"Haul out the Holly....

put up the tree before my spirits fall again now, cuz I need a little Christmas right this very minute!"

Gotta love a song that speaks to your soul, am I right? LOL Well I have been busy decorating for Christmas since my boots hit the floor Sunday morning. Halloween was a good time yes indeed, but now its all about the real holidays.I have 2 trees completely done, and about 5 more to go. I will post pics when its all done. I'm pacing myself because I don't want to hit burnout, when burnout hits you just start throwing decorations together and its not as fun and beautiful anymore. I'm trying to make my home a nice cozy spot to be when family and friends come over, but most importantly, I want it to be beautiful for my girls. I was very blessed to have a mother that LOVED Christmas and she passed that on to me. I don't think there was ever a day in my childhood that I didn't have Christmas on my mind! The music, the lights, the presents, the stockings! Oh yeah, the stockings. I lived for my stocking on Christmas morning...



I want my girls to look back at their childhood and say the same thing I say, 'my mom knew how to celebrate the holidays, she made Christmas amazing!'



So that's my goal. I should be done in about a week or two. Then I can kick back and enjoy every holiday event, party, gathering,cookie exchange and church activity that I choose to go too and not have to worry about missing out cuz i'm still decorating the house. I love that feeling of accomplishment when my house is all aglow. It's a lot of work but I LOVE every minute of it. Yep when Christmas rolls around I take charge...



I have a lot of people ask me what my husband thinks of all this Christmas decorating so early in November, I tell them what he tells everybody, 'it's her thing, she enjoys it and besides Christmas is NOT negotiable with her' Gotta love that man. Matt knew what he was getting into early on, he had his chance to run, but instead he proposed to me on a chilly Christmas Eve back in 1988. So he kind of set the tone for Christmas magic. Then in 1989, on Christmas Eve morning when we had nothing better to do except wait around for Christmas Eve dinner at my moms house, Matt took me to see one of my favorite all time Christmas movies that had just been released in theaters, Prancer.



Yep he sat through it, poor guy. I've only watched it 2,000 times since then.

Well in the midst of all this decorating, Matt and I have been invited as civilian guests at a Military Ball next Tuesday. Our good friend Joe is a marine,so he and his wife asked us to accompany them. We are really looking forward to it. I got my dress today, nothing like the last minute huh? I will definitely be taking pics don't worry!

Also would y'all please keep your fingers crossed that my mama can fly up for Thanksgiving? I miss her and she hasn't been here for a visit in a couple years.

Anyhow, I have a kitchen tree calling my name to decorate. I'll be back soon. And thank y'all so much for your nice comments you leave. :)

It's the MOST wonderful time of the year....

I'm just loving life right now. As you know for me September kicks off the holiday season and since October is almost over (say it isn't so!)we are in the thick of it! My house is looking all sorts of cozy, like mountain cabin cozy. I love my stone fireplace that goes from floor to ceiling and I love my barn rafters that are dripping with white icicle lights. I really don't want to leave my house once a nice crackling fire has been lit. BUT, of course I have to go outside and see the glorious gift of fall that God has so wonderfully given me.
I love where we live, I think its the most beautiful place i've ever been, and that's after going to New England twice in the fall! And believe me New England is gorgeous! I want a house there, I really do. But what I love about out west is the great open skies and the gorgeous mountains. From my living room window I can see the pine covered Sierra's, now topped with a little snow, and if you look closely you can see patches of flaming yellow and red trees in the crevices and valleys.

A 25 minute drive takes you through the Carson Valley dotted with old farmhouses on acres of pasture land, surrounded by cottonwoods, aspens, and maples.I want to live in every farmhouse I see, sit on every front porch in an old creaky rocker and read Little House on the Prairie books. I want to bake pies in those houses and leave them to cool on the window ledge, because every farmhouse I see has window ledges. I want to decorate each front porch with jack o' lanterns and cornstalks and wait for trick or treaters to stop by on a chilly, blustery Halloween. I want to see my Cowboy Matt in his flannel shirt outside my back window, chopping wood for a chilly Thanksgiving day when all the family is due to arrive. Basically I want to be a Walton. Olivia Walton,there I admit it.

