Merry Corgi Christmas!

Hello world!  I survived the end of the world! And if you're reading this...you did too! Yay!

I know I've been absent (for the last...oh six months or so!) but I wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Yule, Festivus, or just another day in December!

I had posted this picture of Annie wearing her reindeer antlers yesterday on my Instagram, but then my brother added the funnies!

Oh my sweet little red-headed fur-child, Annie! She was not impressed at all! My husband and I had just got done wrapping up some peanut butter rawhides and new squeaky toys for Annie and had placed them under the tree.  Annie was so worried about her new treats that she would barely leave the tree! The first thing she did this morning was rush over to the Christmas tree to make sure her presents were still there! What a goof!

Tomorrow, will be traveling to my mother-in-law's hometown for Christmas Eve.  Her family is Danish so we will be spend the evening dancing around the Christmas tree and singing Danish Christmas carols (seriously!)!! On Christmas day, our families will be coming here to the farm! Hopefully the weather isn't too cold and we can take our cousins sledding or drag them behind the four wheeler in the calf sled!

I hope you are amongst family and friends this Christmas, but I know duty calls.  So cheers to all of the dedicated hard workers out there who are working over the holidays! And sending much love to all of our family and friends that we don't get to see over Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Whitney
{Dirt Road Dreamer}



Hotter Than a Furnace Fan

UPDATE: I was in the middle of writing this post when our power went out on June 26.  There was a terrible storm about 20 miles east of us that produced a possible tornado and it ripped several giant power poles and several smaller power poles down.  We were without power for three and a half days!! Luckily no one was injured, but there were grain bins ripped out of the ground and several trees wrecked as well! I'm so very thankful for our workers at our local Rural Electric Association that worked tirelessly to restore power to the countryside!!  I'm also very thankful for my hubby, who took care of the farm, our generators, and our ol' tractors that ran the generators so we could have running water for our home and for our livestock! I've been counting my blessings and saying lots of prayers for our friends and family that have been battling the terrible fires in Montana and across the country.  Please add them and the brave firefighters to your prayers!  We could all use a good rain too, so get out there and wash your car, wash your windows on your house, and do a rain dance!  In my next post I will share pictures that I took of some of the damage in our area as well as what happens on our farm when we are without power! But now back to your regular scheduled programming that was taking place on Tuesday, June 26th...
Hello loyal blog readers...it's me, your unloyal blogger!  Remember me...?? Ha.

Well to quote one of my favorite Robert Earl Keen songs...it's hotter than a furnace fan out in Arizona!

It's currently over a 100 degrees here! Yuck!  The image below was taken from our local county Conservation District website.  They along with our local MSU Extension Office have set up several weather reporting stations around our county.  This weather station is located just up the road from us and this is what it said: HOT!! HOTT!!! HOTTTTT!!!

We reached a high of just under 105 degrees!!  But my hometown of Miles City has been setting all-time high records...it reached 111 degrees at 2:30 pm today!!  And it could still have gotten hotter!!  Read all about it here!

Anyways, apologies for not keeping you up-to-date on the happenings in my life! 

Spring and summer are busy times here on the farm and ranch!  We have been busy seeding and spraying our crops, vaccinating and branding calves and helping neighbors do the same, vaccinating cows, fixing and building fences, hauling water to our cows, sorting our cows into breeding groups and hauling them to summer range, celebrating 3 birthdays in June (my mother-in-law's, my hubby's, and my own!), getting our bulls tested to make sure they can give our cows proper lovin' (hehe), and then turning the bulls out to let them do this! (Warning...image below might be offensive to some...but it's where BEEF comes from! Oh and never mind the two in the turquoise in the foreground...)

And now that the bulls are turned out, it's time to get our haying equipment ready!  Our hay situation is none-to-promising in our area.  We have been awfully short of rain and have had a warmer than usual year. We're not lucky enough to have irrigation to help our hay and crops along when we're short of precipitation, but we still do alright! We still have to get what hay we can so we don't have to purchase hay this winter!  Luckily we have some left over from last year's hay crop and we are very thankful for that!  How does the hay look where you are? 

