Sensitive Fly Spray

My Arabian gelding, B, is has very sensitive skin. I have to be careful what I put on him, or he gets these awful raw patches all over his skin... not pretty or comfy for him at all. He is also pretty sensitive to lots of sun, bugs, etc. His skin just has a fit. He enjoys staying in a nice cool stall on most hot days :) Anyway, after learning the hard way that regular old store bought fly-spray of various kinds doesn't work on him (well... maybe it kept the bugs away, but what good is that when it leads to big, oozing skin problems?), I scouted out recipes for 'sensitive' fly spray. After reading various recipes, I came up with what I now use. It works, doesn't hurt his skin, and is relatively cheap to make.

In a regular size spray bottle, I fill it a little less than half way with distilled white vinegar. Then I fill nearly the rest of the bottle with water. Next I squirt a little Ivory dish soap in, along with a dash or two of Avon Skin-So-Soft or citronella oil. Put on the nozzle, shake, and your ready to go!

Like I said before, it seems to work well, and it is so nice not to have to worry if it will cause my horses skin to break out. It may not last as long as the other types of fly-spray, but it seems to last me just fine through an all day ride!

B 

Halfway Through the 30 Day Shred

After today's workout, I am officially half way through Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. I am on day 5 of the second level, day 15 overall, and it is pretty darn hard! I like this workout because it takes 20 minutes a day, and I have seen results. I've lost about 5 lbs, but I'm more pleased with the difference I see in my body, especially in my upper legs and belly.

I became motivated to do something to get a little more toned because I was not too happy when I looked in the mirror right before my husband and I left the house to go take a swim. On the way, I announced, "Things are changing. I'm going to start a workout or something." Husband looked at me, and told me that he thought I looked great, but if I wanted to, then go for it. He even said he wanted to make some changes too. What a sweetheart. Ok then, let's do it!

The 30 Day Shred has three levels of workouts, and I'm roughly doing 10 days in each level. I did level 1 by watching it on YouTube, the BeFit channel. Find it here. I purchased the whole DVD off eBay (I also saw it at Wal-Mart) after I got through day 8 or 9 of level 1, realizing that I was actually going to stick to it.. hopefully.

I'm pretty active, riding horses often and such, but after day 1 of level 1, I wasn't sure if my tired legs could carry me down the stairs after the workout. The next day, it hurt to do everything. Walking hurt. Laughing hurt. Stairs were horrible. Hopping on and off the four wheeler was the worst. Husband just looked at me like I was crazy. Anyway, the soreness went away, I have kept at it, only skipping a day or two when we were out of town, and I am actually enjoying the whole experience. Especially when that last exercise comes and goes at the end of every workout ;)

The Best Yard Sale Horsey Find . Ever.

Mom and I finally packed up our unwanted crud and headed off to have a yard sale. We chose to sell at a local fire department that hosts sales on certain weekends. Lots of people selling and lots buying. Perfect. A while after we unloaded our stuff and set it out, Mom went and perused the other stuff for sale. We are like that... take our stuff to sell, but won't pass up taking a look at what else we could bring home. You never know what treasure you might find and can't live without! Right? Right....

She was only gone for a few minutes, and then I see her headed back to our area with a large purple thing in her arms. As she gets closer, I begin to recognize what it appears she has found. Naw, I tell myself. There's no way. You see, I dabble in the awesome world of endurance riding, and I have slowly but surely acquired the tack & equipment that I need, mostly thanks to my family. Christmas, birthdays, and often for no reason at all, they have gotten me the stuff I need to ride competitively. They are the best family ever, but not only for that reason ;)

Anyway, back to the purple thing I am seeing in Mom's arms. A big grin on her face as she gets closer, and I know it is indeed what I think it is. It's a Toklat Cool Back saddle pad! From a yard sale... In an area where next to no one rides English, let alone endurance. Where the heck did this thing come from?? You may not be as excited about this find as me, but I thought it was amazing! How much did Mom pay for this not-at-all-cheap saddle pad? $1. Yup. That's it. Yes, it had been used, but it wasn't worn out by any means, and it was very clean. It was purple too.... and purple is my color. My biothane bridle is purple. My pack is purple. The brand new Toklat Cool Back pad I already have is purple. But now I have an extra pad to use, which is great, and it cost a whole $1. Yay! Mom also picked up some reigns and a lunge line I believe. I was too distracted by the saddle pad to pay attention to the other horsey finds. The people Mom bought the stuff from didn't know much about it; it was donated to them because they were selling items to raise money for the local animal shelter.

