just a mild foaming), work it through to the ends, leave it on while you do the rest of your shower washing then rinse it out.  If you want to, you can use a dime sized amount at the end (do not rinse out) as a leave-in-conditioner (which I was skeptical of too but I tried it and NO greasiness!).  And one of it's great benefits it how it protects your hair color and doesn't fade the color (that is if you do something  like that ;-)  It's a fabulous product!  

I had a few areas on my hair that had gotten fried - either from highlighting or heat products (i.e. blow dryer, straight iron) that left it dried and frizzed.  But after the first use of this product, the fried areas were gone!  Now, they do return eventually, but only after a few days and they are gone again after I 'cleanse' my hair with Wen.  I think this product coats the hair shaft and the ends so well it makes the damaged areas disappear until they get 'dirty' again.

And the other great part - if you buy this on QVC, you can buy it with auto-delivery so it automatically is shipped to you every 90 days - no worrying about running out or forgetting to order more.  Love. It.  You can also buy the cleansing conditioner and other hair products on the Wen website, but the best deals are on QVC.  

And this why, my friends, it's one of My Favorite Things!

Until next time...

Video of the Week (Week 44)

While this is kind of dorky/hokey/geeky/cheesy, I had to post in honor of Jason.  And then you'll all have this song going through your head all day!  Ha!



Until next time...

Project 365 - Days 312-318

This is such a busy time of year for us with the holiday and several family birthdays so I've fallen behind a bit.  Hopefully will catch up in the next week so stay posted!

Day 312/365 - November 7

I'm not normally a 'dress up your front door according to the season' kind of girl.  In fact, I don't think I've ever done this kind of thing.  But, I saw this easy DIY project for these gilded pumpkins and I couldn't resist.  It went a little to waste because rarely does anyone come to our front door but I liked knowing it was there ;-)  I may even try my hand at a wreath of some kind of Christmas!  I know - things are getting crazy at our house!!

Day 313/365 - November 8

Shot this while I was out working with Magic online.  Isn't she beautiful?  I've always had a soft spot for greys.  Just wait until I really get her in shape and develop some more muscle.  She'll be gorgeous!

Day 314/365 - November 9

I know everyone thinks of sunsets as being so beautiful and picture-worthy.  And they are. But boy, do we get some stunning sunrises out here!  We also have a better view of the sunrise than the sunset but this picture doesn't even capture the depth of the golds and reds contrasted with the blues of the sky high above.  Gorgeous.

Day 315/365 - November 10

This was discovered a fews days after the pumpkins were gilded.  To create said gilded pumpkins (as pictured above) I had to use metallic glaze and allow them to dry in the house.  I warned the girls over and over to "leave the pumpkins alone!" and allow them to dry, then they could touch them.  Apparently, my warnings and threats went unheeded by a certain 3-year old.  Anyone know how to remove metallic paint from leather seat cushions?

Day 316/365 - November 11

Here is Ava in her ballet classes (she's the one in the bright pink on the end).  It's hard to stand up straight when you're not as tall as the other girls but have to hike your leg up just as high on that barre!  She's doing so well though and is really developing some nice skills.

Day 317/365 - November 12

Here's Miss Ruby and her momma, Ginger (taken a few weeks ago as I needed a filler for today).  Remember when she was born just over 2 months ago?  Remember how little she was?  Well, she has certainly grown up!  She's growing like a weed and is coming along nicely.  It's kind of nice when I pull Ginger out to work with her because I work with Ruby too.  No lead rope needed for Ruby yet - she follows Ginger around as though there were one attached to her!  

Day 318/365 - November 13

The girls were playing "Hairdresser" and were taking turns doing each other's hair and the hair of their dolls.  They were actually being quite gentle with each other though I can't say their hairdos turned out so well.  ;-)

Until next time...

Wow

This changes EVERYTHING!!  Well, maybe not everything, but it changes some big stuff!  Recently, the CCAA (China Center for Adoption Affairs) released a statement that said a family could adopt two children at the same time (under the same dossier) if one was labeled or categorized as "Special Focus".  These Special Focus children are all Special Needs children though not all Special Needs children are Special Focus (does that make sense?).  I'm not sure how or why they categorize these children but it was a big step that the CCAA would allow you to adopt two children at the same time.  In some rare circumstances, they had allowed this to happen in the past but to now have an official policy on this was great news.  Now, the CCAA has subsequently made this statement as well:


Additionally, CCAA has just announced that families may adopt two children using the same dossier if at least one child is designated as “Special Focus”...  even if the family has already returned home with their first child. The application for the second child must be received less than 1 year after the first child’s adoption.


That is HUGE!  The second child still must be considered Special Focus, but to use the same dossier within a year of returning from China has several enormous benefits in my eyes.


1.  You don't have to start from scratch and create a new dossier.  This is monumental.  That dossier paperwork was going to be the death of me.  Some people get it finished in mere weeks while I took 18  months!


2.  And if you want to, you can come home, settle in, get that attachment and bonding going well then send in your application for another child within a year!


This is so exciting to see the CCAA getting proactive about their adoptions - making it easier and less time consuming to adopt!  Especially for those special needs adoptions - so wonderful!


Until next time...