Odds & Ends

Has anyone else felt like January has lasted forever?! January is a tough month that is usually composed of dreary, cold weather, post-holiday letdown and let’s face it a cold or flu (or in this case Covid mess). But the best way I get thru it is to snuggle up with a good book, eat yummy food, spend lots of time grooming horses and diving into barn cleaning and organization.

Here are a few Odds & Ends that I have loved this month. Enjoy!

When it is too cold to do much outside I love to curl up with a good book and I have loved Sophie Kinsella’s The Party Crasher and Anne Glenconner’s Murder On Mustique. Sophie Kinsella is one of my favorite authors and The Party Crasher is a fun romantic/family dramedy that is sweet, funny and heartwarming. I love a good, juicy murder mystery and Murder On Mustique totally fits the bill with lots of great characters, twists and turns and it takes place on the exclusive island of Mystique which allows for beach escapism.

I am obsessed with this Vegan Lasagna. It is warm, satisfying, comfort food that is full of good for you veggies.

My hands get so dry in the winter and Carter + Jane’s Equestrian The Everything Soap is chocked full of clean, cruelty-free ingredients that get hands clean while also infusing them with a variety of organic oils. It also smells amazing and the Equestrian scent is composed of everything a horse girl loves. Hay Absolute captures the smell of sweet hay warmed by sunlight on a crisp autumn day at the barn. Nagarmotha mixed with cedarwood creates the perfect leather accord reminiscent of freshly oiled saddles and bridles. Oakmoss, cassie and jasmine capture the green pastures, sprinkled with wildflowers. And ambrette, expertly woven with vanilla, captures the musky warmth every equestrian understands.

I got a Biossance Advent Calendar for Christmas and fell in love with the Squalane + Vitamin C Rose Oil and the Squalene + Rose Vegan Lip Balm. I apply the oil at night and wake up with firmer, brighter, moisturized skin and the lip balm has really kept my lips soft and moisturized in these harsh winter conditions.

As far as fashion goes (I am living in jeans and layers of soft tees, polar fleece and my winter coat) but am dreaming about stylish outfits with a little help from Lydia Tomlinson. Her YouTube videos and Instagram Reels (@lydiajanetomlinson) are full of useable fashion advice to look your best. Plus I love her clean, modern, achievable style.

I worry all winter long if my horses are drinking enough and our weather has been a roller coaster of temperatures, 60 one day and 20 the next. So I keep them on electrolytes all year long and recently tried a new one from Equine Elixirs. Their Electrofresh Electrolytes contain pink Himalayan salt, mixed with red Hawaiian salt and banana to more closely mimic the salt and mineral content that horses sweat. My horses love it and lick it up and hopefully drink more!

I have also started feeding their Tidbits Digestion Support Treats and my horses love them. I love that they support gut health and digestion in ulcery horses with powerhouse ingredients like chia seed, dehydrated cabbage, pumpkin seed, flax seed and black oil sunflower seed. They are ideal for use during training, competition, travel, changes in weather, changes in environment or other stressful situations.

I am a huge Harry Potter fan and when one of my favorite show saddle pad companies, Erin Rhea Show Pads, created a Harry Potter inspired line of western saddle pads I was sold. The line consists of 4 Ranch Pads and 4 Pleasure Pads inspired by the colors of each of the 4 houses (Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Slytherin and Ravenclaw). I love collecting show pads and really want all of them.

Last but not least I am always on the hunt for great tasting, good for you, grab and go snacks for the barn and Taos Bakes granola bars tick all the boxes. Clean, natural ingredients, low sugar, filling and super yummy. Order a box of the variety pack to find your favorite flavors.