I'm also trying to do a good deep clean on my house while there is a little lull in time between major projects, but I find myself dragging my feet a bit!  I have been finding a few good tips on Pinterest to help get my go'er going!

Find it on my Pinterest board!
http://pinterest.com/pin/7599893091785780/

But we all know this is a more accurate description of what my cleaning schedule is like...

How about all of you?? What's going on in your world?  Any big trips planned for the summer?  My husband and I are going to be heading to Medora, North Dakota this next month to celebrate our first year of marriage!  We actually won tickets to the Medora Musical from our local Rural Electric Association! Ha! 

Well I had better get to gettin'! I will try to keep you better posted on the happenings on the dirt roads...but no promises! Ha! But seriously, thanks for sticking with me! 

Cheers,
Whitney

Turquoise Tuesday {Winner Announced!}

*DING!*DING!*DING!*

We have a WINNER!

Thank you everyone for entering the FIRST giveaway of the many more to come! 

After figuring out the entries, I visited the wonderful website of random.org to help me pick the winner...here's who won!

The WINNER is Nicole from Farmgirl Chaos!  Nicole has a wonderful blog about her travels, awesome junk finds, and she is always sharing wonderful photos from her everyday life!  Congrats, sista! 

Nicole, please contact me on Facebook with your mailing address so Miss Carly can get those turquoise beauties shipped out to you! 

Thanks again for taking the time to enter the contest and read my ramblings! I'm off to get a little housework done and then out to fix some fence before the cows escape!

Happy Hump Day everyone!

Cheers,

Whitney

Wednesday and Windmills

I am in love with windmills. And this one just so happens to be right out my front door.

I don't know what it is about windmills that I'm attracted to. 

It might have something to do with their towering presence on the wide open landscapes of endless grass on the prairies. 

It might have to do with their ability to give life to the dry, barren ground as the water they pump from the depths of the earth spills over the edges of the water trough. 

It might have to do with my love of watching animals drink from the water.  Like how a horse's ears pump back and forth while they're sucking in the water as they quench their thirst or how a chicken dips down and gathers water in their beak and tips their head back to let it run down their throat.

Or it might have to do with where the windmills are that I love the most; on the places I call home.

This one is on my family's ranch.  Dylan, my mom, and I were having fun with fall sunset.

My love for windmills spilled over into some of my wedding decor.

My love for windmills has even made it into my home decor.  This windmill is in my concrete shower! 

I will tell you more about my windmill shower in a later post. 

My next windmill home decor addition is going to be this! 

Found on Pinterest
http://pinterest.com/pin/7599893091069172/

What about you?  Do you love windmills or am I just a weirdo? Nevermind...don't answer that! Ha!

Oh and don't forget to get signed up for the fabulous Turquoise Tuesday giveaway! 

Hope everyone is having a fabulous Hump Day! 

Keep dreamin' and Carpe' diem!

Whitney

{GIVEAWAY} Turquoise Tuesday!

I have had a hard time keeping this a secret! But it's time to spill the beans!!!  I have the wonderful opportunity to do a fabulous giveaway from my dear friend and fellow turquoise addict, Carly at CrazyMare Jewels! 

Miss Carly is originally from Georgia, but came to college at Montana State University, which is where we met!  She has been making jewelry for a long time, but is just getting her Facebook page for CrazyMare Jewels going.  She's always done farmer's markets, trade shows, rodeos, and home parties but has decided to expand her business to Facebook too! She's already sold tons of her jewelry from her Facebook page, but she's always adding more! 

Speaking of rodeos, CrazyMare Jewels is going to be in Miles City, MT for the WORLD FAMOUS Miles City Bucking Horse Sale!  She will be teaming up with another gal who makes gorgeous boot top purses for a booth in the trade show building at the Fairgrounds during the Bucking Horse Sale! So make sure to stop by and tell her 'Hi!' while you're in town!

