one by one: get outside

If are just now joining us, please go back and read THIS POST about the One by One Project.....and feel free to jump right in!

WOW. 

I've been slacking. I've had all these ideas for our One by One Project....and life has got away from me. I can't complain......life is good... but let's jump right back in. 

So far we've worked on smiling, and small acts of kindness--both wonderful ways to benefit and bless the life of another.

This time, let's do something for ourselves.....

I like to be outside (you don't say?!!). 

It gives my mind a break--

no ringing, beeping, calling, answering.

no inboxes, outboxes or bills to put in mailboxes.

no floors to mop or socks to wash.

The only responsibility I have outside is to just, BE.

Consciously breathe the air. Deeply in, slowly out.

Feel the earth below my feet. 

Submerge all of my senses on a mountain, in the desert, near a river, under a tree.

Spending time in nature has changed for me over the past few years. 

It used to be something I would just DO every now and then. 

Now it's a part of my life--I need it, crave it. I go crazy without it.
 It's more than something to do--it's part of who I am. 

We try to get out to explore at least once each week--even if it's quick
it feels so good to get out.
(really, even a half hour can really recharge our batteries!)

We plan larger hikes as a family throughout the year on Saturdays set aside, and we look forward to more camping and weekend adventures as we dive deeper into summer.

I've made a small list of peaks that I just have to get up this year.
And really, I look forward to just spending time simply out in the yard--laying on a blanket to read--as long as I can be outside, all will be well. 

Why is it so important to be outside?

"In every walk with nature 

one receives far more than he seeks"

-John Muir

I truly believe that if you add more "outside time" to your life, you will:
-be more patient
-be more calm
-improve your health--both physically and mentally
-reduce stress
-start to look at the world differently
-appreciate more

Whether it's a half hour lunch break in a quiet park, 
or a weekend excursion up a mountain--I want you to get out.

we had an extra some extra time in the afternoon last Friday.....so we headed for the hills
spring is slowwwwly making it's way up the mountain.....

So here is my challenge to you:
GET OUTSIDE. 
Do it!

I'm giving you two weeks....and I want to hear about it.
Please come back to this post (or email me sheenajibson at gmail) and share how getting outside has changed you for the good.
I want to do a follow up post in few weeks highlighting some of YOUR stories--so I'm counting on you guys to participate!

Please share this message--we all know someone spends way too much time behind a desk or on the couch.....
.....let's change that.

Now, turn off your computer and get out there!

EDITED TO ADD: 
I'm giving you until May 31 to spend sometime outside 
(or else.......)
The Genius Whitney Ingram tagged her outside picture on instagram #onebyonechallenge....now let's see YOUR outside pictures for the next two weeks by using the same hashtag. 
GO!

short stories

So many little stories to tell.....

Circle of Life

Our first story hurts my heart......last week I had mentioned that our little chick Pebbles wasn't growing like the others. As the days went by she began to move a little slower and sleep a little longer. We came home from church on Sunday and found that she had never woke up. It was a sad sad day for my Lu--Pebbles was HER chick, her baby. We snuggled and she cried, and snuggled and snuggled some more until her tears had soaked my shirt. We had a proper funeral (I mean, of course we did.....for a chicken.....because that's normal) and said our goodbyes. 

She had a hard afternoon--she's so sensitive this one, and loves like no other. 

I'm so lucky to be her mom and to be loved like that.

Chuck

But I wouldn't tell you a sad story without a happy ending!

Friday night Robby went to get our coop (no more chickens in the house!) A friend from work was getting rid of it--perfect for us! What we didn't realize (until he went to GET the coop) was that they still had one hen left......and she was coming home with US! Her name was Chuck, and she was completely barren-never laid an egg in her life. I didn't really know what we were going to do with her.....until.....

Until our sad afternoon a few days later when poor Pebbles died. We decided that Lu's new pet and very favorite would be Chuck. She was thrilled.....as long as she could rename her. And she did. 

Meet Millie.

A gigantic barren Orpington who gets carried around on a hip like a baby.

