Heartbeat on the Prairie

21/11/2024

I know this is going to be kind of a hot take but hear me out.

Parents (myself included because boy do I have a hard time with this) it's okay to let your kids fail. And I'm in a season of my adult life where I'm realizing letting kids fail can actually be super beneficial.

Help them learn when they're young not to take failure too deeply to heart. Remind them that their value is not wound up in success, and teach them that criticism isn't a reflection on their character, just an opportunity to grow.

Failure is inevitable. It's going to happen. And feeling like you've failed something you really care about is absolutely gut wrenching.

But as a parent to young kids now, I'm hoping that we can help our kids learn to be resilient by letting them fail at small things while they're small, while we're still such a big part of their world that we can build them up, encourage them, help them troubleshoot the failure and learn from it.

It doesn't hurt them to waller around on a bike or with a rope. Let them swing and miss. Let them ask questions. Let them get a little frustrated and remind them that it's all part of learning. Give them gentle guidance and rejoice when someone steps in to explain to your kid what they're doing wrong or where they fell short.

Obviously I'm not saying let them hurt themselves, or let a stranger lay into them. In general, though, I think we as a society might be quick to intervene when we sense our children's discomfort. Of course it's natural and good to be protective, but sometimes our best learning happens outside our comfort zone, and the same is true of our children.

19/11/2024

Lately, I've been lamenting the fact that the chickens aren't laying. I'm not a huge fan of chickens, even if they have grown on me somewhat in the subsequent years. But when it's freezing cold and I'm stomping out to close the coop or pour out feed and there isn't even the gratification of a couple eggs to feed me and the boy some breakfast? Phew. Aggravating.

But over the past couple days, I've been thinking a lot about rest. Some consider winter the season of death, and I suppose that's true, as old growth passes away. But as much or more than that, it's a season of rest.

The ground rests, insulated and sucking in moisture before the freeze and after the thaw. The animals rest, focusing on nothing more than maintenance. The chickens quit laying.

I thought about getting a UV light to stretch the days, to see if I could encourage these hens to keep laying. Then I thought...there's something to be said for slowing down. For rest. There's a reason life is lived in the ebb and flow of changing seasons, and maybe this is an opportunity for me to respect the natural order of things, the need for nature to breathe, and rest, and recharge for fresh growth in the spring.

It's easy to get swept up in sports and activities and Christmas fun in the winter season, all of which can be excellent ways to spend our time.

But I try not to forget that once upon a time, winter was for quiet evenings by the fire with a book or a craft, repairing or creating things for a new season, and sometimes, that quiet rest and creativity is good for our spirit, good enough to be worth slowing down whenever we can.

18/11/2024

Tis the season where it can be easy for life to get away from us, where the days are flying by, the countdown for Christmas is on. With all the subsequent hullabaloo, it can be easy to get lost in the noise.

All the more reason, then, to pause and take a moment to admire old barns and new sunrises, the promise of a fresh week and new opportunities.

Don't get moving so fast you miss the best little tidbits of life.

Here's to another week, friends. May it bring us all the opportunities we need in this season, and may we rise up to meet them with grit and grace.

12/11/2024

Well the weather outside isn't too frightful yet, but winter is just around the corner.

I'll have a handful of hats and earwarmers available at the Longhorn Craft Bazaar next month! If you want one before then, we can whip up something custom! These would make great stocking stuffers!

Ear warmers -- $15
Hats -- $25

04/11/2024

Just a fun little Monday tidbit...

The top hexagon is fresh off the blocking board, and the bottom is hot off the hook 😂 so hasn't been blocked yet.

I've started doing a lot with granny squares and these cute granny hexagons, and I quickly learned the value in blocking!

Where are my makers at? Do you block? And if so, how?

I've honestly found this acrylic yarn blocks well if you just slap them on and don't fuss; no heat and not wet. I honestly do the same with cotton. I wet blocked one batch, but didn't feel it blocked any better than dry, and I'm too impatient to wait for them to dry out all the way anyway 🙃

How about you? To block or not to block?

30/10/2024

I've a soft spot for grays
Ever lightening with age
Always changing with the days

But I do love a good bay
Steady as the dawn with black on their legs

Sorrels are real fine too
Who earn their titles by merit of the work that they do

My dream horse might be grulla
Or a pretty max white paint
I'll load those horses on my trailer on any given day

I guess I just like horse flesh
Whatever color the hide
I like any color horse I can saddle on up for the ride

Pretty is as pretty does is how the saying goes
And I guess that's true enough
For whatever horse gets rode

Erika Quiroz -- October 2024

29/10/2024

I had hoped to have a new product to drop today, but it needs some fine tuning so have a little teaser instead.

A little something for Christmas on my blocking board, which I'm very excited about!

How are we coming on Christmas prep? Have we started Christmas shopping??

28/10/2024

The message from the pulpit yesterday was about David and Goliath, the presence of fear in our lives, how Satan loves to see that fear paralyze us and draw us away from God, and how the answer to fear is to reach back down for the basics.

