S'mores and More

We were very happy to finally arrive at the lake. We had a wonderful dinner with family.

After dinner it was back to the lake. It didn't take long for the children to get naked and jump right in. Harper and her cousin are entertaining a pontoon boat that was passing by. I think they liked the show.

Then it was time for s'mores.

I promise I am not going to blog each day of our vacation, but there were too many sweet shots from our first evening in Minnesota.

Wisconsin Dells 2011

Well, we are back from a nice long vacation up north. What you didn't even know I was gone? I always feel strange about announcing to the whole world that I am leaving on vacation. You know in case some crazy stalker reads the blog, right? Anyways, we are back and settling into real life again.

I took so many photos that I am going to have to break them up. So the first installment is from our 2 night stay at the Great Wolf Lodge, an indoor waterpark in the Wisconsin Dells.

We had lots of fun with lots of cousins.

I didn't get any photos of the waterpark because I was too busy having fun. I may have also been a little too paranoid to bring my precious new camera that close to so many splashing kids.

Before we headed to Minnesota, we made time to take the Ducks Tour. This was Miller's favorite part of the trip.

Oops, a little focus issue, but I wanted you to see I was there too.

This was a great way to start our vacation. Hopefully I will be able to condense the 500 or so photos I took of the rest of our vacation.

Practicing Yoga at Home

I am still very much a beginner when it comes to practicing yoga, but I thought I would share some great resources I have collected for practicing yoga at home. I have taken a handful of classes in a studio, which I love. However, at this stage in my life it is much more convenient for me to do yoga at home.



Online Video Classes
yogadownload.com- They have tons of audio and video classes for free. The free classes are only 20 minutes long, but you can mix and match them for a longer workout. You can also purchase longer workouts or buy a subscription, which is much cheaper than going to class. I just use the free classes though. I usually watch them on my computer.

Yoga Journal's 21 Day Yoga Challenge- I have done several of these classes and really enjoyed them.

DVDs
Shiva Rea Daily Energy- This DVD is awesome. It is what really got me addicted to yoga. It is calming, but also challenging. It is also perfect for beginners.

Yoga Meltdown- This is Jillian Michael's ramped up version of yoga. It is a really good workout, but lacks the zen of a more traditional yoga class.

On Demand
I know this is going to vary depending on your cable company, but there are tons of workouts (not just yoga) available On Demand. Under Exercise TV there are several different categories to choose from. I have really enjoyed the classes by Yogaworks. You can also find a bunch of Jillian Michaels videos. This is my favorite option when I am burnt out on my regular workout routine. It is always nice to change it up.

Podcasts
I just recently fell in love with Sarah Baumert's audio podcasts. If you have done yoga before and don't need to see the visuals, her podcasts are amazing. She is really easy to follow and her voice is so calm and soothing.

Crafty Flashback

Since I have nothing to share this week for Crafty Tuesday, I decided to raid the archives to see what I did in years past. I tried to choose the closest date to today.

I always love looking through the archives. It did make me feel like a slacker though.

July 20, 2010- More PJ Shorts

Man, I haven't made an owl in a long time.

July 21, 2009- GreenCraft Magazine and a Few Owls

I still think it is pretty cool that my cozies made it into GreenCraft.

July 9, 2008- Travel Tips Anyone?

This was before I was sewing all the time, but I was able to find a little craftiness.



July 19, 2008- We All Made it Back in One Piece
I had to throw this one in. Anyone want to guess where we are right now?

My Favorite Veggie Burger Recipes

In my opinion, veggie burgers are a staple in a vegan or vegetarian's diet. They are versatile, tasty, filling, and healthy.

I have been eating veggie burgers for 14 years now, so I have tried a lot of recipes. To date these are my 2 favorite veggie burger recipes.

The Vegan Bean Burger by Daily Garnish. This recipe uses black beans, but you could easily use any type of bean. You can also change up the spices if you like. I like making a big batch to have in the freezer. Since every one else in my family eats meat, it is nice to be able to grab a veggie burger from the freezer.

Yukon Gold White Bean Basil Burgers by Mama Pea. These burgers are SO yummy. I did not have any white beans on hand so I used pinto beans instead and they came out great. These are different from your typical veggie burger. The recipe makes 4 patties. I did not have to use my food processor, which was a plus. I just mashed up everything with a fork. The only problem is they did not last long. Next time I will have to make a bigger batch.

WARNING:

Once you make veggie burgers from scratch it is really hard to go back to the frozen kind.

So do you have a favorite veggie burger recipe?

52 Weeks of Me- Shallow Depth of Field

I actually planned ahead this week and snapped this shot while I was taking some other photos for the blog. I was so glad that I was able to focus on my eyelashes because that was what I was going for, but that clump of hair was driving me crazy. I tried over and over again to get another shot, but this one ended up being the best one. I don't have a 50mm lens, so I used my 35mm 1.8 lens (which I love). I might have to eventually invest in the 50mm lens too now that I have my new camera.

Garden Progress

I picked my first squash on Sunday. I grilled it before I could take a picture of it though.

We have a squash plant, pumpkins, and watermelon. They are obviously planted way too close together. It is a bit out of control.

Mitch picked a couple of cherry tomatoes, but they were eaten before I could take a photo.
We have lots of green tomatoes.








We have one teeny, tiny watermelon growing.



We have lots of pumpkins. Harper brought a plant home from school, but we think that maybe the kids planted some pumpkin seeds in the garden back at Halloween. We have at least 3 more pumpkin plants that sprouted up out of nowhere. Mitch also dug a potato volunteer out of the compost bin and planted it.

We have herbs, lots of basil and dill.





My little garden sure does make me happy.

Yazoo Brewery Tour

Saturday was Mitch's birthday, so I planned a date night for us to celebrate. My parents were nice enough to keep the kids. I decided that a tour of Yazoo Brewery might be fun and I was right!!

We each got our own pint glass for tasting.

We tasted Dos Perros, the Pale Ale, and the Hefeweizen. They knew it was Mitch's birthday so they were very generous with his pours.

All gone.

The tour was great. Our guide was hilarious. The brewery is still relatively small. They only have 12 employees at this time, which I think is pretty cool. If you are ever in Nashville and like beer, definitely take this tour.

We ended the night with some pizza from Whole Foods, which is really good. See that sticker on the box. That means we didn't have to pay for it either. I guess because it was getting late they decided to just give the pizza to us for free. How cool is that?

I hope you had a great birthday Mitch!!

Bibs and Burp Cloths

My sewing machine has not been seeing too much action lately, but I did manage to make some bibs and burp cloths for a friend.

Happy Crafty Tuesday everyone.