The Birthday Cinnamon Roll Cake Creation

Every birthday in this house comes with the option of requesting your dessert and/or dinner. Well, almost all of them. Mom is the baker/chef, so hers are whatever everyone else wants to eat. But I digress! My husbands birthday request was a custom job. He wanted a new version of a cinnamon roll cake. So....

Into the kitchen!

I bought 4 cans of the jumbo sized cinnamon rolls. But you only need 3. I baked 6 per pan in 2 pans that I had. 

Once those were done, I spread strawberry filling over the tops of one set.

                    Looks like I killed something in the kitchen here....

Then I stacked the second set on that. The final step is to pour the icing over them. 

Ya'll.... talk about diabetes in a pan. But so worth it! These were amazing. And I can totally see me making this recipe again. Just not often. After all, I'm trying to lose another 45 pounds this year.  

The Battle is Daily

I am in quite the busy season of life here. It has tested my endurance. It has been testing my patience. Questioned what I am willing to sacrifice. But above all these things, it has tested my faith. As Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:". We do not always know what season we are in though, do we?  

My sons are settled into their respective jobs. I play chauffeur nearly daily now. Sometimes one of them will even work a double, having me bring him back and forth between the shifts! In some ways, I feel as tired as I did when they were babies. Especially when you toss in trips to the library, grocery stores, post office, book store, thrift store... whatever other places I need to stop by for any other needs that come up. It is freedom that I haven't had in a while, but some days I wish I could give it all back up again. I've been hoping (and maybe dreading) that the boys would ask to start their driving lessons. But that doesn't seem to rank too high on their to-do list right now... Only one of them finally asked to start learning! 

I've had my so-tired-I-can't-see-straight moments. But then I have boys who are excited that they had a great paycheck. Or someone was thrilled with their work. I have been able to take my daughters out more. Though, that often comes with wanting mom to buy them things...

Making a donated delivery to the local Sheriff's office! 

And how about helping those I couldn't before? Or hanging out with friends? That has been fun too! There are so many pros and cons that come with life in this new phase of mine. 

On the flip side, we had some hard times come along that had me feeling like we were hitting the bottom. Transmission needed to be replaced in my car. The AC in the house had to get fixed. The washing machine pipe wasn't draining properly, so I was having to wash everyone's clothes for them and then clean up water that spilled out.

Then I ran over the tip of someone's blade and barely got parked before the tire went flat! 

Or the latest, something so life-changing that I won't be posting about it just yet. But it definitely shook my world and makes me think twice about what I need to do. 

While I know God has a plan, and that His plans are above any I have for myself, I still found myself asking "WHY". (Jeremiah 29:11) Just why? I pray for the strength to get through another day. I push myself to do my best, regardless of how I feel. And I wonder if I'm failing to hit the mark. Maybe that is why I'm struggling and my family is going through the wringer? 

Then God makes a memory pull up. A time when I was going through the fire. But He stepped in next to me. A time when I felt absolutely hopeless, but He miraculously made everything work out. These memories are what pulls me through. Reminds me that my focus is horizontal. But it needs to shift to the vertical. 

"Will you trust Me?" 

That is the phrase that kept coming to mind. That my husband said he had going through his head as well. Will you trust Me? Lean on Me. Let Me work. Sounds so simple with so few words in these phrases, doesn't it? But then putting it into practice is where we trip up. At least I do. Someone once told me, "You don't have enough faith." Granted, that was their reason for why I was physically falling apart and God wasn't healing me. But why would God say in Matthew 17:20, "And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you." 

Thank God for that! My faith feels so small sometimes. Life feels impossibly difficult. But that is where Luke 17:5-6 is encouraging. "And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you." It can be small, but through Jesus, do big things. This is the reminder I have needed. One day at a time. One task at a time. Just enough faith to get by each one. That is all I need. 

So what am I doing now?

I'm still playing taxi for 2 teenagers. I'm still managing the household needs. I'm sometimes fulfilling the role of caretaker. Baking on the side, for events and custom orders. 

I'm editing for a couple writers. And even gardening! Yes, I have learned how to keep plants alive.

My husband tells me I'm an over-achiever on the daily. Reminds me of a moment in the Pride & Prejudice story of the accomplished woman discussion... 

But above all these little successes, I'm constantly seeking to follow the will of my Lord. What does He want of me? Am I surrendering and walking the path He has laid out for me? Trusting in His plans? Yes, it is a daily, sometimes more often, set of questions I have to ask myself. Because I'm nowhere near perfect. 