And now for the good stuff!!

Here's what Miss Carly at CrazyMare Jewels has whipped up for the fabulous Turquoise Tuesday giveaway!

A pair of these gorgeous cross earrings are up for grabs!  I am absolutely in LOVE with them!  I have a similar pair of these earrings (but not the same) and I wear them ALL the time! 

And now for the rules!

The Prize:

One (1) pair of turquoise cross earrings made and sponsored by CrazyMare Jewels.

How to enter:

1. You must follow the Dirt Road Dreamer Blog and 'Like' CrazyMare Jewels Facebook page to enter, and leave a comment on this blog post saying you have done both.

Added entries:

2. Blog about this giveaway, and leave me a comment on this post saying you have as well as the link to the blog post.

3. 'Like' the Dirt Road Dreamer on Facebook, and leave me a comment on this post saying you have.

4. Follow Dirt Road Dreamer on Twitter, leave me a comment on this post saying you have.

The contest will close Tuesday, May 8 at MIDNIGHT MST.

Good luck Turquoise junkies!

Turquoise Tuesday!

Boy of boy, do I have some pretty turquoise to show you!  Well technically it's not actual turquoise stones, but they dang sure look like it!  And the best part is...it won't break the bank!

I recently ordered some gorgeous jewelry from Unbridled in Ada, Oklahoma.  The jewelry is made by some wonderful gals in Hutto, Texas that go by the name Sookie Sookie. 

Isn't this squash blossom necklace just GORGEOUS!?!! This was one of the necklaces that I bought and I am absolutely in LOVE with it!  Normally, a squash blossom necklace like this would set you back thousands of dollars because of all of the silver and turquoise...but not this one!  This one only costs $80--for the WHOLE necklace!  And you also have the option to only order the pendant too, which drops the cost down even more! 

The reason why the price is so much better than other semi precious stone jewelry is because this jewelry is made out of clay and each piece is hand painted to look like the real deal!! The jewelry looks almost exactly like the real stuff and at a WAY better price!!  I'm all for finding the good imitations!  And Sookie Sookie is great at doing that!!

Here's some more pictures of some of Sookie Sookie's gorgeous jewlz!  I also ordered the pendant in these first two pictures below.  This piece is called "Big Chief" and it is so beautiful!  And Big Chief's headdress is all blinged out too! 

Sookie Sookie makes everything from necklaces, rings, belts, earrings, bracelets, and headbands to wine stoppers, home decor, and more in every color, design, and size imaginable!!  These girls are outta control and I LOVE it!! 

And the best way to get your Sookie Sookie fix is to order from the wonderful gals at Unbridled.  They are so sweet and are great to work with.  You can browse through their Facebook albums and if you see something you like, give them a call to order!  If they don't have it in stock, they will order it, and ship it to you! 

I'd love to share more turquoise pictures, but I've got to head out to the fields and do some more farming!  We are preparing our fields for spring planting!  In the spring we plant hard red spring wheat, feed barley, and plant both field peas and feed oats together to make to grain hay for our cows! More on that later...

My view from the tractor seat!

What about you guys? Are you busy planting, calving, lambing, foaling, kidding (as in having baby goats...Haha!), cleaning (I should be doing that...but I'm avoiding it), travelling, working, or just plain having fun? I'd love to hear about it! If you've got a blog, leave the link in the comments! I love to read about what everyone else has going on!

Thanks for stopping by everyone!  If you need another turquoise fix, I'm always pinning lots of gorgeous turquoise finds on Pinterest!  So come on over and see what I've got on my Turquoise Pinterest board! 

Keep dreamin' big and always Carpe' Diem!

Whitney

**DISCLAIMER: This ain't no paid advertisement...just love Sookie Sookie! All pictures of Sookie Sookie jewelry are from Sookie Sookie's Facebook page and were taken by Talula (who also makes kick ass jewelry!)**

Testing...Testing...

