Blog Brain Dump

I'm always late on cool new craft items.  If it weren't for Pinterest, I'd really have no clue!

One thing I've recently discovered is washi tape.  So cute!  The girls are in the duct tape craze, but mom... well, she's in the washi tape craze.

I found this cute roll of washi tape at Hobby Lobby.  Of course, I used my 40% coupon!

Here is what it looks like.  Cute right?

In other news, when Randy came back from Taiwan in June, his only (meager?) request was "NO CHINESE FOOD for the rest of my life!"

Ummmm, what?  We love Chinese food.  AND, I've become pretty proficient in cooking Chinese food.  Plus, it's one of the only styles of food where I can get the girls to eat veggies.  

So, while I've backed off the Chinese food meals, I could not back away from this "Asian inspired" salad that I had rolling around in my head.

I've seen variations of this salad everywhere, so it's not new, but it was good and Randy didn't complain because it was "Asian Inspired" food, which was a win-win for us girls.  (How many times do you think I can write "Asian Inspired" in one blog post?)

Grilled Chicken Chinese Salad

with Kraft Light Asian Sesame Dressing

Ingredients:

Grilled Chicken (I used leftover grilled chicken, cold, straight out of the refrigerator).

Mixed Greens (Romain, Spinach, Baby Greens, etc.)

Bagged Mixed Cabbage (like you would buy for coleslaw) 

Diced Red Bell Pepper

Sliced Green Onions

Matchstick Carrots

Canned Mandarin Orange Slices (drained)

Toppings: 

LaChoy Chow Mein Noodles

(or) Crumbed Ramen Noodles

Dressing:

Kraft Light Asian (Inspired) Toasted Sesame

Directions:

Look, I'm not going to tell you how much of each ingredient to use.  Add what you like, in whatever quantities you want.  This salad is NOT picky...much like my husband...who has totally disrupted my Chinese food meal planning.  Toss and serve.

This weekend, both girls are playing in a 3v3 Live Soccer Tournament.  In July.  Y'all, it's HAWT in July in Texas.  Luckily, the 3v3 games are only 20 minutes long, with smaller fields.  But, the play is virtually nonstop and FAST.  Should make for a fun weekend... plus, it gives the girls lots of playing time.

Next week is basically our last week of summer.  Once August rolls around, we'll be fast and furious with daily soccer & school volleyball practices.  The girls will also have 3 soccer tournaments in August.  (Again... it's gonna be HAWT!)  Not to mention, Elisan's 12th birthday and the beginning of school.  Can you say C-R-A-Z-Y?

So, that's all for now...just enjoying the last vestiges of summer in our household.  Maybe we'll go shopping for school clothes today.  'Cause that's always an enjoyable treat for me.

A long way from home...

Kyla lost 4 teeth today!

Back in December, Kyla's orthodontist told us that in order for Kyla's teeth to come in properly, she would have to have 2 of her adult teeth pulled.

Apparently, the LOUDEST kid I know, has the smallest mouth I know.  Who would have guessed it?

Well, because of her age, we decided it would be best to schedule her with an oral surgeon to have her teeth extracted.  No need for traumatic dentist experience so early on in life.

Today was the day and she did great!  The doctor and his staff were phenomenal!  They even allowed me to stay in the room until she was completely under anesthesia.  I was also allowed back into the room immediately when it was over.

She recovered for about 30 minutes afterwards and we were sent home.

Of course, this was not a major ordeal (thankfully), but it was worrisome, nonetheless. She is recovering nicely on the couch, watching unlimited TV and eating unlimited soft foods (read: ice cream).

Four teeth total... 2 baby teeth (that were hanging by a thread) and 2 permanent. 

Bicycling! My new favorite!

A while back, I mentioned how Randy bought us girls mountain bikes... but what I haven't mentioned is how biking is now my new favorite form of exercise!

Last week, while the girls were in camp, I hit the bike trails and man, talk about a workout!  When I'm out by myself, I can clip along quickly and not take breaks like I do when I'm with the girls.  Forty-five minutes later, I've biked 7.5 miles and I'm exhausted, drenched in sweat but HAPPY!  I can't tell you how happy biking makes me feel.

I did not have a bike growing up as a child.  Instead, I had a dirt bike (a.k.a. motorcycle like the one below) because we lived out in the country... no paved streets or sidewalks.  Don't get me wrong, I was not deprived!  I LOVED my motorcycle and rode is nearly everyday.  For hours.  But, because of that, I never had a bike.

So, when Randy got me a mountain bike, it was my first real bike, a Specialized Rockhopper.  We got it used from Craigslist, but it was a great buy!  I've even bought 3 pairs of padded shorts, because let's face it... they make padded shorts for a reason... (oh, my bum!)

The girls are also getting into the whole experience with me.  Elisan has her very own pair of Pearl Izumi padded shorts and a Castelli Cycling Jersey (jealous!) that we found at the Salvation Army for crazy cheap!  (I have yet to find anything for Kyla because her butt is so scrawny!)

