June update: it's official!

I'm PREGGO! Yep, by this time next year This Kuntry Girl is gonna be packing around a little Kuntry Kiddo! :) My husband and I are so, so excited...it's been a long time coming. Through all the waiting and wondering though we always kept hope, knowing that things would most likely work out just as they were supposed to. And now that it's happened, I can see that it has. My husband used to travel for half the year, but recently had a major career change which will allow him to be home all year. Where I used to be all worried about all the projects that needed to be done around here, I'm finally at peace with the fact that things don't get done overnight. And I'm okay with that. Having said that though, I do feel more comfortable that our "nest" is ready for a little one.

I had my first doctor appointment today and they confirmed that I'm five weeks along. SUPER early still, but hey, I just knew I had to share the news with y'all. :) So this puts me due February 16, 2011. Wow. Seems like a long time away, but I bet it will be here before we know it!

The only thing I'm a teensy bit bummed about is that there will be no horseback riding for me this summer! :( But hey, that's alright...it will all be worth it. And, really, when I adopted Caspian my daydream was that someday soon I'd have a little tyke that would get to enjoy growing up with a horse like I did. I'm so excited for that.

So in the meantime, while I'm sidelined, I'm gonna keep working with Caspian on the ground and I still plan to take him to the SAFE show in August and just do the halter and showmanship classes. I think that will still be really good for both of us.

Okay, I'm off to read my new baby books! I'll keep you guys posted!! :)

Is it really April?

...and have I really not blogged since FEBRUARY?!?! Jeez, I'm such a slacker! Thank you Pony Girl for reaching out and giving me a little cyber tap on the shoulder..."Hello....you out there??" ;)

Yep, I'm still around! So many times I've gone to do a blog post, but have then gotten wrapped up in other things...sometimes it's really hard to find the time, huh? But I've been missin' y'all so HI!!

One of the things that has had me SUPER busy lately is that I've started a flower farm...can't remember if I mentioned that before. I'm totally excited about it, but it has been taking a ton of my energy lately! Not just the manual labor (I'm sitting here with SORE muscles), but also a lot of computer time has been devoted to it. I started a blog for it back in October and recently I've been working on a regular website and facebook page for it. Busy, busy! But fun! It anyone out there is interested in flower farming info, feel free to hop on over to my flower farm blog! :)

So...here's a quick post to update y'all on the latest goings on...

My new favorite piece of decor in my house...a "twig" wall sconce from Partylite! It's supposed to be for candles of course, but what kind of flower farmer would I be if I didn't put flowers in it?! ;)

Spring is finally here! I just love when tulips start showing their colors!

Caspian's doing well, but gave me a bit of a scare last week when I discovered this horrible looking scrape on his back leg! I was absolutely baffled as to how he would have done it...I really try to keep his pasture/shelter area free from any possible hazards. But you know horses! I finally had a lightbulb moment and realized that he must have scraped it on the farrier's hoof stand when he got his pedicure. He was really full of it that day and was being a bit of a pill. How I didn't notice it right away is beyond me, but it's healing up well and I've been giving it lots of TLC. I can hardly stand to look at this picture. My poor baby. It's looking so much better now, thank goodness.

The Wacky Weimies are crazy as always and are really enjoying the nicer weather and longer days. We've gotten back in the routine of our daily walks and all of us are loving it. I live for those walks. Lately, I've even been incorporating some skipping into the routine...'cause it's really fun and helps get my heart rate up! I loathe jogging, but I could skip a mile any day of the week! I have to admit that I go back to walking if I hear a car coming though. I feel like Phoebe from Friends on the episode where she runs with her arms circling like wind turbines through Central Park. And I'm not sure that I want to be known in my 'hood as the girl who "skips" her dogs... ;)
Okey dokey, think that's it for now! But here's a little cyber flower arrangement for you guys...happy spring! I'll try to be back soon! :)

For the gals...

I've gone back and forth for a few days on whether or not I wanted to write a post on this particular subject. However, I always feel like if I've gotten some valuable information, it's important to pass it on and blogging is such a wonderful way of sharing knowledge and experiences.