*Tap*Tap*Tap*

"Hello? Is this thing on?"

Uffda.  It's been busy, busy around here!!  So sorry I've neglected you for the past MONTH AND A HALF!!  I promise I haven't forgotten about you! 

Here's what I've been up to in a very truncated version!

1. Tending to our momma cows and getting them ready for calving to start! (Calving started about 2 weeks ago and we're about half way done already!!)

2. Celebrated Mardi Gras in fine fashion with lots of food and fun.

3. Took hunter's safety class.

4. Traveled to the big city for supplies. (aka Billings)

5. Bought a handgun in the big city.

6. Practiced shooting said handgun.

7.  Trapped 8 skunks. Pee eww!!

8.  Mourned the loss of a great neighbor who died in a plane crash. 

9. Said and continue to say many prayers for our neighbor who survived the plane crash and his brand new family.

10.  Passed my hunters' safety class and shot a 99/100 at our handgun shooting test.  So you watch yourselves! :)

11.  Enjoyed the beautiful weather we have been having with family and friends.

12. Remembered dear friends that have left this world too soon.

13. Done an enormous amount of laundry.

14. Spent way too much time on Pinterest.

15. Neglected my poor little blog. :(

16.  Worked and continue to work on landscaping our yard.  Anyone have any helpful tips for types of grass that grow best out here?  We've thought about doing sod, but not sure if we want to put in the investment. 

17. Took Annie to the vet to get spayed.  And lemme tell ya...Dylan and I were worried lil' parents pacing around town all day waiting for Annie to get done!  But she was back to her full ball of energy the next morning! 

18.  Made a quick trip to Miles City to pick up some chicks!  Hardy har har!  Oh and I also visited my family while I was in town too!  The drive home was fun listening to 25 baby chicks peep all the way home as I drove across the lovely rough highways and gravel roads.  Sorry baby chicks!  But now they are in our warm and cozy chicken coop and growing like crazy!

19. Been super busy tending to all of our momma cows and their new babies making sure everyone is healthy and well fed.  As well as keeping a very watchful eye on our momma cows that haven't calved yet!  If you're on Twitter, many ranchers use the hashtag #calving12 and post information about their calving season.  You should join in and follow me on Twitter!  I don't use Twitter very much, but I do love to follow Blake Shelton and see the funny things he has to say! 

20.  And now I'm getting ready to host Easter here in our home!  I'm excited to have family and friends out for the weekend!  We are having a spiral ham with a honey glaze, perfect potatoes au gratin, roasted asparagus, homemade rolls and croissants (made by my mother-in-law), lots of deviled eggs (thanks to our chickens for their great egg production), fresh spring salad, sugar cookies, fresh fruit from our local 4-H'ers, and lemon meringue cheesecake!  There will be lots of people here and I'm looking forward to it! 

What are your plans for Easter?  Are you hosting or travelling to a family or friends?  I'd love to hear about what you're eating for Easter dinner! 

Thanks for keeping with me everyone!  I sure hope things ease up a bit, because I have some fabulous things to share with you!  Until next time...

Keep dreamin' big and always Carpe Diem,

Whitney

Corgi Friday and Mardi Gras

Happy Corgi Friday everyone! 

This is my mother-in-law holding Annie and one of our barn cats, named Anubis.  As you can see...the cat is none too impressed with what's going on.  But this is a very rare moment caught on camera when both dog and cat are getting along.  The other 99% of the time, Annie is tackling any cat she can get near. 

In other corgi news...

I have had several friends send me so many cute corgi pictures and funnies lately that I couldn't help but share them with you!  Thank y'all so much for sharing these with me!

My friend Sharlee, who also has a corgi, sent me this link today.  It is a compilation of cute, smiling corgi photos doing various activities.  You can't help but laugh out loud! 

