Mother's Day Hike

As I mentioned yesterday, we went hiking for Mother's Day.  We decided to go to Booker T. Washington National Monument, because the boys love all the buildings and animals, and the hike isn't too strenuous for them, so no one has to be carried.

 After a picnic, they took off running down the path for the old buildings.  This one was a kitchen house back in the day.

We counted a lot of lizards while we were exploring.  I couldn't help but delight in taking lizard pictures.  Almost as fun to photograph as ducks.

This is the old tobacco barn.  Reid would only stand in the doorway, as it was very dark inside and he said it was too scary.

Sharpening a few tools in the blacksmith shop.  The boys also enjoyed working the huge billows for the fire.

Tree marker along our hike.  One fun thing about the hike is that it has numbers throughout, with information you can follow in a brochure. 

The old Sparks cemetery sits on a ridgetop, and has a number of graves all marked with fieldstones.

Filling our hands to the brims with nature.  The boys are always stuffing their pockets with rocks and flowers and other goodies.

The twins don't read yet, but they sure do like to pretend that they do!

What a fun filled day.  I hope the Mother's Day hike is a tradition my boys will pass down to their own families.  It's a wonderful way to spend a special day. 

Well. He's Just Fabulous

On Mother's Day every year, I tend to request a family hike.  It's become a tradition, and this year was no different. 

While we were hiking this year, we ventured a bit off the trail to check out the Jack O'Lantern Branch creek.  I look over and see Paul doing this:

At first, I thought maybe he was trying to spear a fish with his hiking pole.  Isn't that just the sort of random thing a guy would do?

But no.  He was fishing out a pair of pink sunglasses.  Well.  Isn't he just fabulous? 

You wouldn't believe the fights the boys had over those pink sunglasses during the rest of the hike.  Everybody wanted pink sunglasses!  Readers, do you have any pink sunglasses in your life?

Standlee Hay Products Review

Disclaimer:  This is a review written by me, with my own opinions, of Standlee Hay Products.  I was provided with a gift card to purchase their products for review purposes. 

Lately I've been putting our horses through their annual vaccines, along with their every-other-month deworming and hoof trimming.  I have a feeling that when I walk in to the pastures, they're whispering "Uh oh.  Here she comes.  What now?"  And then they heave a big sigh.  So when Standlee contacted me about doing a review, I was excited to have some tasty new feed products for them to try.  This time of year, the horses are full and round from all the green grass, so I don't need to do any feed supplementing, but that doesn't mean they can't test out a new product as a treat.  And next winter, I'll be all set when the land turns brown and the grass is sparse.

Pierce and Reid were my helpers for the evening.  I decided to try the Premium Alfalfa/Oat Cubes, the Premium Alfalfa/Timothy Pellets, and the Premium Alfalfa/Timothy Mini Cubes.  Standlee uses high quality timothy hay and alfalfa grass in their horse products.  We fixed some treat buckets of both for the horses to try.  Pierce smelled a handful of the sweet pellets and declared that they smelled like oats, so he thought the horses would love them.

Phoenix really liked the alfalfa pellets, whereas Harriet enjoyed the alfalfa/timothy mini cubes first.  They both licked their tubs clean.  Pierce and Reid kept saying, "They love their treats!"  Although both Phoenix and Harriet are seniors (both being over 20 years old), they had no trouble in chewing up the pellets, and seemed to love them. 

Standlee Hay Company is dedicated to growing the highest quality of forage products that are available.  Next winter we will be well-stocked with Standlee products, and I know our horses will appreciate receiving their nutrition this way when the months grow cold and long. 

When Bluebirds Attack

1.  We have a bluebird couple living in our bluebird house, in spite of the Willie Factor.  The male bluebird sees his reflection in the kitchen window and spends the entire day attacking the screen.  So far he hasn't busted the screen, but it is now covered in bird poop. I did manage to snap a picture of him through the window, preparing to launch into it.  There are 7 little blue eggs in the bluebird house.  I hope they will be okay with Willie around.

2.  The other day I burst out laughing at Cort, who was mad because I carried him into his room to get dressed (he was taking so long, and we were in a hurry).  He stomped his feet and actually beat his tiny chest with his fists.  I couldn't help it - he was like a miniature Tarzan throwing a fit.  He got even madder when I laughed, "MOM I WANTED TO WALK! THIS IS NOT FUNNY!  STOP BEING FUNNY MOM" which only made me laugh harder.  Talk about a parenting FAIL.

