Happy Holidays 2011!

It seems like the autumn flew by and here it is already December!  The brisk mornings with frost covered ground remind me that winter is almost here and with it the holiday season.

Last Saturday we took advantage of the dry day to get updated with our family pictures.  We didn't have someone along with us to take the photos, so we set up my tripod with the remote and hoped for the best. Since we were heading up the mountain to our favorite Mexican restaurant, El Burro Loco, in Welches, we looked for a spot to do our portraits towards Sandy.  By chance, we found a dead end country road with pastures and fencing that we thought would be perfect.  

Nix Nux Nellie was up first:

Then Sunshine Girl:

Followed by mom and her girls:

Of course, we couldn't leave out dad and his girls!

Alyssa took the following picture of le monsieur avec moi.

Finally, the family:

A little Christmas tree bokeh:

Our latest holiday decorations, a barn and tractor.

Girls, you did a beautiful job decorating the tree!

The McCavour family sends out season's greetings to each of you!

Happy Holidays!

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the LORD.  Luke 2:11

Horsin' Around

Both Sunshine Girl and Nix Nux Nelli have a tremendous enthusiasm for all things related to horses. It is their dream to have horses of their own one day and if Nix Nux Nelli had her way, there would also be ducks, chickens, goats, cats, dogs and rabbits, to name a few.  Sunshine Girl has the ability to connect with animals in an emotional way and they seem to respond with their trust.  Nix Nux Nelli is the one who wants to play, tease and bother them to no end.  She also say's she is going to be a cowgirl one day and learn to rope and ride, but also to be a vet, just for horses!  

So to truly see if my girls would like to follow those dreams, we thought we should give them some close horse exposure.  After much prayer about riding lessons and a clear answer being given, we found a little spot called Sunshine Valley Stables that is about 10 minutes away.  The lessons are not just for riding, but for all that is involved with caring for a horse.  Grooming, feeding, watering, cleaning stalls and cleaning hooves.  We'll see if the horse fever continues when they see that it isn't all glamorous.  

This is Ghost.  He patiently endured my girls brushing him before and after saddling.

Nix Nux volunteered to go first.  The trainer started by leading the horse around the arena to let Nix Nux Nelli get a feel for the movements.  

Once Nix Nux Nelli was ready, the trainer stood in the middle and had N.N. Nelli guide the horse with the reigns into the circle and farther out of it.

N.N. Nelli had to find her voice when she wanted the horse to stop.  Her "ho" came out pretty timid and weak in the beginning, but was starting to show more confidence after a few tries.

Sunshine Girl was up next, and Ghost, having already done an hours lesson was not going to be quite as agreeable with this one.  Every time he circled around to the gate by his stable he stopped, wanting to be done and get his treat.

Another horse watching the lesson.

Sunshine Girl really caught on quick with all the commands and was able to ride on her own by the end of the hour.  She even had her horse back up!  Yay!

The girls had a super time and are so happy that their next lesson is tomorrow morning!

How about a hot Chili Nacho Supper to warm you up?

For a quick dinner that everyone likes and even feeds a crowd, this is the old standby.  With the cooler and wetter days of autumn setting in, my tendency is to cook the warm comfort foods of soups, chili and stews.  This recipe is for Chili Nacho Supper and is meant to be served over Fritos.  I've cooked it ahead of time and reheated it in a crock pot for gatherings where it was also served over baked potatoes and hot dogs.  For a picnic, I had individual Fritos bags with a couple spoonfuls of chili over the chips, topped with lettuce, cheese, sour cream and salsa for a personalized taco salad.  This is very versatile and you can come up with a number of ways to serve it.  

The ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds ground beef (I used turkey)

3 cans (15 ounces each) tomato sauce

2 cans (16 ounces each) pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (10 ounces) diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained

2 envelopes chili mix

2 pounds process American cheese, cubed

1 cup whipping cream

2 packages (16 ounces each) corn chips

sour cream

In a Dutch oven, cook the beef (or turkey) until no longer pink; drain.

Rinse and drain the beans.

Add tomato sauce, beans, tomatoes and chili mix to meat mixture, heat through.

Add cheese and cream.

Cook until the cheese is melted.

Serve over chips.  Top with sour cream, if desired.

Yield 14- 16 servings.

Recipe courtesy of Quick Cooking May/June 1999