40 Things That Make Corgis Happy

Hope y'all have a great weekend!  Much of my family is celebrating Mardi Gras starting this weekend (including me!)!  Tonight, I made some jambalaya to start the celebration!  Do any of you celebrate Mardi Gras?  I'd love to hear about your celebrations! 

Crawfish, shrimp, corn, and potato boil at our Mardi Gras Party in 2011.

Thanks for joining me down the dirt roads!  Laissez les bons temps rouler (pronounced: Lay say lay bohn tohn roo lay)!  That's French for 'Let the good times roll'!

Cheers,
Whitney

P.S. Dylan and I just came in from taking Annie outside before bed time and we discovered that we trapped a skunk in one of our live traps...I foresee a very stinky day tomorrow.  Peee-ewww!!

My Brooch Bouquet

A recent trend in weddings has been for brides to carry a bouquet made of brooches.  And a certain celebrity wedding this last spring made me want to carry one in my own wedding!

Blake Shelton & Miranda Lambert wedding photo
Image from *here*

For Miranda's bridal shower, each guest was asked to bring a brooch and then a designer put together all of the brooches into a bouquet.  Miranda's bouquet was put together by TheRitzyRose.

Miranda and her brooch bouquet.
Image from *here*

So after I saw the photos of Blake's and Miranda's wedding that was styled by the fabulous Junk Gypsies, I was completely taken by the brooch bouquet along with everything else.  But after I did some research on the internet on brooch bouquets, I found out how expensive it was to purchase one and trashed the idea of having one for my own wedding.  But little did I know...my mother was MAKING me a bouquet out of brooches that I had collected, as well as brooches and jewelry of my mother's, grandmothers', and great-grandmothers'! 

Dylan & I on our wedding day.

My brooch bouquet

I'm so LUCKY to have such a craft savvy mother who is also a queen of junk! I have many blog posts planned to show you all of the incredible things my mom has done to what many would consider pieces of junk!  My big bro, Rock, (yes, that's his real name...and if you know him, you know that the name fits him perfectly) and my papa also helped my momma make the bouquet. It was quite an undertaking to twist the stiff wire to make the stems for each brooch pieces. I know my momma was happy to have some strong men help her with that!  My papa is also quite the handyman and builds quite a few things that my momma is working on.  In their house it's not the 'Honey-Do list'; it's the 'HGTV list'! 

The thing that I love most about my brooch bouquet is the story and the history behind each of the pieces in the bouquet.  The turquoise flower is one that my dad picked out for me, because as you know...I love turquoise! The cow pin is one that my mother-in-law had placed on a bow of a gift she had given me for my birthday.  The watch was my paternal grandmother's and my mom set the time to 11:11, which is said to be the time that angels use to let us know that they are there with us.  The angel pin is my mom's that she was given from her nursing students. 

The blue brooch above is actually an earring of my maternal grandmother's from the 40s or 50s.  It's a clip on earring with these horrid spikes that latch into your skin!  I can't imagine the pain that the women went through to look beautiful! 

The other thing about brooch bouquets is that you get to keep the bouquet forever.  You don't have to dry the flowers or worse, throw away your beautiful bouquet!  These bouquets are a beautiful reminder of your wedding day, as well as the memories that each piece of the bouquet has. 

My mom also created a 'wedding shrine' which included my brooch bouquet, as well as our ceremony program, wedding pie topper, wheat boutonnieres, crystal pie/cake stand that was my grandmother's, and a few other odds and ends from our wedding.  The 'shrine' is in a 3 foot tall by a foot deep plexi glass case.  You can also see a photo of me as a youngin' on the shelf on the left side.  I think I was about 9 when the photo was taken.  I was camping out for a friend's birthday party and my friend's mom had brought along dress up clothes so we had a fashion show on the prairie!  I took on the role as a pioneer bride! 

My beautiful momma and I on my wedding day.

