Mother's Day

This year on Mother's Day we went hiking in Bluemont, VA.  Originally, we were going to head to Great Falls, but we got started late and I had heard about this trail from a friend.  So, we headed to Bear's Den in Bluemont for our annual Mother's Day hike.

What a beautiful day we had!!!  The weather was gorgeous,  there were no bugs, and there weren't too many people there.  Plus, all three girls were in good moods!  Here are the highlights:

Little did Syd know she would be trapped in that thing for the next two hours!

She loved it at first......

Getting started.

Overlooking the Appalachian Trail

Just sooooo stinkin' cute!

Of course the boys were with us.  Sorry about the slow shutter speed fellow picture takers:)

Man alive, I think the girls would still be at this creek if we hadn't threatened them with no treats for a week- we couldn't get them to leave!

Syd loved it too- although she was less sure at first.

This was a cool little silo that they had turned into a mini kids museum.  It had all kinds of interesting facts about the area.  The girls loved it!

A mom and her girls!

The end!

Our Garden

Since we moved and now have the space, I decided that the girls would be more willing to eat their veggies if they had grown the veggies themselves.  We shall see, but it did force me to plant a garden.  We had lots of help, some of our friends came over to help plant.  

Here is where we began:

Daddy had a helper- by the way, we bought these corners from Gardener's Supply for the containers, and they were the coolest things.  We then just had to buy the boards from Home Depot and we were in business.  We bought compost/top soil mix from a local gardening shop.  Probably should have tested the soil, but hey, I'm new at this!! Maybe next year!

Here are some more pics of the construction site:

Everyone wanted to help- or just swing a hammer.  What parent doesn't let their 5 and almost 4 year old play with hammers?

The girls were very concerned that Dad was following directions!  So funny- who are these kids???

Even Syd wanted to check out the boxes.  I think they passed the inspection.  Can't wait to show you what happened to the sod we took off the top!

All in all, the boxes didn't take very long to build.  We (and by we, I mean Mike), were done in an afternoon.  In the end, we had two perfect garden boxes.

Next came the filling with dirt and plants.  For this, we needed reinforcements.

This is more water play than planting, but you have to keep your tools clean right?

Izzy really got into the planting.

Some help from the grown ups, and a friend.

Finished Products!  The reason the bottom one looks so empty is because 3/4 of it is going to be an asparagus bed.  We planted the crowns and now just need to wait 2 or 3 years for harvest time.

After all of the hard work was done, it was time to get clean.

It's amazing what kids will do with a bucket!  We had so much fun with all of our friends!  Can't wait to see what the harvest will bring.  Hopefully, less picky eaters! 

Oops, Life kinda took over!

I just realized that it has been close to a month since my last post!  I guess life kind of has a way of taking over, and sometimes only the super important stuff gets done.  I suppose that is how we know what the super important stuff really is!  I have decided that it would be better for me to post and say "Sure was a slow week around here!", than continually posting about the crazy weeks we have been having- that probably gets old.  Yes, they are all crazy.  When you have three young children, the weeks are going to be crazy.  But, it's the kind of crazy that I have been soaking in because I know that it will end all too soon!

I lost my Grammy last week, and I am truly sad.  She hadn't been well for a few years, but I am so happy that she got to meet my daughters!  What a fantastic inspiration she was to me.  I got to spend three weeks with her every summer, and she was always busy.  She drug me around everywhere she went, so I just kind of fell in line behind her.  She was a baker and was famous for her Sticky Buns.  I have learned to make them, but they will never be as yummy as hers were!  She was also a strong woman of God.  She spend many hours cooking and baking for her church.  I am sure they have missed her- they are not as well fed as they once were.  I was able to say goodbye yesterday at her funeral, but luckily, she will always be with me.

My plan is to do a much better job of keeping up in the future.  I am a person who is easily overwhelmed by things, so once I got to be a week behind, it was easier to hide from my computer than face her head on!  I have lots of things to share!  Hope to have the pictures up soon!

Baked Peanut Butter Oatmeal

Two weekends ago, I found this recipe.  I made it, and it was sooooo yummy.  Not at all like traditional oatmeal, this is light and fluffy, probably due to the egg and baking powder:).  Try it this weekend!  It tastes just like a huge oatmeal cookie!  I suggest pouring milk over the top, but my daughters liked eating it just plain.  Next time, I will try chunky peanut butter.  You could also add raisins and lots of other things!  

Sure, it doesn't look like much, but it sure is yummy!

Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

This is a new recipe that I tried a few weeks back and LOVED!  In fact, everyone loved it- even the girls!  Plus, it was so easy.  The hardest part of any stir fry is the chopping and gathering of ingredients.

Beef and Broccoli Stir- Fry

Silly Night

When my hubby goes out of town, we like to have silly night here.  I like it because at the dinner table, everyone looks like this........

Weekly Menu Plan

So I realized this past weekend, as I enjoyed some of my daughters' left over Easter candy,  that we only have two weeks until we go on our beach vacation!  This morning, I got on the scale and have gained back almost half of the weight that I lost just a month ago.  This sent me into panic mode! So, for the next three weeks I won't be having a weekly meal plan.  Unless anyone is interested in seeing salad for dinner each night!  Luckily, my hubby is getting back on the wagon with me.  The girls usually eat whatever protein I make for our salads and veggies.  I just didn't want to bore anyone with the details of our diet!  Instead, I am going to post about some of the new recipes that I have made over the past few weeks.  I have taken lots of pictures, but have never posted about the recipes them selves.  First up:

Slow Cooker Pork Carnita Tacos with Chimichurri Sauce