Visiting Mount Rainier

While planning our summer vacation this summer, we decided to explore a part of the country that we hadn't seen before. We were already heading from Idaho to the Oregon coast and decided to stop in and see Mount Rainier. Prior to our trip, I did a lot of reading online about the best places to hike and the must see areas of Mount Rainier National Park. The pictures were breathtaking and I couldn't wait to take my family to see this incredible beauty!  As many of you know, the Western part of the United States has seen so many fires this summer and the air is thick with smoke. As we drove through Washington we hit pockets of very low visibility and were afraid that we wouldn't be able to see our mountain.

We arrived at the southeast corner of Mount Rainier National Park in the morning, we had read that you have to get there early, and our first stop was Grove of the Patriarchs. Walking on this trail in the morning with very little people around, was a really cool experience. We hiked about a half mile to a foot bridge that crosses the Ohanapecosh River. This bridge is a one-person-at-a-time bridge and is really cool to walk across. Once we crossed the bridge, we wind around on a trail that took us through an old growth forest that was absolutely majestic and a little bit magical. This is certainly a stop you need to make when visiting Mount Rainier.

After visiting Grove of the Patriarchs, we headed to Paradise. All of the information that I had read said that Paradise was one of the most beautiful places in the park, so we for sure wanted to stop there. As we drove along the road, my kids kept asking when are we going to see Rainier, and then all of a sudden, this majestic mountain came into view and it was breathtaking!!  The pictures cannot even begin to express the size of this mountain. We were in complete awe of it's grandeur. We did 2 short hikes while at Paradise. The first hike was to Myrtle Falls (1 mile) and the second was the Nisqually Vista Trail (1 mile) which puts you in site of the Nisqually Glacier. Both hikes were beautiful and there were even some wildflowers still in bloom. We also found huckleberries along the Nisqually Vista Trail, yum!  I highly recommend visiting Paradise on a weekday in the morning, it was perfect. We wish that we had had more time to spend hiking. We can't wait to come back to Mount Rainier and explore the rest of the park. 

Yellowstone National Park in the Fall

Fall is my absolute favorite time to visit Yellowstone National Park. The air is so crisp and fresh and the animals are on the move. It is also a great time to visit because there are very few people.  The mornings can be chilly but once the sun comes out, it warms up nicely and it's the perfect weather for hiking or just walking around.

When visiting Yellowstone, we always make a stop in West to do some shopping.  By mid October, the town of West Yellowstone is getting ready to close down for the winter and you can find some great deals on clothing and other gifts. Our all time favorite shop is the Rustic Candy Shop on Canyon Street.  We let the kids pick out their favorite treat and get to pamper myself with a dark chocolate covered almonds truffle--yum!

There are so many things to see in Yellowstone that it's impossible to see it all in a day.  But if you only had one day, here is what we would recommend seeing.

The colors at  Midway Geyser Basin are absolutely amazing in the Fall.

Midway also has incredible pools of crystal blue-green water, you just have to wait for the steam to clear out (usually only for a few seconds) before you can see the hidden beauty.

Old Faithful is my absolute favorite spot to visit in the park.  I have seen Old Faithful go off over 20 times and it never ceases to amaze me.  I honestly think it's even more impressive in the Fall.

The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is truly magnificent.
This is a looking at the Falls from Artist Point on the South Rim..

Fountain Paint Pots has memorized me since I was a little girl.  I love watching the mud bubble up
and explode into the air. There is more mud in the Fall and less in the Spring.

These are the falls along the Fire Hole Drive.  This year we discovered the jumping fish.  When we stopped here to look at the waterfall, a fellow tourist pointed out to us that there were fish trying to swim up the waterfall.  What!?  It was incredible!  We were all so amazed that these fish could jump out of the turbulent water at the bottom of the falls and try to go up the waterfall.  This is definitely worth checking out.

Mammoth Hot Springs is such a beautiful town and in the Fall, it is often taken over by herds of Elk.  They wander all over the town and are so beautiful to watch. Keep your distance though, as docile as they look,
they can turn on you at any moment.

The thermal activity at Mammoth Hot Springs is constantly changing.  This summer, this hill of travertine was a beautiful blend of orange and browns from the Algae.  This Fall, most of the color was gone and the terraces had the appearance of white chalk.  

