SPLISH SPLASH

We are giving our yard some time to dry out from all the sprinkler parties. The kids and I met some friends at the splash park down the hill from our house.

The water is cold, but the kids don't seem to care.

Collin ate a chocolate chip cookie on the way to the park.  No, I didn't bother to clean it off.

Tess walked over to the water and said, "I wish I had a camera, this is so fun!" I told her I brought mine along today, and she was really happy.  My kids are big cheesers, and always ready for the shot.

I don't remember there being anything fun like a splash park when I was growing up.  Of course, I was only a couple of miles from the ocean.  There really wasn't a need, huh?

After a hot day at the beach, there is nothing like cold shave ice.  I was excited there was a snow shack on our way home from the splash park.  The ice has to be shaved, not pebbled!

Watching the kids enjoy their shave ice in their bathings suits made me feel like I was home in Hawaii.

As we were leaving, I rolled down my windows and cranked up the radio.  I tried to imagine my hair was wet with salt water and I was wrapped up in a damp beach towel.  It brought a smile to my face.

What is your vote on a hot day?

Shave Ice -or- Ice cream

SMOOTHIE POPS

I like to have a supply of cold treats for the kids and their friends.  

The ice cream truck is starting to drain our spare change jar.  It's a lot more economical to make

your own popsicles.  Not to mention healthier!

Don't let me fool you, we love some good old kool-aid pops too.

My kids like smoothies, and smoothie pops are an easy way to get them to eat some fruit.

Today I grabbed whatever I had on hand that would be good in a smoothie.

We used a banana, a handful of blackberries, juice from two oranges, some vanilla yogurt and a can of fruit/veggie juice.  Sometimes I add cottage cheese, but decided not to this time.

1.  Drop your smoothie ingredients into the blender and blend well.  I added some of the orange pulp because it was getting all mixed together.  If you have a favorite smoothie recipe, use that!  

2.  Line up small plastic bathroom cups in a cake pan.  I fit 26 cups into my pan, and filled them about half full with 5 cups of smoothie.  They will expand a little when they freeze.  I like the plastic cups better than the paper cups.  They slide off easier.  

3.  Cover you cups and pan with press and seal wrap, or cling wrap.  Make sure it's really tight.

4.  Use a sharp knife to cut a really small slit, in the plastic, to insert your popsicle sticks.  I like to use the small popsicle sticks, but only had the normal size on hand.

Your edible masterpiece is ready for it's place in the freezer.

5.  Clear a space in your freezer and set your pan in.  This is when it is really nice to have the shorter sticks.  You can see on the right side of the picture I bonked the stick and tore some of my wrap.  

Wah wah! :(

6.  They will be ready in a couple of hours.  Roll the frozen cup between your hands a few times to warm up the sides of the pop.  Pull on the stick and it should slide out.

Enjoy your smoothie pop!

Fun In The Sun

The kids love to be outside in the 

summer.  Nothing beats playing in the water on a hot summer day.  I miss going to the beach in Hawaii.  The beach provides hours of entertainment at no cost.  I don't remember paying for the rec center pool either!  

There is a really nice city pool just a few minutes away from our house.  It has the cool zero entry and a fun mushroom waterfall.  The downside is the cost and the hours.  Collin is still napping and the pool doesn't open until just before his nap.

A really good idea is to buy a pool pass and then come and go as you need to.  Sometimes I don't think the pool is worth all the effort of getting everyone ready when I know we are not going to be staying very long.

My solution isn't for everyone, but is working really well for us right now.  We have been hosting sprinkler parties in our back yard since I got back from Texas.  

We get out the kiddie pool and fill it 

up.  The beach toys and buckets are thrown all over the yard and kids can run around like crazies.  I picked up an oscillating sprinkler a few years back and the kids love it.  I can easily adjust how high the water sprays out for the kids.  We have a designated dry zone for towels too.

