The Green Drink

Dr. Oz has this green drink that he swears by.  I've been curious and really wanted to try it out.  Jessica was the push I needed.

I had to make a special trip the grocery store for some of the ingredients.  Ginger root anyone?


Lot's of chopping, and lots of curious girls.


I usually try to take these little Greens Plus pills to make sure I get enough greens in my diet.  Looking at the comparison....the pill looks SO much easier!


Lots of blending...yes, blend/process really well!


Here goes....


She actually tasted it!!! 


The verdict....

Hmmmm.....  Jacqueline went for it & tried it to.  She thought...okay, but not wanting anymore.


Well, we all tried it.  It's not great, but it's not terrible.  I'll aim to drink the mix tomorrow.  It kind of tastes like apples with lemon IF you can just get over the fact that you're drinking a BRIGHT green mixture.  I feel like Superman drinking kryptonite.  I try to be healthy, but this may be a little much for something on a regular basis.

Spring Loaded Trampoline Park at TSR (Texas Ski Ranch)

This place is AWESOME! 
 

We kind of stumbled upon it right before Christmas, but you can't miss it!  Even grown ups can play!

Slide on your socks down the lanes...


The twins had their own unique style too.


My "little" brother could somehow slam his body against the vertical trampoline and land on his feet.  It's a lot harder than it looks!


We all had a ball!


"Watch out, Mary Claire!  Uncle Hunter is about to bounce you REALLY high!"


Some of us could do amazing flips (& some couldn't....count me in that category)!




Or you could do moves of a cheerleader....gone wild!







Dodge ball is super fun on the really bouncy section!


Annabelle decided to not get hit she should just collect as many balls as possible.


Ms. Jessica showed off her skater skills by running up the sides of the wall!


This is Holly.  She's the head "bouncer!"


Watch out for Max!


Forrest was the maintenance man while we were there.


There is also a spring floor for all kinds of things.  It may be volleyball, or making mat forts.  Whatever!


Arcade games are fun too!


If you can, watch Forrest do some AMAZING flips!


My nephew prefers to search out the minuscule pieces of flint and remove them from the lanes.


Have you ever heard of an Indo board? 


The staff at TSR lets your try them, and they were really nice about letting each girl try!




Definitely check out this place if you live close!  They have a really good restaurant there too.  In the warmer months you can eat and watch the wakeboarders ride the cable lake!

A Caroline Day

Caroline has been asking to do go ice skating for awhile now.  I finally had the perfect opportunity to take her without her sisters.  We each invited a friend (me and her), and off we went.

We initially began with one injury (poor Jessica) while putting on the skates.  We're from TX, ice skating is all new, so I guess we learned ice skates can be dangerous!


Caroline's friend Grace


First time on ice for Grace, and Jessica is attempting to help.  Again, we're Texans.  Ice skating is not the norm, so Jessica and I are not real stable either!


The result!  Oops!  No injuries though.


Caroline and Grace mastered the art of wall walking!


& Caroline caught on after awhile.


Grace decided the best way to skate was on her knees.


If I would have known how bad I looked, I wouldn't have been so proud!  LOL!


Don't you love the blue plastic skates?  Haha!


The girls were mesmerized by the ice machine!  This was ALL so new!


Watch out Olympics!  Here comes Jessica!


Slow and steady....


Caroline shocked me with her independence and determination.  She really did LOVE it!  Maybe we'll go again soon.


Hopefully everyone is able to spend some special time with your kids this break.  I'm so blessed this holiday season that we are so physically & emotionally healthy.  I have friends who I think about constantly who are struggling this season.  It makes me so sad for them, and kind of feel guilty for all that is good in my life.

Christmas Cookies

I thought I may skip it this year, but I went ahead and bit the bullet.  We decorated Christmas cookies today.  WHAT A FEAT!


Our end products speak for themselves!  (YUM!)

From 2011-12-20

Most everyone knows,  I'm not a fan of kitchen time, so I did the best I could.  I added the butter, eggs, a little extra flour, and ........COOKIES!

From 2011-12-20

Okay, not that easy.  LOVE my mixer (a Christmas gift a few years ago)!  One bowl of mess & dough is finished!


Yes....the cutting of the cookies.  Oh boy!  I know, probably should have let the girls help, but I'm a neat freak!  This mess is SO hard for me to swallow, but I did it!


Only afterward did my friend, Nicole, mention that I should have chilled the dough.  UGH!  Better remember that next time.

Not too shabby!  I started off with pretty trees and candy canes, but quickly resorted to blobs!  The girls didn't mind!


We had a ball (despite my kitchen being turned upside down....kept telling myself...once a year, once a year....)!  Mary Claire could never quite add enough goodies on the top!


Caroline was an artist about hers.




Jacqueline liked to cover every square inch with something yummy.


(I didn't picture Annabelle, but she preferred color schemes on her cookies....i.e. all pink, all red, etc.)


Ms. Jessica came (THANK YOU!!!!) and was awesome with the icing can.


And we made LOTS of sweet tooth satisfying cookies for the neighbors!




Then we sent the husband and bigger 2 girls off to deliver!  Phew!


Until next year.....