Always be thankful...

Sometimes I complain too much.  Sometimes I forget to always give thanks to my Lord for my many, many blessings.  Sometimes I take blessings and people in my life for granted.  Sometimes I need to have a good, swift kick in my behind. 

Well, not today.  Today, I am thankful for so many things.  So many wonderful blessings.  And, I'm going to profess quite loudly and quite publically right here, and right now how very beautifully blessed that I am and how much I appreciate the life that my Father in heaven has bestowed upon me.  Life is good!

I was just thinking last night when I came from the barn, looking around at our yard, at our home, at our beautiful horses and the cozy little barn that protects them from the damp, cool spring evening that we were experiencing.  I was suddenly struck with the overwhelming gratitude that I have a husband who loves me and works so very hard to keep our little piece of the world looking nice.  He works so hard.  He does so much.  Whatever, however would I even attempt to keep up with everything that needs to be done?  I sometimes feel overwhelmed with what I have to do, a full-time job, house cleaning, meal preparation, grocery shopping, bill paying, appointment making, organizing, feeding, stall cleaning, yard work, house maintenance, vehicle upkeep and on, and on, and on, and on...but that's just life, right?  We wake up each morning and face each day with stuff that needs to be accomplished.  And if it doesn't all get done??  Big deal - there's another day tomorrow.  Like the Bible reminds us, don't worry about tomorrow because today's  worries are enough for today.  Sage advice.  Just look upward and give thanks.  Do what we can, and leave the rest for another day.  The grass is always going to need mowing, there's always going to be housework to be done, laundry...well, that's never ending right?  Just remember to be happy.  Give thanks to God in heaven who provides us with our needs.  No matter how bad of a day you may think you might have had...there is always a reason to be thankful and thoughtful of our blessings.  Always.

Every morning before I rush off to work, I always take the time to drive down the driveway, do a final headcount of the horses and the llama.  I then ask Jesus to watch over our little herd and to please protect them from all harm.  Please, just keep them safe...it's always answered.  When I get home each evening and their bright little faces are there nickering for their next meal...I try to remember to give thanks.  I don't always remember.  But, I am always thankful.  Same goes for my husband.  I pray for his safety and good health.  I'm thankful each evening when he comes home...safe and sound.  I'm blessed to have a good, steady job in these uncertain economic times.  I'm thankful that my boss is a good man.  He's kind-hearted and patient.  I don't think he's ever raised his voice to me.  I'm positive there've been many times he's wanted to.  :)  I'm thankful that in a small way, I get to work with horses and get paid for it.  I get opportunities every single day to help people.  It may only be a kind word, an encouraging bit of advice, or a reassuring, "I know how you feel", but I love how good it feels to be useful and be of some good to someone else.  I'm thankful for that.  I'm thankful that we have enough money to support ourselves and do something occasionally that's purely for fun.  I have more clothes and shoes than I need.  I certainly have more food to eat than I need.  All our animals are plump and well-fed as well.  I'm blessed with amazing people in my life, beautiful friends and a loving family.  I don't get to see my family as often as I'd like, but if I really want to talk to someone...there's always someone to reach out to.  I may not ever have the body I've always dreamed of having, I probably won't ever look good in a swimming suit *sigh*...but oh well...my body has always accomodated me quite well.  I'm healthy, I'm strong, and I can do most anything that I set my mind to doing...well, within reason anyway.  For all these things, I am thankful. 

I was so distressed while watching a little of the news last night.  There is so much heartache in our world.  So much strife and hardship for so many people.  My prayers go out to so very many.  That's about all I can do - offer up prayers and let God handle the details.  I must always remember that He is in charge.  Again, I am thankful for that.  We all suffer hardship in our lives.  But, no matter how difficult times may be or become...God leads His people through them.  We probably don't get out of them because we learn and become stronger because of difficulties, tragedy, loss, pain, disappointment...whatever; but we're never alone.  Nope, not ever.  Look up and take comfort.  He is always there. 

So, in closing friends, readers, fellow human beings...don't wallow in your petty little problems of this life.  Stop whining, stop complaining about every little thing in your life that you see as less than perfect.  Shut up and give thanks for your many, many blessings.

May God forgive us our many shortcomings and grant us patience with one another.

If I've stepped on anybody's toes and you're taking this little reminder personally.  Get over it.  You probably needed to hear this today.  :)

Have a good one...it is your choice you know.

We could all take a lesson in life from Annie...

Lorie aka cingspots  

Good day sunshine!!!!!!!