Those of you who have followed me for a while know that fear has been a constant companion and huge struggle for me these past years when it comes to my horsemanship. A bit funny, how I almost immediately had an opportunity to put this into practice.

You see, I've made old steady Gray a bit buddy sour. Probably because I was buddy sour. This isn't a problem my husband can fix, for he doesn't do this for my husband. Only me. It's the way my anxiety feeds into his. Horses are that way, you know. Mirrors, who will feed us back the best of ourselves, often tenfold, and who do the same with the worst of us.

When I was in middle school, I read a book called The God of Animals. It was not my usual high fantasy or romantic fare, but I suppose I related deeply to a young girl, watching her family who make a living in the industry of animals try to get by in the face of struggle and drought and uncertainty. The story culminates with the young protagonist having to make a somewhat harrowing performance on an arena horse. Some cowboy gives her advice, something along the lines of "stuff that fear down deep in your belly and just ride."

I recalled yesterday, when Gray and I were getting a little het up, this book, and this advice, and how much I lived by it in my youth. You see, I was never a bold and daring rider. My mom posited how brave I was, but really I was just quite appropriately confident, and when I wasn't certain, I generally opted out. I didn't do much on horses that scared me or pushed me out of my comfort zone. But I did learn to stuff that fear down, down, down.

I recalled the feeling, and yesterday, thought about fear calling us back to basics, and put words to that feeling I utilized so often as a kid. I thought about riding down.

Pushing the fear down into something small in my belly, pushing my seat down into the saddle, and my feet down into the stirrups. Taking a deep seat is one of the most basic concepts of horsemanship.

Ah.

Fear takes us back to basics. Take a deep seat and enjoy the ride, friends.

It wasn't a magic fix. We still got a little wound up, but it was more manageable. And eventually I was able to shift my thinking enough to say "no thank you friend. Quit leaning on my leg and pick your shoulder up." And Gray said "oh, like this? Well that's alright, then." I quit thinking about going to war with him and started thinking about the smaller foundational building blocks that make good horses good horses.

We'll have more chances to try again this week, as we lean into fall work, preconditioning and shipping and preg-testing, hopefully before the weather goes too far south.

Perhaps we'll find this basic building block to start reshaping my confidence. Only time will tell.

23/10/2024

Come see me, Saturday, December 7 at the WCHS gym!

Send a message to learn more

23/10/2024

Granny squares with variegated yarn are fun.

I'm just crocheting away, getting ready for winter markets.

Bags, hats, ear warmers, and at least one fun new amigurumi stuffed animal.

Additionally, I've been spending a LOT of time updating my square website, in time for the Holidays and to use more efficiently in 2025. You can find the link in my bio if you want to peep what I've been doing, but I have a ton more stuff to add--I'll let you know when it's live!

20/10/2024

Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him ye creatures here below
Praise Him above, ye heav’nly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

16/10/2024

Sometimes "nothing is permanent" is another encouragement. It's a reminder that this poor circumstance can't last; all things end, and pass out of season.

Sometimes, nothing lasts is terrifying, when it comes to the things we want to hold onto, something like marriage.

These things, things which might pass by, things which can end, these things require work, require maintenance, require effort to keep them working and functioning well.

But we can make them last. Some things are worth the effort of holding onto, are worth sowing fresh seeds to bring a new harvest.

But to gather a new harvest, you must sow the seeds. We cannot be casual about the things which are important to us. We have to work at them.

But when we work, put in the effort, build up the foundations, these things can and will last.

14/10/2024

Some things aren't meant to last...

For my birthday a couple weeks ago, my mom picked up a couple helium balloons. The kids, of course, thought they were delightful, batting them around and watching them rise back up to the ceiling. As time went on, the helium began to leak, the balloons drifting closer and closer to the ground, until, in some rambunctious play, the last balloon completely popped.

Afterward, I was struck by the fact that none of the kids ran to tell that the balloon had popped, nor did they fuss when I threw it away, or ask about it after it was gone. "Huh...they're growing up," I thought.

A mark of maturity, in our kids and in adults, is our ability to let go of things which are passing out of season. As we grow, we learn the sometimes difficult lesson that some things...just aren't meant to last.

For our kids, these are the small-big things (small in the grand scheme of things, big to them in the moment) like favorite clothes they've outgrown, or toys that have broken. As adults, this tends to look more like careers, hobbies, houses, long term commitments...the list goes on and on. As we live, we tend to learn that the things which have passed out of season are usually replaced by new things, and that we continue to live a full life, filled with the bittersweetness of seasons...

Bitter as things pass along, sweet as new things come in. It's inevitable, these tides of change, and how easily we release the old and embrace the new is, I think, a key component of how fulfilled we feel in our lives as a whole.

When we grip tight to things that are passing or already have passed out of season, we grow bitter and resentful of the loss, and often miss the fresh opportunity that comes along to fill the space. When we let it go, we open ourselves to new opportunities.

