Day 36

Day 35

Day 34

Yes, here is our turkey! It turned out wonderfully, if I do say so my self. Told you this was the only way I've ever really enjoyed eating turkey!

Seriously, *pats self on back* I out did myself today. This morning I woke up and baked a pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and crescent rolls. I made the pie crusts on Monday, so they were waiting and ready in the fridge. But all my baked items turned out great! I was so happy- nothing flopped! The pumpkin and pecan pie recipes are definitely keepers- easy and yummy.

Then I put the turkey in to roast. Within an hour of it being in the oven, delicious, herby smells were taking over the house and I was so hungry. And that was a good 5 hours before we actually ate!

And did I mention I outdid myself? Yeah, besides the turkey, pies, and crescent rolls, I cooked and mashed potatoes, cooked sweet potatoes and green beans, made gravy from the the turkey juices, and made stuffing. All from scratch. Yeah. I did good today. Trust me, this is not a normal cooking/baking day for me. But that's fine. I'm happy that for once, everything turned out splendidly tasty and nothing really flopped. Yay, yay, yaaaaaaay!

And this is what that proud beautiful turkey was reduced to it. Carnage. A mere carcass. And lots of leftovers. Yippee!

Oh yeah, I was going to share that turkey rub recipe, wasn't I? Well here it is:

Cajun Turkey Rub

1/2 tsp. salt per pound

2 tbsp. black pepper

2 tbsp. sage

2 tsp. curry powder

2 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. dried parsley

2 tsp. celery seed

1 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. dry mustard

1/4 tsp. allspice

3-4 crumbled bay leaves

Combine spices. Rub bird well with oil. Make pockets in bird with a sharp knife and fill with ingredients. Cover whole bird with mix. Refrigerate 24 hours before roasting. Roast according to time and temperature directions on packaging. Or else google how long and hot hot you should roast a turkey that weighs that much. Oh, and roast it breast side down. This is a trick I learned from my Grandma and it really does work to keep the breast nice and moist.

See? Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. And did I mention how yummy?

Day 33

Yep, these are the stars of the show tonight. These are the various spices used in my favorite turkey rub recipe.

I thought I would try something a little different for today and tomorrow. Yes, we already had one turkey dinner that I had nothing to do with said production. But since I love (love) Thanksgiving leftovers, I'm making our own Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow evening. We may have some other friends over, we may not. Regardless, we'll have some glorious leftovers. I purchased a 15.36 lb. turkey today and it is now resting in the fridge, having been massaged with Cajun Turkey Rub. So these are the spices, plus salt and pepper, that are used in the rub. Tomorrow I'll do a picture of the roasted turkey. We'll see how it turns out- this is the very first turkey I've ever roasted all by myself.

But back to the point- the recipe. You see, I have to confess, I am not a fan of turkey. Never have been. At least, not unless it's been roasted with this rub. A turkey done following this recipe is the only turkey I have ever liked. Period. I know, how very unAmerican of me to admit to disliking turkey. Side note: The turkey, had Ben Franklin had his way, would have become our national bird. Not sure why it lost out to the bald eagle, but it did. Can you imagine how different our Thanksgiving dinners would be today if it had been the other way around? We probably wouldn't be eating turkey, that's for sure. Who knows- we may have been eating bald eagle.

So yeah, this is pretty much the best turkey ever. I'll post the recipe and some tips handed down to me by my Grandma tomorrow when I post the photo of the end result.

Anyone else out there who is not particularly fond of turkey? Is there any way of preparing it that makes it palatable to you? If there isn't, definitely bookmark this recipe for next year!

Day 32

Mmmmm! Stuffing, my absolute favorite part of the traditional Thanksgiving meal, particularly when doused in gravy and sided by mashed potatoes. Yummmmy! I didn't get enough of it yesterday, so I am going to have to make my own one of these days. Preferably at the same time I roast my discount turkey that I hope to get today. And then we shall have that most wonderful blessing- Thanksgiving leftovers!

Hubby, Baby G, and I had a splendid Thanksgiving celebration at the home of friends about an hour and a half's drive from our house. Lots of laughter, sarcasm, good food, and fun games. Such a good reminder that we have so much to be grateful for! Thank-you Father!

So, a belated Happy Thanksgiving to you my loyal readers! Hope it was a wonderful day for you as well!

Day 31

In case you couldn't figure it out, that's my laundry drying in one of those wonderfully huge laundromat dryers. I'm not too fond of having to pack up our dirty clothes and haul them out to the truck every time I want to wash them, but those lovely big dryers that you can put 447 loads of wet laundry in at once make it almost worth it.

