30 days of happiness: Moving through fear!

Moving to a new place can be simultaneously exciting and scary. For me, Salt Lake City has brought both on in the extreme. I LOVE it here, and I know you are probably sick of hearing that. I also adore being the quintessential homebody Cancerian and sticking to home base. The day seriously flies by and sometimes all I have done is keep up with the babe, garden a bit, tidy a room & make a meal or so. Okay, well... that really is a lot when one is putting so much intention into every act. What I am trying to get at is that I have been here since the beginning of March and I am just now *really* getting out and exploring what this city has to offer. I have let 5 whole full moons pass without making it to the Women's Full Moon Dance gathering that I inquired about. I decide I will go and when the day comes I find an excuse not to go (it's too far, what if I get lost?, I'm too tired, and yes... really... I even go through the whole 'what if they don't like me/I won't fit in thing'. Preposterous. So, my current commitment is to get out and discover something new everyday; even if that means taking my daily walk through a new neighborhood.

On Sunday, I made it to the Unitarian church for the first service of the season. I loved sitting in the simple chapel, the lighting of the chalice and the genuine sense of community I felt while there. I even signed Sebastian up for their Religious Education program (the toy room rocks!), so now I even have some motivation to go every week. It is all rather progressive and the congregation comes from many backgrounds... so this pagan mama is feeling welcomed and inspired to have found a group of people that she just might gel with. Being so earthly inclined means that I will still need to seek out very openly magical groups (especially of women) to blossom and celebrate with. I am very much planning to finally attend that Women's Full Moon Dance this Saturday, so feel free to give me a little inspirational shove in the comments to keep me on track. ;)

My commitment led me today to the local organic produce and specialty market Liberty Heights Fresh.

OH MY GODDESS, I can't believe I didn't find this place sooner. Back in Davis, my husband and I were both members and employees of Davis Food Co-op; a truly beautiful, large, well stocked natural foods market. I was sad to see that SLC is lacking in a market with as much organic produce variety as DFC. I guess I just needed to get out and explore. Liberty Heights is smaller, but they have the variety down!

I was so excited to finally come home with some rainbow radishes, watercress & yellow + purple cauliflower. Joy Joy Joy! Hooray for small, local farm supporting corner stores!

Time and time again I find that facing my fears does nothing but open up a world of options & forces me to

C H A N G E. I am so looking forward to the many discoveries to come.

30 days of happiness: An hour of peace.

You know that moment when you realize that you have some time to yourself? The one that sneaks up on you like a magical gift from the universe? The kind when the hubs is out working on a project of his own that requires his full attention. The moment when the kitchen is gleaming & freshly cleaned...

The little one is snuggled up for a nap with his favorite dolly...

...& you find yourself faced with a comfy chair near a sunny window that is just itching to be relaxed in.

Surely it is some sort of sin to let a moment like that slip by... So I made myself a cup of jasmine pearl tea with honey, a little bowl of red & green grapes, a couple squares of blueberry dark chocolate & seized an hour of the day to get lost in my current reading adventure. It really is all about the little things. I am so grateful for these moments to myself.

The Yums: Tongue Happy Hummus.

In case any of you are interested in testing out the hummus recipe (& really giving your tongue a treat), You'll need:

1 16 oz. can of garbanzo beans (or 16oz. of home cooked grabanzos)

1/4 cup liquid from the can (or garbanzo water from home cooking)

1-1/2 TBSP tahini

the juice of a whole lemon (I use meyer)

3 large cloves crushed garlic

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 TBSP olive oil

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Mix well in a food processor or VitaMix. Choose your own consistency. I like mine a tad lumpy. It will last about 3 days in the refrigerator and a few weeks if you freeze it. Between the 3 of us, I have no doubt that this batch will be gone in 3 days. Enjoy it on bread, tortillas, pita, or rice (tasty!).

30 days of happiness: Eating local!

A couple of weeks ago my little family set out to visit the local farmers market. We don't get up so early, so the day was most likely approaching early afternoon before we made it out of the house. Needless to say, by the time we arrived there was no parking and people everywhere. We decided it best to ditch the idea and come back another day; much earlier. Fast forward to today. We had all intentions of getting out early to finally make our way around the market. By the time we were up, ready & had visited the local coffee shop it was 11am. HA! so much for good intentions. This time, however, we braved our way to the market and actually found parking after circling the park only 5 times. All I can say is: I am SO glad we followed through. Market was awesome! Salt Lake's downtown Saturday market in Pioneer Park is part produce part craft fair. It is gargantuan compared to the little market we frequented in California... *&* it happens EVERY Saturday from June to October. Here is a look from afar at about an 1/8th of the booths:

So many local goodies that I could barely contain myself.