(also totally normal.)

Sugar Sugar

Remember that time I announced I was going off sugar for the month? (You should remember, it was only last week) That is really funny that I said that. Well, I made it 6 full days. It actually wasn't that hard skipping out on the treats--I craved my usual piece of chocolate after dinner (and let's face it, usually lunch as well), but I skipped it and felt good about my decision. But I was also trying to ease up on other carbs, which the more I think about, the more hilarious it is. I had mentioned I'm adding mileage to my weekly runs, and that doesn't go over so well with a lack of carbs in my diet. My 5 mile run felt fine--no problem. Eight miles felt like I weighed 300 pounds and was running through Jell-O. It was terrible. I realized I needed some more carbs in my diet, so before my 12 miles on Saturday I had a big bowl of oatmeal with fruit and pure maple syrup......I felt better than I had a few days before, but still slow and sticky. So after laughing at myself and realizing how silly I'd been, I decided I'll try out my sugar cleanse when I'm not running so much. And naturally I ended my say-no-to sugar campaign with a Ruby Snap Cookie.

Mother's Day

I went to bed on Sunday evening giggling. What an odd day is was--we had a funeral for a chicken. 

But other than that, we had such a good afternoon. I read, napped, and feasted on grilled burgers with my favorite people. I sure do love these two--I feel lucky each day that they were sent to me. 

They are wild and crazy and dirty and silly and I just love watching them grow.

Summer Senses

These last two days have felt like summer--hot hot heat and sticky sweat dripping down. The taste of grilled burgers, veggies, and popsicles on my tongue. I hear squeals and giggles from outside in the late afternoon until the sun drops out of sight. I smell the fresh summery air--trees and dew and afternoon sun. And I see summer........well.....ok, it actually looks like spring still....Blossoms, baby animals, and new life on the mountain--it's perfect, really. 

The Cookbook

Every few days I get an email from Mrs. Whitney L. Ingram with a few sample pages from her upcoming cookbook.....and I see MY photos on the page! It's crazy! And it's happening! Soon! Things are coming together more and more each day, and we should have a date sometime soon--I will keep you posted.

Eggs and Greens

Does all this chicken talk lately make you hungry for eggs? I love eggs.....we are counting down the days (we are so far away) until that magic moment when our own eggs start to arrive. 

I have some combination of a fried egg and greens several times a week--breakfast lunch or dinner, I'll take them all. Here are two to try:

Sauteed Kale, Egg, and Goat Cheese

Sauté kale and leeks in some olive oil and a big squeeze of fresh lemon juice. After it's cooked for a few minutes, crack your egg into the kale and let it cook until it's done to your liking. 

Add some salt, pepper, another squeeze of lemon to the kale and a few crumbles of goat cheese (or feta).  

Egg and Spinach Salad

-fried egg

-baby spinach

-blackberries

-pine nuts

-goat cheese

-a splash of balsamic and olive oil

the end.

it's coming.....

....SUMMER. 

can you feel it?

we are ready.

tiny flock

Our girls are growing up! 

They are true teenagers......eating and sleeping the day away while their awkward bodies grow grow grow.

With the exception of making my house smell like a barn, these girls have been pretty easy to keep.

The first two weeks they lived in one of our over sized moving boxes. Just chick food, water, a heat lamp, and five fuzzy chicks in a box. We changed their bedding (pine shavings) every few days and listened to their peeping (alllll night long). 

(oh ps. they are in my house because it's cold outside and we don't have a garage.....please don't keep them in your house if you don't have to)

By week 2 they were testing out their wings and getting too close to the box top.....time to move into a bigger place. 

We took Charly's large dog crate (it's huge) and made a new home, with a door that latched and a roof overhead. As they've continued to grow and their fluff has magically transformed into feathers, they haven't needed anything more--just extra food (they never stop eating) and we have someone on vacuum duty 24 hours a day(seriously though, almost). They scratch and flap and flutter and spew their bedding out of their cozy home. And have I mentioned they stink? Because they do. We now change their bed daily--and let them roam around the yard as we do so. And they LOVE it. Pecking at bugs and stretching their wings. Being toted around by my little animal loving country girl. 

