Stupid Chairs, Bone-dry Lake, & the Best Cabin Ever: Yosemite National Park, Wowona

Our final adventure of the summer

was the creme de la creme!

First off,

Yosemite is gorgeous,

and having just hiked there with Samuel,

we were both dying to take the kids too!

Second,

Samuel's former boss, Bill,

graciously offered us the use of his family's cabin in Wowona

for however long we wanted to stay!

It was incredibly generous and

we were so thankful for the opportunity!

Thank you!

As I said before,

it was the last trip of the summer,

which is always, always bittersweet.

So in addition to being fabulous in and of itself,

everything was just a touch more everything:

Beautiful...Wonderful...Sad...Exhausting...Hilarious...

You name it!

And it was "it"!

So here we go...

"Stupid Chairs!"

This phrase comes from Grandpa Gary himself,

who in a fit of frustration while packing the van up for camp,

had a bit of trouble with-

you got it,

the chairs!

In our case,

Samuel was wrestling with the bike trailer

which I just had to have!

He he

Alright!

Dad finally did it! 

We are officially on the road!

First stop,

Yosemite Valley for a tour of the gift shop,

a walk through the village,

and of course...

Pizza at Deghan's!

Yummy!

Ice cream in Curry Village.

Our first day was exhausting...

and we hadn't even started hiking yet!

Our first night in the cabin was so much fun!

It's terribly exciting to stay somewhere other

than your own home.

And staying in a cabin

-when normally you'd be sleeping in a tent!-

is downright luxurious!

Barbie time!

Our first day out we visited Bridalveil Falls (.5 mi. round trip)!

Clamoring up the rocks was definitely a high point!

And then, of course,

there's the view!

The easy way down and out:

Slide!

 

More impressive than Half Dome:

The Shuttle Buses!

My boulderers!

Mirror Lake

(5 mi. round-trip)

Yes, you may wonder what is lake-ish about this lake?

Well, in my exhaustive research for

family-friendly day hikes,

this gem popped up on the radar.

Unfortunately,

I didn't read the entire description of the trail,

which means I missed out on this juicy tid-bit...

Thus,

the lake never was a lake.

And being early September,

it certainly wasn't a "shallow pool" either!

It did make a great spot for a family pic,

plus we ate lunch in the bottom of the lake!

Er, pool...

What it lacked in being a watery oasis,

it more than made up for in the stunning views of Half Dome!

At least I thought so.

There was still a fair amount of grumbling from the kids,
who were totally looking forward to making some
major cannonballs!

Owen,

The Great

Taller than even a grove of redwoods!

Gabriel,

waiting for the Jr. Ranger Program to begin.

He's on pins and needles.

We were told the programs were great,

and with President Theodore Roosevelt leading the charge,

we learned alot!

Over one hundred years ago,

President Theodore Roosevelt looked out

at the view from Glacier Point and exclaimed,

"I wouldn't miss this for anything...this is bully!"

Guided into the Yosemite wilderness by naturalist John Muir,

the president went on a three-day wilderness trip

that started at the Mariposa Grove,

and included Sentinel Dome, Glacier Point, and Yosemite Valley

among other points of interest in Yosemite National Park.

Muir seized the opportunity

"to do some forest good in talking freely around the campfire,"

and the President, referring to John Muir,

is quoted as saying,

"Of course of all the people in the world,

he was the one with whom it was best worth while

thus to see the Yosemite."

Roosevelt and Muir camped the first night, May 15,

at the Mariposa Grove under the Grizzly Giant,

with the President bedding down in a pile of about 40 wool blankets,

and the second night was spent in the vicinity of

Sentinel Dome during a snow storm that left five inches of new snow

on top of the existing five feet of snow.

The third night of camping was at the edge of

Bridalveil Meadow in Yosemite Valley,

where President Roosevelt was Muir's captive audience

to hear a convincing plea for Yosemite wilderness

and for setting aside other areas in the United States for park purposes.

 

 

After the show we learned two incredibly important things.

