A Quick Trip to Nashville

Recently Craig and I drove down to Nashville to visit Music City Son Cole and his wife Emily. They are not horsefolk, but you wouldn't know that by the decor in their home.

Dala horses, reflective of Emily's Swedish heritage, are displayed around their house.

I especially liked this three panel display that hung on the wall in their entryway.

Cole and Emily recently inherited this huge wall hanging from her Swedish grandparents. It actually tells a New Testament story but from a very Swedish perspective.

The artwork was originally created in 1818, and depicts the story of Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem (which is celebrated in the Christian world as Palm Sunday.)

When I told Emily that I especially liked this Appaloosa dala horse, she laughed and said that it was just a Playmobil horse that had been left on the floor and popped onto the piano to get it out of the way. Oops! So much for my knowledge of dala horses!

This little rubber horse was with some toys that Pony Pal Susie had been playing with.

My Little Ponies piled in Pony Pal Kate's closet.

A unicorn that Pony Pal Julie had painted was displayed on her dresser.

Target Our Generation horses.

More Target Our Generation horses.

And the ubiquitous unicorn theme was even on the girls' clothing! (Although Susie favors flamingos on her clothes.)

A few family pics, just for fun are next.

Cole does twice weekly podcasts/videos for 100 Thieves

 and he took me into his studio to show me how he records them. 

For fun he popped headphones on me and let me "be in" the podcast for a little while. 

Emily and Susie making a cake for the family.

It was just a quick weekend trip, but several sides of the family gathered together and made it a good one!

Adults left to right: Lisa, Curt, Vanessa, Cole, Emily, Craig, Carla (Craig's sister), me, Judy (Emily's mama.) Pony Pals & Cowpokes left to right: Mila, Ian, Lukie, Julie, Kate, and Susie (notice the flamingos?)

Close to You

What do you do when your gal comes up behind you and pops her head over your shoulder?

You pull out your phone and see if you can snap a selfie or two while she's standing there.

This desire to be close to me has been typical of Abby since the day I met her and is what cemented my decision to rescue her.

We have been together ever since and that "close to you" behavior has never stopped.

Reminds me of one of my favorite 70s songs by The Carpenters.

I sure do love this mare.

Found but Left Behind

Unlike the crying towel that I shared about yesterday, I don't rescue every horsey or hobby related item that I find. Here are some "left-behinds" from a recent visit.

I took a closer look at this Breyer unicorn thinking that I might get it for a Pony Pal, but at $60, I left it behind.

Same with the Marx doll that was tagged with a Barbie horse for $89.99. Nope!

An unusual horsey teapot caught my eye, but the price was too high and I don't drink tea. (Although I am sure I could fill it with my Vanilla Coke Zero... LOL)

These Hagen Renaker knock-offs are cute and in great shape, but they were over $30 apiece so I left them behind.

I do collect non Hagen Renaker chinas, but the detail on this mare and foal pair is poor.

I just went through our mug stash and took a bunch to Goodwill. I will wait on this and if it is still there the next time I visit that shop, I will take another look.

Sorely tempted on this gourd that had been turned into a vase, but I would never use it and left it behind for someone who could. Pretty cool piece, though!

I thought long and hard about this 1995 Kaleidoscope but left him behind. He's another one I will look at again if he is there the next time I visit this shop.

Now, this pair of zebra salt and pepper shakers was cool and I thought about buying them, but ultimately left them behind.

A possible pick for a pony pal, but no. 

There is a LOT going on in this painting but where would I hang it?

I did buy a few things as I am always on the lookout for items that would make nice donations to shows or gifts to friends. This dog is going to the GLC show later this month as a donation.

So is this china lion.

And this Made in Japan rhinoceros.

I may keep Mama and Papa Duck for myself, but I'm still thinking on that.

Because April is going to be so busy for me, I'm not sure when I next will have the opportunity to go back to this antique shop. Some of those items that I left behind but may reconsider may sell before I get back.

But that's okay - it's part of the fun of poking around while looking for HSOs.

A Crying Towel

Ever heard of a crying towel? Neither had I. Not until I stopped by an antique shop and ran across this:

The phrase "crying towel" can be dated back to the 1920s and is slang for someone who is in a fit of self pity. Apparently they were popular in the 1950s for a variety of sports or situations.

This one has had comments added to it - look under the text in the upper right and bottom right.

Some of the comments appear to be human names (Fox, Miller)

 while others are horses (Centanni, Sleglest, Loboda.)

I am not much into horse racing, but this was so unusual I "rescued" it from the antique store and brought it home. I have a friend who is avid about racing and I think I may give it to her.

Although the more I look at it, the more it makes me smile. Hmmm, it might look really nice framed and hanging in my horse room...

April Plans

April promises to be busy. April 1st was the deadline for those of us teaching virtual videos for the 2022 BreyerFest. 

Daughter-in-love Vanessa filmed mine in early March but had issues editing it. She got it to me yesterday and it is now in Breyer's possession.

Whew! Cross that off my to-do list!

 Then, entries to the Breyer Boot Camp show began loading yesterday and I've already done some stewarding of classes.

Stewards have been asked to check several times daily if possible so as to keep up with the entries as they roll in. I plan to follow that advice.

After spending all of January and February and most of March sewing for the Kalamazoo Living History Event, I am back to restocking my haversack supply for the Mercantile.

(I know I just shocked some of you with this unicorn haversack...)

I needed to restock because I am heading to the Great Lakes Congress show later this month and plan to set up Horsiemama's Haversacks & Mercantile there.

On top of that, I am doing a fundraiser for GLC this month with 10% of all sales going to Great Lakes Congress.

There is still some stitching to do for Jolis Chevaux post-Kalamazoo. I said no to the man who asked if I would make loincloths, and no to the gentleman who wanted forty (40!?) men's uniform jackets by June, 2023. (Good night! Are you serious??)

But, I did agree to make a custom men's shirt from one of these block print fabrics and that is underway.

Finally, the Horsiemama blog has reason to celebrate this month. There will be cake. There will be a giveaway. 

Stay 'tooned!

Two NOT April Fool's Jokes

 Neither of these are April Fool's jokes. 

I'm not so happy about the snow - it is coming down fast and furiously but it is supposed to get into the 40s today so it will melt off in a few hours.

And then...

What a nice surprise to be asked to steward a division for the Prost! Bootcamp Adult Novice Show!

I would never want to judge a show on that level, but I am happy to check entries to be sure that they are in the correct class and that all the information needed is included with them.

I've always wanted to volunteer for BreyerFest but never applied. Now, between doing the photo show and teaching a seminar on making pony pads for the virtual portion of BreyerFest, I'm finally getting my chance.

Here's hoping that your April Fool's Day is a good one, too!