Sledding!

 We sure haven't gotten much snow this year, but finally we got some. March is coming in like a lion, we'll see if it goes out like a lamb! We weren't about to miss the opportunity to enjoy the snow, so we packed up the sleds, invited friends, and went up into the mountains.

On the way we saw some turkeys cross the road.

We paused to take a closer look. They sure are funny looking birds.

As we got higher, we found more snow, well over a foot deep. Hurray!

The kids were all suited up to make the most of it.

But just getting up the hill proved to be difficult!

We tried out a sledding hill that had some big rocks covered with snow. And then sometimes they weren't covered. It made the sledding extra exciting (or for me, scary!).

We also tried sledding on the road, but it was pretty warm and the snow was sticky.

Nevertheless, when you don't get much snow, you're going to enjoy it, no matter what the condition is.

I love Ava's expression.

Some folks joined us on skis. The wind didn't blow at all, making it a great afternoon to be outside.

Then it was time for the all-important hot chocolate. A sledding trip doesn't quite seem complete without it!

Here's hoping for more winter adventures!

Wild Goose Chase 2015

Every February for the past few years we've had the tradition of going to Delta, Utah for the Snow Goose Festival. Thousands of snow geese are migrating, and this is one of their favorite stops. They hang out for weeks, finding food in the fields and resting on the nearby lakes and reservoirs. Delta has made the event an occasion for a festival with many events. Our favorite event is the Wild Goose Chase, a 5k/10k with kids' races.

My husband and I ran the 5k and both were pretty happy with our results, especially with the very limited training we've gotten in.

Then it was time for the kids. Desert Girl was all ready for the 1/4 mile run.

It was a very wet snow coming down with a slight wind, which made it hard to stay warm. The kids lined up at the starting line. Desert Girl isn't too aggressive, so she hung out in the back.

Ready, set, go! She took a few steps and one of her shoes fell off. Oh no! I helped her get it back on and secured the other one. She was crying, so I held her hand and we ran the race together.


Once she got close to the finish line, she felt better and raced ahead of me, finishing dead last in three minutes and something. She got a medal, so she was happy.


Then it was Desert Boy's turn for the one-mile race. Except they made it a little shorter, which kind of surprised the race director.

Desert Boy did a great job, with dad running with him for a good part of the race. He finished and was also very happy with the medal.

We were all quite cold, so we decided to forego other outside activities and had a lunch of champions. Then we went to the swimming pool and had a great time.  We went to the grocery store and got a couple weeks worth of groceries. Finally it was time to head home. 

But I still hadn't seen any snow geese, and since this was the Snow Goose Festival, I thought we really needed to see some snow geese. My husband rolled his eyes but managed to find some. I took photos and was happy.

Try-A-New-Recipe-Every-Week Challenge: February

 In February we continued our new recipe-every-week challenge, and we tried five new recipes (one was to make up for January, when we just got three in.

Here are the results:
1. Best Whole Chicken in a Slow Cooker, recipe from 100 Days of Real Food (we used the cookbook version).
VERDICT: **** (4 asterisks out of a possible 5). This was super easy to make and tasted great, but just a little on the dry side.

2. Tarragon Oven Fries, from The Smitten Kitchen cookbook (similar to the Baked Pommes Frittes on her website)
VERDICT: **** These fries tasted great (I added sweet potatoes because I love them). However, you have to boil them and then bake them, and I've gotten nearly the same taste skipping the boiling step, which adds a good 15 minutes. Just looking at the photo makes me want some more!

3. Paula Deen's Spinach and Strawberry Salad I found a good deal on strawberries and wanted to use them in a salad. This recipe looked good, and it sure was!
VERDICT: ***** Delicious! And quick to make. (I substituted some mixed lettuce for some of the spinach called for and didn't have poppy seeds, so I guess I will just have to make it again.)

4. Cube steak and gravy, recipe from Food.com. We have several packages of cube steak in the freezer, and I wasn't quite sure how to make it, so gave this recipe a try. I didn't manage to get a photo (I know, blogging failure!). But click on the link and you'll see. It's not a particularly pretty presentation, a steak covered with brown gravy. But looks aren't everything when it comes to food!
VERDICT: **** My husband wolfed this down. I thought there was a little too much flour taste to the steak, so I would like to tweek the coating mixture next time.

And the bonus recipe to make up for January:
5. Easy key lime pie. This is an original recipe, invented by Desert Boy. We love key lime pie (thanks, Kristin!). We recently got some Chobani Greek yogurt, key lime flavor. I wasn't sure what we would do with it, and someone said to mix it up with cool whip and put it in a graham cracker crust. I mentioned that to Desert Boy, and he asked if we had graham crackers. He then proceeded to put the yogurt right on the graham crackers. Presto, a super easy key lime pie!
VERDICT: ** I much prefer the real key lime pie. But this one made the kids happy, so I was happy too.

We also tried the Southwest Chicken Breasts recipe from last month in the crock pot (thanks, Janille!), and it turned out super. We'll be doing that again.

Have you tried any new recipes lately? I'd love to get some inspiration for March!

Quick Run in Cathedral Gorge State Park

 On our way to Las Vegas, my husband and I stopped at Miller Point, part of Cathedral Gorge State Park. It was a lovely February day, and we needed to stretch our legs. So I challenged my husband to a little run.

The badlands scenery made it extra enjoyable.

From Miller Point we entered the badlands, descending numerous stairs and running on a faint trail.

It was pretty easy to tell where we were going. Plus I kept slowing down to take photos. Fortunately with all the light the shutter speed was fast so they didn't turn out too blurry!

I could spend so much time here, looking at all the erosion patterns.

Soon we were out of the badlands and things were flattening out.

We reached a trail junction in just over four minutes.

 Then it was time to turn around and run back up hill!

That was quite a bit harder, as I panted up the stairs. Nevertheless, I was so glad to get my blood flowing and wake up a bit. From here it's 2.5 hours to Las Vegas if you head south. And if you head north, it's 2.5 hours to Great Basin National Park or Ely. So this is a perfectly timed diversion.

In the summer it can get really hot. But in the other seasons it's fantastic. We've added it to our camping list, and hopefully we can explore the state park more thoroughly soon! As an added bonus, they have some pipe caves eroded into the badlands.

Till next time!

Checking Out the New Calves

 The heifers have been calving for over a month, and I've been wanting to take a closer look. Finally we had an opportunity on President's Day. Cousin Clay took the kids and me out to look at them.

I think one of the reasons I like looking at the new calves is that they seem to have a lot of fun, running around and playing.

And they look a little funny, but in a cute way.

The calves spend a lot of time nursing, which means mom needs good food.

Our next task was to take some hay to the pasture that's in between the Circle Field, where the heifers give birth, and the Lane Pasture, which is where they go when they're about a week old. In between they spend a night, and they need some extra food. Clay backed up the truck to a pile of hay and lifted the heavy bales on board.

The human kids are always playing games, too, in this case hide-n-seek.

Almost done!

The kids had discovered some old hay and couldn't resist playing on it.

Then it was time to load up.

I drove in circles in the pasture while the kids helped Clay push off the hay.

The fun wasn't over yet. One heifer had gotten sick and wasn't producing enough milk, so her calf needed extra milk. Clay mixed up some milk supplement and the kids happily fed the little one.

They needed a little guidance on how to hold the bottle correctly so the nipple would stay on.

What fun!

And the calf was certainly happy.

What a wonderful couple of hours. Thanks, Clay!