Heartbeat on the Prairie

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Heartbeat on the Prairie

Homegrown. Handmade. Heartfelt.
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27/08/2024

As most of you know our little section of the world has been under some very trying times the past week. With the help of The Bighorn Equestrian Center, MTR Ranch Supply and a few other very gracious people we have been able to set up a relief fund to aid the ranchers in Northeast Wyoming and Southern Montana with fencing cost that they will encounter.

Hundreds of miles of fence was lost in the fires and the cost to rebuild will be in the millions. Our goal is to aid in the financial burden. Money donated to this relief fund will be used to purchase fencing supplies, as well as other items needed at cost and will be distributed out to ranchers who were affected by these fires.

Checks can be made out to the Bighorn Equestrian Center (BHEC) and mailed to the following address. They can also be dropped off at MTR Ranch Supply and Buffalo Livestock Marketing both in Buffalo, Wyoming or the Bighorn Equestrian Center in Sheridan, Wyoming. If you have any other questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

PO Box 427
Buffalo, WY 82834

We are a strong community and we will get each other through this. Thank you all so much!

27/08/2024

I've been married for nine years now. For most of that, my husband has been on the local volunteer fire department.

I still get the adrenaline surge when I hear that pager go off, though it doesn't spike my anxiety like it once did. My husband learned to fight fire in south eastern Montana, in rougher country than we have here, and I know he has the savvy to keep himself safe.

Late summer, though, the hottest and driest part of the year when a spark is enough to light up a hundred acres in minutes if the wind is right, it begins to wear. The adrenaline is sluggish, and anxiety is replaced by dread. Not so much because of fear, but because I know the crew is tired.

There's fires burning fiercely across south eastern Montana and into Wyoming. Hundreds of thousands of acres with minimal containment. It hurts my soul.

Agriculture is a hot button topic; people love to discuss farmers ravaging the ground and the cruelty of the beef industry, or perhaps the impact of cattle on global warming. This time of year more than any other, I am struck by the lack of understanding.

The land is EVERYTHING to us. The soil, the grass, the birds and the deer that live side by side with our cattle and sheep and horses, feeds more than our bodies, is more than just the way we make our living. It's food for our soul and spirit. We thrive in taking care of the land so the land can take care of us, and take care of you, food in your fridge and a million by products we don't even think about.

The land is everything.

To watch it go up in smoke and flames is more than just losing everything of material value, it's a hit to the spirit.

It happens every summer, a part of life we simply accept and fight against when we can. If you think of it in the coming weeks, say a prayer, for the land, for the landowners, for the men and women fighting directly and all the people in the wings offering support.

I know some people live for the heat of summer, but me? I'll always breathe a sigh of relief when the first snow falls, and marks the hesitant close of another fire season.

22/08/2024

If, at any point, you have sent me a card, I probably have it "tipped in" to the journal that I've been keeping since 2020.

These cards have met me at some of the lowest points in my life, offering encouragement when I needed it the most. The timing has always been incredible, and I've appreciated them so much.

If you're ever wondering whether to send a card, or reach out to someone, just do it. If you think of someone and feel a nudge, let them know you're thinking of them. It's often the small things that mean the most.

21/08/2024

The problem with trying to build your own original product is the error rate in trial and error.

These balls of yarn represent nearly a month of work, that I ripped out last night so I could start over. The project was all but complete, but I had known for a while it wasn't coming together the way I wanted. I was dragging my feet to finish, afraid of the end result.

Sometimes as a maker, it can be hard to know whether to trust your instincts or trust the process.

The last time I was wary, process prevailed. I followed my experience and played it out to the bitter end, but this time my instincts were right.

Alas.

Back to the beginning we go. Eventually, this little project will be the basis for the Heartbeat on the Prairie "Signature Collection."

Don't worry, I'm pretty determined to put out a product I love, and that I hope you will, too, and even with the mishaps, I'm still excited about this one.

20/08/2024

Yesterday, one of my writing mentors and I had a conversation, about reading, and books. I told her that it pained me a little to admit that I've become e-reader--my time is short these days, and the audiobook reigns supreme. Even e-books are on the table because it's so much easier to whip my phone out than to drag a book along.

I was once a voracious reader; I loved the turning of pages, the smell of books, the satisfaction of racing toward the end. I struggled with e-books because of the lack of visual progress.

Now, however, I'm in a different season of my life. When I fell into the world of audiobooks, I was able to actually read again. This year, I had completed fifty books by August when I hadn't even hit thirty in the last three years.

