Hiking with kids in Utah - Silver Lake

I have never seen myself as an avid hiker. Though I love the wilderness, it just has never been high on my favorites thing to do. Well that is until I became a mother. That is one of the best things of being a parent, exploring the world through new sets of eyes. Have you tried hiking with your kids? There are so many awesome reasons to make this a regular excursion with them!

*Kids are natural explorers. They want to see new places, climb big boulders and spot animals (even if it is just a chipmunk) in the wild. They want to learn in a fun environment.

*Hiking is typically free. There are times when parks will charge a minimal fee, but this is such an inexpensive way to spend the day.

*Kids need to burn off energy. Hiking allows them chances to run, to climb and wear themselves out. You may find that you are rewarded with fabulous naps after your hikes.

*Instead of yelling or bribing your kids to remove themselves from technology, hiking is a fun way to accomplish that without an argument. You may find that the more your kids love the outdoors, the less you hear the electronic sounds.

This summer, I will be posting my reviews of hikes with kids in the local Northern Utah area. Please feel free to chime in with your favorite places to hike!

Last week we started our season off with a favorite of ours, Silver Lake. Hands down, I think this is the best beginner hike with kids that I have found. The hike around the lake is about an hour at a slow speed - the perfect time for my kids (2,5,7). It is common to spot moose and beavers. On our trip we only saw chipmunks and squirrels though.

I recommend packing the kid cameras, bug collectors and jackets. Here the kids spotted a beaver dam on one side of the lake and a lodge on the other.

The path is quite large and safe with little elevation gain. You could easily push a jogging stroller on the path (we saw at least a 1/2 dozen that morning).

It is a wonderful shaded hike that is a cool respite from the valley during the hotter months. I recommend if you prefer a more peaceful time, plan on hiking early in the morning. Around lunch time, the parking lot is full and the lake is chirping with lots of little voices.

Two kiddo thumbs up for Silver Lake!

Have you gone? What was your favorite part of the hike?

Can't Let It Go, Let It Go

I can't believe my first born turned 7 a few months ago. It honestly seems like just yesterday when I could feel her kick in my belly at the sound of her Daddy talking. She has always been an old soul though - full of wisdom and kindness. Those who know her, know she exudes a sunshine that is unique. My sweet girl requested a Frozen birthday and I did my best to accommodate!

When we celebrate birthdays, we tend to make it at least a week long party. A quick tulle wreath for the front door - adorned with vinyl and lots of glitter! Her face would light up every time she saw it when we would drive up to our home.

A banner in her name and a snowball (cotton balls) garland in the front room. Her name and snowflakes were cut on vinyl and the pennants are metallic cardstock. 

A peek-a-boo vinyl decal for our family room lamp - the image is from Cricut's Frozen line.

A watercolor invitation with lots of glitter and boxed up with a ribbon. These were one of her most favorite invitations!

Since her birthday is in early spring, all the Utah snow had melted and we were able to have the party outside with her friends.

 

We had snow-capped Elsa punch - such a hit with the kids! And amazingly there were no blue puddles in the kitchen after the party.

Olaf noses in the snow (baby carrots with ranch dip).

Kristoff ice cubes (blue raspberry Jello jigglers).

 Elsa's favorite fresh fruit..

And a Rock Troll salad (Cesar salad).

Since all the snow had melted, we couldn't build a snowman. Instead we drew Olaf all over our brick fence - no worries, chalk washes off and the kids loved it!

Kiddo wanted to create a game of her own for the party. She drew Elsa and cut out magical snowflakes for a fun game of pin the snowflake on Elsa. Isn't she so creative!

The children blew a bubble reception for Elsa! Elsa was amazing! If you live in Northern Utah and would like to invite her to your party, she can be found at Part of Your World Princess Parties. We received no compensation for this review, we just truly loved her! I still hear about how wonderful she was from my daughters and the guests!

There was a story time out on the lawn - the kids were hanging on her every word!

Singing and dancing with Elsa..

and lots of time for photos!

When Elsa had to return home, it was time for desserts!
First we had Anna's Frozen Heart cake pops..

 

And this year my daughter requested a cake from the bakery. It was delicious, affordable and was one less thing for me to worry about. Win, win!

The kids took home a goody bag of white & blue rock candy wands because I'm sure they needed more sugar in their life.. Sorry parents!

It was a wonderful birthday and party. These childhood years fly by, I will never regret making a big deal on their special day.

Now, can we let it go?

Learn How To Surf

I worked this up today in watercolor for the prompt of skill.

Learning how to roll with life's waves is a necessary skill, but not one we are born with. Our lives have been so crazed since last June. We've had so much turmoil and strife in our inner circle. Sadly, the trend has not ceased, but we have learned to surf holding hands and waiting for the waves to cease.

Inside the Sketchbook

Some of the pieces I have been working on in my sketchbook...

This was for the daily prompt of - Mom. It's a watercolor based off my last maternity photo shoot.

This one I chose to do on a canvas with acrylics. It's titled "Yesterday" - a nostalgic memory to keep the wonder of childhood alive. It will be listed in my Etsy shop next week.

A different style for the daily prompt of something that starts with the letter L. In the end a lot of people choose a lion. This was a watercolor and pen sketch in the sketchbook.