3.  We've had some evenings lately where it's been balmy and cool with a strong breeze.  It feels just like the beach.  This makes me happy - I love the ocean.  If I close my eyes, I can pretend I am there - only missing the delicious sea salt smell and the sound of the waves.

4.  In answer to last week's bouncy house dilemma, I let them go through, but I went crazy with the disinfecting wipes before we drove home. 

5.  If someone randomly handed you $500 and told you to go buy something you'd been wanting for a really long time, what would you buy?  I'd get a generator.  Not very exciting, but practical no doubt.  I still remember with horror the 8 days we had no power last summer when it was 100* outside.  Hoping we don't ever repeat that! 

Linked with Random Friday at A Rural Journal.

Black Bean and Mushroom Make Ahead Enchiladas Recipe

I love enchiladas, and am always tinkering with recipes for new combinations.  I like this one because you can make it up to a day ahead - so it's great to pull out for company. 

Ingredients:

1 10 ounce can cream of mushroom soup
1 7 ounce can chopped green chilis
1 cup sour cream (light is fine)
1 small onion, chopped
4 ounces fresh sliced mushrooms
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 4 1/2 ounce can sliced black olives, drained
1 cup shredded Monterey jack/cheddar cheese,
6 large flour tortillas
Dash of smoked paprika

Combine soup, sour cream, chilis, onion, olives and cheeses.  Measure out 1 1/2 cup of mixture and set aside.  To remaining mixture fold in black beans and sliced mushrooms.  Fill each tortilla in the middle with about 3 tbsp. of black bean mixture and roll tightly.  Place seam down in large casserole.  Once tortillas are done, smooth reserved mixture over the top, taking care to spread all the way to the edges of the tortillas.  Sprinkle with paprika and let sit in refrigerator overnight or at least 4 hours.  Bake at 350* for 45 minutes. 

These go wonderfully with some Mexican style rice and a salad with a chipotle dressing! 

Yet Another Goodbye

Over 15 years ago, I lost my cat, Toulouse, to kidney failure.  I was heartbroken, but eventually I headed to the SPCA in Houston and adopted a furry black kitten with gray sideburns that we named Disco.

Disco was shy with strangers, but he was very affectionate toward his family.  One of his quirkier habits was carrying around soft toys while yowling.  He would often bring the boys' stuffed animals into my bed - I'd be ready to go to sleep at night and would find a collection of small stuffed toys piled on the comforter.

This is Disco with Reid, when he was a baby, on the changing table.  The blessing in Disco's passing was that he'd enjoyed good health the past 15 years.  He lost some weight last summer, but I switched cat food and he put it back on. 

So the other night while Paul and I watched a movie and I suddenly noticed Disco missing, I sent Paul to look for him.  He was always right there with us in the evenings, requesting affection.  Paul found him on the cat tower, and it seemed he had died in his sleep.  Although I didn't get to say goodbye this time, I was thankful that I didn't have to watch his health fail and that he seemed to have passed so peacefully.

We buried him the next morning before Pierce left for school.  This came home in his folder from school later that day.

Talk about breaking a Mom's heart.  Disco was a loving member of our family, and he'll be missed.

Minivan Buying Don'ts

When I was pregnant with the twins, we realized that soon we would need to fit 3 carseats in a vehicle, and decided we should look into buying a minivan.  Being on a tight budget, as always, we looked high and low for a used minivan that was in good condition.  Eventually we found one with around 45,000 miles on it, and while it didn't come with any fancy extras, it seemed like it would serve our needs. 

Fast forward four years and 55,000 miles.  With a summer road trip on the horizon, we have discovered one crucial thing missing from our minivan.

There are no rails to support a luggage rack.  It's bald on top.  So I called the manufacturer and do you know what?  They said that they couldn't do anything if it didn't come factory installed! 

I then purchased a 'universal fit' rack to put on top.  Guess what?  Apparently 'universal' does not apply to my minivan, as it didn't fit.  Meanwhile, every single minivan on the road that passes me has a luggage rack (or at least a set of rails) on top of it.  Every single one.  How did we manage to get the one minivan on earth that came without? 

I have special ordered a rather expensive Yakima rack system to see if that will work.  Wish us luck, because if this doesn't fit I think we're out of options! 

Update:  The Yakima rack fits!  Paul installed it with no trouble at all.  Thank goodness.  Now I just need to order the locks to go with it.