Sometimes, I still miss the tactile response of a physical book, but I've learned to accept that this is just a season. Someday, there will doubtless be time for reading physical books again. There will be time for spending curled up in a recliner and turning pages. This season....well, this season is for loving on my boy the last couple of years I have him at home, and encouraging my girls through school and education, for trying to instill love for family, and reading, and value in church and community. This season is for audiobooks while I do the dishes and fold the laundry, chores that otherwise bore me to literal tears without the distraction of a voice in my ear.

It seems sometimes that the days drag on and on, endless and eternal, and yet I've learned that the years truly are short. The seasons turn without our notice sometimes. It can be easy to remain so focused on what's right in front of my nose that I miss the leaves beginning to turn, that I fail to notice the transition from high summer to the beginning of autumn. So it is with life, sometimes.

This season is different from seasons past, when I had time to sit down and do nothing but read. Someday, there will be time for that again. In the meantime, I'm learning to love and accept this season for what it is, instead of lamenting what it isn't, or dwelling too much on seasons past, while I do my best to look forward to seasons coming.

09/08/2024

Welcome to the custom order catalog! Here you can find all items available for custom order, including prices and available color options.

Expected turn around time is listed in the caption under each photo so please keep that in mind when ordering!

Currently offering free shipping on orders of $50 or more and local delivery is always free!

I'll be updating this as I get more mock ups finished so check back!

06/08/2024

Specific customs now available! White is pictured and also always available.

These towel rings are 100% cotton. I'll have a post up soon for cotton wash cloths that will match these!

Expect 2 to 3 weeks from the day your invoice is paid until it hits the mail. Free shipping on orders over $50, and always free local deliveries!

06/08/2024

A sunny little set for a sunny little day.

01/08/2024

Release THE KRAKEN!
Now available by custom order!

"PARTY PINK" is the color shown here. Made from chenille yarn, this Kraken is the perfect snuggly friend. He measures approximately 6.5" long (from head to the bottom of the tentacles) and 3.5" wide. This is a handmade item, so sizes are approximate as there can be some variation.

Expect 3-4 weeks from the time your custom order is paid for until it ships. Take free shipping on orders over $50, and as always, free local delivery.

Feel free to message me with questions or to place your order!

Let me crochet for you!

27/07/2024

I spent national day of the cowboy with my butt in the dirt courtesy of a completely unexpected bronc ride.

So here's to the cowboys who bring the first aid kit and untrack our young horses while we build up the nerve to get back on.

And here's to the horses that make us cowboys, and to settling our nerves to do the thing, even when we're scared. That's the grit and the try that keeps us crawling on just because we love the ride.

Happy day of the cowboy.

25/07/2024

Whipped up this little keychain wristlet. This baby is one of a kind as this is the last of this particular yarn but I will certainly be making more!

$8 takes this or custom order in your favorite color!

25/07/2024

Still here! Just seaming my life away 🤣🤣
Anyone want to guess what I'm putting together with this crazy little shape?

13/07/2024

Last day to make your name suggestions and get your votes in!

12/07/2024

Honestly, head empty, thoughts consumed with this beautiful trio I had the pleasure of seeing last night. I'm crocheting away still, just working on some big projects. Some of them are getting close to wrapped up, so expect to see them soon!

11/07/2024

The first item with a logo tag ships today and I'm crazy excited.

I'm no seamstress, I'll have to brush up on my sewing skills, but I'm pretty pleased with how official these look.

You can expect to see this logo on certain items, especially wearable and bags!

Mad props to TLJ Design Co. for both logos. She did such a knock up job I bought TWO, the logo on my profile and the one going into this run of tags.

10/07/2024

Hot off the hook!
These little octo buddies will now be available by custom order in whatever color you like! $20 each.

I think these little pals need a name. Comment your name pick below, and then like your favorite! The comment with the most likes on SATURDAY, 12pm mountain time, will get a coupon for $5 off their next order!

So tell me, what should we call them??

09/07/2024

Need a summer bag? I gotcha!
This four-panel purse style bag is made of 100% cotton, so the stretch is minimal. I'm really obsessed with the wrapped puff stitch edging.
$40. This one sold, but hit me up and we can custom make it in your favorite colors!

08/07/2024

This isn't the most glamorous picture, but it's an honest one.

Every night, I tuck my kiddos in and sit in a chair in this weird little corner of the hallway by the bathroom where all three can see me from their two rooms. I usually take some crochet to keep my hands busy while I sing.

I have a small battery of stand bys that I know by heart: Jesus Loves Me, Amazing Grace, As the Deer, The Wise Man.

