Weekend of great food, family and friends

This last weekend was all about great food, really, E and I ate spectacularly this weekend.

Friday night we met Justin, Becky, Logan, Brooke and David at Sawadee for a fantastic Thai meal. We sat outside and enjoyed the summer evening, the setting sun and all the extremely tasty Thai food. Even after all of us were full to the brim, we ordered mango in sticky rice for dessert and enjoyed the evening just a little longer. We talked about Ben and Jo's quickly approaching wedding and laughed over horribly childish dirty jokes. After, we all met at our house for poker. David was the big winner and we all talked about our crazy busy week coming up with the wedding and Ben and Jo coming to town.

Saturday E and I woke up early, packed and left for the farmhouse. The drive down there is always spectacularly beautiful, and in the heat of the summer was no exception. Once there we relaxed, ate snow cones and enjoyed our time with Connie and David. The air was cooler down there, and sitting in the shade on the porch with a light summer breeze was quintessentially summer.

Of course, as always, the farmhouse is always about food. Connie brought down a huge roast and so E decided to cook it in his dutch oven. We mixed soy sauce, BBQ sauce, olive oil, herbs, onions and a ton of other things into the dutch oven and made a fantastic dinner. The roast was divine, and the potatoes, yams and squash we cooked along side it were fantastic. We ate late and enjoyed garden veggies and rolls on the side.

Before dinner was on the table, David, E and I took a walk. We visited the horses down the road, took photos of the fading light, and I told E about my three speeds (discussed in the previous post). All in all it was a great day.

E fixes a fantastic roast in the Dutch oven. He used this recipe.
The horses down the street love us. We call this one Speckley.
On Sunday morning we woke up at the farmhouse and went out to breakfast. There is this funny little 50's diner on Main Street that serves up a pretty yummy breakfast. We had eggs, hash browns, bacon, pancakes and coffee: yummy! Afterwards we took a little drive, explored an old rough lane we hadn't ever seen, and took a little walk. Then E and I packed up an headed home.

In addition to being a very tasty weekend, it was also a very very busy weekend. On the way home we stopped at IKEA, Costco and the grocery store. Once home we cleaned like mad men. E mowed the back lawn, vacuumed, mopped and trimmed all within an hour. I have no idea where he got the energy. Then around 5:00 we started making dinner, we were having my family over for a BBQ at our house for the first time this summer!

Everyone arrived at 6:00. My grandma brought a BEAUTIFUL antipasti spread and we used our fantastic bar cart to serve drinks outside. Soon E was grilling salmon and I prepped the chipotle lime slaw. My mom brought a fresh fruit salad and Melissa helped me set the table. Dinner was served! We had spicy fish tacos, rice and fruit. The garden was beautiful, the fish cooked perfectly, and the patio perfect for entertaining.

Laura and Mike brought a chocolate and cappuccino ice cream cake that we enjoyed under the darkening sky.

By the end of the weekend E and I were full and extremely tired. We love busy summer weekends, and this one was no different.

Isn't this anitpasti platter awesome?! It was so tasty too.
Chandler, Melissa and my mom enjoy.
My Uncle Mike, Chuck and Chandler.
Our huge patio is perfect for garden parties. We are so happy with our table and chairs too, they were a big purchase this summer.
The bar cart also works well as a food station. My Grandma assembles her fish tacos.
Left to right: Chuck, Chandler, Laura, E, Melissa, Mike, my mom, Caty, Taylor, Grandma.

My tummy

My word I've been growing! No longer can I pretend that I'm not pregnant, just a little round around the middle. Nope, now I look pregnant. Strangers ask me when I'm due, and E even felt the little baby kick last week!

I'm walking slower and feeling very round. I told E the other day I have three speeds. Slow, extra slow and extra extra slow. One huge thing I've noticed is that I'm having a harder and harder time squatting down and leaning over. Setting up my dolls on ground level has become almost impossible, I can't bend that way anymore. It is crazy!

I've even been having a few growing pains. Nothing major, but a tendon or something that runs along my ribs on the left side has been feeling pinched or stretched for two weeks! It is a major pain in the butt when all I want to do is relax and it feels like my tendons are twisting.

Anyway, here is what you are all waiting for, a belly photo at 24 weeks, 3 days.

Asian Garden

I have mentioned before on my blog that E and I love the look, simplicity and design of Japanese gardens. When we were in Japan it really cemented it for us; we wanted to come home and design an Asian garden of our own.

Now this is a work in process. First, we only could afford so much this year. Also, lots of these tiny plants are going to be huge in years to come, so we didn't want to over plant. And finally, we only had enough man power to get to this stage this year. Next year we have other projects in mind, so that will be fun.