Anyhow at the end of this 25 minute drive, we arrive in Hope Valley, Ca.





The view takes your breath away, quaking aspens, little rivers and creeks find thier way and mountains galore. It looks like a smaller version of Yosemite Park.



Along your drive you see lil general stores with black pot-bellied woodstoves keeping it warm while you buy overpriced necessities like batteries and apple turnovers and sausage scones drizzled with maple butter, I hate it when I forget those at home. Darn.



My two dear friends, DJ and Tammy and I,made this trip last week. Our final destination was Tammy's cabin in Lake Tahoe. What once was a small, quaint home that sadly burned down in the Angora fires, rose from the ashes to an amazing 2 story log home with every amenity you could imagine.



I am not worthy! LOL. We worked on crafts, ate chinese food and watched a chick flick before heading home. We vowed to do a retreat next month and i'm holding everyone to it!

On the way home we stopped several times to take pics, I sat there for a moment soaking it in. The colors, the smell~that woodsy smell of pine, damp leaves and earth, and the sight of my two friends snapping pictures of every gorgeous fall moment, smiling away.I was just here 2 weeks ago with another friend Monica, and it was a completely different hue of fall,but just as gorgeous. It is bitter-sweet. Sweet that it was so gorgeous and I was with my friends, bitter in that this season is so short. The colors we saw that day will be gone next week. Why can't the fall colors last as long as the lingering season of summer???

My on-line friends and I do a fall scrapbook and in that scrapbook we like to log a lot of 'firsts' of the season. First fall leaves that we've noticed, first fire in the fireplace, first sign of the baking aisle at the grocery store, you know, the important stuff.



I'm finding that as October passes, those 'firsts' have come and gone which is causing an ever growing void for me. A void that can only be filled by...
CHRISTMAS!!! WOOT WOOT, oh yeah people, the Christmas train is a rollin' into town! Now don't get me wrong, I love Thanksgiving, every single delicious day that leads to it, but in those delicious days,I begin decorating for Christmas. A continuous, glorious rythm of Christmas magic.
But right now its fall and here is a few of my favorite fall moments in this lil picture slide...

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v625/elizabethfminden/?action=view¤t=51aae356.pbw

As promised....

Pictures!! First I made a slideshow of all the Red Shirt events we've been doing the last few months. Here ya go.....
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v625/elizabethfminden/?action=view¤t=961d9288.pbw

And then there's the Candy Dance...
This is (L to R)My friend Dawn from Idaho, Alicia from California and me. We are standing in front of our favorite vendor booth. We are thrilled ofcourse with our purchases!







Then we went thrift shopping and loaded the car down even more with stuff to refurbish. That's a screen door in there that I bought and painted black. Will have to take a pic in the daylight.



And then there's the fun-aliscious fall-tastic stuff that i've been having fun doing..
Candy Apples anyone??


Can I just say it takes forever to reach 302 degrees, patience is so not my thing..




Well back to making more Autumn memories! This weekend we are helping my friend Monica at her costume shop which is always a fun fall thing to do!!

Enjoy the moment everyone!!

Fall finally blew in...

Well September is almost over and we are finally getting fall, it has been in the 90's for weeks which is really rare for us up her in Northern Nevada. That is part of the reason why I haven't been blogging much. There are so many fall things I wanted to post about but its hard to do when it feels like July. I've been totally ripped off on the fall weather let me tell ya! It may snow tonight above 6,000 feet, so we go from summer to winter in a blink of an eye, weird ain't it?

So it looks like I need to get y'all caught up on some things. The 9/11 Red Shirt Friday walk was a huge success, almost 200 people. We had traffic backed up for a bit as we all crossed the street, but no one seemed to mind, it was 9/11 after all and I think everyone felt a little bit honored to witness the walk. Joe Neal gave a great concert afterwords and performed his song '21 Guns'.

