Great Weekend

Good weather and a ton of laundry transformed our backyard into a peek into another generation or a bit of white trash...the choice is yours! Maggie had a sleepover Friday night and we hung out at their house unexpectedly until 10:00 drinking beer when we dropped her off. We got to bring Rosie with us, nice people and Ian actually ate fish...fun evening! The next morning Maggie went to a birthday party at a Chinese buffet for 3 hours. Long story...I got trapped into staying instead of the gardening I was planning on doing. Had a nice time in the end and was glad I gave in. Afterwards, a friend came over to play with Maggie and I finally got some gardening done. I cleared out another "garden gone wild" in the side yard and made room for 3 more SF gardens! Our original SFG has made huge progress! Maggie went to Girl Scouts and we were thrilled to finally turn in over $700 in cookie money! We've started watching a new series on DVD with Maggie...called Christy. It's in the same genre as all the Little House on the Prairie and Love Comes Softly series we've watched. We're weird that way. Great weekend.

enoROSIEmous

It was a struggle to get Rosie lifted by Maggie. Her comment was, "She is too heavy for a little girl like me." I hate to say this out loud...Rosie is still growing!

Love Thursday

found embedded in limestone underground at Longhorn Caverns

Science Fair

It's that time of year...science fair! We enjoyed doing the actual project...didn't enjoy the 20 page logbook that accompanied it! Maggie also learned a very important lesson...don't put off the non-fun part. All in all, it was a positive experience and she will be better prepared to do it next year. We've done science fair projects every year voluntarily but this year it was required and will be much of her science grade.

ZZ Top

I know it's a bit excessive...but we went to the rodeo AGAIN! Some years it's just like that. Tonight we went to see ZZ Top with friends for the last rodeo performance. They sounded exactly like I remembered...looked the same, too! We had to use up our last few carnival tickets from earlier in the week so we spent some time at the carnival. The lines were crazy long and Maggie had no interest riding them again so instead, she enjoyed playing the carnival games (which we never allow!). This year the ride tickets could also be used for games...she felt she had won the lottery! Long day...but a great way to end our fun Spring Break!

Thanks!

Thanks Enos Family! We had a relaxing trip...just what the doctor ordered!

Bluebonnets!

I couldn't resist stopping on the way home to take the infamous pictures of children and bluebonnets. My excuse...I needed one of the dog!

Going Home

On the way home we took a small detour to Llano, Texas to eat lunch at the world famous (according to Texas Monthly) restaurant, Cooper's BBQ. The 45 minute wait in the line outside the restaurant was a walk in the park and totally worth it! While waiting, we chatted up the retired judge that was behind us and found a dog-friendly place to take our barbecue to go. A couple of blocks away we went to a delightful park on the river and had a picnic. Afterwards, we took the dogs on a walk to the dam and back...great way to end our fun camping trip!

paddle boating

On our last day at the lake was spent paddle boating. Not surprising, I could not convince Maggie to get IN a canoe. We've got to get over this irrational fear of canoes and kayaks...any suggestions? We had a great time...I almost fell into the lake after retrieving a "lost" boat that had gotten away! Rosie even enjoyed the ride!

wow

It made my heart sing...to see the children on our trip read daily on their own! Priceless.

Devil's Water Hole

Devil's Water Hole was a favorite in our group which warranted two trips. The kids especially loved seeing the teenagers jump off crazy-high cliffs into the water...it was a bit frightening for the mothers in the group and thankfully, Maggie, too! Look for video clips on youtube.com to see for yourself!The water was refreshing, the hike down was fun and the dogs had a blast (Rosie still hated to see the other dog enjoy the water!).

Longhorn Caverns, part 2

After we took the cavern tour we explored the grounds and museum. Dogs were not allowed on the tour (I think Rosie would have HATED it!) so Eric volunteered to take the dogs hiking. Ian especially enjoyed the museum and the kids loved the beautiful buildings/gardens the Civilian Conservation Corps built around the park.

Longhorn Caverns

Today we spent some time at Longhorn Caverns State Park. Luckily, it was only 6 miles from Inks Lake! All of us enjoyed the history and it was helpful to have our very own geologist with us! We learned that the caverns were formed over thousands of years by the dissolving and cutting action of water on the limestone bedrock of the area. Fossil remains show that many Ice Age animals once occupied the cave. Maggie was delighted to find out elephant remains have even been found there! She was also pleased to find out that the Comanche Indians (remember her video she made for a school project?) were the first to use the cavern. They came in about 400 years or so before anyone else did. In more recent history, the cavern was used as a Confederate stronghold where gunpowder was manufactured in secret during the Civil War. Ian loved the history lesson! The cavern is also rumored to have been the hideout of Sam Bass, a legendary Texas outlaw. The tour took about an hour and a half and we enjoyed every minute of it.

