Little Rock Zoo in Fall

We had beautiful weather here in Little Rock on Sunday.  To celebrate, we went to the zoo.  And thanks to the wonderful Central Arkansas Library system, we were able to get the girls in free with our library cards this month.  That saved us $14.   

 

 

The girls got to watching monkeys play around and koi swimming in the moat.  Some of those koi are really big.  And the girls made the 'ooh ooh' monkey sound.  Momma's little monkeys.

  

The girls liked watching the penguins and kept saying 'wa' for waddle even though the penguins were swimming, not waddling.  It is a neat exhibit.  Both times we've gone there have been penguins swimming right in front of us at the glass.

 

 This male gorilla was putting on quite a show for us, charging back and forth.  He kept looking up at all the people watching him.  Something in his look made me feel guilty that he is penned up and exhibited for people's pleasure.  With the other animals, like the tiger, I looked in their eyes and it didn't bother me.  But the gorilla's gaze held too much understanding and it just didn't feel right. 

Last time we went to the zoo the girls were only 9 months old so they did not get much from the trip.  This time though they were much more interested in the actual animals (instead of other kids watching the animals although they were still occasionally distracted by them).  We were also able to let them out of the stroller more so they could toddle around and explore that way.  D got to watch a giraffe bending down to eat some leaves off the ground.  The giraffe looked very awkward doing it, but it was neat to see.

 

The lion family were all resting right by one of their enclosure's windows so we let the girls out of the stroller to watch them. I thought this was a good shot of T looking at the lioness.

 

We had a wonderful time at the zoo.  I think in the spring we will get the year family pass so we will go more often.   By then they will be walking a lot better.

Birds of a Feather: Halloween Costumes, Early Stages

After asking everyone on Facebook for good story character costume ideas for the girls, I naturally decided to go with something entirely different.  Thank you to everyone who contributed ideas though, I may use them in the future. 

 

I saw this beautiful peacock costume on Pinterest and decided that the girls should be birds.  T will be the resplendent peacock (and we'll just ignore the fact that the male peacocks are the colorful ones, not the females).  And D, since she now says "ow"  and "hoo", will be an owl. 

 

The base of both costumes will be the same, just different colors.  Following the peacock costume tutorial I made a shirt pattern from one of the girls 2T shirts I bought for the fall and winter.  It was my first time making a pattern from one of their existing shirts and I'm very proud of  how well it turned out. 

 

It was also my very first time really sewing with a stretchy knit fabric.  Although the stitches are a mess, the shirt actually turned out great.   I needed to buy special ballpoint needles to work with the fabric which helped a little.  I think having the special foot for my machine would also be helpful but I haven't gotten it.  Perhaps I should, since the knit fabric turned out so well, I may want to make more cloths for the girls and myself out of knits.

 

 

Here is T's shirt all done except for the neckline and hood. I decided to go with a hood for two reasons:  I think the hoods will be less annoying than a mask and if they pull them off, at least they are still attached.  They won't get lost and I won't be bending down to pick them up every few seconds. 

 

I haven't sewn D's shirt yet but it is all cut out in the tan color and pinned.  I still need to decide how I want to do her costume's feathers and tail.  I think she should have the nylon tulle and felt feathers as wings instead of a tail like the peacock, or maybe with a smaller tail.  I'll have to play around with it and see what looks good. 

 

I drew the pattern for the hood by getting ideas for the rough size and shape online. I cut out and sewed a mock up that turned out too small and had a funny bulge in the back. But it was easy to fix.

Now T's shirt is finished except for the neckline.  I have also cut out the peacock's beak and tail feathers out of felt.  I'll need to sew the tail feathers together, sew them to the ribbons and attach them to the half tutu tail.  I also have to cut out and sew the skirt.  And get going on D's owl.  Lots to do and a little over one month to get it done.

Farmer's Market Bounty

We have been spending our Saturday mornings at the River Market while we can. Our bounty last week was beautiful, juicy peaches and lots of vegetables for a healthy stir fry.

 

I made peach crumble out of most of the peaches, adapting Ina Garten's plum crumble recipe.  Her recipe is one I have used countless time over the years adapting it to what ever fruits I have on hand.  The peaches were so flavorful and juicy.  They make me resent the flavorless store bought peaches we get most of the year.

 

The crumble crust is mixed up with butter and the peaches are all set with lime juice, flour and sugar. 

 

All put together and ready for 40 minutes in the oven.  I really should have used more peaches because the crumble crust was pretty thick but I wanted to save a couple for the girls to eat throughout the week.  And they really love the peaches!

Add a dollop of ice cream and you have a delicious summer bowl of fruity, crunchy perfection.

And the vegetables . . . let's not forget about the vegetables.  Organic carrots, green beans, red bell pepper, and bamboo spinach.  So fresh and colorful.

 

Eggplant, red bell pepper and bamboo spinach all prepped for the pan.

 

To fry with all the veggies, I rehydrated chick peas (garbanzo beans) over night.  I boiled them in a frying pan with water until it all evaporated.  Then I added a tablespoon of canola oil and fried them.  Frying them instead of just boiling them really gives them a better depth of flavor and more pleasing texture.

Kevin made the stir fry so I can't tell you all the went into it.  I know he added onions and probably soy sauce, the rest is a mystery.

But it turned out delicious, so flavorful.  Served over a bed of rice, it made a delicious and healthy meal.  We'll continue going to the farmers' market on the weekends that Kevin is off until the season is over. 

Pinnacle Mountain

We used to go hiking every so often up to the peak at Pinnacle Mountain State Park before the girls were born.  We'd bring Anna with us even though some of the rocky areas were a little slippery at times.  The views from the top were beautiful.  That of course stopped when I got pregnant.  We had seen pregnant women hiking to the peak every once in a while and I thought I'd be doing that too.  But there was no way I could make it up there even at four months along, no way. 

 

But now we get to go back to Pinnacle Mountain and have a much different experience than we use to have.  There is an nice little playground right off the parking lot for the west summit trail.  The girls had a lot of fun experiencing it for their first time last week. 

 

Here is D playing around the mushroom stools.  I went to the playground again today with a friend and actually sat both D and T on those stools without hovering over them terrified they would fall . . . very proud of myself. 

 Miss T is thinking about climbing up.  She later decided stairs were easier and went up another way instead.

Most of the time they toddled around.  They stumbled up to the different play structures and would check them out then waddle on to another one or just plunk down and examine the wood chips and foam pathways.

Playing with the wood chips.  And eating in too.  Why does everything have to go into the mouth? 

Miss D sat on the stump stool all by herself. It is amazing how fast they learn new things.

Next to the playground is a 1/2 mile paved loop trail that I never realized was there.  I had vaguely thought something was over there but never paid enough attention when we were going up to the peak.  It is a nice little trail though showing a wetland habitat.  Some of the trees are amazingly huge and have all sorts of interesting shapes.

 

Have to be careful to check for ticks afterward though.  I found one crawling on me when we got back to the car and subsequently bathed the girls and combed the dog when we got home just in case.

 

Today my friend and I ran into an angry snake crossing the path.  It wouldn't move so we turned back the way we came instead.  It was similar to a rattlesnake but shorter in length and sans rattle.  I'm thinking it was most likely a cottonmouth.  It was definitely not a happy snake.

Pinnacle Mountain is nice area and I am so glad we have found a way to go back there again with the girls.  As they grow we will tackle the more difficult trails again.