I Feel So Blessed

Maybe this would have been a better post for a couple of days ago, as a Thankful Thursday, but I don't think we need to only be grateful on certain days.  I'm going label it a Thankful post anyway - even if it is Saturday (or Friday in the U.S.).

I just had Bonsai class and it was a lot of fun, it always is.  The instructor is very fun.

On the way home I was hit with a massive wave of what I can only describe as extreme gratitude.

"I'm feeling happy...  Which is a big deal, for me."  Marlin, Finding Nemo.

I think I've used that quote several times, but it applies again, today.  I think overall I'm a fairly happy person or I try (really hard sometimes) to be anyway.  There's certainly plenty enough in the world, and even in life closer to home, to feel unhappy about, but I try and choose gratitude whenever I can.

I'm happy because The Jennifer Show is happening, very soon!  T-minus 12ish hours or so?  I'll be asleep for most of it, time difference and all, but I'm already eager to wake up tomorrow and see how it went/how it's going!  Thanks to modern technology, even though I can't be there, I can still be a part of it.  Also, HUGE thanks to my friend Dayle - my very first model horse friend going WAY back - who is ensuring I can be even more a part of it than just an outside observer.  She is the one proxy showing some of my little creations and buying my raffle tickets for me!  I'm so thankful for her.  Even though I'm quite sure my ponies will get their butts thoroughly kicked, I'm still happy that I will have been some part of this EPIC show.

I'm happy that I was able to beat the nap and get a big batch of photos sent in to another MEPSA show!  This time I'm stepping out from the Mini Specialty zone I've been in and I entered the Vintage Special!  A bunch of my old childhood favorites are making their debut - or returning after almost 20 years - to the photo show arena.

I'm happy that my birthday is in a couple of days and today my good friend Holly is coming over with presents and cake!  She is a great friend and I'm so blessed to have met her over here.

Sometimes I think I don't deserve such good friends - but enough of that, this is a happy post!

I'm thankful that I live in Japan and have the opportunity to experience a different culture and language.  I'm thankful for the Bonsai class and the wonderful sensee who teaches it.

I'm thankful that when I had to face one of my worst fears two days ago (at the dentist) they were so wonderful and took such good care of me - even with me crying like a baby and making a fool of myself.

Of course, I am ever thankful for Jeff, my husband, who always tries his best and takes good care of me.  It's not always smooth sailing, no relationship ever is, but he is truly wonderful.

I could go on and on.  I don't know what I've done to deserve all of this, but I'm so, so thankful.

I feel so blessed and I just had to put it out there.

Race Against The Nap

Yesterday's Netflix and chill recovery plan from the unexpected dental trauma ended up being Netflix and sleep.  I crashed hard for the remainder of the day, woke up for dinner, did a bit of cross-stitch, then crashed again.

I figured waking up this morning would be the true test of how much pain I'll be in, post extraction, and the answer is: surprisingly little pain.  I am however Wiped. Out.  I always feel sick, run down, and generally "off", the day after any dentist visits - even the basic ones like cleaning.  We think part of it comes from whatever getting knocked loose and getting into my system (bacteria, etc) and also, the after effects of being so hyped up on anxiety about all of it.  Yesterday was the worst the latter has ever been, so it's no surprise I fell like I've been hit by a bus,or three, today.

However, I'm trying to push though and do one thing I'd originally planned for yesterday...

Prepping more pictures for photo showing!

If I can power through the BLAH feeling, I'm hoping to get another MEPSA entry sent off today.

Though I think another nap is in my somewhat near future..  It's a race against that at this point.

Not As Planned

Today I was going to get up and kick butt!  I had planned a long overdue day in the studio and was really looking forward to it.

...

Last night, before bed, I had a toothache.  I've had a toothache in that spot, that comes and goes, for quite some time.  One of my wisdom teeth had a cavity and it seemed no one would treat it, because "It's a wisdom tooth, it'll just need to come out anyway."  Well, it's been hurting,more and more.  So at a checkup last week, I was put in to have a consult with the oral surgeon here, to make a plan to get it out.

Apparently it didn't want to wait.

I woke up at 1am, in tears, feeling like someone had stabbed me in the jaw.  I knew what it was.

So began an ordeal that ended about an hour ago, when said crumbling wisdom tooth finally said, "I'm out!" and got yanked out of my mouth.

This was NOT how I had planned today to start.

Not to mention, the oral surgeon?  Yeah, he's gone right now, so there was no knockout.  I had to be awake for the whole thing - my worst fears coming true.

I have extreme anxiety and fear with dentist visits.  I've had people dismiss it and say to me, "Oh, no one likes going there"  For me it's not just that I don't like it.  I cry, shake, my heart races, I make myself sick, before, during, and after.  I've had a lot of bad experiences over the years, the recurring thing being that they can't ever seem to get me numb.  Not even for a filling or something routine.  So how in the world, I've always asked myself, would anyone ever get me numb enough to PULL a tooth with me awake and not have me jump out of the chair and run away screaming in agony??

Well, they did it.  I'm ashamed to say I made a fool of myself with the crying and all that mess, until about halfway through when I realized: I wasn't dying, I really could NOT feel any pain, and I just might survive.  (Then the crying dropped to a whimper...)

