Quote of the Week:

"I want to move to Lexington, KY, it's so pretty and there are horses everywhere"

"You would be dead or disfigured in a week"

"What?"

"You would crash your car into another one or one of those big stone walls trying to look at baby horses instead of where you are going"

"You're totally right actually, nevermind, back to liking Savannah."

entourage

do you have an entourage? i do.

my entourage doesn't follow me everywhere because they are hired and it surely isn't because i am cool and famous and followed by paparazzi. nope, it's because i am the one who picks up their poop and always has the food. that's pretty much it. it is nice to be loved by my four legged entourage and my two legged ones, which consists of precious 13 week old twins and sometimes my husband when he's hungry, but it is sometimes exhausting! as much grief as i give kate gosselin, that woman has a reason to be snarky with 47 children following her around always wanting something. the dogs and horse are far more appreciative in general than i imagine children would be- that's just their lovely nature and yet again, another reason why four legged children are my favorite kind.

here are a few pics of my entourage lately- they are a pretty good looking bunch!

Is your basil ready yet?

if so... make some tonight and toss it with pasta, or spread it on pizza crust instead of tomato sauce, or put it on a grilled chicken sandwich, or dip pita chips in it!

Fresh Basil Pesto

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
• 3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
• Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

pulse the basil and pine nuts in a food processor until it looks right- then add everything else little by little until it tastes great! make sure you use good sea salt!

Must Try's

I'm a little late on the second post in this series, but since the beginning of summer isn't officially until the 21st of June- I'm ok. So here are a few must try's... and yes, I know the way I am spelling that is incorrect- but it looks better that way.

1. The hottest new little restaurant in ATL- Grant Park to be exact, just off I-20 on Boulevard.
Zibas Restaurant and Wine Bar! The food is Mediterranean inspired, always fresh, creative, and wonderful. The young chef is talented, creative beyond measure and trained by some of the best chefs in the area. He worked under Richard Blaise- yes the little one with the mohawk that was on Top Chef, Linton Hopkins of Restaurant Eugene and Holman and Finch, Shane Touhy and a few others that I've lost track of. Needless to say, his food making wisdom is mature beyond his 24 years of age. The wine list is well priced and there is something for every taste. I have tried literally everything on the menu at this point- and my favorites are the black bean and coconut soup- which I would NEVER have tried unless the chef just brought it out to me and I have to say its AMAZING. There's this simple juxtaposition of flavors and textures that seem such an unlikely match- but match they do! Try it! Also the crab cakes, tuna, babaganoush, steak...oh the list goes on. The head chef is Landon Thompson and he just so happens to be my little brother- but I assure you, I am a tough critic and he impresses me with something new every time I go in. I am often astonished that my little brother is so talented... and I wonder how he got all the good genes...

2. Playing in the rain. Yep- its that simple. I was out gardening the other day and no one was home so see me playing in the rain when the sky opened up in one of those gushing summer showers. My old sorority t-shirt and soffe shorts clung to my skin, along with a little dirt and some grass clippings- and the poodle ran around me in circles gleefully trying to tell me that she thinks we should do this every day. I surely looked like an idiot to any neighbors who may have seen me, but every once in a while you just have to do something like that- or that simple childlike joy we all remember having will fade away. Besides, I'm not 30 yet- and I'm not gonna act like I am!

3. Plant a garden! It's really simple, quite therapeutic, and if you are one of those people claiming to ascribe to the "green' lifestyle, it really takes more than just buying stuff in the organic section at Publix. Grow your own! Start with herbs- I suggest basil and then as you get more and more brave add in some veggies and fruits. I have squash, zucchini, tomatoes (try to find some heirloom seeds), cucumber, moonflowers (gorgeous and they smell wonderful), basil, lemon thyme, rosemary and a few flowers. Also convenient when working in the garden is your built in bug repellent- just break off a little rosemary and some lemon thyme and rub it on your skin- voila. Things taste better when you grow them. I don't use fertilizer or pesticides- but to each their own. Good luck!

4. Sunday drives. I live in the 'burbs but sometimes the traffic in Cobb county even stresses me out to the max. I find myself driving home in the afternoons grinding my teeth, thinking unholy thoughts about drivers that I don't even know, and bursting the the door of my house with a look on my face that probably frightens my husband. So to counteract this ridiculousness- try a Sunday drive! It's funny how there is never any traffic when you aren't in a hurry and it's nice to get out of your regular driving territory and find some country. Georgia seems rich with cute little farms and interesting roadside "artwork" and sometimes, even cute little antique stores and nurseries with great Georgia plant species and local honey. How can anyone be stressed after buying big ole' homegrown tomatoes from sweet little old men with straw hats that let you pet their baby cows! Not to mention it's nice to get to spend time talking to whomever is along for the ride without having any particular place to be!

