I love it! *20 Kuntry Girl favorites*

Gosh, time sure is flying by this summer! I've been a little absent from blogging lately, because I've been super busy with all sorts of fun shenanigans. :) Like so many of you, I'm sure, I have this huge backlog of blog posts I've been meaning to write but haven't quite been able to find the time for. So, I figured why not just get them all out in one post?

So, I would like to share with you the top twenty things (in no particular order) that I'm lovin' right now, figuring that this should pretty much cover most of my backlogged blog post ideas. Then, the slate will be clean, my mind will be clear and I will be at peace again. For now. ;)

20. I'm lovin' this heat wave we're having in Washington!! I know, I know...it's a little much for us Washington folk who are used to being spoiled by a very temperate summer climate. However, as you're wiping the sweat from your brow walking to your mailbox, I challenge you to remember that our six month winter will be here before we know it and we will be longing for these hot summer days! I know I will be!

19. I'm lovin' the evening breezes that lightly blow past me as I'm outside taking care of my last few chores. They carry on them the scent of horse poo and sweet peas and they are a welcome friend at the end of a sweltering day.

18. I'm lovin' fresh strawberries from the garden and I'm looking forward to the ripening of our blueberries and blackberries.

17. I'm loving' the fact that I got to enjoy some quality summer time with Kuntry Boy at the beach last week! Even if it was just one day, this type of trip is usually not possible 'till Octoberish.

Not that the time of year makes much difference when you're talking Washington beaches! July or October, it's probably gonna be grey, maybe a little drizzly, and a lot chilly! :) But we did get some sun too! I'm lovin' the fact that I got to cruise around on the back of a moped with him and momentarily forget about the fact that there's still another month or so before he's home again!

I love that we got to have a campfire on the beach and that he seemed to really enjoy being able to kick back and relax on a fun summer day. This time of year, he usually only gets one day off about every thirty or forty days.

I loved taking these pictures of him and his friend (he and his friend?) that we went with...his friend's wife & I were cracking up...don't these pictures look so romantic?!

The mopeds parked side by side, the dudes gazing over the water contemplating life...so picturesque. He'd kick my butt if he knew I was posting these, so let's just keep this between us, shall we? ;)

16. I'm lovin' that my garden is starting to take off after a late, late planting this year. I love cutting fresh snapdragons and herbs to bring inside.

I'm looking forward to blooming sunflowers and zinnias. I love my little garden kitty that accompanies (and sometimes annoys) me as I'm watering and weeding. Why do cats always have to park themselves in the middle of what you're doing?!

15. I'm lovin' that my grass experiment is actually working and I'm starting to get a (somewhat) lush front lawn! I've been installing it one wheelbarrow at a time, mixing topsoil, coconut fiber, organic compost, dolomite lime, grass seed, and water then spreading it out, molding the edge to the contours of our flower gardens. I still have lots of work to do, but it's coming along!

14. I'm lovin' my two new "summer bags". I got the green one at the Gap on a super sale and it worked great as a beach bag! The bright one I got from a very good friend who unfortunately lives way too far away from me. She sent this to me on my birthday and I absolutely love it. It's called a Bagolita...I love the uniqueness of these bags!

13. I'm lovin' easy, light summer meals. I love snipping fresh dill from the garden and broiling up some salmon. I love cheese tortellinis with basil, garlic, EVOO, lemon juice, and cheese. Sometimes I top 'em with fresh shrimp or scallops. P.S. Yes, Patches, that is bag cheese. I'm so ashamed. I love my staple summer dinner of an "avocado omelet taco". Using eggs in a carton (Best of the Egg by Lucerne), I fry myself up an "egg tortilla", sprinkle on some salt and pepper, top with Italian cheese (again, from a bag) and then fold over a mix of cubed avocado and chopped onion and tomato. Super quick and good for me! Love it! I also love my summer dessert of plain yogurt topped with honey from my mom's beehives. So good!

12. I'm lovin' grooming my smooth summer horsey. I'm especially lovin' a new skin treatment I got for him called Calm Coat. This stuff smells SO good and has all sorts of healing benefits. I recently read about mixing it with Vaseline and Campo Phenique for a bug bite salve/repellent. Perfect to rub on Caspian's belly with a sponge, since he's a buger about fly spray. Although, I'd prefer not to use petroleum, so I'm trying to think of something else similar that I can mix it with. Any suggestions? Lanolin? Five O'Clock Somewhere? Any expert advice?

11. I'm lovin' the surcingle and long lines I got for training. Speaking of training, I'm really lovin' our trainer. She's so patient, knowledgeable, and easy to work with. She's super helpful and above everything, she's extremely generous. One session, she brought out a bunch of her saddles to help me determine what type of saddle will be the best fit for Caspian. Last session, she brought me five of her own books to read to reinforce what we've been learning.

10. I'm lovin' Dover's Summer Sale catalog, from which I just ordered two new pairs of breeches and a pair of super cool boot socks. I swear I did need these, 'cause I only had one pair of junky consignment breeches. I need to stop looking at the catalog now, though, because I probably don't need a pair in every color (including plaid). Nor do I need a pair of half-chaps, a new helmet, and multiple pairs of gloves. Yet. ;)

9. I'm lovin' the sweet smell of sun baked local hay permeating the still summer air. I love driving down our highway with my windows down and filling my lungs with it. If I could bottle that smell, I'd put it in one of those reed diffusers! :)

8. I'm lovin' the fact that local farmland that two years ago would have been snatched up by a developer is now being farmed again. There's a new farm that's started right down the road from me that's growing organic produce. I love passing by the workers each morning and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that their venture will be successful.