Almost.

Day 30

Yes, I know this picture sucks. Believe me, I know! Yesterday was just one of those days. You know what I mean? Well even if you do and even is it was, there really is no excuse for this. I'm sorry. I just could not summon the creative mojo come up with anything to shoot. So I sat around, stewing for ideas, and ended up just subjecting my dinner to a hasty photo shoot. A photo shoot which did not yield very good results because I was tired and my mind was elsewhere. Again, I'm sorry. I'll do penance today by shooting anything and everything that moves. Well, maybe not quite, but I promise to do better anyways.

By the way, even though my creativity in the photography realm was not up to parr yesterday, my cooking was. Actually, no, this was just an insanely easy recipe that turned out oh so good. You can find it here, on PW's Tasty Kitchen site. Lots and lots of yummy recipes there- many of them with amazing food pictures to accompany them. Head on over there is you can't figure out what to make for supper. Or lunch. Or breakfast. Hey, if I can't give you a great photo, at least I can help you out with some great food ideas! Right?

Day 29

This is not a pile of wheat as it may look like from here. No, it's dry corn. Ground dry corn, to be exact. I was, of course, out at the farm with my hubby this afternoon.

The sun was setting, a brisk breeze was blowing, there was the scent of John Deere tractor exhaust, and corn dust in the air. And that brisk breeze was freezing. But it was wonderful! In that kind of setting, I feel so very, very alive. And. I. love. it. No other way to explain it. I guess the need for the rawness of nature and the love for almost anything farming-related is something God hardwired into me. Because, whatever I do, there's not much I can do to squelch it. That's just what I love and who I am.

Although, I'm not too sure my hands are very fond of the freezing part. I am now unofficially on the lookout for a pair of leather driving gloves so I can continue to shoot through the winter. Or, dare I hope? Is there any chance there's such a thing as photographer's gloves? Or maybe I should go for a pair of gangster fingerless gloves? Whatever I find, they must have two functions: a) to keep my hands warm (duh!) and b) allow my fingers enough sensitivity to feel and and operate my camera controls. And no, I don't think my snowmobile gloves will fit the bill. Too bad for cheap me.

Day 28

This may be a little more abstract and impressionistic than my shots usually are, but I thought it was kinda cool. It's a climbing structure at the park down the street. Hubby and I just took Baby G on a nice little walk down there to swing on the swings. Perfectly wonderful thing to do on a lazy, sunshiney Sunday afternoon.

Day 27

This is part of supper tonight. Chili is the other part. This meal is something I grew up with. We ate a lot of chili and cornbread throughout the winter. Probably because it's relatively cheap to make, especially if you buy the beans for the chili dry, instead of canned. Ditto with cornbread. Good, cheap, nourishing food that's not packed full of chemicals and preservatives.

But I'm gonna go and eat my supper now, thank-you very much!

Day 26

Ok, I know today's picture is perhaps only one a mother could love, but it is what it is. Part of the reason I love it is because of what was going on while I was taking the shots.

Actually, let me back up. I just finished crocheting this cute little newsboy cap. This one is just a practice run before I start on the little chocolate ones I'm making for my nieces for Christmas. Just to make sure I know all the stitches and everything. Seriously, do you really think I'd make a yellow hat for my little boy to wear?

So I finished this afternoon and needed a little head to try it out on. Gabe's cousins are 2 and 4 months younger than him, so I figured his head size would be close enough. Obviously, it's a little big. But that's ok- I'll use the right weight yarn and size crochet hook when I start on the real thing.

First I laughed because of how funny he looked. He couldn't quite figure out the whole hat thing and was making goofy faces.

Then I went back into the kitchen to work on supper.

And this is what I came back to! You had to be there, but I laughed until I cried. I'm guessing he could kinda see through the holes because he kept looking around and nosed up for a kiss. But seriously, as unfunny it might look here, it really was too stinkin' cute- little turkey!

So thats my shot for the day. Actually, shots.

Day 25

25! I can hardly believe I'm already to day #25 of this 50 day challenge! So, in honor of this halfway mark, I did a special '25' shot today. I think it turned out ok. As ok as a photo shoot with a sewing measuring tape can turn out, lol.

