Cold & Flu Hot Pink Lemonade Tea

Strangely enough, both of us sisters have the flu going around in our houses this week. In lieu of our illnesses, I share with you an amazing cold and flu busting tea. The immune boosting elderberry provides the hot pink color, brewed in hot water, with flu fighting yarrow, lemon juice and grated ginger to give it a nice zing. Sweeten it with raw honey and you've got a vitamin C packed, immune boosting, anti-viral tea that not only tastes delightful but will get you feeling better in no time.
 

Cold & Flu Hot Pink Lemonade Tea
1 T dried elderberries
1T dried yarrow
1 T grated fresh ginger
juice from one lemon

Put all ingredients into a 3 c mason jar. Fill with boiling water and cover. Let steep for 20 minutes. Strain the tea before serving. Sweeten with raw honey. Makes 3 servings. Rest and get better soon! 

Goal setting 101

 My high school psychology teacher was awesome. He was insightful, hilarious, intelligent and full of stories. If I could go back on time I would apologize for skipping his class to study for my AP exams. Heck, if I could travel back in time, I never would have skipped his class in the first place. There are several things he taught me (while I was there) and I want to share one with you today.

There are basics that everyone needs to have life; people need shelter, they need food, they need love and they need clothing. There are then secondary things people need to live; they need to learn, they need art, music and books. All these are musts to live a god quality life. This is the basic idea in P.I.E.S.S. If you have all these things covered you are better able to see the whole picture.

I invite you to go ahead and download this sheet (right click and save or make your own) and work on your goals. I think this wider approach will help anyone reach large goals, maybe even the tiny ones, too.

My family and I have all had the flu this week. Nothings sadder than a baby with a fever! I look forward to starting on my goals again once I get better.

Travelogue Tuesdays: Adams Canyon Trail

One of our favorite trails is Adams Canyon Trail in Layton, Utah. It's a great trail for the whole family, but a little intense if you go all the way to the waterfall with little ones. We did have to carry Lily at the end. But the view was worth it! All photos are taken with my iphone.

 

It takes about an hour up and 40 minutes down. If you time it right you can see the sunset as you come down the mountain. It is an absolutely beautiful hike. We did it in the fall, right after the leaves had dropped, so it wasn't as pretty as it is in the summer. It's a hike that I recommend on a late summer afternoon.

Mixtape Mondays #2 Sharing Sunshine

This playlist is for my dear sister. My playlist last week was way to mellow for her. It was just my speed, for the record. I wanted to give her something really cheerful to pick her up a little. None of these songs are new (although the Ragina Spektor song is only a year old.) And before you tease me for choosing the twangiest country song ever, let me defend myself. "It's a Great Day to be Alive" is one of the best songs ever written. It is full of happiness and gratefulness, a little something I think we should all have a little more of. I wish I had written it, and if I could figure out what to do with the words "old harley" and "fu man chu" I would almost definitely be trying to cover it. Jen, I hope this playlist makes you happy. I love you! Burn some citrus scented candles and get even happier! XO!

Re-evaluating What Goal Setting Means

I am embarking on a new series on this blog about goal setting. I am a big dreamer, I often got in trouble in grade school for letting my mind wander during class. To my step mom's chagrin, I couldn't contain my desire to make a wish blowing dandelion fluff. Every night, even now, I wish on the first star I see.  Sometimes the only way I fall asleep at night is to imagine my following day. My mom and I used to "paint the ceiling"with all or imaginary thoughts of the future. Dreams and I are bffs. Dreams are beautiful, and give hope. But, how do we make dreams or reality? 

Well, I'm not actually sure. I'd like to think that dreams and goal setting go hand in hand. As a compulsive list maker, I have set many a goal. I am a fan of New Year's Resolutions. I'd like to learn how to set more effective goals to show me to reach my dreams. I invite you to follow me on this journey with your own goals.

