Can't Buy Acreage For Horses

The two acres of property that border our house is up for sale right now.  What I wouldn't give to be able to buy that land and bring our two horses here!  We are just not in a position to buy anything right now and with no guarantees that the village would give approval for us to bring the horses here, it may be a waste. 

The horses are boarded seven minutes from us right now so it would be easy to move them.  I doubt we'd have any type of travel emergency to worry about at that distance. My draft cross came from Kentucky (originally from Oregon) so a few miles more up the road would be easy peasy for her.  It would swap board cost for a property payment (plus daily labor). 

In three and a half years, we'll be able to move.  That's not that long considering we've already waited four years.  We're halfway there.

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Equine Affaire - April 8 thru 11, 2010

The Equine Affaire at the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus, Ohio is scheduled for April 8 - 11, 2010 this year.  There are training clinics by Chris Cox, John Lyons, Craig Cameron, Stacy Westfall, Tommy Garland, and many more.  Craig Cameron has his "Extreme Cowboy Race"! 

Fore more information, go to their web site:  Equine Affaire

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Can You Reverse Diabetes

Have you lost weight which resulted in your diabetes being cured (reversed, what is the right term?)?  I was borderline when I was the right weight so I've worried about crossing that line with the extra 30 pounds I had to lose (minus 13 of those pounds now!).  I do not ever want a diabetes diagnosis. I have read that it's possible in magazines and on the xenadrine rfa x site but I'm curious to know from real people that I am acquainted with if it's happened to them or somebody they know. My aunts and mother-in-law have diabetes and with the rise in diabetes in children, and having six children, it's a bit of a worry.  I noticed in the adults that I know who are diabetic that they carry extra weight around the middle (which is where I carry it as well).  Does that raise the risk? 

I guess if I have crossed the line and become diabetic in the future, I'll have to cowgirl  up and deal with it but I'd rather avoid the whole diagnosis thing if I can.  If losing weight reduces my chances, all the better. 

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Riding with a Roll of Fat

From an addiction to your colon, I'm just full of all kinds of great topics today aren't I?  One way I looked into losing weight in my quest these past four years to lose what my thyroid made me keep was a detox.  I had read that a detox can drop the weight.  Detoxing with a parasite cleanse, colon cleanse, liver flush...it all sounded kind of...messy.  Ya know?  I never had the nerve to try any of it.

I wasn't quite to that point of going that far though.  As my weight increased, I rode horses less (ok, I stopped riding).  After our horse died, it took the joy out of riding for me and it never seemed to come back.  The last pictures that were taken of me on the horses before Rex died looked awful.  I want to be fit and healthy, not sitting in the saddle with a roll of fat around my waistband! 

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Phentermine is Addicting

On my quest to lose weight, I've been looking into different weight loss products.  Did you know that phentermine can be very addictive? I didn't know that. I've never taken it so I have no worries but it's an amphetamine grade pill.

That's scary stuff.  I'm not willing to trade my extra 20 pounds left to lose for an addiction to a pill!  I would imagine that a person would have to be really desperate to risk it.  I'm not desperate enough to risk my health for an extra 20 pounds.  I'll just keep plugging away at trying to find the right hormonal levels for my thyroid with what I hope will be a great doctor that I meet in the morning!

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The Hives are Creeping

In the last couple days, my hives have increased.  They've creeped up onto my forehead, behind my ears, and I think even in my ears if the itching is any clue.  I feel so....bumpy!  I had to cancel my daughter's speech therapy today and my son's fitness class because I couldn't go into the schools with this stuff all over my face without a definitive diagnosis from a doctor that it is what I think it is (hives) and not something contagious. 

My husband said I should still be able to go out; that people will think it's just acne.  I don't need acne treatment cream, I need a steriod cream or shot ASAP. Tomorrow morning is my doctor's appointment so hopefully by this time tomorrow, I'll be showing some relief.

I've had these hives for a couple weeks and have been waiting to get in to see this doctor for them.  My appointment last week was canceled when the doctor went out of town.  I haven't been to the stable in a couple weeks.  Need to get myself fixed up so I can go see people in public again!

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Watch the Weight Disappear!

I've mentioned before that I wanted to lose weight for riding.  I'd feel better about being lighter for not only myself but for the horse too.  My horse is half Clydesdale so it's not like an extra 30 pounds is that big of a deal to her but I want to do everything I can for her back (and the other horse's backs since I take lessons on other horses, not my own).  I think I finally found a doctor who can manage my thyroid disease effectively which means....ta da!  The weight should start to come off once my hormone levels get optimized!  How cool would that be?  I should take pictures and do a "before" and "after" of what good thyroid management can do.