5. Volunteer. Do something you love. I like to volunteer at horse shows and spend time on beautiful land watching a sport I love while giving back a bit to the farms that put on these events. Trust me, they don't do it for the money! I used to volunteer at animal shelters but I am incapable of doing that without adopting something so I had to stop before I ended up like one of those old women on TV whose neighbors complain because she has 27 dogs and refuses to speak to any humans.

Next up: Summer Must Do's

Summer Must Haves, Must Trys and Must Do's...

So summer is in full swing! I LOVE summer and everything that goes with it. Recently, I was reading one of my former most favorite magazines that I have subscribed to since their very first issue. It's a magazine about the south and the title encompasses two of mine and my husbands most favorite things. Sadly however, in the last year, in our humble reader opinions, the magazine is slacking a little bit and the ad space just gets bigger and the articles and editorials get smaller and less relevant to southern life. Boo.

In the last issue I picked up, they spent about five pages highlighting the must haves for a southern lifestyle and while some were great, others were ridiculous, i.e. no one needs an Hermes saddle when people who ACTUALLY ride horses can get a much higher quality saddle for way less. Anyway, one thing i love about the south is that the people here seem to have a knack for finding things that are not only useful, but great looking as well- often without being label obsessed. Yes, we have our share of tackiness and spoiled children who think designer labels translate to coolness, but good southern taste is hard to beat.

The more I thought about summer and everything wonderful it means down here in Georgia, I re-did their article in my head and made it slightly more realistic. Our summers are great but they can be hot, and sticky and wet and buggy too. So, it turned into a list of everything to have and do and try this summer and voila- here is part one of three- the must haves:

Must Haves:
1. Ever met a late afternoon rain shower or those thunderstorms that come in with a vengeance and awake that sticky Georgia red clay? You MUST have a good pair of boots to navigate the mess- whether it be a muddy horse pasture or a flooded parking lot in Buckhead- and trust me, people look at you funny when you traipse through the parking lot to sushi lunch with boots on that smell like horse pee. I won't tell you how i know that. So:
-for cuteness and fun colors try the Hunter wellie- they also don't leak- ever!

- for the barn, or the dove field, or steeplechase, or for the boys (careful water will leak in those zippers though so don't walk your cross country course and think you can measure the strides in the water complex with these) Le Chameau:

- and MY favorite- for walking your cross country course water complex and then throwing on some skinny jeans and going to dinner: (without these boots- i would DIE- i am addicted to them and also wear them bird hunting as i like to imagine they are snake resistant)
These are the Dublin river boots and below are the Dubarry boots. Both are fantastic and look cute matched with your husbands Filson luggage or the Dubarry luggage.


Whew- now that your feet are dry and your outfit isn't ruined by some hideous zebra striped leaky Target wellie we can move on to:

2. Sunscreen! As if the humidity and the mosquitoes weren't enough to make you want to shower every 30 minutes, the Georgia sunshine will burn your skin to a crisp- and it's no fun to look LIKE the lobster at your summer lobster boil. Since my ghostly whiteness fair belle skin has made me somewhat of an authority on this subject here are the best ones for heat combined with humidity, sweat and sometimes dirt...

For face and everywhere else this is my go to sunscreen- it's not greasy or sticky and it dries quickly and doesn't leave you with that awful whitish film on your skin- it's oil free, and doesn't sting my eyes when wet- basically it's amazing and it comes in spf 30, 55, 70 and something crazy like 100. Steer clear of the sprays- though temptingly easy to apply, they put a sticky film on your skin and watch and wedding ring and sunglasses that attracts dirt- which is just gross and no longer sparkly. Aveeno continuous protection sunblock with photobarrier complex and vitamins!



and for your lips- i cannot even describe how amazing this stuff is- if you see it- buy it as it's a little hard to find- just trust me on this one... no funky taste, isn't sticky enough for your hair to get caught in it (pet peeve), and moisturizes for hours. Aveeno essential moisture lip conditioner with spf 15. Puts burts bees to SHAME i tell you...ok- so your feet are dry and your skin is protected- what else must you have? Something for your four legged children of course!

