Picture Perfect, No Pictures

July 14, 2015July 14, 2015 | Megan

You know those moments that are picture perfect. The moments you want to remember every detail of for as long as you remember anything. Moments like your wedding day, the birth of your children, stepping into your first house for the first time, that rejuvenating tropical vacation?

Sometimes the moments you want to remember are micro, seemingly so small, but SO IMPORTANT. The surge of love and energy and safety in your partner’s embrace on a bad day, the joy that rises and swells when your child smiles at you with that light in their eyes that lets you know that everything is right with them and therefore everything feels absolutely right, the beauty of a landscape or vista that takes your lungs and seems to compress them into your heart with the grandeur, the achingly gorgeous manifestation of the natural world.

Once in a rare while we capture those moments on film, in picture– trying to hold the joy, and love, and beauty closer. Sometimes those moments and memories are simply for the living, the act of being part or experiencing them is our gift.

My husband, Perry, surprised me this past weekend with a party. It was an unbirthday party of sorts because my actual birthday falls during the winter. He told guests that he wanted to throw me a proper birthday party, but it was so much more than that. If I backlogged all of the reasons the PEOPLE– friends, family, neighbors, soul companions, and superior humans– in this moment were and are important to me it would fill some pages, for sure.

I just wanted to record here in my little piece of inter-space that it was one of the most magical evenings I have lived. Perry and his mom made ALL of the food (I am so proud of him!). From a killer queso recipe, to fresh guacamole, to a delicious arugula pesto salad, to bite size italian caprese skewers, every bite was delicious!

Our backyard, the space Perry has put so much time and effort into over the summer, was in fine form. Complete with the latest addition of a natural gas fire pit and gorgeous built in benches. The air was fresh, and filled with the sound of everyone’s children playing and laughing and trying to decide what part of the feast they would take to the “tree house”. (My boys have been working on ‘building’ a treehouse in a seriously overgrown bush at the end of the street, apparently it’s turning into a home-away-from-home.)

Then there were the guests. People from every part of my life, each beautifully walking their lives. New friends, old friends, and friends who I’d always hoped would meet others of my friends. The smiles, the happiness, the chance to nibble and nosh and catch up with all of these wonderful people was the best part of it ALL– PRICELESS. Thank you to all those who came whether 500 yards or nearly 3,000 miles.

All of this and so much more, and not ONE picture got taken of the event (that I know of). Besides a selfie of some of my girl friends and I. It made me smile a bit. It reminded me that sometimes the sweetest moments in life are only recorded in memory, only locked in our hearts and minds for us to carry, to cherish, to pick up and hard or long or seemingly insurmountable days and refresh us once again.

So in the spirit of LIFE, I’ve complied some of my favorite life pics from lately. No pictures from the party, but a lot of goings on and goodness.

I hope your summer has been sweet, and that you feel celebrated in your everyday!

XX, Megan

Sometimes friends bring you fresh flowers and it makes your MOMENT! DAY! WEEK! Thank you Bart and Jeanette Scheuller!

Laugh out loud. Maybe my car is trying to tell me something. “Keep those kids away from my receiver hitch, darn it!”

More stripes than I care to admit, perhaps, but NO APOLOGIES! I LOVE STRIPES!

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This salad is quickly becoming a summer staple, along with another chopped salad that my friend David generously shared with ME! (Recipe coming soon to the blog!)

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My inner geek is having a party for the fly by that New Horizons did of Pluto this morning! We’ll be coming back to this proto-planet on Friday, and I still wish that dear Pluto hadn’t been demoted. I remember going into the Air and Space Smithsonian after Pluto was down-graded and seeing the empty display (no joke) that once contained Pluto’s stats and facts. Sad day then, but this latest picture fest is a happy encounter for us planetary geeks and freaks! Go Pluto!

Sno-cone addicts! Almost everyday at every spot around town, I refuse to pick a favorite!

Bikes. We are loving the Weekly Race Series. A Wednesday race for adults and kids of all ages. Thank you to Euclid Timbers and others for sponsoring this awesome event!

More bikes.

Lake.

More lake!

This lovely lady also conspired to surprise me! Thank you, Melanie for traveling 2,902.7 miles with your littles to hang out with us! Showing up on my porch on a random Wednesday really was the most wonderful surprise a gal could as for! A gift, a treasure, we had the best time EVER!

Fish.

More fish.

There he is. The guy who really knows how to make the magic. I’d gush on, but he might blush. Suffice it to say that he is WONDERFUL! Thank you for the very merriest unbirthday bash! ❤

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Summer projects including duck-tape wallets for all the kiddos. Practically pointless, but always fun!

Science Friday: Red and Blue and Water and You

July 3, 2015July 2, 2015 | Megan

Happy almost 4th of July and Happy Science Friday! This experiment was super simple which is always a bonus for busy parents! The purpose of the project was simple to “test” the movement of water. We asked some pretty straightforward questions: Does water move? How? How does temperature affect the movement of water? How?