One, Curry Village haS a pool.

And two, that pool was FREE!

Nice!

Take that Mirror Lake!

 We jumped in the pool with ten minutes to spare!

It was the fastest strip down ever,

and I'm sure the lifeguards absolutely LOVED us!

To our credit,

we were out on-time and
the kids were super-happy to finally, finally
jump in some water!

Dinner

BBQ Chicken

Baked Beans, Coleslaw, & Corn on the Cob

This picture,

in a nutshell,

is why staying in a cabin is AWESOME!

Dessert

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Brownies & Whipped Cream

The Wawona Stables

Bella's heart melted here.

Really,

a part of her heart is probably still there!

At $60.00 a pop for a two-hour ride,

we all had to be content with with petting from the fence!

 

After we lolly-gagged around the horses,

we explored the Pioneer Yosemite History Center,

and took a quick juant up to the Wawona Hotel.

Then it was time to hit the trail again.

This time to Sentinel Dome (2.2 mi. round trip)!



I love this shot of the family ascending when...

the camera batteries die!

{rats}

Long story short,

they don't carry Lithium batteries in the park-

we even tried the fancy-smancy Ansel Adams Gallery-no luck!

We still took loads of photos using our camera phones,

unfortunately,

we don't have the USB cables to download them!

...

So for now,

the saga continues minus visuals....

We couldn't leave Yosemite without
taking the kids to see Vernal Fall. 

So that was next up on our itinerary.
We hiked up to the footbridge (1.6 mi. roundtrip),
and both Samuel and I got the best leg workout of our lives!

Picture two boys sitting comfortably in the bike trailer,
while you push that puppy UP!
Boy,
they are little,
but they are HEAVY!

We spent the rest of our trip visiting the

museums and historic sites in the valley.

First stop,

The Ahwahnee.

The kids were floored by the age of the building,

and the native colors and patterns throughout.

I think the detail that impressed them most of all was

the ancient bathrooms though!

Outside the hotel,

we found a deer nibbling on the grass of the courtyard!

It was so fun to see Owen & Gabriel openingly gaping!

Once we got over the whole live-animal-up-close thing,

we did what anyone does after you do anything:

Eat chocolate!

The Ahwahnee has a great Sweet Shop and

everyone picked out one to share.

Our favorites...

Chocolate truffles, of course!

After the sugar rush we opted to mellow out in the

Yosemite Valley Visitor Center where we saw

the film,

"Spirit of Yosemite".

It's a beautiful movie,

and we were all grateful to sink into some soft chairs

and just relax for bit.

Then we made a quick stop at the Yosemite Museum

which has a neat reconstruction of the Indian Village of the Ahwahnee.

For our last stop,
we hit the Yosemite Gift & Grocery Store

for some necessities before we hit the road:

1) A rubber spatula and,

2) A top-secret Christmas gift for Samuel.
 
He's since opened his 1,000 pc. puzzle
of the Yosemite Mountain Range,
and seriously,
he loved every minute of putting it together.

Don't ask this non-puzzle-person why!

...

We loved our visit and created so many wonderful memories.

Next time we come,

we'll try our hand at camping in the valley,

and later,

as the kids grow older,

we definitely see many family backpacking trips

on the horizon!

Jr. Half Dome

training begins now!

{smile}

Broccoli & Parm Strata

Okay.

Before I get started...

{Take Note}

When I die I want to be rolled in this panko bread crumb mixture. 

Seriously.

And make sure you slather it on real good because honestly,

it's amazing!

{Alright, back to the story...}

Yes, stratas are favorites for  baby or bridal showers,

but really,

when I haven't a clue what to make for dinner or I don't have meat readily defrosted,

this is my go-to meal for something light and delicious!

Please experiment using what you have on hand.  It's an extrememly versatile recipe that can accomadate a variety of different cheeses, vegetables, and even meats like chopped ham or sausage.

