Christmas Program

BeBe came up for a Christmas visit to see the girls program at school. We had a great visit! She brought gifts from Jeannie that the girls immediately ripped apart. They slept in their new pajamas and here Ava is wearing her Christmas headband.

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

We spent Thanksgiving at my mothers this year, which is our tradition. It was a great few days and as always - Betty delivered. We drove down Wednesday night after work and had a late dinner with her and Mike.

True to Lee's nature when we got up, he put Ava to work in the backyard.

Here she is blowing off the back patio.

and raking... a lot...

We watched the parade and enjoyed seeing some of my mom's customers, Gloriana. She texted them and told them they looked great - and they texted right back... from the float!

We relaxed on BeBe's porch. Lee insisted we take Rainey - the new puppy. BeBe was soooo excited. Not really. Nor was his mother on Saturday when she had to drive us back!

Ava in her handmade Thanksgiving hat, complete with Turkey Legs on the sides!

Everyone had their favorites - and BeBe makes it look like it only took a few minutes. My kitchen would never recover. The mess and the time this would take me - well lets just leave it at that. We are always amazed at how she makes it so effortlessly!

The hostess... and EVEN Joy came!

Mary Catherine, Reed, Grace Anne and Ava.

After dinner Jeannie, Jack, Brack and Taylor came over to visit. Always soooo good to see them!

Later we drew names for Christmas and played board games. Grace Anne taught us a new game called "Who Knew" which was a hit. I tried to teach a game - but it didn't exactly take off.

And the Binkley's slept.

Trick or Treat???

How very far behind I am. Here I am in the Christmas spirit, but I know that I must post pictures from Halloween! Now that we are all settled into the farm, I felt like I needed to let the girls have a Halloween party for their classmates. It was a fantastic night. Pam and I combined our decorations and created a very spooky party, in "The Grove" behind our home. Lee built a wonderful fire to keep us warm. Trick or Treat!

Grace Anne was an adorable Gypsy.

Cousin Clara was Witchy!

Hagan Cowgirl'd around.

Madi was Scarlett herself.

Ava was the Indian to Hagan's Cowgirl.

Dr. Bart told Ghost Stories.

And we just had fun. We stayed up late with Anne & Christian around the fire laughing and telling stories. The scariest part of the evening? The fact that my "costume" was my everyday wardrobe. As Christian said, "It's Holly, just taken up to 11."

The Weather Outside is - GORGEOUS

Oh how I love this time of year. We went to a dinner party last night and when we opened the door to go out to our car we were stunned by how much snow had fallen! I took a few photos when we got home - because it absolutely brought me to tears how pretty it looked. I love the cold air, the wet flakes on my face, and most of all, I love the silence of snow falling. I stood outside by myself for awhile, just admiring and feeling the Christmas Spirit.

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.

Anne Milton suggested this Bread and Butter pickle recipe for my "monstrous cucumbers" we are growing on Amende Place! Enjoy!!


4 cups sugar
4 cups white vinegar
¼ cup canning (or Kosher) salt
1 teaspoon, each, turmeric, celery seed, and mustard seed
2-3 onions, sliced
4-6 cucumbers

Bring sugar and vinegar to a boil and cook enough to melt the sugar. Cool. When liquid is cool, add salt and spices. Wash and slice 4-6 cucumbers and the onions. Put cucumbers and onions in a large container, and pour brine over all, and refrigerate. (I use glass quart jar, and do not recommend plastic.) You may wish to make several jars at once. They are ready to eat in 24 hours. They will keep in the refrigerator for up to one year.* You may add more cucumbers and onions to the brine when you have room in the jar..

*This recipe/method has been around for a long time. As a Home Economist, it is my duty to tell you that the Cooperative Extension Service recommends that these pickles be used within 2 weeks. I suspect that some people contaminate the brine by using unclean jars, plus inserting fingers and dirty utensils into the pickle jar. I would recommend sterilizing the jars in boiling water before making the pickles, and only using clean utensils when removing pickles from the jar, especially if you use them after 2 weeks.

First Blog Ever...

My good friend Adrien taught me how to blog this morning! I am so excited about a new way to scrapbook and journal. Stay Tuned!!!