This story has the potential to be VERY long and drawn out, but I think I'll keep it short and just say that it is SO important for us to be informed and in control of our health and the medical care that we receive.

For a some background, I will give a little info. about what I have recently experienced. I am currently undergoing various tests and treatments to determine whether or not I will be able to have children. Again, for the sake of keeping this story short, I think I'll just list out a few things to consider for any other gals who may be in a similar situation. This is just my personal take on the matter, but I'm hoping that my personal experiences might help someone else.

1. Consider seeking the help of a naturopathic doctor. I have seen a few different doctors over the last year or so, and my naturopath has by far been my best experience. I totally feel like she's in my corner. With other doctors, I felt like I was telling them what I should be doing. With her, I truly feel like she's leading me in the right direction. She's really getting to the root of what's going on with me. Most naturopaths are still willing and able to write prescriptions when need be, but they're also more apt to tap into other resources that most conventional doctors wouldn't consider.
2. No matter what kind of doctor you go to, insist on a very detailed blood analysis, checking ALL hormone levels (my first doctor didn't check progesterone...which is SUPER important for sustaining a pregnancy). Also, they will want to check iron stores and even vitamin levels. Plus, whatever else they recommend for your personal situation. With my most recent blood testing (ordered by my naturopath) I found out that I was extremely deficient in vitamin D. I didn't really think much of this (especially since I do live in the PNW...vitamin D deficiency is rampant here!), but apparently there's a major link between vitamin D deficiency and infertility.
3. No matter what, do not take everything a doctor says as the "be all and end all". There are SO many things to consider when it comes to our health and it's never a bad idea to get a second, third...or fourth opinion. You'd be amazed what you learn by keeping your mind open.

Mostly, I just wanted to share this information because I know I'm not the only one out there going through this type of thing. Even for those not in the same boat, I would just like to throw out there that it's never a bad idea to get a work up done to see where you're at health wise.

For example, even if I wasn't trying to get pregnant, a vitamin D deficiency causes all kinds of other problems too. It has been linked with depression, breast cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, fatigue, and osteoporosis. Just to name a few things.

For most people with an extreme deficiency, a regular multi-vitamin (or pre-natal in my case) will not have enough IUs of vitamin D to correct the deficiency. My doctor recommended supplementing with 3000 to 4000 IUs during the months of October through May.

It's funny, because I'm sure I get plenty of vitamin D in the summer...I'm always outside! But up until just recently my hubby was always traveling for work during the summer months...so guess it wasn't really doing me much good then huh?

Anyway, I would definitely encourage all of you to think about getting a blood test done. This coming from someone who literally passed out last time...seriously. But I really feel like this has all been very eye opening for me...so I guess that made the passing out worth it! ;)

Hope this hasn't been too heavy for y'all! Just wanting to look out for my gals! :)

In case you're curious, here's a link to an interesting article on vitamin D deficiency: http://www.womentowomen.com/healthynutrition/vitamind.aspx

Frosty Christmas

Well, here we are, the day after Christmas! I'm always sad to see the season come to an end, but then again, with the beautiful sunny days we've been having, now I'm starting to get in a spring time frame of mind! Uh, oh...I still have a LOOONG way to go.

With this beautiful weather has come some COLD mornings! Yesterday we woke up to white surroundings, but it was all frost, no snow. Still pretty though, so I just had to take some pics. I love the fuzzy frosties that grace the fence tops. Such an interesting texture!






I hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday season filled with lots of love and happiness. I was lucky enough to get to spend some great time with family and friends this season...a perfect way to wrap up 2009. Now 2010 is just around the corner! A brand new decade & I'm eagerly anticipating what our 2010 trip around the sun will bring. :)

A Very Weimy Christmas! And other miscellaneous goings on...

Hi everybody! It's me! Kuntry Girl!! I'm still around! Like many of you I've been sooo crazy busy with all things holiday. :) What a great time of year this is. Stressful at times, sure...especially so for a lot of people this year in particular. Kuntry Boy and I work in the construction industry, so suffice it to say...not a lot going on here on the work front! But I'm confident that brighter days are ahead and I'm trying to keep in mind the "reason for the season" and really focus on all the things I'm so thankful for.