I mentioned in the backpacking post that the light looked so beautiful the other morning, I decided to grab my camera and take a few photos. I hope you enjoy.

1. Our path and moss. One day the moss will fill in. So pretty!
2. Our stone lantern is set up on a hill in the yard.
3. Our dry river winds around and ends near the bench under the trees.

Behind the stones do you notice the bamboo? It is small now, but growing!
Buddha finds enlightenment under our maple trees.
1. Day lilies are so nice in the garden. Even the green grassy leaves add a nice touch.
2. Our pots have exploded with color. E says they are his favorite potted plants yet, and I've been planting pots for six years.

I tease E and say our veggie garden is on steroids. In reality, we just have a really really sunny spot. What is my best tip for growing veggies? LOTS of sunshine.
This year we planted 3 Sweet 100s tomato plants. They are awesome. Each is huge, and I wouldn't be surprised if each plant produces 200 grape tomatoes. And just like the name states, they are so sweet!

Craft - etched glass bowls

My mom and I are still crafting, we aren't as busy as last winter, but we still get together on a semi regular basis to work on our next craft. One of the crafts that we just finished are our new etched glass bowls. We saw this idea is the new Martha Stewart Encyclopedia of Crafts book (which is a great book, if you love crafting). First, we purchased etching cream at our local craft store along with contact paper. Then we each purchased six plain glass bowls from Ikea. Lastly, we each thought of an idea and started making stencils from the contact paper. Once the stencils were laid on the bowls, we applied the etching cream (kind of like a think paint) and let sit for five minutes. Whalla! Etched glass bowls!

I decided to etch robots on my bowls because only days before we started this craft I found out I was having a baby boy. What baby boy doesn't want a set of robot bowls?

Little Alex loves big hikes

Remember little Alex (she is my travel Playmobil, seen here, here and here), well because she is so little, she is perfect to take along on backpacking trips. Alex is about two inches tall and is a snap to carry. Because of this, she got to see all the beauty we saw over the weekend.

The wildflowers were just as beautiful when you are tiny.
View from camp. So awesome.
In my last post I said "Little rivers and streams crisscrossed meadows full of moss and flowers. Tiny fairy sized waterfalls fell over rocks into perfect little pools below," well when you are two inches high, this is perfect. Here is one of the tiny waterfalls we saw.
The little mossy hills were so magical. Look at the size of the tiny fern growing next to Alex's hand. So perfect.
Loving every minute of being in the great outdoors.

Backpacking the Uintas

On Saturday morning our alarm went off at 7:15. The night before E and I had been up late doing more fireworks and having another fun BBQ for Pioneer Day, Utah's state holiday, with E's family.

7:15 felt so early, the bedroom was already hot and flooded with light. I could tell it was overcast and would be an extremely hot day. For the next hour or so we packed up a few last things, watered the plants and I even had time to do a garden photo shot. With the warm overcast day, our Asian garden looked so Asian; the light reminded me a lot of the light in Japan.

At 8:30 David arrived and we moved his gear into E's car. We piled in, and after a stop to get bagels for lunch and egg McMuffins for breakfast we were off! Ninety minutes later we pulled into a very wet and very gray parking lot. The sky was dark and rain splashed on our faces as we got out of the car. With an extremely dry and hot month, why today is the only day we get rain?

However, the air temperature was fantastic for hiking. We put on our rain coats and our backpacks (don't worry, mine wasn't too heavy, or too tight across my tummy) and headed towards our destination: Ruth Lake.

The trail was easy and beautiful. Wildflowers of every color were in bloom and with the rain everything looked deep dark green. Little rivers and streams crisscrossed meadows full of moss and flowers. Tiny fairy sized waterfalls fell over rocks into perfect little pools below. Soon the rain slowed and finally stopped.

Here are E and David. Behind them you can see Hayden Peak. Notice at this point E is still in his rain gear.
Me, with Hayden Peak and Ruth Lake in the background.
Once at Ruth Lake (only one mile from the trail head) we stopped and had lunch. All three of us decided to continue on into the back country and explore the basin a little more. The official trail ended at Ruth Lake, but the basin was huge with many lakes and ponds, all connected by delicate little rivers.

The hike towards Jewel Lake was just as dazzling. Jewel Lake was tucked low and set beside sheer rock walls. We contemplated stopping there, but decided to keep going towards Cutthroat Lake. The bush waking between Jewel and Cutthroat was our hardest hiking. We knew the direction we needed to go in, and we knew how far away the lake was, but the route we took was tough. Over rock fields and through an old avalanche path we finally made our way to Cutthroat.