...& this is what we came home with: local wildflower honey (to sweeten our spirits & keep the allergies at bay), green beans, summer squash, cucumbers, fresh raspberries, Bauernbrot (light rye bread from the local German bakery) & a wildcrafted desert sage & lavender wand. Oh yes, my heart is singing.

Naturally, dinner was mainly a mix of veg from the market and our garden. A little stirfry (onions, ginger, garlic, parsnips, broccoli, kale, chard, yellow squash & green zucchini), steamed market green beans & homegrown dragon beans, basmati rice & my own hummus recipe spread over the Bauernbrot. We topped it off with a Pinot Grigio (which we ended up floating the raspberries in) & a couple of squares of blueberry dark chocolate. Oh, + Paco Pena's lovely tunes & some flowers from the yard!

Looks like we will become regulars at the local market once again. ;)

30 days of happiness: Play!

With a toddler in the house, you learn quickly how necessary and good for the soul play is. We make it a point to get outside everyday & to work play into our daily routine as much as possible.

Sebastian can't yet hoop, but he enjoys carrying them around & chucking them across the lawn.

Mama likes to get down in the grass for some good old fashioned wrestling, airplane & pony boy.

The sweetest part of play, though, is the rest that comes thereafter.

Wishing you and yours a very playful day!

30 days of happiness: whirlwind visits!

Our good friends from California, Jevan & Amelia, stopped by for an overnight visit on their way to see family in Denver.

Too short, though it always is... but we will take what we can get. Ahhhh, the bittersweetness. On the upside: They have to travel back this way to get home, so we win the benefit of having them over for a few days next week! Can't wait!

Just so ya know: I am fully committed to this 30 days of happiness! I just love the idea so much. Ironically, after the first post went up my computer fritzed out and I was unable to post. Thanks to my magical man, all is now as it should be... and so the happiness is back on track. ;)

30 days of happiness: Chicks!

SOoOooo... Erin over at Bluebirdbaby is having another go at 30 days of happiness & I thought I might jump on the bandwagon. I mean, only good can come from spreading happiness, right? ...and below you will find a wellspring of happiness in our house:

The chicks have arrived! SO darn cute. Their peeps are already like music to our ears. We are so looking forward to watching them grow, to enjoying the development of their personalities, and definitely to an abundant supply of fresh eggs.

ROAD TRIP!

The 3 day old chicks will be arrive any day now!!! Because they will need lots of checking in on in the next few weeks, we decided today would be a great day for a much needed adventure... so we grabbed some coffee at the local cafe and hit the road!

Ahhhh sweet freedom! We had a lovely drive up North.

Sebastian decided that he could trade in the view for a few winks of beauty sleep. He was ecstatic to find himself at our destination, however. "POOL!" Mama was *just* as giddy to be in her element; maybe more.

On the way home, we decided our day could use some more adventuring. We detoured on over to Antelope Island (an island on the Great Salt Lake with a little access causeway). Heavenly views! Here is a glimpse of the terrain surrounding one of the islands beaches.

Bison were roaming and grazing both alone and in packs. We did see Antelope, but I couldn't get one to look at me long enough to tell what it is in a photo.

It's a bit hard to see (easier if you click on the pic to see it enlarged) but the cluster of buildings on the left is downtown Salt Lake City.

Ben and I both go a little crazy stopping to view the rocks. Such amazing color!

Reflections abound!

On the way out, I captured this completely accidental & fortunate shot of the birds flying over the lake.

We finished this perfect day off with a dinner up the canyon along the creek. Cobb salad & good beer. This has become a tradition for us, this finishing off a day at the hot springs with a cobb salad and beer (Well, Sebastian had home made mac & cheese and fruit salad. His tradition will be to eat age appropriate deliciousness after hot springing.). It was no day at Harbin or Sierra, but it was charming in its own sort of Utah way. My only complaint? I had to wear a bathing suit because Utah forbids public nudity of any sort. Honestly, that isn't much of a complaint. Who wants to come up and have a hot spring day with us?

Wherein I become one of *those* mamas.

