Labor Day

Growing up the first week of September meant the beginning of the end of rodeo season, the wearing of black hats, greasy burgers, and miles on the road. This year I packed this kids into the car and took them home to watch my Dad participate in a local ranch rodeo. I haven't rodeod in years, but it's still like second nature to me. You know what I mean? Maybe not about rodeoing, but having a passion that's so strong that no matter how far you are removed from it you could easily pick it up again as if you never stopped.   And ironically, even though we live in a small ranching community the opportunity for the kids to ride horses is somewhat limited and at times it makes me sad knowing that some of my most cherished experiences may never be experienced by my own babes.

Anyway, John's parents also believe in the literal meaning of being laborious on Labor Day. We (not me, I was chasing kids) spent the better part of a night picking apples from their orchard, dividing the good from the bad, cutting out worm holes, and pressing to making juice. Have you ever made homemade apple juice before? Really, the experience was less about making juice and more about the time we got to spend as family. I feel so blessed to have been born in and married to such amazing families. I mean I really scored in that department. Like won the lottery kind of lucky.

Anyway (again, geeze). So we're not much of the organic eaters. I mean, I'll buy some organic things, but I'm not one of those fanatics (yes, I call them that) that have organic eggs, milk, cheese, cereal, soap, cheese, crackers...underwear (or not). I still feed my kids Kraft Mac n' Cheese and I occasionally pop through McDonald's when I'm in a rush. But I'm a huge fun of locally-grown especially when we've labored to help grow such foods. Being able to then drink apple juice that we had picked and pressed was such a fun lesson to teach Brecken about living off the land. 

And even though my these little babes of mine may not have the same experiences as me I am so thankful that I get to raise them in a place where family comes first and where a love of the land is a way of life.

Come to Montana, you'll see.

And don't forget to enter the Jamberry giveaway!

Jamberry Giveaway

Today I have an extra fun giveaway from Jamberry. Have you heard? They're the newest trend in salon-style nails. Yes, nails! They're a self-adhesive application sticker (on crack) that come without the hassle of booking an appointment or the salon price tag of $50. Each sheet is completely non-toxic, USA made, offering over 300 designs, and at least four different applications with the ability to last two-to-four weeks.

Honestly, I've been so impressed with their quality. This week alone, I've been playing in the dirt, riding horses, painting, sanding a metal locker (the locker from the dump, remember?), and not to mention the day-to-day tasks of dishes, kids, and gobs of laundry and I'm now on Day #8 and my nails still look great. 

 Awesome, eh?!

Earlier this week the Jamberry Fall 2013 Collection premiered and one lucky reader will get to pick out one free nail application from that collection to try for themselves. I mean, the tribal prints alone scream ahh-mazing! 

And to sweeten the pot, right now when you order three sheets of Jamberry nail applications you can get a fourth set for free!

Here's how to win:

*Follow Jamberry Nails-Anna Hone Independent Consultant on Facebook (one entry)

*Visit Jamberry Nails Fall 2013 Collection and leave a comment telling which design is your favorite (one entry)

*Order any set of Jamberry nails in the next week(three entries)

CLOSED.

The ridiculous act of picture taking

When we were little my Mom would make us pose at destinations around the country for our obligatory "I-was-here" picture. doo-zies, I tell ya!  Remind me to show you the one from Copper Mountain, Colorado, sometime, I instantaneously coined the phrase "big hair don't care" in that one. Anyway, my sweet Mom would call the day a success if she could get one of us to smile or at the very least be facing towards the camera.

Annnnd flash forward to our teen years, it was the same scenario but with a resonating I-hate-this-and-why-are-we-in-ridiculously-matching-outfits undertone attached to each family portrait.  Did I mention the pictures still wreak of teenage estrogen and tears of self-pity and loathing to this day? We were a sad and dramatic bunch of girls. My poor little brother had no choice other than to submit himself to years of a tortured existence with three older sisters... 

And then I had kids of my own and now I understand. Holy hell it's hard to photograph kids. And as luck would have it mine are no different than any other baby out there--hyped up on sugar and wired to run as soon as the camera comes out. #gofigure

The point is I end up taking hundred no looking/screaming/zombie gazed/picking the nose pictures for every gem in the rough. It has crossed my mind a few times to start a Tumbler feed dedicated to the awful pictures of my kids. Because lets be real, the awful ones sometimes are way better then the perfect pictures.

Gosh, thank goodness this sort of technology wasn't around twenty years ago or who knows what my parents would have posted...

Lately

Lately we've been living in this perpetual state of chaos. Good chaos, but cha-oooos nonetheless. Actually, I'm not sure if good chaos is even a real "thing" or if it's just a excuse parents use to not pull their hair out, but I use it boldly and with conviction as if it's the only thing keeping me sane these days. Which if you must know my sanity teeters on the brink of insanity most days.

Either way this summer has been one for the books and it's been so.much.fun. The kids blossomed and have finally come into their own and the joy of watching them play together has been worth all the tears, tantrums, and hours spent in the car. And not to mention I wasn't pregnant for the first summer in a looong time. halle-freakin'-lujah. All of our travels have turned us into quite the road rats this summer and with each trip my inner-country star has been singing "On the road again..." which got old after the first trip but I keep racking my brain for another road tripping song, but nothing seems quite as fitting as Willie himself. So it's stuck.

Anyway, we're home, rested, and tackling the breeding pile of laundry and mail. Two trips left to tackle and then we might be ready to dive head on into birthdays and the Holidays. So basically, it's as if life never slows down around here. Which is for the best because the bored Halsey usually resorts to online shopping, unfortunately for John...

Ribbon Organizer 2.0

Can we talk about ribbon for a moment? Bare with me I promise this is going some where. If you were to step into my craft room it would be very apparent that I'm kind of like the old crazy cat lady but I have this hankering for ribbon. It's a weird obsession to say the least.It always seems to be jumbled together into this unfathomable ball that turns me into some sort of scissor-wielding maniac when trying to unravel it. Luckily I've found a few ways to organize the chaos i.e. my five-minute ribbon organizer, but then there's all that crap ribbon that isn't on a spool. what the heck?! seriously, whoever decided that it was a good idea to sell ribbon "spool-less" was just itching for a good time thinking about all the women around the world who would go crazy trying to keep it organized. 

So here's my solution for the huge wad of ribbon you have shoved in your closet, inside your bookshelf, heck, in your underwear drawer (if you're into that sort of thing) and it's totally on the D.L. for how cheap it will cost. 

Seriously, so easy that I don't even think I need to explain it. Thank me later...with cookies preferably.