Eczema! Eczema! Eczema!

Between my thyroid levels and cold, dry air, my eczema is coming back with a vengeance despite the humidifier blowing moisture.  I hate the patches on my arms, hips, breasts, and lower back (pretty much anywhere where clothing rubs, I get eczema). As part of my eczema treatment, I am going to raise my T3 dose because whenever my T3 levels get low, my eczema gets bad.  My eczema is as good of an indicator as the T3 blood tests! 

While I dread the winter and being at the stable shivering the entire time with dry, flaky skin and chapped lips, my horse LOVES the cold.  Being part draft horse, I guess she would. 

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Mirror Shows Age

I am 39 years old.  I don't feel older despite the birthday last month indicating otherwise.  I do notice wrinkles at the top of my nose (frown lines...oh boy) and around my lips.  I have a supply of cosmetics like olay regenerist in my bathroom now. Thanks to my gallbladder, I am watching my diet more closely to stay away from high fat foods (or only take a couple bites of those foods anyway).  Maybe I'll hit 40 years old next year thinner and healthier.  I hope so anyway.  My husband is 45 and he is in better health than I am!

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Christmas List: Saddle and Diamonds

I think my husband is going to get me that Weaver saddle in Cinnamon I've wanted for Christmas.  Yeah!  I absolutely love the color.  Now I need to find a bridle that will match it.  I will contact Sunset Halters and see if she makes anything that will match.  She makes great halter bridles!  Since that is sort of a horse/me kind of gift, I think I should put diamond stud earrings on my xmas list too. 

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Weaver Saddle Pad in Cinnamon

The manic shopping days are just ahead!  I prefer to do what I can from home and avoid the crowds so I just love Cyber Monday. I am also looking for a little present for myself - a Weaver saddle pad in Cinnamon (bronco pattern). I saw it at my local TSC but I think I can find a better price, especially on Cyber Monday!

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Holidays Fast Approaching

Can you believe how close the holidays are already?  This year has just flown by!  My kids keep me pretty busy so I guess I shouldn't be surprised but it seems like we just paid out a ton of money in Christmas gifts not to long ago and now we have to do it again! 

I'm running out of gift ideas for my in-laws.  I'm clueless there.  I know what my husband wants so he's easy - a guitar, but my father-in-law...  What do you get for the 80-year-old man who can buy whatever he wants?  We'll come up with something for my husband's dad. 

What are great gift ideas?  Electronics and power tools always make good gift ideas!  You can always find good cigar deals for the cigar lover in the family!

My kids are pretty easy at the holidays.  We always get lists by Thanksgiving for Santa. 

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Pics on Horse without Belly Fat

How do you get good pictures of yourself on the back of your horse that will hide any belly fat?  I hate, hate, hate pictures of me on my horse because of that but I want pictures of me on my horse!  I'm losing weight but after four kids and struggling with thyroid disease, I'm not sure I'll ever get a flat belly again!  I need to look up how to burn belly fat!

Maybe by spring, I'll have lost what I want to lose in weight and won't need to worry about it.  I can hope anyway.

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Taking Care of Moms

Why is it I never buy myself new clothes when my kids get them for every season?  I have one shirt for the winter that is nice enough to wear outside the house.  We are limited locally here to just a few retailers who don't have much that impresses me so I am looking for some great women's clothing catalogs. Plus, I'm starting to lose weight again so the idea of getting new (smaller) clothes sounds like fun!!

It's important for mothers especially, who get pulled in so many directions, to take care of themselves and feel good about themselves.  Now that I'm getting smaller, I want a new wardrobe that makes me feel good and look awesome.  Woo hoo!  Shopping is in my future!

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Lose Weight, Gain Weight, Lose Weight

I've been struggling to lose weight.  I had lost 18 of the 37 pounds I had wanted to lose and then 9 of them came back.  Since changing my diet because of my gallbladder disease, I think the scale is going to come down again.  I don't want to get ahead of myself, but it's been teetering back and forth between a 1-1/2 and 2 pound loss this week so I'm hoping... *fingers crossed* ...that drastically changing my diet is going to make a difference along with the increase in my thyroid meds.  My doctor also raised my T3 dose for my thyroid disease so between the two of them - I'm really hoping to see a difference on that scale!

I have to admit those fat burning and metabolism ads do catch my eye though and have me wondering - does lipofuze work?  Because my metabolism is slow due to my thyroid disease, I am curious to see if there is a weight loss supplement that could increase it - not just for weight loss but just so it is where it is supposed to be anyway. 

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What a Great Weekend!

Had a date with hubby this past weekend. It's the first time we've gone out together by where we live, without kids, since we moved here almost five years ago.  We went to this town my kids call the "hippy town."  It's this great little town that is very open-minded and tolerant of so many different religions.  I felt like I could breathe there! 

It was a great day to walk through all the shops.  I found the Organic India tea I've been looking for, some pretty stones, looked at great sterling silver jewelry, and found this wonderful stone box for only $14.00! I thought that was a great find. Then we went to dinner (full dinner for hubby, salad for me to watch the gallstones).  We had a good time and my daughter was happy to get paid to babysit - her first time! 

Then my daughter had a riding lesson we all went to.

Oops - back is hunched.  This was a great jump. 
Instead of just trotting over the rails, her mare unexpectedly really jumped it.

Good Ride!

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Stable Lighting

I've been thinking about our stable set-up for when we move to our own farm in two years.  What is safe stable lighting for a barn full of horses - in terms of barn fires or the horses breaking fixtures. What's the standard for lighting for horse barns?   How high should they be?  What are the best fixtures to use?  I have no clue.

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Not Moving Horses

We aren't moving! I am relieved honestly. All the "not knowing" where we would live, where the horses would be boarded, what school, what job, etc., was really starting to cause a bit of anxiety.  I was getting irritable and breaking out like a teenager looking for acnetox reviews!

I didn't want to leave our current barn where the horses aren't just income or a stall in the barn filled up.  The barn manager truly loves the horses and interacts with them.  She just doesn't dump their hay/grain and go.  She is also good with kids (it is more of a "kid barn" actually) and she is trying to get set up to be a disability riding barn as well (she is already set up as a rescue). 

SO happy our horses get to stay where they're at!

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Why do they have to grow up?

It is cute to see my son growing up.  He is in junior high now.  Before, he didn't care about his clothes or hair.  Now he wants skinny jeans and his hair HAS to flip or else it just isn't right.  He even has to style it up with his outerwear with his Jordan winter coat!  I found these nice cargo pants by the blac label clothing I think he'd like but he's too short and skinny yet. However, they'd look really nice on the husband!

All my kids are growing up so fast!  I remember when my son was a baby with this big, round head.  Now he has a girlfriend, is texting, and worrying about how he looks.  It's just happening too fast.

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