Tucson, Camping, Mexico, and everything in between.

Well hello there J  I have been quite absent from this blog, and for that,  I have a very good reason! I was busy GRADUATING from high school. And well about 3 days after I graduated I left on 50 day trip. It started with a 3 day trip down to Richmond for the HEAV homeschool convention. That was very enjoyable, but passed very quickly and we were headed back to home before we knew it. We then had about 6 hours at home to repack before we went to bed to got up at 2:30 to leave at 3, to get to BWI (airport) at 4 to fly out at 6. We transferred planes in Denver and landed in Tucson around 10:30 because of the time difference. We then rented a car, drove by our old house, and headed 4 hours away up to Williams, AZ where we camped for 6 days. It was with all our extended family, Aunts, Uncles and Cousins, and it was just a wonderful time. We went hiking, shooting,  touring and even to see the Grand Canyon and a “real Cowboy” rodeo. (Pictures below) The Grand Canyon was incredible. Not everyone was going, and since I had seen it once before, when I was 7, I was debating not going, but I was glad I did.  Your memory, at age 7, is just not big enough to remember all the beauty and wonder of such a big thing. I knew it was big. In fact, I knew it was huge. But when I got my first glimpse, I was flabbergasted, and just how big it was. We ended up walking about a mile and a half around a part of the rim, and then having lunch. I got very sun burnt, but it was so worth it J

The other highlight of my week was seeing the real Cowboy rodeo. Growing up in Tucson and San Antonio I had been to quite a few rodeo’s in my time, but none came anywhere close to this one. The people performing in it were “real” Cowboys. Men who worked on ranches, farms, and other places, and did things like riding horses and roping cows for a living. There were no laws or rules to limit them, and they did quite a few crazy things. My favorite event was the Wild Cow Milking. It started out with a cow being released, and a man on a horse roping it. Then one person would hold the cow down (Not nearly as easy as it sounds. Remember it is Wild cow milking) and then another person milking it into a red solo cup. Then that person would run over to a little circle and the judge would make sure there was milk in the cup. There only had to be a drop for it to count! The whole rodeo was enjoyable, and I really hope I can see another one like it some time.

The shooting day was my favorite day spent with the whole family (Most of the other days we split up into a few different activities.) My uncles set it up, and boy, was it fantastic. It was a contest, with a bunch of different categories. Everyone got to shoot in each category, and our points were added up and converted into places. One of my uncles got first place, but since he was giving on of the prizes, he for fitted. My cousin (Jessie) got second. My MOM got third place, and won a 22 shotgun! My favorite guns to shoot were the 22 and the 45 pistol. (Please excuse my wrong names. Though I can shoot a gun I am not an expert on the names J )

We ventured into Williams, AZ for a day and it is quite the quaint little town. It is on Historic RT. 66, (which I love!) and is a major tourist town. We walked through many shops, and my sister was very happy to find a fair-trade coffee shop that has some wonderful Chai tea J We ate lunch at an Italian bistro, which was delicious, and finished up the day at an old fashioned ice cream parlor.

Next we headed back down to Tucson for a couple days back there. Monday Erin, (my sister) Jessie, (my cousin) and I explored some of Tucson. We also enjoyed a wonderful evening at my grandparent’s swimming and spending time with the whole family. Also going through my late Aunt’s jewelry which she left to her nieces (most amazing Aunt!)

My family headed out and I spent a few days with my Grammy. One day we headed down to Nogales, Mexico. I really wanted to go down not only because it is a different country and I love traveling, but also because I just wanted to say I had been there J It’s only about an hour and a half from Tucson, which was a very easy drive. We parked on the US side, and walked over. I had found a recommendation for the restaurant La Roca, and so we headed over to it. It was completely empty when we arrived, and I thought it might be closed, but a waiter came over and seated us, and brought us a menu. It is a beautiful restaurant, very high-class look and feel (and incredibly reasonable prices.) I had forgotten to look up what people recommended to eat, so at the last minute I pulled out my Iphone and goggled it. At somebody’s recommendation I ordered the coconut chicken kabobs, which were really dry and not very coconuty. (I.e., I did not like them one bit.) But my Grandma got a combination plate, and I ate the Chimichanga off of her’s. It was delicious, and if you ever go, I would highly recommend it. The place was empty the whole time we were there, and even when we left only three other tables had people sitting at them. The waiter’s were wonderful; and it was incredibly enjoyable. Next we headed over to the little shopping market, and I bartered my way through many a transactions. Bartering is my absolute favorite thing to do when traveling, and I really wish there was more of it in America! After wards we stopped in a little shop for a large Coca-Cola (Mexican coke is made with real sugar, not high fructose corn syrup and there is no comparison!) The line to get back over the border was pretty long, but we made it back home safe! I had a wonderful time, and yes, it was pretty sketchy, but I really didn’t feel endangered once. We picked up Tortillas right before we exited, and boy, those were some good tortillas!!

On Thursday my friend Rebekah Givens arrived via Amtrak and we spent the next few days hanging with my Aunt and family, riding my cousin’s horses, and cooking a dinner to enjoy with my Grammy. When we spent an afternoon at Grammy’s we cooked up quite the storm, experimenting with some old boxed cake mix we found in the back of the cupboard. Everything turned out good!

