It's still spring in Duluth!

Yesterday was the first day of summer, and yet the weather here in Duluth, MN. feels like spring.  Since our arrival it's been cold and rainy with a blustery east wind.  I am trying to keep my spirits high amd remind myself that it's better than the extreme heat in Arizona... something that Scott is still experiencing.  He did sell the trailer last Friday which means we are officially homeless.  The truck has been packed to the brim with our belongings and wait for the long trek back north where most of it will be stowed away.

The girls and I did arrive safe and sound and the plane ride went fairly smooth.  We are now enjoying time at my parent's home which has ample room for the kids to act like fools. :)  I made lemon chicken with potatoes last night for supper and plan to make my favorite rhubarb bars today... something I've been craving for months.  I'm fortunate enough to experience the blooming lilacs of spring and I make sure to take a big whiff when I pass them on my way to the garage.  It won't be long before the peonies start to open too.

There's plans to see sisters and nieces and aunties and cousins and friends.  There will be shopping and eating and hopefully some walking with time by the lake if the weather ever clears up. We will enjoy a street dance as well as an annual parade... or two.  There will be a haircut for Maria and more knitting for me, plenty of picture taking and possibly even a movie in the park.

And that is where I will leave it for now, for there are some delicious bars that desperately need to be made.

Riding the waves

The girls and I leave for Minnesota on Tuesday morning and we are all very excited.  Scott will stay here in Arizona until he's done with work at the end of the month.  He'll also have the computer which means I won't be uploading any new pictures for the next few weeks unless they're taken with my phone.  I am going to try and do some blogging while we're away, but I'm not going to make any guarantees.

Before I sign off to finish packing our suitcase, I thought I should fill you in on the latest developments.

A few nights ago, Scott and I had a long and emotional discussion about our living arrangements and what our plans were for the future.  Even though we're trying to take this journey one state at a time, we can't help but think about what the future holds for this family of four.  Arizona has been very hard on most of us. The dry, hot conditions have made it especially difficult on me which then reflects on the lives of our kids.  They don't get out as much as they should be and instead are cooped up in this really small living space.  I suppose all of my emotions have been building up over time and have finally come to fruition.  On the exterior, it may seem as though we're enjoying life and all it has to offer and although I have committed myself to telling the truth on this blog, some things just couldn't be shared, not even to Scott for fear of the outcome.

The truth is... I'm lonely, feeling cramped, crabby, and miss all the things we used to call home.  It's funny how moving away makes you appreciate the things you took for granted on a daily basis.  Don't get me wrong, we have enjoyed all of our site seeing, eating out, vacations, and what have you, but living this way isn't easy.

You'd think that the kids would easily adapt to our living situations, which they have, but Maria asks almost on a daily basis about living in a house and reminisces about memories from our old lives.  Her bed, her toys, the beach, the park, Grandma's, Nonny's, etc.  In this small space, they don't have room to grow and play.  The monotony and boredom of the day shows in the way they play and interact with one another and also by their behavior towards Scott and I.  Perhaps after leaving Arizona our feelings towards our living situation would change and we would once again feel confident in our decision to live this life, but because of who we are and the way we tend to make decisions, we had to act sooner than later.

Knowing that there was a better possibility of selling the trailer here rather than in Minnesota, Scott decided to list it on Craigslist as well as the Airstream Classifieds... just to see what would happen.  That next day he received a call from a man in Idaho who was foreclosing on his house and wanted our trailer to live in.  Scott received another call from someone else in Indiana who also wanted it.  Wow!  Things were happening sooner than expected.  After several calls back and forth, a deal had been made.  John from Idaho was coming on Thursday to purchase our trailer for a price we could all agree on.  Now we can only hope that he follows through on the deal.

Yes, quick decisions makers are who we are, but so far things have usually worked out in the end.  Scott will go camping over the weekend and then live in an extended stay living facility until it's time to leave for MN.

Now, this does not mean that we're done traveling.  We still intend on traveling out to the northeast corner for the remainder of the summer and into the fall, and quite possibly somewhere else after that... Hawaii??  The only thing that will be different is our living arrangement.  There are nice extended stay facilities all over the country as well as furnished apartments available for travel nurses like Scott.  We will no longer have worries over the Airstream which will be a heavy weight lifted off our shoulders.

Plans of moving back to Minnesota next winter or spring are becoming a more likely situation and we'll be sure to fill you in on those developments in the coming months.

Although we didn't last a whole year of living this lifestyle, we are thrilled to say we've done it.  It definitely hasn't been easy and when something is no longer healthy or working for your family, you have to make adjustments.  Hopefully this step will allow us to see a bit more of this amazing country in which we live.

Can't stand the heat? Get the heck out of Arizona!!