Did ya'll think I would get this far? I really wasn't sure. I'm notorious for starting into new and exciting things with reckless abandon and before I'm even halfway finished, I let it fall by the wayside, looking for something else new and exciting to start on. I love starting things- it's the finishing part where I have trouble. So yeah, I'm very glad to see that I can accomplish something at least halfway. Now I'm determined to go on and finish the other half!

Day 24

Yep, it's laundry again. But I just couldn't resist the way the sunshine was reflecting and glowing off the lovely whiteish diapers. And honestly, a line full of freshly washed diapers is one of the simple pleasures of life that I live for. Weird, I know, but it doesn't get much more satisfying than that.

Day 23

Ok, I kinda promised myself that I wouldn't post any Christmasey pictures until after Thanksgiving, but, yeah... I rounded a corner at the store last evening and this is what I saw. And I couldn't help myself. The colors. The pictures. The boxes. Yeah, kinda like I have a thing for olive oil and glass jars (glass of any kind, actually), I have this thing for pretty boxes. I love these boxes! And even though I love wrapping gifts and opening wrapped gifts, packaging a gift in one of these boxes would also be super fun! I'm actually thinking about buying a few, just for decorational purposes. I don't have very many Christmas decorations (mostly because I don't allow myself to spend the money on nice ones) and these are cheap and could be used any way, anywhere, so they just might fit the bill. Plus, they're pretty, colorful, Christmas boxes- what's not to like?

Day 22

Day 21

Ugh! Am totally not feeling a post today, so check back later.

*Edit* This afternoon, on our way home from church (65 miles away), we decided to go check out a back road and signs that pointed towards a reservoir/dam/lake. We never found the reservoir, but we did discover some North Dakota landscape that we really hadn't got much of a chance to see yet. It was basically badlands and it was incredible! In the middle of all this prairie, we went off the beaten track and found a whole different set of scenic views- bluffs, ravines, draws, brush, ponderosa pines. It was pretty cool. And beings we drove about 15 miles off the main road on a windy, sometimes-almost-two-track, gravel road, it really felt like we were "out there". We crossed over 6 cattle grates (yes, we counted), drove through multiple cattle pastures, and saw 3 places of human inhabitance. It was great! And so beautiful!

And that, of course, is where I got this shot. In black and white it looks like it was taken 100 years ago. And, other than the fence line and the two-track going through the foreground, I doubt this land has changed too much since then.

This. This is what I love about the West. Or western midwest, depending on who you are. Wide open. Much unchanged. Lonely. Probably the same reasons a lot of people love the West. I'm just very thankful that not everyone who loves the West has moved out here. I mean, what point would there be? It wouldn't be the West anymore. Or, at least, it would lack a lot of what we love.

And without those things- without the wide openness, the raw naturalness, the loneliness- would it really be the West anymore?

Day 20

It is 11:58 p.m. and I will add a real post tomorrow. Good night!

*Edit* This shot is from our weekly Monopoly game that we play on Saturday nights. Pardon me, Monopoly City. If you haven't played it, it's basically the same as the old Monopoly, just with some added details. And a little beeper thing that is totally unneeded.

Of course, I didn't win. I think, with my 5 little properties, 2 of which were mortgaged, and practically no money by the time we decided to wrap it, yeah, I was the loser. But next time. Next time...

Have any of you ever played one of those games of Monopoly that lasts for days? I think that would be fun. I've never played a real, full, complete game of Monopoly so I've always wondered if I could have, perhaps, pulled myself out of the hole and won the thing. I've never come out on top at Monopoly either, by the way.

But next week... next week! Yeah, I'm gonna be the one raking in millions in rent and making everyone else go to the bank to mortgage their properties. Have I mentioned that I'm the banker every single time? Yeah, maybe that has something to do with my lack of Monopoly victory.

But probably not.

Day 19

Yup, already been out and about this morning! At approximately 7:30 this morning, Hubby called and told me to get out of bed and take a drive while the light was still good. So that's what I did. We had some snow last night and the prairie was perfectly ethereal and lovely. Snow just makes everything look different, ya know? It adds a sense of mystery, silence, enchantment- you get the picture.

Plus, I'm not afraid to go poking around in tall weeds and ditches because I know that now that there's snow on the ground, it has to be too cold for any rattlesnakes to be out. I'm pretty much deathly afraid of rattlesnakes- actually, all snakes in general make me shriek and pull my feet off the floor. Even plastic ones. Even movies with snakes. Even a picture of a snake will give me the urge to shriek. Yeah, me and snakes? No bueno.

