Cutting 101

My sweet cowboy husband used to work for a Cutting horse trainer long before we met. So, that gave him a great love of the sport. To add more LOVE to this sport, this is where we met. 

So year after year we go. We sit. We talk. We shop. We eat. We LOVE. And we watch HOURS of Cutting's!!

 To start they have to drag the pen. (Meaning: smooth out the dirt.) Cause you can't ride your horse where the surface is not flat. If the pen is full of holes and ruts, you could cause your horse to trip and fall, then land on you. Not good!!! Dragging the pen is a must.

 Then, they let the cows back in.

And in.......

 
And in.

"Hello Ladies."

 Cutting is a sport that has its origins on the cattle ranches of the Southwest in the 1880s. Ranchers found that individual cows occasionally had to be separated from the rest of the herd for branding, because of sickness, or to sell.





Once the cowboy has picked his cow, he drops the reins and the horse has to do the rest of the work. The horse has to know which direction the cow will go next.

 And stay nose to nose with the cow. Like a mirror image.

 This little move is called a Miss. The horse was too slow and the cow got back to the herd. BAAAAAAAAD for points. Miss: Overrunning a cow, which results in a loss of working position. A miss costs the horse and rider one point. Often a horse will have a miss immediately prior to losing a cow.


 The other guys on horseback are called your "turn-back help." They keep the cow from running out the back door and going to work for Chick-fil-A!!

Not really....your turnback help are two riders that are positioned in front of the herd. These riders are responsibly for driving cattle back toward the herd and the cutting horse while a cut is being made.

The working horse walks into the work area really slow.  

Then makes what is called a Deep cut. Deep cut: According to the NCHA rules, the cutter must make at least one deep cut into the herd. Typically, the cutter will go into the middle of the herd or deeper to qualify for this rule. The opposite of this would be picking a cow off of the edge.



And now you know all you ever needed to know about Cutting Horses!!

Peanut Butter Play-doh

Around here we love to play with our food. I think it's the age or something....but in true "play with your food" kind of fun, here is our favorite recipe.

Let's get started:

 You will need some peanut butter, honey, powdered sugar (or powdered milk), and some measuring cups.

 Add the peanut butter into your bowl. We just do a cup of each, that makes plenty for two kids.

 Add a cup of powdered sugar. We did this when I was in kindergarten, and we used powdered sugar...but I have seen it with powdered milk. I think that might help to make it less sticky. But I have never used it.

Add a cup of honey. Yummmmmm.

 
Stir it together. Then use your hands to really blend it. I put a little flour in it to help it not be so sticky.

 This is how you wait patiently.

 Then play with it, just like you would any other play-doh.

 It is always nice to have a helper.

WARNING: This is what happens after the sugar kicks in!!! Enjoy!

Homemade Laundry Soap, part Deux

I have blogged about this before and I am here again. Just to let you know that I am still making my homemade laundry soap. In the past 2+ years I have bought (from the store) two bottles of laundry soap. I had to...between moving and Christmas and moving and painting and teaching and cooking and all the daily things, I just did not have time to make it.


So, with the help of my trusty side kicks I thought we would walk you through the process....here we go!

You will need: A large pot, a long spoon, cheese grater, measuring cups, Borax, Arm & Hammer washing soda, a funnel and a bar of soap. I use Lever 2000 just because that is what we bath with.

Grate the soap with a cheese grater. Then cover it with warm water. Put it on the stove on low heat until all the soap has melted. Keep stirring it so it does not go over the top.

While the soap is melting on the stove, you pour into your 5-gallon bucket a cup of borax and 1/2 cup of washing soda.

Pour the hot melted soup into the bucket and stir until everything has melted together. I use a long metal spoon and a very sweet little girl to help do the stirring.

 It will look all frothy and smell so good. Just keep pouring in the hot water until it fills up the 5-gallon bucket. This has to sit for 24 hours before pouring it into your bottle. And when you mix up your bottle, that also needs to sit overnight.

 While mom's hands are busy, this is what can happen when you give a 5 year old your camera. "Be sure to get some shots of the mixture." I say. This is what I got.....

So, last but not least....pour the mixture into your own bottle. You want to do equal parts of soap and water. I use a big ALL Laundry Soap dispenser and it takes 12 cups of soap and water. I just use a 2 cup measuring cup and scoop it out.

This simple recipe saves us so much money and worry. I NEVER worry about running out of laundry soap.

