Leaving the heat behind

I am taking a little weekend away to visit one of the moms from Jacob's soccer team. I am making my way for the first time to Utah. Utah?? Funny thing I never really imagined I would ever have any reason to go to Salt Lake City. I thought maybe Moab some day...but not Salt Lake. I am extremely excited for a few reasons. This amazing mom lives in Park City. It sounds (and looks amazing from her FB pics) refreshing! It is cooler there obviously than here and that alone makes it sooooo worth my time! I want to breath some fresh air and take in God's beauty for the few days that I am there. I want to giggle like a high schooler again, only now it included a glass of wine! I want to grow this friendship because I honestly adore her. I want to come back feeling filled and ready to tackle the last few weeks until school starts.

I am reminded as I sit here waiting for my ride to the airport just how lucky I am to have a husband who supports these mini retreats away. I appreciate so much that he knows I need this. He helps keep me sane! I am still a mom however and there is always a small seed of doubt about leaving...about feeling like it is 'ok' to leave my kids. I realized it IS 'ok'...but call it mommy-guilt or whatever. I am always really happy when I go and believe it has a positive purpose in my life as a stay at home mom to a large crew. I have a hard time admitting I have needs and this IS a need, so again, I am thankful for a hubby who gets it, and even pushes me through some of my doubts. My kids will be eating who knows what this weekend, but they will also have an amazing weekend with their Dad. So off I go, ready for a great, restful, refreshing weekend. I can't wait to share it with you when I get back!!

Healthier Twist on an Old Favorite

Ingredients:
10-12 Campari Tomatoes (I used Grape tomatoes and will double them next time)
3-4 tbsp olive oil
fettuccine noodles
2 large, ripe avocados (I used 6 small ones)
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup pine nuts (I didn't have these on hand so skipped it)
grated Parmesan (optional)
pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat oven 350. Slice tomatoes in quarters or halves. Place on cookie sheet and drizzle with some olive oil. Roast for 15 min.

2. Start noodles to boil, cook as directed per instructions on package

3. Add peeled and pitted avocados, 3 tbsp olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper to food processor and blend until creamy smooth. Once noodles are done add sauce to warm noodles, mix in tomatoes and Parmesan cheese and serve!

I made it as a side dish to go with a top sirloin steak. It was a great compliment and SO MUCH more healthy. I love Alfredo sauce but as I am getting older it doesn't love me back so I think I found my new compromise! (Plus you get a healthy dose of the good fats avocado has to offer.) And if the taste wasn't enough to convince me ALL my kids gobbled this right up!! YES!! It is a win, win for this mama.

Apple Annie's Again

It just seemed wrong to drive past Apple Annie's on our way home from NM and not stop. I told Shane how cool it was, what great adventures we were teaching our kids even though it was almost 100 degrees. He relented. So we made our way there to pick fresh peaches and what ever else was in season and ready to be picked. The peaches smelled so good even as you walked up to the trees. We grabbed ourselves some yellow squash, jalapenos, and okra too.

We had cooked the veggies last night with dinner and I am sold...fresh is the best! All our peaches are sliced and in the freezer ready for smoothies at any moment. Oh how I long to live where farm fresh is not over 3 hours away. (sigh)

 14lbs of peaches

 Nathan was our most eager "picker"...I had to stop him just to get a picture...and it's only his hand.

 That is the biggest cucumber we have EVER seen!! We didn't pick it, but used Samantha's hand for reference.

 Okra is a Self family thing...so I had to get some for my father in law!

And, why not burn off some energy running in the fields before we head home??

Ba-Boooom, Crack, Snap...

 We took a mini road trip to Lordsburg, NM to shoot off fireworks. Shane has a co-worker who has done this every year for the past ten years and once Shane got wind of it you know we were 'all in'. We stopped at a rest stop just outside Benson, AZ with amazing scenery and took a great family photo.

 The place were we stopped and purchase the majority of the fireworks is about 5 miles inside the border of NM and they were all decked out in their holiday red, white and blues too! I love the clouds in the background.

 We also discovered that Herbie retired to Lordsburg, NM. He was a little worn but still offering the love to those of us to enjoy!

 Jacob earned money for the past 6 months to buy his first R/C car and this was a great opportunity to break it in. The boys had loads of fun while we waited for the sun to set.

 The rest of us played a game of Washers...which we were introduced to by friends earlier in the year. It is a fun game we can all play regardless of skill level.

 Me and my snuggle bug as we watched the game.

 Check out that sky!!! I thought we were going to get hit but it skirted right around us. It made for a beautiful picture and made me feel like moving to the mid west...that was only a brief thought as I remembered things like tornadoes.

 Getting set up...yes they are wearing sweat shirts. Our AZ thinned blood doesn't work well when it is in the upper 6o's with a pretty good breeze. I was in hog heaven though, and actually, no body complained about being cold since we all know how hot it is here!

 Shane and Carlo shooting off roman candles...

 Sparklers!!!

 People in the town as well as vacationers like us come and do exactly what we were doing. There were blasts going on in a 360 radius around us! It was amazingly cool I do have to admit!

 These were some of the canon shoots Shane and Carlos were shooting off. They would explode literally right about our heads.

We made a stop at Apple Annie's again on our way home...those pictures for another post. All in all, it was a blitz trip, a fair amount of driving but totally worth it to be up close and personal with this amazing holiday.

Happy 4th of July

I ALWAYS associate this amazing holiday with the obvious...our country's independence, but in the last few years I began adding food to my list of great ways to celebrate. There are some fun, creative things to make food special and festive. I enjoy the doing part of the cooking/baking and I hope my kids look back fondly at my efforts in creating awesome memories for them.

Red, White and Blue Strawberries...could these be any more fun?? I melted white chocolate chips, dipped the strawberries in the chocolate and then waited until it almost formed a hard shell then dipped them again in the blue sprinkles. So obviously festive and incredibly easy!!

 4th of July cake!! It requires a white, or in my case vanilla, cake mix. Separate one cup of batter into a small bowl, add red food coloring. Repeat only blue food coloring. Carefully pour into your pan and bake per directions. Then with the ready made tub frosting, separate into thirds, heat each bowl for 15 seconds, add red and blue food coloring to the frosting. Pour in into three separate small ziploc bags, snip the small corner off and drizzle. Lastly, add sprinkles!! This cake idea has endless possibilities for every holiday...can't wait for Halloween!!

And when you cut into it...WOWZERS....this is the fun you get! 

And of course no holiday would be complete without a fancy hair do for my girls. Hannah's style has worked awesome with all the swimming she is doing. Add a bow and band and bam...it is festive to the max. She is just tickled today with this style. I have other stuff for the other girls...more picture to follow.

Have a blessed holiday!!! God bless America!

My new favorite lunch

Goat cheese, basil, tomato on bagget slices...YUMMY!!

Weekend Project

I have been wanting to put new curtains up in my family room for a while now. I took down the all brown ones after Shane and I discussed that he would prefer it be a bit brighter. (He is not a fan of the warm, dark colors...but I LOVE them, so I was desperate to find a compromise)

I was checking out Joann's online about 2 wks ago and discovered they were having a huge sale on outdoor fabric...60% off. The sale took the price from $25 per yard down to $10. I ordered six yards of the fabric and waited for it to arrive. I am thrilled with how it tuned out. It is a heavy fabric so it hangs nice, but it is still breathable so it doesn't look bulky. Below are some before and after pictures. I made six panels or three windows and I believe I succeeded in brightening up the space!!

Before...

After...(And yes that is brown duct tape on my couch...a few more years and the kids will be old enough for me to feel ok with getting new couches!)