Unofficial Beginning of Summer

Memorial Day in addition to being a time to honor our heros and loved ones lost, it is also the unofficial kick off to summer. It's time to get out the bar-b-ques, grill some beef or chicken or fish if you must. Add a couple great salads and some refreshing drinks and you have yourself a great outdoor meal.

I had the opportunity to visit our Cowboy Shop in Carmel, we stopped in Paso Robles and ate at this awesome deli. They had the yummiest potato salad, it wasn't like the traditional potato salad I make. Here is a recipe that is quite similar for you to try for your Memorial Day cook out.


3 lbs new red potatoes
1 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup sour cream
2 Tablespoons dried dill weed
4 green onions, chopped
salt & ground black pepper to taste

Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then turn heat to medium-low and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool in an ice water bath until cold, about 5 minutes. Leaving skins on cut into bite-sized pieces, and place in a large mixing bowl.

Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, dill weed & green onions in a bowl and stir until blended. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Pour mayo mixture over potatoes and toss coat evenly. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.

I found this great recipe on allrecipes.com, in fact I find a lot of my best recipes on this site :)

What to Wear Wednesday

These fun t-shirts came in this week from Rock & Roll Cowgirl.

The bold pop of color on the black & grey zebra as well as the plain black t-shirts really make a statement. Both shirts feature coordinating rhinestone accents giving them a little sparkle.

Blog Inspiration

I've been stumped as to what to blog about this week. I have a nifty little list of all my blog dates along with the theme of the day or an idea for the day and there are a few days that I come up blank. I try to blog ahead in my spare time, just in case :), but somedays I find myself with a huge dose of writers block.

When that happens, I look to other blogs for inspiration. Sometimes I find a post or picture that gets my creativity flowing again. Sometimes I make observations such as a few of the blogs on my favorites are featuring wordless posts, with amazing pictures that just tell the story for themselves. That inspires me to take more pictures that tell the story rather than me having to paint a picture.

I enjoy reading about the thoughts and happenings of people all around the country. I am pretty lucky to be able to blog as part of my job, I get so inspired by the amazing stories that people tell. I can only hope that this blog can once in a while inspire you in some little way.

Friday Favorite

This week's Friday Favorite comes from Amanda, one of our customer service girls. Amanda's choice for her favorite item currently in the store is "The Bones" heading dummy in pink. She picked it because it is first cute and second you can rope it. This is one of the most realistic heading dummies available. "The Bones" provides full curl practice sessions that will improve your accuracy, sharpen your skills and give novice ropers a controlled practice experience to build rope handling skills. It comes with a real horn wrap and 3 sets of horns ranging from 19" to 33". It has a sturdy wide base ensuring it won't tip, slip or slide even after years of practice. It weighs 45 pounds and has a built in handle for easy transport.

The Bones is available in a variety of colors and would be a welcome and fun addition for any roper.

EHV-1

We at Burns Saddlery were looking forward to a fun weekend with our X-treme Barrel Racers, but due to the outbreak on EHV-1 the May event has been cancelled. It was a difficult decision by the organizers, but for the health and well being of the horses, they felt it was best to err on the side of caution and cancel the event.

EHV can affect the respiratory, reproductive and nervous systems of the horse, causing a wide variety of diseases. EHV is spread by direct contact from horse to horse. The neurologic damage that this virus cause is detrimental. The weakness and paralysis of the muscles of the hind limbs gives rise to incoordination, gait abnormalities, and in some cases, the inability to rise from the sitting position.

I found a article written by the Utah State University Extension that gave some good advice on prevention measures to limit the exposure and spread of the EHV virus

1. Do not share tack
2. Clean and disinfect your horse trailer after transporting horses other than your own
3. Proper food, water and shelter to minimize stress
4. Isolate new additions to your herd for a minimum of 30 days
5. Contact your veterinarian immediately should your horse exhibit any neurologic signs
6. Make sure your horse is annually vaccinated for other causes of neurologic disease (e.g. EEE/WEE, Tetanus, WNV and EPM if endimic in your area)

We certianly hope that this outbreak is contained and passes without incident. We look forward to seeing everyone at the July event.

What to Wear Wednesday

So what to wear Wednesday will feature something fun and new that we have recieved into the store in the past week along with a few suggestions on companion items.

This knit burout cami with floral sublimintaion print comes to us from Panhandle Slim. It features an ornate lace back with ruching in the center of the back.

This cami would pair well with denim shorts, boot cut or skinny jeans, as well as a denim mini. A fun silver or chunky black and red necklace would also be a great addition to this top. Click on the pictures to check out this great top on our website.

