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Valentine's Day 2012

2012-02-16T06:01:00.011-07:00

There is something about Valentine's Day that I just love. Every year when the Valentine's candy comes out I search the stores for the red juju hearts - they are my favorite of all candy. I seriously think of stocking up every year. The kids woke up to small treats on the table and we have a heart-shaped waffles with whipped cream and strawberries for breakfast. We had a special family dinner and the kids each got a pair of TOMS Shoes. If you don't know TOMS - they give a pair of shoes to someone in need for each pair they sell. It is an awesome company! This is what Valentine's 2012 looked like at our house.

Climb On.

2012-02-02T13:33:00.014-07:00

My husband is amazing. He can build pretty much anything I ask for. I wanted a wall removed between our living room and kitchen and he figured it out. Before Christmas I showed him a recipe box that I loved and he made it for me. We dreamed up the idea of putting a climbing wall in our basement and he did it.

Everyone pitched in one way or another to help get it built.

The angled section of the wall is at a 42° pitch.

We decided that we would add a hideout for the kids to play in - we call it the cave. It's big enough for multiple kids to hang out in and even long enough for an adult to sleep in.

We have spent hours each day climbing the wall. It's the first thing the kids want to do in the morning and the last thing they ask to do before we get ready for bed. Blakeley has gotten so good that she has almost climbed to the top of the angled section of the wall. Anyone wanna climb?

Favorite Things...Recipe

2012-01-16T06:22:00.005-07:00

On our trip back from Idaho we stopped at a small bagel place in Wilson, WY called Pearl Street Bagels. The bagels were chewy and filling and pretty darn perfect and the cream cheese was divine. The veggie cream cheese is full of carrots, celery, onions...the best veggie cream cheese I have ever had. I ordered the Mexican cream cheese for Andy and after only one bite he had to run back into Pearl Street and order a second. The Mexican cream cheese was spicy with bits of tomato and jalapeño. I dreamed of bagels the whole way home from Wilson, Wy. I just knew I had to try and make them.

I found this amazing recipe and quickly made three batches of these with in two days. These bagels are a scinch to make and they taste amazing. I actually don't think I will ever have to purchase bagels ever again. They are so simple that I was able to make a batch before taking Blake to the bus stop one morning. If you have never attempted baking bread or working with yeast please take an afternoon and try it. Yeast isn't as difficult as you would think it is and the results of a fresh loaf of handmade bread is so rewarding.

Out For Adventure

2012-01-07T07:58:00.019-07:00

Last week we went out for adventure in the beautiful Idaho Mountains. We played in copious amounts of snow and spent time with friends and wished that we could just stay in that place where you can relax and play and enjoy each other.

My boys all bundled up and enjoying the snow.

Poor Quinn could hardly move in his snow suit and boots.

B Hope loved playing in the snow.

She especially loved the hot chocolate that was

waiting for her when she got back inside.

Blakeley lived for the epic snowball fight between the dads

and the kids and she also really enjoyed going snowshoeing.

We got home from our trip and we were exhausted but we were also refreshed. I love the start of the new year because it just feels fresh and clean - ready for good things to happen. I came back home with a list of things I want to do this year - one of which is blogging again. I felt like blogging was getting redundant - losing its creativity. It was no longer something that I enjoyed doing. I am moving forward and giving it another go. I am expecting good things in 2012 and am excited to record them here.

Six.

2011-09-09T21:39:00.002-06:00

My Blakeley turned six yesterday - my sweet, stubborn, adventurous, creative girl. We celebrated with starbucks in the morning, watermelon for a school snack, Chinese for dinner, and cake and ice cream to finish...all Blakeley's favorite things. Blake is a truly kind hearted person. She loves people and loves meeting needs. Each year I love seeing how far she has come. She is determined and once she gets something in her mind she will work as hard as she can to see that she accomplishes it.

I have been richly blessed by her and I am honored to be able to watch her grow and discover life and all that is holds for her. Happy Birthday to my Sunshine Girl. I love you so and I am so glad you are my daughter.

2011-08-24T13:03:00.016-06:00

We went camping a few weeks ago at one of my most favorite places in the world. It is a magical place green with moss and wildflowers, hidden toadstools, and berries growing wild. We go fishing, play in the creek, go hiking, relax and just take in nature. I love this place.

Slack lining with good friends.

She was serious about keeping mountain lions away - "Parent Trap" style.

Slipping away...

2011-08-22T20:55:00.009-06:00

So wow...welcome to the second half of August. I have been working like a mad woman for the last few weeks and have not had anytime to do much of anything. I feel like I woke up from my work fog this weekend and realized that summer is slipping away. Before we know it the leaves will start changing and autumn will be here. In the mean time, I am determined to enjoy the rest of our garden.

Our first artichoke, the size of a golfball right now...

Also, our first sunflower around 10-11 feet tall.

We have to harvest our vegetables in a laundry basket...zucchini, summer squash, green beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, and watermelon.

Garden Update

2011-07-10T08:28:00.002-06:00

Insane is the most common word we use when we talk about our garden. It is absolutely insane and we are loving it. Our garden is starting to really take off. This week we snacked on snap peas, enjoyed basil, chopped a very small onion and harvested our first two zucchinis. I can't help but peaking out at the garden each time I walk by a window. I want to be out there seeing things grow and change and feeling the energy of all those living things. I am blown away each time I look at one of the plants I grew from a tiny seed. It is amazing what can come from something so little and in such a short amount of time. July in Colorado is when gardens really start to take off because the days are longer and the weather is hot. We know that things are really going to start exploding very soon...I will let you know when we are up to our elbows in zucchini!

2011-07-09T17:37:00.000-06:00

In my bike basket this week - 2 cook books - Enchanted Broccoli Forrest by Mollie Katzen and Sundays at Mooswood Restaurant. CDs from the library - the soundtrack from Whip It, Rumors by Fleetwood Mac, and the soundtrack from Pirate Radio.

Letter Boxing

2011-07-08T10:29:00.000-06:00

We went on our first Letter Boxing excursion this weekend. To find out more about Letterboxing you can check out this link. We found there are over 300 letter boxes within 25 miles of us...and we had a lot of fun finding a few different boxes...unfortunately, we went on the hottest day of the year and we all started melting before we could find the last box...we'll have to go back a get it later on.

2011-07-07T16:57:00.012-06:00

This last weekend I took off to central California to see my sweet friend Lauren marry the love of her life, Isaac. Lauren was a gorgeous bride and their wedding was absolutely beautiful and very creative. The reception was in an old barn and was just sooo cool. Lauren was one of my high school students when I volunteered with our youth group. We use to meet at Starbucks early in the morning each week before Lauren would have to go to school. She is an amazing woman who is now volunteering with high school students at her church. Love you Laur!

I was even able to go to the beach for a bit while I was there...its has been a really long time since I have been to a California beach.

2011-06-29T09:27:00.000-06:00

Lil' Miss Hawthorne carrying oh-so-important things such a wine and a salad to a backyard dinner.

Two Wheels...

2011-06-28T20:58:00.001-06:00

This is one proud little girl. She decided that today she was going to ride a bike with no training wheels and she did...on the very first try...and in flip flops. She is determined and does not like giving up. Now all she wants to do is practice riding her bike. We have been doing a lot of biking riding around town this summer and she is so excited to show off her two wheels.

Camping - Backyard Style

2011-06-27T20:31:00.008-06:00

This weekend we took part in the National Wildlife Federation: Great American Backyard Camp Out. This was the first time we slept under the stars in a tent as a family and hopefully not the last. As much as we love our sweet little trailer, it was awful fun sleeping in a tent. We even had some really cool tent neighbors who let us share their backyard with them. Our camp out came complete with s'mores and starry sky, and coyotes and crickets. It was a perfect summer night to spend time outdoors with family and friends and I really could not ask for a more perfect night than that.

