First Day of school

My First Grader. Finally. Today is her first day! She is soo excited.

And my little girl, who started preschool about a week ago. 

Girls Canyoneering Weekend.

   My picture post of the last weekend.  My oldest sister has been involved in quite a few canyoneering adventures in the last couple of years, and she invited us along for the trip. Just the four of us (and I'll explain the nicknames later): my awesome sister (aka: our guide/knot expert), my cousin/sister (aka: dip stick), my twin sister (aka: bad ass), and then me (aka: rappel nut).  This was a quick 48 hour trip. 

   Our 'guide/knot expert' flew in super late Friday, and then 'bad ass' picked her up at the airport, they drove down to pick up me and 'dipstick', then we were off to Manti just for the night (thanks bad ass for the savings!!). We seriously got there around 1:30am and then we were up by 8am to drive down Hwy 12 to Escalante. WOW is all I have to say about that highway drive, one of the prettiest, scenic drives I have ever seen. loved it.

This it Bad Ass. Can you see where she got her name?! You should have see this girl drive on those crazy dirt roads.

   Saturday was getting to Escalante, finding the Outfitters where we would be camping, and then we checked out a few canyons, did a couple of practice rappelling, basic sandstone moves, and other tips to help us be more comfortable for the big adventure.  Honestly we were worried that we would get rained out...that's a later story.

Our before shot, before heading into the slot canyon, Egypt 1.5.

   The gear needed? helmet, harness, ropes, gloves, clothes you don't care about, shoes you don't mind getting roughed up, a backpack with food, water, water, water, first aid, sunscreen, hope I'm not forgetting anything...oh and a lot of guts, not as easy as it looks.

the beginning. sliding into the canyon. 

   This is a slot canyon where we started from the top, worked our way down, and then hiked our way out back to the car.  The total time?? six hours. There were a few tight spots where it took us longer to get down.

  Above picture on the left, that's me...the rappel nut. I love rappelling. If rappelling was an option, I was the first to volunteer, and then I would belay the other down the rope.  The experience was exhilarating, and if you set yourself up correctly, you're in complete control.  The picture on the right was one of the tightest spots we came across. really tight. if you have even the slightest bit of claustrophobia, not a good idea.

   Above on the left we are bridging it across the rocks since there is not walking space underneath us. You have to literally create friction, and then just take your time to get across safely. On the right is our awesome guide/knot expert.  This is our favorite action shot.  If it wasn't for her amazing knot skills, we would not have survived...we always felt safe. The picture is a quick story. She belayed all of us down, and since she was the last one..she ended up sliding down into the nasty orange water. Very nerve-racking, but she did it. We had to go through many many of these gross orange pools.

Just me. the rappel nut. I was having way too much fun.

   Oh! The above left picture is of me, the bad ass and our dip stick. And we say that with all the love there is for that title. Since our cousin is a LOT taller than us, she was usually the one that would go first to check how deep the pools were....hence our dip stick. love you cuz! The picture on the right is towards the end of our hike back up the canyon, we found a ton of boulders.

   Many bruises, scratches, drenched clothes, holes in shirts and pants, scary tight spots, and plenty of "OH SHIT" moments, we survived...our finishing shot...kinda. This was at the bottom of the canyon taking a lunch break before our hike back up, but we accomplished so much that we celebrated with a picture. Love these girls, and love that we're all so close. Unicorns and Glitter!! (inside joke)
   Found out later when we got back into town that the town of Escalante had a huge hail/lightning/thunder storm. We were always keeping an eye on the sky above and were very lucky that we had blue skies/fluffy white clouds only 30-40 miles away from that storm. You do not want to be stuck in a slot canyon if rain is even a factor. After a quick MUCH needed shower, we packed up, jumped back on hwy 12, and headed for home.  Once again...one of the most beautiful highways. We were lucky to drive the whole thing that weekend. The highway takes you through Bryce Canyon, which I've always wanted to see...now I've technically been through it. Anyway...great weekend and an amazing experience. have more pictures posted on facebook if you want to see more!