1/6 Scale Dollhouse Museum Renovations - Part 3!

The work continues. Slowly, but steadily. I have added quite a bit. I think I will just give you the video to follow along with this time. 

But why stop there? Let me show you the next steps too. Give you a little more before I have to get busy again, right? 

I promise to show you more really soon! I am working on more unique pieces to finish it off. But I like where it's going overall. What do you think the museum might need?

Mother's Day Wishes

It is Mother's Day, for those of us in the United States who celebrate. I do wonder... do other nations have Mother's Day celebrations? Something to look into. But today, I want to wish Moms a great day! I also want to encourage those moms who might be having a hard time.

Mothers have it rough. I know not everyone understands this. And I'm not discounting the fathers. You guys have your day too! At least here. But let's dive in for a moment and just really think about what it means to be a good mom. And yes, there are bad moms. There are those we don't celebrate because they haven't earned that privilege. So again, just focus on the good ones with me, yeah? 

What do I think a good Mom is?

 

A good Mom pours so much energy into her kids. She makes sacrifices for them. Sleep. Time. Money. Energy. Their needs trumps her own. As a good mom, she will hide that yawn. Smile at their jokes or artwork (even when she didn't get it). She will seek to teach them all the knowledge she can in the 18 years they are hers to do so with. She often repeats herself, believing that one day it will sink in. And will provide for every need (not the wants) as best she can.

Do I think I cover all these in my own walk? Not all the time. My kids see me tired and hurting. My kids hear my grumbling about what I lack because I need to get them something instead. These come from weak moments I have. I try not to let them overflow my proverbial internal bottle, but I'm human. It happens. Especially with my teenagers....

That is a whole other beast. Raising teenagers. It is so freaking hard! 'Scuse the language outburst there. But seriously, teenagers can drain the life from you on the daily, smiling the whole time. And I think boys are worse than girls in this. But that is just my own experience. 

So here is some encouragement.

As a Christian mom, I take encouragement from the Bible. I laugh at some of the verses when they are quoted to me by older women in my life. After all, they see my kids behaving their best every time. They don't see the nitty-gritty in the background at home. According to some of these women, these verses should be coming true for me. But they forget I have teenagers. Who might not follow my own faith. "Well, that doesn't seem very encouraging," you say. And you would be right. 

However, these verses are true. No matter what my experiences may be right now. In Proverbs 31:25-29, you get the picture of what many of us call the Proverbs 31 Woman. So many of us strive to be her in our lives. We put ourselves down when we fall short. But let me tell you something. In our own ways, we all reach these standards. No matter how we falter in the walk. We are stronger than we give ourselves credit for. Personally speaking, I hold my head up and walk in such a way that I hope to not fall when evil comes around. With dignity and grace. I do the best I can in imparting wisdom to my kids. Sometimes it comes off as just mom bashing us for failing in some activity. But I do try to make it known in love. How many of you moms out there are juggling schedules? Preparing all the meals? Are your kids clothed? Are they clean? Guess what?! You are fulfilling verse 27. That is a feat of superhuman strength! So be proud of that. The part I struggle with are in verses 28 and 29. In my house, my husband sings my praises daily. My children? Not so often. But I don't let their lack of care get me down like I used to. After all, we are only human. We have phases of life that fluctuate as we go through. Glued to mom when we are tiny. Trying to find our own way through those raging hormones of our teens. Maybe even thinking we know it all. Then later, sometimes much later, we love and respect all our mother did for us.

Another verse that is quoted to me too often is in Luke 7:35. It says simply - Wisdom is justified of all her children. The hope is that we will find our children understanding the wisdom we sought to give them all their lives. That they will grow stronger through it and live better lives. And that they will see, as they look back, that we did it in love for them. We will be justified. 

Do I think I will see these things from all my children, maybe not. There are days when I think at least 1, maybe 2, will fly the coop and not think twice about never looking back. Maybe I'm speaking from the dark corner of my mind that is struggling with Motherhood right now. I hope so. Because one day I can hope that they will return the love I have shared all their lives.  

Maybe you are not a mother. But maybe you fill a motherly role in someone's life. I have, and have had, many mother-like women in my life. You are included in this encouragement. You have a role. And we thank you too! 

So happy mothers day to you all! Hold yourself up and hear the applause I'm sending your way. No matter what your day is like right now.  

Let's Chill with Kinder Bueno Ice Cream!