I must say...I clean up pretty good!  Well actually I didn't do my own makeup or my hair...I owe that all to my wonderful hair dresser and friend, Nikki!  Every other day of the year, my hair is in a pony tail, no makeup on, and I'm usually covered in dirt!  But that is the life of a farmer and rancher and I love every second of it! 

What about you?  Are you planning a wedding? Or reminiscing of your own wedding?  I'd love to hear about your wedding plans or memories! 

Thanks for joining me down the dirt roads tonight.  Dream big and Carpe' Diem!

Cheers,

Whitney

Live Forever

For those of you that know me know that I love Texas & Red Dirt (named for Oklahoma's red soil) music.  This music has a way of getting into your bones and stirring your soul.  Texas & Red Dirt music is country, rock, bluegrass, twangy, smooth, gritty, poetic, story-filled, soulful, and 100% awesome.  It is especially good when you're driving down the back roads with the windows down, the tunes cranked up, and cab full of your most favorite people! 

Montana's Backroads
*image from here*

Lately, I have been on a Billy Joe Shaver kick.  His life is the epitome of a country song.  Even two months before he was born, Billy Joe Shaver's life was off to a rough start. Billy Joe's father had beat his mother nearly to death 2 months before Billy Joe was born and ever since then, his life has been a roller coaster ride.  Billy Joe lost his wife and his mother to cancer in 1999 and then he lost his son in 2000 to a heroine overdose.  Billy Joe has had a heart attack on stage while performing, multiple surgeries on joints and organs, a recent stint with prostate cancer, as well as accusations of shooting another man in the face.  For a better account of all these happenings, be sure to check out Texas Monthly's interview of Billy Joe Shaver. 

Now, for one of my favorite songs of Billy Joe Shaver's. "Live Forever" is such a spiritually moving song. You'll also see and hear Big & Rich in the video.  

Personally, this song has many meanings.  Many memories of friends and loved ones that passed from this world go through my mind as this song plays.  Sometimes it brings saddness, but mostly its happy memories.  The lyrics are carry very deep messages, but are very simple. 

"Nobody here will ever find me
But I always be around
Just like the songs I leave behind me
I'm gonna live forever now."

Off the Grid...

I've been off the blogging grid this week!  Whoops! 

Well to catch up...

We had a Super Bowl party at our home on the prairie!  It was so fun to have some of our neighbors over for some food, fun, and oh ya...football!  To tell you the truth, I didn't watch ANY of the game!  I was to busy gabbing with everyone as the came through the grub line to pay attention to the game!  By the way...who won? Just kidding...I think. 

Anyways, we had a fun party and I paid for it on Monday. My bad!  And since then it's been busy, busy around here with farm work! 

BUT...I do have something fantastic to fill you in on! 

Crystal at the Crystal Cattle blog is doing a fabulous giveaway of...TURQUOISE!  A wonderful and talented gal from Texas has graciously offered up some of her gorgeous handmade necklaces! 

Sara from Noble House Designs makes beautiful pieces that definitely make you say WOWZA!  So you must go and visit Crystal's blog and read through her post to get the specifics! 

Thanks for joining me down the dirt roads!  Dream big and Carpe' Diem!

Cheers,
Whitney

Corgi Friday

I've got a quick Corgi Friday update (that's rather late...)

This is Annie underneath the dishwasher tonight...

As you can see, she was 'helping' us wash dishes!  There is never a dull moment with her around...

I will also share a video with you!  But it's not of Annie.  It's a video of 'Sparky the tap dancing corgi'! This is my FAVORITE YouTube video and it got me through several months (okay...fine...years!) of corgi-yearning!  I had always wanted a corgi, but refused to have a dog while I was in school and living in town.  So I had to wait a long time before the time was right!  But more on that later.

So here it is!  Enjoy!

Thanks for joining me down the dirt roads! Keep dreamin' big and Carpe' Diem!

Cheers,
Whitney

Turquoise Tuesday

Welcome to the latest installment of Turquoise Tuesday! 