Here's how I'm starting;

1. I am breaking my dreams down into more reasonable, smaller, more attainable goals.
2. I am making sure to avoid words that will make me feel like I've screwed up if I miss a day. No daily goals and no hard numbers and no constricting deadlines.
3. I will not allow myself to feel guilt if I take a few steps back in reaching my goals.
4. I am only focusing on a few goals at a time.
5. I will look at ways to brighten up my goals and actually make them FUN.

I plan on stealing my mom's plan, the credit for this model lies with her. She calls the model P.I.E.S.S. and nothing could make us sisters run faster than hearing mom say, "girls, let's work on your PIESS!" What a boring snore fest we thought it was! As an adult I love the idea, so I'm running with it.

P- physical: my postpartum issues have made me gain some weight.
                      1. Log my intake
                      2. Eat more fruits and veg.
                      3. Get out of the house more on walks and bike rides
                      4. Eat super foods like (blech) liver, seeds and beets.

I- intellectual: I'm going to put art and knowledge in the same category.
                      1. Do more with project life.
                      2. Read books for my own enjoyment.
                      3. Start painting again.
                      4. Look at my options for going back to school.
                      5. Take more pictures.

E- emotional: postpartum and seasonal blues.
                      1. Even if it's just a line here and there, start journaling.
                      2. Compile a list of inspiring quotes that I come across.
                      3. Get a happy light.

S-social: they say that it's truly hard to make friends after college.

                      1. Go dancing with my girls.

                      2. Keep a job.

S- spiritual: this means something different for everyone, I will:
                       1. Meditate, study and pray.
                       2. Go to church.

I will follow up on these occasionally with my own progress as well as more tips as I do research. Good luck, I hope this helps anyone wanting to work on goals.

Travelogue Tuesdays: Salt Flats

My family and I spent President's Day at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah near the Nevada border. I have seen pictures of the flats before, but it is something you have to experience and see for yourself to appreciate the beauty. It is truly one of the most unique places I have been to. Unfortunately, I left my big camera at home, so all the photos are taken with my iphone.

We started off at a little rest stop before the actual flats where you can see the Salt Lake covering the flats like sheets of glass. It was absolutely stunning.

 

Diversely the Same

So many things...

are going through my head as we embark upon this new blog as sisters. But first, I think an introduction is in order. As the name of our blog suggests, we are two sisters from the northwest, now living in the midwest. We are six years apart, which means, growing up we didn't have a lot in common. We have different fathers too, which at times made us feel diametrical in our tastes and preferences. I hope you will view these differences as we have come to view them; as abundant diversities that add complexity and sweet medley to this blog that you will not find elsewhere.

As adults however, as we can appreciate our differing tastes, we have also been pleasantly surprised by the ever narrowing gap between us and what we love.
  
So much the same...

In this blog you will see just how alike we are in our admiration of the good things in life. We appreciate rich culture, good music, savory foods, photography, art and nature. We have a love for old things, for real things. We collect washed-up, dug-up bottles and treasures. We scavenge thrift stores for quirky art, timeless furniture and classic books. We decorate our homes with things that have stories and long-lives. Kaela loves music, I love literature and we both love what binds them together--the human spirit. Having grown-up experiencing many things that would extinguish that same spirit, we learned to find it, cherish it and to cultivate it. We know what it is to be alive and not really live.

We learned this from the common thread in our hearts, our mother. She raised us to love and appreciate beauty found in common things. She taught us the value of a good story, any story really, whether it be the story of a people or the story of an old painting. She taught us to enjoy rainy Sundays curled up with a good book, with candles lit and soft music filling the quiet in our home. She taught us to search...to search for the things that fill us with passion, that give our soul a song and our heart a verse.

Both with children of our own now, we continue the search. We seek out the good things in life and we seek to pass them on to our children and others. So this blog is a travelogue of our lives, woven together by so many things...

So many things...

we want to share and do and feel.

Mixtape Mondays #1 Super Mellow