Hello snow....again

We woke up to this sight. More snow!

But when you are homeschooled.....you have to have school even if it's snowing outside. This is the girl's watching Live Lesson while they had breakfast.

Thought the pond looked so pretty.

This was our homemade sled. We went all over the place trying to find a sled but everybody was sold out. So, my husband just made one. This was a piece of vinyl siding with Rain X on the bottom. And it would fly!

The round bales of hay had snow on them in our covered shed. The snow was really coming down and blowing all over the place.

Hello, Lu-Lu. And Jesse I saw you too.

Furman is that you? Oh, it is! Wow, you really should think about a diet before the summer!

No, I do not have any food. Would you guys think about SOMETHING besides food. Your killing us because you ALWAYS want to eat! Is that all you do? Well, poop does not count.

Let's all look at Crank. He thinks I am trying to catch him. Jesse is looking to him for a sign to run like mad. One more step to him and he will take off. This is as close as you can get. Just look, don't touch.

Think about it. Thinking about it. Do I run? Or do I stay? What is that crazy lady with all the puffy  layers doing?

The best part about snow. It really tuckers them out!

Cozy fire. Warm blankets. Tired body. What a good snow day is all about!

Laci got a lot of free rides back up the hill. She would ride down any way with anybody, but you just had to drag her back up. Smart kid!! She is so much like her mom.

This is what you call, not enough sled to go around.

But they made it to the bottom. No injury's to report.

That about wraps up our snow days; frozen fingers and toes. Cold ears and nose. Lots of wet clothes, laundry in droves. Slip slidin' fun...now where is the sun???

Ready to go again, this is fun!

Oh, Sweetie Pie Lu-lu how we love you!!!

To say that we love our Lu-lu is an understatement! We love to watch her in the fields. We love to watch her run, buck, and show all those boys who's boss!

But mostly my girls love to laugh when I make up a voice for her. (I have this thing about talking for our animals.) So, when Lu-lu tries to jump the gap at the creek and pond...she first gets up her courage, "OH, I must do this! Here I go. I can do this! I can! I willllllll!!!" Then she does the most feminine leap, smooths out her long mane and walks away proud of herself.

 But when we are not watching her the girls sure do love riding her. So, for Christmas they got all new tack! And I must say, they were really proud to have a reason to ride more often!! Tack that fits insures a lot more time for riding!!

A new saddle must be tried out on the first thing available. Even if it is old couch cushions.
 

 Minutes after this picture was taken, little one lost her rubber boot and Lu-lu tried to wear it. Let's just say....it did not fit and she did not like that one bit! And in her romping and stomping she might have been a little hard to hold on too for a 2 year old. But this ain't your average 2 year old!! She rode it out, had a good cry, but in true cowgirl grit she was not going to get off!!!!

 After she made a lap or two, we adjusted her stirrups. She is no longer riding like a cutter!

 True love.

The End.

How to Prevail in 2011

One of my New Year resolutions is to blog my Sunday Sermon notes. I did this for a while in my journal and kept them for my study notes. I thought I would try blogging them since I am trying to keep up with my blog and write as often as I can.

Ways to prevail in 2011:

1. Clearly identify your goals

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.   ~1 Corinthians 9:24

2. Eliminate hindrances.Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

~ Hebrews 12:1

* God, help me to hate sin the way you hate sin!

 

3. When adversity comes, remain focused on your goal.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.  ~ Hebrews 12:2-3

 

Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  ~ Philippians 3:13-14

 

My 2 favorite winter loves

After Christmas and a good snow....(check), I get spring fever. I just want to say, "Good-bye!" to cold weather! I like to wear sweaters, and there is nothing better than some fuzzy socks, but let's be honest. Who wants to do anything when your fingers are numb? Or your toes? Even worse.

So, to encourage me to get threw these harsh conditions (giggle, giggle) here are my two loves:


Nothing is better than a roaring fire. And of course, a movie and a fire, a book and a fire, s'mores and a campfire, a blanket and fuzzy socks...well, you get the point.


And my most, most, most must have everyday (especially in winter!)...is coffee and creamer! I don't know when the love of coffee even happened I just know as far back as I can remember I have drank it. NOTHING like I do now. In fact, my husband says it's an addiction! I would agree. I set my coffee pot to go off an hour before my alarm clock because I love to smell it when I wake up. I can't wait to get my shower so I can get a warm cup of it!!! Every winter needs a cup of warmth.