I'm having a blast and hopefully, will expand my bike riding experience to other trails in the area and perhaps even more technical trails.  Speaking of technical, Randy brought us to a more technical/difficult trail one weekend and while we were able to finish it with him, it was very difficult in the heat.  Perhaps when it cools off we'll be able to tolerate the extreme conditions better.

Once the kids get back to school, I'll just keep my bike with me, gear up for a morning ride and hit the trails after drop off .  Who knows, biking may replace my gym membership one day (soon).

Good to know... digital library loans!

I can't tell you how many people I've talked to that didn't know they could borrow digital copies of library books from their local library!

Yep!  It's true.

Look, here's the deal.  I could never spend $10.00 on a digital book.  Never!  But, it occurred to me that maybe... just maybe... the library had a digital book loan system and sure enough, they did!  Maybe you are already using your digital book loan system via the library, but I wanted to pass along this info to those who are not!

There's a few steps involved to get set up.  First of all, you need a library card, but that's a no brainer right?

Second, you'll need to have the Kindle App downloaded to your device (phone, tablet, laptop, etc.)

You will also need to download OverDrive Media Console (which is like a facilitator between your library and Amazon.com.)

Once you get that set up, you can access your local digital library. For my local friends, it is the Central Texas Digital Consortium.

Select your local library from the drop down menu.

Then enter your library card number and password.

Once you access the digital library, you can browse titles, hold/reserve titles or check out titles.

If the book you want to read is not available, you can place a hold and you will be notified via email when the book is available for check out.

Additionally, you will get an email notifying you when your loan ends.

The books are loaned via Amazon.com.  So, you'll also need an Amazon account... but these days... who doesn't already have an Amazon account.

And, that's it!  Seems like a lot of steps to begin with, but after the initial set up... it's a cinch!  Oh and something else that is awesome... if you are like me and have several devices - iPad, phone, Macbook, then all of your loaned digital books will be available on all of your devices via the Kindle App.

Here are a few downfalls to be aware of once get started.

1.) Loan period is only 2 weeks.  I'm a slow reader and a very busy mom, so sometimes my loan will end before I'm done with the book.  Que lastima!

2.) Availability is limited.  If there is a popular book you want to read, you will likely have to get on a reserve waiting list.  I'm not flustered by this too much, but I know some people would.

3.) Availability (AGAIN)... your library "purchases" the right to loan the books through Amazon.  Meaning... your library may not offer an incredible amount of titles via the digital consortium... or, they may only procure 1-2 copies of a popular book.  It varies from library to library.  Our library seems to be catching up now, but a year ago, available titles were very limited.

4.) You can only reserve 3 titles at one time.

5.) You can only check-out 5 titles at one time.

However, there is a work around to #'s 4 & 5 and that is... everyone in our family has their own library card, so Elisan can reserve her own titles and not bog down my reserve limit, etc., etc.

Is it a perfect set up?  No... of course not.  But, totally worth the money saved!

Road Trip... The End!

The final stretch home is always the hardest!  I'm not sure why Randy always plans the longest hardest day on the LAST day.  

I told him that the next road trip needed to consist of our hardest longest day on the road to be our FIRST day and then make stops along the way back home.  Makes sense to me, right?

As with our last road trip, I made the girls souvenir books to add park brochures, maps, field notes and photos.  This has worked out well both times and the girls love having a finished project upon arriving home.

Who knows were our next road trip will take us.  I still want to visit the Redwood Forest, Glacier Park, Zion, Canyonlands & Yosemite.   I would also like to take the girls to Washington D.C. in a few years as well.  So many places to see...

If ever you are planning a road trip, send me an email.  I'd be happy to impart my VAST knowledge of planning, packing and travel tips.

Road Trip Day 10

We arrived in Estes Park with Elisan suffering from car sickness, so we grabbed a quick dinner and called it a day.  Poor thing.  She has terrible motion sickness.

Big Horn Sheep... right along the side of the road.

We are total posers here.  We weren't able to visit this National Park, but we can't resist a NP sign!

So, instead of hiking in Estes Park, we opted for a tour of the historic Stanley Hotel.

(I took this picture from our moving vehicle... Isn't it just beautiful?)

"Stephen King got the idea for The Shining after staying in room 217 in the almost empty hotel on the night before it closed for an extended period." Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stanley_Hotel

Clearly... Kyla is NOT impressed.  Perhaps if I let her watch "The Shining" she might change her mind?  Which incidently is a movie that I can watch multiple times and be just as scared as if I were watching if for the FIRST time.  "Heeeeeeeere's Johnny!"

After touring the Stanley Hotel, we hopped in the car for a long day's travel to Amarillo!

Road Trip Day 9

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Our third (and last day) in Yellowstone was spent exploring waterfalls.  However, the biggest and most popular waterfall in Yellowstone is the Upper and Lower Falls.  Yep.  Neat name, right?   Elisan was bummed that the name for the biggest falls in Yellowstone were so boring.  

Our first stop was to hike down Uncle Tom's Trail to view the Lower Falls.  These steps descended 500 feet down into the canyon (or 300 stair steps).  Oh, and I forgot to mention... it was raining and those stairs were treacherous!