Recently, I realized that I pretty effortlessly know all the words to an old hymn called Day by Day. It's long been a favorite of mine.

So long, in fact, that it was one I always asked my grandma to play for me when we were together. Always, she would sing the tenor part to my soprano.

We sang a lot of hymns together, gathered around the piano. Those of you who watched me grow up often associate me with His Eye is on the Sparrow, which is what I sang (somewhat harrowingly) at Grandma's funeral.

But Day by Day will always be "ours" in my mind, hers and mine. I can still hear her voice, the perfect harmony to my melody, and I know I'm blessed to have such precious memories. She found many ways to bless me, in handwritten inscriptions and her favorite recipes...but these memories, this song, feels like mine. I can't show it to anyone else, not now, not really, and yet I hear it so clearly in my mind.

I'm blessed to think that someday, perhaps, God will grant us the mercy of singing this song again, at the foot of His throne, and I'm blessed to sing this song now, to my babies, and remember her while I do the precious work that she once did, of mothering children and making a home.

I'm not doing it as well as she did, but I'm doing it, and I'm blessed to carry on a legacy that she passed to my mom, and then to me. I feel pretty bad at this sometimes, but I guess I learned from the best, and that's a gift too.

Just one among many, in the midst of nighttime hallway lullabies.

01/07/2024

I learned a lot from this batch of custom orders. Namely that everything takes twice as long as I think it should--not because of how long a project takes, but because of how much time I actually get to sit down and work on it, between life and kids and everything else that keeps on rolling.

I'm so thankful. Thankful to have gotten to do this for yall, and thankful for a million more ideas on things I want to do, that I hope yall will love, too.

Thanks for being here, sticking with me, supporting my endeavors, and continually showing up. It takes a community, and I'm thankful to be part of the best.

27/06/2024

Nine years ago, I was a bride. I was, quite possibly, the happiest bride you've ever seen. I was overjoyed to be getting married, to be where I was, with who I was with, and I really thought I had it all figured out.

Ha. Ha.

I was a baby. And so was he. Sometimes I look back and think "I wasn't even old enough to drink! Who let me get MARRIED?"

In the nine years since, marriage has humbled me, reworked me, softened me, sharpened me....the list goes on and on. The Bible tells us that iron sharpens iron, and so it is.

We have not always had a picture perfect marriage, but I can tell you, with absolute confidence, that we have always loved each other, and that love has been an anchor that brought us through the darkest of days and back into the light, by the grace of God.

We've challenged each other, drove each other crazy, had our share of fights. We still don't have it all figured out. Or at least, I know I don't, I guess I shouldn't speak for him 🤪

We're still here, closing in on a decade. Three kids, five dogs, I've lost count of how many horses, though the current string is seven and a half (the Shetland pony only counts for half on the feed bill, you see) and I guess we're doing the dang thing.

Nine years, and we still love each other, which feels like an accomplishment, these days especially.

Nine years, and I'm so thankful...
"God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt..."

26/06/2024

Mail day! Custom orders are starting to ship. I'll have some new stuff to post SOON! Thank you for letting me crochet for you!

24/06/2024

Here's a hard fact about life: in order to be good at anything, you have to be bad at it first.

If we're lucky, we get to learn these skills as children, when we're expected to be bad and have very little in the way of ego to complicate things. Trying to learn a new skill as an adult? Pschew. You gotta be determined and you better be humble, too.

I think the more important question, though, is what does your crowd do, when you're building a new skill and maybe looking a little foolish at it?

Do your people laugh or make jokes at your expense? Or worse, belittle your effort? Do they discourage you from making progress?

Or does your crowd build you up? Encourage you? Push you to try even though they know you'll be bad at it? If it's in their area of expertise, do they offer guidance and advice?

If the people around you are derailing your efforts to improve yourself or acquire a new skill, you might think long and hard about the people you surround yourself with.

21/06/2024

I'm in a couple of crochet groups here on Facebook, and "wonky edges" are a frequent source of conversation. "Why aren't my edges even?" or "how do I get the sides straight?" comes up often in multiple posts a day.

I commented on a post today. The blanket was beautiful, but there was some unevenness on the edge due to use of different stitches. It was so minor and the blanket so beautiful I don't think anyone would have noticed, and certainly not once a border was put on.

I finally said "I think some discrepancy is to be expected. And honestly, if people want cookie cutter edges, they can buy something machine made in the store. Variation is part of the charm of handmade work."

And now I'm thinking about that, as I work to make my inventory and work consistent. I'm coming to accept that there's just going to be variation. I'm a human, not a machine, and the work will vary day by day, depending on a million factors.