This might have actually been my first good dentist visit - and it was for the "horror" that I'd long feared.  Wisdom teeth/tooth out, no sedation...

Still...  NOT what I had planned for today...

I think I'll start my recovery with some Netflix and chill.

And cross-stitch.

Saddle Pads For Sale

Today I listed several new cross-stitched saddle pads for sale in my Etsy shop.  Many, if not all, of them have been featured here, a few are from my new Stitched In Japan series.

If you're in the market for a new saddle pad, go check them out!

Also, though I haven't officially announced it yet, I am available to make custom saddle pads.  Feel free to comment, message me on Facebook, or shoot me an e-mail if you would like to order one.

Out of the Woods

Painting horses doesn't come as easy to me as it used to.

Wait, perhaps I should rephrase that...

I think the actual act of painting comes (fairly) easy and I enjoy it - greatly - but it's the getting started that does not come easily anymore.  I really am my own worst enemy, in a lot of ways and for a lot of reasons.

Going way back to my very first attendance at a live show, I think I've had a tendency to work on custom horses for my show string at the last minute.  I remember doing just that on the eve of shows before my long "hobby hiatus".  Even upon returning to the scene, before my first comeback show, I finished some new horses.  I kept up the tradition, finishing up five horses in the motel room the night before my last show (before the big move).

With the move, I thought my live show days were over, or on hold- again.  However, I decided to do something possibly a little crazy and consider proxy showing - from Japan.  It should be no surprise that my initial cut of custom horses to send consisted of several unfinished and even unstarted horses.

After confirming with a friend that she would be willing to show for me, I spent about a week and a half beating myself up and procrastinating working on any horses, or even getting my entry together.

Then, the day before they HAD to be put in the mail or not go (thanks to our rapidly approaching Tokyo vacation), I finally sat down and painted three horses.

One of the three that I painted was an HA Misty Dawn resin.  This is a resin I'd fallen in love with many, many years ago, after seeing one that a friend had.  There was just something about her.  A few years or so ago I was randomly able to buy one.  She had then sat, prepped and primed, for all this time.  I could never decide what color to make her.  Then came crunch time.

She made the final cut to be sent to The Jennifer Show and I had to decide on a color.  Back in the day, one of my "signature" colors was black chestnut.  It was a color I enjoyed doing and I had sold every one that I'd done.  This little resin isn't going anywhere though and I thought maybe I should do a black chestnut for myself.  It would be the first time I'd tried to paint one that color in 12 years or more.  Could I still do it?

Sometimes there are moments when things just work.

I like to listen to music while I work, occasionally TV/movies, but mostly music.  Since we moved here, I've been doing a lot of YouTube playlists on my phone, since I can't get a good radio station here.

As I was putting the second coat of body color on the little resin, a Taylor Swift song came on.  It is called "Out of the Woods".  To the driving beat, I realized that this paint job was working.  It was already looking really good.  I was having fun.  I love doing this!

When all three horses were done, it was time to name them (that could be a post on it's own), but I realized that my little resin already had a name.

I added her to my horse list with the name: Out of the Woods.  I think her barn name should be "Taylor"...

Here is a quick picture that I took, before shipping her to Colorado.  Hopefully I'll be able to get better pictures after she comes back home.

------

There is a bit of a post script to this story.  Back when I was teetering on the idea of a return to the model horse hobby/world, I first heard "Shake It Off" - another Taylor Swift song.  Maybe it's odd, but the song, and video, became a bit of an anthem to me.  As far as the idea that you should do what you love - no matter if you are "good" at it, or people "approve", or not.  Sometimes it seems like it is cool to hate Taylor Swift and, I admit, I used to not be a fan, but I'm a convert.  I love how she was goofy and silly and just having fun in that video.  I enjoy her music and I now have two of her songs to thank for being bright spots in the darkness.  Thanks, Taylor.

One Toof

After getting my package of miniature tack-making awesomeness, I immediately set out to use something from it.

I've been most eagerly awaiting the "sharks teeth" charms.  So I decided to attach one of them.  I didn't order any itty bitty jump rings to use for attaching them, because I figured I could make my own.  I've got lots of fine wire and figured that would work perfectly.

Well.. it did, and I can certainly make my own rings, but maybe I should have ordered some anyway?

All I have to show so far is this:

One shark tooth, attached to the halter of my practice presentation set. Making my own ring was... doable, and I'm sure it'll get easier with repetition.

I think instead of making the rings one at a time though, I'm going to try and mass produce a bunch.  Maybe that will be easier.

Fun fact: Jeff knows how to make chainmail.  Here's one of his creations, hanging in our hallway.

He's always made his own rings and has told me how he mass produced them.  I'm going to try it, on a MUCH smaller scale.  I'll report my findings on if it works to make tiny rings, or not.  ;)

Or I could just place another order for jump rings.

We'll see.

Good Mail Day

I think it's always a good mail day when you get something with this logo on it.

Here's my order!

I've been on a quest for itty bitty round nose pliers, hoping those might do the job.  Also got my first ever tub of tacky wax.

And...  hardware!

A cat! ...

She was already here, but she was very interested in...

Leather!

I've often heard how kangaroo lace is THE stuff to use for miniature leather straps.  So I bought 1 yard of each size they had, in brown.  Since I have a variety of projects in mind, I thought this would be a good "sample pack".