Friday, August 14, 2009
Sunday, August 9, 2009
A Hiking We Will Go
A couple of weeks ago Joe and I took a drive up Mill Creek Canyon and ever since then we've been wanting to take the kids hiking up there. Today we took the afternoon and headed out for a hike. Unfortunately we didn't do a whole lot of research on which trail we should take before we went, but we looked at a couple of things on my phone on the way there and thought we knew where we were headed. The Elbow Fork trail was described as being an "Easy" level hike which "follows the road at low altitudes and is well shaded with beautiful views of Mill Creek Canyon." I'm sure that the Elbow Fork trail is just that. What I'm not sure of is what trail we hiked. I think we went up a trail on the south side of the road when we should have been on the north side.
The trail we took was beautiful, but it was not "easy". It had a lot of switchbacks at the beginning which took us straight up the face of the mountain and it pretty much continued uphill from there. I have to say that even though the hike was far more difficult than we had planned, we still had a great time. Brad was amazing. He walked the whole way with very little complaining. He did turf it a few times, but with no major injuries and nothing could damage his positive attitude. Lucy rode in the back-pack and was a trooper too. We hiked for about an hour and a half in the fresh, clean air and I think all of us felt great afterward. Here are some pictures for you!
Here's Lucy chilling in the back-pack. It looks like she's blowing a kiss, but really she's stuffing her face with goldfish crackers.
Joe and the kids. It's a good thing he can carry Lucy like that because I don't think I could.
The kids and me.
Brad leading the way. This was my view for most of the hike. He really did an amazing job and I was really proud of him.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention that while we were hiking I got stung for the first time in my whole life. It really hurt!! Luckily it turns out I have no major allergies, so disaster averted.
The trail we took was beautiful, but it was not "easy". It had a lot of switchbacks at the beginning which took us straight up the face of the mountain and it pretty much continued uphill from there. I have to say that even though the hike was far more difficult than we had planned, we still had a great time. Brad was amazing. He walked the whole way with very little complaining. He did turf it a few times, but with no major injuries and nothing could damage his positive attitude. Lucy rode in the back-pack and was a trooper too. We hiked for about an hour and a half in the fresh, clean air and I think all of us felt great afterward. Here are some pictures for you!
This is the view of the canyon from about half way through our hike. You can just see the city where the mountains meet in the middle. You can also see how the air gets dirtier the further down you get. :(
Here's Lucy chilling in the back-pack. It looks like she's blowing a kiss, but really she's stuffing her face with goldfish crackers.
Joe and the kids. It's a good thing he can carry Lucy like that because I don't think I could.
The kids and me.
Brad leading the way. This was my view for most of the hike. He really did an amazing job and I was really proud of him.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention that while we were hiking I got stung for the first time in my whole life. It really hurt!! Luckily it turns out I have no major allergies, so disaster averted.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Playdough
I got a playdough recipe off my friend Joy's blog a couple of months ago and have made it twice now with huge success so I thought I would share!
1 c All purpose flour
1 c Warm (not hot) water
2 Tbs Cream of Tarter
1 Tbs Vegetable oil
1/4 c salt
1 pkg Unsweetened Koolaid (Optional...I haven't actually tried this part)
Food coloring as desired (I add mine after it's cooked so I can do several colors in 1 batch)
You combine all the ingredients in a pan and mix it until it's smooth. You then put it over medium heat and stir it continuously until it's one big ball. Then take it off the heat and knead until smooth. I then separate it into smaller balls and add different food coloring to each one. If your playdough is sticky even after you've cooked it you just put a little oil on your hands and knead it in - don't add more flour.
I like homemade playdough so much more than the stuff from the store. It's smoother and smells better and is super easy to clean up. If it gets dried on anything you can just dissolve it with warm water. Plus, if your kids eat it (as we know they will) you know exactly what's in it and don't have to worry.
Enjoy!
1 c All purpose flour
1 c Warm (not hot) water
2 Tbs Cream of Tarter
1 Tbs Vegetable oil
1/4 c salt
1 pkg Unsweetened Koolaid (Optional...I haven't actually tried this part)
Food coloring as desired (I add mine after it's cooked so I can do several colors in 1 batch)
You combine all the ingredients in a pan and mix it until it's smooth. You then put it over medium heat and stir it continuously until it's one big ball. Then take it off the heat and knead until smooth. I then separate it into smaller balls and add different food coloring to each one. If your playdough is sticky even after you've cooked it you just put a little oil on your hands and knead it in - don't add more flour.
I like homemade playdough so much more than the stuff from the store. It's smoother and smells better and is super easy to clean up. If it gets dried on anything you can just dissolve it with warm water. Plus, if your kids eat it (as we know they will) you know exactly what's in it and don't have to worry.
Enjoy!
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