It's hardly a lesson I've mastered, and as with all things, some areas are easier to let go of than others, but learning is just part of living. Tomorrow is a new day to learn, and mature, and grow.

I pray we could all learn to more easily release the old and embrace the new, with the deep trust that our Father brings all things in appropriate season.

13/10/2024

This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have hope.

Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:21-23 (NKJ)

12/10/2024

It's Saturday! We made it through another week.

I want to hear about your wins this week! Tell me about your bright spots, your joy, your success!

11/10/2024

This is the horse.

The horse I learned to rope on, that will doubtless teach my kids to rope, if they desire to learn. I've told y'all this before.

But he always keeps me coming back to these thoughts, about quality, about rising up when faced with a challenge, about the testing of mettle and being found sturdy, about what we need from our partners, human and animal, in order to consider them reliable.

This horse knows his job, and when you settle in to go to work, so does he. He's not afraid of having a job; in fact, if you saddle him up and don't have work for him, he almost immediately grows aggravated. If I'm honest, he has a work ethic I could stand to learn from.

He's steady. No matter what you point him at, he's solid. He doesn't balk or hesitate, so long as you don't, and if every other horse on the ride loses their cool, you can count on ol Gray to be standing solid, watching the drama with perhaps a little equine disapproval. My niece was riding him when my young horse and I parted ways most uncordially, and it never crossed his mind to attempt the same antics. You can count on him to lead with a good example.

I'm often struck by how much we can learn from horses. I could be a lot better person if I followed Gray's example; if i put forth his work ethic when faced with a job; if I responded to the unexpected or less than ideal with a pause and a decisive action, if I leaned into whatever needed to be done, even if no one else would....

Horses have a way of finding our flaws and drawing us out to do better, while simultaneously seeing our vulnerabilities and protecting them, or building us up to protect them ourselves. They'll keep you humble, but they'll also offer grace and comfort when we need it most.

I guess it's already been said, because the cowboy prayer has it right:

May we all be as honest and open as the horses we ride.

10/10/2024

Facebook tells me that today is world mental health day, and boy do I have a lot of thoughts on this topic. Obviously, a huge portion of my writing on this platform has been about mental health in some form or another. It's a broad topic, one that we'll probably never exhaust.

I don't have a cure. How I wish I did. But I think the most influential thing I've learned is this: one of the key coping mechanisms for poor mental health is connection.

Isolation is terrible for our brains, especially when we're struggling, which is often when we're driven to isolate the most.

But we were made to live in community, in connection, abiding in our Creator and leaning into relationships with others. We're not meant to go it alone.

When I've been low, it's always been my connections that kept me going, my kids, my husband, my family and friends. For a fairly long season of my life, some of my deepest connections were my friendships with people that, at that point, I hadn't even met.

There's a lot of drawbacks to social media, to be sure, but it's been a boon to me since I started venturing into the online spheres in middle school. Sometimes, those online friends were my deepest connections outside of my family. When stepping out my door was entirely too much, I could still find deep connection.

If your mentalnhealth is good today, praise God, and I would encourage you to put effort into forging connections while you have the mental energy to spare. Build the foundations both for you and your circle to lean on when times are harder.

And if your mental health is poor today, I would encourage you to resist the siren song of isolation. Connect with someone, anyone. Send a text or a DM, write a letter or an email, make some line of connection. It's scary and sometimes it feels to difficult to manage but I promise it's better than suffering in silence and loneliness.

My love to all of you, and I pray that today might be tender for you, in whatever ways you need it most.

📷 Derek Scammon

09/10/2024

Over the weekend, I spent some time reading through some of the old posts I'd published here on the page.

My number one priority for the page has always been that I write honestly, and heartfelt, and the result is that some of what I've published here is very, very raw. I don't think it's a bad thing; on the contrary, I think raw and real are incredibly powerful, especially in this era of airbrushing and highlight reels. I've failed in plenty of ways, but I've always been honest, even in the lows.

It took a little hindsight to realize how vulnerable I was, though. It would have been easy for someone to be snide, or reckless with their words, or hurtful.

So today, I want to say thank you to you, the audience, who have ridden out the highest of highs and the lowest of lows and granted me the grace and security to be incredibly open and earnest on thus platform. Thank you, for seeing my heart laid out in words on a page, and being generous, and kind, and careful of your words in the same way that I am always careful of mine.

The page is small, and sometimes I lament that I'll never gain the traction I keep trying to work toward. But the other side of that is that a small audience has granted me the security to lay it all out there in the way that I have.

Thank you for that. Thank you for being part of a community, who recognizes the humanity even when you're looking at a logo. Thank you for riding along with me, for your kindness and encouragement in all of your comments, likes, and shares. You may not know it but you've been integral in making this page what it is, and I've been blessed because of it.

I won't forget, and I promise that I'll always prioritize honesty and openness above all else when I write for you and for me here on this page.