Another reason for my absence is that we have all been sick and it lingered a loooong time. I think I slept for 3 days straight. (ok, so that part really wasn't THAT bad, lol)

Last weekend was the Candy Dance in Genoa,Nevada. It's a pretty big deal around these parts. The actual dance is a fundraiser they have for the local town, but the craft fair that goes along with it is amazing. I had friends come from California and Idaho to shop with me. We had a lot of fun and loaded our car down with all kinds of stuff. I do have pics that i'm waiting on of the Candy Dance, the Red Shirt Walk and such but I'm waiting on downloading them, so I wanted to get this post asap so y'all don't think I dropped off the face of the earth!

Have a great day everyone, i'll be working on those pics.

It's a Pride Thang....

American Pride. For the past 3 months I have been doing the same thing every Friday night. I've been walking with the Red Shirt Walkers through Carson City. Red Shirt Fridays is a nationwide event that hardly anyone knows about. The idea behind it is stemmed from our soldiers overseas asking family and friends at home to wear red to all the major sporting events so that when they are watching them they would see a sea of red and they would know that America supported them. Then that turned into wearing red shirts on Fridays to show support. Some cities, such as Carson City, do actual walks. The walk in Carson City was started by the family of fallen soldier, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Joshua Rodgers. He was shot down over Iraq in May 2007. Ever since that day, the family has put on their red shirts, grabbed their American flags and proudly walked the 2 mile trek down Carson Street. Other families of fallen soldiers have joined as well as Blue Star families who have loved ones currently serving. Then there are the walkers like me and my family~average Americans who support our troops and are proud to show it.



I first met this awesome group of people back in June when I showed up at their meeting spot to invite them to be the Grand Marshalls at my neighborhood patriotic bike parade. We were celebrating our 10th year and wanted to have someone that we admired to have the spotlight. Instead of one person we got 30. I walked with them that first night and I have to say it was one of the most memorable moments in my life.

There were about 25 of us; with flags waving proudly we began the walk. The families simply smile and wave. There is no agenda, no words, no bitterness, just Americans simply sending a message to our troops.. 'WE HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN YOU~WE SUPPORT YOU~WE THANK YOU'



It didn't take long before other Americans; driving in their cars on their way home from work started to honk their horns and wave to us showing their support. Whistles and shouts of pride could be heard the whole time. Truckers lay on their horns, police flip on their lights and sirens, motorcycles and hot rods rev up their engines as they go by. Some people salute, others lay their right hand over their heart, men remove their hats and you can't help but get goosebumps each time you walk. That first night I could have walked all the way to Reno and back, 2 miles is never enough for me. It's a humbling experience that not even the few hateful people that we come across can take away. Why anyone would be flipped off for carrying our beautiful American flag I have no idea. No matter, they are insignificant and I have to remind myself that our troops are fighting for their freedom too.

Friday night is my favorite night of the week. The family and I are together and we spend it honoring those who sacrifice all for us. Tonight is going to be even more special because it is the anniversary of 9/11.



Remember 9/12?



It seemed everyone had a flag on their house, people reached out, differences were forgotten~for a time. Then the damages of war and politics took over. Politicians and media had their say 24 hours a day. Somewhere along the way patriotism faded. So tonight we are hoping for our biggest Red Shirt Walk ever. The most we have ever had was 150-200 people. We are hoping to top that.

As we remember 9/11 and our Troops, I ask that all of you wear a red shirt today and wear it proudly. Here's a link to our Red Shirt Walk a couple months ago presented by http://Horsetweet.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXqVZmB93ik

After the walk we will be treated to a concert by Sgt. Joe B. Neal of the Marine Corps. Please listen to his story and his song he wrote for his friend who was killed in Iraq. I think he is amazing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OKvb-DVAr8
God Bless America y'all.

Life Begins in September...

for me, literally. Yesterday was my birthday~I won't disclose my actual age, but lets just say I'm not quite 40~but I feel 25 so that's all that really matters right? Anyhow,for me I come alive in September, fall is here (sorta)and from here on out its all about the home, the family and the holidays.

This is the time of year I live for; especially when I feel the slightest chill in the breeze and before I know it I'm reaching for a sweater. Someone has lit their first fire in the fireplace and the woodsmoke strolls through the air and pays me a visit like a very welcomed friend. A half hour drive through winding roads takes me to Aspen filled nooks and canyons in the Sierra Nevada's~ an afternoon spent watching the golden leaves shiver and quake in the breeze snaps me out of my cranky summertime blues.