2011-06-14T02:00:00.000-06:00

Lettuce and Spinach from our garden.

Colorado Classic Campout

2011-06-13T13:51:00.003-06:00

This weekend we skipped out of town for the Colorado Classic Campout. Last summer we were given an amazing 1970 Rolite Retract-A-Wall camper and it sparked our love for all things with vintage campers. For Andy's birthday my parents gave him (us) the gift of going to the Colorado Classic Campout at the Starlite Campground. Starlite has a bunch of vintage campers you can rent on the campgrounds or you can bring your own. My parents brought their pink Shasta trailer and we brought our camper - complete with brand-spankin-new curtains and throw pillows. We were able to tour all the other campers there. I loved being able to see what other people are doing with their campers and get some ideas about what we want to do with ours.

We also drove into Salida one day. If I couldn't live in my little town, I would live in Salida. Salida is the perfect combination of outdoorsy and artsy. It has amazing art boutiques and creative, environmentally friendly businesses. It has tons of cruiser bikes and an amazing bouldering wall for kids. The Arkansas River runs through town and you can go rafting and fly fishing. We also heart Amica's Pizza and Mircobrewery there...it's the best! I am looking forward to going there again very (hopefully) soon!

Garden Update

2011-06-06T00:34:00.015-06:00

We have been busy the last few weeks...and things are starting to payoff. Here are some pictures of our garden a few weeks ago

Tiny lettuce sprouts.

At this point, all our garden beds were not quite finished.

Here is the garden now. Most everything has been planted. Today we actually harvested a bunch of spinach. Everyday we check to see what has gotten bigger and weed a bit. It is humbling to grow something - to witness the miracle of planting a small seed in the ground and watching it sprout and grow bigger and just seeing what is was meant to do.

Giant sunflowers that are just a few inches now.

Here is our lettuce...ready to harvest now!

A Needed Adventure

2011-06-05T23:40:00.027-06:00

Today was one of those amazing summer days where you just want to be outside

so we went on a little adventure.

We went to Denver and has to seize the opportunity for Blake to take a picture in front of her street. Everyone should have their own street. It should be a law. Please let me know if you ever see Brecken Avenue or Quinn Way.

Brecken is rockin some new braids...if you look close, you can see a few of her purple highlights.

We found ourselves at the Denver Chalk Art Festival. I was so inspired by how these artists can make something so amazing out of chalk and a piece of pavement.

We also were able to put our creativity on the streets of Denver as well.

After the Chalk Art Festival, we had to find a place to cool down so

off we went to the fountains.

The girls loved running through the water...Quinn was not so sure about the fountains.

We had so much fun. Today was one of those days where you just the weekend

could start all over again just so we could have more fun. Here's to more weekends!

2011-05-23T14:28:00.006-06:00

My Brecken Hope is turning three today. Exiting the twos is something I have been looking forward to for awhile now. The last few weeks I feel like I can see her getting bigger and more grown up every single day. She is becoming more comfortable and more at home all the time. I wish her Ethiopian Mama could see her now and see how she has grown and how truly beautiful she is and see how much we love her.

Yesterday we had a little picnic party to celebrate. She has been so excited about her birthday. Here are some pictures:

Brecken you bless us everyday and we are honored to have you as our daughter.

Thrift Store Scores

2011-04-14T16:05:00.006-06:00

I love those days when the thrifting universe aligns and brings me amazing, wonderful things. Those days make me want to become a profession thrift store scorer when I grow up...that's a valid career...right? Here are my finds from today:

2011-04-08T08:53:00.000-06:00

We have big plans for our backyard. A few years ago I started reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and The Backyard Homestead and since then, I have wanted to have a huge garden that can support my family of vegetarians all year-round. Last year we used a tarp to cover our future garden area and a few weeks ago, Andy started tilling the area. This week he started making the raised beds for the garden so we can start planting all the cool weather crops.

We are so excited about our greenhouse. We are hoping that is will be a major tomato growing factory for all the salsa and tomato sauce we want to can for winter. We will have 17 garden raised garden beds, a pumpkin patch, and the greenhouse...not to mention 9 chickens for eggs. Between our garden and our amazing CSA we should be set!

Mother Earth News has a really great online garden planner that I started testing out a few days ago...check it out!

2011-04-06T20:34:00.004-06:00

I always like giving handmade gifts especially to kids. This weekend Blake went to our sweet neighbor;s birthday. He was turning five and is all boy. I have always struggled with gifts to make for boys until I came across Saltwater Kids and found the instructions for putting together a great fort kit and really, what little kid doesn't love creating forts! From Saltwater Kids, I found a link to Celebrating the Boy, a plethora of ideas for things to make for little boys...and man oh man, there are some way cute things.

I found the supplies for by fort kit at the dollar store and my not-so-favorite big box store. I made the the drawstring bag and the ties on the sheet out of a t-shirt that I was going to use for freezer paper stencils but never did. This was so simple and fun to make...can't wait for some more birthdays!

2011-03-31T13:27:00.002-06:00

I can't believe it is the last day of March. Before April fully takes over you need to go to the Calendar of the Month Club and download their super cute paper calendar for April. Get it here.

World Water Day 2011:: Raising $20,000

2011-03-22T07:11:00.006-06:00

Water. It's so simple, right? You get thirsty or need to wash and you go right over to your tap and turn it on. It's not that simple for millions of people around the world. For these people, water means going down to rivers or walking miles and miles to bring home water to use and often this water is unsafe for drinking. Contaminated drinking water is the number one cause of deaths in developing countries. The average distance tha

t women in Africa and Asia walk to collect water is six kilometers and the weight of the water they carry on their heads is about 20kgs - the equivalent to the average airport luggage.

How can we help? What can we do? Well, it's your lucky day. Today is World Water Day. The AdVenture Project is rallying to raise $10,000 for rural villages in India to train locals to repair wells. One third of all hand pumps installed in the last 20 years is developing countries are now broken. 4,000 children die every day because of lack of clean drinking water. The money raised today will train and employ hand pump mechanics. The mechanics earn income, brining themselves out of poverty, and they are saving lives by turing water back on for

thousands of people each year.

If we help raise $10,000 today, The Prem Rawat Foundation (TPRF) will match our efforts - doubling the impact in India! Donate $5, $10, $20 for water today! Click here to donate and watch us raise $20,00 for World Water Day!

Last summer we went down to the river one day to play in the water. We caught frogs, fished, and just had so much fun. After I got home and I was looking through my pictures, this one caught my eye. This is my daughter who was playing in the river on a hot summer day, but this easily could have been a picture of her going to the riverside to collect water for her family, something that millions of children and women do each and every day. Help give clean water today!

Vintage Papers, Paint, and a Barn

2011-03-16T11:15:00.007-06:00

I have been blessed with a sweet friend who just lives down the street from me. She is creative and kind and makes me want to be a better person. She shares my love for all things vintage too. Last night she took me on an artsy date. We went to the Barn in Castle Rock for a mixed media art workshop with Ms. Jeanne Oliver . Man oh man, did I need to do something creative.

hmmm...can you guess who my inspirations were?

3 Years

2011-03-15T07:02:00.000-06:00

You know that thing that you always say you are going to finish...the thing that is on your New Years resolution list every year...I was just able to cross that thing off. I have been working on quilts for the girls for three years now and I was just finally able to finish them. I originally was going to try to get the quilts finished before Brecken came home...that was over two years ago. I am so excited that they are done and I am thrilled with how they turned out.

St. Patrick's Day Parade

2011-03-14T07:39:00.011-06:00

We go to the St. Patrick's Day Parade every year. It is the absolute best parade for little kids because it is seriously no longer than about 10 minutes and cool old cars and floats throw candy at us the entire time. This girls always dress up in green tutus and we have a blast for the whole 10 minutes.

