I found my guilty culprit

The other day I noticed that we were getting some patches in our lawn out by our back sprinkler that were dry spots. I really didnt think anything else of it until it got worse and worse. I kept repositioning our sprinklers to make sure that all corners of the yard were being taken care of and then one day stumbled upon our little Hunter.

He wouldnt stand still for even a second so I had to use a picture that would give you an idea. He attacks the sprinklers and plays in them. My parents were over the other day and we ended up getting the giggles watching him.

I LOVE SUMMER!

We are craazy!

On Monday night I got a brilliant idea to start going through the rest of our boxes in the garage that we just havent had time to go through since we moved in to our new place in Feb. Trying to motivate myself to get excited about my new activity, I stumbled across a brand new can of stain that was used for our deck. We recently had added a few additional posts to the corners of our deck in order to make it more sturdy. I grabbed a paint brush with the intention of just painting the new posts that my dad and Mitch put in but when we got outside, we realized that the deck could really use a brand new layer of stain to give it a little refresher!
Little did I know that it would take seriously hours! First we wiped down the deck and swept away any dust or leaves that had fallen and gotten stuck by the hot tub. I moved my gigantic planters and cleaned under them and put them out on the lawn. We had to move our patio furniture out on the lawn as well as learn how to turn off our sprinklers that shoot over to part of our patio and then we got started. For a while, it went really fast and we were making fairly good time, when the phone rang. Mitch had gotten called into his other job and it was going to be just me! Oh dear!!! By the end of the night, I looked like stained mess but it sure was worth it.
I finished at about 10:45 and was painting by moon light practically but I am sure glad that I stumbled across that can the other night.

A little bit country!

Mitch had a great opportunity this past weekend to drum for a band that traveled to Price. I wasnt sure if country was quite his cup of tea but he looked like he was having a blast.

The rest of the family was not able to attend. We took our "nearly yearly" camping trip up to Willow Flat. Cant wait to hear you guys next time Mitchell!

STOP BEATING YOURSELF UP, PUTTING YOURSELF DOWN, and SELLING YOURSELF SHORT, Dont be a doormat!

my new favorite quote this week

What a special weekend it has been spent with family and friends. I am proud to live in such a wonderful country.
2 days full of eating, laughing, reflecting back on past holiday memories.
I am proud to be an American and proud of those who have gone before and served for our freedom. God bless America

Today I am grateful for the best parents anyone could ask for. A husband who is loving and understanding unconditionally. A Sister that has become my best friend. A Brother who would help anyone in need. The USA that I proudly call home.

While on vacation in Mexico I have had time to reflect on a few things. Do I take things that I have at home for granted? When it is hot, I turn on the AC. When it is cold, I turn on the heat. When I am tired I get a very comfortable bed to sleep in. When I dont feel very well, I take some medicine. When I need to "rush to the store," I grab the car keys.

Yesterday I met a boy who didnt have any shoes and was walking on the dirt road running from one side of the road to the other to get into some cooler shade. He approached me saying something in Spanish. I am assuming he was asking for money since he kept fanning his face. My sister grabbed a 1.00 bill and handed it to him and he put it in his pocket. After searching around I found a $5.00 and handed it to the little sweaty boy. He looked grateful. The next thing I knew he was buying icecream to cool off. He walked past us skipping, eating his cold icecream popcicle.

Just makes you look back and reflect on what a blessed lifestyle we enjoy and might just take for granted at times.

Our new place

Well we have had our hands a little busy recently trying to get our house put together. If you havent heard from us in a while, that is why. This is my view from our kitchen table

This is the room that Mitch keeps all of his "boy stuff"

This is our "green chair room!" We found this green chair and had to bring it home and incorporate it somehow!

I love black and so this kitchen has ended up working out perfectly!

This in on our upper deck that overlooks the golf course. Dont you love this time of year when everything is so green and beautiful

This is our lower patio where we love to just hang out in the shade and BBQ.

Our little rat dog! Huntie buntie

home sweet home

we found these planters today at J and J

When we moved in, this house was white white white!!! My mom has spent so many hours over helping to get our house put together. This was our project on my last day off. We painted the walls red, got a new ottoman, found some great paintings and went to work.

From another angle.

Our bathroom downstairs

Our bedroom

strawberry soup?

Have you ever heard of Strawberry soup??? Chances are you havent but when I saw the recipe, I though I must try!

I know that looks nasty but just trust me! Its yum! You put in about 2 cups of strawberries, 1 cup of orange juice. 1 cup of vanilla yogurt and a Teaspoon of vanilla. then blend blend blend! In the end, I added some ice to make the "soup" thicker.
I think next time we will just stick our soup in a glass with an umbrella and call it good!

It wasnt super duper sweet like a smoothy, just refreshing. We will be trying this one again.

Im trying to copycat!

Ever heard of the bun basket? Its this great place in Fruit Heights that sells cinnamon rolls and sandwiches. They have these great breads that are stuffed with meat and cheese and I thought it has to be simple to copy cat!

These photos didnt load in order but you get the point. I rolled up the dough and brushed them with egg wash before I baked them.

As far as I could tell, this is what they use at the Bun Basket

My way of cheating! haha

yum yum, arm lickin good!

Are you stuck in a cooking rut?? It seems like the never ending battle.... What the heck is for dinner tonight? Sigh....

I found some ingredients that I had in the pantry along with some Asian ingredients in the fridge. We made a marinade for the pork and let it rest for about 3 hours.

We grilled the pork ribs and reduced the sauce. It was delish!

Draper my old home!

Would you dare do this? I have always thought that I might try it, well that is until I watched how it was done!

I think that I will stay put!

This was in Draper up on the Mountain. A week before we moved, I decided I would drive up and watch how it is done! I have to admit, it was fascinating!

happy birthday!!

Have you ever wanted to be just like your parents? Well, I will never even come close but I sure want to try. Have you ever met someone who rarely thinks of their needs before they make sure that others are comfortable? My dad (and mom) are my best friends and I am proud to call them parents. Today is my dads birthday and I just want to say how much I love him and hope that he has the best day ever.

Doesnt the snow just make you want to cuddle under a blanket by the fireplace and sip hot cocoa? Outside the air is crisp, the lawn is covered in white and all I want to do is sit at home in my pj's and shop online...