Going Red

I've tried a variety of things with my hair over the years. It's been all different lengths, a few different colors, & lots of different styles. I haven't dyed it years, though, in an effort to stick with my natural shade & avoid unnecessary chemicals.

A few weeks ago, I got an email from VocalPoint asking if I wanted to sample Clairol Nice ‘n Easy Non-Permanent Hair Color . I took their survey & apparently I qualified, because they sent me a coupon for a free box.

  

I dyed it myself, which was a first for me. It wasn't hard at all! I thought I'd have a huge mess & dye everywhere, but there wasn't. After it set for 15 minutes, I rinsed it out. The only casualty was a spot on my bathroom rug. I got a little over-zealous with the squirt bottle at the end!

It's ammonia free & washes out in 28 shampoos. Perfect, because I didn't want anything permanent. I got the Deep Mahogany, which based on my hair color, would be a subtle reddish hue.

As you can see, it's not so subtle...but it is a fun color change for fall! And it's great to know that it'll slowly wash out, so I'm enjoying the fun of being a redhead for a little while. Then, back to natural!

Weekend Waterfalls

We went to the cabin for the weekend. It's becoming a recurring theme.

We stopped on the way up to hike the High Rock Trail at World's End State Park. The trail went straight up the mountain to the High Rock Vista & then straight back down again to this creek.

Because of the raging waters with all of the heavy rains & flooding, this wasn't a simple creek crossing. It was a raging mega-creek. We hiked upstream a little to find a narrower place to cross.

Then, despite all of our efforts to stay dry, it started to pour. We had originally planned to take a second loop that started where this loop ended, but decided to head to the cabin & get some lunch instead.

For Mommom's birthday, I offered to bake a cake. Unfortunately, she and Poppop had to cancel their trip up at the last minute, so she didn't get any. I'll have to make it again! I doubled the recipe for this Chocolate & Coconut Milk Cake since I like to have a layer cake for birthdays, but it would have been plenty of cake with just the single layer. No one was complaining about extra cake, though!

Mom & Dad gave me an early birthday present - a pillow top mattress cover! Our bed up at the cabin is pretty hard & the original mattress cover kept coming off. It was so nice so sleep on this instead!

We went for a few longer hikes on Saturday & Sunday to see more waterfalls & views.

I love being out in nature and seeing all the signs of life.

Butterflies

Leaves changing color

Deer running across the path

Blue skies with drifting clouds

Trees blowing in the wind

Birds flitting around

Chipmunks scurrying through the underbrush

There's something so calming and peaceful about it all.

The Bup has been whittling away at his hiking stick to make the perfect handle. A few more trips up and I think he'll have it done.

Here's the family in their hiking gear. Mom refuses to wear pants if it's over 40*F, but she'll wear gloves! We all had on orange for safety in case any hunters were out.

For breakfast - Pumpkin Spice Pull-Apart Bread. This was a kitchen flop from a few weeks ago, but this time it was a kitchen win! Yum!

The power of water! I think these waterfalls in the middle of the woods are far more beautiful than Niagra Falls.

Water is the driver of Nature.        - Leonardo da Vinci

Edible Flowers

I picked you some flowers!

You're welcome. :-)

They grew in my garden on this ginormous vine. It used to be even bushier, but there were a few branches off to the right that aren't there anymore. They were blocking the sunlight from our poor little pepper plant that's in the corner. I guess that's what happens when you leave your garden to tend itself for a week.

The Bup got mad because he was really babying those pepper plants. So I fixed the problem and fed him the by-products. Sounds yummy, huh?

.

Aren't they pretty all sprinkled with seasonings?

The only place to turn up the heat on a 92 degree day is outside. Our poor A/C doesn't deserve to be punished like this. I'd like it to survive the whole summer.

It only seems appropriate that the first use of the side burner on the grill is to saute flowers. Very girly.

Chilled white Riesling made the meal.

