Bunkhouse Designs Winner

Running horse necklace, um, here is one of our horses. Just shush. It connects in my mind. 

Thanks to all who participated in the Bunkhouse Designs give away. I was pumped to see so many new "likes" on their Facebook page, as I skulked through any friend, sister, whoever's account I possibly could. Sweet Marie, their jewellery sells itself. I knew once y'all had taken a gander, it would be a moment of knock me down, call me Susan & people would hit that like button. The loveliest of ladies are almost tempting me to open my very own Facebook account, anonymity may lose out. Bunkhouse Designs is giving away a leather & turquoise cuff away once they hit 300 likes. My dear wimmin folk, follow in UCS lead in ladies helping ladies and toss off a tweet, FB message, a hand written card, whatever, getting the word out there on how awesome their stuff is. You could win some arm bling. Yes and amen. 


Now, let's get down to business, shall we? 


Chosen through random.org, at it's most random, number eleven was selected, ROBINMOR (please envision this name being said with the best circus voice around.) Congratulations, come on down to collect your prize! Problemo is, with this not being a ring toss and me not being the carney, I can't see you face to face. Dear lady, you forgot to leave your e-mail address. If I have not heard from this sash wearing woman, I will draw again in a few days.  If you know who this is, or have information of her whereabouts, send her towards central Alberta. I will make sure she collects her running horse necklace. 


Thank you Bunkhouse Designs for letting me show off your swag! Now, repeat Bunkhouse Designs three times in a row and impress this name deep into your mind, 'cause this is your husband's get out jail free card. Feel free to print this post off and write down specific ordering directions on the bottom to give in a card for your husband. He will love me for it. You will love me for it. 


Now, go to bed, amigos! What do you think this is, some Friday night party? 

Just shush again, there is zero connection here. Folks, it's 10:30 at night and I'm headed out to vacuum out the truck, do you really think this is a blog of a sane person? I think you are the crazy one for reading this itty bitty little writing. 

Rustic Love-Barn Board Countertop

Can I get a fist pump for FTW rustic love? 'Cause I like to copy. 

Now, my lovely ladies, bear with me because I'm about to share the craziest bathroom on the face of the planet. Normally I wouldn't commence to sharin the loo online, but when you live hours away from your bestest ladies and wanna show off your barn board counter top-facts are, desperate times call for desperate measures.  It is seemingly desperate, because the full realization of me sitting here making collages of my bathroom. My bathroom that is about as home made as my momma's banana cookies. Miss Janz, you better appreciate this, because I might just lose readers over this. 

Yes, this is DIY at it's finest and at it's cheapest. Top right is a before photo, you can see the dark cupboards, shiny floral wallpaper and faux barn board panelling peeking out. 

Folks, I found it increasingly difficult to photograph this wild lil space, so your mind can fill in the gaps. Some people have storage area under their stairs, or the pin worthy playhouse. Up on this place I scrub my babies below the stairs. We have a tub hidden away under the wooden hill in this crib.

 The day came when the toilet seemed more like a rocking chair; I realized the sub floor was some rotten. Now, we do like to do things on the cheapy cheapy, so this is no gut the bathroom, throw in the fancy claw foot tub. Naw, it's a paint the cupboards, distress them up to make it look like they fit in this pad and slap on a planed down barn board counter top to add the right amount of country. 

These colors are not the norm for me.  I like dark, I like prim and I like a lil country. Fact of the matter is, this small space left me no choice but to paint over the tired out oak (Grandma, close your eyes) throw white bead board a good six feet high to hide the wonky walls, toss down el cheapo laminate from Lowes and call it a day. I first painted the cupboards the same light blue that I painted the top of the walls. After the cupboards were sprayed with a cream, I distressed it down to show through. At first I was pumped, and after the new hardware from Lee Valley was up, I was a little concerned it looked like my two year old had finished the job. 

This counter top cleans up right nice, and may not be for everyone, but it tones down the sea of white for me. Barn board stepping stool for the littlest paws in this house, too.

Whatever. This is a post on a outhouse in the house, it doesn't need to be intelligent, riiiiight?

