Life In Pictures: Day TWELVE

 Pleasant Grove Junior High

FALL CONCERT.

Luke, Trumpet Master

Life in Pictures: Day ELEVEN

Needing an easy weeknight dinner, tonight I threw together Monte Cristo Sandwiches. Basically, I combined dinner and dessert into one convenient meal.

It was fast.

So easy.

And very, very satisfying.

Monte Cristo

Ingredients:    

                 6 slices of bread

                 6 slices of provolone

                 6 slices of swiss cheese

                 6 slices of turkey

                 6 slices of ham

                 1 cup of flour 

                 1 egg

                 1 Tbsp baking powder

                 1 Tbsp sugar

                 1/4 tsp salt

                 1 cup of water

                 powdered sugar for topping

                 raspberry jam for dipping

Instructions:

In a deep skillet (or deep fryer), heat 1 to 2 inches of vegetable oil to 350 degrees. To assemble sandwich, layer one slice of bread, ham, provolone cheese, turkey, and swiss cheese, and then another slice of bread. Secure all four corners of the sandwich with toothpicks.

For the batter, in a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Blend in the water and egg and mix well. Dip sandwich in the batter, coating all edges and sides. Carefully fry sandwich until golden brown on each side. Remove from oil and place on a paper towel covered plate to soak up the extra oil.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar, remove toothpicks, and serve with your favorite raspberry jam.

Enjoy!

Love,

Rachel

 

Life in Pictures: Day NINE

 Fletcher's most favorite breakfast in the world is Egg-in-a-Hole. Don't get me wrong... He loves puffy German Hotcakes, crepes, and chocolate Malt-o-Meal, but this one wins hands down as the most requested morning meal by this little man.

A weekend treat in our home (as weekdays are oh so busy), the secret to the perfect Egg-in-a-Hole is to get the skillet to a nice medium heat prior to placing the goodies in the pan.  Use generous amounts of real butter (no skimping here), and watch the egg carefully to get that awesome runny consistency. In our home, if that egg is not gushing, it's a major fail.

A little bit of salt.

A dash of pepper.

And if we are really living it up, maple-blueberry sausage links on the side.  Yep, that's a thing and they are spectacular!

Bon Appetit!

Love,

Rachel

Life in Pictures: Day EIGHT

 This morning as I gazed out our window from bed, the rising sun danced across the crisp fall leaves so perfectly. It felt as though I was admiring a magnificent painting. I turned to Brendon and commented how perfect the light was right now.

Without hesitation, he said, "Go!"

He knew.

Of course, I had been talking about it for days... Wanting so much to capture this movie-like neighborhood of ours. I will admit, no photo I snapped is nearly as majestic as the experience itself, but this will have to do for a first attempt.

Have a beautiful Sunday!

Love,

Rachel

Life in Pictures: Day SEVEN

This Moment

Oh this child of mine!

Sweet Fletcher was by my side all day, working tirelessly to assemble new beds.  Such a hard worker, this one. Never once did he utter a word of complaint, but always ready with a smile and a helping hand.

Building a home is a very special thing.

Creating it together as a family?

Priceless.

Feeling grateful.

Love,

Rachel

Life in Pictures: Day SIX

"It's very important to write things down instantly, or you can lose the way you were thinking out a line. I have a rule that if I wake up at 3 in the morning and think of something, I write it down. I can't wait until morning - it'll be gone."

- Mary Oliver

Seattle

11.4.2016

As I glanced at this snapshot from last weekend in Seattle, my mind began to run off in deep, contemplative thought. Immediately I started typing as the words flowed from my head to my hands. Putting pen to paper (or fingers to keys) has always been so incredibly therapeutic for me and this image stirred so many feelings of love, happiness, joy, and gratitude for this life of mine. It's truly magical. But in all honesty, it hasn't always been this way and I began writing out my story.

Where I am.

Where I've been. 

Where I am going. 

There's just so, so much!  

Then I paused.

I came to the conclusion that the time has not yet come for me to lay out all of my vulnerabilities; To open myself up completely and share the story of me, through my eyes. No... Not yet. But I will continue to write and write and write. And when I feel it in my soul, as I surely will, then, I will share my journey here in this space.  

Love,

Rachel

Life in Pictures: Day FIVE

Have you ever seen a carrot this sexy in your entire life??? I didn't have the heart to peel and roast it with our dinner tonight.

Love,

Rachel

Life in Pictures: Day FOUR

This has been one crazy election year!

Never would I have guessed we would be looking at the possibility of either having our First Female President OR Donald Trump as the leader of our Great Nation. But here we are and this is where we landed.

President Donald J. Trump it is.

The coverage was pretty crazy. I didn't anticipate the votes being nearly as close they were. Amid the chaos and excitement, I was lucky enough to have Sir Aiden curled up with me as I watched it all unfold. Put a baby in my arms and all is right in the world!

 Did I mention Aiden's Papa (Grandpa...shhh, he hates that term) was by my side, too? He's pretty darn spectacular, this man of mine, and brings me so much peace, love, and happiness! A keeper, I tell ya, and I am one very lucky girl!

Love,
Rachel

Life in Pictures: Day THREE

Look who finally got a PASSPORT for the first time ever!!!

Ready to explore!

Love,

Rachel

Life in Pictures: Day TWO

View of Mt Rainier as we flew out of Washington towards home yesterday.

Being on the road presented a bit of a challenge for my Life in Pictures Project. But here I am back in Utah... back to real life. My time in Seattle was incredible! A little bit of work. A whole lot of fun. I must say, I am so ready to hug my kiddos. So many exciting things on the horizon for us! Stay tuned. 

Love,
Rachel

Life In Pictures: Day ONE

As this is a new blog for me, I feel I need a little boost to get back into the habit of posting regularly.  And rather than writing a lengthy post explaining who I am and what my life looks like at this point, I'm going to start with glimpses into my everyday. Capturing the Right Now.  So, for the remainder of November, I will be posting at least one photo from the day, beginning with these few from yesterday. 

Right Now
I am in Seattle, WA for work (and a bit of play).  I don't know if you can see it in the above photos, but I radiate so much happiness and joy when this incredible man is near. It's kind of ridiculous how happy Brendon makes me! I'm so excited to share more of our journey with you in this space.

Love,
Rachel

Taking the Plunge!

October 22, 2016

Just begin.

That's where I am at.

I have stared at this newly created blog for weeks.

Multiple times, I have started to write a post, only to let it sit as a draft untouched, unpublished.  Why is it so hard to just start??? I kept a blog for 7 years and published quite regularly. It was a fabulous way for me to keep family, who lived hundreds of miles away, on top of what was going on with our lives. But it was also a way for me to express myself through words and pictures.  To capture moments, express feelings (good and bad), preserve memories, document favorite recipes, and really, to pause and reflect on life each day. When I viewed life as a blogger, even the simplest moments were seen with awe and wonder. It helped me to really savor the beauty that is life. 

So, as awkward and unrefined as this First Post is, I will begin now with this adorable picture of my babies, who are not really babies anymore.  Because sometimes it is best to just jump in, head first.

Love,
Rachel