Tourist in our town - Barton Greenbelt, Laguna Gloria

I'm going to combine parks for this post.  It sure was fun getting out and seeing Austin - so many lovely, shady places.  I think Austin is such a beautiful place to live!

Laguna Gloria, in NW Austin is a lovely place.  Once owned by Clara Driscoll, and built in the early 1900's.

It sits on Lake Austin.  Scout is standing at the bottom of an amphitheater of sorts.  I remember accompanying The Girl's kindergarten class for a field trip here, oh, about 17 years ago. 

Tours are free on Tuesday, but we just walked the grounds.  It was hot as blazes.  So, there weren't many other people there.

 

And lots of old giant trees.

 

Barton Greenbelt was a little less exciting - after walking awhile along very treacherous root studded trail, we turned back.  We saw all kinds of walkers heading back towards us, so I know there's a cleared trail in there somewhere.

 Looks like you are in the middle of nowhere, but you can hear the roar of Mopac.

Watch your step!

According to the website it's a lush area and 809 acres. 

 

 

We are running out of summer here - Fall is not that far away!

Gina

Meaplan Monday #73 and the start of something new

My "little friends" go back to school today, and while I am happy that they are all healthy and happy and growing and all, I feel a little sorry for myself.  

 (Scenic Overlook - Loop 360, Austin)

Scout and I had a lot of nice time together this summer to take pics and explore our town.  

Monday - Pulled pork sammies (leftover from freezer), tots
Tuesday - Grilled chicken (leftover from freezer), carrots, BBQ beans
Wednesday - Beef and rice-a-roni meatballs, masheds, salad
Thursday - Salmon patties, ranch style green beans, mac and cheese
Friday - Mole chicken thighs, rice, yellow squash
Saturday - Dad grills
Sunday - Stouffer's Lasagna, salad

It's also taken some getting used to this new schedule of mine.  Wednesdays are now my grocery days, and Fridays are my house cleaning and laundry days.  Monday and Tuesday are going to be super simple dinner days - prob a lot of leftovers and crock pot meals.  

It's gonna be OK.

Positive affirmations and some good planning will help get me through this changing time.

Gina

Frugal and creative Steak and Pasta Skillet

Sometimes I find a recipe I want to try, then I can't help but change it up to make use of what I already have.  Case in point was the Ranch Pesto Pasta from a couple weeks ago.

Turns out I had leftover steak in the freezer from grill night the week before.  And since my family balks at meatless pasta meals, I thought I would be frugal and creative at the same time!

 I sauteed some onion and garlic, added the sliced thin steak and some chopped de-seeded fresh tomatoes that were going too soft for salad.

 Boiled up some penne rigate, al dente.

 Shredded a half a block of mozzarella I found in the fridge.

 Stirred up a package of Knorr pesto sauce mix.

 

Tossed it all together and topped with parmesan to serve alongside zucchini.  It was gone in a flash, and was a great way to use the leftover steak.

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Home Stories A-Z

Tourist in our town - Tanglewood

Scout and I have had a few afternoons to ourselves when we could visit the area parks and other pretty places.

This one is in northwest Austin - Tanglewood Park.  I brought the kids  here a few times years ago when I had all four to take exploring.  There is a playscape here and basketball court, as well as a pavillion with restrooms, but we mostly walked the trails.

 

There are these sidewalks that wind around the park on the inside.  When the kids were back in school, I would return here and walk the trails while I listened to my ipod.  It was great exercise and a lot of the path is shaded.

 

 

 

 Feels like you are out in the country for a stroll, but you can still hear the sounds of traffic and suburbia.  It was lunchtime, and we pretty much had the place to ourselves.

 

 

 Don't let the shade fool you, it was over 100 degrees that day.  Scout and I packed an ice water jug and are pretty acclimated to the heat by now.

Gina

Mealplan Monday #72

Rustown Art

Monday - Curry Chicken crock pot, rice, broccoli
Tuesday - Ham and Cheese Party Rolls, doritos
Wednesday - Mexican Tinga Tostadas, pintos
Thursday - Healthier Smothered Fries, salad
Friday - Eat out after band performance
Saturday - Dad grills
Sunday - Stouffer's meal (they were buy two get one free at HEB), corn

Gina

Tourist in our town - Emma Long Park

Scout and I wanted to go someplace pretty to take pics last week.  We've never been to Emma Long Metropolitan Park for some reason.  It's only a 10-15 minute drive away.

It's the oldest city park in Austin and truly beautiful.  There is over a mile of shoreline and the park itself sits on 1,000 acres.  They normally charge $5 a car to park, but the lady let us in free cause we didn't know.

We were only there to eat lunch and take pics anyway.  There were lots of picnic tables in shade - Scout and I took sammies and frozen grapes and had a feast!

 And enjoyed some sweet breezes on a hot August day.

I should have worn my swimsuit - there were sandy shallow areas to swim in and tons of little shells.  So refreshing on the toes!  Lots of families there, and doggies enjoying the lake, too.

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Gina