The Best Family Portrait Ever

You know, people have told me before that Lyra, our 2 1/2 year old daughter, should go into modeling.

Having been in that industry myself (a long, long, LONG time ago), I'm not in a great hurry to get her into show biz.

However, there is another family member who needs an agent, ASAP.

Yesterday, the temperatures rose from -12 in the morning (I wish I were joking) to a warm and toasty 25. We practically got out our flip flops and sunblock, we were so excited. Instead, we all went riding!

Lyra loves riding, and she rides Siggy, our 16 year old OTTB. She's got great natural balance and tells Sig to walk, halt, and points out parts of his body. I took the time to snap some photos, because, well, that's what a Mom does.

And then this happened.

I have no words.

Sig always mugs for the camera, but this brings it to a whole new level.

My brother Jay and good friend Ann suggested I make a meme of this photo, and thus begins my crash course in funny memes! Ann started the fun:

Meme credit to Ann Leary!

Then I got started.... (click on the photos to enlarge them)

I like this one since Siggy's sire was a Derby and Preakness winner!

Truth.

Yes, I have that on video.

One for my eventing buddies

This one is my favorite....because this is real life with a toddler, folks.

And that's what happens on a random Wednesday, here at Thunder Moon Farm. I expect Hollywood will be ringing us shortly.

Of Champions and Sport Horses

Without delving too far into detail, 2014 was a great year of growth and success for Zeus and I. He has really become a fantastic athlete with potential to rise to the top of the leaderboard. We were asked to be the faces of CANTER New England for their 2014 campaign and were featured in Chronicle of the Horse in August, which was such an honor!
(photo)

Little did anyone know, Zeus' head bashed my lip at the jump prior to this amazing bank image, making it appear as though I had applied a lush crimson lipstick prior to starting XC. Au contraire!

Zeus handled every challenge along the way in his typical fashion - he was a beast in the trailer areas, making people scatter with his, ahem, over-exuberance. He's far from an easy horse in that regard. But as soon as we began getting ready, tacking up and getting game faces on, he seemed to settle and understood that it was time to focus.

When we ended the season in October, I thought it was a great time to sit back and reflect on our year and think about what 2015 could bring. And in the doldrums of January, I received a package with a very exciting reminder of our great 2014 season!

Ribbons make my day. And a jacket! I can't believe I got this lovely jacket in our riding colors!

As cool as that was, I happened to be thumbing through the Chronicle of the Horse's "American Horses in Sport 2014" edition, and lo and behold....Novice Recognized Horse Trial Champion.

Resilient = Zeus. Because, you know, it's been awhile since I've blogged.

Now that is one spectacular way to get through a very cold, and very snowy winter. I am so, so grateful to Zeus and all of his talent and potential for more, and to the support team around me - my husband and daughter, my parents, brother, and friends and family who make all of this possible. You are all part of this.

So, I've made a promise to myself. I hope to write one blog entry per month in 2015. If I do more, then that's great! In the meantime, I hope the winter is kind to you and yours - it will get warmer. At some point. Cross your fingers!

Hiatus

Happy New Year!

It's been nearly 2 years since I've written a blog entry.

2 years!! Where has the time gone?!

I can tell you, it's been sucked up by Life itself. That's exactly where it's gone. I do miss blogging, and I wish I could get back into a steady blogging stream but alas, that may never be possible. Until all munchkins (relax, there's still only one) in this house are no longer in this house, perhaps...but maybe by then I'll have taken up a different hobby like shuffleboard or powerwalking in microshorts like I saw a sprightly elderly lady do today.

(She had killer legs, by the way. Although the microshorts with the parka, hat, chunky mittens and earmuffs was quite a contrast.)

 Instead of regaling you with every little nuance of the past 2 years, I'll just leave you with how some of the TMF Family Members partied on New Year's Eve. They're party animals. No, seriously.

Iron-Free is the Way to Be

Warning: If you have this....

You may end up with this.

Photo courtesy of Connecticut Photo

The photo is nice, sure, but what I'm talking about is my lower leg. Yuck! Non-horsey folk might say, "What's wrong with it?" Horsey folk say, "ew."

The problem is, my lower leg has slipped back. And the issue with that is, over fences especially, it creates an unstable position and I consider it a major weakness. Turns out that it's not entirely something I can control, though. My chiropractor informed me that nursing moms commonly have loose tendons and muscles, until they stop nursing and everything tightens up again. No matter how much my brain tells my lower leg, "Stay in place!" my body says, "Naaaah," and therefore we have the slip back toward his tail. The worst part is, I know what it feels like when my leg is strong and correct, so this problem is infuriating.