Quick little update...

2011-03-08T15:58:00.006-07:00

We've been busy around here...really, really busy. I'm still surprised that February is over and we are almost in the middle of March! Here's a quick update since it has been a while.

Quinn is just the sweetest 14-month old boy ever. He is funny and laid back. He just started taking one nap a day in his crib instead of sleeping beside me on the couch. He loves to laugh and dance. We have been meeting once a week to learn some sign language to help Quinn communicate better. I love learning sign and really hope that the kids will really start to pick up on it too. And yes, that is a Starbucks coffee cozy crown on his head...our love of Starbucks starts young.

Brecken recently exited the terrible twos even though she is not turning three until May. It was like she woke up one morning and decided to be the nice and kind with only a hint of attitude. Brecken is talking more and more every day and I love hearing her thoughts. Brecken still has rather strong opinions on what constitutes "good music" and sometimes we don't always agree on what that is. For instance, she hates the song "Hey Jude" and will cover her ears until I change the song. I'm sure her music tastes will only solidify more as she gets older...if we are fighting over music at age two, what is it going to be like when she is 13?

Blake lost her second tooth last week. She insisted on tying it to the door knob again...I would not be surprised if that is how she thinks everyone pulls their teeth out. Blakeley is a writer. She writes on anything and everything and is always asking how words are spelled. Next year Blake is going to be in full day kindergarten and she is so excited about eating lunch at school. She has been taking swimming lessons and just loves the water. Blake also joined the Daisy Girl Scouts and loves selling cookies...especially the mint ones.

Valentines 2011

2011-02-14T12:52:00.008-07:00

Happy Valentine's Day! We will celebrate with strawberry waffles with whipped cream, Valentine's Day treats, homemade valentines for friends, surprise cookies for after dinner and conversation heart cupcakes. Can you guess who Quinn loves this Valentine's Day?

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-08T07:05:00.006-07:00

I am ready to go camping. We finally got our snow here and now all I can think about is our sweet vintage Rolite camper. We had so much fun camping this last summer. It was so amazing to be able to grab the kids and just go knowing that we have a place to sleep and cook our food pulled right behind us. I having been planning all sorts of camping trips for this spring and summer. I have also been drooling over some of the way cute trailers I have seen online and getting lots and lots of decorating ideas.

Go to Snail Trail for more amazing images of their campers. They have a whole fleet of VW Vans you can rent with hip names like Betty, Elsie, Dot, and Ruby. These are so droolworthy.

2011-01-26T11:27:00.003-07:00

Remembering earlier times...they really do go by so very fast.

2011-01-14T10:47:00.004-07:00

One of my resolutions this year was to become better at celebrating - celebrating the big things and the little things and the just because things. I often end up running around doing everything last minute for holidays and birthdays but this year I want to be more purposeful in my planning so I can thoughtfully celebrate the special days and the not as special days. We move so fast. We are constantly going from one activity to another and we have a hard time stopping to recognize each other and just breathe for once. Thoughtfully celebrating all the special moments will help me to stop and really enjoy where we are at this crazy time in our lives. Recently, Blake discovered she has a wobbly tooth. I have been on a hunt to find all things tooth fairy to celebrate this occasion.

This Official Tooth Fairy Kit has me full on drooling. Everything from the letterpress design to the cloth bag to the Tooth Fairy Seal...who knew the Tooth Fairy was so design savvy? This would be one of those things that would be more for me than for my children. I love it and I have been dreaming about this kit while waiting for Blake's pearly whites to start falling out. You need to check out this kit if you have children who will be losing teeth in the near future!

Melkam Gena

2011-01-13T17:28:00.003-07:00

We were blessed last weekend. Blessed beyond anything we could have expected. Last Friday was Ethiopian Christmas. On Saturday we celebrated with a gift exchange as a family, a special breakfast and then in the afternoon we went to the Ethiopian Church in Aurora. The church had organized a Christmas celebration for families who have adopted from Ethiopia or who are going through the process. They had tons of games for the kids and even a room where they answered questions about doing hair and braiding. It was amazing. The church even organized an ethiopian feast that smelled wonderful. We were able to meet a ton of other families who have adopted from Ethiopia. We were blessed. I hope and pray that this event becomes a regular thing because it was so amazing and so encouraging. I pray that my daughter grows up to know and appreciate her Ethiopian heritage and by having an Ethiopian community near by will make it so much easier for that to happen.

Two Years

2011-01-03T06:27:00.000-07:00

Today is our two year anniversary of when we picked up Brecken. We asked her what she wanted to do to celebrate and she told us she wanted

to go to Noodles and Company and then go get ice cream (this is a girl who knows exactly what she wants).

My mom got the girls Africa cookie cutters for Christmas so we made Africa Cookies to celebrate this very special day in our family.

We love you Brecken Hope!

2011-01-02T06:18:00.003-07:00

So long 2010 -

Bring on 2011!

2010-12-20T20:38:00.009-07:00

Quinn is turning one on December 22nd...we had his birthday party this weekend. I can't believe that a year has gone by since he was born!

2010-12-01T01:06:00.000-07:00

Copper Penny Vintage

2010-11-30T00:56:00.000-07:00

I have launched an Etsy Store: Copper Penny Vintage. I am absolutely tickled about vintage items...they make me very, very happy. My first weekend open and I was so honored to have my Vintage Polka Dot Glasses included as a Groovy Gal Find

2010-11-29T12:21:00.007-07:00

We have had such little snow here that it is hard to believe that Christmas is only a few short weeks away. We had to do something to help us get in the holiday spirit so we went to a local Christmas lighting festival. Our friends told us about this event and we just had to go! They closed the street down and we waited for Santa to come down the street and light the lights. We had candles and hot cocoa and apple cider and lots of fun. The lights were amazing and just the thing I needed to remind myself that Christmas is surely coming. The only good part about it not snowing a bunch is that we had really great weather to be outside enjoying the lights.

I am so very excited for this Christmas. This is the first Christmas in two years that we are not welcoming in a new member of our family. In 2008, we left just a few days after Christmas to pick up Brecken from Ethiopia and last year, Quinn was born on December 22nd. Although we have been so hugely blessed by both of those Christmases, it is nice to have a quiet, non-life-changing Christmas this year!

Halloween 2010

2010-11-02T14:56:00.008-06:00

We so love the town that we live in. The town hosts a bunch of events during the year and one of my favorites is the Halloween Chili Potluck. Everyone in town comes dressed in their Halloween costumes and we simply eat dinner together. Our Halloween was filled with...

Carved pumpkins ready to welcome Trick-Or-Treaters,

Mister Rodgers,

Two 50's gals,

A very serious farmer, and

Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Cream Cheese Frosting and Halloween sprinkles....not to mention the gobs and gobs of candy we confiscated from our children.

2010-10-27T13:58:00.000-06:00

Blake's Halloween costume for her class party today.

2010-10-24T19:52:00.004-06:00

Vintage sunglasses for our fifties inspired Halloween costumes.

My Favorite things today...

2010-09-29T11:15:00.006-06:00

Absolutely beautiful thrift store find. Inntrax Twig Crayons are from Poland.

These crayons are handmade from found twigs in nature.

Spaghetti sauce and salsa made from 40 lbs. of tomatoes from our farm...

lots of work but it will totally be worth it in March when I am missing summer!

This print was a gift from my mom - Thanks Mom, I love it! You can find the artist here.

Amazing table I got from a garage sale fora whole $4. I heart garage sales!

Getting all three of my kids to look at the same time when I take a picture...amazing.