 A watercolor and pen commentary on social media for the prompt of reward. In the end only we know if we have bent our personalities to fit a mold. It's something I fight against on a regular basis.

And this last piece is in progress. A tiny vignette of retro Disneyland was more work than I anticipated - lots more more layers and details to do, but it does make me happy. 

Macaron Mania

For the longest time, I planned on becoming a pastry chef. I worked in a French bakery during my undergraduate degree and moved to an apartment in Scottsdale, AZ right across from the culinary institute. Honestly I can't remember why I changed my mind. There is so much about baking and cooking that makes my heart flutter. It truly is a delightful mix of science and art. Alas, I didn't not pursue my culinary dream, but I do enjoy the time to play with it. I love the idea of mastering the more difficult delicacies like French macarons. They are light and melt in your mouth with such pleasure. You can change the flavors quite easily and they look so decadent. 

I have not mastered them, not even close. But I am having fun while I experiment. You absolutely do need a a super large round tip. On my first attempt all I had was a star tip. Those pumpkin spice meringue cookies were delicious, but hardly macaroons. I immediately bought a new tip and scoured Pinterest for some technique assistance.

I found this delicious pumpkin spice recipe over at Foodie Misadventures.

And then I made these bits of heaven using the recipe from Delicious Everyday.

There are some incredibly great tips at Not So Humble Pie. Are they difficult to create? Yes, Ma'am. Are they impossible? No, of course not. And even the ones that look awful will taste divine -- my kids are pretty happy scampering off with one or two duds to enjoy. Maybe try making a few for the holidays this year!

Thanksgiving Turkey Legs - Sugar Cookies

It's been a few years since I've enjoyed cookie art. I've had such a desire to paint lately and figured that with the holidays coming that I would put it to an edible use. These are so fun - my kids were going nuts as I made them. And children are exactly who I had in mind for these - a yummy treat during the Thanksgiving season.

For these cookies, I used Sweetopia's Chocolate Sugar Cookie recipe. It is incredibly delicious - an amazing chocolate flavor and smooth cookie bite. This recipe does make quite a bit of cookies, so be prepared for a full bowl of dough.

The cookie cutter for the turkey legs is actually a hot air balloon! I love cutters that can be used in various ways. My friends and I actually came up with quite a long list of what this cutter could be used as.

Now that I have 3 crazy kids corralling me while I'm in the kitchen, I have to be as efficient as possible. Here are my tools ready to go and this is what you will need:

*hot air balloon cookie cutter

*royal icing

*2 icing bags with couplers and size 2 round tips

*2 squeeze bottles

*brown sanding sugar

*2 disposable cups

*spray bottle

*brown icing color

I love this royal icing recipe from Cake Central. It was the perfect amount for these 4 large cookies with a bit left over.

After the frosting is made, I move a small bit into a disposable cup. I tinted it with the tiniest bit of brown to create a nice taupe, bone color. I learned this fabulous trick on Sweet Sugar Belle about placing the frosting in some plastic wrap and placing it all in the icing bag - you have to go check this out. It has changed my life!

After outlining the turkey meat and bone.

Once the outlining is done, it's time to create the flood icing. I spritz the the icing until it has a nice fluid consistency, like syrup, and place into the squeeze bottles. My cups are cracked here because I smash the sides together while pouring the icing out - makes it nice and easy to clean up!

Flood the bone with icing and allow it to dry. I use a long skewer to help gently push the icing around and pop any bubbles that arise.

Then flood the turkey meat area and sprinkle a bit of brown sanding sugar on top.

I guarantee you that these will be a hit! Silly and delicious - just as a sugar cookie should be..

Nightmare Before Christmas - Sally Costume

I have loved everything that Tim Burton has created. This year I decided I would finally be Sally from "The Nightmare Before Christmas". My husband was not into dressing up this year -- I can only convince him to wear a costume about every other year. My poor son was young enough that I could choose his costume and so he was Jack.

Now given that this costume was only going to be used for a handful of parties and probably never again, I did not want to spend a lot of money on it. I used the cheapest white broadcloth that I had yardage of in the closet (a horrible fabric purchase years ago that has been quite helpful!). I cut a general rag doll shape and sewed it up. It originally had sleeves, but those became too cumbersome and so I snipped them right off. Sewing is not scary, it's not surgery. It's fabric and thread and meant to be fun. If you have never sewn clothing before, I think this is the best time to do it. 

And then I dyed my hair fire engine red... I actually loved it so much that it is still this red today..

And then I painted and painted and painted. I scoured images of Sally off the internet and tried to emulate her dress. I used cheap, old craft paint. I did not mix in any fabric medium - this made the dress quite stiff and cartoon-like.. which was my goal.

Once the dress was completed, I returned to scouring the internet for makeup ideas.. My baby would have nothing to do with me the first time around. He cried, hollered and ran away from me. Maybe it was the eyes??

After the first party, I learned a few things and tried it a bit different.

I bought a couple pairs of light blue pantyhose to accessorize the outfit. I used one pair as pantyhose and added some Sharpie stitches. For the other pair, I cut out the panty area and wore it as a top under my dress. It gave me quick, blue Sally arms and kept help keep me warm.

Such a fun costume to wear! And now that we are in the first week of November, it's time to start planning next year's fun.. thinking Lucy & Ricky Ricardo!