First off, I love ice cream. But more so, trying new flavors! And this time, I was able to not only try a new flavor, but to have a party with friends and share with them. Let's check it out!

 *Disclaimer: I was sent the party pack for free in exchange for hosting a party and sharing with others. I was not otherwise endorsed. All opinions are mine or my party pals.*

So first off, we have the party pack. This was full of fun things we could share with others. I took an unboxing video. Here you go! 

Now, let's talk ice cream, shall we? I have seen these at my local HEB stores. They come in the personal size (shareable, if you are in the mood). You can find them and the other new flavor, Nutella (AMAZING!), next to them. They sell for $4.37 each here. A little pricey for something so small, but not bad if you are in the mood and treating yourself, ya know?   

We were happy to have caught this sale when we got the ice creams for the party. $1 off each one! And yes, I totally had to grab some Nutella ones. They are soooo good! I got 6 of the Kinder flavors to share at the party. 

Time to party!

Next up, we have party time. We talked to our buddy that has a game store here in town and asked if he and his crew would want to be our party pals.

It was so hard getting everyone together at once, but we managed to break it up and share in the fun. The ice cream was well received by all those who tried it, even those with lactose intolerance wanted to try it. Smooth, rich in flavor and the crunch you recognize from the Kinder Bars! 

What else can you find? 

How about the Kinder Cones? (And Nutella Cones.) I found these while looking for ice cream recently. They went all out with options here! What are your thoughts on these? Are they a buy or a pass for you? Let me know in the comments down below! 

Play Dyce Games with Us!

I was given the amazing chance to try out some new games for Dyce Games. Thanks to them for sending these games to us for free! 

*Disclaimer: I was sent these games for free in exchange for hosting a party and sharing them with others. All opinions are mine or my guests. I was not otherwise paid or endorsed.*

Dyce Games are all about easy-to-play games that are fun for all ages. You can check out their website for more information HERE. The 3 games we are focusing on today are: Birdy Call, This or That, and Miraculous. 

A deeper look at the games 

Let's start with This or That. This game isn't all about winning. It is about seeing how well you know the people you play it with. I played with 3 of my kids. Mom sure knows her kids well, right? But even then, there were things I got wrong on the "what if" decisions my kids answered. There are 300 questions cards where you pick an option and follow the arrows. Cards are stacked pyramid-style. Follow the arrows to find the next This or That question. At the bottom, players have to guess what number the one player would end at. There are points you can count up to find the winner. We just did it in rounds until each player had gone twice. It was not just eye-opening, but fun to see where people go based on what they liked (or disliked) most.

 Next up, let's see the other one that had us girls giggling like crazy. Birdy Call is about calling out and seeing who has the same bird as you. You collect the eggs and even try to steal eggs from other players! This one is truly a riot to play. 

And, finally! We arrive at my youngest daughters favorite, Miraculous. She absolutely loves the show and the movies. So she couldn't wait to try this one! You pick your hero character, and then each player tries to reach the top of the tower first. 

Takeaway:

These games were so easy to play. They cover all ages. I think the only one we had some trouble with was Birdy Call. We weren't sure about when to draw cards when we didn't find matches... Which is why I suggest you watch their videos on how to play before you start. 

Discount! 

Want to get some games of your own? Don't forget the 20% off code at checkout:  TRYAZON20

What game are you most interested in?? Leave me a comment below!  

A Visit to the Midland Army Air Field Museum

My husband took me and one of our children to see the Midland Army Air Field Museum today. We had been wanting to check it out ever since we took the family to the air show. But time has been passing us by too quickly with all the tasks that keep piling up. Here we are in March and we finally took a moment to slow down as we walked around the hanger that makes up this magnificent history-filled place! It isn't the easiest to find if you follow Google maps though. You turn into an unpaved lot. So be warned to watch for the open gates to it. And if you see the outdoor chapel, you know you are in the right spot! 

They are opened on Saturdays, 10-3. Entry is free, and they happily take donations to help keep the place maintained. The people there are volunteers as well. 

We checked out the modern military vehicles that are parked outside first. There are planes, engines, photos, medals, equipment, weapons... An entire display on George bush Sr. getting shot down and rescued!

So many great things to see and learn about. You just wander around at your own pace and see the sights in whatever order you choose. If it is your first time, you will get some introduction to your visit from one of the volunteers who is incredibly knowledgeable about the planes. 