A few weeks ago I stumbled across the most wonderful, fantastic, beautiful website and have found some awesome turquoise jewelry there!  And the best part is, you don't have to sell a kidney to get a gorgeous piece of jewelry! 

Silver Tribe has a very LARGE selection of Southwestern and Native American jewelry and art.  They have everything from rings and bracelets to Kachina Dolls and pottery!

Here are a few of my favorite pieces that are relatively inexpensive!  (Notice I said inexpensive and not cheap...there's a difference!)

$39.99 for this ring!  Link is *here*

Here is another gorgeous turquoise ring!

$20.49 for this ring!  Link is *here*

And while you're navigating Silver Tribe's ring section, I've found it best to click on your ring size section on the left hand menu.  Otherwise you can get lost in a sea of choices that might not be for you!

There are also lots of beautiful bracelets, necklaces, earrings, hair barrettes, and more in EVERY color imaginable!  And I'm sure you'll have no problem finding all of them on the website! 

Make sure to share this website with your main squeeze especially since Valentine's Day is just around the bend! 

Keep on rockin' the free world and seize the carp!

Cheers,
Whitney

Disclaimer Alert! 
This ain't no paid promotion of Silver Tribe!  I just love 'em and wanted to share! Over and out!

A Hunting We Will Go!

Ok...so it's not hunting season in Montana, but I've got to get ready for hunting season next fall!

Mule deer buck and doe *image from here*

My husband (Dylan) will be heading to town with me later this week to get signed up for hunter's safety!  But it's not for him...it's for ME!  Dylan is just coming with me for moral support.  Such a nice guy!  I know...I know..."How can Whitney not have her hunting license yet?"  Well lemme tell you how it all went down.

Back when I was a youngin', I played a lot of basketball so I didn't take the hunter's safety course when most kids in Montana take the course around the age of 13.  So now, here I am, a 24 year old ranch woman without a hunting license (which by the way, is a sin in the ranch woman handbook...ok, not really)!  Hunting is a big deal in Montana, not only for the hopes of finding the big trophy animals but also as a way for many folks to add some extra meat to their freezers. 

Dylan and his mule deer buck in 2010

In addition to taking the hunter's safety course, this course will also help me fulfill the requirements to obtain a concealed weapons permit.  So watch out! I'll be a Pistol Packin' Mama!

Image from here

I'm really excited to finally get my hunting license because all of my life I have went hunting but never gotten to actually kill a deer!  I've just always helped with all of the 'work' part of it, like field dressing the deer (removing the innards), cutting up the deer, wrapping the meat, or taking the deer to the meat processor.  So hopefully this next fall I can share pictures and stories with all of you about my first deer!

What about you?  Do you have any great hunting stories?  I'd love to hear them! 

Thanks for joining me down the dirt roads!  Keep dreamin' those 'big buck' dreams!

Cheers,
Whitney

Corgi Friday!

Hello again, my name is Whitney and I'm also addicted to corgis!  So I thought that on Fridays, I should dedicate the blog post to my corgi, Annie, and other corgis around the world! 

Annie at 6 weeks old!

Corgi Friday was started by the bloggers at Warming Glow.  As near as I can tell, they blog and somewhat mock TV and media.  BUT they have dedicated their Friday's to corgis and posting pictures, videos, and stories about corgis! 

A little background on corgis, specifically Pembroke Welsh corgis.  According to the Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club, legend has it that the Pembroke Welsh Corgi is an "enchanted" dog, and certainly this must be true! It was said that corgis were used by the fairies and elves of Wales to pull fairy coaches, work fairy cattle, and serve as a steed for the fairy warriors. Even today those people with keen eyes and understanding hearts may see the marks of the "fairy saddle" in the coat over the shoulders.  And I totally believe it!