So I found this old farmstead this morning. Actually, I've seen it before, but I guess I never really saw it before. I would've gotten closer, but there was a 'No Trespassing' sign and a gate. Actually, now that I think about it, it may have just been a 'No Hunting' sign, but I wasn't gonna take the chance.

I love, love, love old farmhouses. If I could find an old farmhouse that isn't too far gone, I would totally buy it and fix it up. If we had the money. And if I really liked remodeling. I've been there, done that, and no, I don't like remodeling.

But back to the subject at hand. So often I wish those places could talk. Could tell me of the things they've seen. About the people who lived in them. What those people dreamed of doing. About their families. So much history that I will never know. It just intrigues me. A lot. I guess that's why I like shooting places like this. I want to preserve them, if only an image, before they fall apart any further.

Day 18

Now I know this may not be the most technically good long exposure shot ever taken. In fact, it's not the most technically good photo I've posted thus far on this blog. But, I like it. I think it's cool.

I was experimenting with slow shutter speeds tonight. And freezing my hands off in the process. I was really wishing for my tripod (which I forgot at my parents, after my sister's wedding), but did what I could with a cardboard box. Long exposure is fun! I think part of my fascination with it comes from not knowing exactly what the picture's going to include. Well, you might if you're taking the shot out in nature, on a still night. Or if you're really good. But streets? Yeah, it's entertaining to see how many light streaks show up.

I aimed my camera towards the "down" section in my little town. Meaning, downtown. Probably the part of town with the most big streetlights. And all the light streaks? It was rush hour- somewhere between 5:00 and 5:30 p.m.

I'm going to be real profound and name this shot 'Life In A Northern Town (Ayaahyaaahyaayaahyaayayahyah!)'.

Day 17

I know what you're thinking. Seriously, Gina, can you get any more boring? Hehe, actually yes, I can. But while this may seem so bland (I mean, where is the color?), I just couldn't those lines out of my head. Yep, lines. That's what this is all about.

This was taken at my local, small-town US Post Office. Yeah, today, because, uh, it is a federal holiday and there was no one there to gawk at me, and potentially raise a security flap. Well, the section where all the PO boxes are located was open, but no one was there as there was no mail to pick up. Yeah, I know I'm clever.

But this picture makes lobby look so much bigger than it is. Trust me, it's not as big as it looks. That's just an optical illusion.

Happy Veteran's Day!

Day 16

Here's today's photo for you guys! I was going to work on some night photography today, but on my trip out to the farm this evening, well, um, my battery died. So I guess you'll have to be content with this sunset.

*Edit* I had a whole blog post written up in my head to accompany this image but while I was posting last night, I simply drew a blank.

I was gonna write something about how I've been shooting completely in 'Manuel' mode. And it's an awesome feeling! When I first got my D80, I thought there was no way I would ever learn how to use all the settings. And I still don't know how to put all the great things in my camera to work. But the fact that I can actually shoot fully manual and know what I'm doing? That's totally, like, cool! Excuse me for sounding like a teenager. Being a teen actually wasn't that long ago for me, so you'll have to excuse me.

First I stayed in 'Auto' mode. Then I began to wander over into 'Aperture' land because I have this thing for awesome bokeh. But the high ISO (grainy pictures) started to rear it's ugly head, so I had to learn about that. And recently I've been working on shutter speed. So where does that leave me? Entirely manual, thank-you very much! And it case it sounds like I'm patting myself on the back- I am. Pure and simple. But seriously, this is such a huge step for me. Something I never thought I'd accomplish! But then, once you've managed to birth a baby, everything else is peachy easy.

And about my battery dying? Yeah, I know, "Bad photographer!" But I have always been told that letting the battery, in anything, go completely dead is better, even if you only do that once in a while, than plugging it in while it still has a small charge. So there. I did it for my camera.

And I forgot.

Day 15

Let me introduce you to Major Sweetness and a couple of the troops from his Honey Bear Army. At the moment, this army is billeted on a shelf in one of my kitchen cabinets. Cute, don't you think?

We were recently blessed to receive a bunch of raw honey from Hubby's farmer bosses. For free. And yes, "bunch" is an actual form of measurement. Hubby loves a cup of hot tea in the morning, especially when he has honey to sweeten it. He is definitely not a coffee man, but he could be an Englishman with his love of good tea. And I, having a streak of health nut in me, am so glad he has honey to use, rather than white sugar. No sugar is healthiest of all, but using honey over refined sugar is also so much better for a body.