Broccoli & Parm Strata

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

6-8 slices of soudough bread, torn

2 c frozen broccoli, steamed until al dente

1/2 c parmesan cheese, divided

1/2 c 2% shredded mozzerella cheese

6 large eggs

1 1/2 c 2% milk

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/4 tsp nutmeg

3/4 c Japanese Panko bread crumbs

Salt & Pepper

Directions

Generously butter an 8 x 8 glass pan and pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, garlic, salt, pepper, and nutmeg until combined and set aside.

In a separate smaller bowl, combine the bread crumbs and half of the parmesan cheese.  Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Using your fingers, combine well and set that aside too in a very special place.  That's important.  It's your pièce de résistance and you don't want anybody walking away with it...

Now your on to making your layers. 

Place half of your bread in the pan and top with half of the broccoli mixture.  Top that with half of your mozzerella and parmesan cheese.  That's layer one!

Repeat with the reamaining ingredients to make layer two and you are almost done!

Tear off a piece of foil and place over your strata carefully pressing the mixture into the pan.  You want to condense the ingredients slightly so that when you add your egg mixture you've minimized the number of air pockets in the dish.

Carefully pour the egg mixture to cover, and top with that irresistable bread crumb mixture.

Bake for approximately 12-15 minutes until the crust is golden brown.  Cover with foil and allow to cook for an additional 35-40 minutes.  

This custardy mix of bread, eggs, & cheese is to die for,

and served with a dollop of sour cream (I like light!), 

it's ready to...

Enjoy!

Mean Midnight Beans

So last night I tortured myself. 

I was hungry and I watched the television program, "The Best Thing I Ever Ate".  It's a dangerous combination, especially since I'm so prone to the power of suggestion.  One minute I want the roast duck, the next a giant Lobster cream puff!

Of course, I can't just up and run to these fabulous eating established all over the country...

{Believe me:  I would if I could.}

...but I have literally BOUNDED to my fridge and pantry to concoct some outrageous meals at 9:30 at night.

I still remember the Avocado & Blue Cheese burgers...

Remember those, sweetheart?

They were at least 4-inches thick and beautiful.

{Sigh}

Come back, Olivia!  Come back!

Okay, I'm back.

So this time I manage to pacify myself with a nectarine and a Cliff Kid Z Brownie Bar -don't knock it!  It's one of my favorite go-to snacks and I don't think I'll ever get tired of it!

But, later, nestled in bed with "Catching Fire", I needed...something.

And here it is.

Mean Midnight Beans

Serves 1

Ingredients

1 can of low sodium pinto beans, drained of all but 1/3 cup liquid

1 small jalapeno or 1 1/2 tsp jalapeno, diced (I include the membranes and seeds too.)

1 small clove of garlic, diced

1/4 tsp red chili pepper flakes

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tbs. 2 % mozzerella cheese, shredded.

Directions

Place the beans in a bowl, including the reserved liquid.

Add the jalapeno, garlic, and red chili pepper flakes and heat in the microwave for 1 1/2 - 2  minutes. 

Add salt and pepper to taste, and top with the cheese.

Heat until the cheese it melted and...

Enjoy!

Berry Cream Purses

I remember when I was just a girl...

{yes, I'm thirty plus years now and can legitimately "reflect" on my "youth"}

...my mother would gather up my sister and I on cold winter mornings and we'd slosh up the steps to the La Bou bakery.  It's still around, franchises all over the city, but back then, it was a small hole-in-the-wall establishment that specialized in simple french pastry. 

She always ordered the same thing, and I smile just thinkig about it:

 

"One ham & cheese and one chocolate-filled crossaint, please." 

We sat,

looking out the rain-streaked window,

huddled over scalding hot chocolate and those irrestisable french pastries.

We warmed from the inside out.

And you know what?

The morning wasn't so dreary anymore.

In fact, it was WONDERFUL!

{Thanks Mom.}

You could say I'm a sucker for crossaints.

Can you blame me?

Here's a simple rendition that can be served for brunch, light dessert, or just because...