Unfortunately, just when I finally found the magic solution of a weight loss formula in a new doctor who knows bio-identical hormones about an hour from our home, our finances are so screwed up that we might not be able to even afford to keep the horses boarded anymore. I mentioned it to my husband yesterday and he didn't disagree.  That's a bad sign.  He'd never, ever, ever want me to give up mine and my daughter's horses unless we had no choice.  It's almost to that point. 

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Graco Strollers Recalled

1.5 million strollers are being recalled by Graco because of damage caused to several toddler's fingers from the canopy hinge.  To see if your Graco stroller is affected, check out the CPSC site.  It can cause amputation of your child's finger so it is very important that you check this out! 

This was unexpected news to find online tonight.  I logged on to look for eye cream for dark circles and find out a very popular brand of stroller can lacerate or amputate a baby's fingers is the big news. How scary is that! 

My "babies" aren't tiny babies anymore but I have baby nieces and nephews so I am going to forward this onto their parents as soon as I let y'all know. 

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Economic Woes...We Can't Dig Out

Well, we've fallen another month behind in the mortgage.  Income tax returns aren't going to get back to us in time, or be enough, to dig us out of the total amount that the mortgage company wants by February 6.  I am going to see if we can refinance the house with a new company (at a lower interest rate) but being this far behind, I have little hope that will happen.  I hear about people being able to refinance because of the economy but I don't know how they are doing it.  We tried with our mortgage company and they wanted too much money to refinance.  If we could afford their thousands in fees, we could afford the house payment we have!  How are people who can't afford to live right now refinancing?  I don't understand.

I've been fighting hives for the last two weeks and trying to figure out what I am allergic to that has been causing them.  Maybe it's not an allergy to some object; maybe it's hives from stress. 

Our kids don't have any idea how bad it is getting.  Our teenager's biggest problem right now is the best acne pill available, the new cheer she's making for cheerleading, and falling in cheerleading in front of the boy she likes. We don't want any of the kids to know just yet.

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Storage, Storage, Storage

Since we are stuck in this too-small house for about four more years (maybe we can push it to 3-1/2 years), I need to come up with storage ideas.  Our house doesn't squeeze all of us in it very well and with everybody's "stuff", it's always cluttered.  I can't stand it.  The house can be clean but not look clean because there is just too much stuff! 

I would love for each child's room to have a wall unit of shelves in different sizes to hold everything - books, bins for smaller items, CD's, sports equipment, toys, etc.  I would also like one in the family room.  I've found a company that will design furniture like this. I wish my budget had a lot more room to spend, spend, spend but after Christmas, I'm just happy to have grocery money!

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Picture and Video Technology Makes for Great Horse Shots

I love the digital capabilities we have nowadays.  When I had my first child, it was 35 mm cameras and huge video cameras for VHS tapes to lug around.  It's amazing now the digital technology that is available today in small packages. Certainly much more convenient!  It enables me to use my video card in my computer and really do some fun things with the video and pictures I take of my oldest daughter's riding lessons. I can capture action of her learning to jump or just loving on her horse.

I look forward to seeing what other technology they come out with in the future since I am a huge photo/video nut!  I am rarely without a camera.

Now if winter would just go away so riding lessons can continue!

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Lost Weight! Yippee!!!

Since getting thyroid disease, my weight has been a struggle.  It's hard to go from a small size to barely squeezing into some of the larger sizes!  What an adjustment.  It's been like that for the past eight years.

Then in October, I switched my thyroid medication and in two months, I'd lost 13 pounds.  It's been great.  I went from not being able to take a pound off to being able to lose weight fast.  Now to work on the remaining weight.  We want to renew our vows this summer and I want to be a smaller size by then. Please, please, please weight go away!

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Our Xmas Gift

My husband and I spent holiday money given to us for an "ours" guitar to share. This is the guitar we bought.  It's an Art & Luthrie.  We didn't buy the extended service plan on it. Sometimes we do for products and sometimes we don't.

I was glad when we bought one for our printer. It came in handy when the printer died and needed to be replaced (free for us). That was great.

Anyway, now we have eight or nine guitars in this house between my husband, me and the kids. We're going to buy another for our oldest daughter when she turns 13 in a couple weeks. She'll be so surprised!

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