That's exactly what we're going to do to!  As of June 14th, the girls and I will be boarding a plane to fly back to Minnesota.  We're planning to stay with Scott's mom for a few days and then head up north to Two Harbors where we'll be sending my father into cardiac arrest from having two wee ones staying, playing, and crying there until Scott comes in early July.

If you've been following this blog, you know pretty darn well that I can't stand the weather here.  I think I've complained about it since the day we arrived.  The heat makes it hard for me to get out and enjoy the outdoors or even enjoy a cup of coffee on the patio!  I keep day dreaming about Lake Superior's cool breeze, driving with the windows rolled down without the air on, and enjoying my morning coffee out on my mother's deck.  Taking a walk by the lake, in the woods, or just through town sounds much more appealing than staying cooped up in an air conditioned trailer because it's too f'ing hot to enjoy any other activities.  Scott is able to deal with the heat much better than I.  However,  wearing nothing more than swim shorts would keep me cooler too, or not.  

I suggested the idea to him as a joke... and he actually thought it was a great idea.  At first I didn't want him to feel like we were abandoning him in our great adventure, but the more he thought about it, the more he got excited about having two weeks to himself to do whatever he pleased.  He also thought the 2000 or so mile drive back to Minnesota in July would be quicker and more enjoyable without two kids crying in the backseat.  After a couple weeks of us all being together in Minnesota, we'll head out to the Northeast corner... most likely Massachusetts, New Hampshire, or Vermont.  Scott is still working on getting a job, so our destination is still unknown.

This early trip home also means more time to spend with friends and family.  Maria will spend about a week with her Grandma (Scott's mother) doing all things fun including a camping trip to Cross Lake with her cousins.  I've got plans to see old friends and new friends and hopefully enjoy a few outdoor gatherings.  

This will be Ginger's first plane ride and I'm hoping she deals with it well.  She has a tendency to get a queasy stomach at high altitudes and windy roads... so we shall see.  A non-stop flight should get us to Minneapolis in about three hours, which means roughly two princess movies on my dad's portable DVD player.  I knew that thing would come in handy.

But tomorrow we'll be heading out on a different adventure... San Diego here we come!  I hope you all have a fantastic weekend.

Liberty Market = happiness

Last week on my birthday, my family took me out for an amazingly awesome dinner at Liberty Market.  If it wasn't for Karina filling us in on all the hot spots around Mesa, we would've never known about this fantastic restaurant.

Immediately when you walk in, you're greeted by the large, old and weathered butcher block and the long farm table I have always dreamed of owning.  I instantly knew that this was going to be good.  To the left was your opportunity to watch the orange glow of the wood burning pizza oven while enjoying your meal at their modern counter.

It wasn't exactly what we had envisioned, with their paper menus and order window, but it seemed to work well for this eclectic little place.  Scott stood in line while I tried to keep the girls occupied at the table... after a long day, it was not an easy task.

Everything on the menu sounded delicious and it was extremely hard to choose just one item.  The girls had a grilled cheese that was oozing cheesy goodness out of every edge.  It came with your choice of one side from the salad case.  Maria chose the best rice pudding I have ever eaten!  It was the first thing Ginger ate and lucky for me, Maria didn't like hers. :)

Scott ordered pizza with what appeared to be caramelized onions, sausage and goat cheese.  It was delicious and I can totally appreciate a good pizza crust.  Yummy!!  I ordered one of their starred menu items... a chicken pasta.  It was creamy, cheesy goodness that resembled the Pasta Luca Brasi at Blackwoods in Duluth, only without the shrimp and without the bite.  It was very VERY good.

Before leaving the restaurant, Karina mentioned checking out the bathrooms.  So past that old farm table I went, around the glass windowed kitchen, and into the communal sink area.  Each of the 4 or 5 bathrooms were for men and women, and each had their own distinct flare.  One had a crazy geometric floor...

while another had recipes strewn all over the white walls in a black sharpie pen.  Pretty cool.

I wish I had been more brave with my camera to take more pictures, but it's a little uncomfortable when people are watching me.  Definitely something I need to work on because there were a lot of photo opportunities in that place.

We'll most likely be coming here again before we head back north to Minnesota at the end of June.

I finally finished!

Yes!  I am done knitting Maria's birthday dress that was intended to be done over a month ago.  But as with any long project, one gets distracted... and bored.  Nonetheless, it's done, I love it, and I couldn't be more proud of myself for taking on and completing my biggest project yet.  I used the elvira pattern from my new favorite website, ravelry, but found myself stumped a few times in the beginning.  Fortunately the ladies from the local yarn store are smart enough to know what the heck was going on and kind enough to help.