My husband really loved the F-14 Tomcat, 102 aircraft. We had recently heard about that one on a Yarnhub video. When this plane was originally donated, they had no idea it was such a special aircraft. Watch the video if you want to know how. My favorite part? The American pilots waving at the enemy as they flew by each other! 

I loved the German plane from the Luftwaffe. And how well they recreated a living room from the time. Well, except for some of the music that played on the old fashioned radio... 

There are interactive displays that will played sound bites and videos that explain more about the things you are looking at. The plane models you have to feel without seeing to try and identify them as the soldiers would have. 

You can check out the little gift shop they have. We picked up a challenge coin of theirs to add to our collection. Ask about the design on it, it was done by Walt Disney! And while supplies last, you can pick up a free poster too. I want to add that where I have my signed Blue Angels poster... I hope to check out other museums one day. They are so much fun! Besides, if we don't learn from history as a society, we will just be doomed to repeat it. So learn well, my friends! 

Changing Life Seasons - Or a New Chapter in My Life's Story

Whichever analogy you choose to go with, my life is changing. The daily grind I've been in for years is shifting into a new pattern. Such a crazy thought. But why, do you ask, is this happening to me? Well... My two older children have graduated high school already. Early, I know. But we homeschool! That is one of the beautiful aspects of homeschool life. We move at our own pace. 

So why do I feel so frazzled? 

Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled. It is a dream come true to have my children successfully complete school. My second child was supposed to graduate a week after his brother, but once he saw it happen for the older boy... well, he buckled down and worked ahead. But with this comes a host of other things. Now that they have passed their exams - we need to get that second vehicle so they can start the job hunt. Then comes all the driving I will have to do. To and from jobs for them. The girls will want mom to start taking them to other parks. Running errands won't be restricted to weekends or after the husband gets home from work anymore. That partly scares me. The other part thrills me. Smells like freedom in its own way! 

But then there were good things too. My husband recently said something, as I was stressing over what to do to celebrate their graduations. After all, we don't have prom. We don't have a stage to walk across as they are handed that rolled diploma. No caps and gowns. (Or do we...) We aren't a part of a group to benefit in those ways. So I had to come up with our own things to show them how proud I am, but also that they should take pride in this. But I'm getting away with myself here. My husband made a comment that caused my mind to completely lose focus on the kids' celebration. He said, "This party should be for you. After all, it is your excellence in teaching that has brought them to this moment." Talk about something I didn't have anywhere on my radar! But it made me proud for a single moment. I actually have achieved something notable in this life. Getting my boys, 17 and 16 years old, graduated through their basic education. Sounds so simple when I write it here, but this has been a wild ride for how many years now?? Wow... Looking back over the years has reminded me just how far we have come. And I can 100% say that it is only by God's grace that I have gotten here. If I had been left to my own devices... well, this would be a different picture altogether. Philippians 4:13 is my go-to. "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me." Only in Him can I keep pressing forward. 

So where am I now? 

I told myself I would put other things on hold. I have a million things on my to-do list. But for now, I am focusing my efforts in getting things ready to celebrate the graduating this weekend. It hasn't gone as I hoped so far. But I won't be discouraged. I will make this a time they can remember and enjoy. A milestone in life's path, that has been surpassed. 

For other homeschool parents who are worried, just remember that the daily grind will be worth it. Once they graduate. One day they will move forward as competent adults. And that time comes before you realize it.  

Dollhouse Renovations - Museum Style Part 2

My mom had this idea that I should make a doll-sized museum or art gallery. She had sent all these amazing things that would work well in one, too. Things that I can hang on walls. Things that will work as sculptures.

I had some inspiration on Pinterest to use as well. At first, I was trying to figure out how to make this using just cardboard and foamboard pieces. But then I thought that might not be strong enough to handle things hanging on the walls. Then came the revelation from My Froggy Stuff that Five Below had a dollhouse for $25!

It is a simple design that is meant to go with the Glam Squad doll line that Five Below has. But the more I thought about it, the more I knew it would be perfect! So when we got back from our trip, my husband and I checked our local store and grabbed one. I had even thought I getting a second one for another project...

First thing I knew I needed to do was get the walls prepped to be covered. I thought if I sanded just a little off that I could easily paint over it. But that didn't work as well as I had hoped.

So the second wall I tried, I sanded even more thoroughly. My son even helped me with that. For the back wall, I thought I could just peel off the sticker since it wasn't lined up quite right. However, that didn't work either. 

