For my birthday, Billy gave me some money to go buy things for flower pots. We wandered around the nursery (Western Gardens in Sandy: great service and great plants), trying to decide what to put in the pots. We decided that we wanted to put perennials in the pots (although we do annuals in the hanging baskets). Just in the last couple of weeks they have really gone crazy and started to fill in.
Don't you just love the petite white flowers on the moss... so delicate and subtle.
A couple of weeks ago our house was graced by my sister and sister-in-law (with the smiley baby in tow) for a day of flowers and lettuce wraps. I showed them what I learned last year about planting your own hanging baskets and my sister made her yummy lettuce wraps as we talked about light things and deep things. It was messy and fun and we all walked away with flowers to brighten our homes.
The wee one is sick. A head cold. First cold ever. Poor thing. It is a wonder she can breath through all that mess.
I have spent many days during my life sick, but once Millie got sick, I was at a complete loss. What do you do with a baby that is sick? Luckily my friend has some good ideas so I am not completely without some sort of plan of action.
On a happier note, the flowers are blooming. We sure needed some color in our garden. Gladiolus and Marigolds, with Mums on the way. (I am trying to take it slow but I am currently typing up a plan of action so that we can have colors all summer long. No more of this colors in late summer only business.)
Back when we lived in Michigan, as a child, it seemed like there were two different worlds. One was the world we lived in most of the time. Green. Flat. Humid with fireflies that lit up the summer nights.
The other was this world that was hot and dry, full of family we saw only once a year. After days on the open road, anticipation and excitement filled our purple van as the flat, seemingly never ending fields gave way to rolling hills which transformed into rocky mountains. We knew that within those mountains lay a valley full of cousins to play with, campfire stories to be told, swimming pools where we turned into mermaids, and where we made homemade ice cream. Those mountains meant summer time, camping and hiking, staying up late and sleeping in.
And this year, we spent time in the mountains once again. (Really we do every summer except last year since I was in bed sick.) This year we hiked up to the Mount Timpanogos Caves. It was a crazy hike. But good. We would highly recommend it. Here are some things to remember:
It may be paved and it may say that all ages can do it, but do not be deceived. It is steep and tiring. We loved it but came home and crashed pretty hard. And my butt was sore for a week.
You can do the hike for free (except for the fact that you have to pay to go into the canyon) but to do the caves, you have to pay for a permit and then they assign you a time. To avoid having two hours to bum around until your time comes up, call ahead of time (maybe even a week before) and prepay. It would be worth it... from what I hear.
Bring water. That is a given.
Bring a jacket for your child (and maybe even you) for the caves. By the time you get to the top of the mountain, you are drenched. Then going into the caves get really cold, especially when you are already wet. It feels great but your child gets cold and the other, more prepared parents look at you like you are down right mean to that cute little baby of yours. So just bring a jacket for the child.
Billy and I talk about our life a lot. What fears we have, what things we want out of life, and what is making us happy. We both love being active and feeling like taking care of our bodies and putting good things into them.
But we both love milk shakes and cookies, we (mostly me, though) have a tendency to sleep in too late, and we forget to exercise.
We keep trying though.
And a few weeks ago, we "participated in" the Lavender Fields 5K at the Young Living Farms in Mona, UT. (I say "participated in" with that tone because we ran... and walked. Both. Mostly equally.) It smelled lovely, was beautiful, and was a great way to spend our Saturday morning. Millie even did it with us although she did sleep most of the time. It was a bit bumpy in the stroller but she loved it. She always loves when she is in motion.
The holiday weekend was crazy busy. And fun. And here are some pictures to prove it.
Today I have the Heebie Jeebies.
It is bad. I mean I hardly slept last night and when I did all I dreamt about was throwing everything in our house out due to an infestation and trying to grow California Poppies in the tile in the kitchen, which has nothing to do with my heebie jeebies.
Now I don't even want to go in the kitchen for fear of what I might find. But let me tell you what happened to lead up to this paranoia and creepiness that gives me the shivers walking through my own home.
Millie has been nice to me and sleeps until 4am lately. But my allergies are feeling a little neglected so they are waking me up usually at 1am and every hour after that (maybe they are having a growth spurt). After one of my sneezing fits, I wandered through the house, finding myself in the kitchen. Now, I am a bit afraid of the dark. I just don't like it. I worry about what and who could be lerking in the corners. My mind plays tricks on me. So, to avoid being needlessly scared, I always turn on the lights when it is night.
As I moseyed on into the kitchen, turning on the light before I walk in fully, I saw a little black blob (I didn't have my glasses on) scattering about, scared by the light, and finding its way into the pantry. This is when I starting jumping up and down, dancing the "there's a mouse in my house" dance. Shivers began coursing down my spine over and over again. I didn't know what to do. Scream? Call 911? Get the family out, light a fire and burn the house down? There was no way I was going to search for that little bugger by myself and Billy only had a few more hours to sleep, so I decided to just let it be and we could figure it out in the morning.
