Real Fast - a bit of a downer..

Real fast.....

I've been in pain almost constantly for the last two weeks or so.   It has been due to hormones and "female" issues and now, it's due to not being able to take Advil until after my surgery on Jan 9th.  I know that I can take tylenol but seriously, tylenol is not an anti-inflammatory and does nothing to alleviate the pain.  My shoulders, head and back are constantly sore...  In the morning I'm so stiff I can barely move.  I really can't wait until this is all over.

I've been walking again for the last two weeks because I'm hoping that'll help.  IT does, temporarily..

I've been working on a lot of photos that you can check out on my flickr page or my facebook page to see some of them.

The saddle is going slowly.  I'm so so tired.  Hard to sleep when I'm in pain a lot.. 

Hope that everyone has a great new year!!!

Absence... sorry!

My apologies to you guys for being so quiet and absent.  I have been so busy with work and with life that I have spent precious little time in the studio.  You may have seen some facebook posts where I'm working on the shoulders of the Western pleasure saddle - but thats about all I've been doing.

My Mom has moved into a facilitiy that helps folks of her age and condition and that's been a great relief to our family. 

RJ celebrated another birthday and is growing up into a smart, inquisitive boy.  He is also bristling under public school rules, like I did.  We (RJ and I) have this fabulous "Talent" of being so focused on what we're doing that we hear nothing else.  Teachers don't like this "super power" of ours - it appears disrespectful.. But we are just focused on the task at hand.  I'll have to figure something out for him.  I do not have the patience for home schooling, so maybe some other kind of schooling is called for.

What I have been doing a lot of, so that I fill my artistic soul, is working on whittling down the 3k worth of photos that I took at the Arabian Celebration and the 2013 Akhal Teke Weekend a couple of months ago.

You can see them on my Flickr page or my facebook photography page:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/desertnightcreations/

https://www.facebook.com/abounaderphoto

My health has also been wonky.  Without going into too much gory detail, it's the usual problems that happens to a woman of my age and hormone levels. (Not menopause though thank gawd).  Just some weird things that my body is doing that has sent my mood and my brain into orbit and makes me think that I might just really be going crazy.  All at a time when I need my wits about me and my mind to be as agile as it has ever been!  Very frustrating..

So please forgive my quietness.  You can always write me at:  tackmaker at gmail.com or tackmaker at desertnightcreations.com.

I hope that you all have a really wonderful Holiday season and a fantastic new year!!!=

Akhal Teke Guest Breed Weekend at the KHP 2013

Yesterday I was able to get to the Kentucky Horse park early enough to get a few good photos of the Akhal Tekes that came to visit from all over the United States. (TX, WA and IN).  They were filming a "Horse Flicks" special on endangered Breeds.  I had been following the idea on the Akhal Teke Yahoo group so I was looking forward to this Saturday for some time!

I have watched the Akhal Teke Episode that was filmed in 2006 and funny enough, I appear in the video while petting the stallion Pieter. (Totally embarrassed when I saw it! LOL!)

The Tekes this year didn't disappoint!  Even better, the sun was out so their coats lit up with that legendary sheen!

I only remember a few of the horse's names because I was so excited about being there. (Even dropped and broke my favorite canon lens due to being so excited)

There will be a lot more photos up on my website www.abounaderphoto.com after I get through them all.  Above are just a few that I was able to tweak and get up really quickly..

Just in case I haven't shared this yet, I am on several forms of social media:

http://www.facebook.com/desertnightcreations   tack
http://www.facebook.com/abounaderphoto   photography
http://www.twitter.com/heathermoreton misc whatever
http://www.flickr.com/photos/desertnightcreations/   


So come join me in those places :)

Soooo Soorrryyyy!!!!

So sorry that this blog has suffered!  I've been exceptionally busy and I apologize for that.  I have gotten a raise and a promotion at work which comes with more responsibility and work.

Every weekend for the past month I've been swamped with either work or a horse show..  and I am still playing pool on sundays.  I'm more busy than I've ever been in my life and I have no idea when it'll calm down!!!

Precious little time has been spent in the studio...  Just working with my GRS block and my dremel graver, which I hate.  My hand hates it too.  I'm hoping that I can find a better engraving solution than the ones that I'm presented right now.

And I'm tired.  I'm deep down tired... so I haven't posted a lot. 

The Photos above are from the Arabian Celebrationi a couple of weeks ago.  I took about 3k photos but I haven't gone through them yet.

I hope things are good in your neck of the woods!!

Digging through the refrence files...

Like Most miniature tackmakers, I have a metric ton of reference.  For just about every discipline and from every corner of the world.  I love tack. I always think that I will some day use all of this reference...

I'm tired today and I have been most of this week, so I'm taking the easy way out by just posting photos.  (Most of these phots are NOT MINE and I'd be happy to take any down that folks wouldn't want me sharing.)

enjoy the fun! :0)

The word Busy doesn't even begin to cover what I've been..

In July, right before Breyerfest, my company "re-org'd" the IT (Information Technology) Department.  I was placed on the Corporate Infrastructure which I've thoroughly enjoyed.  It has been very challenging, which is nice, but it's made me exceedingly busy.  Like when I used to work at Charter 11 years ago busy..  Just about every hour of the past few weeks has been devoted to working.  I think though that now I'm on the other side of that and I can get some more "heather" time and time in the studio.

The bad part of all of that busy is that I'm stressed and I'm having a hard time concentrating and focusing on one thing.  All of that multi-tasking has made me sort of scattered.

Today though, I spent 5 hours updating my crusty notupdatedin5years website.  Just about every page got a new photo or two and I added a category for parade saddles. http://www.desertnightcreations.com/halters.html

I also made it to the Shelbyville Horse Show and above are a few photos from the event.   I should've brought the hood that belongs on the lens but some turned out ok anyway.

I'll be at the Worlds Championship Horse Show Next Saturday and will post photos from that show as well.

I bought an Engravers Vice after breyerfest and I have been slowly trying to learn how to actually, authentically, engrave.  It's harder than I ever imagined.. I can't even begin to tell you..  I'm terrible at it. T E R R I B L E.. but I hope someday to get better..

Here's to hoping you have a great weekend!