mountain living

So a couple weekends ago now, we went on a jeeping trip with some people from our church. And I should use jeep lightly as there were only two actual jeeps. The rest of us had 4 wheelers and side-by-sides and trucks. We were in TJ's truck which did awesomely on the trails. For most of the way going up it was an easy ride and then the trail started getting smaller and the elevation higher so it was a little nerve-wracking to me, but I'm alive! Kemper loved it, and loved being able to play when we stopped at a little old mine. We were all around the town of Silverton and Ouray which were both mining towns and there are a lot of old mine buildings left. Anyways, here are a few pictures from my phone.

This is how he smiles now...

We kept going higher after this, my phone just died and I had no camera.

hi

Yes I'm still here, if anyone was curious. I just don't have a ton to talk about. Or actually I do, but I'm lazy and don't ever want to take the time to write it all out. I haven't been very good at reading all of your blogs either and for that, I apologize. But I'm here, hoping to keep up with the blog again. Obviously my distraction has been my ever growing two year old, he keeps me busy 25 hours a day it seems. We've been going to a few play groups, the playground, and the rec center pool. I went to girls camp a few weeks back, which I loved being there as a leader. And we've been to the lake a few times now. And on drives up to Ouray and Silverton. It was our 3 year anniversary a couple weeks ago, first one we've spent together, and we kept it pretty lowkey with a nice dinner out. I've just finished the book The Help and absolutely loved it. I think the movie is going to be incredibly cheesy but I want to see it anyways. And I want to read more books like it, any suggestions?

My other distraction from the blog world has been Pinterest. Its basically a virtual bulletin board that you can keep track of all the things you find online, and use for inspiration. You have to have an invite to join, so if anyone wants one, let me know! I've actually used it a lot for remembering recipes. So since I can't find my camera at the moment, heres a few "pins".

these are from honestly...WTF. They have a few tutorials for bracelets, but I really like this one because similar bracelets sell for the big bucks, and this cost me less than $9.

These cupcakes make my mouth water just from the picture, found here. Who wants to come over and eat?
This is my basic go to look, I like how effortless it looks (although for here it probably was put together by a stylist)
This look is too preppy for TJ's taste, but I really like the mix of pattern.

our guest room

So we are fortunate enough to have a guest room in our home. And a loft too. The guest room and Kemper's are both in our basement. The only thing that isn't great about the guest room is there is only a tiny window, so not much natural sunlight comes in. And the lights in there are really strong fluorescents, which I'm not a fan of. So I'm trying to make it has bright and welcoming as possible. We really need to repaint, but that'll be later this summer. So here's what I've managed so far:

Both the paintings are by me, I'm trying to get back into painting and wanted to just make something quick and easy.

Once we paint the room a new color (probably a blue) I also want to get a few more lamps so that there is more than just the one in the corner, and the overhead fluorescents.

The only think that I've bought specifically for this room are the blue pillow cases. And they were .25 cents for both. Everything else I've already had in the house.

So definitly still a work in progress, and as you can see I'm still a novice decorator and artist, but I wanted to put something I've done on the blog so.. there ya go.

baked

So, I'm a terrible blogger. I know this, I apologize to my faithful readers... but this morning I made blueberry muffins, from scratch (instead of the box) and they are amazing. I guess I'm starting to settle into my domesticness. So I got the recipe from Joy the baker (click for recipe).

Heres what her's look like:

And heres how mine turned out:

I could've baked them for longer, but I was too eager to eat them. They are a lot easier than I thought and I think I'll only make these from now on.

Other news, my brother in law, Nikita graduated high school Friday and had a party today. I'm made a "better than sex" cake per request of my mother in law and thats easy to make too. As far as being better than sex, I'll let you all be the judge, but my vote is no ;]

Better than Sex cake:

Devils Food cake mix

Cool Whip

Crushed Heath bars

Caramel topping

Condensed Sweetened Milk

-Bake the cake according to the directions on the box, no change for high altitude.

-Cool on a wire rack for about five minutes, then cut like you're cutting pieces to serve, just not all the way thru.

-Heat about six ounces of the carmel with the condensed sweetened milk. Pour all over the cut sliced cake so that its absorbed.

-Then sprinkle a ton of the crushed heath bars (walmart sells it in a bag next to the choc. chips) on top of the cake as well.

-Let cool all the way and then cover with cool whip.

Enjoy!

-Let cool on a

the weekend

This weekend was a pretty good one, mostly because the sun was shining. The sun seems to be a rare thing here in the spring. Saturday we supported TJ's friend as he graduated college, with a degree in welding. Kemper spent his time running around, exploring trees and throwing a fit that he wasn't allowed to run in the flower beds.

Then that night we went to a gathering downtown called the dandelion festival. And it is every bit of hippie that it sounds like it might be. I wish my phone had been working at that point, I would've had pictures to share, so just use your imagination. There was live music, a used clothing sale, and ice cream truck, face painting, henna tattoos and a castle made of cardboard boxes. And of course, dandelion beer. And a lot of dreadlocks on white folk. We stopped by to say hi to some friends, and stayed a while. Probably longer than TJ was comfortable with.

Sunday we had a youth fireside and TJ spoke to the kids about his experiences in Afghanistan. He wore his uniform, so being the good Marine he is, he made sure his hair was in regulation as well. I helped him shave the back and Kemper also got a haircut. A mohawk to e specific. Its growing on me...

I'm really bad at titles.

Most of posts end up not really being about anything, so I never know what to write for a title.

This is just to say that I'm still here! Blogger has been weird to me lately, I can't get to comments, except to read them in email. And I can't comment, so I'm here lurking around, not being able to comment, but know that I am reading. Also, apparently I'm not "following" any blogs anymore, so don't know what happened there. But I will leave you with a picture of Kemper, making his usual face:

shes crafty

I have a ton of red and white felt left over from making Christmas stockings this year, and I don't want to get rid of it just yet, so with some of the white scraps I made a phone cover and stuffed rabbit for Kemper yesterday. I didn't use a pattern or tutorial for anything, its totally from my brain, which explains why the rabbit turned out kinda weird.

I wanted a simple cover to save my phone from the bottom of my purse. So until I find something I can bring myself to spend the money on, I figured this should work. It has a button closure on the back.

And heres the rabbit, Ralph. I wanted it to be bigger, but I always forget to add space for that before I start sewing. I think he's so funny looking its cute. And everything I had on hand at home already. ( I stuffed it with stuffing from a dog toy that Bear destoyed)

And Kemper ate the crayons more than colored with him... but he sat pretty quietly while I sewed. And that face is now his go to picture face.