Inks Lake

We got in the lake for the first time...and only saw one snake. We found out something interesting about Rosie. She was VERY angry at watching the other dog with us get in the water. It was a bit amusing but eventually got really annoying. The water was cold but refreshing. Thank goodness for water shoes!

Love Thursday

The park was covered with cactus...many shaped like hearts!

setting up camp

Just to let you know...we had a GREAT campsite (site # 321). It was very spacious, private and shady. I think all of us enjoy the aspect of setting up camp and had everything situated fairly quickly. We cooked great meals, enjoyed nightly campfires/stargazing and had a very relaxing time away from our busy lives at home. The kids were pretty good about finding something to do and exploring around the campsite.

We're Off!

We are off to Inks Lake State Park in Burnet, Texas with our friends the Enos Family. The drive was beautiful and the weather was gorgeous. We stopped in Austin at a delightful dog-friendly restaurant, Freddie's Place. Rosie did well on her big car ride...I think she'll want to do it again!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I have a bunch of green edamame sprouts poking through the soil...exciting!

AGventure

We had a lot of fun at AGventure with our friends Caroline and Kari. This portion of the day was indoors. Believe it or not, we actually got sunburned! There were a few new exhibits to enjoy and we especially enjoyed seeing the new piglets and calves that were only a couple of hours old!

Maggie was pleased to be picked from the crowd to "cheer" on pig #3. We were so worn out by that time...I'm not so sure how much cheering was actually done!

Rodeo Carnival

We spent a good amount of the day at the rodeo carnival...and only used half our tickets! Maggie is not adventurous when it comes to rides and that is OK with me! Nonetheless, we had a great time! The weather was gorgeous!

I allowed myself one non-Adkins friendly rodeo treat...I LOVE caramel apples!

Sacred Sunday

Cowgirl Maggie

FYI...this was what she had on under her acolyting robe this morning at church! :-)

Our favorite girl in the world!

Rosie's new pad!

Rosie has outgrown the borrowed kennel we've been using since we got her...Rosie knew right away this was for her! New cozy crate, stitches are out, fresh bath...life is good.

How Cute!

On a play date today, Maggie and Catherine decided to do a bit of sewing. Their ingenious idea was to use pants legs that had been cut off my old pants (they found in the trash!) and make saddlebags. Very clever.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies

Today was Maggie's last volleyball game. To celebrate their last win, I made Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownie's with ganash topping from Bakerella to contribute to their end-of-season party. They seemed sinfully delicious...but I didn't even have a single bite!

Friday and Cooly

Maggie FINALLY got to bring the class hamsters home. She feels like she hit the jackpot because her turn fell over Spring Break. I think otherwise.

Guardian Angel

Rosie LOVES to sleep with Maggie. This is not something we totally approve of...she's very sneaky!

OMG !!!

Look at Maggie's desk at school...it was literally overflowing onto her chair! I felt a little better when I realized she wasn't the ONLY one. Honestly, if I didn't let it happen...her room would look like this, too!

Love Thursday

I stumbled on this on a walk around Spooner Lake, Nevada in a small Aspen grove.

poor Rosie

Rosie has been spayed and wearing this lovely shield all week. She is a mess...mangy (we really DID have to treat her for mange), dirty (she can't have a bath until her stitches are out) and stinky! We still love her...good thing she is cute.

garden veggies

Here is the very beginning of our vegetable crop this year...pickling cucumbers, edamame, peppers and onions. The stinky marigolds will help keep pests away. We hope to get other gardens started soon...

Jonas Brothers

Maggie went with her Aunt Kate to see The Jonas Brothers at the Rodeo. I'm confident Kate is the bigger fan...pretty hilarious considering she will be 25 this summer! They had awesome seats and a fabulous time together. Poor Kate had to drive to work Monday morning...all the way to Austin!

Happy Birthday

We had two of our favorite families over for dinner to celebrate EJane's birthday. The weather was beautiful for a change so we enjoyed a wonderful evening outside. No fire pit required. Maggie was off to a sleepover birthday party but the other kids were satisfied with playing Guitar Hero.

Huckleberry Bash

Our big fundraiser at school this year was themed "totally 80's." We looked absolutely rediculous but had a fabulous time! Can you believe I got Ian to get out on the dance floor...

Love Thursday

OK...it's never my idea to go to McDonald's. Today was different. Maggie was pleased to get a new Littlest Pet Shop toy and I was even more thrilled when I lifted my bun off to discard (I'm still a die hard Adkins follower). Wouldn't you know it...I found a heart shaped pickle on my burger!

Oh, Rosie...

I guess I made Rosie's house too yummy...it looks like she tried to eat it! I feel lucky though. This had been the only chewing incident so far. Knock on wood. I guess a little sandpaper will fix the problem. Rosie's obedience trainer wasn't too happy to find out!

Rosie's House

Rosie got a new house. She's scared of it! I've loaded it with treats to help entice her inside...