Book Review: Bridal Quest

Yes...another romance novel. Once I start a series, it is hard to stop. ;)

The Bridal Quest by Candace Camp
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the second book in the matchmaker series. Once again, could not put it down! The reoccurring character is Lady Francesca, the matchmaker. I actually enjoyed this book; it had a mystery intertwined with the storyline. Now if I could just get my hands on the 3rd book.

Here's a simple overview. "Lady Irene Wyngate swore she'd never marry, keeping suitors at bay with her caustic tongue. But there was one man she couldn't scare: Gideon, long-lost heir to the Earl of Radbourne. He had been kidnapped as a child and grew up tough on the London streets. And though he had been restored to his family, he was still more at home in gambling dens than stately ballrooms. Matchmaker Francesca Haughston asks for Irene's help to civilize him for marriage and find him a wife."

I went to find the next book at the library and even though the records have it on the shelf, it's LOST! The librarian could not find it anywhere. Need to be patient and wait a couple days for another copy to show up at my library--I hate being patient. ;)

***If you are not on goodreads.com go now! It's my favorite way to keep a list of books I have read, reviews, and keeping up on what my friends are reading..also where I get ideas for what I'm going to read next. Join and add me as a friend!  (Britt and Carla...that means you too) :)

New to Family

   What did I get myself into. lol.  My oldest daughter wanted her own pet, something about my dog being only loyal to me and she wanted something that liked her. So we brought it up with her dad (thinking there is no way he'd let them have a pet) and the next thing I know, we have 2 ferrets. FERRETS. I've never had a ferret before. Getting a cat was not an option, I'm terribly allergic.

    A white one with red beady little eyes (freaks me out) the girls calls Snowball, I call it marshmallow. The other looks like a raccoon and its name is Panda Bear, Bear for short.  So far my girls have been really good about taking care of them, i.e. poop and food duty. They do have a musky smell, but if you take care of them, clean the cage regularly, it's not so bad. Here are a few pictures I've taken so far.

both ferrets on the hammock in their cage

Snowball curled up and sleeping

first bath in our house! they were digging outside earlier.

   These ferrets are super cute, especially when they play together. They love to find little holes to hide in (seriously...Bear found the hole and took a nap in the subwoofer).  They are also quiet..sometimes too quiet.  I was in the kitchen cutting up an onion, when I felt something on my toes. freaked. me. out. I startle easily. what can I say? Anyway. I totally jumped, hit my knee on the paneling...ouch, and luckily didn't step on the ferret that skimmed his whiskers on my feet. My husband was first worried...cause I hurt myself, then buckled over laughing when he realized what happened.

  So there you have it, the new members to our family.......

Book Review: The Marriage Wager

The Marriage Wager by Candace Camp
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

   You know that Romances are one of my guilty pleasures. Sometimes it is nice to take a break between my usual novels. My sister recommended this book to me, and honestly I could not put it down. You know those books you just have to keep reading even though it's past midnight just to see what happens? and before you know it's 2am and you've finished the book. Good book. Best part? This is only the 1st book in the Matchmacker series. I'm going to find the next one today at one of the libraries in the valley.   The book is fun, sweet, and cleverly written from the first page.
   The widow, Lady Houghston, makes a deal with her friend Lord Sinclair that she can insure that any young lady of his choosing will be engaged by the end of the season with her help. Lord Sinclair insists she can not win the wager, and the story begins. He picks Constance Woodly, a woman who through societies eys is almost a spinster at 29 yrd old. She currently lives with her Aunt and Uncle, chaperoning her two young spoiled cousins in London for their Season, not hers. Her Aunt Blanch has made it painfully obvious that she will be a spinster and there is no reason for her to be out in society unless she's helping her daughters. Then Lady Francesca Houghston steps in like a fairy godmother, offers to sponsor her, and give her a Season to remember.

Book Review: City of Fallen Angels

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

   This is the 4th book in the series. I would have been ok if she had left it at the 3rd. The first 3 books were better and easier to read. I had the hardest time finishing this one. Luckily the last few chapters were the best part. The author has set up the ending for additional novels. Honestly, I'm curious to see what happens to these characters...hoping the last couple books (2 more to go) left will actually finish the story in a way the fans will be happy. Don't get me wrong, there are many who loved this book, it is just not my favorite in the series.

