In a little green house: summer

Oh, Oregon. Every time we visit there I try to convince myself that we can move there. The green, the laid back vibe, no sales tax! So many good things. But then I think about leaving our family behind, and I am back to reality. I don't think I could move that far away from my family, it would just be to hard.

We had such a good visit though, so relaxing. We got to spend so much time with some of the people we love the most in the world. Even though when we leave, it makes me miss them that much more. It is hard when one of your best friends lives in another state.

I love road trips, like a lot. I am sure my husband was over me telling him to pull over every few exits to take pics of something. There is just so much magic everywhere!

All the corn fields along the way were the most beautiful golden color. They had all been harvested already, but the contrast of the blue against the golden corn, gets me every time.

We drove from here in San Diego, and made it the 10ish hours to Sacramento, and stayed the night. In the morning we found their local Whole Foods Market, and stocked up on healthy road treats, and stuff for a picnic lunch along the way. It is kind of our tradition to stop in Lake Shasta and eat, and stretch. The lake was so low, I couldn't get any pics of the water, but it is so beautiful there. Pine was in the air, even though it was HOT!

We made it to Oregon! Be still my heart, I am so enamored with it there. We always pull over at the same spot and take a pic here.

When we made it to our friends house, we were instantly loving and playing with their kids. As much as we miss our friends, we miss their kids terribly too. It is really hard to not be close to all of them. Even looking at these pics makes me teary. They are such great kiddos, hilarious, smart, and sweet.

This is baby Cooper, their newest addition. This was our first time meeting him in person, and we are in love. Sweet little man.

Vacation means lots of eating, which I am totally ok with. I love how many places in OR are open and nice about working with dietary restrictions. This mexican food place was so awesome, and everything on my plate was 100% GF. So yummy too.

Henry and Maggie approve too!

Oh, Dutch Bros. Coffee. Let me tell you, I don't regularly drink coffee, but theirs is so good. I think we went five times in the four days we were there. I really wish they would come to Southern California. Actually maybe I don't, I really don't think I would be that good at practicing restraint. If you ever have a chance, give their coco mocha a try, so much rip roaring caffeine goodness!

This is Lithia Park in Ashland. This place is pure magic. Also has a pretty cool history, check it out here. Every time we come to visit, we have to go to Ashland. It is the coolest little town with such a laid back hippie vibe. This park is so beautiful. So much open space, with a beautiful creek and reservoir you can swim in, and awesome playgrounds for the kids. I would have to say this place is definitely one of my happy places.

Minnow catching success! She named him speedy, and then we sent him back to the streams.

There are berries growing everywhere in Oregon. These were growing creekside, so I was munching while swimming.

Graced by these beautiful babies. They were so calm and sweet.

I left one of the stones in a beautiful spot in the park from Megan's awesome Project Then When. I am hoping the right soul found it.

Oh, Oregon sunsets. Magic.

We headed out to Applegate Lake for our last full day, this place is beautiful, and the water was delicious! We pretty much had the whole lake to ourselves too.

Giving all my GF cider options a shot. This one is delicious.

Cutest buns on the planet.

Floating and relaxing with my favorite five year old. The stories she was telling me were awesome. Maggie is one special kiddo.

Our last morning in OR, we woke up to thunderstorms. So of course we had to head outside to do a little rain dance before we headed out of town.

On the drive home, we stopped at Crow's Landing for magic hour. Rolling hills, and the California aqueduct in the background. The golden light was pure bliss.

A little dumpster Kerouac. You never know where you are going to find magic. It was an awesome trip, and much needed break for the hubby and I. Until next summer, Oregon....

Lately things have been a whirlwind of happenings. So much has been going on every minute it feels like there has been zero downtime. It has felt like July is just whooshing by at a frantic pace. I cannot believe the month is half over!

For the past couple of months, my hubby and I have taken up hiking almost everyday after work. We have an amazing place that is literally a five minute drive from our house. It has endless trails, and is so beautiful. It has become such a great stress reliever for me at the end of the day. Working 10.5 hours everyday with 6-7 kids (two who are autistic) running around our house takes its toll. Hiking has not only forced me to get my butt in better shape, but I can literally feel myself breathe easier after we are done. We usually end up doing about 2-5 miles a night depending on how much time we have and what trails we pick. With views like these, it isn't hard to get motivated.