Once my daddy planed down barn wood from an old barn on my Grandpa's land I properly tung oiled and then polyurethaned to help keep the water out-I used about five coats. My husband chopped a hole out of the center and plopped the sink down. Mercy Law, we even framed out the mirror in more planed down barn board. What's a farm house without a little barn on the inside? Check out the stepping stool Papa made Tay Tay too, yes m'am, a lil "reclaimed." 

Top right is the 'before' flooring after the toilet had be ripped out. A little paint went a long way. Notice the children's books atop of the toilet? Yes, there are young'un's around these parts. 

There are a few more things to be done, a sign to be painted to hang up. I am a wee bit afraid that if there is a sign about "real cowgirls don't bath, they just dust off" my Big Little will take it literally and buck near the tub. Unacceptable. There also needs to be a bit of hardware to hang a towel or two on, but this is all to come, dear ladies. If you know projects to be done with real Cheyenne style, it takes a lot of talkin and thinkin first...years later, project may or may not be complete. It's how I roll when there are babies hangin off my back while I'm painting. The fact is, my husband put down a new sub floor and all that rotten business was pulled out-yes and amen, this was all that mattered to me. 

Now that you all have been exposed to that nastiest places of my home, don't forget to enter the Bunkhouse Designs give away. You have until tomorrow at noon, when the lunch bell rings! Go check their web page out, and leave a comment about what you like-I know to my non blogging pals it all sounded so difficult. Time to  figure the 'puter, 'puter out---come on! Do you think the Bunkhouse women will be insulted if I include a photo of their stuff along with my toilet pictures? Ay yi yi!

Bunkhouse Designs swag. Head to previous post to enter give away for one of their necklaces! 

I am linking up here, here, here, here and here.

Bunkhouse Designs Give Away!

I can picture my sister's braid hanging out the side of our red truck- pulled over having a good look at some road kill. Yes m'am, this is one of my first tastes of Texas. To the girl's from the north, having never seen a possum before, we hollered at Dad to pull the truck and trailer over to have a good look at such a sight. I kid you not. I do believe there may have been people pulling over to look at us.

Handmade leather & turquoise cuffs, using recycled leather.

 When I think of Texas, I think of big hair, painted nails, and a whole lot of pride. I think of folks sweet as honey, a drawl made to match the state, and the world's first rodeo. I mentioned hauling a horse down to this blessed land, all the way from Alberta, that trip still holds near & dear to my heart.

Bunkhouse Designs-Mineral Wells, Texas

 Along with the King ranch, Houston Comets, and armadillo-I now think of gorgeous, wham bam, western glam gypsy jewellery. I'm pleased as punch to be able to show off some lovely pictures from Bunkhouse Designs out of Mineral Wells, Texas. Pattie & Liz pack a whole pile of western fab into their jewellery, hand crafted in the USA. I have long drooled over their cuffs and was pumped that these ladies wanted moi to give away one of their pieces.


 Alberta, dust off your hats and peruse their site. I know they would love to hear of some of their pieces walking the streets of Cowtown. With the Stampede fresh in mind, stock up on jewellery for your wardrobe and represent your rural Alberta roots!

Will you be the lucky lady?

 Ladies, this sterling silver running horse necklace was one of the original pieces they cast. It's awful purdy and valued at $150. Ta-Da--it is available for a lil giveaway! Let's show Bunkhouse Designs some Little Prairie Baby love!


 To enter: 


 1-Visit Bunkhouse Designs and let me know which is your favourite piece and where you would wear it. To my dear neighbour who would like to enter, but does not know how to leave a comment-please click on anonymous, write up your comment, sign your name sister and press publish-just leave me an e-mail address I can contact you at if you win. Good luck. Do not call me if you can't figure it out. Just kidding, just don't call after 9:00- I will disqualify your tail. 


 2-For a second entry, leave a new & separate entry, like their FB page & tell them Cheyenne with Little Prairie Baby sent you, leave another new entry in the comment section.


 3-Pin their necklace and label as a give away-leave a new entry through the comment section.


