What Have We Been Up To?

We've had a very busy two weeks!! I can't believe it's already July 14, but we've stayed so busy that it's just flown by! I thought I'd do a quick update with some photos of what we've been up to lately.

Skyler had her first Swimming Lesson at Pueblo County High School!   As expected, she loves the water and is just as fearless in water as on land! She's getting pretty good at the doggy paddle!


We had a pretty spectacular 4th of July! We started out at the Wet Parade in Pueblo West, which is basically just a city-wide Water Fight! And we came home soaking wet and ready for naps! After we refreshed, we headed down to the River Walk where we spent a good amount of time (2 hours!!) playing the fountains and then walked around a bit while we waited for the fireworks! 


We've spent quite a bit of time in the kitchen! Skyler helped make Pretzels - which were absolutely delicous!! (More info can be found on my 101 in 1001 blog - including the recipe!) 



For the first time since the Waldo Canyon Fire, we took a trip to Garden of the Gods! We met up with my good friend "Merica" (Erica, but Skyler prefers her version!) and hiked around the park snapping lots of photos. There are a few places from the park you can see the burn area, which is incredibly sad. But the park is just as beautiful as always.



We've made a few trips to the local splash parks! We've had a lot of 100*+ days, so we've had to find ways to stay cool! Luckily, the splash parks are a great way to kill a few hours!



We spent a morning in Beulah at Pueblo Mountain Park with Skyler's good friends (Mable, Avani and Abigail - in order pictured below from left to right) and went for a Preschool Nature Hike, then had a picnic and some good time playing at the park! 








 As you can tell, we've had a busy two weeks!! It's been a lot of fun and we've been keeping cool - despite the insanely hot weather here in Southern Colorado! Hopefully the second half of July is as full of adventures!


Cucumber Lime Popsicles!

It's summer, and here in Southern Colorado? It's HOT! Skyler and I were looking for some good ways to cool off, and we decided - what better than a Popsicle?

We started with juice-sicles, just pouring some Cherry Limeade (Minute Made) into popsicle molds and freezing them! But then we (I) got more adventurous! Today's experiement? Cucumber Lime!

Sure, I saw them on Pinterest. (courtesy of The Little Foodie) But when I first saw them, I thought "Umm... right..." Because really? Popsciles and Cucumbers? Not so much. Right? WRONG! They are delicious! And super simple to make!


All you need is a Cucumber, a Lime, a Tablespoon of Sugar and a Cup of Water! (For 4 popsicles) 


Run them in the Food Processor (and be sure to cover your ears while you do so!) 


Fill your favorite molds (dixie cups and old yogurt cups work well if you don't have popsicle molds! But these were $1/each - and so worth their cost!) 

Then freeze for 2 or 3 hours and enjoy! 


Ingredients
  • 1 Peeled and Cubed Cucumber
  • 2 TblSp sugar
  • 2 TblSp Lime Juice
  • 1 Cup Water



Splish Splash


It's been so horribly hot here in Southern Colorado that we decided it was time to hit the water! I dug out Skyler's old Baby Pool that we had stored in the rafters in the garage and was glad to see it was still in excellent condition!

After an hour of huffing and puffing to blow it back up, we immediately filled it with water and jumped in!! Skyler spent a good hour in her pool and running through the sprinklers!




Annual Family Photo

While Ryan was home last week, we headed to the Riverwalk to take our annual family picture! (Every year since Skyler was born, we go the week between her birthday and our anniversary and snap a family photo.)

While we were there, we decided to have a bit of fun with the fountains - and I just enjoyed the walk around the river with my camera!

Skyler had so much fun, and it was a great way to cool off since our weather has been super hot lately! (I think it was 107* F the day we went down there!!)



  *To view collage larger, just click it!


Spaghetti + Hotdogs = Happy Skyler



For nearly a year now, I've been obsessed with Pinterest! Some of the best recipes I've made have been found there, and I have a zillion crafts I'm dying to try! I've even used it to promote my Book Blog!

But there was one pin I was avoiding. It grossed me out - I'll be honest. Spaghetti Hotdogs.

Today, as I was debating what to make for dinner off of our weekly meal plan, I decided that I wanted to use tonight as my "Leftovers" night and reheat last nights spaghetti. But Skyler? She wasn't so excited for that. She wanted Mac N Cheese - which she would eat every night if I'd let her. I wasn't having that - so she decided hotdogs. But I didn't have any hotdog buns, so I was debating how to make them fun.

I reluctantly pulled up this pin, and decided we'd give it a shot. Besides, Skyler could do the bulk of the prep - BIG WIN!!

And this meal was a flying success!!