Seven year itch



Marc and I recently celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary, and our "7 year itch" took us to a new home.  We have been "itching" to get out of our house for a while, but the more we talked about it, we realized that we wanted to get out of Salt Lake too.  SO, sort of on a whim, and because somehow the stars aligned to make it so, we moved to Park City.  Honestly, BEST DECISION EVER!!!  I love that we live on a dirt road!  I love that there are about three cars that pass the house all day (if that).  And most of all I love that the kids can open the door and go outside, and I don't have to worry about running after them...I know they'll be ok if it takes me a few minutes to get out there with them.

 

 

It really doesn't get much better than that!  We have such amazing views here!  (I do miss Mt. Olympus though!)  I feel like I'm on vacation every time I'm on the back porch.  Don't worry, I don't let them climb the railing...this was the first weekend we were here, since then Marc and I have cracked down on that!!!

 

 

Kate has PLENTY of room to ride her Skuut now!!  And I don't have to worry about the traffic!

 

 

Cole likes to say "hi" instead of cheese when getting his picture taken.  I love that he adds the wave!

 

 

What's not to love?!



Noman

Kate and I were able to get out and make a noman (snowman) after it snowed today. The temperature was perfect, making for great packing snow which is something we haven't had here in a while. Kate was really into it...she's been SO excited to build a snowman since she and Marc made one after the first snow of the season. She helped me roll the balls across the lawn, and knew right where to go to find some things for the eyes and mouth...she's such a good helper!

Our noman!

In true Kate style, she was all about making the snowman into a baby...even if it was much bigger than her...

"He's tute (cute)!", she kept saying.

Giving the snowman a big hug!

Because I needed something to write about...

I knew it was coming. We're always telling Kate to keep her fingers out of her nose, so I figured it was just a matter of time until she stuck something else up there! Well, on Sunday night that something just happened to be a dried blueberry. Luckily (if there is a luckily to this story), I saw her do it...if I hadn't, I guess it would still be up there... I tried not to, but of course I freaked out immediately (as did Marc), which of course was VERY counterproductive, because we freaked Kate out as well. So, picture the three of us freaking out...are you laughing?!...it's OK, I can laugh about it now too! Anyway, LONG story short, I ended up flushing the blueberry out the same way I flush Kate's nose when she's sick...thank goodness! Afterward, we talked to Kate about sticking things up her nose..."Do you put things in our nose?", we asked. "NO!", she replied, shaking her head. Hopefully the lesson sticks! I'll keep you posted :0)

Santa Claus is coming to town

Look who Kate and I bumped into in the Seattle airport last weekend! Santa and an elf were riding around in a golf cart spreading Christmas cheer (or fear in some cases, as there are always the kids who cry when they see him!). Kate was excited to see him, yelling "Santa, Santa!", but was not at ALL interested in taking her picture with him. We settled for a picture of Santa and elf alone...they were actually insistent upon it...and maybe next year Kate will be ready for a picture with him.

Pavilion

We took Kate to Woodland Park (in Kalispell) one day, and along with swings, slides, ducks, and bridges to explore, there was an amazing pavilion with thousands of cool tiles that were made by some very talented artists. Unfortunately, this picture doesn't do it justice, but believe me it was cool! I could have spent hours looking at this thing!

Pointing out one that caught her eye.

Couldn't help but think of Kate and Marc when I saw this one :0)

Taken by Kate

You may have noticed the lack of posts lately. It's due mostly to lack of pictures...Kate hasn't been very cooperative. She's either trying to see the picture that I just took (causing a blur), not even looking at the camera, or trying to take pictures herself...hence the following for your viewing pleasure :0)

Mom's arm.

Self photo, upside down.

Tree.

Indy...

Apparently not into having his photo taken either...

Alice in Wonderland

Have you watched the old Disney version of Alice in Wonderland where the flowers in the garden are alive and animal-like? This tulip reminds me of that...I think this one would be a dog... Movies aside, these are the most beautiful tulips I have ever seen...I actually don't remember them from years past although I'm sure they've always been here. Now I will look forward to seeing them next year.

No joke

Apparently Mother Nature has a sense of humor...here it is April first, and it looks like mid winter here in SLC.

Seriously, these were taken today!

Snow...

...and ice!

$51.51

Our dishwasher hasn't been rinsing quite right lately. So, after a few google searches to diagnose possible problems, Marc took the front panel off the dishwasher to get to work. I was in the living room at the time and Marc was talking about all the stuff under there...so much stuff...he couldn't believe it...stuff. Not being able to see what he was talking about, and doubting that it could be as impressive as he was making it out to be, I had to check it out for myself....and there you have it folks, the PILE of change hidden under the dishwasher! Too bad it hadn't broke sooner :0)

Winter beauty

One of my favorite things about wintertime is getting an amaryllis bulb, bring it home and planting it, and watching it grow. I get excited when the bud at the end of the absurdly long stalk starts to open and finally turns into the magnificent palm sized flower that I love so much.

A fall treat

I don't usually get into making caramel apples, but I found this recipe for Red Wine Caramel Apples in Gourmet magazine and I was so curious that I had to try it. It wasn't too hard, you just have to be patient...waiting for caramel to turn dark amber...and thermometers to read two hundred and something... I purposefully waited for a weekend to try it knowing that I would need to focus solely on the recipe and Marc could entertain Kate, it was a good call. So we tried one of these beauties last night, and we can report that they are good...if you're interested, the recipe follows.

