Opening Boxes

Second Post of the Day

For almost a month, two boxes of goodies from Breyer have been sitting on the table by my desk, waiting to be opened.

The wait was long partly because I've been busy, but also partly because of this:

My photography shelf had disappeared.

It's that middle shelf and while the picture of Abby and me belongs there as do the sleigh bells from Jennifer Buxton, nothing else does. The shelf became a catch-all earlier this summer. Time to clean it off and open those boxes.

From Breyer's Second Chance Sale, I got Life's a Journey.

He was a Special Run and 2,000 were produced.

I was hoping to get another Ties that Bind Us (the Silver mold) but I was several hours late to the sale and they sold out long before I got online.

I really like the American Saddlebred mold by Kathleen Moody so when it was released in a pretty buckskin Appaloosa, it went right onto my to-buy list.

There is some confusion as to its name; IYB has it listed as American Saddlebred 2000 while Breyer lists it as Saddlebred | 75th Anniversary.

A quick check of the box gives some merit to the IYB listing.

I have loved the "cake and ice cream horses" (as I call them) that Breyer started producing and have purchased every one of them as they were released.

Cupcake, 2019 - 2021

Red Velvet, 2021 - 2022

Neapolitan, 2023 - 2024)

Black Forest, BreyerFest 2022

I find them charming, but were they a series or not? Well, one of Breyer's 2025 mid-year releases gives us a clue.

(Photo from Breyer's web site.)

Mint Chip, a Classic/Freedom mold just as the other four are, is listed on Breyer's web site as "Dessert Decorator Horse." It's not listed as a series, though, but it sure fits right in with the other four "cake and ice cream" models that have been released.

Mint Chip was also in those two boxes that have been sitting on my desk for nearly a month.

I thought he might glow in the dark, but I tested him and mine does not.

I like this mold and I like this color. And, I hope Breyer will be releasing more Dessert Decorators!

Last of all in the boxes were two Breyer Collectas, the Standardbred Pacer Stallion.

They will be used as prizes or raffle items for the Happy Trails/Dan Patch show this fall.

They are in the show tub and the other models are on the shelves, but that has revealed another problem - I badly need to rearrange my shelves. Even more, I REALLY need to dust them and my collection.

That will take me at least a week and I have too much going on right now. It's a project for when the temps are freezing and the snow is blowing and will just have to wait until January.

In the meantime, if I get more models, well, that photography shelf can be filled up again, right? Hah!

The Other Haversacks

First Post of the Day

Several of you have expressed interest in buying the haversacks that were offered in the August Give Away and I am more than happy to sell to blog readers.

Ordering Info

XLTs (Extra Long Traditionals) will fit Breyer's shelf eaters and are $17 plus shipping.

HTs (Hamilton Sized Traditionals) fit Traditionals plus the taller models like Hamilton (hence the name) and are $13 plus shipping. 

To order, email me at horsiemama8@gmail.com and let me know which one you want. PayPal preferred but will take a check, too.

Please use the name under the picture to identify them.

XLT, Cave Horses

XLT, Headless Horseman in Orange & Black (Medium Print)

XLT, Headless Horseman in Green & Black (Small Print)

HT, Southwestern Flair 1

HT, Cave Horses

HT, Southwestern Flair 2

Thank you!

 

Friday Night Lights - Victory!

Second Post of the Day

Friday Night Lights #2 is in the books and it was family clash. My high school played Craig's!

And I didn't go. 

Why? It was played at my school which is a sprawling campus. I knew the walk from the parking lot, into the stadium, and around the track to the bleachers would do me in. (Just as it had last week only at a smaller campus. Harrison's is huge!) 

So, I stayed home and relied on Craig and Lisa to send me score updates and pictures.

I did ask for one favor - that they get photos of one of my former students, now a senior who was just named as one of the best high school football players in the area by local media.

Quinn Clary.

I'm happy for the accolades he is accruing, but I never saw that coming. Quinn was one of the smallest boys in my classroom when he was in 4th grade. But, that was eight years ago and he is eighteen and has grown. A lot. LOL

Quinn was one of those nice, hard working, good kids every teacher hopes walks through her door. 

That's Quinn on the right with two other boys from our class and their reading buddy (who required three buddies instead of just one because he was so sassy. They loved him but they had their hands full!)

I was sad not to be at the game, but it was the right decision. I'd had very weak legs most of the day and couldn't get very far even with my walker. I knew I would not be able to make it to the bleachers.

Craig took photos of the marching band and even filmed the twirlers for me (look on the left.) 

I used to twirl a baton on that field during halftime shows. I no longer have my baton, but give me a straight stick and I can still twirl some of our old routines! Hah! 

The high school dance team also performed.

In the end, the Harrison Raiders beat the West Side Red Devils 28-21. Which means I have braggin' rights until our teams meet again next year.

I won't tease Craig too hard, though. After all, I root for West Side every Friday except when they play my high school. (Kind of like how I root for Purdue until they play my alma mater, the University of Illinois.)