I can see a fairy riding Annie! Can't you? :)

Now most corgis these days are your basic pet.  But there are a few who live up to their breed and are working dogs! 
Kathy & Scott Wiley raise cattle near Musselshell, MT and have FOUR hard working corgis!  They were featured on the Animal Planet on a segment called 'Small Dogs, Big Jobs'.  They definitely earn their keep on the ranch! 

You might also know that the Queen of England has a few corgis of her own...

Image from here

Or is it this Queen that has all the corgis?

Image from here

Either way, you can tell that corgis are lovable, full of personality, and Montana State University Bobcat fans!!

MSU Bobcat vs. UM Grizzlies Football Game 2011

Annie also does a lot of work with us on the farm. 

Mr. Farmer and Annie feeding cows in the tractor.

The good news about my addiction to corgis is that I'm not alone!  I found this website last year that was specifically for those who have OCD, commonly known as Obsessive Corgi Disorder. 

Image from here

The funny thing is, my husband's friend just posted the link to this website on my husband's Facebook wall tonight!  Little did he know that I was already in the process of writing this blog post specifically about corgis!  He must have ESPN...er...ESP...whatever...

Anyways, I sure hope you love corgis or will come to love corgis as a result of Corgi Fridays!  If you are a lover of corgis, I'd love to hear about it! 

Thanks for joining me on the dirt roads tonight.  As always, dream big and Carpe' Diem! 

Cheers,
Whitney

Turquoise Tuesday!

Welcome to the first installment of many Turquoise Tuesdays! 

"Hello.  My name is Whitney and I'm addicted to turquoise." 

Image from http://www.puebloturquoise.com/

Phew...now that I got that off of my chest, let me explain how I came about dubbing Tuesdays 'Turquoise Tuesday'!

I got the idea from another blog I follow Crystal Cattle.  She has been doing 'Turquoise Thursday' on her blog for quite a while now and I absolutely loved the idea.  So as I was dreaming and scheming about this blog, I thought to myself that only one day of turquoise in the blogosphere just simply wasn't enough!  BINGO!  Turquoise Tuesday was born!  So a BIG thank you to Crystal for the inspiration! 
So like Crystal, I will be featuring my favorite turquoise things!  I will also do my best to find and share with you great deals I've found on everything turquoise!!

I also invite you to follow me on Pinterest!  For those that might not have found Pinterest yet, prepare to be sucked in!  It essentially is an online way to collect, organize, and 'pin' images you have found on the internet on to organized bulletin boards.  Many (including myself) use it to gather ideas for craft projects, scrumptious recipes, decorating ideas, and of course...TURQUOISE!

But here's the deal...
If you're not on Pinterest yet, but want to be...there's a WAITING LIST!! Boo! Hiss!!

HAVE NO FEAR!  There's a way around the velvet ropes!  I can send you an invite via email and...voila!  You're in like Flynn!  So, feel free to leave your email in a comment and I will send you an email invite to Pinterest!  As soon as I'm sure that you have received the invite, I will delete your comment with the email. 
Thank you so much for joining me on the dirt road!  Until next time, keep dreaming and always Carpe' Diem!

Cheers,
Whitney

Welcome to my blog!

Hi everyone!

My name is Whitney.  I'm a wife, farmer, rancher, and dreamer.  I live along the dirt roads and the rolling hills of Northeastern Montana with my husband. We farm and ranch with my husband's parents.   We raise Hereford cows, winter wheat, spring wheat, feed barley, alfalfa hay, and lots of grass!  We also have a small herd of chickens and barn cats, but our corgi, Annie, keeps them in line! 

Here's a picture of, Annie! 



Annie--our Pembroke Welsh Corgi & Queen of the Farm!



My hubby and I got married this last summer in my hometown! 
Here's one of our favorite photos from it!



American Gothic circa 2011

Well, that's all for now...

I'll be sharing more about my life here on the prairie, as well as lots of funny stories and photos!  You never know what is going to happen down the dirt roads! Thanks for tagging along with me on this journey!

Cheers,
Whitney