8 small McIntosh apples, stemmed, washed, and dried

1 1/2 cups red wine

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup water

6 Tbsp heavy cream

1. Insert wooden stick halfway into each apple at stem end. Line a tray with wax paper and lightly grease paper.

2. Boil wine in a small saucepan over medium heat until reduced to 1/2 cup, 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat.

3. Boil sugar and water to a boil in a 2 1/2-3 quart saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then wash down any sugar crystals from side of pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. Boil, without stirring, swirling pan occasionally so caramel colors evenly, until dark amber. Add reduced wine (mixture will bubble and steam) and swirl pan. Add cream and simmer, stirring, until incorporated, then continue to simmer until thermometer registers 238 degrees. Remove from heat and cool to 200 degrees.

4. Holding apples by the sticks, dip them in the caramel and swirl to coat, letting excess drip off, then hold apples up (stick end down) for about 15 seconds to allow more caramel to set on apples. Place on greased paper and let stand until caramel firms up, about 30 minutes. If caramel becomes too thick to coat apples, reheat over low heat to loosen.

Curious George smokes

I was reading Curious George to Kate the other morning, and I thought that this picture and the narration that went with it was absolutely hilarious!

After a good meal and a good pipe George felt very tired.

Apparently he didn't get the memo that smoking is no longer the cool thing to do! The copyright is 1941! I love it...so glad it hasn't been edited for the 2000's!

Variable darner

There have been TONS of dragon flies around the house this summer. One afternoon in particular there were about 30 flying around our circle. This one stopped by last weekend when we were outside cooking breakfast, and I got a little up close and personal for a pic.

Plum jam

The last time I was at work, a lady that I work with brought in a ton of plums from her backyard, and they were delicious! So, at the end of the shift when there were still a bunch left I offered to take them home...to make jam...like I have time for that! I googled plum jam and got this (7 1/2 cups sugar?!), this (is that even a recipe?), this (funny!), and this (the recipe I finally ended up using). My mom and her friend Carol were also busy looking for a recipe I could use...thank you both :0)

Making the jam was easier than finding a recipe, and Kate was very cooperative and napped while I was making it this morning! The recipe I ended up using only called for a cup of honey or sugar so it isn't sticky sweet, and I just had some on an English muffin and it is delicious, if I do say so myself! If you have any plums just lying around I highly recommend making some!

Not because of the Obama's

For the first time in the four years that we have lived in our house we have a garden. Although it's not even really a garden...it's actually just six planters in our front yard..because that's where the sun is...our backyard is too shady to grow anything. I'm complaining, but not really because in the hot Utah summer a shady backyard is your saving grace....

The planters came from Pat who found them while searching the trash for treasures in the Avenues (they have a neighborhood pickup twice a year, and you'd be surprised to see what some people throw away!). We think they used to be used as rabbit hutches and now they work beautifully as a space for our tomato, zucchini, and pepper plants.

Although this is the first year that we have actually followed through with a garden it is not because the Obama's have one...it is because Pat found these awesome boxes! We were watching some news program last weekend that was talking about seed sales increasing and that it was due to the fact that Michelle Obama planted the first White House garden since WWII...see here. So that's great, but not the reason we finally planted our garden...we'll keep you posted on how it's doing.

Hens and chicks

My hens and chicks are "blowin' up" this year! I don't know if it's all the rain we've had or maybe they are just getting well established in the flower beds now. Whatever it is I love it! This patch especially...see all the baby chicks shooting off the main hen...beautiful!

There are actually rocks under all those plants. You can just see the last little tiny bit of rock sticking out in the top right corner. Looks like it will be time to thin these guys in the fall...

Three years ago

My how time flies...we can't believe it's been three years since we got married! It was a year in the planning and it couldn't have turned out any more perfect...it was an amazing day! One house, one dog, and one baby later we are enjoying life's journey together...and it couldn't be better!

Hidden treasure

On our way out of the dog park yesterday my mom spotted these beautiful poppies. We had not noticed them on the way in, and in fact we were debating whether they were actually flowers or just some trash that was in the midst of the tall grass...luckily it was not the later! The wild flowers at the park are amazing, and I'm sure all the rain we got over the weekend helped to put these beauties into full bloom.

One of my favorite things

Probably my favorite thing about our yard is the HUGE lilac bush in the backyard. As soon as the weather starts to warm up I anticipate the bush going into full bloom...it looks amazing and smells even better. It's right inside the back gate, and as you turn the corner the smell just hits you right in the face! I always take pictures of it and I am always a little sad when these beautiful blooms start to fade...I wish they lasted all summer long!

No one cares...

I read a book last summer called No One Cares What You Had for Lunch. It's a book that gives you ideas of what you can write about on your blog. So I'm sure it's true that none of you care that I had a grilled ham and cheese for lunch, but just look at that...don't you want to know the secret to that beauty?!?!?!

There are 3 things that make the perfect grilled cheese...

1. Low heat...really low.

2. A lid.

3. Patience...don't turn up the heat even though you really want to!

It's those 3 things that give you the perfect sandwich. Believe me it's worth the wait! Enjoy!!