Rincon Stake Trek 2014 slideshow (long)

Rincon Stake Trek 2014 slide show (short)

Milestones

2200 yards = relaxation = 1.25 miles = 88 laps = 75 min. = 1 burger + fries Yum! 

Who am I kidding, it's really it's all about the burger!

She is amazing!!

Our princess is amazing!!! Sara ran her very first 5k today, the I Love My Mommy race by Anderson Racing Adventures, LLC.  We did it together.  During the race a rather young cyclist plowed into Sara.  After the initial shock passed, Sara picked herself up, looked around, and kept going.  She did not give up!  She even participated in the 1k kids fun run after the 5k.  

Dear Princess Sara,
I am so proud of you. You're amazing!!!   I am in awe of your perseverance.  Know that you can do and BE anything you choose to be. You, my dear, are my hero.  I love you so very much!
Love,
Mom

Today's Epiphany

An uplifting telephone 

chat with a sister is like 

the balm of Gilead 

for the soul.

Swimming

I'm so excited!!!!  

I swam a mile today!!!!!

Actually, it was 2000 yards or 1.136 miles or 80 lengths of a 25 yard pool. 

It took forever (~91 minutes), but I don't care because I did it!!!

Truth be told, my Daniel and Jared inspired me to set the goal and work towards it.  If those adorable little fellas can swim an 800 and run a 5k with a bunch of grown-ups, I can certainly learn to swim a mile.

Not Your Typical Recipe

 I thought I'd share a couple of my new favorite crazy recipes.  Enjoy!

At Home Spa Brown Sugar Scrub (Looking forward to trying it)

http://doterrablog.com/at-home-spa-treatments-using-doterra-essential-oils

Zermatt Spa & dōTERRA essential oils recipe

½ cups brown sugar

2 heaping TBS of dōTERRA coconut oil (or almond oil or olive oil)

3 to 5 drops of your favorite dōTERRA essential oil

Mix well.   To apply wet skin and massage gently, rinse with warm water and apply favorite moisturizer

***Homemade Sugar Scrub*** (love it!!)

http://unbailefor5.blogspot.com/2011/05/homemade-sugar-scrub.html

1 ½ cups sugar (white but you could use brown)

¼ cup olive oil

massage oil for scent

optional add-ins: ¼ tsp vitamin E, 9-12 drops of favorite essential oil

blend together well, gently massage into damp skin and rinse, store in an air tight container between uses

***Mom’s Magic Cleaner*** (love it!!)

From Gabby De Carvalho

14 oz. water

2-3 tablespoons Dr. Bronner’s castile soap

30 drops tea tree oil

place in a spray bottle

shake well before each use

no rinsing necessary, can be used as a general surface disinfectant 

works wonders on little kiddo paw prints too! 

 

Gratitude

I'm grateful for a mother and young women leaders who introduced me to the basics of sewing and pattern making.  Thanks to this skill I was able to help Bryan with a 'special' project. However, I wish I'd paid better attention in geometry.  The pattern sure had some crazy angles!

Saguaro National Park

A while back Bryan bought a park pass to Saguaro National Park. Sara and I have really enjoyed using it! On our most recent visit, Sara and I saw a rattlesnake crossing the road and a gila monster making a mad dash across the trail. So cool!

Sara taking a little rest.
Of course, she asked for her picture to be taken!

Because of all the rain, the desert is in full bloom. Isn't it pretty?

the princess wanted yet another picture before we climbed back in the car

Happy Birthday

The great thing about being married to an engineer is that instead of setting my birthday cake ablaze with candles he wrote my age in binary. What a great idea!

Momma & the princess

cake courtesy of Cassie*
age displayed in binary with candles by dad
Can you guess how old I am?


my family, my greatest joy

I love her laugh!

Happy Birthday to Me!!

*Thank you, thank you, thank you Estes family for always looking out for our little family. We love you!!

Fun with food

The trifle I made for the Scentsy party. It was just so pretty that I had to take a picture. Sometimes, a girl just has to toot her own horn. Hee-hee

A new do

After some thought and a desire to be a little more giving I decided to grow out my hair and donate it. I opted to donate to Locks of Love. I can honestly say, I'm glad to have done it. Even though,I've never had short hair and getting used to it is going to take some time.

before

after