They have their feathers now and will be out in their coop this weekend.....I can have my house back!

To see them as chicks (cuteness overload) and for breed info click HERE

Question for any chicken owners out there:

Our Pebbles is still really small. (3rd photo from the bottom) She eats and drinks just fine, and doesn't act sick in anyway.....she's just so far behind her sisters. Her beak is curved down and seemed long--and after talking with a helpful gent at the feed store I clipped her beak back a bit last weekend, to see if that would maybe help her get more food. (Never thought I'd be trimming a chicken's beak, that's for sure.) I've been reading up and learning that sometimes they just grow slower.....but I'm wondering if anyone has experienced this? Thanks!

If you are interested in getting chicks, I'm here to tell you that you can do it! It really is pretty easy so far. Your local feed store will have everything you need to get set-up....including the chicks themselves.  It's still a while before we will be feasting on their beautiful eggs, but for now they really are quite the little entertainers.

zebra slot

Last week when we found ourselves in the desert, we knew we wanted to explore someplace new. 

We sat around the campfire Friday night--and after ghost stories were told and marshmallows had been roasted, we planned our adventure for the next day.....

Zebra Slot Canyon in the Escalante area of Southern Utah it would be. 

We packed up lots of drinks, snacks, and swimsuits just in case we found water (although we didn't), and headed over the rocky hills to the trail head. 

my desert family.

One of my favorite things about the desert is that there are so many hidden treasures to be found. Looking out from the start of our hike (below) you would never guess that the nearly barren landscape is hiding slot canyons, caves, and new worlds to explore. 

The smooth red trail and desert grass soon turned to mounds of smooth red rock--shaped and weathered by years of wind, and begging to be climbed on.

The kids dubbed this one "The Portal"

The rock twisted and turned into waves. 

Waves built up into mountains. 

Mountains melted down into rivers made of the softest sand. 

And it went on and on and on like this--the desert sun soaking into our skin as we wandered.

A few miles in, we found our destination.

Our Group. 

I love these people. 

We had 15 of us in this little canyon--dads lifting kids up up up and over rocks and walls all the way to the end. I would have loved to have gotten an overhead shot of nine kids crammed between the narrow walls....it was quite the sight!

I wish you could have seen it here--felt how it felt.
These pictures do it no justice at all--there is no feeling. The depth is wrong. You can't feel the coolness of the rock, or the softness of the sand. You can't see how the shadows fall as the canyon bends and bows. You can't hear the echoed giggles of the kids up ahead, and wonder about the voices that filled the walls years and years ago. 

There is no sand on your skin, no red stained feet. 

I am so grateful for photographs--all my memories constantly captured. 

But no photo can take the place of living and breathing the air inside of these walls......

Our little troop. 

We did around 6 miles and these guys more than earned their extra s'mores that night.

What have you explored lately?

this and that

our little family over the weekend....

so

many

things

happening.

Here is a little of this and that:

The Weekend

My sweet handsome boy was baptized and confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints over the weekend. (In our church we are baptized by immersion at age 8).
 It was such a happy weekend and we had family in from Montana, up and down California, Wyoming, and Colorado.
He is one loved (and seriously how handsome is he??!) little boy.

Chickens

My house is a Pet Store. Zoo. Petting Zoo. Our "chicks" are giant (and dirty and smelly) and the coop should be ready this weekend.......thank goodness....I need them out of my house. (pictures soon!)