2010-09-21T19:57:00.001-06:00

2010-09-16T04:49:00.000-06:00

I love old things. I have been collecting vintage items for the last few years just because it is something I love. I buy items that I can use such as pyrex bowls, hand mixers, butter dishes, salt and pepper shakers, old quilts, etc. I love using these items because they make me happy. I love their design and style. It has become a challenge for me to find unique and fun items...a treasure hunt that I go on whenever I go thrifting or to yard sales. I am always surprised with what I find and that is what makes it so exciting and kinda addicting. A few weeks ago, I went to a garage sale and stumbled on to two boxes full of vintage sewing patterns from the 40s and 50s. I bought them all. They are amazing and beautiful and I want to make them so I can wear them. Aren't they so very cool? Of course, my project list is all ready a mile long, so I am going to sell these beauties and share the vintage goodness with others.

Harvestival

2010-09-14T16:17:00.018-06:00

We went to the farm this weekend for Harvestival.

The weather was beautiful and it was nice to get out of town even if it was just for a few hours.

Meet Petunia the Donkey

We had so much fun in the hay maze...i think the girls could have played there all day long!

These cool painted school buses are home to the farm's chickens. They are full of nesting boxes. I love the phrase "Plant Peace Harvest Love"

Enjoying some of the farms Raspberries for a snack.

Sad and Wonderful

2010-09-08T09:24:00.002-06:00

My first baby turns five today. I can't believe five years have gone by. I feel sad and wonderful all at the same time. We celebrated her birthday this weekend with all our amazing friends...she felt so loved on by everyone. Where is the pause button so I can just keep her here for a while? Happy Birthday to my Sunshine Girl!

2010-08-26T21:43:00.010-06:00

Even though school has started and the days are starting to get shorter and shorter, we are still trying to eek out the last little bits of summer. Last weekend, we went camping in beautiful Salida, Colorado. Salida has been on my list of places to visit for years and years. It is a cute little town with gobs and gobs of opportunities for outdoor fun. There is an amazing river walk area where you can see people rafting and kayaking, fishing and just playing in the water. Along the river there is an area with a bouldering wall and we loved playing on the wall. The town is filled with little stores filled with antique and artsy treasures. I also think that there must be some law that every resident must own a cruiser bicycle and there must be at least one cruiser displayed in every shop in town.

2010-08-17T08:37:00.000-06:00

Welcome to my favorite part of my kitchen. Andy and I tore down the cabinets on this side of the kitchen and added these shelves for an anniversary present to ourselves. This is something I had been wanting to do for a long, long time. We are so thrilled with our shelves and our new lights. It just makes it oh so easy to get dished out and put things away. It makes our kitchen feel so much brighter and bigger and it makes me so happy just looking at them.

2010-08-16T20:08:00.000-06:00

My biggest girl went off to kindergarten last week. She woke up excited and so ready to go. She hardly touched her breakfast because she was a little nervous so we made a special first day of school trip to Starbucks for a vanilla steamer and a vanilla latte to calm both of our nerves...Starbucks works wonders. We found her teacher in front of the school and she lined up to walk inside with all the other kindergarteners. You would think that with twenty-some five years olds and their parents and siblings it would be loud with talking, but everyone was so quiet, that I'm nervous and trying to hold it together kind of quiet. Her teacher is as sweet as they get and was able to say the words that parents and kids need to hear on the very first day of school.

Before we left for school, Blake asked me to draw a little heart on her hand so she could be reminded of how much she is loved while she was at school...I drew a heart on my hand too just because I will miss my first baby so much while she is gone at school learning and growing.

2010-08-02T07:51:00.019-06:00

We got away for the weekend and headed up to the mountains for some camping. We went hiking, picked a few wild raspberries, played in creeks and rivers, and went fishing. Blake caught her first fish and I discovered that I really like fly fishing and I was reminded just how much I love spending time in the mountains.

Here are some pictures from our mountain adventure:

Five things I am loving right now...

2010-07-30T06:23:00.000-06:00

1. These drinks....I cannot believe I only tried these just a few short weeks ago.
2. These prints that are now hanging on our living room wall.
3. This band...thanks to my dear friend for introducing me.
4. This ice cream shop...the most amazing flavors.
5. Getting eggs from our chickens every day.

Our Trip To Washington

2010-07-29T07:21:00.000-06:00

We love going up to the Washington State. It is so beautiful and enchanting. We packed up the family and drove there (yes, it is possible with three little ones). We stopped a few times along the way and spent some time in Yellowstone. We stopped in Missoula, MT and the girls played at a spray ground. In Washington we went to the beach, the zoo, Seattle, parks, and fairs...Blake went fishing for the first time and we all went wild blackberry picking. We did a ton and we had such a great trip. It was so good to see family and friends that we have not seen in a very long time. We miss you all and wish we could see you more often!

Happy Wednesday!

2010-07-28T08:36:00.000-06:00

My boy cooling off on a hand sewing quilt that I picked up from a garage sale in Tacoma.

CSA::Week 6

2010-07-27T19:52:00.005-06:00

This is the 6th week of our CSA and I can honestly say that I look forward to picking up our share all week long. I look for the email that tells me what may possibly be in our box and then I start the search for new recipes to try with our amazing organic veggies and fruit. I really do not think I will be able to get through another summer without being part of the CSA. I love it because it stretches me in my culinary skills. We have to be willing to try new things for us to be able to consume the majority of our veggies. My family became vegetarians earlier this year and that in itself has been something that has made me really start trying to cook new things. I have been a vegetarian for the last 3 years and I am completely ok with eating roughly the same thing over and over again, but my family needs a plethora of options if they are going to enjoy being vegetarians. The CSA is so great because it gives us a chance to really try veggies that I wouldn't normally purchase on my own in the store...and each week gets better and better.

Tonight I tried a great recipe for a Summer Squash Tart. It uses puff pastry dough (I used some frozen from the store and now I am looking for a made from scratch recipe for puff pastry...anyone have a good recipe to pass on?). The puff pastry is topped with ricotta mixed with parsley, green onion, and one egg, then some caramelized onions (we use the red ones because Andy adores them), and then I sauteed some zucchini and summer squash and lined them up all pretty like. Andy made a salad using some of the greens from our share and dinner was set.

CSA week #6's box included:
Kale
Swiss Chard
Arugula
Baby Greens
Romaine
Dill
Cherries - so tart that I have no idea what to do with them.
English peas
Beets
Radishes
Green Onions
Apricots

2010-07-21T20:29:00.000-06:00

We are back home and trying to get back into the rhythm of being home and enjoying the last few weeks of summer. We had a fantastic time in Washington...we loved seeing our family and friends and wish so badly that we could see you more often...but it is nice to be home too.

We came home to chickens who are now laying eggs and lots of CSA veggies. We have a goal to use all the veggies we get before the following CSA delivery...today I made baked kale chips and a CSA quiche with swiss chard, garlic scapes, zucchini and onions...not to mention that the eggs for the quiche came from our very own chickens...a quiche is really an awesome way to use our veggies up. Now we just have bunches of pesky beets that we need to use...I have never had a beet before in my life and I am completely lost about them. I love pretty much all veggies, I willingly tried brussel sprouts a few weeks ago and liked them, but I really have no desire to try beets...and I know we have more beets coming to us this week.

Yesterday while I was putting in a load of laundry in our basement I spotted something on the floor...at a closer glance the thing jumped and I realized that somehow a toad had found its way in to my basement. We caught it and Blake is now trying her darndest for us to allow her to keep it as a pet. Its cute...but I don't know if it is quite that cute. All I really care about is how on earth did it get into my basement?

2010-07-12T23:13:00.001-06:00

Dear Blog,

I was serious when I started posting again...but, we've been away on vacation and have been thoroughly enjoying ourselves. I have lots of pictures to share but those will come later once we have gotten back home and settled in.