And finally the Buffalo.  I love watching these large muscular creatures as they walk along side the road, pretending that you don't even exist.

This year we didn't see any Bears in the park, which was a bummer.  We will head back again in the Spring and I'll share with you my favorite things to see as the world comes back to life in Yellowstone National Park. 

Birthday Bathroom Remodel

My sister-in-law had a birthday not too long ago, and we decided it would be fun to gift her a bathroom remodel.  Needless to say, she was so excited for the gift.  My husband and I love working together on projects and make a great team.  For this remodel, we painted the walls and trim, tore out the old linoleum and laid down a beautiful blue-grey tile.  We also put up beadboard to hide some imperfections in the wall and installed a new sink.  Here are some before and after pictures.

This is the bathroom after painting the walls, but before we started tearing things out.

Goodbye old linoleum.  It's so amazing the transformation that can happen with new paint and tile.  

Cooking with Essential Oils: Escalopes à la Crème

When I was in my 20s, I spent some time in Switzerland and was introduced to this wonderful dish.  It's one of my kids favorites.  I love it because it's yummy and so easy to make.

Escalopes à la Crème:
4 chicken tenders, cooked and diced
1 quart heavy cream
4 Tbsp Inglehoffer Stone Ground Mustard
Salt and Pepper
1 carton Fresh mushrooms -sliced
Lemon Essential Oil or Real Lemon
Cooked Rice (3 cups uncooked rice + water)

Grill chicken in a little bit of butter on the stove top.  Remove from pan and dice.  In same pan, add heavy cream and mushrooms.  Cook for a few minutes over medium high heat until mushrooms start to soften, just a little.  Add mustard, salt and pepper.  Add back in diced chicken.  Add 2-3 drops Lemon essential oil or 1 tsp Real Lemon.  Stir.  Serve over rice.  This recipe feeds our family of 5 with leftovers.  Enjoy!

Guacamole with Essential Oils

I love eating chips and guacamole.  Some people love chocolate or soda or candy, not me, I love my chips and guacamole.  A friend shared this yummy recipe with me that uses Lime and Cilantro essential oils.  Give it a try and let me know what you think.


Guacamole Recipe:
2 avocados (ripe)
1 Tbsp sour cream
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp chopped cilantro or 1 drop Cilantro essential oil (1 drop creates a very strong cilantro flavor.  You may want to start with just dipping a toothpick in the cilantro essential oil and stirring that in.)
1/3 cup salsa
2 drops Lime essential oil

Peel avocados and mash in mixing bowl.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

Chicken Lime Quesadillas

The other day for lunch we made Chicken Lime Quesadillas and they are now my favorite way to eat a quesadilla.

Ingredients:
1 cup shredded cooked chicken
1 can black beans
1 can corn (drained)
1 toothpick dipped in Cilantro essential oil (or 1/2 cup chopped cilantro)
2 drops Lime essential oil
2 tomatoes
1 avocado
1 tsp olive oil
Diced onions (optional)
Tortillas
Shredded cheese

In a small bowl, add the olive oil.  Swirl the toothpick dipped in Cilantro essential oil in the olive oil.  Add the 2 drops of Lime essential oil.

In a medium size bowl, mix together the chicken, black beans, corn, tomatoes and avocado.  Take the oil mixture and drizzle over the other ingredients.  Stir

Heat up griddle.  Place 1 tortilla on griddle and spread a small amount of black bean mixture on half of the tortilla.  Sprinkle cheese on the tortilla and fold.  Allow the tortilla to heat up and the cheese to melt.  Repeat with as many tortillas as desired.

This recipe makes about 10 tortillas, depending on how much you put in each one.

Enjoy!

Lavender Essential Oil

Lavender is one of my favorite essential oils.  I use it all the time for so many things.  I like to make sure that I have extra bottles in my food storage so that I am never without my lavender.  Here are some great ways to use Lavender:

• Add a few drops of Lavender to pillows, bedding, or bottoms of feet for a restful night’s sleep.
  
• Keep a bottle of Lavender on hand for minor burns, cuts, and scrapes.
  
• Freshen your linen closet, mattress, car, or the air by combining Lavender with water in a spray bottle.
  
• Add to bath water to soak away stress or apply to the
  temples and the back of the neck to ease muscle
  tension.
  
• Use in cooking to soften citrus flavors and add a
  flavorful twist to marinades, baked goods, and desserts.