Catching Up

Well, it's been quite a while since I posted anything. I've been traveling for the new j-o-b while trying to stay on top of emails, emails, emails.

Here's what's been going on...

I've been seeing more and more white falling from the sky. The dogs are loving it!

Even with the temps dropping and some white on the ground, radishes were hanging on strong.

I've finally finished my office. After finishing my desk, James put together a quick DIY shelf. We found a plank of wood on our property, and I found these two brackets for $20 at an antique store. And there you have a shelf for scarves and bags. We found the big cedar chest in North Carolina at an antique store. It's great for sweaters and other bulky items that take up space in drawers.

One other DIY project that James and I did together is a coat rack. We needed a place for hats, rain gear and heavy coats. I found this old piece of fence on our property and we cut it down smaller with a skill saw. (My first time using a skill saw! It kind of makes you feel like a bad ass.) Then, we screwed on some rustic curtain rod brackets that I found for a $1 each. I love this $4 project.

We're off to Flagstaff to visit friends for Thanksgiving!! One of the many benefits of living out west...we get to see great friends that were once too far away.

Have a great week!

B

What scares me about fall today...

snow!

It's been raining here for a few days straight...very unusual.

That rain is already turning into snow in the mountains.

Here are two pics of what I woke up to this morning. One pic from the backyard, one from the front.

I don't think I've ever said, "check out this snow!" before Halloween even gets here.

Happy Snow Day!

B

What I'm loving...

about fall today

Today, I am loving the afternoon sun in the fall. James and I spent some time in the yard yesterday afternoon, and I absorbed all of the afternoon smells and light. People are already rockin their wood fireplaces and the smell to me is unbeatable. And sunlight lighting up all the leaves was picture worthy.

The other thing I am loving about today....I have a new job, within the same company, starting Monday!! Happy last day to me!

B

Happy Fall

I am loving some fall right now!

I just returned from two weeks back "home" in NC. It was the perfect time of year to go. The heat had just broken and it was chilly, sunny days with cool nights. I had so much fun and miss everyone terribly. From football games to girls' wine nights, I loved every morning, lunch, and evening. Thank you NC!!

Coming back out west was exciting, too and fall is in full force. Here are some pics I took when I got back in town.

The 30 degree nights have finally taken a toll on the summer veggies. Before the frost hit, we picked more zucchini than I know what to do with...here are some pics, but to date, we have picked about 10, all this size...zucchini overload!!

Every day I seem to find new things that keep me in love with fall. Today, it's fall leaves/twigs in a vase inside and spiked apple cider.

Enjoy your fall day!

B

Best time of year

Okay, I'll admit that it is just a matter of opinion, but I firmly believe that fall is the best time of year. The smell of fireplaces being lit for the first time in months, leaves changing, pumpkins, Halloween, and cool, crisp air. And yesterday, I walked out the back door and caught a nice view of an early fall moon.

The leaves are starting to change around here, and the nights are getting chilly!

Out of our own backyard, we've got grapes! They are a little tart but ready for picking. The vines are a gnarly mess right now, but I am digging in as much as I can.

As I mentioned last time, we have been loving our local farmer's market. We stocked up on tomatoes recently. I just can't resist a summer tomato. The first dinner I made was roasted tomato soup. Perfect for a chilly, fall evening. Toss halved, seeded tomatoes in olive oil, garlic and herbs. Then, roast in the oven. The rest I can't remember (haha) but basically put together a few simple, classic ingredients and blend into a soup. Some chicken stock, onions, fresh basil, and a little half 'n half should do it. I quickly sauteed some bread cubes in butter and garlic for homemade croutons.The second recipe the tomatoes went into...pickled vegetables. Okay, you have to really like vinegared, pickled things to try this one. I found some cukes at the farmer's market to add to this as well. Quarter tomatoes, slice fresh garlic cloves, quarter yellow onions, and add pickling spices to glass canning jars (Mom hooked me up with a bag full). Pickling spices are whatever you want them to be. For me, yellow mustard seeds, whole peppercorns, sliced horseradish, basil leaves and dill sprigs. Dissolve kosher salt in cider vinegar on the stove and then let the mixture cool. Add the cooled mixture to the jars and put in the fridge. The longer they sit, the better they are. I did the same thing with cukes and red onion.

B

Here fishy, fishy

We were able to do something this past weekend that I never thought we would be able to do in Utah. I thought for sure I would have to reserve it for some Alaskan adventure one day, but this past weekend we went to see the salmon spawning!

A friend asked if we wanted to go along to watch this annual site. We were pumped!

For about two weeks, the salmon swim tirelessly upstream against the current to spawn and then die after laying and fertilizing the eggs. (I hope I have all of these facts correct.)

It was a really cool thing to see and experience.

Where we are, there are cows everywhere. Ranchers let their cows roam freely, grazing. I included a pic of a calf...soo cute. It kind of looks like Riley...

I uploaded two videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMwNKYb25_Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a8Q6l-bico

B

What's growing on?

It has been an adjustment learning that the growing season out here is a month or two behind what I am used to in the tropical climate of the Carolinas. Tomatoes just started rockin a few weeks ago, and now we are harvesting summer squash. We plucked our first zucchinis last week. We spread them across three meals. First, we grilled some and then we roasted some more. YUM! I love veggies roasted in the oven with simple olive oil, S & P.The remaining. we stuffed. We scooped out the middle, boiled the shells to get them soft. We put the pulp we had scooped along with onions, mushrooms, and any other veggies we had around in a skillet on the stove for a few minutes. Then, tossed that mixture with bread crumbs and a beaten egg, filled back up the zucchini shells and cheese on top. Finally, bake and then enjoy.