Just wanted to let you know that you have not been forgotten...just taking some time to enjoy family, friends and the beautiful Northwest.

2010-06-26T10:02:00.001-06:00

Blake had her first dance recital a few weeks ago. She was so excited because she got to wear this way cute purple dance outfit for one part and a beautiful "princess" dress for another part. When she was getting ready in the morning, it was one of those moments where you look at your child and you can see how very quickly they will be growing up. I can hardly believe that she will be five in a few short months...but I know that she will be sixteen years old in just a blink of an eye. She had her performance with the rest of her class and then a special performance with her Daddy and three other Daddy-Daughter couples. Andy and Blake did such an amazing job together.
Blake was so excited because at the end of her performance she received flowers...her first flowers.

Whew...Friday

2010-06-25T05:18:00.000-06:00

Today is Friday and on Friday nights during the summer, you will find us at the park, under the tree (my favorite tree), at movie night. We look forward to this the whole week long. My parents host movie night in the park in our sweet little town. We have a picnic dinner while the big movie screen gets set up and then we wait for our friends to come and join us.

My mom makes popcorn for everyone (I really mean everyone) and we all enjoy watching a movie together. That's what I love about movie nights...the togetherness is awesome. So many families in our town come down to watch the movie. The kids play while the parents can talk and we just hang out and build friendships - what an amazing concept in a world where people hardly know their neighbors. We are blessed to live where we live and we love it!

Creek Walking

2010-06-23T04:25:00.002-06:00

We have a lovely creek that runs through the open space just a short walk from our house. We definitely do not go down there as often as we should. It's absolutely teeming with life. The girls loved playing in the water and looking for frogs and tadpoles. This is what summer is about.

Good Morning.

2010-06-22T08:31:00.004-06:00

Our lovely Poppies showed up this morning...Good Morning and Happy Summer.

CSA and Grant Family Farms

2010-06-19T13:30:00.005-06:00

What better way to start the blog again and start the summer but with a post about our wonderful CSA. What is a CSA? Well, a CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. We purchased a CSA share for a farm up in Northern Colorado called Grant Family Farms. With the share, we get a (very) large box of organic veggies each week and soon it will be accompanied by some Colorado fruit. We are supporting a Colorado family farm instead of some Big Food Corporation, getting excellent food, and encouraging our family to be seasonal localvores. We picked up our box yesterday and I don't think I have ever been so excited to see vegetables. Since it is still the early part of our season, this week's box consisted of lots and lots of green. We have bunches of spinach, some lettuce, baby greens, and some herbs. As the summer heats up we will be enjoying all sorts of vegetables...as for now, I am up to my elbows in spinach. Any good ideas for bunches and bunches of spinach?
Last weekend was the Grant Family Farms Spring Festival and CSA kick-off. The weather was rainy and dreary but we packed up the kiddos and went up to Wellington, Colorado to experience where the majority of our food would be coming from for the next 26 weeks. Although we were not able to stay long because of the soggy weather and crazy amounts of mud, we were able to get a good feel of the farm. I am dying to go back to really be able to experience it. Luckily, Andy and I will be able to experience it as workers. We got a working share for our membership meaning that our share cost a little less than a non-working share because we will work at the farm for eighteen hours. To be honest, even though I know it will be hard work (pulling weeks, cleaning up after chickens, and other farm chores I can't even imagine), I am excited! I want to learn about life working on a farm and learn about growing food.

2010-02-26T05:36:00.000-07:00

2010-02-22T07:05:00.007-07:00

Once again...almost an entire month has gone by without a blog...poor, poor, neglected blog. The really sad part is that so much has gone on in the last month that would have been fun to blog about...oh well, we'll try to do better in the next month.
We've added some chickens to our brood...six to be exact. They are wonderful animals and we have really been enjoying them. We got our chicks as a gift from my parents for Valentine's Day. The Denver Urban Farmer's Market has been our Saturday outing for the last month or so and they were selling the chicks there. I have been researching backyard chickens for a long time now and we finally took the plunge to start our own flock. We are striving to eat local and sustainable and these seems to be a good step towards reaching that goal. Andy has been gathering up free pallets and he will start constructing the coop very soon, for now though, the chicks are living in my loft in a huge storage container under a heat lamp.

Brecken has recently started insisting on wearing a tutu or "woowoo" as she calls it, around the house. It has been a struggle to get her out of the house without it on. This girl amazes me. She is a strong-willed, independent woman who is not afraid to let us know when something doesn't suit her right. She is starting to talk more and more. I still have to remind myself that it has only been just over a year since we became part of her life. She has just grown so much in the last year.

Quinn is also growing so much. At just under nine weeks old, he is right around 12-pounds. We have been blessed with the most laid-back baby every created. He is so content and sweet. I am starting to get braver with taking all the kids out by myself. I actually made it to Target last week with all three kids and it wasn't a disaster...praise the Lord!

Before and After

2010-01-23T15:29:00.003-07:00

"Wow! I didn't realizeI looked that crappy."
-Andy Dunn, After a haircut and trim

2010-01-23T05:59:00.001-07:00

I love the fact that my girl squeals with joy every time we go to Starbucks...we start them early at the Dunn household.

four weeks.

2010-01-19T07:29:00.004-07:00

Quinn is four weeks old today. We have been blessed with the sweetest, most laid back baby we could have ever imagined, and with two wild women running around my house, we loving his relaxed spirit. We are slowly starting to find the new normal with three kids. The girls are absolutely taken by Quinn. He gets lots of kisses and is watched very closely by two sets of big sister eyes. We have indeed been blessed.
The last year was hard. Being pregnant is not something I do very well, but for as bad as it was, it is so much better now. Since Quinn's birth, I have felt like I had just returned from a very long, tiring trip and that I can get back to my life again. You know the feeling when you have just gotten home and you are able to unpack and wash away the exhaustion and you are just excited to get back to your normal life? That's what it feels like now. I am ready to get back to life where I can spend time with family and friends and create and just have joy in the utterly normal aspects of having a young family. I will look at 2009 as one the hardest and best years - hard from just everything my family went through with my being pregnant and best because we welcomed two children into our hearts.

Botanic Gardens at Chatfield

2010-01-15T09:13:00.008-07:00

One Year

2010-01-03T07:16:00.003-07:00

Today marks the one year anniversary when we were blessed with Brecken. This day, last year, we would have been getting off the plane in Ethiopia and going to the care center to meet our daughter. I can't believe that a year has gone by. Brecken has grown into a sweet, spunky toddler. I was looking at pictures of our time in Ethiopia the other day and I was blown away with how much she has changed and grown. At nineteen months old, Brecken is adventurous and independent. She wants to do everything on her own. She loves to read and laugh. She is also just discovering her new role as "big sister"...she is very generous with kisses when it comes to her baby brother. We have been so blessed with our sweet daughter...we could not imagine our life without her.

2009-12-31T08:00:00.002-07:00

Quinn arrived a little over a week ago and we are completely smitten.

Still Pregnant.

2009-12-22T06:33:00.003-07:00

Need I say more?

Haven't really felt like blogging...let's just say I'll start again after Christmas and after Quinn arrives. For now, Merry Christmas.

100 Miles

2009-11-21T09:29:00.003-07:00

100 miles is not a great distance...especially when you think about the average distance food travels to get to our dinner table, a whopping 1,500-2,500 miles. The 100 Mile Challenge is a show that has been running on Planet Green for the last few weeks. Six families from Canada signed up to only eat food that has traveled 100 miles or less, from farm to table, for 100 days. The families were inspired by Alisa Smith and James MacKinnon, the authors of Plenty, a memoir about the authors experience of the 100 mile diet for one year.
We have also been inspired by the show and the book as well and hope that next summer we can do our own 100 mile challenge. We have been searching the web finding locally grown food. We have found many resources for just about everything we will need...of course, there are a few items (salt, for one) that we have not been able to find. Besides discovering locally grown food within 100 miles, I am hoping that we will also discover a new way of eating and a healthier understanding of where food comes from. We are planning on growing some of our food in our garden, joining a CSA, and hopefully getting some chickens. I have also been researching foraging for food in Colorado. The possibilities of new tastes are very exciting.