Sebastian was the proud recipient of a couple newbies this week. We took a walk out to the mail box together & he was super excited to have a package addressed to him. I helped him open it to reveal an awesome crocheted sweater made by Grandma Myrna. Sebastian's first response? "ON. ON. Help!". So, on it went... and he then proceeded to push around his new outdoor noisy toy while wearing the sweater for an hour. He'd stop every few feet, point at the sweater and tell me, "Grandma. Grandma, sweater! Oh, yeah!". Needless to say: He loves it. Thanks, Grandma Myrna! :)

The Popper toy? Well, we went in search of the popper + ride on toys and decided to check out Toys R Us just for kicks. Ben and I picked up the popper no sweat and proceeded to spend about 40 minutes discussing the pros and cons of each ride on toy. While we were thinking that a little tricycle with training wheels might be a great idea, Sebastian fell in love with the noisiest, brightest item he could find: a bright yellow toddler school bus with lots of buttons that made lots of noises. When it was time to move on, Sebastian screamed his head off. He was so not going to leave the school bus. That's when I became one of *those* parents. You know the ones. The ones that the store employees want to strangle because they hand their kid anything that might keep them from screaming... something like the popper. Instant hit with Bas. Lots of dirty looks from employees. Bwahahaha! I have done my evil deed for the month. But really, I am thinking it better to have him happy and playing and only a bit annoying than screaming and distressed and incredibly distracting. As a side note: I generally steer clear of the plastic junk toys, but this one is a classic. I had one. Ben wished he had one... Sebastian is thrilled.

Shades of Summer.

The Yums: Rainbow Veggie Chili & Sweet Fire in the Hole Corn Muffins.

Because I am a little A.D.D. when it comes to creating in the kitchen, I usually take the skeleton of a recipe and completely work it into my own concoction. The following recipes are 2 examples of my reworking that, thankfully, have a happy ending. Because these recipes don't much look like the originals, I'm just including my versions.

Rainbow Veggie Chili

3 TBSP olive oil

1 green zucchini

1 yellow zucchini

2 bell peppers of any color (I used a yellow and an orange)

5-7 cloves garlic (I used 5, but would have liked it a bit garlickier).

1 onion

1 (28oz) can crushed tomatoes w/liquid

1 (6oz) can tomato paste

1 (15oz) can black beans, drained & rinsed

1 (30oz) can chili beans with sauce

1 ear of corn

1 TBSP chili powder

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp ground black pepper (more to taste)

1/4 tsp cayenne

1 Cup water

Heat oil over medium high heat in large pot. Dice & stir in zukes, peppers, garlic & onion (add jalapeno, if you desire a swift kick).

Cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Mix in tomatoes, tomato paste, beans & corn and bring to a boil. Add chili powder, oregano, cumin, black & cayenne peppers & water. Reduce heat to low and simmer 1 hour. Stir occasionally. Let cool slightly, garnish with shredded cheese & sour cream and enjoy! (green onions might be good, too!)

But don't forget the corn muffins!!! What's a good chili without corn muffins? Seriously. I am thinking it a very lonely chili.

Sweet Fire in the Hole Corn Muffins

1 1/2 cups yellow corn meal

1 cup unbleached flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup raw/turbinado sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 cup soy milk

1 egg

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup shredded cheese (more if you like 'em super cheesy)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. lightly oil muffin tin. Mix dry ingredients in large bowl and set aside. Mix wet ingredients. Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until blended. Add a few tsp of soy milk and another TBSP oil to reach your desired muffin consistency. Let mixture sit a few minutes and then spoon batter into muffin tins (3/4 full). Bake 15 minutes or until muffin tops are golden brown. Remove from pan and serve immediately or cool on racks. Enjoy with butter and/or honey. Yields 12 muffins (or 24 mini muffins). Again, jalapenos or green onions are optional.

I kept both recipes relatively friendly to sensitive tummies. If you like it super hot, add more cayenne and throw in a jalapeno or 2. My tummy is fairly sensitive... and I'd hate to overload Sebastian's... But, look at that! Positively deeee-lish. Extra yummy with a beer, of course. :)

Silver Lake.

Remember those photos of Ben with the fancy man tools? He has been super busy digging post holes for a fence! With some help from Dud, Ben was able to get this fence up relatively quickly. We are now half way to having an enclosed backyard for Sebastian to play in (Or more accurately, for Sebastian to be safely nearby while we work in the garden).

Being that the day was so lovely & Ben could use a break, we decided to take a drive up the canyon for a bit of nature. There is a sweet little lake up Big Cottonwood Canyon called Silver Lake. Lots of fish jumping, people fishing from shore or rafts, hikers galore. A very sweet little place to explore, indeed. We stuck to the trails around the lake this time and let Sebastian run the whole time. He insured that we got in quite a bit of running, as well.

Sebastian got Daddy to carry him part way, after much rock climbing and chasing...

His pants kept falling off & he would not sit still for mama to adjust them.

After all of that, the kid had the nerve to sit on a rock and rest. It's tiring work keeping the parents on their toes.

So tiring, in fact, that he lay down on the pathway and pretended to go down for a nap. The passersby thought this was particularly hilarious.

Another fun day exploring... and only a half hour from our house. Next time we are bringing the day hike baby carrier. That way, I'm thinking, we will get in some real hiking (and less toddler chasing).