I blocked it out on the patio table early this morning so that it would be dry by late afternoon.  That's one great thing about Arizona... things dry super fast!!  While it was drying, I went to Jo Anne fabrics and picked out some buttons.  You can't tell from the picture, but they're glass, lavender balls.

I modified the bottom just a tad to give it a more finished look than what the pattern called for.  I really like how it turned out too.

I've got roughly 400 yards of yarn left (I know!) so now I'm on the lookout for an easy shorts or bloomers pattern to wear underneath.

It did end up being a bit big around the neck and arms, but that only means she'll be able to wear it longer... possibly through next winter with a shirt and pants.

Just like any knitter, I've already got my next project planned... a sweater for little Ginny. :)

Maria may not appreciate all the hard work and love that went into making this special gift for her, but one day when she's older she will, and she'll be able to pass it on to her children.  Well, a mother can only hope, right?

A great day for a picnic

We love having picnics in the park, so I thought I'd share some pictures from our latest picnic outing.


We ended up having to relocate our picnic blanket to a table because we were bombarded by biting ants.  The girls ran around chasing and feeding pigeons and afterwards we made our way to the splash pad in Tempe so the girls could cool off.  It was another hot weekend so both the park and the splash pad were littered with people... but we didn't care.

As I've mentioned in earlier posts, we LOVE the splash pad!  I think every city, especially Duluth, should have one.  It's great for both kids and parents and as you can see from the pictures... the kids love it too.

We didn't bother taking Ginger's diaper off which ended up being a huge mistake.  By the end, her diaper was as heavy as a brick and it left a big jelly mess (that we cleaned up) all over the sidewalk.  Ooops.  I thought it was pretty cute though when I caught these two walking back to the truck for a clean diaper.

I hope you all have a safe and happy Memorial Day.  Remember, it's not just a summer kickoff that includes beer, barbecues, and good company, but mostly about a day to remember those brave men and women who died serving our country.


Be safe out there!

Our day at Schnepf Farms

One hot morning a couple of weeks back, I got my butt in gear, got the girls dressed, and loaded them in the car for a trip to a local farm.  Schnepf Farms in Queen Creek offers pick your own peaches, apricots, and apples and I thought it would be fun for the girls and I to get out and try something new.

Having baked a disappointing crisp with canned peaches only a week earlier, I thought I'd give peaches another try.  We arrived to find a large, delightful farm with a small train running through the grounds and hay rides for visitors.  We grabbed our basket and red shopping bag, and got right to it.  Up and down the rows of peach trees we went, feeling each fuzzy fruit to check for ripeness.  And if you didn't know already, peaches don't ripen further after picking... they only get softer and as we soon found out, a lot of the ripe ones had already been picked.

But, there were plenty of peaches for all and we knew that within these rows and rows of green, lush trees there had to be some ripe ones left for us... which there were.  We filled our basket with what we thought we could use and headed to the checkout line to purchase our $9.00 worth of peaches.

The girls were fairly patient while we waited in line, but I felt like one of those mothers with all eyes on me.  Anything I said or did was going to be judged.  For a few moments I felt like I couldn't do anything right.  Should I keep them close?  Can they play on those wooden pallets?  Can they stand on those yet to be built boxes?  What if I say the wrong thing?  Which I did.  I thought it was funny, but I'm pretty sure I was the only one chuckling.  I do tend to get quite a kick out of myself. :)

After purchasing our fruit we got the stroller out of the truck and decided to check out more of the farm.  They have a nice sized section of pick your own vegetable and flowers too.

The sunflowers went as far as the eye could see and there were rows and rows of organic beets, romaine, carrots, yellow squash, kale, and green onions all for $1.50 a pound.  

The girls made sure to smell the flowers while I made sure to take some pictures.

No veggies were picked that day, but fun was had by all.  I think they enjoyed the hay bales most of all.  

Up and down they went with a few quick breaks from Maria to strike her favorite pose.  To think she used to hate getting her picture taken!

Scott had the following day off from work and took the girls for a long bike ride so I could get some baking done.  After sampling one sour peach, I was worried how the rest were going to be.  Luckily the they were fine and after blanching, peeling, and slicing all those messy peaches, it was time to get baking.

I decided to make and taste my first peach cobbler.  I used this recipe from myrecipes.com and added both nutmeg and cinnamon to the top.  It was pretty good, but unlike most people, I preferred mine cold and not necessarily with ice cream.

That same afternoon, I made Emeril's Peach Muffins with Pecan Crumb Topping.  I used the 1½ cups sugar as once reviewer had suggested and seriously baked the hell out of these things!  They weren't golden brown after the recommended 20 minutes, so I baked them for about 45 minutes.  It's most likely due to our inaccurate, economy sized oven. This recipe made exactly 24 muffins (usually I end up with more or less) but ran out of the crumb topping ¾ of the way through my second pan.  I froze half and took the rest of these tasty muffins with us to Lake Pleasant. I can see myself using other seasonal fruits in this recipe as well.