Back to the garden...her are some pics of what's growing, zucchini, acorn squash, apples, grapes, and a few cantaloupes are trying like crazy to tough out the chilly nights. We have had a few nights of frost, so we are keeping the tarps handy for covering

.

This past weekend was beautilous! We rode bikes everywhere...breakfast, farmer's market, bar....in that order.

The farmer's market is something I look forward to every week. There are so many reasons to love it...it's supporting local farmers who don't get subsidized from our government and are in a continuous struggle to maintain quality and variety over cheaply priced, poorer quality, generic options at the grocery store. There are about 7,500 varieties of tomato. At your typical, major, grocery store chain you may be able to buy 3-5 varieties all year, always the same. There are so many more to try, buy, or grow your own.

Along with variety, other reasons to visit your local farmer's market are supporting a local economy in your community, it's a lot more fun than the grocery store, and of course, prices.

Here's what we took home for $20.

Enjoy your week!

B

Jugs

Milk jugs, that is...

Every Tuesday morning, I start my day by checking my front porch for milk. A local farm just north of me delivers their fresh milk and other local goods like cheese, jam, and eggs right to my front door. While this is becoming more popular in large cities, there is still a small country feel. I imagine the milk truck stopping in front of my house and a man in an all white uniform and hat skips to my front porch with milk in hand. I have never seen nor heard the delivery truck, so I check the wooden box on my front porch like a kid looking under a pillow for a dollar left by the tooth fairy. I wonder if the milkman wears a tutu and wings...

Another exciting discovery...a two-wheeled dream come true! I have been on the hunt for a cruiser style bike for some time now. I had recently convinced myself to be patient and wait for the right thing to come along. And then, there she was! James was cleaning out the garage so that both of our cars can fit in there in the winter (THANK YOU, James!) and found exactly what I've been looking for. I'm going to try to screw the basket that I bought onto the back this week, but in the meantime, she rides like a two-wheeled dream...

B

B.E.O.L.T

I have been looking forward to this lunch for a day or so now. Bacon, fried egg, red onion, lettuce, and tomato on a bagel. (Miracle Whip slathers, too, of course.) If you like all these things, together they are your new best friend. The order in which you stack each ingredient on your bagel is very important. Me? I'm fried egg, tomato, lettuce, bacon, onion, Miracle Whip...in case you need some guidance. I like avocado on it, too, but fresh out today.

Yum, yum...eat up!

Snow in August

Because that's normal....right? To all my sweaty, sticky Southern folk...pray for me this fall and winter! James and I decided to go for an impromptu after-work-hike yesterday. When we looked across the canyon, we could see fresh snow on top of the mountains from the rain we got yesterday. SNOW! Of course, I forgot my camera, but trust me....there was freakin snow!

It rained all morning yesterday. It was in the 50s all day and then mid 40s when I went to the grocery store last night. I guess I need to go unpack all the winter clothes I just packed up. (Yes, mid 40s = winter clothes to me....like I said, pray for me this fall/winter.)

Speaking of cold...James and I went on our first backpacking trip in Utah this weekend. We met another couple that moved here from Charlotte, NC this summer. They were instant friends. The four of us and three dogs went backpacking. The most amazing thing to all of us was that we could go for just one night because it only took us 20 min to get there! How exciting! We are used to having to drive about 4 hours one way to get to the mountains, so we were in the habit of taking off for at least two nights. We were like kids at Christmas being able to cruise up the canyon 20 min for a night of backpacking. We went back to the same place James and I did our first hike. A beautiful 8 mi round trip hike to a lake and back. Check out the cows freely grazing. If I were a cow...this would be the deal!

Also, here are some pics from a hike James took the dogs on a while back. It's a really cool canyon and great for a quick day hike. I think it was a little hot that day...Riley had to cool off somehow. Don't judge...beauty is in the eyes of the beholder....

On a food note...James and I made chicken enchiladas last week...yum! Last night, homemade pizza. No pic, unfortunately, but we made homemade pizza sauce, layered up cheese, onions, mushrooms, bell pepper, pineapple and pepperoni. Salad, few glasses of wine...delicious! Hit the spot, right before I passed out cold.

B

Hello Old Friend...

It seems like it's been a long time since I've contributed....thanks, Ash, for keeping it up!

We had our first visitor! Julie came from NC! She came a few days early to visit me and check out the new homestead. Then, we headed to Vegas on my birthday for work and fun. We had a great time, and time spent with a good friend was muuuuuch needed. Thank you, Julie, for coming to visit!!

When I got home from the Vegas trip, James had finished so many projects around the house! I had a hammock setup, a guest room finished, a new desk built, and so many other little things that made a huge difference.

So, here is a room update. Click here to remember the wood paneling and 40 year old curtains. Here is the new, 21st century bedroom:

James got my desk built and office curtains hung...I looove it. Thanks to Ash's creativity, she gave me the idea to go hunt down an old door and create a DIY desk. Luckily, this house has all kinds of treasures lying around. I found two great, old doors. I picked one to turn into my desk. Still trying to figure out what I want for a desk chair, but here is the desk.

My dried lavender and yarrow is also ready to take down. The lavender can be used in recipes, teas or potpourris. The yarrow, I am learning, can be used medicinally for everything from cough and cold to breakouts and cuts. Sound too good to be true? I will soon find out...yarrow to the rescue! Who knew Utah would bring out the witch doctor in me? HA!

Now, I'm off to clean my house and finish my work for the week! I am on vacation the next two days while two very important guests come to visit the west!!