We are always meeting new friends along the way too, like this cute little snake. We have also come across coyotes, hawks, tortoises, giant bullfrogs, and tons of rabbits.

As much as I have tried to be a girl who loves the gym, I just don't. I cannot sit there and stare at the walls, while climbing or running nowhere. I need fresh air and nature, it is just who I am. I need to sweat it out with the sun shining down.

Our local fair was also in town for about a month. The San Diego County Fair comes to town every summer and runs through most of June until the 4th of July. It has been a tradition to go every year since I was a little girl. Usually it is all about the gross (but delicious) fair food for us. We like to try weird stuff, and there is plenty of it. Deep fried Kool-Aid anyone? This year it was a pretty big challenge for me to go for a full day and have such limited options to eat with having a GF diet. I have to say my willpower was in full effect, and I made it out with just eating salad and a grilled chicken kabob. I felt pretty damn proud of myself, especially when my family was sitting around me eating lobster rolls, battered potatoes, and kettle corn. The best part of the fair though for me is the ferris wheel. I have gone on it every year for as long as I can remember. It is my favorite at sunset, and this year we got on at the perfect time. Our fair takes place pretty much right near the ocean and the ferris wheel has an amazing view of mama ocean from the top.

The view from the top

I mean seriously? Doesn't get much better than that.

We have also been busy bees in the garden this summer. Loads of squash, green beans, and zucchini on a daily basis. I love the feeling of walking outside and bringing nourishment into your body that you grew yourself. It is almost magical. We also have corn that is almost ready and we are starting to plant our pumpkins this weekend. Last year we had about 10 sunflowers that we grew and they did amazing, so this year I went a little crazy and planted them all over our yard. I mean everywhere. Last week they started to pop up and I am so excited to watch them grow.

Here are a few by our front yard fence, if all goes according to plan it is going to be an epic sunflower fest around these parts!

Summertime also means broody hens here. One of our girls Bess has been broody for the last couple weeks. She confines herself in one of the nesting boxes all day to sit on a clutch of eggs, except for about a half hour where she leaves to eat and drink. It makes me a little sad, because I know all she wants to be is a mama but there are just way to many predators around here to hatch baby chicks. Our favorite local feed store has fake eggs, so we bought a few and she is content sitting on them. This can last anywhere from 2-8 weeks. She also doesn't lay any eggs during this time, and she is grouchy as all heck. I am hoping it doesn't last much longer.

We have been trying to visit the beach as much as we can this year too. I am a lifelong San Diego girl and the beach has always been a big part of my life. The past couple summers we have only gone a few times each year, and it is just so weird to not take advantage of something that is almost right in your own backyard. I have been determined to not take it for granted anymore.

Today marks 6 weeks of going gluten free, and to be honest it has been much easier than I thought it would be. The first two weeks were the most challenging, with me craving all my old comforts at each turn. I also got a pretty crazy detox rash. It has gotten so much easier, and now that I have completely changed the way I am eating I feel SO GOOD. The best results have been that my eczema has disappeared, I've dropped 9 pounds so far, and I have been sleeping so much better. I have always been a pretty healthy eater, and I am a veggie/greens lover to my core. But removing gluten has just made me so much more aware of what I am putting into my body and where that food is not only coming from but what every ingredient in it is. There are three items that have become staples for me. The first one is Pamela's Baking Mix. This stuff is so yummy and makes perfect pancakes, breads, and muffins. My husband even said he prefers pancakes from this mix over our homemade buttermilk ones we have made forever. They even sell it in a 4 lb. bag which is awesome for me since we are not only cooking for ourselves but a house full of kiddos during the day.

It is definitely more expensive than traditional baking mixes, but to know I have a yummy alternative to flour it makes it worth it to me.

The second item is LARABARs. These little guys are so good, and so easy to grab when I don't have time to sit down and make myself something. I even keep one in my purse when we are out. They are all natural and most bars only have 2-3 ingredients in them. My favorite flavor so far is Cherry Pie, so good.

The third item is Almond Nut Thins crackers. I am such a cracker girl, and I know crackers are not the healthiest thing out there, but I have to have them around. Even if I just want to grab a few to snack on. These are delicious.

We have been eating a ton of salads, as it has been to hot to cook most nights. My husband has come up with two in particular that are becoming my favorites. My love has been so supportive of this GF journey of mine, and to be honest I could not have gotten this far without him being 100% in. He now calls our dinners epic salad nights, and he is right they are epic!