baked kale chips

i made my first batch of kale chips

pretty easy

wash and fully dry the kale.

preheat oven, i did 400... but i think next time i'll do 350 

then remove the stem and tear the kale into bit size pieces 

throw the stems in the compost and put the pieces in a bowl 

drizzle olive oil, sea salt, and pepper on the kale

then lay the kale out on your baking sheet/s so that it does not overlap

and bake for 8-10 minutes 

i think for my next batch i'll add more flavor.

while they are good, but i think with a little more salt and garlic they would have been even better.

(finished product, crispy baked kale chips)

happy birthday, my little baby

dear cadence

as i sit here looking through pictures from your birth so many emotions are racing through me.

little did i know when i saw those two little pink lines just how much you would change my life.

writing you this letter is not easy as words do not seem to do justice to the feelings i have for you.  

you are my heart, with every beat i want to hold you close to my chest and whisper how thankful i am for you.

since day one you have been a spark in my life, a true blessing.

i can see God's caring heart in your eyes, knowing He knit you together in His likeness. 

your smile makes my heart gush.

your voice melts my moods.

your tender heart for others gives me hope.

my little baby, you're not so little to the world anymore.

i'm not sure how five arrived so fast, and while i miss your chubby little baby hands and you sleeping nestled up against my chest, i'm excited to see you grow and learn new things.

to see that twinkle in your eye when you accomplish a new big girl task. 

my little honeybee, you will always be little to me.

i love you. 

always and forever

happy 5th birthday

cowboys and indians

we squeezed a whole weekends worth of stuff into one long saturday.

tristan had to hit the road early sunday to start his trek to denver

i'm a big fan of farmers markets

even when it's over 90 degrees, now my husband... he's not a fan of doing much of anything in that kind of heat.

but like the awesome luff he is, he walked up and down the booths with me while sweating our bums off.

i bought kale for the first time, i tried to act like i new what i was doing. like i was some sort of leafy expert.

i'm pretty sure they could see right through my lack of knowledge though.

(keep an eye out for a kale chip post, coming soon)

our farmers market is downtown by all the cute shops so after getting our goods we headed to some awesome antique shops.

we drooled our way through 2 huge shops.

and then headed to the bluestone bakery for lunch

their quiche is amazing! honestly the best i've ever had!

after lunch we made a pit stop at home to drop off the farmers market bounty, give the puppy a potty break, and pick up some of tristan's toys.

next stop was the shooting rang.

my parents, my brother inlaw, a family friend, and 2 of their sons came with us

 (my dad)

 see the middle hole, yep, that is mine! 

after spending a few hours there we went to dinner with my parents and then headed back to the house to get things ready for tristan's early take off. 

we  also cruzed around down town a bit on the way to pick up tristan's groceries for the week.

there was a huge 50's car show going on with a jerry lee lewis and elvis impersonator.   

already missing my luff :(

missing my littlest luff

remember my post about how hard it is to co-parent?

my lil lady is in CA for a week, gone till next sunday. which means for the first time in her little life i will not be able to wake her up on her birthday with kisses :(

i can't wait till she's home and i can smother her with hugs and kisses.

when she gets home for her birthday we are going to have a backyard camp out, fire pit and all. 

birthday smores?!

she'll love it.

going to work on a few things on our summer bucket list while she's gone

sewing, reading, who knows maybe even start canning. 

{truth} part 2

{eight} i have a major obsession with reusable bottles, tumblers, kanteens, etc. i can not walk by that section in a store with out stopping.

{nine} i'm scared of praying mantis...they look so unpredictable. *shudder*

{ten} i love laying in the grass, to star gaze, to nap, to picnic, to relax.

{eleven} i love red lip stick, but hardly wear it anymore... (i'd rather kiss my husband, and i'm sure he doesn't care to wear red lipstick along with me! lol)

{twelve}  i have super naturally curly hair, and i've hated it my whole life until this year. i'm now "embracing" my curls

{thirteen} i tend to floss at least 3 times a day.  

{fourteen} i really want to raise laying chickens.... so far it has not been an option 

{fifteen} i love old cowboy music

{1-7}

a stroll through the shops, take 1.

there's just something magical about our little town...

each way you turn you can see beautiful tree filled mountains

a big beautiful river runs right down the middle

and we have this downtown area that can instantly send you back a few years...

down surrounded by antique shops we have this little jewel

after our first visit i learned that tristan's grandpa use to be a soda jerk

which apparently was a highly coveted job.

for .50 cents you can enjoy a phosphate soda

they have the cutest little mixtures, gummy bear, hula girl, dirty monkey, creamsicle (which is what cadence filled her little belly with)....

they offer ice cream, candy, and lunch as well.

we opted for soda and lunch (followed by a bit of candy)

.25 got the kids each 2 pieces of candy and a bazooka gum... we enjoyed sharing they little funnies on the inside of the bazooka.

we then headed down to another little jewel

hello .50 ice cream!

i must say their cheddar and jalapeno popcorn make the perfect mix!

can't wait to explore some more of the awesome little shops our town offers

keep an eye out for take 2 in the near future.

grace

(taken from faith blogs)

well, doesn't that just sum it up

oh wait, the most important part.... thank you Jesus for that grace!