A camping we will go....

My mom had been trying to plan a family camping trip since the spring and we were finally able to nail down a weekend to go. We packed up all our gear on Friday night and headed out to Stroud lake to meet my parents, and my two sisters and their families.

 We got there pretty late (after 8pm) and with the help of my dad and brother in law were able to set up our tent and arrange our campsite. We gathered around the camp fire while the kiddos played a bit and then headed off to bed.

 I woke up fairly early the next morning and was surprised to see the fog rolling off the lake. It was so pretty.

 This was our campsite. We had 5 tents all together. Tae slept in a tent with her cousins Bella and Jack.

 Look at these three sleeping! They started off all in a line and ended up off their mats and all silly. The three of them slept all through the night both nights.

 The view from our tent. Breathtaking.

 I caught this sweet moment with Aaron and Hensley. Awe! Hensley had no problem sleeping and slept through the night both nights as well!

 We all contributed to breakfast and we had gluten free pancakes, thick cut bacon, sausage, and local scrambled eggs. The kiddos had fun sitting and chatting together.

 After breakfast, the kids were excited for Papa to show them how to fish. I think they thought it would be a little more exciting than it was, but they all still had fun. There were a few tense moments of worrying over someone getting hooked and my sister's puppy got caught up in a line too.

 They didn't end up catching any fish, but they sure looked cute trying.

 After fishing, we headed the short bit to the beach and the kids swam for a few hours. 

 After that, we headed back for a picnic lunch and decided to load Hensley up to run and get ice while the kids swam some more. Hensley fell asleep in the car on the way to get ice, so we decided to take a little scenic tour of the area.

I found all these beautiful wildflowers and brought them back to our campsite.

 While we were gone, a camping neighbor brought over some books for our kids. I thought that was super sweet.

 Here was our kitchen set up. For dinner my mom made hamburgers and we grilled hot dogs on the campfire. 

 My sister Lyn and her wife brought a HUGE local watermelon that everyone enjoyed.

 I got a little sunburned! 

 After dinner, we celebrated my little sisters birthday and then had smores.

 The kids went to bed quickly (they swam over 5 hours that day), so we stayed up late playing Cards Against Humanity and laughing until our sides hurt. We slept in a little later the next morning, ate a quick breakfast and packed up our stuff. We drove out to Tulsa to have lunch and a quick swim at my sisters house.

Tae got a little sunburned too! After our visit, we headed back home. It was such a fun filled weekend and I hope we can keep up this family tradition. I just love seeing the cousins be so close and spend so much time together. These are the memories they will cherish forever.

Bring on Fall; nature, baseball, and good food.

 This pretty little nugget is 27 months old! She talks like she's years older and is super cuddly and silly to the bone. 

 She's been trying to give up her nap, but that sometimes results in her falling asleep at unusual times like right before dinner!

 This poor girl does not do well in the heat. Fall is very welcome around here. Her hair get soaked and her skin bright red in just a matter of minutes outside in the heat. She is the polar opposite of Tae, who is always cold!

 We've been enjoying our weekly field trips now that school has started. Everything is a lot less crowded! 

 Silly girls on our picnic lunch downtown.

 Tae was super excited to start her homeschool coop a few weeks ago. She has missed her friends over the summer and she loves being with them and playing. We are very thankful for our coop and the ladies that run it.

 Our coop sponsored a day at the baseball game. The girls were very excited to see the Dodgers play ball. Hensley did really well and we stayed the whole game and enjoyed the fireworks afterwards.

 I just love Hensley's face as she watches the fireworks. They really put on a great show. We were up super late that night, but it was worth it!

 Want a super easy, yet delicious vegetarian meal? Grill some onions and make refried bean quesadillas. I seasoned a can of refried beans with chili powder, garlic, and cumin and spread it on tortillas with cheese and the grilled onions. Oh my, they were so delicious!

 These ladies sure can be cute together!

 Hensley would swing all day if I would let her!

 We walked down to the lake to see the water. 

 And then we walked out to the lighthouse to see the sights.

 If you zoom in, you can see a turtle on a rock and then these two birds.

We are blessed to live in such a pretty city!

Eggroll Stirfry (recipe with pictures)

I love super easy recipes that taste delicious and are budget conscious! This stir fry comes together within 20 minutes and it makes a ton! All you need is:

head of cabbage (shredded or sliced thin)

4-5 carrots (shredded)

an onion (diced)

3 cloves garlic (minced)

1/4-1/2 lb grass fed ground beef

Soy sauce or tamari

ground ginger

salt & pepper

 Begin by sauteing the onion and garlic in some olive oil in a decent sized skillet.

 Make sure you have a good kitchen helper handy :)

 Once the onions become translucent, add in ground beef and brown.

 Once beef is browned, add in cabbage.

 Stir and add in a good sprinkling of ginger, salt & pepper, and about 1/4 cup of soy sauce.

 Add in shredded carrots, stir, and then cover and simmer on medium/low until cabbage is tender (about 15 minutes). I usually leave the lid off the last 5 minutes to brown up the cabbage.

 Done! Add in more soy sauce to taste. This easily serves 4-5 people. We always have leftovers and they heat easily. Yum!