The lake was amazing, surrounded on all sides by huge peaks and spectacular views. We hiked to the far side of the lake, up a slope and found a perfect spot for camp. The view was unreal. Truly. We settled into a huge marshy meadow which meant the ground we set our tent on was dry, but soft. Rocks spilled down to the lake shore, and these make an ideal spot for cooking and chatting. Only steps away was another gorgeous stream where wildflowers grew thick and moss sheltered spots for magic.

That night we relaxed, made a fantastic dinner of pasta with garden veggies, salami, and fresh grated parmesan. After diner E and I hiked around the lake and then later David joined us to hike around the enormous marshy meadow where our camp was. Pikas scurried in and out of the rocks and the wildflowers were more vivid and in more verities than I ever remember. It got dark as we watched the sun change Hayden Peak from brown to pink to red to gray we even saw a family of deer not far from our camp.

This is our view from our dinner spot. Spectacular!
Again. The clouds and light changed so quickly, I got a lot of photos like this.
Dinner is served!

Here is our little tent and Hayden Peak beyond. Stunning.
Sunset in the mountains.

That night was quiet and peaceful. Sleeping in the back country was as good as it ever is, which is to say not that good at all. However, E and I woke up refreshed and excited to see a blue sky.We filtered water, enjoyed the view (you could never get sick of this view) and took a small hike up to a nearby saddle while David slept on. Once back we made a great breakfast of oatmeal, bagels and cream cheese and tea.

All too soon we packed up camp, filtered water one last time and hiked out. The hike back towards Jewel Lake was much more pleasing due to the fact that we didn't take the route of death, instead we stayed low in the meadows and enjoyed more of the delicate streams, fantastic wildflower shows and flat hiking. From Jewel it was a fairly easy two miles out. In the last quarter mile the skies opened up, and the rain started again. By the time E and I had put our rain coats on, however, the rain had stopped once again.

Back at the car we enjoyed what all backpackers enjoy most - taking off their pack. We then decided to head to Park City on the way home so we could stop at Squaters Brew Pub and fill up on beer and burgers (or in my case, a soda).

Fantastic weekend.

This is looking at our camp from the other direction. Blue skies! Our camp was well above 10,000 feet, so it was really up there.
This is the meadow we camped beside. Isn't it spectacular?
E and I hiked up to a saddle that morning without our packs. If you click on this photo to see it bigger, you can see my tummy!
Our campsite right before we left. We're all packed up here, as you can see.
On the way out the sky was so dramatic. Love it.
And the wildflowers were happy to show off.
E and David beside one of the dozens of small streams we crossed.

Hot summer weekend

E and I decided to stay home this weekend after being out of town only the weekend before. We were excited for the heat to finally be here; I was itching to do a Provo river float, but E was more intent on a day at Raging Waters.

Friday night we went to Tipica with my Grandma to celebrate E's birthday. We just love celebrating with her, and couldn't wait to tell her more Grand Canyon details, since she was the one that made it all possible.

On Saturday we hung around for most of the day and then met our friends Logan and Brooke at Raging Waters for a night pass. It worked out well, for half the price we could enter the park at 4:00. By then most of the lines were gone, people were leaving and the heat of the day was still upon us. I called the doc before heading to the water park to get the all clear, and so for the rest of the afternoon we enjoyed slides, tubes and really refreshing water. Afterwards we all went to Rio Grand, one of our favorite SLC restaurants. We sat on the patio, ordered chips, cheesy Mexican food and enjoyed the summer night.

Yesterday E and I decided to take a mountain drive. We wanted to explore East Canyon, one of the canyons we are not as familiar with. The drive was hot and beautiful. On the way back home be stopped to see a moose cooling off in a nearby lake. I wished I could jump in alongside him, it was wicked hot!

Do you see a tiny black speck in the lake?
The sweet male moose was too hot for a July afternoon and decided to take a swim.
Last night my family got together to celebrate my mom's birthday. We all went over to her house where she and Chuck made a fantastic dinner. Everyone was so excited to see me because I'm looking more and more pregnant these days. My tummy seems bigger each day, and in the last week I've started to feel Baby November kick! He loves Mexican food (starts kicking even if we mention it!) and staying up late. Every night around 11:00 pm he is very active. Can't wait to meet the little guy.

My Grandma, me (with baby bump apparent!), Melissa and my cousin Taylor.
Here is the group in my mom's backyard. Everyone really enjoyed themselves.

HP6 opens today!

I am beyond beyond beyond thrilled! Anyone who reads this blog on a regular basis knows how much I adore Harry Potter.

Can't wait. Let the snogging begin!

Had to include this photo of Hermione, it is mine and E's favorite movie poster. I love Hermione because she reminds me of me. No, not because she is wicked smart and talented, but because she is bossy and keeps the boys in line. E likes this poster because "Hermione is a hotty."