 4-Tweet/blog/fb about this give away-send off those messenger pigeons-another new entry when you pass the word along! Let me know here in the comment section when you do.


 Contest closes July 27th at noon peeps. Best of luck and don't judge me for not having my supper ready yet.

Shall we meet?

The tricky thing is with blogging, I thought I truly could just chatter away about my house, my kids, and keep most of my life hidden. I still think it's always up to you how much you share, with your neighbour, your friend, your mate, but I do know every time you do open up a bit, you have the opportunity to speak into someone else's life. Let people know they are not alone in what they are going through, and you are opening up the opportunity to have other's speak into your life. It can feel scary, that vulnerability, but it's where things can happen. Any time you share, you are susceptible to criticism, words that can be sharp, but we need to remember we need to open to heal, as well.

Yes, my mug is pleased to meet your eyes. Ignore the messy pony tail and the teeth grit, love my daughter, face, it's the first photo I grabbed from our recent holidays-or for you Americans-vacation. 

We recently took a roadtrip through the mountains deep into the warmth of British Columbia. My little girl, who has only known open skies and wide, emptied spaces, was quite distressed most of the trip. "How are we going to get out of the mountains? I can't see out! I don't like these mountains! Daddy, how are we going to get out of here?" The two year old mind doesn't grasp that her Daddy will drive her out, that it will only be a few days while we are visiting here. What is a few days to a two year old? I imagine that's what my pleas, quietly prayed during the dark, tears stream down my face putting my baby to sleep, are like. "Daddy, when will be out of here?" Really, there are no shortcuts in grief. We just need to remember there is so much to live for. We need to peer deep into those green eyes when they are tugging off of your shirt, "Mama, you not talkin'?" Remember there is so much to live for. When the towel is shoved in my face in the bathroom to hide my cries from the patters of feet outside, remember---there is so much to live for. Those babies are full of life. Amen?

Almost one!

Allow me to open my curtains a little further. It helps us to understand one another a little better by learning more about each other. Thank you for walking with me in this ol journey. 


1-When I was a little girl and allowed to pick out a treat at the grocery store, I always chose beef jerky. 


2-My children have filled my heart more than I could have ever fathomed. 

Wilder than ever, she's been roping her rocking horse, dragging it across the living room, dropping it onto it's side and branding it with my mix master attachment. What would happen if I had a boy?

3-I am in the evening years of my twenties. 


4-I drive a truck with car seats tucked into the back. When my big girl was starting to talk full sentences and a friend pulled up in his car, she asked, "What is that Mama? What is that baby truck? Aww, it's so cute! It's for babies!"


5-I could play catch for hours and wish I was on a baseball team at this crazy stage in life. 


6-I'm reading another Pearl Buck book; love her books.


7-I've started four different points and erased them. It's not that easy to open up. 


8-I don't want it to, but it drives me nuts when people say anyways, Safeways, or that they are driving on icies roads. Whaaaaa?


9-I've never ridden on a public bus in the city, just our big, old yellow school buses as a child. 


10-I get my haircut in a neighbour's basement, there may or may not be guns hanging on the wall down there. It only struck me the last time I was there how awesomely redneck the entire situation was. I love it.


11-I just got a phone I can text off of. Does bag phone mean anything to you? How many girl's from our high school packed those around driving those country roads. Jenny Keet, hmmm?


12-Our community is familiar to grief, hardships, and tragedy. It rejoices together, and mourns together. I do believe it's a unique place and often when other's from away peek in, they comment on the place we live. 


13-I think nothing looks finer than a brand new white pair of ankle length sports socks. The whiter, the sweeter.


14-I was born in a small hospital, where the Dr. didn't even make it for my arrival. I was the New Years baby, but born in the middle of the January.


15-I am wildly nervous meeting new people and would rather just stay home. 


Drop fifteen points about yourself on your blog and let me know you did, I would love to pop by and peruse. Introduce yourself if you haven't before, you don't even need a google account, just leave an anonymous comment and sign your name. 


Thanks for having coffee with me this morning, it feels good to do life with friends.