Wow, I can't believe that it's been like,  7 weeks or so since I've done a blog posting!!!  How time flies!!!  Everything's been good...just quite busy, busy busy!  And today, I am so very thankful for this most glorious spring day we're experiencing.  The sun is shining, there's a gentle breeze blowing and just a few wispy, white clouds in an otherwise brilliantly blue sky...who could ask for anything more?  Well...I could be on vacation somewhere soaking up the sun, reading a deliciously erotic novel and sipping a cool and frosty exotic drink but...let's stick to reality shall we?  :)

Okay, I'll try to catch things up, even if only partially since my last post.  No, I haven't been riding my horse yet.  Only within the past week have I been doing regular grooming sessions and exercising Ladde in the round-pen and some on the lunge line; but he's such a good boy, he's doing splendidly.  We've been working on engaging the hindquarters and lifting and building his back muscles whilst really reaching under himself with his hind legs.  Maybe tonight, I'll saddle him up and do a little work under saddle.  I'm having such fun.  Last night was our first session working with a new trainer/horseman.  He's an english rider himself; specializes in dressage and some jumping.  Not exactly what I'm into, but good horsemanship is good horsemanship.  I believe that a good classical dressage instructor might just be able to teach us some of the finer techniques of suppleness, collection and fine-tuning our gaits.  And...he's an outdoor rider mostly, he likes to get out in the woods and enjoy nature while teaching.  Now, that is right up my alley!  He lives close by and I'm excited to be working with someone who has such an obvious love for his work. 

Harley is doing very well too.  He seems to be adjusting to his blindness issues more and more each day.  I don't plan on riding him as my regular mount this summer, but I will probably ride him occasionally on flat land only.  It seems a shame to leave such an able-bodied horse at home all the time, but I'm not quite ready to rely on him as my main trail mount until we're both more confident.  He doesn't seem to mind staying home with the girls most of the time. 

We've been doing a lot of yard work lately, trying to play catch up on all the mowing and trimming and weeding that has accumulated since last fall.  And, with all the rain we've had this year...we're talking jungle control!!  But, with persistence and a lot of aching muscles, we've gotten everything mostly under control again and the yard's looking much nicer.  Next will be the raised garden beds and my flower beds by the deck.  I've decided to go simple with the garden plans this year.  I have 3 tomato plants, will plant 1 zuchini and a few other veggies, but I want to keep it very low maintenance this time.  I want to enjoy the nice weather and don't want to be weeding when I could be riding or socializing instead.  I'm planning on buying my usual 15 lb. bucket of washed, sliced strawberries to make about 3 batches of strawberry jam and put the rest in the freezer.  I always can peaches...can't seem to live without those, and maybe some applesauce, but that's about it, other than frozen blackberries, raspberries and marionberries.  Those are simple though, rinse and put in freezer containers for using later. 

We discovered that our big horsetrailer suffered some water damage from a leaking roof over the winter.  The insulation, ceiling panels and trim all have to be replaced, and the carpeting on the walls and floor are going to require a thorough steam cleaning and deodorizing to kill the mildew.  And, obviously the roof leaks need to be repaired.  *sigh*  All-in-all, about $2800 in total damage.  Thank God, we had it insured!  We hope to take it to the repair shop very soon, so we'll have it back for summer camping season.  We emptied out all our belongings, bedding, etc the other night and I have a mountain load of laundry to be done...fun.  But, nothing was seriously damaged, just a little smelly from the accumulation of mildew.  Nothing a little bleach and washing can't handle. 

We re-painted our kitchen.  Everything.  Ceiling, walls, trim and cabinets.  I even painted one of my hutches to match the cabinets.  Also changed out all the hardware and hinges for new.  I ordered new curtains for the kitchen, mudroom and the laundry room.  Buttery yellow walls, creamy off-white trim and darkish tan on the cabinetry with black hardware.  My curtains are plaid material in shades of cornflower blue, sage green and yellow on a creamy background with ticking stripes on the scalloped bottoms.  So pretty and clean looking!  A much needed cosmetic redo.  My hubby got me a new kitchen sink too.  It's white porcelin and has one side much larger than the other, and both sides are deeper than my old sink.  I'm going to get a long goose-necked faucet and we're all set.  One of these days, but down the road for sure...new laminate-wide plank flooring and stone countertops.  We did the cheap stuff, but the expensive stuff's gonna have to wait!  Oh well, I'm just happy with what we've got so far - it looks nice.  Next on my list is re-painting the nook off the kitchen (woodstove room) and our bedroom.  It's just amazing how a fresh coat of paint in a pretty color will spruce up a room.  If we manage to get those two rooms done...who knows, maybe we'll tackle the living room.  If I'm honest, these things will probably wait until summer's over, at least the living room for sure.  Don't want to overwork the hubby.  :)

Business at the vet clinic has finally gotten busier after a longgggggg winter of very little work.  We're very thankful for this, sure hope the economy continues to improve.  I'm sure there's a lot of folks out there who can commiserate with that sentiment!  Hubby's still working reduced hours, but we're managing.  With gas and food prices, and really everything being more expensive it seems...we'll probably be sticking closer to home this season, but no worries about that, because we live within range of a lot of wonderful outdoor recreational areas.  And, I HATE to travel far with the horses and the big trailer, so...great excuse to stay closer to home. 

I hope that all of you are enjoying spring, your horses, friends and families!! 

Blessings and peace...

Cingspots aka Lorie