Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games

Last month we got some tickets to spend the day at the Horse Park to see the Driving Event at the World Equestrian Games. Wow! Besides narrowly missing being run down by golf carts a dozen or so times, it was a fantastic day! Weather was perfect, the course was spread out enough that the crowds weren't too much of a problem, and since tickets were so very pricey, my parents and I left the kiddies at home.....so no whining! ;-)

The carriages were attached to a four horse hitch, and the driver had to manuever the horses quickly through the obstacles without knocking anything down and thus getting penalties. It was interesting to see the expert teams, and then the more inexperienced teams. The skill involved is unbelievable!











We were able to get really close,









Sometimes really, really close!!

After the event was over we wandered through the Equestrian Village and saw the Knights of Iceland, a troupe of Icelandic horses raised on a farm near Louisville. Such cute little horses!

Lexington - Horse Capital of the World!

For those of you non-horse enthusiasts, or perhaps more honestly, all "ya'll" living far from Kentucky, you may not have heard of the World Equestrian Games. For the past few years the Bluegrass has been all abuzz about hosting these games, the equine equivalent to the Olympics. This year, 2010, Lexington was chosen to host the WEG games, the first time the games have left European soil. So this was big stuff! Roads were patched and paved, buildings painted, towns spruced up for the projected influx of hundreds of thousands of visitors, many of whom from foreign lands.

The games covered the last week and September and the first week of August. Our streak of unseasonable weather continued, ushering out one of the hottest, driest summers on record and bringing in a cold snap complete with rain. I hope all those poor tourists brought some warm clothing to wear!

My parents were able to come down for the last weekend of the games and we took the oppurtunity to tour Lexington and see all the events and sights created especially for the tourists. Like the thouroughbred statues, sponsered by businesses and decorated by local artists...

We also stopped by the city block that was televising the games...

As well as enjoying the beauty of Lexington...

And...no words to describe this lunch advertisement near Rupp Arena...

Gotta love Fall...

Are you enjoying the last of the beautiful fall days?

We are!

PS: I have no clue why those two pictures are off center....grrrr....

Fall Break!

The first weekend of Fall Break flew by at warp speed with a trip to Lexington to buy more goodies to fall-ify the house, then cleaning and chores, the Festival of the Horse, and visits to all the local garden centers to find trees (can't wait to show you all pictures of these trees...they're huge!! Just need to figure out how to get them here....).

The weather has been unseasonably and refreshing chilly. Windows have been closed, sweatshirts have been washed and blankets tossed around the living room. In other words...*sigh*...fall. I loooove fall!!

It's time to bust out the soup recipes! Casseroles! Apple Cider! Apple Pie! Apple Dumplings! Pumpkin pancakes! Pumpkin pie Blizzards! **drool** I loooove fall!

To take the chill out of this first day of Fall Break I cooked up a quick and yummy soup. The recipe originally came from a Kraft Foods magazine, but I've long since lost it...

For this soup I chopped up some carrots and celery. I didn't have any onions on hand, so I sprinkled in some dried minced onion when the other veggies were almost finished sauteing (I cooked them crisp-tender since they would still simmer for awhile).

Meanwhile, I gathered all the other ingredients...

When the veggies were starting to get tender I tossed them into a large pot with the broth, tomatoes, and Italian dressing packet. Then I browned the beef and stirred it in as well...

I simmered this all for about 30 minutes, then poured in two cups of water and brought it to a boil. I then added about a cup and a half of mini pasta. Usually I get bowties or wheels. I guess I was a bit distracted by a screaming, squirming toddler during my last shopping trip. No matter, it all tastes the same!

Once those cooked it looked like this...

Now it's time to turn off the heat and add 4-6 ozs of chopped velveeta...

I know velveeta is a weird, alien-like, is-it-really-food? product, but, it tastes good in the soup. So go buy yourself a block in the fall and you'll be able to make this soup all winter!

Mmmmm.....

Now, if your house is anything like mine, while you are busy slaving over a hot stove, behind you looks something like this...

KIDS!

Atleast she's not trying to climb my leg and whine. So, I let her be....and yes, she is watching Oprah. Hey, she had a whole show based on animals - Libby was hooked!

Once the cheese has melted, the soup is ready to be dished out! Enjoy with some fresh sweet tea and warm, crusty bread.

And don't forget the apple pie for dessert!!

Powwow

It was a beautiful day. A perfect day to experience a new culture. A culture that, while once a common site in these parts, has since been pushed away, hidden from sight until such a day as this.

A day for a Powwow.

This weekend in Richmond was a Native American Powwow. It was less to educate about a certain tribe than it was a celebration of a past way of life.

We saw examples of beautiful artwork...






And then it was time for the dancing. The Grand Entry was considered sacred, so no pictures were allowed. The dancers went around the circle several times, then stood while the drummers sang the flag song. Since Native Americans hold their warriors in such respect, they honor them with the veterans dance. They invited all veterans in attendance to join them. Hesistantly at first, the veterans joined in the dancing, starting with slow steps until they let the beat of the drums move their feet. One of the most moving sights was when an elderly gentleman with a long white beard and wide suspenders, looking for all the world like a Civil War veteran, stumbled into the circle with the help of a younger woman and then shuffled around with the other dancers. He only made it one go around, but what heart!

After the veterans dance, the tribal dancers entered the circle again and pictures were allowed. The dancers wore costumes representative of their tribes, and I assume positions in the tribes. Some were ornate and beautiful, others simple. They demonstrated many different dances, with men and women, intertribal, the "sneak up" dance, and a snowball like dance where they picked members of the audience to participate. Of course, that is when I took the opportunity to pack up my tired kids and go look for food!

Enjoy the photos!

Milk, it Does a Body Good (and I'm not talking about calcium)

I have discovered the most awesome hygiene product known to man. To think it comes from farm animals that I have always found mildly creepy (sorry, farming people) doesn't bother me one bit. I'm obsessed. I can't get enough of it!

What is it you ask?

It's goat milk soap!

It's amazing!

It doesn't make Libby break out!

It smells.....wow....words can not describe how GOOOOOD this stuff smells!

http://www.goatmilkstuff.com/

The Jonas family in nearby Indiana makes this wonderfully awesome soap. The blocks seem pricey at first, but they last much, much longer than your average bar of Zest. And you just can't beat the fact that they are made of all natural, wholesome ingredients. (And the smell, did I mention that?)

So run! Hurry! GO to their website and buy yourself some soap. And go for the lotions, too. You might as well throw in the bath fizzies. Oh, and you can't forget some lip balm.

Yeah. I LOVE this stuff, can you tell?

I would have taken a picture of the bars, but, well....they just don't hang around outside of the bathtub long enough to capture!