Elephant. Elephant is the sturdiest stuff for cowboy boots. Unfortunately, elephant is Kacey's favorite animal (alive, that is, not skinned and cut up to make fancy footwear for frolicking farmhands) so I am not coming home in any elphant boots any time soon. Plus they're not very popular anymore...animal rights i think. Most of the elephant in my store is on the clearance rack. Oh, and there's shark, too. I forgot to mention that. And stingray, though we don't carry any stingray at my store. Yes, we do carry size 14's ,but I think most of the boots I have bigger than a 13 are workboots right now...I'll check on that Daniel.

Another tough leather is shoulder (also called bullhide or shrunken shoulder). They take the toughest part of the hide and use a moisture/heat process to shrink the leather to about 2/3 of its original size. This thickens it up and toughens it considerably. I tell customers you can play kick the can with a broken bottle and not worry about ruining your boots too much.

The most popular exotic leather is ostrich, though, because it is very tough but very soft. It will mold to the shape of your foot and hold up to a lot of wear.

Thank you all for your comments. And if you need any cowboy boots, we are right on I-30 about an hour east of Dallas in Sulphur Springs, TX...Circle E Western Store...just look for the horse over the sign.

I had no idea anyone would even read if I posted...boy was I wrong!

Okay...here's some real stuff. I'm on a quest to educate the public on the intricacies of cowboy boots...this quest is limited to this post...so if you're interested, this is it, one shot. Here goes.

At my store, you can buy cowboy boots made out of these types of skin:
Calf (baby cow)
Cow shoulder
Goat
Alligator Belly
Crocodile Tail
Ostrich Leg
Full Quill Ostrich
Small Quill Ostritch
Smooth Ostritch
Lizard
Snake
Kangaroo
And even Elephant.

Oh...and the soles of cowboy boots that look like they are made out of wood...that is actually leather...really thick, hardened pieces of leather.

And cowboy hats are made out of beaver and rabbit fur.

I used a lot of dot-dot-dot's in this post.

blog blog blog

Moving 09-14-07 11:13pm CST

Note to self: When about to embark on life changing move, do not watch (with husband and daughters) tear-jerker movie about a man trying to provide for his family while his unsupportive wife leaves him and their 5-year-old son to figure out how to get a new job and pay all their bills even though life slaps him in the face every time he turns around. Other that that, yes, "The Pursuit of Happyness" is a pretty good flick.

After the movie was over and the girls were back down for their naps, we got back to work packing, but I was in such a gloomy state that all I could see were piles of boxes everwhere, our sofa turned up on its end, our bed broken down, and mattresses on the floor. I hate living in such a mess (though some of you might raise your eyebrows at this...okay, I'm not the best or neatest housekeeper). It made feel like just as much of a wreck as my apartment! We are picking up and leaving the home where I brought my babies home, and that makes me want to stay here forever. Didn't know that about homes until just this week.

So much happened to us in our short time here in the metroplex. Our church family has helped us so much in so many ways. In the two years that we've lived here, I have received two batches of birthday cards from lots of people at church, more meals than I can count, some seriously impressive entertainment to professional baseball games by TWO different families, and some great lunches out with friends. I have enjoyed dropping by the mall Starbucks to see a friend who happened to work there (and gave me the occasional mocha on the house), I've babysat for many families, been a guest in the homes of many loved ones, and been an overnight guest in the home of our preacher and his wife when Ken and I were separated while I lived in Waco and he looked for a job up here. Separated in the actual physical sense...not the pre-divorce sense, of course!

I had my babies in Grapevine, brought them home to Fort Worth, and took them to church in Arlington. They will forever be tied to this place according to the state of Texas. And since this is our first 2 bedroom apartment, I'll forever remember why we needed that extra room, which was quickly filled up with sweet smelling babies and the cutest clothes you've ever seen, 1% of which I bought myself. The rest was given by friends and family. The generosity of those surrounding us in this place overwhelms me. We have had everything we could possibly need and more. God has provided and these people have not stopped giving.

Friends scrubbed my bathrooms when I came home from the hospital with those babies. They also helped us move into the apartment in Arlington, out of it a year later and into the Fort Worth apartment, and now back out of Fort Worth just 6 months later. They've let us use their business equipment free of charge to move. They have given time and money and tons of love to make us more comfortable, even buying my dinner at PF Changs and bringing it to the hospital the night the twins were born. Several have kept the girls for free so I could get out and take care of myself. Others have come over for company or to help get things together and cleaned up around here. Food poured into our home for months at the end of my pregnancy and during the 2 months after having the girls. I had to stop writing thank you notes. I couldn't even finish one before that person would do something else I needed to thank them for and I would need to start their note all over or else so many people would be getting thank you notes 5 times a week! Plus I lost track of who had done what. It was just too much.

I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea. This place has been a very soft place for us to land. So many were here to catch us and offer us a hand to get back on our feet after a blow or two came at us. From the church at Arlington, we have learned what service means. Serving each other as Jesus did the night he washed the disciples' feet. Complete giving and getting nothing in return. We learned how to be "real" people and love those around us just because they are our brothers and sisters, realizing they too are just people giving honest effort.

At our new home awaits a new church family with new strengths and struggles and we are excited to get to work. Thanks to everyone here for your patience with us. We're so excited to spread your good example to others! --Kacey Batterton

Howdy, pardner! Ahm from Texas!

I begin a new job tomorrow. For those of you who do not know, I will be store manager of a western wear store in the East Texas town of Sulphur Springs. Apprehensive? A bit. Excited? Yup. I have done quite a bit of research on how to approach a new store as a first-time head-of-store. I have asked tons of people for advice. I have prayed and spent time thinking about what kind of store I want to work at, and, therefore, what kind of culture I want to build, knowing that I will be inheriting everything from the previous 32 years worth of managers. How much community involvement will we have time for? How will we get the sales numbers up? How will we make each customer feel like our best customer? How will I foster a teamwork atmosphere while encouraging competition? Who can I count on? Who will sell me out? What in the world am I going to do when my wife laughs at me the first time she sees me in boots, ropers and a cowboy hat? Why does my leather cell phone case match my belt? Whah duz everbawdy tahlk lahk tha-uht? And will I have to ride a bull at some point...mechanical or not?

Well...I'll let you know how things turn out. Oh, and if you have any advice...Ahm all errs!