Food

Bear Lake

/ jennced15 / Leave a comment
I hope everyone had a great week! Mine had bottomed out at the beginning but it improved as the week went on. I am not going to lie; it has been extremely frustrating finding a job and my severance has finally run out. I actually need a job now. Pray for me that it is a great one. I really need something that is going to invigorate me and keep me happy working for the next ten to twenty years.
In the meantime; we are at the Places I’ve Been post and I have decided to share where I was last weekend with Beki and my nieces: Bear Lake. So here are my five favorite things about the Bear Lake area and then I have included a photo roll from the weekend as well.
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1. LaBeau’s Drive In. They have great lake food and shakes. It is probably going to kill your diet and raise your cholesterol but it sure tastes great after spending all day on the lake.
2. Minnetonka Caves. I love going through this cave but I also love the drive to the cave. It is so beautiful. A great time to relax and get out of the heat of the day.
3. Pickleville Playhouse. I can’t leave the Bear Lake region without spending time watching a great melodrama put on by my cousins and I HIGHLY encourage everyone going to that region to stop in and see a great show.
4. Of course the Lake! It is beautiful! So blue, clear and freezing cold. It actually makes you really glad to have it be close to 100 degrees outside.
5. Jet Skiing. It is a lot of fun to just lay on the beach, play in the shallow surf but it is a WHOLE lot of fun to jet ski on this lake.
I hope everyone does something really fun this weekend! Get out there and explore nature!

Just Another Week

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It has been a long and exhausting week. Nothing new by way of a job so I hopefully will be doing some temp work starting next week. Got to pay the bills right? I have to admit that it will be nice when I can finally tell all of you that I have a job again. In the meantime, here are some of my favorite things since last week.
1. We celebrated my sister-in-laws birthday this last Sunday so that of course meant we had to have a  bonfire in the backyard.
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2. I made Black & White Cookies for everyone. IMG_4795

3. We have another round of adorable pictures of Zeke gumming his first rib bone.

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4. I have decided that living by the ocean would be a beneficial thing for me. It will keep my stress down. IMG_4567
5. I would still really love to go back to Ireland and live for a short time. If not there, then I would like to go back to the Northwest. I just need some company to want me. *:) happy IMG_4435
If you have any questions about the pictures attach, let me know. Enjoy your weekend and we’ll catch up next week.

Weekend Parties

/ jennced15 / 24 Comments
It is Friday again and that is wonderful!! I am going to share some random things this week but all of them are things that were my favorites about this week!!
1. I made pizza last night and had to use my friend Sariah’s recipe for the crust because it is the best EVER. Here is the recipe and the way my pizza looked. I am sure some of you are going to be having pizza tonight. 🙂
Quick & Easy Pizza Crust
Makes one 12-inch pizza
1 (.25 oz) package dry yeast
1 tsp. white sugar
1 cup warm water
2 ½ cups flour (I use a mixture of white with something(s) else like wheat, oat, buckwheat, etc.)
2 Tbl. Olive oil
1 tsp. salt
Preheat oven to 450. Dissolve yeast, sugar and warm water until creamy (about 10 minutes). Stir in remaining ingredients, knead into ball and let rest 15-20 minutes. Turn out onto floured surface and make into desired item.
One pizza crust: 15-20 minutes
Individual pizza crust (4-6): 10-12 minutes
Breadsticks: 7-15 minutes depending on size
**If any of you know me, I only top my pizza with a few items: olive oil/fresh herbs/garlic, cheese, chicken if in the mood, and then after cooking top with tomatoes and spinach. No joke . . . BEST THING EVER!! IMG_4735
2. I made this for breakfast and it was wonderful on a warm summer morning. Picture included.
Raspberry Peach Smoothie
(redbookmag.com)
1 ½ cups fresh peaches
1 ½ cups frozen raspberries
¼ cup Medjool dates (3-4)
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 Tbls. Chia seeds
½ tsp. vanilla
Sweetener to taste
Blend all ingredients together, once smooth, add 2 cups of ice and serve. This feeds 2 or more people. I serve it two ways: as drink or as a smoothie bowl and add additional fruit to it. It is pretty hardy. IMG_4719

3. This morning I have the kids and it was so fun to watch Ezekiel try to interact with the cat on the other side of the door and then it turned into a photo shoot so here is the roll.

4. Planning a BBQ birthday dinner on Sunday for my sister-in-law (Happy Birthday Brook!!) so of course I am thinking that I need to have the party look like one of these.
5. Of course we have to have a summer hit playing as well! Thank you to The Beach Boys.

Sunshine on the Soul

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How did everyone’s week go? Did we all survive so we can enjoy the weekend? I survived but no luck yet in the job department. I am still marching ahead though! 🙂
I have no idea what it is like where everyone lives but the last two days at my house have been WONDERFUL! It has been high seventies-low eighties and the warmth just melts my heart. I have been enjoying midday mini-naps on the hammock with the dog but I have to start worrying about sunscreen. A burnt face is no one’s idea of a happy day.
In honor of the rousing burst of sunshine on my soul; I guess it means I have to go shopping right? So here you go . . . this is what I need in order to enjoy a perfect day outside.
1. Sandals of course. I just had a pedicure a couple of days ago and now I need to show off my bright neon pink toes! I think I should go for this sandal or if an evening out is in order, I definitely needs this pair
2. Next on the list of course has to include an awesome sun dress. What is summer for but to enjoy long flowy comfort wear? 🙂 So how about this dress or this whole ensemble
3. So this is what I am doing to my hair at my next appointment because I am ready for my hair to look summery and not so business
4. If I am going to go to all the trouble to look good outside than I might as well go ahead and just get ready outside as well. This is actually a dream of mine to have an outdoor bathtub and shower. Sounds weird right? After living in Hawaii and using them; there is no going back. I just need to live in a climate conducive to the habit
5. Finally, we should all enjoy a meal full of outdoor flavor. Tacos are always a hit or this Salad
Get out there and enjoy the sun!