It's looking a little blue here, but it's really a deep purple.

Best yard sale find ever. Thanks, Mom! I hope to put it to good use this weekend!

Happy 4th!

Three Things That Work

Today I am sharing with you three items that work. At least, they work for me. These things are things I believe in and that I love. Hopefully, they will work for you too.

1. Face Wash
     
          I had 'okay' skin through my high school days. Typical breakouts occurred regularly, and I always had at least one or two spots on my face, and it occasionally got much worse than that. I did, however, try all these face washes that were meant to clear up my skin. I tried all those brands that come to mind, like Clearasil, Proactive, etc. Finally, while in college, I tried something totally different. I started washing my face with baby wash. Yep, the regular old baby wash in the yellow bottle. After a while.... viola! Vast improvements in my skin! I have used it ever since. Hardly any breakouts since switching. Twice a day, morning and night, I use my beloved baby soap as my face wash. This stuff works for me.

 I usually use Johnson & Johnson brand, but trying to save a buck or two, I am currently using the Equate brand from Wal-Mart, and it seems to work just as good.



2. This Revlon foot scrubby thing...

           Summer is here. Flipflops are on my feet most everyday. This scrubber thing works so well at smoothing out the bottoms of my feet and making them look way better than they did in the winter! It exfoliates any rough patches on the heels, toes, or balls of the feet. I just use it when I take a bath or shower, after my feet have been in the warm water for a minute or two. I never really use the cuticle thing that it comes with, just the brush and the exfoliating side. It stores nice and neat, too. I use it once every week or so. Easy and quick.

  

My mom picked this up for me, so I am not sure where she got it. I am pretty sure that I have seen it at most drugstores, Target, Wal-Mart, and so on.


3.  Sugar as an exfoliator.
       
          I mix regular old sugar with my face wash or body wash to exfoliate. It works great, is cheap, and I always have some on hand! I just rub it in with the soap until it lathers and then I get to exfoliating. I usually keep a small bowl of it in our shower to grab whenever I need it. Besides my husband thinking that I am crazy for keeping it in there, there is only one other thing that I should mention if you do decide to keep it in the shower or bathtub: If it's not in some kind of container with a lid and it gets wet, it gets very hard and clumps together. Not ideal. Other than that, I love it, and it leaves my skin very soft and clean feeling.

Suppertime on the Mountain!

It's simple. It's good. It's easy. It's something my husband will eat. It's spaghetti! No meatballs, or meat in the sauce at all for that matter. You see, my husband is a rather picky eater. He knows what he likes and knows what he doesn't. Meat in spaghetti sauce? Naw. Lucky for him, (and me... I guess...), I'm not that picky when it comes to food so I'll eat whatever. Yes, I miss the veggies, fruit, and meat that my mother would set on the family table back before I was married, but that is okay! We compromise as married folks!

What else with the spaghetti? Bread with butter and cheese please. If I weren't so lazy this evening, I would have also thrown together a salad for myself, 'cause I love salads with spaghetti. Husband wouldn't have eaten one, so I skipped it all together.

This meal is quiet possibly the easiest meal there is to make. Husband loves it, and the other day he proudly swoops into the kitchen after work and showed me a new brand of spaghetti sauce he had picked up on the way home. Bertolli tonight! Sorry, Ragu. He also picked up some Texas toast. Super easy and delicious. Do you notice a similarity between the sauce and bread? Yes? It is a common theme in all our meals....

Dumping the sauce in a pot and heating it up is super easy. Yes, I can make yummy sauce from semi-scratch, but why go to all the trouble when husband won't really eat it and it is extra work for me? Cook noodles, heat up bread & sauce, grab a couple of plates and we are good to go! I don't have a plethora of meals that my husband will eat, but this happens to be his #1. Therefore, we have it at least once a week. Stay tuned for other husband-approved meals!