And I use it in a lot of baking as well. Particularly my bread. Wonderful, wonderful.

Look at that golden sticky stuff! Clear. Raw. Unrefined. Yeah, now that's the good stuff.

Day 14

Our park trip today- gettin' our vitamin D in!

Day 13

So sorry I didn't get my photo posted yesterday. My hubby only had to work a half day yesterday so I hung out with him all afternoon, rather than my MacBook. And then in the evening we were invited to our South African friends' place to play Monopoly. Oh, and to treat a foot which had just had a 4-inch nail pulled out of it. Yeah, that wasn't so pleasant, poor guy. Woulda maybe sent him to the ER, but he had a tetanus shot 3 months ago, so really what more could they really do?

And then we played Monopoly. Actually, it wasn't even standard Monopoly- it was Monopoly City. A lot like the old standard Monopoly but with some definite twists. And it involved batteries. What is it with all these old board and card games coming out with new, battery-operated versions? Seriously, I liked the old versions just fine-WITHOUT the beeping and blinking and whatever else. Wow! I just totally sounded like an old person there- scary! And I promise- I promise to you on my D80- that I am not that old! I'm not even approaching middle age! Just call me old-fashioned.

Anyways, so I am known as the Super.... well, um, mean, nasty female dog of Monopoly. Simply because I financially ruined my husband. In the game that it- not real life. I hope. But there is a difference people! A huge difference between Monopoly and real life. I just happen to very shrewd when it comes to Monopoly. No rent-forgiving just because you happen to be married to me. He still loves me, thank goodness. He even warmed up my side of the bed last night before I came to bed! *hugs and kisses* Love him!

I suppose I should add a note about the actual picture in this post, rather than just blogging about my Monopoly stardom.

It has been so beautiful all week here. I'm pretty sure this classifies as Indian Summer. Temps in the 50s and 60s. Lovely sunshine. Yesterday was no exception. I took hubby's lunch out to the farm (because he fordot it) and had to try to shoot the sky. The clouds were calling my name. The blueness contrasted against the white cottoney texture were just begging for me to try to capture their serenity and grandeur. Don't we serve an awesome Lord who created these things? All creation praises His name and I just want to join in!

But, you know what? It's another amazing day out there and I'm going to take Baby G to the park. It is the Sabbath after all. I would love to be in church, but with the hubs working and our chosen place of worship an hour's drive away, it just didn't happen today. So I'm gonna take G and my camera out and enjoy the weather. Then maybe we'll come home to G's Bible story book. And, maybe, by then hubby will be almost done working! Ok, nevermind. They're working cattle so I dream on...

Day 12

At the moment, I'm kneading a batch of french bread dough, listening to 'The Prince Of Egypt' soundtrack. Well, my trusty Bosch is actually kneading the bread dough. I'm lazy that way. And please don't laugh at my music. That insults me deeply. Pffffffft. Don't worry- I'm a huge fan of odd music genres and am used to the scorn. One of the reasons I love the iTunes DJ- I can't stand to listen to too much of the same thing at once. My 'Prince Of Egypt' song is over and now I'm 'Tubthumping.'

So yeah, I know I'm in a rut with my pictures here. It seems every day, or ever other day, at least, my 50/50/50 image highlights my love of lines and how they draw the eye. And they always lead to the left of the shot. Need to work on that. Well, with the tomatoes here, I had to shoot it from that angle because of the way the light was falling. But yeah. Will work on that. Tomorrow. Or maybe the next day.

Day 11

It was an absolutely gorgeous day outside today! Full sunshine with temps on the 60 degree range. While I'm definitely a huge fan of cold weather and rain/snow, I can enjoy a temperate day and sunshine as well. Especially at this time of year in North Dakota!

So Baby G and I went out to enjoy sun for a little while. And we took his Curious George jack-in-the-box along with us. George needed some sun too.

I absolutely adore this shot. G hasn't figured out how to turn the handle and get George to pop out by himself yet, but he loves it when I help him. He is surprised every time George jumps up at him. His unbridled delight is just too much fun! I love it! This is what makes being a mom fun! I'm particularly blessed to be able to be a SAHM (stay-at-home-mom) so I get to have a lot more of these moments with my son.