By the time I was finished baking, this trailer was hotter than hell and there was NO relief of stepping outside into the near 100° temperatures.  

In the end I had learned a few things.  1.) picking your own fruit is much more fun than buying it from any market 2.) baking for roughly 4 hours in a 34 foot trailer during summer in Arizona is a no-no 3.) I don't think I'm that into peaches.

Yeah, after all that I'm just not that into them.  I'd rather eat rhubarb, strawberries, and raspberries.  Who knew?


**I also want to thank everyone, here and there, for all the birthday wishes.  It was a great day and I'm looking forward to posting about it soon.**

Today, I am....

Today, I am...

~going shopping by myself in search of vintage treasures~

~going to enjoy lunch at Liberty Market with the ones I love most~

~going to have more than my share of my favorite lemon cake~

~going to break in my new TOMS while walking 7th St. in search of said vintage treasures~

~going to enjoy a nice dinner, prepared by my husband, out on the patio~

~not going to stress about what needs to get done~
~going to order my first real cookbook, thanks to my 
mother-in-law~
~not going to let the naughty behavior of my children ruin my day~

~going to embrace the sun and the stifling 100° temperatures~

~going to spend some cash that's burning large hole in my pocket~
~going to enjoy a good 'chick flick' at the end of a great day~

~going to treat myself to an iced hazelnut latte from Starbucks, because they do make them the best~
~not going to wash a single dish~
~going to listen to music that makes me sing and dance~
~going to be completely and utterly selfish~


because, well... today is my birthday and I'm allowed to. :)

Our mini vacation to Lake Pleasant

Our three day stay at the Cibola Vista Resort near Lake Pleasant was exactly what we needed to unwind and de-stress.  The resort was more than we were expecting with two swimming pools (including a water slide, lanes to swim laps, and a vortex pool), and a fitness room (which we did not use).  The room were nice with each having a washer and dryer, dishwasher, and a garbage disposal.  Although our room had no windows in the living/kitchen area and no balcony, we tried to look at the positive and attempted to forget that we were staying in a dark enclosed space.  It was just nice to get away and not worry about anything.

The resort wasn't actually on Lake Pleasant, but was actually only a few miles away.  Considering that we heard it wasn't so great for swimming, we decided to use the pool at the resort instead... and the kids LOVED it.

As usual in Arizona, there were clear blue skies...

and golden sunsets.

Across from the resort was a horse corral that offered horseback riding tours.  I had told Scott that one thing I wanted to do while in Arizona was to go riding on one of the many beautiful trails.  Well, this was most likely my only opportunity to do so and I was too lazy to make a reservation.  But Maria, who is obsessed with ponies (God forbid that you call them horses) got to ride the sweetest of them all... and it was just her size too.

nevermind the horses backside... look at maria's adorable expression :)

Ginger, on the other hand, was far to chicken to go for a ride around the corral, but did not show fear when approached by the gentle giant.

We proceeded to walk around the grounds where they had a pretend mining town (set up for tourists I'm sure).  By this time Ginger was so tired and getting clumsier by the second.  She had fallen so many times in that horse/hay/poop-like dirt that she needed a second bath upon our return to our room.  Poor girl.

We spent our nights watching cable t.v., doing laundry for free, and eating homemade peach cobbler out of the pan.  I continued to knit Maria's dress here and there when I felt like it.  We barbecued for lunch and dinner, and the girls got to enjoy juice boxes... something we buy for special occasions.

I was also able to capture Ginger's lovable stink eye. It's something we catch her doing once in awhile and we think it's pretty funny.  I'm so happy to have finally caught it on camera... twice!!

One of the most delightful things about our mini-vacation was finding this bird's nest with four fluffy baby birds inside.

I have this thing for collecting old, empty nests and rarely ever do I find one full.  I heard baby birds chirping on our way to the elevator, so I quickly glanced around and I spotted it about forty feet away. On top of a tall entrance pillar sat this adorable nest.  I vowed to take a picture the next day before we checked out of our room.  When I arrived at the elevator, it wasn't there!  How could this be?  What kind of cruel people run this resort?  Who messes with mother nature like this?  All these thoughts were running through my head and I was determined to talk to management about the situation.  I went and found Scott and told him the news.  Of course he didn't believe me and figured I was at the wrong elevator... which I was.  Ooops.  Thank goodness I went to him first before discussing the matter with management. I can be a total hot-head sometimes. :)

In conclusion, it was wonderful to get away, sprawl out, and see some new things.  Our next big adventure is a trip to San Diego the first week of June.  Believe me, Maria is already in complete Shamu mode.