For this experiment you will need two bowls. One with hot water and one with cold water. You will need food coloring. Preferably blue and red. The blue for the cold water, the red for the hot water.

When we began I asked each of the children to tell me what they though would happen when we put the food coloring into the water.

“It will mix,” said Parker.

“Okay, what else might happen to the food coloring?”

They each thought about his for a moment. “Which color do you think will mix more quickly into the water? The blue or the red?”

“Blue,” M said definitively.

“The red,” P replied.

“… I don’t know. I’m waiting to see what happens,” Miss I told me.

On we went! See for yourself what we discovered!

XX, Megan

The red food coloring quickly dispersed through each dish as we added the color. The blue food coloring also began to disperse through the water, but its progress was much, much slower. You can see in I’s bowls above. The red is almost fully integrated into the water, whereas the blue is still in a very concentrated area in the center of the bowl where she deposited the color.

Our findings led us to conclude that water DOES move. We talked about how water moves on the molecular level and how heat is a characteristic of higher energy substances. This also explains why the red food coloring mixes so quickly with the water. The hot water molecules are moving much more rapidly than the cold ones.

We’d love to hear how your experiment turns out! What were your findings? What was your favorite part of this experiment?

Have a wonderful Friday!!!

Gas N’ Go

July 1, 2015July 1, 2015 | Megan

One of the things I love most about our little town is the mix of retro buildings– some dating as far back as the 1800s, some from the 30s and 50s, some with a more modern cabin vibe. This service station has the best lines, and I couldn’t resist the red trim. It takes me back the the era of filler-up boys who’d run out to your car to fill your gas and clean your windshield.

This culture doesn’t exist anywhere else in the modern world other than Oregon that I know of, and I wasn’t alive to experience the real feel of a full service gas station. But now I get to take pictures at one because, why not?

I wore this dress for a date night last weekend. We SUPed the Provo River with friends and then grabbed sushi. This little number was perfect to go from river to a quick-change for dinner. The tie-dye is right up my alley this summer, and it has a built in shelf bra. No extras required!

This would also be a great throw-on-and-go option for the 4th as it would easily go from poolside to firework viewing. Bam. You’re there. By all means, don’t forget about the Birks. Indispensable. I won’t wax on, but I LOVE these babies. So functional, so comfortable, so they’re ugly. I love them!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

XX, Megan

Dress: Patagonia (also here), Jacket: J.Crew Factory, Shoes: Birkenstock, Sunglasses: Ray-Ban, Bag: Old Navy

Red Blazer in the Long Grass

June 30, 2015June 30, 2015 | Megan

The color here is really making me happy. This blazer has been in my closet for three or more years and the outfit options where it’s concerned just don’t quit!

I hope you’re digging the Americana vibe as of late because I can’t get enough. This outfit will take you straight from park or playground games of tag to an evening enjoying summer tunes or fireworks on a picnic blanket. I hope you’re all digging your summer, and that you have a fantastic week of the 4th!

XX, Megan
Blazer: J.Crew Factory (similar), Shirt: Old Navy, Shorts: Levi’s, Shoes: Birkenstocks, Sunglasses: Ray-Ban, Bag: Old Navy, Lips: Top Shop Rio Rio, Cuff: Vintage, Rings: Vintage

Spontaneous Watermelon Salad

June 29, 2015June 29, 2015 | Megan

We had a HUGE watermelon feast over Father’s Day and are JUST now getting around to finishing up all the bits of that beast. It was a really good melon. Fresh, crisp, and perfectly juicy.

While I loved consuming all of this melon, by the 7th day I was a little tired of simple bowls of jusT the fruit. I went hunting for salad recipes, and found one that was quick, simple, and ingredients on hand number online. Magnifique!

The decision to whip this salad up was truly spontaneous, spur-of-the-moment, and I don’t regret saying that I ate this ENTIRE bowl myself!

The recipe for an entire 8 pound watermelon is below, but for my personal portion I took this bowl of watermwlon, one tablespoon olive oil, one tablespoon balsamic vinegar, handful of mint, one tablespoon of feta.

It has been blazing here. Well, comparatively speaking, as bumping the 100s in June is rare here in the mountains. But a watermelon salad lunch was the perfect way to off-set the high temps.

Hope your Monday is off to a good start!

XX, Megan

Ingredients:

1 7-8 lb. seedless watermelon, chilled
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 limes, juiced (I subbed balsamic vingar!)
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp black pepper
1 cup fresh chopped mint leaves
1 1/2 cups crumbled feta cheese (goat or sheep milk feta is best)

Total Time: 20 Minutes
Servings: 8 servings
1. Cut watermelon into bite size squares
2. Mix olive oil and vinegar (or lime juice)
3. Chop mint
4. Crumble Feta
5. Drizzle the dressing over the salad
6. Garnish with mint and feta

Consume with pleasure!