 Berry Cream Purses

Serves 5

Ingredients

1 roll of crossaint dough

1/4 c light cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbs sugar

3/4 c frozen berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries)

Cinnamon-sugar

Powdered sugar

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Unroll the crossaint dough onto an ungreased baking sheet.  Line up the seams and roll out thinly until it's one large sheet of crossaint dough.  Using a pizza cutter, cut into 10 roughly equal squares.

Lift the squares gently from the cookie sheet, being mindful that the dough will still try to separate at the seams, and evenly space the rectangles on the cookie sheet.

In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, vanilla, & sugar until combined.

Spoon evenly into the center of each rectangle.

Top the cream with 3-4 frozen berries, and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar.

Gather the rectangles into a purse, and pinch slightly to hold.

Bake for 11-12 minutes until golden brown and sprinkle generously with powdered sugar.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookies...Lightened Up!

I'm all about the classics. 
Nail the brownie, the chocolate cake, the chocolate chip cookies...
and then you can pretty much do a play on anything and it will come out yummy. 

Even though you can tweak this recipe every-which way you like,
my hubby and the family love it old school.

The twist here...it's a lighter version.

I cancel out a whole stick of butter
and convert all the eggs to egg substitute.

The result? 

A darn tasty cookie! 
Yes, the texture is different than my classic recipe,
there's no denying that.

But the kiddos and hubby are too busy gobbling
them down to take notice!

A cookie and a glass of milk...

need I say more?

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Give or take 4-dozen large cookies
or
6-7 dozen small cookies

Ingredients

5 c all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 c. (1 sticks) un-salted butter, softened
1 c. (1-stick) Crisco Butter-flavored Shortening

1 1/2 c granulated sugar

1 1/2 c packed brown sugar

3 tsp vanilla extract
1 c of egg substitute-
I do it all the time!

4-6 c. Nestle Toll House Semi-Sweet Morsels 

{Note}

This is a hard one to quantify, 

because I literally dump the chips in until the batter is a sea of chocolate...

it's beautiful, really.

2 1/2 c. coarsely chopped toasted walnuts (optional)

Directions

 Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Using a medium bowl & a whisk:
Combine the flour, baking soda, & salt and set aside.

Using a mixer and the paddle attachment at medium speed:
Cream the butter and shortening until combined and then add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and the eggs.

It should smell amazing at this point,
but resist the urge to lick.  

Why?!?

Because you haven't added the chocolate chips yet!

Patience, patience.

At low speed:
Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture until incorporated.
Finally add the morsels & nuts...and then taste!

Yum!

Scoop golf-ball size mounds of cookie dough onto a large un-greased cookie sheet-I use my ice cream scoop.  Place the mounds 2-inches apart, which is usually six cookies to one large baking sheet.  If you're making smaller cookies, you can place about 8-9 cookies per baking sheet.

Bake one sheet at a time at 375 degrees for 7-8 minutes.

Do not over bake!

This is the secret for moist, chewy cookies.
Remember, all ovens times vary, but look for cookies with only the slightest browning on top.
They will NOT look done, but they are.
 Once out of the oven, they'll continue to cook on the hot cookie sheet and will set nicely.

Let the cookies rest for at least 3-minutes on the baking sheet before even attempting to move them.  If you don't, you'll tear your cookies, and then you'll just have to eat them all, won't you? 

If your aim is to serve these bad boys, wait, and then move them to a cooling rack for approximately 7-10 minutes.  Be forewarned, they'll still be very soft, but with a large enough spatula to support them while you move them, they'll be just fine.

Once firm, you can stack the cookies in an air-tight container and they'll keep for 3-4 days.  Personally, I think they're best right out of the oven-but you can also keep them on hand in the pantry for a lunch treat or a quick snack. 

Other options: 
Bake, freeze, and thaw before serving. 
I love doing this when I have to run a treat up to the school.
 
Whatever you do...

Make...Eat...Eat...Eat,
and  yes:

 Exercise!

I'm not going to lie,
these are wickedly good and they'll will show it!