I work hard to make excellent products, but at some point, I just have to let it be what it is. I hope that you, as consumers from me or any other maker, can look at the imperfections and inconsistencies as charms and not blemishes.

20/06/2024

This is such a fun watch. Observing the communication here is such a delight. The way she talks to him, and the way he flicks an ear back to listen. And how desperately he wants to work. 🤌🤌 so good.

20/06/2024

If you're wondering where I am, I'm still here! I've been crocheting like crazy to fill a number of orders, which I'm still thrilled about. My brain has been full with orders and inventories and supplies.

And also, I've just been struggling. It happens sometimes. I keep my head above water and take it one day at a time, as I always do. Not triumphantly, but somehow.

Tonight, on my way to doctor our cut up horses, I caught a glimpse of this little rainbow. It was only there for a moment, not particularly bright, but striking nonetheless against the dark sky.

Life's like that sometimes: dark across the whole horizon, with a beautiful little spot of light if we care to search.

It's a reminder to me to look up. Even when the days are long and the burdens heavy, when it is easy to keep our gaze downcast, I think this is when we must keep our eyes up the most.

Because you just never know when there might be a rainbow in that dark sky.

14/06/2024

I picked up yarn for orders today. I was so thrilled to find out I can get yarn locally! If you're in Glendive, check out Teal Dragonfly Creations !

If you have an order, I probably have yarn for you in these bags! Plus a few extra surprises! 😉

Stay tuned!

13/06/2024

Last night I learned a new technique. Apparently these little baubles are called "picots." No I don't know how to say it, but they're ridiculously easy and I love the way they leveled up this project.

I still want to *attempt* to level this little beauty up one more time but success or failure it will be available sometime in the near future and I'm REALLY excited for you guys to see it!

12/06/2024

If you have horses, sooner or later you'll be doctoring something. I went a long time without any serious injuries, but as our herd has grown, my first aid skills have had to expand, too.

I've been blessed to find a few people who walked those first few major injuries with me, advising and encouraging and talking down my anxiety. Several years and several more injuries down the road, I feel fairly confident in my ability to assess and treat the bumps and scrapes that inevitably come up with horses.

My favorite thing to treat basic wounds and cuts with is actually plain old honey. I like spun honey, because you can scoop and daub it in and it stays put a little better than straight raw honey that dribbles everywhere. Mostly, keeping it under a hose so it's clean and soft helps prevent a lot of ills. The horse's ability to heal is honestly remarkable, and while I'm certainly not HAPPY to be doctoring on horses. It IS a relief that it no longer brings me the anxiety it once did.

Where are my horse people? What's your go-to for doctoring wounds in our equine partners?

11/06/2024

When I think about the rural lifestyle, faith goes hand in hand. Even the cowboys who don't go to church every Sunday bow their heads to pray before every rodeo, and rodeo is the only sport that still prays before every event, big or small.

It seems even those who don't profess religion still live a little closer to faith. When you're riding on luck and hope and the outcome of the job has very little to do with how HARD you try or how much EFFORT you put in, sometimes all you have is faith.

And thank God we do.

10/06/2024

Sometimes I think about things like Levi Wright and Mike Morgan of Colorado. I know we're all a split second away from tragedy, but those of us who live a rural lifestyle know we live a little closer to the edge of danger than most.

It's a risk we accept, working with heavy animals with independent minds, and heavy equipment that sometimes goes awry. Accidents and close calls are part of so many of our days.

Sometimes I wonder if it's worth it. My mama heart would really love to bubble wrap my children, and my husband, too. I would love to tell that man to take less risks, to be safe...

But...the thrill is part of the ride. If he was "safe" he wouldn't be the man I married, who ropes and rides and gets the job done, and steadies his children to learn to do the same.

I think of my children, giggling in the bed of the pickup as we ease our way across the pasture, and how so many of my childhood memories are much the same.

I think about barn kittens and baby chicks and foals and checking cows during calving season. I think of the thrill of sitting tall on a good horse, the way these good using geldings will make my kids feel like they can conquer the world so long as they have a good pony and I know...

I couldn't trade this life for any illusion of safety we might find elsewhere.

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Happy Monday, yall!! How are we doing this week? It feels like a monday in this house and me and my children don't even technically HAVE a Monday 🤪 these last three weeks of summer might just be the ones that kick my butt. On the bright side, I have several projects on the hook, a couple gifts that I won't be able to share for a WHILE and some custom work. Tell me! How are YOU on a Monday? Let's chat! Don't let the Monday blues get you down.

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