   In a nutshell: Jace and Clary's relationship becomes strained after Jace has these terrible, almost real dreams of killing Clary. One of those...we love each other but I'm afraid I'll hurt your if I'm near you relationships. lol. Then Simon still doesn't know how to be a vampire--but that's his own fault--not to mention he also has that mark/curse on his forhead he has to live with. Some new characters are introduced that look promising. Maybe this book is just setting the stage for the next.

Nature walk with my girls

  One of my favorite things about this area is how they have intermingled these nature paths throughout the area.  I'm surprised I haven't been on more of them.  In the last week I've tried two new paths with my girls. Once on a bike ride and the other just recently up the hill toward the reservoir.  It started as just a walk with the girls, a curiosity to see where the path went, and then (at little girl speed) 2 hours later my girls are whining that their legs are killing them. Honestly one of my favorite walks in a while. 

 The walk was mostly uphill and has some of the best views of the valley.  We saw a ton of dragonflies, grasshoppers, and butterflies. The path did end up next to the reservoir, would have loved to just jump in....another day.  Then we took the long-about way back to the house. Here are a few pics from our walk.

fun with shadows

one view of the valley

p.s. soo excited! my husband signed me up for another 6 weeks of bootcamp starting monday night. I've missed bootcamp, and need to get back to being in shape.

fluffy oatmeal waffles

I'm always looking for a good waffle recipe, and I found this recipe the other day when I was browsing online and wanted to share.  I'm a sucker for oatmeal in anything.

Oatmeal Waffles

• 1 1/2 C Flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 eggs, separated
• 6 TB oil
• 1/2 C instant oatmeal
• 2 C milk

   1. Mix the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and cinnamon
   2. In a separate bowl mix the egg yolks, milk, and oil.
   3. Mix the wet and dry ingredients.
   4. Stir in the oats
   5. Beat the egg whites until stiff, then fold into the waffle mix.

Garden update

   Do you remember when I wanted to start a garden? What was I thinking! haha. Sadly that green thumb trait was not passed down in the genes.  What's left of my garden? The pumpkins have taken over, literally...I have a pumpkin patch, not a garden.  The birds ate my cantaloupe and watermelon seeds, my tomatillos fried, didn't give enough room for the onions, but the tomatoes and the jalapenos are still alive and kickin. Really hoping my pumpkins turn out.

my little pumpkin growing....I think I've found 2 total.

Dragonfly around my garden.

Chocolate Fudge Cake

   I was having a chocolate craving, and since I've been really good the last few weeks, I wanted to induge. Originally, I was going to share with neighbors, but it got really late and that idea went out the window.  Here's the recipe if you have a chocoalte craving. I found this recipe on JamieCooksitUp!  LOVE her recipes.  This recipe is super easy and I had all the ingrediants in my pantry--no last minute trips.

Chocolate Fudge Cake

• 1 C Flour
• 1 C Sugar
• 2 TB Cocoa Powder
• 2 1/2 TB Baking Powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 TB Butter
• 1/2 C Evaporated Milk
• 2 TB Canola Oil
• 1 tsp  Vanilla
• 1 C Brown Sugar
• 1 1/3 C HOT Water

1-  Add the flour, sugar and only 2 TB of the cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Mix well.
2-  Pour melted butter, add the evaporated milk, canola oil and the vanilla. Mix well.
3-  Spread into a greased 9x9 pan.
4-  In another bowl, mix the brown sugar and 4 TB cocoa powder.
5-  Sprinkle ontop of the cake mixture. DO NOT MIX
6-  Now pour the HOT water on top, DO NOT MIX
7-  Put it in the oven for 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees.

picture from jamie's blog. best way to describe how it looks!!

   Trust me, it turns into a gooey yummy chocolate treat. Go to Jamie's website if you need step by step directions. Oh and of course this pairs nicely with vanilla ice cream!

Button Flair

   On Facebook, there's an application called Pieces of Flair that I thought was very fun to show off your personality. Basically you browse, pick, or make your own buttons, then you place them on your own cork board to display for all friends to see on your profile.  At least friends were able to see them before the last upgrade.  Anyway, the application is still there! I thought I had lost it. SO, this post is more tor me than anything else to remember the buttons I once had on facebook for a few years...and haven't updated in a few years too... oh well. All about the memories!