7. I'm lovin' living in a small town. I've really come alive living in the country again. It suits me perfectly. I love all the work that goes with it, even if it can be overwhelming at times. I love that I'm on a first name basis at the hardware store and the post office. I love that I have awesome neighbors that watch over me and our house and whom I can trust to take excellent care of my horse when I'm out of town.

6. I'm lovin' Pioneer Woman's new Tasty Kitchen website. She's really outdone herself now!

5. I'm lovin' my new pair of gardening clogs. They're SUPER dorky, but I don't get a funky sock line when I wear them. Plus, they match the tank top that I wear under my denim shorts overalls. Now is this Kuntry Chic or what?!

4. I'm lovin' the snakes that slither through the tall grass as I walk up our hill to water our trees. Seriously. I've made my peace with them. Only because they're not poisonous. ;)

3. I'm lovin' the fact that the Jenny Doe has been getting a lot of rest lately. I don't love that it's because my pastures are fried, but I'm not a huge fan of mowing. Well, I actually don't really mind it, it's pretty relaxing (unless I'm getting stuck traversing our hills) but it takes up SO MUCH TIME!

2. I'm lovin' waking up early on Sunday mornings so that I have a little time to be lazy with my crazies. They seriously know when it's the weekend and they love to lounge around with me before starting our day.

Dogs are so smart. It's crazy how they have their little internal clocks.

1. Last, but not least, I'm LOVIN' all my blogging buddies! You all provide me with great daily entertainment, not to mention lots of wonderful information and insights. I might not always get a chance to comment, especially if I'm doing a quick read, but I really appreciate everyone's stories and helpful tips!

Some of my most recent favorite informative posts have been:

**Kacy with her post on hoof boots. I've been contemplating what type to get Caspian and can use all the info. possible.

**One Red Horse with tips for helping to strengthen a horse's back. I've recently started some exercises with Caspian that our trainer showed me so this post was very timely! It was amazing to see her before & afters!

**Five O'Clock Somewhere with her healing salve post. Quite impressive!

Okey dokey, I think that's it! What are some of your favorite things right now? :)

A Follicular Epiphany

After fourteen years of internal struggle, I've had a major revelation and I have finally come to terms with a very important fact. Ready?

I.AM.NOT.A.NATURAL.BLONDE. Nor have I been for about twenty-four years now. Since I was a little California punk running around in the sun all the time.

Question…why do little kids always have the prettiest hair?! I would love to have this head of hair back. Nice sun streaks, natural wave, and no maintenance other than an occasional brushing.

No hair products required. No deep intensive conditioners, straightening irons, etc, etc. And do you think I appreciated this hair when I was younger? Of course not! I wasn’t even thinking about it!

Just look at this smug little punk!

But trust me, I started thinking about it when I hit about nine and my mane started taking on a life of its own! By eleven, my hair could have applied for its own zip code.

Hel-lo-o?? Kuntry Girl? You in there under all that hair?!

Like most gals, I definitely have had a love/hate relationship with my hair over the years. However, I think I am finally in a place where I can appreciate my hair for what it is. This comes after years and years of total denial. For about half of my lifetime now I've tried to convince my hair that it wants to be blonde and straight. However, persistent as I have been, that darn mane of mine just keeps coming back brown and curly! C'mon hair, work with me!!

The struggle started at fourteen, when I poured the cheapest bottle of lightener you could find over my head, only to learn that "color results may vary from the example shown". Uh-huh. They sure did. My "results" were more along the lines of carrot orange. This was the day that started the whole cycle though...I truly think that since that day I have never had a full head of my natural color!

Lately, though, it's been pretty close. For the last few months I've been trying to convince myself that I should just keep letting my hair grow out and let the sun bleach it. I've been putting lemon juice on it and going out with it wet...it's been working a little, but I usually have my hair up when I'm outside, so only my hairline was really getting lightened.

So last night I caved. But this is where the epiphany comes in. I made the command decision to do subtle caramel highlights, rather than dramatically lighten it. This way, my grow-out will be less noticeable and it won't be quite so damaging.

Care to join me on my journey to caramel highlights?

Check out my sweet "tack box"! I got this for myself a couple of years ago and I love it!!

So, when I'm foiling my own mane, I generally start at the bottom and work my way up.

That way, I'm not obstructed by all sorts of foils on top of my head, which would make it very hard to reach back there.

After doing the bottom, I then section out the next hemisphere and follow the same process.

I always pull it forward and brush the dye on from the underside. Otherwise, I would be reaching behind my head and it would never work. Not for me, at least...that would equal big mess, just waiting to happen.

Another hemisphere down, two to go!

Ah, sweet victory. By this time, my eyeballs are starting to hurt from looking up from underneath the foils. Letting 'em marinate. You can see here that my hair has some left over highlights starting to come through. This is pretty close to my natural color, but I did have some root issues going on. So it was either put some darker low lights in to blend it, or go with some summer highlights...highlights triumphed.

Ta da! Just what I was going for...summery highlights without being too dramatic. Not convinced that I absolutely love this specific color, though. It might take some experimenting to get the exact color that I want. But now that I've had this epiphany and broadened my horizons, my options are much greater!
Of course, there's still a lot of summer left...I can't guarantee that I won't revert back to my old ways. It's just so fun to have blonde, blonde hair in the summer! I'm going to try to stay strong, though. For my follicular health, if nothing else.

You never know, though...don't be surprised if you see "A Follicular Epiphany, Part Deux: I Cracked"! ;) Ha, ha!! We'll see!