A Spring Saturday at Twin Oaks

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This Saturday it was warm enough to work on some outside projects here at Twin Oaks!

We also mowed our land for the second time this season.

Someday we hope to be able to do the BIG project of grading and shaping our land into an actual yard – with actual grass – but for now we are enjoying it as is!

Setting up the pool last year did not go as planned, nor did the foundation the guys had worked tirelessly on work as planned either.

They have a new plan for that foundation this year – using what is already there, but embellishing it to make it work!

The boys picked up all the supplies for that plan and they got busy working on it on Saturday.

The boys also bought the supplies to build a fire pit for me as a Mother’s Day gift!

SO sweet!

It turned out great and I can’t wait to use it!

We put it in a spot that works for now with how uneven our yard is, but we will probably move it someday.

The guys also added a hog panel to our garden boxes at my request.

It will serve as a trellis for our cucumbers and our snap peas.

I love how it turned out!

It was mostly chilly this weekend, but it was a gorgeous day to be outside!

The kiddos worked and played hard!

The pups loved being outside too!

Eliza ran Ruby Jane around the yard for hours!

After lunch I ran a cup of coffee to Addie Mae at work!

The day before Mother’s Day is the busiest day of the year there because of their beautiful greenhouse full of flowers.

This year was no exception!

Toward the end of the day the sun disappeared and the temperature dropped fast.

Yesterday we had snow flurries in the morning!

Crazy Wisconsin!

We were so thankful for a day outside!

Come on spring, stick around!

We aren’t done with you yet!

Here’s hoping that pool project will be done soon and the weather will be warm enough to swim!!

Hope you all had a great weekend too!!

A Recipe//Almond Chocolate Bites

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Happy quarantine day 1,459, friends!

Just kidding, kinda, ha, ha.

Are you in need of a sweet treat?

We limit sweets here, which makes them more special and delicious when we do have them!

This recipe is originally from the Pioneer Woman, and she calls them cow patties as you can see here.

I changed the recipe some to fit our dietary needs.

There are only four ingredients, or five if you add some sea salt at the end!

For anything chocolate, we use Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips, which are allergy-friendly and free of all the major allergens.

They have dark chocolate morsels, mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, and these semi-sweet chocolate mega chunks.

I personally like the dark chocolate morsels the best!

Ok, let’s get to the recipe so you can get your hands on some of these!

Almond Chocolate Bites

one 10 oz. bag of enjoy life chocolate chips
1 tsp coconut oil

Place ingredients into a saucepan and heat on low until melted and smooth, watching and stirring the entire time. The coconut oil helps the chocolate melt nicely, and makes the chocolate smooth and glossy.

Add:
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup raisins

Stir until combined. Drop by small spoonfuls onto a parchment lined tray. Sprinkle the tops with a little sea salt if desired. Place the tray into the freezer to set. Store in the freezer or fridge.

Try to share!

Enjoy!!

Miscanthus Giganteus Field Trip

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This week and last it has been harvest time for Blake!

He has been growing Miscanthus grass for his job at Mathy for many years now.

You can see previous posts about it here and here.

Last Wednesday we all took the opportunity for a field trip since Blake was harvesting just 20 miles away from Twin Oaks!

IMG_20200430_133824IMG_20200430_133837It was the most gorgeous day, even though it was chilly and super windy!

Our two sensory girls (Ellie and Eliza) handled it very well, especially with the noise of the tractors.

Having Eliza wear her sun glasses helped her a lot!

IMG_20200430_133928We enjoyed being outside, having somewhere to go, and seeing Blake do some of what he does!!

IMG_20200430_133947IMG_20200430_133813IMG_20200430_134151IMG_20200430_134559IMG_20200430_135004IMG_20200430_135335Don’t you just love the color of that SKY?!!

I am just so glad the Lord gave us the sky!!

It took us about three days to get the dust off of everything and everyone after standing there watching harvest!

That reminds me – my van still needs washed!

It was a wonderful field trip though – memories made and memories kept!!

The best part was seeing how much Blake enjoys his job.

I am so thankful that he enjoys it!

This field trip brought back memories of the farm, and made it really FEEL LIKE SPRING!

Happy spring, everyone!!

A Quarantine Haircut

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We have been thankful for SO many things during this time of Shelter in Place, which is still continuing here in Wisconsin until May 26th.

One of those things we are thankful for is that I have always cut the guys’s hair.

Blake tells me of all the guys at work who are shaggy and in desperate need of a haircut because the hair salons are not allowed to be open right now!

I usually do not cut girl’s hair, but I somehow, with Blake’s encouragement, talked myself into giving Eliza a haircut.

Her hair was so long, AND SO BEAUTIFUL!

Once the spring weather arrived and Eliza was outside more than inside, her hair became a constant battle and almost unmanageable.

After her bath one night when her hair was freshly washed and wet, I cut over five inches off of her silky long hair.

After I cut the length off going straight across, I blended the ends in hopes that it would lay nicely on her back.

We are SO glad I took this risk!

Eliza’s hair is very easy to handle now and we have not had any tears from her about taking care of her hair since that day!

Now if I could just figure out how to cut my own hair, ha, ha!

Quarantine life and its challenges, although the challenges are slight for us here at Twin Oaks, continue on!

I hope everyone is doing well – even if you need a haircut!

Praise the Lord for some warmer weather, sunshine, green grass and budding trees.

It’s easier to stay positive when you can spend hours outside in the sunshine!

Happy quarantine Monday, friends!

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