Things like this for instance:

And this too...

These two are always there to bring a huge smile to my face. Here they are waiting for me to split a mini candy cane between the two of them...it's the only way I got any kind of cooperation for those antler shots. ;)In addition to torturing my dogs, I've also been busy, busy with crafts galore!! I've been making swags...
orange and clove pomander balls (accompanied by spiced cider of course)...
fingerless gloves...
and I even trimmed my Charlie Brown tree last weekend!

All kinds of fun stuff! I'm thankful to have a warm, cozy house to hunker down and get crafty in, crazy dogs to curl up with, a nice shelter for my pony and wonderful friends and family to share this season with.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas!!!!

For the love of your dog...

Okay...I don't do this often, but I'm going to clamber up onto my soap box for a minute. Those of you who don't like soapbox climbers...better not keep reading.

Tonight I had a scary thing happen on the way home...I came very close to hitting one of our neighbor's dogs. Who also happens to be a Weimaraner, so I have an extra soft spot in my heart for him. Not that I don't love ALL dogs. ;)

Anyway, it was about 4:50-5:00ish, definitely dusk. Now, we may live out in the sticks, but our road is a county road and does serve quite a few houses. And unfortunately, a lot of people go WAY too fast on it. Fortunately, though, I was tooling along pretty slowly...I especially always try to slow down a bit when I'm passing in front of people's houses. As I was passing this little guy's house all of a sudden I saw a blur of grey streak out in front of my car and jump around by my left front tire. He was close. It totally startled me...I jumped in my seat and my heart started pounding furiously. I always try to keep my eyes peeled in this area, but with this guy's coloring (he's the same color as Caleb) he was very hard to see at dusk! I'm still trying to figure out where he came from. I think he might have been on the other side of the road and decided to dart out in front of me. Holy cow. Scared the crap out of me. And pissed me off too. I collected myself and pulled to the side...thought I might just mention to his owner that we had a close call. I got out and approached their driveway...finally the ding-dong comes out and feebly starts calling for him. Meanwhile, another neighbor is drives by and the dog is still running around.

Still shaken, I politely said to him, "you might want to keep him in when it's dark like this. I almost hit him." I promise, I was polite. Didn't yell or anything. Well, the creep doesn't even respond. No acknowldegement whatsoever. Hoping for some kind of response I said "that was really scary". Still nothing. What a butt. Just turns around and heads back for the garage. I was still shaking for about a half hour after this. One, because of the close call, and two, because of his rudeness!

Now, I realize it's really none of my business what people do with their animals. But I do think that we all have a responsiblity to look out for animals' safety. And especially when there's an incident that directly affects me, it becomes my business. That was a very close call and if I would have hit that little guy, my life would have been turned upside down in an instant. I was shaken enough just from the near miss.

It's not hard to be responsible. When you're not, it's not only unfair to your animal, but it's unfair for others who may have to suffer from the reprocutions of your irresponsibility.

Having said that, I will confess...I am a bit of a crazy dog lady. I know it and I embrace it. Maybe I'm a little over the top...by someone's standards anyway. But if there are moving vehicles around my dogs are either on a leash or in their kennel. When it's potty time, they're on their leashes and I'm out there in the rain with them. Even if it's at 2am. It's what I signed up for. Our property is not fully fenced yet and what fencing we do have is defininitely not Weimy proof.

If my dogs are ever off leash on our property playing, I'm with them watching. If Cabela gets a wild hair up her butt to go taking off over to the neighbor's I'm chasing after her and apologizing to the neighbors for the intrusion. Not acting like it's no big deal. And trust me, if we were near the main road where that other little guy lives there is NO WAY in H-E-double hockey sticks that they'd be allowed to run free and cross the road. Accidents can happen anytime and it usually happens in a split second.

Sometimes people (especially those who don't have dogs) look at me like I'm nuts. But I don't care. Being a dog owner is not always an easy (or fun) job. But again, it's what we sign up for. We are responsible for ensuring their well-being. And personally, I'd rather be known as a crazy dog lady and keep these knuckleheads around for as long as possible than have to deal with the unthinkable alternative.