3. My doggies absolutely LOVE this doggie ice cream available at publix and Doodle suggests the peanut butter flavor- Rylie Boo will stand still and eat this for at least half an hour, which is a rarity for poodle behavior to say the least- Frosty paws:


and for the children of the equine variety, summer is always a battle with the grunge and fungus and rain rot etc. but THIS stuff is magical- and it smells yummy, and its not greasy or weird feeling at all! Just rinse off your horse after a ride and wash this over any yucky spots- leave on and enjoy the smell! No more creepy seedy fungus on the cannon bones or rain rot butts or itchy bellys or scabby manes! Tea-Clenz by Healing tree- it lasts a while since its a concentrate and its mostly natural extracts! They also make dog products and everything I have used from this line I LOVE.


and a few more things on my list from summers past that I still use:
- Haviana flip flops
- bikinis from target- because really- who actually wears the same size top and bottom?
- nike shorts
- chlorine and sun protector for hair- um no brassy or green streaks in my hair please- try the Aveda UV defense
- suave humectant shampoo and conditioner- keeps hair soft and not dried out after frequent washings and smells like coconuts!
- philosophy coconut frosting body wash- i like to shower with a theme scent if you can't tell
- burts bees aloe and linden flower after sun soothing lotion- way better than sticky green chunky faux aloe
- kerrits ventilator tops- for riding and workouts
-serendipity boot socks with the cotton foot and thin tops- less heat under the dress boots!
that's all for now! next will be the must try's!

mare love and mondays

have i told you lately that i LOVE my mare?

great ride tonight- i think she prefers to work in the evenings, which is strange given her off the track-ness.

after about 5 minutes of "conversation" about standing still at the mounting block, she decided to stand and off we went. i was feeling extra brave and didn't even lunge her first, but she has seemed considerably more quiet since i re-designed her summer season diet due to the grass coming in, good hay, and therefore i cut her off of the crack alfalfa pellets since her weight and condition are right on par for her level of exercise and this time of year.

after a good 15 minutes of walk work which is sometimes monotonous, but always useful for both of us, her neck was relaxed, she was powering from behind and she was light in my hands and consistently listening, which is sometimes our biggest obstacle. she actually has a pretty nice natural walk, big and swinging, and if i can keep her from fixating on something in the distance and giraffe-necking on me, its really beautiful to ride and watch. i think people in general don't spend enough time working at the walk, there's really a lot of foundation work that can be accomplished there that helps elsewhere, but that's another blog post all together...

after a few changes of direction and bend, we picked up the trot and i tried to pick a spot for the upward transition where everything was "right" so i could maintain it into the trot. voila- she was stellar again. thought our trot transition was neat and clean, the first 50 meters of trot are still too quick and the steps too short (in my opinion). this is something we are working on constantly. she settles right back into a nicer trot after those initial 50 meters or so, and as soon as i slow my post and half halt a few hundred times, she comes back to me and to a working rhythm. her trot is really improving and although by no means perfect, it's amazing to me to see her stride length increase and her back and hind really start to push. i get excited over little things- and that's why i bought a project horse! she was also still very soft in the bridle today at the trot, and i think we would have probably gotten 8's at the walk and 7's or better at the trot if we had been judged. yay! we changed our bend and direction with very little inconsistency of gait and her lovely neck and nose stayed put without me losing her attention! she did take a peek as her boyfriend entered the ring, but only for a second! after a great few minutes of light trot work and one little leg yield- she got big pats and a break and we (me and two other friends in the ring) decided to take them out for a quick hack on our "trails", which are really big mowed paths in the tall grass on the hilly property up the driveway. she seems to LOVE getting out of the ring and is a pretty fearless little leader so far when hacking in company- so i love to end a good ride with something she enjoys- not to mention its great for conditioning!

secretly, on the inside, i am still a 13 year old pony clubber, and that, coupled with my desire to compete her in some field hunter trials, sparked a recent "gate opening" session, where she as usual, impressed me and did exactly what i asked, as soon as she made me ask clearly. she teaches me as much as i teach her, so since we were going out to hack, i wanted to see if she remembered our gate opening from the other day. we did it on the 2nd try! although i did take my hand off the gate once which won't fly in the field trials, we will absolutely have it down by then. and may i please say that opening a gate from atop a 16.3 horse is a long reach? gah.
i LOVE that our little bit of lateral work and turns on the forehand are totally paying off though when trying the do things like open gates. see? dressage DOES have a purpose! :)

our hack was great and she does have brakes when in company and even when i ask her to canter that bay butt right up a hill or trot down! i cannot WAIT to get to feel her gallop full out- which i am looking forward to doing soon when we school at chatt hills. i don't have a place with safe/flat enough footing at our barn. the three of use enjoyed the sunset from atop a hill on horseback, with the scent of confederate jasmine and honeysuckle permeating the air. what a way to end the day.

life without horses must be hideously mundane. good night!

Quote of the Week:

Said to David O'Connor this weekend, "There's no money in horses..."

Now, Bless her heart, she didn't know who she was talking to, but that has got to be the funniest thing I ever heard!

OHHHHH, I love horse shows.


JIC you don't know who he is either: http://www.oconnoreventteam.com/new/DavidCurrent.html