Baby Pattypan Squash with Flowers

Yield: 2 servings

1 T olive oil

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 small zucchini, sliced

1 baby red onion, sliced (about 2 T of onion, if using a regular sized onion)

8 baby pattypan squash, halved (leave flowers attached if possible)

10-15 pattypan squash buds

about 5 flowers from the squash plant*

Wash and chop all of the vegeatables, leaving buds and flowers whole. Add veggies, olive oil and seasonings to a large frying pan. Saute on medium heat for about 5 minutes or until veggies are tender but not mushy. (This can be done on a stovetop, but it was fun cooking it outside on the grill!) Serve immediately.

*This is very dependent on how many are on the vine. If you have more buds than flowers or vice versa, no problem! Just make sure you have a few baby pattypans to add some crunch. 

 

Check out my recipe on Foodista!
Baby Pattypan Squash with Flowers

Rock Movers

Last weekend we went up to my parents' cabin and helped build a rock wall.

As you can see, there are a lot of rock walls already up there. Really, there are a lot of rocks and making walls is the best way to keep them in line. It seems like everywhere you turn another rock is popping up.

Before my parents even bought the property, there used to be a barn yard that had a rock fence around it. It had already fallen down before they got to it, and it was in a field that was rarely used. Since they built the new cabin, it's now in the backyard.

We cut away the weeds and worked on moving the rocks to re-form the wall.

I was in charge of hauling the cart of weeds and brush down to the opposite end of the yard. I can't even describe to you how wet my feet got. It wasn't raining while we were working, but it had rained that morning and the ground up there is perpetually wet anyway. The water from the grass seeped up my pants all the way to my knees.

I love seeing my dad and husband work together. It makes me so happy to see them getting along and growing closer. They really do work well together.

I helped line up the front stones and keep everything interlocking. There were a few times when Dad said that Grandpap and Uncle Sisto were probably rolling over in their graves. They were both very particular about building with stones and taught Dad and his brothers a lot about it.

We made it to the end of one side and stopped for the day. After moving rocks for 4 1/2 hours, it was time for beer!

The cornerstone.

Can we go back again soon?

In Honor of Mom

Tomorrow is Mother's Day, so I'd like to take a moment to tell you about my mom and the things I admire about her and learned from her!

1. She has SO much energy! I can only hope that I have that much energy as I get older.

2. I inherited my love of ice cream from her.

3. Cooking is fun! I learned to appreciate all food from Mom.

4. Never limit yourself. She is always on the go, getting things done around the house and yard. It's inspiring to see so much creativity.

5. If you spill your margarita, it's ok to spoon it off the counter.

6. Almost everything is reusable. Baggies are washable and the best place to dry them is on your plants...it's like a mini greenhouse!

7. There's no end to the amount of plants you can grow on a small plot of land. Grass is totally optional. She's my own personal Master Gardener.

8. Budget, budget, budget. But still spend enough to enjoy life, just be wise about it.

9. Take as many vacations as possible. There's so much out there to see!

10. Walk everywhere. If you can't walk, bike. And take the steps.

11. Love your husband without fail, but don't be afraid to argue once in awhile.

Thank you, Mom, for being the best mother and friend in the world!

Locks of Love!

 Today was haircut day! This was my 4th time chopping off enough hair to donate to Locks of Love. It takes about 2.5 years for me to grow it long enough to donate (they have to have 10" or more). I really recommend doing it if you have long hair. Most hair salons will send it off for you, which makes it super easy. It's so freeing to have 10+ inches cut off!

The first time I cut my hair was right before graduation from high school. This is one of my senior pictures, which I got taken in the spring.

It was still styled from the hairdresser for my graduation pictures. My parents almost didn't recognize me when I was announced because I'd just gotten it cut that day and the announcer didn't pronounce my name right (surprise!). It rained that morning and I remember wearing a hood because I was worried that it would get wet and messed up.

My second donation was in spring of my sophomore year of college. My roomie went with me and took pics.

This was the shortest it's been! Every time, I've had it cut by someone different and in a different town.

This time I let my hair grow again for my wedding! 

But by Christmas, it was short again. We had a hair dresser convention where I work and they asked if I would be a hair model since mine was so long. The lady was really nice and when I told her I was getting ready to donate it, she offered to do that, too! So I got it cut onstage as a demo for going from really long to short, plus she highlighted it for me.

This was TOO LONG. I should've cut it sooner.

And this may be the only post I ever do that is anything beauty/hair related. :-)