  

Unfortunately, this is the best picture (below) I could get because I only had my high-powered camera lens with me.  But, Randy had his iPhone, so we had someone snap a quick picture of us there.  We were so close you could feel the mist of the waterfall.  And loud!  Oh my, it was very loud.  But, awesome to see up close.  Definitely worth the 600 stair steps. 

(By the way... I was so winded from the climb in the high elevation, that I had to take 3-4 breaks just climbing back up. Whew!  I burned my calories for that day!)

Here's the view of the stairs and the 500 ft descent to see the Lower Falls.  This picture was taken for the waterfall drop on the other side in the picture below. 

It was another crazy hike to get to this viewing platform, but what a neat treat.  To see the water rushing over the edge... And again... so close! 

There were several viewing points to see the massive waterfall.  And we stopped at most of them.  After a while, Elisan began asking, "How many times are we going to see thee same waterfall?!"  But, I wanted to see them all.

The Lower Falls deposits into the "Grand Canyon of Yellowstone", shown below.  It's pretty and impressive. 

View of the "Grand Canyon of Yellowstone"

The picture below is perhaps my favorite picture from the entire trip.  This was taken right after a thunderstorm moved through the area.  (Which is pretty common in Yellowstone.  The weather was changing constantly... snow, rain, sun... all in that order.) 

As we were leaving on of the waterfall viewing points, we passed this... Glacial Boulder.  Kinda interesting to see a big ol' rock planted in the middle of a forest.  

Road Trip Day 8

Our second day in Yellowstone was to explore the far reaches of the park, including a trout pond, wandering wildlife and Mammoth Springs.

Because Yellowstone is so vast, the trip to the Lamar Valley  was almost 2 hours long.  The speed limit inside the park is 45 mph and it's winding and scenic.  You definitely want to take your time, since spotting wildlife along the way is part of the fun.

We stopped at Trout Lake and hiked an easy trail to get there.  We hiked the perimeter of the lake and happened upon trout, swimming upstream to spawn their eggs.  I guess that's why they call it trout lake!

As we continued to hike, I noticed two animals running down the hill and splash into the water.  It was these two happy otters playing and with each other.  They put on quite a little show for us and we stayed there watching them for nearly 20 minutes.  (I think I want an otter for a pet!)

Beautiful wildflowers were all along the path.  I took many, many pictures of the different flowers and could bore you with all of them... but I won't.  However, this is my favorite.  It's called "Prairie Smoke".   It looks so delicate and I love the color.

Prairie Smoke (Geum triflorum)

We left Lamar Valley and continued our drive to Mammoth Springs in the northeast corner of Yellowstone in Fort Yellowstone.  (Tally up another hour long drive to get there, but again, the beauty of the surroundings make it worthwhile.)

It's hard to depict the vastness and beauty of this area.  Again, lots of desolated areas due to boiling volcanic magma underneath the surface, but simply amazing to see and words can't hardly do it justice.

On our way back to the lodge, we stopped by the petrified tree.  Yes... singular... tree.  Apparently, at one time, there were three petrified trees, but early explorers and visitors chipped away at the trees for "souvenirs" and only one remains today. 

Yellowstone has several "auto trails". We took the auto trail to Mount Washburn, elevation 10, 243 ft.  Felt like we were on top of the world!

Our second day of Yellowstone was a great day for spotting wildlife.  Here are just a few of the wildlife we saw.  

Road Trip Day 7

The drive from the Tetons to Yellowstone was only about 45 mins.  But, Yellowstone is such a massive national park, that it might take you 1-2 hours to get to your desired location.  

Randy had our itinerary planned out and our first day in Yellowstone was to be spent exploring geysers and hot springs!  We decided to see the famous geyser "Old Faithful" first!  If you didn't know, Old Faithful spews "faithfully" approximately every 91 minutes.

I'm not sure what we were expecting, but first and foremost... it was "on time".  Second, the geyser was eerily quiet as it burst forth with boiling water.  Third, it was very impressive and worth seeing.  (In fact, we were able to see Old Faithful erupt 3 times while we were in Yellowstone.)

After watching Old Faithful, we took a raised pedestrian trail to the surrounding hot springs and geysers near Old Faithful.  Careful to remain on the raised pedestrian trail... because you could be stepping onto a "hot spot" on the ground.

Notice how everything surround the hot springs and geysers is dead.  I was amazed at how desolate those areas were.  And look at the geyser behind the girls... This geyser, named Giant Geyser, just boiled and splashed water continuously just waiting for the next huge eruption.  However, it hasn't erupted since 2010.  When it does erupt, it can erupt water up to 250 feet and for as long as 1 hour! 

Another view of the amazing hot springs. Notice the raised pedestrian walkways and the desolate area around the hots springs?  I guess a whole lot of nothing can grow when the only water source is full of sulphur and boiling hot!

A park ranger let the girls hold elk horns and big horn sheep horns.  An elk sheds their horns each season (and the composition is like bone.)  The big horn sheep keep their horns their entire life (and the composition is like fingernails/toenails.)  Pretty neat stuff!

We had a great first day at Yellowstone!