So, while I'm pretty sure I'll be nursing for the next few months, I cannot continue to have a mediocre leg position - not my style. I decided to take matters into my own hands. Well, legs.

I took my stirrup irons and leathers off my saddle, and have been riding like that since early January. So far, I feel far stronger and also feel much more connected with the horses I'm riding - and working on my core too.

I can tell you, if you get cold while riding in this weather, take off your stirrups. Problem solved. You work so hard posting, balancing and generally staying in the saddle that you heat up in a hurry!

Some of my students have joined in on the ironless fun, and some are regretting it - but I keep telling them it'll be worth it! My goal is to ride through January and the month of February like this, taking back my irons in March, in time to really gear up for the season. Hopefully it'll pay off through the year. But regardless, I feel like I'm riding better, more effective with my aids, and am improving myself, which is what the winter months are best for.

Do you know what else the winter months are good for? This. (video!)

Girlfriends

I am very lucky indeed to have some lovely ladies in my life who I consider to be close girlfriends. These are women I can tell anything to, who will tell me like it is, and will love me anyway if I disagree with them. Friends like that are few and far between.

One of those friends had a baby a few months ago - a pretty little thing named Hazel. Hazel was born in late October, so she's a few months younger than Lyra. Still, the little ladies had a nice time meeting each other and hopefully, will enjoy growing up together! Maybe they'll be girlfriends when they grow up, like Hazel's mom Liz and I are.

I only recently learned that when you put two babies in a space together, hilarity ensues. Lyra and Hazel met the day after Christmas. I think Lyra imagined Hazel was a new present.

*All pictures approved by Hazel's mom, Liz, and used with permission*

"Who are you?"

"Seriously. Who ARE you?" (Hazel decides to do the Robot.)

"Hey Mom, look at my new friend!"

Total cuteness. Speaking of, I've got to go get my bundle of cuteness who is refusing to nap today. At least she let me ride...sans stirrups. Stay tuned for my stirrup-less blog, or self-imposed torture, however you want to look at it!

Resolutions

Happy New Year!

For us, 2012 was an exciting year with Lyra's arrival, Splash's arrival at TMF, and a busy, busy year with competitions, paces, clinics and lessons. Our trailer traveled many miles, and our horses covered almost as many, and all came back sound, healthy and happy.

In some respects I'm sad 2012 is over - and Lyra's already 6 months old. Where did the time go? On the other hand, 2013 brings with it lots of opportunity, events, family time, and discovery with our little girl.

Seriously. Does it get any cuter than this?! I think not.

So in the spirit of the New Year, I've got some resolutions. I'm hoping if I make them public, I'll stick to them! I'm not really one for big resolutions, I like to keep them easy.

• Sweep the basement floor more often. Not that I don't sweep it a lot, but man, we can track in some serious dirt/ snow/ hay. That's also where I keep the horse's grain, supplements, my own personal tack shop and by the way, we do the laundry down there too. And we seem to have had a kitty adopt us, who we're calling Mr. Mistoffelees and he's taken up partial residence down there. (If you don't get the name, Google it and listen to the song, I sing it nonstop when he comes trotting down the driveway.)

"Oh well, I never was there ever, a cat so clever as magical Mr. Mistoffelees!"

• Get that darn steam cleaner for the rugs that I've been saying I have to get, so I can stop borrowing my mom's all the time. That way I can constantly clean the kid vom/ cat vom/ horse goo that occasionally graces it. Of course we could also rip up the carpet, it's hideous and came with the house, but that's a project for the future. Far cheaper to just get the steam cleaner!
• Learn more Italian. I'm working on it, but I have to stick with it! Ciao!
• Put in a solid season with Zeus at events, and really focus on strengthening our foundation.
• Eat more candlelight dinners with Matt, and Lyra!

See? Not so hard. Bring it on, 2013!

A Merry Christmas...and a Cake

I'm guessing most of you are gearing up for your Christmas celebration, while we are winding down from it!

Not to worry, we still have a big Christmas Eve soiree at my parents' house, but we had our own big Christmas party/ dinner at our house on Friday night. Matt's parents were in town for a few days, and my family came over to join in on the fun. And they were all my guinea pigs, because I decided to make a new cake and it was a big gamble!

I love Christmas - it's my favorite holiday of the year. For me, it means a more relaxed time with less travel, the horses get a little vacation, and family and friends all come together when during the rest of the year, we're often too busy. The mail is full of good tidings, the kitchen always has an assortment of deliciousness available (oink oink), and lights twinkle from houses around the neighborhood.