Blake's 1st Art Show

2009-11-18T07:36:00.001-07:00

Blake has been in an art class over the last few months...she has been painting and discovering shapes and how to mix colors. Art class is something she absolutely loves to do. She now spends hours and hours coloring and cutting at home. It has been so much fun to see her creativity start to really come out and just watching her discover a love for painting and creating.

Finalized

2009-11-17T07:22:00.006-07:00

On Friday we had our court date to finalize Brecken's adoption. We had to get all dressed up and go to the county courthouse for a judge to look over our files. Andy's mom came to visit on Thursday so we got to have both the Grandmas at court with us! We even got to go to a fancy restaurant to celebrate after. It is just so crazy and so big that the final step in completing the adoption is done. Brecken has blessed our family in so many ways. She brings joy to our lives. I can't believe that this time last year we were still waiting to bring her home...and now everything is finalized. Brecken's adoption was an amazing journey and we could not imagine our family without her. Love you Brecken Hope.

Halloween 2009

2009-11-02T12:37:00.003-07:00

2009-10-29T16:38:00.007-06:00

Stuck at the house, enjoying watching the snow falling, and getting ready to go out and play.

Granola

2009-10-20T05:51:00.003-06:00

Here is another recipe that I have been working on for a while. There are a lot of granola recipes that add tons of oil and butter and tons and tons of sugar. If I am going to actually enjoy my granola, it needs to taste good, but it also needs to be healthy. I don't want to be dumping candy coated oats and nuts on to my vanilla yogurt each morning. This recipe is fairly healthy but is still good enough to eat by its self.

Brit's Granola
4 cups Oats
Nuts and seeds of your choice - I used a cup each of raw sunflower seeds and raw whole almonds
1 cup unsweetened coconut
4 T. real maple suryp
6 T. organic, no sugar added apple sauce
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
Cinnamon to taste
Dried fruit

Preheat your over to 350 degrees. Mix all the dry ingredients in a big bowl. In a smaller bowl, mix the wet ingredients. Combine both the wet and dry ingredients and mix well. Bake the granola on two foil lined cooking sheets for 16-20 minutes until golden brown. Allow it to fully cool before taking it off the cookie sheet. Add your dried fruit and store in a large ziplock bag or container. Enjoy!

St. Mary's Glacier

2009-10-19T06:39:00.013-06:00

This weekend was absolutly beautiful in Colorado. We had seventy degree weather and sunshine so we decided to spend sometime outside. We have gone up to St. Mary's Glacier for the last four years. At the top of the glacier there is a beautiful little lake and there is always someone skiing or snow boarding the glacier. Here are some pictures from our hike:

Chocolate Chip Cookie? Yes Please...

2009-10-11T19:06:00.000-06:00

I am always on the look out for recipes that can become my go-to...I found my blue berry muffin recipe, my favorite pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, banana bread, and now I've found my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. They are the right balance of sweet and salt and they come out big and thick and just so good. When I make cookies, I tend to use the cheapest chocolate chips I can find at the store...I can only imagine the goodness these cookies would be with some high quality chocolate chips. This is also an amazing cookie base...you can pretty much add what ever additions you want - white chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruit, anything and they will come out good.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 c flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
3/4 c melted butter
1 c packed brown sugar
1/2 c white sugar
1 T vanilla
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 c chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt.
Cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon.
Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.
Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

2009-09-29T06:27:00.005-06:00

This weekend we traveled down to Penrose, Colorado for a birthday party at a pumpkin patch. The girls had a blast exploring around. Both of the girls brought home a small pumpkin. This was Brecken's first time getting a pumpkin. This little pumpkin patch was so cute. Not only could you get pumpkins, but earlier in the year you could pick your own apples and berries. They have a tractor the pulls you down to the pumpkin area and Brecken loved it...she was pretty upset when we had to get off it.Blake and Brecken hanging out at the barn

Brecken's first pumpkin

On the Tractor

2009-09-28T16:39:00.003-06:00

Last Monday night I was made the best homemade macaroni and cheese I have ever made...unfortunately I didn't get to enjoy it very much. When I was straining the boiling noodles into the sink, the boiling water spilled out on to me. Andy called my folks and they came and they watched the girls while we went to the hospital. We spent three hours in the emergency room on Monday night. I had second degree burns on my left thigh and on parts of my very pregnant stomach. At the hospital, they hooked us up to a fetal monitor and did an ultrasound and Quinn is just fine. My thigh is healing quite nicely, my poor stomach still hurts quite a bit. When my parents came to watch the girls, my mom saw the noodles and the cheese sauce and was able to salvage the mac and cheese...thank goodness, because it really was the best I have ever made.

Revisiting the 'poo

2009-09-21T16:05:00.002-06:00

At the beginning of summer, I stopped shampooing my hair...I just gave it up cold turkey and I sported a ponytail all summer long. I wish I could say how I instantly loved the no shampoo effect on my hair and that my hair never felt thicker or more manageable...but that would be a complete lie. My hair was so gross, it was oily and it clumped together sometimes. Gross. Yuck. Ick. It was bad. I went three whole entire months with out shampooing my hair. I finally broke down, went to the grocery store and purchased some natural, vegetarian shampoo. I ran home and shampooed my hair like I have never shampooed it before and it was so wonderful. Now I only shampoo my hair on Friday and my hair is so much happier for it. I can feel the difference of when I was washing my hair daily and now, I can honestly say that my hair is healthier and much easier to manage. I am thrilled I gave my hair the shampoo break it needed this summer and I highly recommend it...just be prepared to sport the ponytail.

2009-09-11T08:39:00.004-06:00

We are starting to enjoy those crispy cool mornings in Colorado...mornings where I can actually make a cup of coffee and use my oven before the day starts the heat up. The last few weeks we have been trying to adjust to the newness of school...two days a week we wake up and get ready and hurry out the door to get Blake to school on time. I have been trying each Friday to get up and make something special for breakfast. I have been scouring the web for recipes for breakfast and came across the most wonderful blueberry muffin recipe. I followed the recipe the first time I made these muffins and they were so wonderful...the muffins were soft and sweet, the blueberries were warm and juicy, the topping was amazing. I made it a week later and decided to tweaked the recipe a bit to make it a bit healthier (we still kept the topping) and they were still great! Even Andy said they were still great and the girls absolutely devoured them.

Here is the recipe with my changes:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup applesauce
1 egg
1/3 cup milk + more if needed
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line with muffin liners.
Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place applesauce into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups 3/4th of the way, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.
To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

re-emerging

2009-09-09T07:02:00.004-06:00

So I believe I am ready to re-emerge again. So much has happened in the last few months and it does make me so sad that my sweet blog has no record of it...but I needed my break. We found out I was pregnant in April and soon I was completely overtaken by morning sickness and hormone related depression. I couldn't stand the pressure of trying to write posts...so I just closed everything down for a while until I was feeling better...I never thought it would take this long to start feeling better. I was really angry about the whole situation...I'm pregnant...this is supposed to be an exciting time, a time when I am thrilled about the future of our family and thrilled that I can even get pregnant again...but I was just so very sad about it all. Over the last few months I have had to really embrace my crazy emotions and realize that depression is terrible a sickness that will eventually pass. It is amazing how common it is for women to experience depression during pregnancy, yet it is something that is so rarely spoken about. The March of Dimes estimates that 1-2 pregnant women out of 10 experience some symptoms of major depression. Depression is something that must be spoken about.