{Notes}

You can cut this recipe in half, but I find that the cookies are not quite the same!  Try making the whole batch and just freezing the dough for later.  You'll always need cookie dough!

Also, if you prefer smaller cookies, just adjust the baking time to 5-6 minutes and keep a close eye on them.

Keep in mind, the sky's the limit!
Substitute like crazy with whatever you want:
M&Ms, White Chocolate Chips,
Macadamia Nuts.

Make this cookie yours!

Enjoy!

The Stuff Dreams Are Made Of...

Owen Joseph

My sweet, sweet boy.

You're growing so fast,

and becoming such a little person.

When you're not
frantically-telling-me-what-needs-to-be-told-right-now,

you're running and jumping
all over the place!

And yet,

there are moments like this,

when you steal away into your

own

little

world.

And it's delightful to watch you.

I love you so much.

Keep building,

creating,

and

just

being

you!

Love, love, love...

Your Momma





A New Roof

Putting on a new roof is a ton of work!

But if you're blessed with family-

ward family included,

the task is a whole lot easier.

This weekend,

we were blessed to spend some extra time

with the Joe Elmers.

And I'm not kidding when I say "blessed".

The kids loved the extra time with their cousins,

the men (and Jessica) got in quite a workout,

the women got a chance to visit,

and we all partook of Jessica's fabulous

jalapeno-laced burgers!

Delicious!

Aunt Rachel helping baby Noah tackle Owen!

Aunt Jessica taking a turn with my baby!

Iris,

daring the double hoola-hoop!

Best buds:

Ava & Jake

These boys worked hard!

...

Thanks for the get-together, guys!

We had a great, great time!





A Day of Many Firsts!

The first day of school is ALWAYS a big deal,

but this year was a little different.

Why?

1) Iris! 

She's a kindergardener now! 

Crazy!  I know!

 2) Isabella

 She's a big bad 4th grader now!  

Two more years and then she's off to middle school! 

Aughh!

3) Mornings at home will be officially girl-free!

Luckily I've got two great boys to keep me company!  

4) Owen

In a few days he'll be starting Joy School two days a week. 

I'll post more on that later,

but really,

what will Gabriel and I do all by ourselves?!?

It's alright!

Change is good.

It's normal.

Natural, even.

And I can do this.

{Sigh}

I miss them already!

I like to say I only cried with Isabella.

Her leaving for school for the very first time

really, really threw me.

I thought I had it together after that,

and then I saw this.

Three girls on bikes.

Not just any girls though-my girls!

Iris Luciana

Looking absolutely beautiful and so grown up!

The line!

 She was still smiles,

but definitely starting to get more and more nervous!

In class,

she finally shared that she changed her mind

and didn't want to go to school afterall!

Lucky for us,

she has the smartest teacher in the whole wide world

who captured the kids attention
and pulled them into an activity right away.

Parents took the hint and made a quick getaway!

Ava Grace

We're so fortunate that Ava has the same teacher she had last year.

This woman is amazing,

and exudes so much love, warmth, and patience.

Ava thrives with her and we're looking forward

to another great year!



Isabella Rose

Studious as ever and completely organized!

She lives for the first day of school and loves hitting the books!

Honey,

everyday you make us so proud!

Meet the crew!

We'll be at home every morning
(except when Owen's in school!),

trying to figure out why it's so quiet at home!

Here they come!

It's a bit of a trick wrapping your mind around a

schedule after the leisure days of summer!

We're easing back into it with an afternoon snack

of homemade chocolate chip cookie
& ice cream sandwiches!

Enjoy!

And then get started on your homework!

{Smile}

Who? Who?

Though the girls loved our camping trip to Emerald Bay,

they hated that while we were gone the school office posted class lists!

Before going home to un-pack,

they made us stop at the school.

It was fun seeing other folks from the ward and school too,

except we looked,

and I'm sure smelled,

exceptionally well!

All in all though,

the girl's curiousity was finally satisfied,

and we could all go home

and shower!