I am thankful for For Spacious Skies

This August, Afleet Express, bred by Mac in 2006, won the Traverse Stakes in Saratoga. Lee had found and purchased his sister, For Spacious Skies, back in the Spring for partnership with his Mother, Mary. It has been fun to watch Afleet Express this year and prepare to sell FSS. We sold her in November at the Fasig Tipton sale. The girls loved her and enjoyed leading her at the farm. Here is a photo of her, Ava, Grace Anne, Evelyn & Clara Juckett.

I am thankful for Fall Soccer!

Lee coaches Ava's soccer team. They have three girls that have played together for several years, Lee refers to them affectionately as Charlies Angels: Hagan McFarland, McLain Murphy, and Ava. They are great players and really play their hearts out! I love the fall weather and watching the girls play - they enjoy it so much. Lee is a great coach and I am so proud of his work with Ava! I know she will look back someday and feel his love, as he is always there for her.

I am thankful for Lee's 40th Birthday!

What a beautiful night we had under the stars, celebrating Lee's birthday in August. Lee asked for a small dinner party in what we call "The Grove" behind our home. Lee made me two harvest tables from wood in his mothers barn that turned out beautifully.

The tabletop was complete with photos of Lee and friends scattered about.

The bar was stocked with lots of Champagne - too much Champagne perhaps. And beer... and of course Arabella Chenin Blanc.

Anne and Christian gave Lee this wonderful old cupola and weathervane for his birthday. It looked fabulous on the bar and will be making its way to our new raised bed herb and cutting garden in the spring.

Catered by Amy Carpenter of Migdalia's, the food was wonderful! We enjoyed Tomato Tartlets, Grapes wrapped in Roquefort Cheese, Goat Cheese balls rolled in pistachios, marinated olives, lamb chops, potatos au gratin, Caprisi Salad from our garden, and grilled vegetables. She really outdid herself! Christian, Holly, Lee, James Nisbet and AnneAnne and Nic deWet

Lee's horse Concord Point won the West Virginia Derby moments before the party started, so "Take me home, country road" was a hit!

















More Champagne Please!














Kelley Nisbet and Arabella



















HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEE!

I am thankful for a wonderful day at Breeders Cup!

Lee and I were guests of Anita and Jim Cauley at Breeders Cup this year. It was a fabulous day! The weather was beautiful and we ran into several friends. Anita, Jim, Tawnya, and Dr. Blake were so much fun. This Breeders Cup was special as Zenyatta, an undefeated filly took on the best colts in racing. The crowd was electric watching her nearly take first. She was beaten by a nose - Blame took the Classic, owned by Seth Hancock of Claiborne Farm in Paris. It was one of the most exciting races I have attended. The race broke her 19-0 record and will probably be her last. She is expected to retire in Lexington at Alice Chandler's farm. It will probably be hard for her to transition into Motherhood after such a rockstar career! Best of luck Zenyatta - we love you!

Below - Anita and Jim

We ran into our friend, Pete Jarosz

Jimmy took the cake on Saturday when he hit a $3300 Trifecta!!! Does he look happy? Fantastic day - thank you Cauley's for including us!

I am thankful for new additions to our lives.

Raney came into our lives in September. Lee had missed our Labs so much, he had to get another. You could say Lee is a little snobby about his canine friends. Just any Labrador would not do, as he found a boutique breeder in Kansas last year on a Quail Hunting trip - with his Travelsted cousins of course. http://www.britlabs.com/ She was flown in via Delta - a very sophisticated dog, mind you. Well Lee called this one correctly - she is a fabulous girl. She is so quiet, lazy, cuddly, everything I love in a dog - but I do wonder how she will fair in a field!

I am thankful for dinner with my family.

Last night I made Shrimp Scampi for dinner and it was soooo good. The recipe is from Barefoot Contessa and I highly recommend it! Open a nice bottle of Chenin Blanc from South Africa - my friend Nic deWet's Arabella of course!

Ingredients:

Olive Oil

Kosher Salt

Box of Linguini

3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter

2 1/2 Tablespoons good Olive Oil

4 Cloves Minced Garlic

1 pound large shrimp

Freshly ground black pepper

Fresh Parsley

1/2 Lemon, Zest Grated

(2 Lemons) freshly squeezed lemon juice

Thinly sliced lemon half-rounds for garnish

Hot Red Pepper Flakes

Directions:

Drizzle oil in large pot of boiling salted water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the linguine, and cook al dente. Meanwhile, in another large, heavy-bottomed pan, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Be careful not to burn the garlic! Add the shrimp, salt, pepper and saute until the shrimp have just turned pink, about 5 minutes, stirring often.

Remove from the heat, add the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon slices, and red pepper flakes. Toss to combine. Add cooked, drained pasta and toss well.

Note: I add broccoli to my pasta water to add a vegetable and I think I will start adding artichokes in the future.

Great weeknight dinner!

Today I am thankful for laughter...

Ava brightened my day on Monday morning, as I dropped her off at school. Across from Grace Anne's building there is a house that decorates in a large way for the holidays. Just one day after Halloween Ava was disgusted that their pumpkins were still out. She screamed, "please get the blow up Jesus out - I love that thing!"

Also this week, I suggested Ava should take her report card back to school. She said, "I don't even know what I got." I told her that was a problem and she should read it. After a few minutes of studying, she asked "does B stand for Bad or Best?"

How grateful I am for the small things my girls do to make me smile. Their vocabulary from earlier years will be part of our family always. To my girls - "Inks" for all you have given me.