A look at the guest room

Do ya'll remember when I showed you guys the blogging/craft room? It was a work in progress at the time but its almost done now and I thought I would share another room in my house with you.

Today I chose the guestroom. I decided to go with a vintage, old sophisticated equestrian (but girly!) theme. Did you just go "huh?"

Here, look at the pictures...

: :    The rocking chair was my great-grandfathers and he sat in it every evening after taking care of the      horses. We always gathered around for story time or crawled into his lap. After his death it was left outside to rot. My husband (then boyfriend) went and got it out of the yard and restored it for me for Christmas. It made it perfect down to the crooked diamond on the back I traced as a kid. I knew then I had to marry this man. 

: :    The horse in the back ground was painted white for contrast.

: :    The bed is an old antique that came from Grady Hospital in Atlanta. At first I thought that was creepy, but now I appreciate the history and think it's pretty cool.

: : The lace curtains have been in my room since I was a child.

: : Those stirrups were the ones I rode in when I won my state championship with Casper. Now that he is retired those stirrups mean a lot. 

: : The vase is an antique my mama bought me as a housewarming gift when I first moved out. 

: : The candle is my unity candle from our wedding. It has 1 Corrinthians 13 on it.

: :The helmet was an old show helmet I wore as a child.

: : The dresser is older that the hills and needs to be redone, but I love it. I love the curve of the top drawers and the details on the tilt mirror. It was a gift from my sister (she couldn't fit it in her new room.) and one of my favorite pieces.

: : You can't see it in the picture but there is an old dressage whip in the corner that was the one I used the whole time I rode Casper. Again, I am a sentimental freak.

: : I wish you could see the girly chandelier but the light is on. It is adorable and I told Chris even if we have a boy and he moves into the room, the chandelier stays. 

: : The roses on the ground have been in my room since the day I came home from the hospital. 

: : That white shag rug is so soft, that I may or may not lay on it and read. Thanks mama and daddy! It was the best Christmas gift of the year. 

So that's the guestroom. It is definitely my favorite room of the house. It's so girly and equestrian-ish all at the same time.

What do y'all think?

Get to know me.

Today I was over at Travel Babbles and she is doing a twenty facts link up. I have noticed a few new followers around here so even though I have already spilled some secrets, I decided to join in and tell you a few things.

1) I wish that I could wear pajamas everyday. I worked from home for dad before I worked in the office and it made me LAZY. I wear yoga pants to work all the time.

2) I have a temper. I can sometimes be a bitch. Sorry. We are being honest here and that is me.

3) I just bought my childhood home and I am in love with it. I love sleeping in this familiar place and I love all the memories that are here and all the ones to come. It's the coolest feeling ever.

4) I could sleep 16 hours a day. I am a professional sleeper. My pillow and I are besties.

5) I love sweet tea. I have a glass everyday. I get grumpy without it.

6) I am an equestrian. I have ridden horses since birth (mom rode while pregnant with me). I have been to Grand Nationals and the World Championships but I still never feel good enough. One day.

7) I have a mouth like a sailor. I try to watch it on here but it is so damn hard!

8) I am OCD over somethings but somethings have to remain chaotic for me to be satisfied.

9) One of my favorite moments in the day... When Riley goes to sleep and dreams. He yips in his sleep and it is adorable. My heart melts.

10) I am trying to be more organized with this whole blog thing. I have a calendar and am ready for this next year. I am really bad about procrastinating but I am hoping that using the calendar will help with this.

11) I am a product junkie. There are probably 4 bottles of shampoo, 8 bottles of lotion, 6 bottles of perfume and 3 mascaras in my bathroom right now.

12) I sing constantly. About everything. If I don't know a song to fit the situation, I make up one. I am pretty sure this is why my husband married me. I am entertaining as hell. He says embarrassing but sometimes he mixes up his words.

13) I hope I one day have a little girl so I can play with all of the amazing toys I saved from my childhood. Seriously there are Polly Pockets in my attic waiting for that day. That makes me a loser, doesn't it?

14) I really want to go up in a hot air balloon, but my husband is terrified of the idea. This frustrates me too no end,

15) My animals are my babies and my family means everything. Seriously, I do not know what I would do without them.

16) I could eat Pizza every day. Why are there so many calories in pizza? There are veggies in it. Doesn't that count as healthy?

17) I think that humans should be allowed to hibernate during the winter. Seriously, we should be allowed to sleep and eat and snuggle without having to go out into the cold and work.