West Side plays McCutcheon, another local school, next week. If the game is played at West Side, I'll be able to get from the parking lot and into the bleachers. But if it's at McCutcheon, which is a big, sprawling campus like Harrison, chances are good I'll be staying home again.

I love Friday Night Lights and hate to miss another game, but sometimes it is what it is. 

"Anytime, Anywhere" Drops!

At last! What I have come to think of as "the cow song" (since I didn't know the real title), has been released. 

Angie Killian, the composer, used a very small group of singers this time, and they all hied their way well up and into the Rocky Mountains to record this song. (Which is really named, "Anytime, Anywhere.")

Since it was government land where ranchers run cattle, well...

Cambria is in the back row next to the piano and Titan is smack dab in the middle of the front row. And all the children (and adults) did a great time playing, singing, recording, and ignoring their wild cattle audience!

Enjoy!

Another post is coming this morning. Stay 'tooned!

Time to Spin to Win!

It's time to find out who has won the August Give Away! Good luck to everyone and thanks for all your comments. I really enjoy them -  through them, you become friends.

Congratulations! Please email me at horsiemama8@gmail.com and let me know which one you'd like to have. 

XLT refers to "Extra Long Traditional" and fits shelf eaters; HT is "Hamilton Sized Traditional" and those are an inch bigger to accommodate that mold. Other Traditionals fit it, too, of course.

Please the name under the picture to identify them.

XLT, Cave Horses

XLT, Headless Horseman in Orange & Black (Medium Print)

XLT, Candy Corn Horn Unicorns

XLT, Headless Horseman in Green & Black (Small Print)

HT, Southwestern Flair 1

HT, Cave Horses

HT, Southwestern Flair 2

A New Mish Mosh Post!

It's been another busy week, much of it spent either at the sewing table or at various appointments. Time for a new mish mosh post as a result!

Doggy Fun

Ever tried to go to bed only to find your dog has already claimed your spot?

Try this to get them to move:

And the bed is already toasty warm, too. Win-win!

Poor Pepper! Yep, I did it AGAIN.

Smart girl that she is, she knew where her frisbee had landed and ran around underneath it for a while hoping it would slide down, but it didn't. I had to buy her a new one. Sorry, girl!

Sewing Surprise

I don't do alterations or sew things to order for folks - it is just too stressful. But once in a while I make an exception, and this week I was asked to hem some pants that were too long.

I'll say they were too long! I ended up cutting twelve inches off each leg and then put in a 1 3/4 inch hem!

On another note, there is always a learning curve with a new sewing tool. I've used rotary cutters for years, but the angle on my new one is different and I had a little mishap.

Finally! I Found It!

Model horse collectors know the thrill of hunting for that one special piece or variation. And when you find it, it's a sweet feeling.

Well, I finally found the elusive 1985 Feast of the Hunters' Moon button! 

My goal had been twofold - to find all the buttons that my mother had drawn (done!) and then to have one for each of my kids' birth years.

Local Son Curt's button proved to be highly elusive despite many checks of eBay and other sources. Other buttons were plentiful, but not the 1985. I've been looking for several years and finally Leslie surprised me by giving me the 1985 button from her own collection. (Thanks, Les!)

Miscellaneous Mish Mosh (M^3, Right?)

I found this surprise a few hours after Ian, Mila, and Lukie went home after a visit.

A rubber chicken sitting on my Russian egg and leaning against my Dad's old clock!

The story behind it? The chicken is from a lawn game called "Flickin' Chicken" where you try to thrown rubber chickens into a hoop on the ground. (The grands were throwing them into the trees instead. Um, yeah.) When they put the game away, someone decided one of the chickens needed to "incubate" the Russian egg. 

It made me laugh when I found it and I've left that chicken out on my buffet and on the egg because it still makes me smile every time I walk past it.

The Flickin' Chicken game was a gift from Moutain Mama Jessica. Speaking of her, here is one last photo of Jess as Mama Bear with two other cast members from Shrek the Musical.

I mentioned that I've had a lot of appointments recently. What a lovely surprise when, at one of them, the doctor's nurse walked in and it was the parent of one of my former students!

Her daughter Hannah had invited me come to her Senior Night as her most influential teacher last January. I wrote about that in a blog post titled, "Flying High," which now is true in more than one way.

This is Hannah skydiving last week to celebrate her 18th birthday! Flying high indeed!

On a sadder note, a teacher I taught with in Illinois passed away a few weeks ago.

Vickie and I taught on the same team at when we lived in Illinois.

There were four of us on our teaching team. (Left to right: Pam Green, Vickie Cromwell, Nancy Blanford, and me.)

Rest in peace, Vickie. Your beautiful smile and quick sense of humor will be missed.

Today is the last day to comment and enter for the August Give Away! All comments must be made before 11:59 PM Eastern time. Good luck!