So this is where I got it to so far... I'm working on the next portion and making a video as sickness and pain has kept me from working more than a piece or two at a time. But what do you think so far? Am I getting there? Until next time!

Am I Ready Now?

Christians have a flaw. Want to know what it is? Well, they have many, actually. We are human like any other. However, there is a big one we share in countries where we don't see physical persecution. Ready for this?

 

We get too comfortable. 

That is the big one. For some of us, we hold to the teachings that Christians will have an easier life once we give our lives to Christ. We will get rich, live comfortably, be happy. But that is false. Jesus didn't preach that, but the opposite. Life would be harder. Temptations would hound us. We would be uncomfortable. We would lose relationships because we won't waver on our beliefs. THAT is the truth of a Christian who is living for Him. 

Recently, I watched a video that encouraged me. But also reminded me. Growing in Christ is uncomfortable. My dreams have to die for Christ to resurrect them in His way. Jesus Christ is amazing at resurrecting things, did you know that? After all, He came back from the dead himself!  

But lately, I have let myself get comfortable. I wasn't praying as often. I wasn't reading my Bible for myself as much. Don't get me wrong. I pray every single day. I read my Bible every single day. But not for my personal growth. Saying thank you for the meal. Or whispering a prayer for a friend. Or reading during my devotions with my husband are great. But they aren't for my own growth. So I got comfy and called it enough. But the truth is, it wasn't. I was struggling harder than ever to really get in deep and accomplish the Lord's will. I was letting things wear me down to the nub. I was questioning what God wanted of me. Told myself that as long as I raised my 4 kids to be Christian adults that could survive this world on their own, all was good enough. But I have this urge to do more. Be more. That this isn't all I'm meant to accomplish. Maybe I am an overachiever. Maybe that is why I push myself to go further than my limits. 

So today, I'm making a statement. I'm making a change. Maybe because someone I love is facing a mountain that I want them to cross. Maybe because walking is not working well today and that frightens me into submission. Or maybe because a song played that reminded me of my loose faith. But today I say, "I'm Ready Now." I stand ready to be stretched. I stand ready to watch what miracles my God will bring about.  

How about you, Christian? Are YOU ready to let go of your comfort and follow God more closely? I hope so. I hope you will join me in stretching out our faith in Christ and allowing Him to work through us. See where He wants to take us. 

Let's Duck the World!

I love miniatures! Have you noticed? I grew up wishing I could spend at least one day in tiny size. Experiencing the world from the doll-sized perspective. I grew up seeing the movie Honey, I shrunk the kids! and thinking, that would be so much fun! Playing with Barbies, I'd reenact my favorite book or movie scenes, while wishing I could be their size. But I'm getting off track here. Why do I bring this up? Simply because someone sent me tiny ducks. You heard that right. I got a bag full of tiny ducks! 

Through my association with Influenster, I get to try out products and write reviews. Most of those, you don't see here. I only share ones that have a pretty big impact. This time, however, it was just too much fun not to share with you guys. I mean, come on, who doesn't want some fun ideas? Am I right?? 

Say hello to the Micro Ducks by Toymendous!  They come in this mesh bag with 50 of these colorful little guys. Perfect for the 1/6 scale doll world. When I first saw these, I thought that they were perfect for adding to the Jurassic Park Jeep I made.

A little tacky putty to hold them in place? Give the Jurassic Park Jeep a modern twist. I still don't know why people put ducks on the dash of their Jeeps. Is it a game? Is it prizes for participating in car shows? Does it give you more prestige when you have the most on display? And who came up with the idea?!  Yep, here I go again. Losing track of what I came here to say... 

But I see other potential uses. How about hiding them around the house? Make a game of it with the kids! How about at Christmas time, using them with your Elf on the Shelf doll. These things are so multipurpose, it is awesome! I couldn't find these exact ones online. I have no idea where they normally sell them. You can find comparable ones on Amazon though. 

Now, it's your turn! Tell me what you like (or even dislike) about these! Leave me a comment below.  

Stepping Over to Ruidoso, New Mexico

While visiting Cloudcroft, we decided to swing over to Ruidoso while there. It is another village about an hour north of Cloudcroft. Originally, I only knew we were considering going to church there on Sunday morning. However, we learned of other things they have to offer that made them a must visit! (And we changed our mind about going to church there. Went to Alamogordo instead.)