Sugar

I'm going off sugar for the month. (whaaat??!! why??!!) I was inspired by my friend Hayley, who's doing a complete sugar cleanse, and feeling fantastic. I started reading more and more about it--finding different "cleanses" and trying to figure what would work best for me. I've always believed in everything in moderation.....so it's not forever--I've just been looking for a few new ways to jumpstart my body and get some of the junk out. I love baked goods......we all know that. I'm active and burn enough calories that I don't worry about my weekend dessert intake. I don't like candy--I have no problem passing it up....it's just the weekend cookies and spoonfuls of peanut butter and chocolate chips (heavy on the latter) at 4:00 (and maybe then 5:00 also) every afternoon. I really don't eat a lot of simple carbs, but I do like a good piece of artisan bread every now and then so I'm nixing that as well (and any other simple carbs that try to sneak in). I'm keeping fruit in my diet--I'm trying to get my short runs faster and my long runs longer.....so for now I want that fruit. The past few weeks I've even skipped out on whole wheat bread....so I'm basically trying to eat only whole foods (with no "ingredient lists") for right now. I won't be perfect, I guarantee a little of this and a bit of that will sneak it's way in, but I'm going to try the best I can for the month and see how I feel.
Anyone want to join me? 
(and yes, Sunday I had a giant banana split with homemade caramel AND homemade hot fudge to wish myself well on this sugarless journey.)

Running:

My friend somehow tricked me into singing up for a 20 mile trail race......in a few weeks. ha. ha. hahahahaha. I have been running, but nowhere near (nowhere!) 20 miles. So it should be really, really, interesting. And entertaining. And terrifying. And maybe, eventually, worth it. maybe.

Skin

While I have been off antibiotics for a while now (hooray!!) my body is still trying to rebuild after 3 years of on and off use (doesn't that just disgust you?!) My skin has suffered the most, and I feel like I have been running circles trying all kinds of "solutions". I have recently been reading up on The Oil Cleansing Method.....have you heard about this? (google it....you'll learn lots. THIS lays it out very simply). I'm going to give it a try and I will report back to you in a few weeks. (why was I on antibiotics forever? I've battled Lyme Disease for the past several years. I'm currently living symptom free (weeeeee!) after years of traditional and homeopathic treatment. read more posts here.)

School

We have 3 weeks of homeschool left! We have all learned so much (well, at least I hope they have learned something.) We definitely have our routine down each morning, and things go smoothly as long as I don't leave the room for more than 3 minutes.....otherwise they'll be rolling around on the floor in math facts and pronouns. My house is usually in some sort of disastrous state, but I know that right now this part of our lives is more important than my house being perfectly clean (or perfectly unpacked for that matter). Some days I turn in to "grumpy mom", so I have to make sure that "fun mom" makes appearances too. We try and find time to play outside and hike together each week. We play board games and read together outside of our school reading.

Reading

Robby and I are reading The Magician's Nephew to the kids right now. I have never read all of The Chronicles of Narnia, and we are loving reading this book together. 

One of the many benefits of homeshcool is that I get to read more. I read when my kids read....win win. Right now I am in the middle of Red: Passion and Patience in the Desert by Terry Tempest Williams. In the past year, I have declared my love for the desert over and over again, and this book has been so good for me to read. It brings the desert to me when I can't quite get there--I can feel the heat bouncing off the rocks and see the sun casting shadows over the sand when I read it. I'm pacing myself because I don't want it to end. (more desert photos from last week coming soon!)

and lastly......Soup

Soup?! In May?! Why yes....it was cold and rainy and I wanted soup. 

Kale and Bacon Soup

6-8 strips of bacon

1 onion, diced

4 large handfulls of kale, roughly chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

2TBS chopped fresh oregano

2TBS chopped fresh thyme

pinch of red pepper flakes

1 can of diced tomatoes

2 cups of shredded zucchini (optional. I happend to have this in the freezer from last summer....)

2 cans of beans of your choice (I used black eyed peas and butter beans), drained and rinsed

4 cups of chicken broth

dash of worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, cook the bacon,
Remove from pan and add the onions, kale, garlic and cook for a few minutes. (add a bit of olive oil of the bacon fat isn't enough)
add pepper flakes and fresh herbs and cook for a few minutes more.
add tomatoes, zucchini if using.
add beans,  chicken broth, and worcestershire.
Salt and pepper to taste.
bring to a low boil and then turn heat down and simmer for at least a half hour so all the flavors can come together.

enjoy!

I think we are all caught up......for now anyway.