Okay, stepping down now. Sorry for the bitch-fest. But thanks for listening. ;) I feel a little better now.

Happy anniversaries to my favorite dudes!

If I had to pick just one month out of the year as my absolute favorite it would definitely be September, hands down. Although we may get a few rainy, gloomy days that remind of of the chilly days to come, for the most part our weather is absoutely gorgeous in September. There seems to be a golden hue, an ethereal haze that envelops everything for this one month. The nights are getting cooler, but are still warm enough to be outside. Morning dawns beautiful, crisp and clear, reminding us that there are still many sun-filled, blue sky days to come.

This time of year also reminds me of a very special day...that being my wedding day! Kuntry Boy and I will be celebrating our 6th anniversary this Sunday, which we will celebrate with our annual trip to the fair, our favorite anniversary tradition. We'll scarf down junky food, play skee-ball 'till we win a stuffed animal and ride the giant yellow slide. Of course, I will also drag him through the horse barns, like I do every year. He's such a good sport. ;)

6 years already...wow, time flies. I always like to go through our wedding photos this time of year...here are a few of my favs. We had an unbelievable photographer, who not only put an album together for us, but also put all of the photos on CD. Unheard of, right? Trying to get negatives from a photographer is like trying to get a pig skin twist from Cabela, ya know? ;)

The place where we had the wedding also had an on-site florist (who by the way was also the wedding coordinator and vintner!). Talk about a lady with many talents! I gave her some ideas of what I was hoping to have in my boquet and left the rest up to her...I thought she did a great job. She also took care of the flowers for the cake, the food table, and all of the centerpieces. So convenient.

I was absolutely in LOVE with this building where we had the food table set up. It was an old dairy barn that had been converted. It had an arbor and tent off of it, where the guests sat to eat. The yellow walls with red trim and wood accents were just beautiful. I was so thankful to have found this wedding location. I was pretty picky about the "locale" and after months of searching, this place was just perfect. Reasonably priced compared to so many others and had everything that I was looking for. Notice I don't say we...that's right...everything "I" was looking for...you know boys...generally not too worried about the "details"! ;)
I really like these photos of my grandpa and I walking down the "aisle", if you will. It was a bit of a blur at the time, so I like looking at these pictures and seeing faces (or backs) ;) of so many people that I care about sharing our day with us.

Here we are...the married couple! I felt like my whole face was going to literally fall off by this point after all the picture taking! Notice the golden hue I was talking about? A perfect September day!

Another perfect September day was 9-6-08! This, too, is a day I will never forget. This is the day that I brought my "Prince" home!

Here he is, getting acquainted with Caleb and showing off a little for the camera. He knew he had an audience and was definitely hamming it up.

Here we are at the "pick-up" location...do I look a little excited to be getting a horse? ;) Not just any horse, though. I was SO excited because I knew this guy was my horsie soul mate.

Here he is arriving at his new home! Again, just a little bit of excitement from me. Have I ever mentioned my friend Patches who is awesome and trailers my freeloading butt all over the place? Oh, I have? Well, here she is again. Trailerin' my horse (whom she told me about) home for me! I must thank her from the bottom of my heart for her part in bringing my dream horse into my life. :)
Here we are a year later...still in love! He, he!

I joke with Kuntry Boy that Caspian was my five year anniversary present. You could say that he wasn't ecstatic about the idea of getting a horse. But, knowing how much it meant to me (and after A LOT of me wearing him down...sometimes obvoiusly, sometimes subliminally) he grudgingly agreed to it. He even stepped up and built Caspian an awesome shelter...I think I scared him into doing it by saying I was going to do it myself! Ha, ha! Ya gotta know how to work it, right? ;)

I know deep down he really likes Caspian...he thinks I don't notice the neck pats and extra handfuls of hay he gives him. Ha...I'm onto him. ;) I tease him that he's still trying to find his "inner cowboy".

So happy anniversary to my reluctant cowboy and to my dream horse! I look forward to many years to come with both of my special dudes!

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? :)