This year was extra special with a little girl, experiencing her first Christmas and all the fun that goes with it. She may not understand it all yet, but she was loving the attention and the party atmosphere the other night. In fact, she refused to go to bed - she insisted on coming back out and chattering with our guests until they all went home! In fact, she's still winding down from the excitement two days later, she's a pistol.

Ok so I look a bit weary but you can also see my wine glass was empty. Doesn't Lyra look cute?

So here's my gift to you....I hereby present the Candy Cane Cake. With modifications. I'll post the original recipe, and then will add my two cents and changes below. I needed to make it easier and tastier, in my opinion, but mostly easier. Hello, I have an infant and a full farm. How was it? Delish - I had raves from everyone.

Everyone except Matt, who muttered as the cakes were cooling..."I'm not really a peppermint guy." In the true spirit of Christmas, I serenely replied, "Tough noogies."

From all of us here at TMF, we wish you a joyous holiday and a fantastic 2013 ahead!

Candy Cane Cake (My modifications are in parenthesis!)

1 pkg.  chocolate cake mix (I used Devil's Food)

1 pkg.  (3.9 oz.) JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding

4 eggs

1 container  (8 oz.) BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream

1/2 cup  oil

1/2 cup  water

4 squares  BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, chopped (Didn't use this)

18 small  candy canes, coarsely crushed (about 1 cup), divided (I used a tablespoon and a half of peppermint extract instead - the candy wouldn't melt entirely making a crunchy cake. Who wants a crunchy cake?)

1 tub  (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed (Forget this. Especially if you're traveling this cake, the layers will slide all over and you'll end up with a Candy Cane Catastrophe. And you have to keep it refrigerated. I have the most spectacular - and easy - vanilla frosting below!)

Make It

HEAT oven to 350°F.
BEAT first 6 ingredients in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Stir in chopped chocolate and 2 Tbsp. crushed candy. Pour into 2 (9-inch) round pans sprayed with cooking spray.
BAKE 35 to 40 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 min. Loosen cakes from sides of pans; invert onto wire racks. Carefully remove pans. Cool cakes completely.
FILL and frost cakes with COOL WHIP. Sprinkle with remaining crushed candy just before serving. Keep refrigerated.

As you can see from my photo, I nixed the crushed candy canes in favor of whole candy canes in heart formation. I figured not everyone would want a ton of peppermint, there was plenty within the cake itself. Also, the candy canes do melt into a puddle of red and white goo, so once your guests have left and you have some leftover cake, remove the candy canes and give them to me. The horses love them!

Ok, here's the vanilla frosting. I stopped everything I was doing to burst into the living room where Matt, Lyra and his parents were sitting and I exclaimed, holding the beaters, "You have GOT to try this!" They all looked at me like I had six heads, and then they sampled it. I do believe the leftover frosting in the bowl was mysteriously cleaned out before I washed it....and it wasn't me!

Fluffy Vanilla Frosting

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 pound (4 cups) confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. With an electric mixer, beat butter on medium-high speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes.
2. Reduce speed to medium. Add the confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as needed; after every two additions, raise speed to high and beat 10 seconds to aerate frosting, then return to medium-high. This process should take about 5 minutes. Frosting will be very pale and fluffy.
3. Add vanilla, and beat until frosting is smooth. If not using immediately, frosting can be refrigerated up to 10 days in an airtight container. Before using, bring to room temperature, and beat on low speed until smooth again, about 5 minutes.

Enjoy - and Happy Holidays!

Out of the Fog

It goes without saying that we all have been affected by the tragedy that occurred in Newtown, CT. For me, it was too close to home - literally. My mom and dad's house is a few short miles away, mere minutes. The town of Newtown and the hamlet of Sandy Hook is lovely - friendly, warm and the last place you would imagine such horrors happening. It was, really, the last place on Earth that a tragedy of this magnitude would happen. But it did.

The Sandy Hook area was a place I frequented - diners, barns, shops and restaurants. Matt and I had breakfast in Sandy Hook the morning after our wedding, discussing our upcoming honeymoon and blissfully recounting the events of our wedding day.

I have friends who have children that attend Sandy Hook Elementary and are fine, thank goodness. I have friends who lost family members and friends last Friday. There are too many connections, too many lost.

I heard about it on the radio, on my way to the doctor for Lyra, who had a little bug and I wanted to make sure all was well. Once we were home, I just held on to her all day, and didn't want to let her go at night. I get it now. I hurt for the children, but especially for the parents who now have to live their lives without their own babies.