But I'm getting ahead of myself because actually it is still a little warm here for us for September~all I need is a good 65-70 degree day and I am out the door for an adventure. Until then its nesting time.

Some people do spring cleaning, I do fall cleaning. I get the urge to clean out closets, medicine cabinets, and pantries. I love re-stocking my baking pantry with fresh ingredients; I even got a wild hair and made Pumpkin Chocolate Muffins last week and let me tell ya, they were yumtastical!

I've dragged all the fall decorations out and have been decorating room by room. I still have a ways to go but the house is looking good. Everything should be ready by the time I get to light my first fire. I'm ready to settle in for some good old fashioned family time around the hearth. I'm getting close to being done and I will post lots of pics, but for now I'll give you a sample of how things are shaping up. This is a white mantel that I put in the kitchen. I really need to paint my kitchen walls so this will really pop, but for now white it is. Anyhow, I put a fireplace screen in front of it and a mirror on the back wall. There are hurricane lamps on the floor, so when the candles are lit, the light reflects off the mirror. This mantel gives a nice cozy feel to the kitchen.




"Ah there is nothing like staying home for real comfort." ~Jane Austin

Oh and here's a lil project I was working on. This was a dried up 1950's ashtray stand that I spray painted black specifically to hold a pumpkin. Now I'm just trying to decide where to put it. Front porch, the hearth, the kitchen. We'll see.



As some of you already know, I blog for Grit magazine on-line, well the other day I open my Sept/Oct issue of Grit and lo and behold on page 5 (I believe) is a spotlight on Loagan Ranch and my blog segment. There's even a pic of Jessica sittin on our truck. It's a tiny mention, but its huge to me!!!LOL

Let's see what else is new? Oh, two weeks ago Jessica and Bailey had a karate tournament and walked away with first place trophies as well as a 2nd place. That same weekend Loagan showed in the Wild Mustang show in Reno and took home Grand Champion Reserve in both Green Horse class and Pro Class. So we have lots of new bling around the house with all these trophies. It was a great week for the family.

Well it's late and I'm very tired and after all I am OLDER now, so I better get some sleep. But be on the lookout for more pics and also some great new things to talk about!

I'm in a funk!

Yep a funkalicious funk-o-rama! I'm trying to get myself back on track but I am tired! I've spent the last few weeks planning and pulling off a huge surprise party for Loagan's 18th birthday. It was a pretty good success but it wiped me out!! I'm still cleaning up from it, lol.

I usually hit a wall in August anyhow and it doesn't help when its almost 100 degrees out. I'm so over the heat. Oh and i'm so over my garden! Some way some how, alfalfa managed to take it over! I have to climb in waist high grass to find my harvest. I don't know how it happened, alls I know is I pulled what seemed like every weed there was before I left for Arizona. When I came back 3 days later, all heck broke loose! Stuff is still growing in it so its not a total loss, but it ain't pretty.

This is what I'd rather be doing right this second....



yep sittin on a big ol honkin pumpkin on a crisp fall day minding my own dang business! This was taken back in 2005 at a road side stand called Nevada Lynns in Washoe Valley, Nevada. Cute lil place, I drive by it all the time but only stop in the fall. And dang it if I don't miss that sweater too. Too bad it got washed in hot water and shrank to the size of a Barbie, but it was cute lil thang while it lasted.

Me and my fall lovin crazy online friends will be celebrating Fall Sweater Day this Saturday to kick off our countdown to September week.This is a the day we all go out and buy a new sweater, sweatshirt, purse or whatever for fall. Maybe I'll find another cute one and hide it from anyone who may consider being nice and doing laundry for me. I can not wait to get the fall train rolling.

In ranch news....this weekend is the Reno Wild Mustang and Burro Show. Loagan will be showing a couple mustangs that she has trained. It's a big deal around here since Nevada is the most populated state of Wild Mustangs. We have a wild herd that live down the road from us, always gotta be careful when driving cuz they come out of nowhere.I see them all the time hanging out under the shade trees at the cemetery down there. Anyhow, I hope to get some really good pics.

Well have a great week everyone and hopefully when I post again I will be in a better mood,LOL!