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