The face I kiss at least a hundred times a day.

As we all try to get back to some sense of normalcy (though this will stay with me for the rest of my life), there are moments of pure love all around. A farm near Sandy Hook that I began my competitive riding career at offered free pony rides, hugs from the horses, and horseshoe painting for anyone who needed to find comfort. Golden Retrievers have been walking the streets of town, graciously letting anyone cuddle and pat them, giving off a calming feeling. And everywhere around, people are undertaking 26 Acts of Kindness to honor those bright lives that were extinguished far too soon. Matt and I talked about it, and we'd also like to take part in making the lives of others just a little bit better.

Won't you join us?

If you'd like to help in other ways, please head over to my friend Ann Leary's blog. She posted some wonderful information about ways to give to the families and those directly affected by the tragedy.

I think if we all come together, we can make some light from this horrible, horrible darkness that has overcome our community.

In Fine Art Form

Yesterday I had the great pleasure of lunching with a new friend, Carol Brightman Johnson. Carol is a kindred spirit....an animal lover, horse owner, and a funny, witty, talented lady. She invited Lyra and I over to Marty's Cafe in Washington, CT, to see her latest art show - benefiting the Steep Rock Association. Steep Rock was the inspiration for many of her paintings in the show, and I got the chance to see them in person, and get to know this lovely lady a little better.

 Carol greeted us with a giant smile and warm hug, and she immediately spent some time talking to Lyra, who was fascinated with this new person! Lyra really enjoyed taking in the new surroundings....until the cappuccino machine started sputtering. That was not a popular drink choice, in her opinion.

"Curious"

I immediately asked Carol to give me the grand tour, and we went around to look at all of her beautiful work. What struck me with each painting was the sense of familiarity and warmth every piece evoked, and the attention to detail. Each leaf, fence post or tree branch was accounted for and seemed to tell part of a story.

My favorite - "An Evening in Autumn"

I loved that the paintings with people or animals had a breath of life to them - the animals had personalities and the people had a glimmer of mischief or propriety in their eyes, depending on who they were and what they were thinking at the time.

She also had beautiful florals, with bright and lively petals and earthy greens and browns pulling it all together. I almost wanted to reach out and touch the texture of the painting, but held myself back!

"Garden Divas" - a special kind of tulip

We had such a good time chatting over lunch, and Lyra decided to doze off so I could eat with one hand...until the cappuccino machine struck again! But while we were there, another couple sitting near us kept asking about one of the paintings over our heads. Then they'd murmur to each other, and practically lean onto our table to examine it again.

"Let's Go Tubing" - SOLD!

It was sold within a matter of moments!

If you have the chance, I highly encourage you to head over to Marty's in Washington Depot, CT - you won't be sorry. It's a lovely exhibit and who knows? You just might be enjoying some coffee and a croissant next to the accomplished artist herself.

The Unorthodox Thanksgiving Cappuccino Pie

I think most of you know our family is a bit unorthodox. Well, we are. Even Lyra prefers to march to the beat of her own drum. Most babies roll from their bellies to their backs. Lyra doesn't. She is convinced she's a ninja in training and will do some crazy yoga positions to roll from her back to her front. She loves when we speak in "death metal" tones to her instead of cute baby coos. Unorthodox.

So it comes as a surprise to no one (I hope) that we didn't serve pumpkin pie at our little Thanksgiving. I made a frozen concoction that's delicious and sinful. I've had a few requests for the recipe, so without further ado, here it is....the Thanksgiving Cappuccino Pie!

But first, here's a picture of the completed pie. I started drizzling chocolate syrup on top and then decided halfway through to make the syrup resemble a turkey. How'd I do?

I can't take credit for the recipe, I just got it from my mom! The artistry on top though, is all me.

 Stop laughing. Seriously. It's hard to draw in syrup.

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
6 Tbsp chocolate syrup
1 Tbsp instant coffee
1 Tbsp hot water
1 1/2 cups Cool Whip
Graham Cracker pie crust (large size) or make your own

Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add condensed milk and 4 Tbsp chocolate syrup.  Beat on low speed until well blended.

Dissolve coffee powder in hot water.  Stir into cream cheese mixture.  Fold in whipped topping.  Pour mixture into crust, cover and freeze overnight. Once frozen, drizzle with chocolate syrup swirls and dollops of Cool Whip, if desired.

Let pie stand in refrigerator for about 15 minutes before serving.