Of course, he's crawling at quite a rapid clip by now and having to watch him every single minute and go running after him every time he heads for something he shouldn't (like electrical cords) and that parts not always so enjoyable. But, ya know, I'm gonna miss this, so I better enjoy him and this stage. But, just between you and me, I sometimes wish a had a tether of some sort. Or a huge play pen. Something to keep him in one place for 5 minutes. To keep him from climbing the bookshelves while I go to the bathroom. Alas, we still have his ExcerSaucer that I can put him in- he's happy in that for approximately 10 minutes. Or however long it takes for him to throw all of his toys and Cheerios down.

But anyways, yes, I love my Baby G. I love his giggles, his chatter. The way he flirts with his eyes at the grocery store ladies who make a fuss over him and talk to him. I love it when he wants to cuddle- which isn't often because the only time he's not constantly in motion is when he's asleep. All boy, that one!

Thank God for little boys! Gotta love 'em!

Day 10

Today I ventured to take my camera along to the grocery store. And that's kind of a big thing. See, I have this problem. I am SO uncomfortable taking random pictures in public where other people can stand and gawk. And with the kinds of things I shoot, do you blame them? I mean seriously, yesterday it was my drying laundry (is that equivalent of listening to the corn grow?) and today it was olive oil. Granted, the shelf with the olive oil is pretty much favorite, visual-wise, in the entire store. But to take a picture? Yeah, that borders on slightly insane, in need of an asylum. And why would I want other people, especially people I don't know (people who DO know me already know the sad truth) and who live in this small town that I just moved to and am hoping to make a good impression on, to think bad/weird things of me? Yes, I know that was a grammatically bad sentence, but it was the only way I knew to say it.

And yes, the olive oil shelf IS my favorite in the whole store. Except maybe the fancy cheese section. Oh wait, my grocery store doesn't HAVE a fancy cheese. Well, if it would, THAT might be my favorite section. Might.

There's just something about those beautiful glass jars with that gorgeous golden olive oil. It's just so, for lack of a better word, purty. Inspiring. Timeless. Universal. Greasy. Well, it's greasy in a better, healthier way. Honestly, I think I could subsist on the basic, ancient foods of humanity. Wine in glass bottles. Crusty, whole-grain, artisan breads. Wheels of cheese. Freshly-pressed olive oil. All variety of fruits and veggies, herbs and spices. Raw honey, straight out of the comb. Of course, there would have to be some red meat in there somewhere, but eating cows is definitely not a new idea, so that fits in the ancient category too. And to top it all off: fresh, raw, whole milk. Yup, if I could afford it (and had someone to do my cooking), that's what I'd live on. Classic food. That's what I think of every time I see a jar of olive oil.

I know. I'm weird. Or maybe I'm just a sucker for glass bottles. But that is a whole different subject.

Day 9

This is it for today, folks. Yup, this is all. I'm sorry for the relatively boring shot, but I was running extremely low on creative juice all day. Definitely not my best work, but hey, I guess it's my shot for day #9! I'll be checking out some photography blogs tonight, looking for some inspiration for tomorrow. No, I don't want to find something to copycat, but inspiration is just that to me- an idea that acts as a springboard for other ideas, something I can put my own spin on.

So for now, I hope you enjoy this shot of my laundry. Actually, it's not even my laundry. It's my husband's. His work laundry no less. Guess that shows what I think of you! Ok, really, not.

Day 8

Yup, got some brand love here! I'm a Carhartt and jeans kind of girl. Sure, Carhartts run a little (or a lot, depending on your point of view) on the pricey side, but you won't find anything that puts up with as much wear and tear as long as they do.

I was totally (still am) psyched when I heard that they were starting up an outerwear line exclusively for women. You see, I have been blessed with the classic pear shape and, to get anything in the men's line that actually fit around my hips, I had to go for these HUGE things that were gigantic in the shoulders. So yeah, I was very happy to find that Carhartt's women's line has vastly improved on this dilemma. Actually, I must confess, this is the first year I've invested in a Carhartt coat simply because they fit much better- in years past, I refrained from purchasing a men's coat because I hated the fit.

And just to make this clear: Carhartt has never heard of me. And they're definitely not paying me to write up a glowing review for them. It's just that I like them THAT much.

Seriously, what kind of farm chick would I be if I didn't like Carhartt? Especially since my husband is a Carhartt-wearing man and, um, the Carhartts just amp up the sexy factor that much more. *drool* They have to rank right up there in the sex appeal column beside The Pioneer Woman's Wranglers and chaps.* Yup, umhmmmmm!

*No, I don't mean PW's actual Wranglers and chaps. I'm referring to her photos of Wranglers and chaps.

Day 7

Here's today's shot. Love the light that was going on!