I also had to learn the to accept help from others. I am blessed with an amazing support system and all these people who I love and who love me gathered around me to help me however they could. Thank you so much to my friends and family who supported me during the last few months by cleaning my house, driving me around, providing meals, watching my girls, and continuing to call even when I really did not want to talk to anyone at all. I have been so very blessed by all of you.

The last few months have been so difficult. I am blessed to be going into another season of this pregnancy. We found out a few weeks ago that we will be welcoming a boy into our family in December. We will name him Anderson Roy Dunn V, but we will call him Quinn. He is healthy and strong and we can't wait to meet him.

Blake and Breck have been so amazing this summer. They have both grown in so many many ways. Brecken turned one on May 23rd. We had a big celebration at our house not only celebrating her birthday but just the fact that she is ours. We learned that day that she has a major sweet tooth...she completely dove into her cake and loved every minute of it. She started walking over 4th of July weekend. All of a sudden she took eleven steps at once and then sixteen steps, and then there was no stopping her. She loves to walk and explore things. She is amazing. I just look at her and realize how many ways she has blessed our family.

Blake is an amazing big sister. She absolutely loves Brecken and is so excited about Quinn. She has been so sweet to Brecken. Each night she gives her a kiss before she goes to sleep. She comforts Brecken when she is crying. She amazes me. This summer Blake started soccer...she is a soccer star. In August, Blake started preschool two mornings a week...she went right into her classroom, said goodbye to mommy and daddy and started playing. I actually made it out to the car before I started crying like a baby. She loves going to school and loves to help her teacher. She is starting art lessons next weeks and is just so excited about them. Blake turned 4 yesterday, Sept. 8th. Unfortunately, Andy, Blake and I all had the flu so it wasn't the funnest birthday ever...we are going to have a birthday dinner later on this week when we are feeling better. I can't believe she is 4. Each year just goes by faster and faster.

So that was our summer in a nutshell...here are some pictures for you as well...

2009-06-13T18:55:00.002-06:00

So another month has gone by...with no posts. I am going to officially be taking a blog-hiatus. I have really been struggling for a few months with the blog. We have been so busy and I am absolutely exhausted and trying to deal with a difficult first trimester of pregnancy. Not sure how long I'll be gone..

to 'poo or not to 'poo

2009-05-19T08:43:00.005-06:00

Shampoo, I mean. I recently have found a movement of people who have stopped using shampoo. Some have done this for economical reasons - good shampoos can tend to be expensive and it is something you will always eventually run out of. Others are doing it for environmental reasons...less plastic containers, less chemicals going into the earth and into the body. This whole idea just intrigues me. I always try to use products in my house that are environmentally friendly and not harmful to our family...but this is just something I want to try out for myself. Some 'no poo-ers' use a mixture of baking soda and water to clean their scalp and hair and then rinse with apple cider vinegar...this method really does not float my boat. There is a low-poo method that I am going to try. I will be using Dr. Bronner's castile soap once a week....the rest of the week I am just going to rinse my hair with just water and go.
I look at my daughters' hair...I maybe actually wash their hair once a week even though they shower every day...their hair always looks great, never greasy or smelly. I have been trying to go longer between washes...normally I am a wash my hair everyday kind of girl...so this is going to be a huge thing for me to do. I am hopping that it will only take a week or so for my hair to transition in to this low-poo way of life. I washed my hair on Friday...today is now Tuesday...let's just say that I have been wearing my hair up for the last few days. I know it's going to take time and I want to really give this thing an opportunity to work...We'll see how it goes.

Here are some no-poo resources:
No Shampoo Alternative - No Poo
When it comes to shampoo - less is more
NoShampoo.org
Why You Should Go No 'Poo

Soccer Girl

2009-05-18T08:56:00.007-06:00

Blake had her first soccer game this weekend. She did amazing! She scored two goals and just had so much fun! We had a blast watching the game. It was just so funny to see these three and four year-olds running after the soccer ball and trying to figure out how to play the game. At one point in the game, Andy was trying to explain to Blake about teams and how you don't want to let the other team (the Red team) get the ball...he ended up telling Blake that she didn't have to share with the Red Team...it was so funny, but she understood. Blake got the ball from the other team a few times and even blocked a goal! I have never really played team sports before...I swam when I was growing up and in high school. I did play volley ball for a while, but I'm just not aggressive enough...Blake definitely does not have that issue. We were just so proud of her and we can't wait for her next game!
Here is also a picture of sweet Brecken at the game too...she loves being outdoors and watching the kids. She is almost one now and just getting so big.

2009-03-18T07:14:00.000-06:00

Well, the sweet little baby we have been watching met her adoptive family this morning. We are thrilled that she now has a family, but we have also fallen in love with this little bundle and we are sad to see her go. Fostering over the last week has just given me a new perspective on adoption...I have been able to see what it is like to love on a child and then give the child to the family they belong to...it is a mixture of joy and longing. We take joy in knowing that sweet baby girl will be loved and cared for by her new mom and dad and big sister...we are also longing for the next baby that will bless our house. We love you sweet baby and are excited for your new life!

This last weekend we celebrated St. Patrick's Day at the Sedalia St. Patrick's Day Parade. This was your normal small town parade complete with tractors, 4H club members, llamas, and lots of candy. It was so much fun...her are some pictures from the festivities:

2009-03-14T08:25:00.000-06:00

I know I have been MIA for a while...I hate going a week and a half between posts, but things have been a bit crazy here. Breck's cold turned into another ear infection and I have been trying to start preschool with Blake. On top of everything, we got a call on Wednesday asking if we would be interested in fostering a sweet baby girl who was born on the 9th. We said yes right away because an opportunity like this could only be from God because it is something I would never, ever imagine happening. So on Thursday the 12th, our two month anniversary of coming home from Ethiopia with Brecken, we picked up a little peanut of a baby that we are so thrilled to be able to love on. We have no idea how long we will have her but we are honored to be be this little girl's family for a while.

I have been so proud of Blake over the last two months. She is amazing with Brecken. I catch her calling Brecken "sweet girl" and running to get diapers and wipes for me. She is such a grat big sister. She has been sleeping in her own bed for over a month now...something that is absolutely wonderful, but something that made me sad to because it is a major sign that she is growing up and it really made me understand how quickly these little ones become independant. Blake has been going to breakfast with her Grandpa a few times a week to celebrate her sleeping in her own bed. This time is such a big treat because she gets to go to McDonald's and eat ice cream and pancakes...yes, grandparents can get away with anything. I started homeschooling Blake a few weeks ago and she loves it...she begs for school. She has been working on writing her name lately. I am so proud of my beautiful big girl.

Brecken is just plain delicious. This little girl loves to smile. In the last week she started waving and really saying "Dada," she also gives little kisses to me when I ask her. She has also been able to balance standing on her own for about five seconds. There isn't much that Brecken does not like to eat...she loves yogurt, squash, apples, black beans...and it is showing in her rolls and rolls on her legs. This little girl is such a little chunk! It is amazing to me that when we first set eyes on her she was 8 pounds and three and a half months. At almost ten months, I bet she is pushing 20 pounds. She has been such a blessing to our family we are so amazed that she belongs to us.

So, things are crazy around here, but it is the good, can't believe this is happening to us kind of crazy and we have been blessed beyond our wildest dreams.

2009-03-04T12:54:00.000-07:00

We are still here, but we've been sick again...lovely colds that we just can't seem to kick. Blake, Brecken and I have been stuffy and tired. We are hoping to start feeling better soon. Our colds have not been stopping us from enjoying the warm weather though. We have been enjoying near 70 degree days by playing outdoors and working to prepare our garden beds. Yesterday I discovered some bits of green that are peaking out of the brown earth...I planted irises last year and they are now going to grace our front yard with their presence. Blake and I also started our seeds for our veg garden...we have tiny sprouts of corn, tomatoes, basil and squash. I am very much ready for warm spring days.

