An Amazing Weekend!!!!

I just had one of the THE most amazing weekends EVER!!!!

I mentioned in my post last week about winning a treasury challenge...so I had to choose an item from my etsy shop as the inspiration item for everyone to use in this week's challenge treasuries. 

And I chose....(drum roll)...

Beach Cottage Lap Blanket -- Aqua/Turquoise, Cream, Driftwood, Stone colors in Organic Cotton -- Crochet All Season Afghan

I had to judge all the treasuries, chose my fav for the winner and include at least 5 honorable mentions by 6pm Saturday night, with a write up sent in by 6pm Sunday night.  I can't show them here until after tomorrow, so watch for them at the end of this week.

Now I enjoyed every minute of it, but....we left early Thursday morning for our NBHA (National Barrel Horse Association) Ohio State Finals.   It was a 2 1/2 hour drive , then had to get three horses settled in their stalls, then ready to exersize and exhibition...as soon as I finished with that and put my horse away, I had to go back and work the exhibition from 2pm-10pm (I did get to take a dinner break)...then worked it again Friday morning from 7am-11am.  The open class started at noon and I was the 38th draw to run.  So it was rush, rush, rush....and in between, I was booting up the puter to look through the challenge treasuries....I really had a blast!!!

Which brings me to the 2nd best thing that made my weekend awe-some...
In the finals, you get two runs to make it into the final on Sunday... in years past I never made it in on the first run...but I did this year...my horse finished 15th out of 330!

Then in the final on Sunday, we finished with the title of NBHA Ohio State Open 2D Reserve Champion.....(lots of whooping and hollering going on here).

Here's the vid of my winning run...it's not perfect...I let him drift out coming up the alley, then I didn't help him close the 2nd barrel, completely forgot to get both hands on the reins heading for the 3rd....so I've still got a lot of improvements I need to work on.

This is such a huge, mega, stupendous accomplishment for all the years of work "Red" (TNT Red Money) and I have been doing, not to mention all the training my hubby did on him before I stole him.  And when I broke my foot and ankle last year, my daughter kept him going the whole season.

I hope everyone in blogland had an amazing weekend as well...and here's one last pic for you to enjoy (I simply fell in love with it, it's so appropriate for the holiday weekend).

What's on my hook....Beach Cottage Chic

My puter woes continue, it has taken me almost 2 hours just to upload the following 2 pics!!! I really don't think it's my new puter, so that leaves my internet service (satellite), could be the weather, have I mentioned how badly I want dsl????

So finally, here are the pics....it's a work in progress, developing into a large lap afghan and I am in loveeeeee with the colors and how it's turning out. I wanted to design a light-weight blanket that would be right at home in a beach house/cottage, and I really think I've nailed it.

I'm crocheting it using a light-weight organic cotton yarn in colors you would find on the beach; aqua, driftwood, stone and clouds. I think making large horizontal stripes is giving it a very contempory look (I'll be sure to post pics of the finished blanket when it's ready). I can already picture it layed over the arm of a wicker chair in someone's beach cottage...or over the back of a cream color plush couch in an elegant beach house. Maybe even just dropped on a chaise lounge on a deck over looking the ocean, could be a lake....

The best attributes of making it out of cotton is that it will be machine washable AND the softness that only get softer with age. Don't you just love the softness of an old, used quilt? I sure do, the more you use it and wash it, the softer it will get, but you get that softness much sooner with a yarn as opposed to fabric.

I'm using the same pattern for this one as I used on my Nature's Gradation Lap Afghan/Blanket only bigger. AND on my new one, I am using two different colors together between the solid stipes to make the transitions between the stipes a bit softer. Let me know what you think so far....also this post has been linked to a few parties...go check them out!