18) I have to sleep with a fan at night, but there cannot be any other noise and it has to be pitch black. I also have to sleep with 3 pillows.

19) The two most relaxing things in the world ... my farm and my horses. I just never make myself take the time to breathe and enjoy them until I am at the breaking point. This year I have decided to change that.

20) I love my blog. I hope it shows. This year I hope to open up more and show you all a little more me. I want to connect with you guys and build lasting friendships.

How to tell if your hubby REALLY loves you...

This weekend I would say I really tested Mr.'s love. I mean really tested it. The test...

Step 1
Ask him if he will help you with a "project" even though he is on call this weekend. It's just a small project. When he asks what the project vaguely point to the back yard.

Step 2
Once in the backyard wrangle him to the barn, which you haven't bother to straighten up since you moved in.  Hand him a shovel and ask him to help you level a stall. 6 wheel barrels full of dirt later ask if he would like to take a break.

Step 3
Just when he thinks he is off the hook, hand him a bottle of bleach and ask him to help you bleach all the buckets and mats in the place.

Step 4
Try to look as sexy as possible in sweatpants and a tshirt with hay and poop and shavings all over you while asking if he will now help you set up one more stall and your feed room (if he whistles or smacks your booty he is passing the test).

Step 5
Once you are done, talk about how exhausted and achy you are even though he did most of the work. If he pulls you close (mud, hay and all) and kisses your forehead, he passed.

Being an equestrian is glamorous I tell ya, and I don't know what I would do without the hubs. I would have spent 3 days working in the barn instead of just one! I will say I always feel like a new person after barn work days. There is something so relaxing about getting so gross and working until you hurt. It's like I work out all my issues right there in the barn with the horses and then I get to come inside and stand in the shower and wash it all away. As cheesy as it sounds I feel like a new person afterwards.



Thank God for horses... and my amazing hubs.

"E" is for Equestrian.

My first show horse- Gracies Boston Star Aka "Casper"

I am an equestrian. I have been riding as long as I can remember. My mom even rode while pregnant with me. My grandfather rode, my great- grandfather was an honest to goodness horse whisperer. People all around called him. He managed some of the largest show barns in the Southeast. It's in my blood. I was destined to do this. It is my one talent. I may be clumsy and awkward in any other endeavor, but put me with a horse and I become graceful. It's a natural God-given talent that I am thankful for.

I got my first pony when I was 3. I rode that little thing all over my grandparent's property. Then when I was 9 my great-grandfather was killed by a horse. It was not the horse's fault. She was spooked and stressed. I stopped riding for a year or so. Then I found a barn that did dressage lessons. 

This is dressage (My sister and her horse Rifle)

I bought that gorgeous boy up top, Casper, and started showing. Against the big times. And we were winning. These people had huge, fancy horses and had been practicing for years. I had a little quarter horse that I was training myself, little by little. I had been riding dressage for 2 months. We won the state- reserve champ title that year. Talk about under dogs. 

A few years later Casper threw me off during a ride and broke my elbow. I healed and he quickly threw me off again. This time it was a compressed tailbone. I called the vet to have him looked at because it was very unlike him. We found that he had scar tissue built up in his hips. The vet said something that broke my heart to pieces. I can't even type it without crying... he said, " This horse has more heart than I have seen in a long time. He has carried you with this issue for awhile, but kept going because he loved and trusted you. You can continue to ride him, but it will be to hard to show him." I lost it. I decided to retire Casper. He now lives like a king in my barn, playing in the fields and greeting kids. He is pretty happy. 

Casper in his blanket

Greeting kids, like a king

After his retirement I rode a few others but never really showed. Then I got back with my old trainer. She helped me get over my fears and I met this guy.

Monnington Soul aka "Soul"

We fell in love and went to the Grand nationals and the world championships after only 3 months of practice. We ended up being 2nd in the state, 2nd in the region, 9th in the nation and 11th in the world. It was amazing. We made magazines and were household names in our division. I fell in love with Soul and our life.  Big time trainers were asking who I rode for, would I ride for them?  People I looked up to were complimenting me on my riding and talking about how I had feeling and compassion for the horse. My confidence issue (read my B post ) went away. 

We aren't showing this year because I am buying a house, but I am still an equestrian. I go see him from time to time and ride. I teach on the side. It's my confidence boost, my passion, my outlet. 

"E" is an equestrian. I am an awesome equestrian. 

Love ya'll, so leave me some love!,