"experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted." -randy pausch

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

autumn's front porch.

-thursday ocotober 17th, 2013-
the falling leaves delivered us onto autumn's front porch, 
like sipping cider 
on a wooden rocking chair
with a field 
of pumpkins 
at our 
feet.
it was like some kind of paradise
that you only see in the movies,
or a martha stewart magazine.
and i just felt like the luckiest person alive.
 and then they did that about 20 more times in a row.
but my favorite part of the entire hour 
was the ten minutes where brennan and i laid under that beautiful tree.
looking up into its leaves.
i told him that if he laid there with me,
still as still could be,
it would be good luck if a leaf fell on him.
as long as it fell there without either of us moving.
just straight down from the sky on top of us.
so we laid there,
and max and chase would come and go,
and he and i would not move a muscle,
and the wind would blow,
and the leaves would sift themselves from the limbs to the lawn,
and then ever so often,
some would fall right into our hands.
or brush us across our faces.
or miss us right at the very last minute,
when we were sure one was going to fall right on top of us.
and brennan would giggle and belly laugh next to me,
and we wouldn't move,
we would just lay still as still could be.
except when chase wanted to body slam us.
or when we caught the lucky leaf.
and then when we came inside to put chase to bed,
two black spiders jumped off of my coat in two different places of the house,
one on my bed, and one on the stairs,
and i was glad that we were done playing in the leaves for the day:)
GASP.

Monday, October 21, 2013

the day the waitress told us she looked good naked {the scarecrow walk}

-thursday october 17th, 2013-
the walk where i decided we needed to move to park city.
but by the end, 
we were freezing our buns, 
and i changed my mind.
i give you,
a 
SCARECROW
photo gallery...
the skiing scarecrows
were my favorites.
only in park city:)
imagine a hillside full of yellow brushstrokes.
that was probably a week ago.
wah!


and then we took the kids for hot chocolates at mcdonald's, 
where the waitress told us she was a gymnast in her youth,
who never had kids,
and still looked great with her clothes all off.
true story.
the ladies and chase all sat in our own booth,
and we put the kids in their own booth behind us.
with halloween oreos for everyone to pass around.
relaxing lunch with kids on a whole new level:)
so relaxing that max spilled her hot chocolate all over the table,
and i didn't even know it.
and brennan and blake wrestled on their side of the booth,
and no one but us could really see them,
although we pried them off of each other every 5 minutes or so,
just to be grown up like for a minute,
or when one of them punched each other in the crotch and someone started crying.
whichever.
i also learned that the southwest chicken salad my mom ordered 
was better than the chicken bacon ranch salad i ordered.
but that i would have been better off just ordering a hot chocolate for lunch instead.
except brooke's was watered down.
i always forget how much i love park city.

sometimes nostalgia just isn't practical {PEACH SALSA RECIPE!!!}

canned peach salsa!
{you can make this without the vinegar and eat within 3 days if you don't want to can it.}

INGREDIENTS
7 cups ripe {but not over-ripe} peaches, peeled, diced, and set in colander to drain
1 1/4 cup red onion, diced
4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, loosely packed and chopped
1/2 cup white vinegar
2tbls honey
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

DIRECTIONS
1. cop and prepare all ingredients.
2. combine them in large cooking pot, set aside.
3. bring your canner to almost boiling 
{pour a 1/4 cup vinegar in your canning bath water 
so your jars come out squeaky clean}, 
get your jars and rings hot, lids ready.
CLICK HERE for a more detailed canning HOW TO.
4. bring the salsa to a boil, then turn the heat back and let simmer for 3-5 minutes, no longer {don't want your peaches to get mushy and over cooked}.
5. set your hot jars out now, transfer salsa to hot jars, wipe rims, place lids and rings on.
6. process in a boiling hot water bath for 10 minutes {you can add 10 min. for salt lake county elevation or wherever you are if you want to be a rule follower, BUT i decided not to last year so my peaches wouldn't get mushy, and i didn't have any problems with sealing and storing. proceed at your own risk:)}
yields 4-5 pints.

**this recipe has quite the punch in the heat department, 
so if you want is less hot, back off of the cumin and jalapenos.**
and how do i chop all of those onions in peace you ask?
the way i have for last 6 years.
GOGGLES:)
.
.
.
.
.
i KNOW i'm not alone.
goggles courtesy of my high school swim team.
it appears my face has grown though,
because they pinch my nose more than they used to.
so totally worth it.
pain is gain.
pain is gain.
except next time,
i'm just going to get my grown up goggles out.
because
sometimes nostalgia just isn't practical.