And that, was just the first 20 days of my 50 day trip. More to come in my next post!! (Enjoy the pictures below.)  

First camp food. It was so good.  (Chili)

My mom and wonderful Aunts :)

Cupcakes for my graduation.

Pool at the campsite.

Lots, and lots of Settler's played.

Sitting in an hour and a half of traffic on our way to Williams.

Announcing the winner of BLOOM!

And the winner is...........

Charlotte!

I will get the book to you soon Charlotte! Thank you to everyone who left comments.

~Rebekah

Homemade graham crakers

I found a recipe online the other day for homemade graham crackers, and I just had to try it. If you know me at all, you know that I love to make as many things from scratch as possible. So of course, this was no exception.


The recipe is pretty simple, when you are looking at how much time you need to make it, just remember that you have to let the dough sit in the fridge for an hour before you roll it and bake it. I would say it took me about 1 1/2-2 hours to make them (excluding the hour of fridge time.)


For ingredients, you need:

12 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup honey

2 eggs

3 cups whole-wheat flour (the original recipe called for 1/2 all purpose and 1/2 whole wheat, but they turned out just fine with all whole wheat.)

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp kosher salt

Cinnamon and sugar for sprinkling on top

 

Beat butter, honey and sugar with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Add eggs and mix.

Add flours, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt and mix to combine.

Refrigerate dough for one hour (or longer).

Heat oven to 350º.

On a well-floured counter, roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness.(If you go any thicker, your crackers will seem more like cookies after they are baked). The rolling out part gets difficult. If your dough is like mine it is still super soft and sticks to EVERYTHING. What I found that works best is to put a little pile of flour on the counter, then make a ball out of some dough. Place the ball in the center of the flour, and then sprinkle more flour on top so the rolling pin won't stick. If that sounds crazy complicated, just look at the pictures below :) 

Cut out crackers with cookie cutters and transfer them to cookie sheets.    (I used a spatula. It really helped and kept them from falling apart.)

 Grease your cookie sheet well, or use parchment paper. (I just use parchment paper. They NEVER stick and it's easy to clean up. I use parchment paper to bake most of my cookies. It makes a big difference.)

Using a pastry brush dipped in water, lightly brush the tops of the crackers. Using a fork, poke holes in the crackers. (I was worried when I poked the holes that I poked too many. Don't worry, the holes barley show up.) Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the tops of the crackers.

Bake for 10-15 minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool. The longer these sit, the more cracker-like they become, so they're best eaten after about 30 minutes, if you can wait that long.

Now let me just say, mine came out tasting a little more like cookies then crackers, I think this was for a few reasons. First of all, I don't think I rolled them out quite thin enough. Second, I baked one batch for 10 minutes and one for 15. The ones that were baked for 15 were a little bit harder and tasted much more like crackers. The ones that baked for 10 were just like cookies. I need to experiment a little more to see if I can get the right cracker feel. 

Original recipie here.

I hope you enjoy! let me know if you make them!

~Rebekah

Bloom. My new favorite book (and a giveaway!)

Bloom. I am going to do my best at describing in words how amazing this book is. But let's just get something straight. My words will never compare to those written in this book. This book does not just hold words on a page. It holds raw emotion on a page.  When I read it, I feel like I am there with Kelle, crying tears beside her when it's hard, and smiling when the day is good. The book is a memoir of Nella (her daughter's) first year of life. It goes with her through shock and surprises, disappointments and fears, good days and bad days. One of my favorite things about the book is how big of an emphasis she places on friends and family. Because I know well, that when you have people there for you, backing you up, life is a whole lot sweeter.
I was very pleasantly surprised to open the book and find full color photographs on every page. Since I have been following Kelle's blog for over a year now, I already knew how wonderful of a photographer she is, but to see those paired raw emotion is just incredible. the book is beyond encouraging, especially for moms. If you don't happent to win the giveaway, I would say go out and buy it NOW anyways! It's money WELL spent.

I also got the GREAT pleasure of Skyping with Mrs. Hampton herself today! I can not tell you how excited I was to talk with her. (I got the great chance because I pre-oreded 10 books. ) She is just one of the most delightful ladies I know. I was really nervous before she called me. I was worried that it would be awkward, and I was wondering why I had ordered 10 books for this. But let me tell you, every single penny I spent on those books were worth it. Every single one. From the moment she called me there was not one bit of silence! We talked about our lives, close friends, how the book has changed our lives, and what it's like to be in the "spotlight". I felt like I was talking with a long lost friend! And she shared quite a few things with me that really touch me. Like a saying she has hanging on her girl's wall : If you are confident, then you are beautiful. So true. I will treasure each moment we spent talking. Such wisdom and inspiration!


Now onto the fun part! As I said before, the purpose of this blog is not to attract more readers, nor is it to give away endless stuff, but I do like to do the occasional giveaway, especially when I have the means. So here you go. This is my favorite book and now it can be yours (hardcover) for free! Just simply leave a comment on this post, and I will use random.org to pick a winner tomorrow! Then I will message you and ship it off to you right away.

This giveaway closes on April 26th, 2012 at 10:00 Pm EST.

~Rebekah