Ruidoso's Winter Park is a recreation park with something that we really wanted to try - a mountain coaster! Sadly, it was out of our price range this time at $25 a person. And then we didn't know how the youngest would be on her own since she was just barely at the cutoff age for riding with an adult. But it is called the Screaming Eagle and looked like it would be so much fun! You could also go tubing, or they offered a couple other activities.  

We walked down Sudderth Drive to check out a bookstore and a couple other stores that caught our eyes as we went by. Books Etcetera was neat, but it was just new books. We had been hoping they would be more of a used bookstore. They did have cute souvenirs and gifts though. 

I really enjoyed Mountain Treasure Thrift, which was also on Sudderth Drive. They had quite the collection of things. The lady who checked us out was really sweet and helpful with items that didn't have prices on them. 

I'd say this is another village that is geared towards tourists. But it was fun to visit. Finding the thrift store was my favorite part. Ruidoso is about an hour north of Cloudcroft. Then you have Alamogordo, which was about 30 minutes west of Cloudcroft. That is a much bigger village (?) or town... Not sure what that one is categorized as. But it was big enough to have Walmart and Dollar Tree! And we heard there was some thrift store called Kings Treasure, but it was closed when we were there. Just a couple places to consider if you make the trip. 

I'd say all the roads were incredibly twisty through the mountains. I suggest having all wheel drive if you go in the winter months. Snow was everywhere. You could see the Salt Flats in the distance, which was awesome. We drove through a tunnel as well. While short, it was still cool. 

Cloudcroft, New Mexico!

Well, we made it! What a thrilling place to see. It was an amazing trip for sure. 

Cloudcroft Village is really something else. You have all these cute little shops. My youngest insisted on going to see the Tree-Rific Toys & Candy shop, that had a Fill-A-Bear & Friends Factory station in it. Which is where she ended up spending her money... The little ones where $20 and the larger ones were $27. They had a variety of models and other interesting toys. There were also candies of all kinds! 

We also stopped in at the Burro Street Bakery for some sweet treats. I really loved the Cream Cheese Danish. My husband and son both had the Bearclaw, but thought it was on the dry side. I'm thinking that may have been because it was getting closer to closing and also wasn't filled with cream. My other son had brownies (he was given 2 since it was close to closing) and he absolutely loved them! One daughter devoured her Apple Danish, while the other dug in to her Cinnamon Roll so fast, she made a mess of herself with it. I'd say they were all decently priced too. It was fun to eat and walk around the boardwalk. Honestly, you can probably walk everything in about 2 hours. And that is only if you are stopping to shop around too. If you were to just walk one end to the other, maybe 15 minutes? 

For dinner, we chose Dave's Cafe. It is inside one of the boardwalk locations. They have burgers and sandwiches mostly, but they offer other items too. I chose the Cordon Bleu Sandwich, which was superb. It came with kettle cooked chips. And was incredibly filling. I didn't hear any complaints from the rest of the table as we ate.

And even though it is almost February, there was still so much snow everywhere! We thought that with 40 degree weather, much of it would have melted. We were so wrong... But that was just more fun for us. 

As soon as we unloaded everything into the Airbnb, we were delighted to watch a family of deer come by and watch us, watching them through the windows. We also got to see a herd of horses wandering around. Before the sun had even set in town, we could gaze up at the full moon above. And the amount of stars definitely puts the town views we have had to shame.  

We learned a couple things too. First off, don't buy grocery items at the Allsup's convenience store if you can help it. There are Walmarts at Ruidoso Village (about an hour north) or Alamogordo (about 30 minutes west). The prices are what you'd expect for a gas station - high. However, if you are in a bind, they do have a decent grocery selection and even meats to buy. This was helpful for us to get something for the kids to have the next day as we can't be eating out the whole time we are here. There is also the Family Dollar where you have more of a selection. 

There are things that we saw and didn't expect. Like a ski area where you can go sledding too. They have built a park near the school area where kids can let loose and play. This is definitely a tourist-type stop. Unless you are visiting to say you have been there, the only real reasons I would say to go are for the hiking trails and for the camping experiences.  

Osha Trail wasn't as clearly marked as we had hoped and thought. So we went for maybe 2 hours before turning around and walking back the way we came.

Parking for the trailhead was also full so many times when we went by. But it was worth the wait, because the views were fantastic! Like seeing the Trestle Bridge from above. 

We did go to the Trestle Bridge observation point after our hike. It has information on the history and was fun to take pictures in front of. I do recommend this for one of your stops if you go. 

What do you think? Is this a place you'd want to visit? If so, what is the draw for you??