But as the night progressed, my worries and fears (and curiosities) escalated... how many were there? How long had they been there and I just didn't know? What if they were friendly mice, like the mice from Cinderella or Ratatouille? Could I really be so cruel as to throw them out on the streets? What if this particular mouse just came to make good food or to find tiny little shirts and tiny little hats to wear? What if it just wanted to be loved and understood? But then I got back to reality: If they were in the kitchen, where else could they be? In our shoes, our clothes, the bed? I came to the realization that the only thing to do would be to start over. Throw everything out, purge the house of the unwelcomed guests and start all over. Sure I like the things we have collects and filled our home with, but there just was no other way. It was just the way it would have to be.
I thought I might be being dramatic, as I often am during the wee hours of the morning. And yet, hours later, I feel the same. We must throw everything out. There is no way I can put shoes on now. Or lay Millie on the floor. Or sleep in my bed. And dangnabit, I like my bed.
See.. Millie is pretty upset too.
Summer, obviously, is the season of the barbecue. We all know it and, I believe, most of us love it. Who can argue that hamburgers don't taste better when done of the grill?
This year, we have been doing something a little different. Still on the barbecue. But we have been making Shish Kebabs instead.
And I love them. They use less meat, you get to have yummy veggies with it, and we have this great recipe that you just can't go wrong with.
Today, am going to share that recipe with you. And I hope you enjoy it. I hope you use it. Trust me, it is worth the 10 minutes of work, even if you are lazy.
So friends, here we go:
Shish Kebabs: (Serves 12, so you can half it and still end up with a lot)
Ingredients:
6 lbs top sirloin- cut into (thick) cubes. Is is also great with chicken.
1 1/4 cups soy sauce
3 cups oil
1 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbl. dry Mustart
1/4 tsp. parsley flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
Assorted Veggies, cut into thick slices ( bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, pineapple chunks, tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash. You be creative)
In a bowl, combine all the ingredients, except the meat. Blend well then add the cubed beef. Cover and refrigerate for 6 hours or more. When ready to grill, cut the veggies into thick slices or chunks. Thread the meat and veggies on skewers. I like to pour some of the remaining marinade over the skewers to give the veggies a little flavor. Broil or grill until meat is cooked through (obviously). Can be served with rice.
For dessert, you can put pineapple on the skewers, then pour coconut milk over them and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and grill. Yum.
Try it out and let me know how it goes!!
Bon Appetit!
This is what I wrote last week... about our hike in Zions.
Today is hot here in Zion National Part. It is probably always hot here. Sun. Sun. Sun. Even when you are in the shade, you get a sunburn from all that sun.
Today, we hike. I am a little nervous. Not because I think it will be dangerous or that we can't do it but simply because I have inherited the worry gene, especially when it has anything to do with things I have never done before.
But this hike should cool us down. As long as it doesn't rain. We ride the shuttle to the top of the canyon. The last stop. We get out and begin to hike, or rather, walk. It is a paved trail. One mile. At the top of the trail, people sit around, eating lunch, drinking water, not feeding the squirrels that sit so close to them.
We feel slightly out of place. We don't sit. At the end of the trail, there are steps that lead down to the rocks that are in the water. That is where our hike will begin. In the water. It is almost against natural instinct, not to step around the water or to jump from rock to rock to get to the other side. No. We walk right through, hiking boots and all.
Afterall, that is why we came here.
And it feels oh so refreshing.
I smile to myself, feeling happy with our choice to hike through the water.
This is the Narrows. Zions Narrows.
As we walk, the water gets deeper. We are headed up stream, so we fight against the current. Our walking sticks hold us steady when the rocks are slippery and the water is fast. But this is when it is fun. When we have to work a little to get to the shallower side of the river.
People of all types surround us; some headed upstream, some down. Some are uber prepared, with the aqua socks and shoes. Others, just trying to see how far they can make it, walk in bare feet, holding their shoes in one hand and their cameras in the other, all while trying not to slip on the rocks beneath them. We have our walking sticks and backpack, with our cameras in 3 ziplock bags, just in case. Sunscreen, bandaids, chapstick, water, and food.
The sun is high already, the sky clear. We would be melting if it weren't for the water that we trudge through. We realize how unique this hike is. So often, one hikes to a destination, some spot where the view is perfect, or the lake water clear. But this hike is different. Every turn has you in awe at this canyon that this little river formed over its long life. Towering cliffs, waterfalls, rocks that miraculously drip water from unseen streams within them. Plants grow from these rocks and make the desert feel alive.
In little ponds we find tadpoles, swimming around in their little world. I worry that people step in these pools, not realizing the life that is growing there. Hopefully they will survive. There are fish too, not much bigger than our Carly. Carly would eat them if she was there.
I smile, tease Billy about swimming in the deep parts, and stop to take a drink from our water bottles. We take our time, enjoying the rocks that have been forced into interesting patterns and the life that grows in a world that is so hot.
We go until we reach the fork in the trail. With no map, no watch, and no idea if it is going to get stormy later, we decide to head back. This part is quick. We go with the current. What took us hours to walk is now an easy stroll. This is good as I am beginning to feel my legs weaken. They don't fight as hard against the current as the they did before. A few times, I feel the current just might win. Good think I have the hiking stick. It keeps me from falling into the cold river (which really might not be so bad).
Soon, we come to the end, which had been the beginning. People are still playing in the water, sitting on the rocks, eating snacks. I look back at the river, almost sad that it is done.
We'll just have to do it again. But next time, we will do the whole hike. All 16 miles.
But for now, it's time for a rest.