2009-02-18T10:31:00.000-07:00

We have had such a warm winter this year...not much snow, and many wonderfully warm days. So warm, in fact, that I am seeing little sprouts of my garlic and green onions starting to come up and I find myself dreaming of our summer garden. The warm days have found us going on walks and trying to spend some time outdoors. Andy had Monday off so we went on a little walk in the open space. Here are some pictures from our mid-winter walk.

2009-02-16T09:31:00.000-07:00

A few nights ago Andy told me that a few guys from town were talking about getting a few calves for free and that he was thinking about getting one too. He said that we would have to bottle feed the calf for a month or so. My first thought was..."Wow! That would be so cool to have a calf that we could watch grow and develop. I would love to take the girls out to see the cow! What a neat experience." I continued to think about getting this cute little calf for a few days...having visions of bottle feeding this sweet, defenseless animal, before it really hit me why they would be getting these calves...um, to eventually eat them...being a vegetarian, this was not my first thought. I'm not a vegetarian because I feel that it is wrong to eat animals...I'm a vegetarian for health reasons, but I don't think I would be able to even cook the meat from the animal that I bottle fed when it was a baby. I understand that people who have lived on a farm have a much healthier view of the animals turning into meat idea, but I just don't know if I could get there. So, will we get a calf...I have no idea. If we do, it will be something I have to really try to work through.

2009-02-11T07:40:00.001-07:00

I saw this cake yesterday and I had to rush to the store to get everything I needed to make it right away. It was fun to make and pretty darn easy. Now, I'm really not one to like adding coloring to my food, but I had to make an exception because this is such a very happy cake. We made this cake while Brecken was down fer her afternoon nap...Blake helped me to stir in the colors and we talked about different things that are the same color that we were mixing. I just used whipped cream to frost the cake and it was so much fun with the contrast of the white against all the bright colors.

We also had Breck's nine month doctor appointment...we were thrilled to find out that she has gained over two pounds in less than a month and has also grown 2-3 inches!

Pictures of the Girls

2009-02-05T07:28:00.000-07:00

2009-01-22T22:34:00.000-07:00

Blake licking the frosting off after we baked a cake and Brecken right before our first post placement visit.

We have still been moving a little slow around here (I think I finally got out of my pjs around 11:00 today). We are still all trying to get healthy and trying to get some very much needed sleep. We are finally back on Colorado time, but we are still getting used to waking up with a baby during the night...it's kinda crazy that we forgot what its like waking up with a little one a few times each night. Andy's mom is staying with us and has been a major help. Both girls have been fighting ear infections, I have a wonderful little cold and Andy is adjusting to being back at work...but despite all that, we are so very happy. Brecken is adjusting really well. She is just about the happiest baby I have ever seen. Blake is such a great big sister...she loves to give great big hugs and kisses to her sister. We have been getting out a bit...we've been to Target quite a few times this week to get prescriptions filled, more bottles, great clearance shoes for Brecken...you know, the essentials. We are hoping that once we all get healthy we can start to venture out even more...we are hoping to go to see this on Saturday!

2009-01-21T06:47:00.000-07:00

There has been so much that has gone on in the last month...everything is kinda blurring together. We enjoyed Christmas together with my family and then went up to the mountains for a few days. We were able to just relax in the mountains...we all went sledding together one day. It was just some good time to enjoy being a family of three for the last time.

When we got home we dove into packing for our trip...We ended up bringing five bags - two huge bags full of humanitarian aid, one bag full of diapers and formula and snacks for us, and two backpacks of clothing. We left on the 1st for Ethiopia and arrived on the 3rd. We got Brecken our first day in country. She is so amazing. Sometimes I just look at her, so in awe that she is actually here and actually ours. We are so very, very blessed by this special gift from Ethiopia.
We have not been home for a little over a week. We all came home with stomach issues, colds, coughs, and just all around exhaustion. We found out a few days ago that Brecken has double ear infections and her right ear drum ruptured...other than that, she is just such a happy baby. She smiles all the time and just loves to babble. More to come later.

2008-12-21T12:54:00.000-07:00

I am signing off here until we return from Ethiopia with our new baby girl. It's just been a bit too crazy around here for me to try to keep up with this blog when there is so much going on here. I will only be posting there for a few more weeks then I will come back to this blog to start recording the adventures of our brand new family. Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a very happy New Year...see you in mid-January 2009.

2008-12-08T11:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we ventured into the Pike National Forrest to find the perfect Christmas tree to grace our living room. My parents came along to get their tree too they found it pretty much right away. It took us a bit longer to find our tree...it turned into quite the excursion. It took us over two hours of searching in snow and down steep hills. Despite being wet and cold, we had a lot of fun. It made me wonder why we don't go on little winter hikes ever. There was something just magical about the forest covered with a blanket of snow. While Andy was scoping out the perfect tree, Blake and I looked for snow fairies in old stumps and found treasures that we left for the fairies to find when they came back to their snowy home.
We finally found a cute little tree that reminds me of a larger version of Charlie Brown's Christmas tree. We decorated it last night and now our house smells like Christmas. It gets me into the holiday mood.

This online holiday radio also gets me in the Christmas spirit...I love it

snow, hot chocolate and chocolate cookies for breakfast

2008-12-02T08:10:00.000-07:00

Weather prediction is not the easiest in Colorado...especially not this year. We have had so many warm days lately that I thought winter would never come! We finally got our real first snow on Saturday. The trees were completely covered and our windows iced over when we woke up. We probably got between 8 and 12 inches of snow. Normally I am not so thrilled about the snow (unlike someone)...but this year it came so late, that I was so excited about it...mainly because it meant I could finally wear my new boots. We braved the cold on Sunday and went sledding with some friends.
The recent cold weather has made me want to make all kinds of holiday goodies...chocolate covered pretzels, cinnamon rolls, toffee, and all sorts of cookies. I made Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies last week and have been enjoying them and a cup of hot chocolate for breakfast the past few mornings (the breakfast of champions)...it's ok to eat cookies and coco for breakfast in December...right?

Sending some quilt love...

2008-11-13T08:23:00.001-07:00

My mom if full of ideas. She had the most wonderful idea a few weeks ago...she wanted to get a group of people together to sew quilts for the babies in the Gladney care center. We will deliver the quilts to the babies when we go to pick up our little girl. We are thrilled about this project and would love as many people at possible to take part in it. My mom has even sweetened the deal with some prizes from Junk Posse Jewelry, her etsy store. Here is what she wrote on her blog:

My most recent hero in the creative world is Joel Dewberry. He is an amazing fabric designer and artist. Find out more about his beautiful fabrics here. Joel was kind enough to send us a wonderful assortment of fabric to create mini '2x2' quilts to bring to an orphanage in Ethiopia in January.

If you sew or know a Sew Sister, Mom, Friend or anyone else that sews please tell them about our contest. We will send each person that enters enough Fabric to Make the front of a mini quilt.You may enter more than once-just let us know how many you would like to create. You finish the quilt with your design, creativity & details.

Mail the finished mini Quilt back by Dec. 20th.

We will be selecting several winners on Dec.31st!

First place $100.00 gift certificate to Junk Posse Jewelry

Second place $50.00 gift certificate to Junk Posse Jewelry

and three runner up prizes.

Sew what are you waiting for? Enter Today and help to give a sweet little one in Africa something to cuddle with.
***
If you are interested in being part of this, please email me::brittlee17@yahoo.com. We are very, very excited about this project. This is a very simple project...you do not have to be a pro-sewer to take part in this.