New Handbags

A few months ago I did a little article on what we carry in our handbags. Since then we have some really fun handbags in the store. We have a little something for everyone from this

fun and funky animal print bag and wallet.

to this flirty and fashionable fringe bag

to this sweet and sassy ruffled bag

Of course this got me thinking do we match our handbags to our personality or our clothing. So once again it is time for a poll of the Burns Girls and winning by a landslide is matching your handbag to your personality. If it is cute and appeals to us, we get it :)

Friday Favorites

So drum roll please........... Our first Friday Favorite comes from Wendy our team ropin, barrel racin, calf ropin, team inspirin all around great gal.

Wendy's pick for favorite item is the Burns' private label 100X fur felt hat.Wendy chose this hat because first and foremost she wants one, it catches her eye every time she walks past it. She says. "You can see the quality in the hat and it definately has eye appeal". Check out all of our fur felt hats by clicking here.

Frustration

UGGGGH!!!!! I am so frustrated right now with blogger. I had the posts for the next 2 weeks written and scheduled to post and they are having issues so now I am having issues, they have all disappeared. I will begin to recompose everything I had done and post as soon as I can :(

Changes All Around

So since I got it floating in my head that I should change the blog name, which probably won't happen, but I can pretend it did, I am definately revamping Fashion Friday. I've decided that Friday will now be Friday Favorites. This way I can adapt more products into the mix and involve more of the team favorites. I think I will still do a fashion post each week, but I think I am going to call it What to Wear Wednesday, making my blog a 4 day a week project :).

So beginning tomorrow Friday will showcase team favorites, Tuesday and Thursday will still be my random ramblings and Wednesday will be what is new and fun to wear. I hope every one enjoys the changes. Change is fun!!!!!

The Cowgirl Way

So I have been blogging for awhile now and I have come to the conclusion that this blog should be the Burns Cowgirl Way. I haven't posted an entirely whole lot about "cowboy stuff". I mean I know there were a few posts on the "Ask the Experts" that could qualify, but to be honest, I didn't write only but one of those, and it was about jeans.

Of course then that brings me to what do I know about being a cowgirl? I've always said that aside from the boots, there is not much western about me. However, I am learning. I get to work with some fantastic cowgirls and I get to meet some pretty amazing cowgirls in the store.

So what have I learned? I've learned a cowgirl is just as much an attitude as it is a way of life. A cowgirl is confident, independent, smart, focused, driven, hardworking and she knows what she wants as well as how to acquire it. A cowgirl knows who she is and where she is going. She appreciates beauty both in herself and her surroundings. A cowgirl is fun, loving, dedicated and is a friend for life.

The more I learn and the more people that I have the pleasure to get to know, the more I am greatful for the opportunities that being part of the Burns Team has brought into my life. I look forward to adapting The Cowgirl Way into my life.

Fashion Friday

Last week was a little for the golden girl, this week is for the silver starlet. Our fun look comes to us from Rock 47 by Wrangler, Cowgirl Tuff and Lucchese.

This white long sleeve burn out tee has just the right amount of sparkle. The Cowgirl Tuff logo as well as the design down the arms is done in iridescent crystals. This shirt is great worn alone or layered with another shirt.

These great jeans are from Rock 47 by Wrangler. The silver sequins on the back flap pocket definately say "these aren't your typical Wranglers".

Adding some more eye appeal is this great belt from Nocona. The belt is surrounded with crystal squares accented by round crystals.

Finishing off the look are these fabulous pastel python boots by Lucchese. The soft pastels against the striking black make for a fun and daring combination.

You can click on the pictures for more information on the products or check out the Burns Saddlery Website.

Cinco de Mayo

It is the 5th of May or also known as Cinco de Mayo. Cinco de Mayo is often confused as being Mexico's Independence Day, which it is not. That is September 15th, but I digress, Cinco de Mayo celebrates an unlikely victory for the Mexican Army over the French forces at the Battle of Puebla. It is celebrated primarily in the state of Puebla and in the United States.

In the United States there are several events that celebrate the day. We don't have many celebrations in our area, but for me Cinco de Mayo makes me think of chips & salsa. So here is a recipe for one of my favorites

Pico De Gallo

6 plum tomatoes, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

3 Tbsp. minced cilantro

2 Tbsp. lime juice

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients. Chill at least 1 hour.

May Boot of the Month

The boot of the month for May is the gorgeous Cheyenne. The Cheyenne is a striking sage boot with a beautiful chocolate hand filigreed asymmetrical overlay on the vamp, as well as a filigreed collar.

A filigreed overlay on the pull tabs completes this classy boot. This boot is truly a classic work of art that will stand the test of time.

The Cheyenne has several options for wear. A few suggestions would be paired with a dark boot cut or skinny jean. It would also be adorable with a fun summer dress or skirt.

If you are looking for a unique and classy boot, the Cheyenne is definately the girl for you. Click here for more information on the Cheyenne Boot.