Everyone loves to set the hose at the top of the slide and slip on down.  Every couple of hours I call the kids over for more sunscreen.  Today most of the neighbor kids came over around 

lunch, so we grilled hot dogs.    

One of the best parts of doing this at home is being able to put Collin down for his nap.  I can tell our backyard is going to be really green this year.

What are you doing to entertain your kids this summer?

Operation Homefront Texas

Once a year, Mike and I attend leadership meetings for the company he works for.  Over the past several years, they have organized some great volunteer opportunities.  This year we helped Operation Homefront.

These two great ladies work tirelessly to help our men and women in arms, and their families.  This organization has a really great cause.

We were able to put together about 2,000 care packages for our deployed troops.

It was amazing we were able to do all this work in about an hour and a half.  

The San Antonio heat didn't go easy on us, but it didn't slow us down.

Thanks to the men and women who are serving our country, and also those who have served.

With all the hustle and bustle of life, it so easy to forget about those that are overseas or here at home sacrificing so much for all of us.

It was nice to be able to help in our own little way.  

Two of my FAVORITE Things

I think it is plain to see I like to take lots of pictures.  I also like to eat lots of food. Our trip to San Antonio, Texas was full of food and pictures.

Mike and I drove to the hill country with our friends Mandy and Jason. We stopped in Gruene (pronounced Green) to eat at the Gristmill.

The restaurant over looks the Guadalupe River.

Tomatillo and avocado salsa.

A HALF order of onion rings.  Delicious.

Mike ate the most mouth watering ribs.  I ordered a yummy steak salad with avocados.

We walked into the restaurant at just the right time.  When we finished our meal the waiting area was jam packed.  This picture is about 1/5 of the people waiting to be seated.

I liked that they had live entertainment for all the people waiting.  Instead of using pagers to let you know when your table was ready, they wrote your name on a giant chalk board.

A trip to Texas isn't complete without several scoops of Blue Bell ice cream.

We stopped in Boerne (pronounced Bernie) for a little treat. Pecan Pralines 'n Cream and I are best friends now.

One of my souvenirs was an ice cream cone with a little fan on the end.

Before we hit the road home, we needed a good breakfast. We headed to Mi Tierra in Market Square.

The entire restaurant was decorated like they were having a party. It was so fun and festive.  I think my kids would have loved this place.

We enjoyed pancakes, Chorizo Mexicano Con Huevo, and fresh squeezed orange juice.

As I was snapping pictures of the restaurant, I met the very friendly Michael Cortez. The Cortez family started this restaurant in 1941.

Even though we were stuffed after breakfast, we HAD to buy something from the bakery.

There were three or four cases of cookies and sweets to choose from.  People were lined up all over the entrance to buy something from the bakery.

This was a hopping place.  The food and service were great.

A special thanks to our friends, Mandy and Jason.  They were our tour guides and put up with a lot of picture taking.  A LOT of picture taking.  We had a great time with you guys.

Deep in the Heart of Texas

Mike and I spent the weekend in San Antonio, Texas.  The trip was a mix of business and pleasure.

We started our festivities in the down town area of San Antonio.

What is more welcoming than a glass of watermelon juice, and a plate of fajitas?

Mike and I cruised the Riverwalk on a little boat tour.

This is a statue of St. Anthony whom the city of San Antonio is named after.

This is a look back at the amphitheater in La Villita.

I thought this red tiled tunnel was so cool.  I considered walking back to the tunnel for more pictures.  

The heat and humidity quickly made me decide against too much walking.

This is a picture looking up at the oldest tree in San Antonio.  I think it is around 400 years old.

The San Antonio River runs through all sorts or buildings, hotels, restaurants and other businesses.

I can't remember, but I think this is the only Aztec theater in operation.

After our boat tour, Mike and I hurried over to see the Alamo.

While we were walking around, I kept thinking about Pee Wee Herman being so upset that there wasn't a basement in the Alamo.

Does anyone know how to make watermelon juice?  I would love a recipe!

More on San Antonio to come...