As you can probably tell I love fruit salads. I like to change it up by making different dressings to toss the fruit in. Some days of Summer I only want to eat fruit and this Fruit with Agave Poppy Seed Dressing hits the spot. And anyway I can get my kids to eat a lot of fruit is a win. Here’s the delicious recipe.
Fruit:
2 nectarines, chopped
1 orange, peeled and sliced
1 medium pineapple, cut into squares
1 cup red seedless grapes
1 cup green seedless grapes
Decorating with red, white and blue can be a little tricky. Here are some great examples of rooms using red, white and blue in a classy way.
From Memorial Day through Labor day I could easily have my whole house decked out in red, white and blue, but I hadn’t though much about decorating with red, white and blue year round until recently. The colors can range from a soft red to an orange-y red, a soft blue to a cobalt blue or even a turquoise. It doesn’t really matter, I just love red and blue paired with crisp white.
Here are some rooms I’ve gathered decorated in red, white and blue that don’t shout 4h of July (which actually happens to be my favorite holiday) so I wouldn’t mind if it was shouted.
It’s the beginning of picnics and barbecues for the next few months. Warmer weather is upon us and meals just seem to taste better eaten outside. I like making delicious food for my family but not spending hours in the kitchen, so I have gathered a few of my favorite quick picnic salad recipes all in one place. They’re so easy, you could pick one this morning and make it for your gathering later today.
This post is a little different from my usual but I just had to share with you where I spent this past weekend. I feel rejuvenated and a little more sure of myself and the things I can accomplish, plus I always love an adventure.
When I first heard of the blogger retreat at Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort and looked up the resort and activities available I knew I had to attend. I have attended a few blog conferences over the last few years and have loved them and the learning opportunities they offered but this weekend was more about being adventurous and then a few classes about how to capture it in video. I couldn’t think of a better weekend!
Our Friday evening started with appetizers, a light dinner sponsored by Dairy Council of UT/NV, and Rachel de Azevedo-Coleman. Nothing like starting the weekend out with a good laugh and cry. She is amazing, inspiring, and motivating. You might know her as the creator of Signing Time, Potty Time, and Tree Schoolers.
Then we went on a sunset nature walk to learn how to video and photograph the sunset. It was spectacular! Aaron Coleman taught video workshops throughout the weekend and since he went on many adventures with us we were able to ask him questions as we were learning our new skill.
There are so many awesome adventures you can take but I have to say my favorite was the canyoneering. I can’t describe how amazing it felt to accomplish something I had never done before. The support of our fabulous guides and the rest of the group made it an experience I will never forget.
Sometimes the only way you can see the beauty of these areas of the park is to rappel off the edge of a cliff. Hanging from a rope in such a beautiful place is an amazing experience. You can see pictures of me starting my descent on my facebook page.
There are so many activities I’m not sure I’m going to be able to name them all, but I’ll try: horseback riding, ATV, jeep tour, hiking, skeet shooting, canyoneering. Then there’s also activities for the younger kids: zipline, rock climbing wall, playground, miniature golf, and other activities inside the barn. I can’t forget there’s also a swimming pool, hot tub, and spa.
There was also a chuck wagon dinner where we rode in a wagon drawn by these 2 lovelies. There we had a dutch oven dinner and were serenaded by 2 of the cutest cowboys.
I’m sure I’ve left out a ton of things so visit the Zion Ponderosa site for all the info. You are going to be blown away by all the activities and the amenities.
While I was canyoneering, Zion Ponderosa had another surprise for the other bloggers. General Manager Michael Kane brought in some helicopters from Upper Limit Aviation and took them for a flight east of Zion National Park. What an amazing experience! You can’t beat a weekend like this!
With all our activities we deserved a little down time around the campfire to listen to story telling, talk, and eat s’mores. There’s something wonderful about getting like minded people together in one place to share ideas, laugh, and just relax. What makes it even better is the setting.
The ladies behind Family Forward did an amazing job making sure we had the most memorable weekend ever. My life is blessed to have had the experience of getting to know these beautiful people and their life experiences. We all have a story and a journey and I love that we are able to share and grow from our experiences.
This was the house I stayed in with 10 other amazing women. There were also 3 other houses for our group. You can find out more about the lodging at Zion Ponderosahere. Our closing lunch was sponsored by Miracle Harvest. You can find out more info about Miracle Harvest and how you can support Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals by visiting here.
I’m hoping to bring my family here this Fall, if that doesn’t work out we will eventually make it to Zion Ponderosa. I can’t wait to experience some of these same activities and memories with my family.
Here is a list of the wonderful sponsors this weekend, because I don’t want to leave anyone out:
Family Forward
Mom It Forward
Dairy Council of UT/NV IKEA Miracle Harvest
Great Harvest
Contour
Rachel de Azevedo-Coleman
Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Dollar General. All opinions are 100% mine.
Spring is my favorite time of year to organize. I like to get everything in order so I can enjoy my Summer spending time with the kids and taking quick weekend trips with the family. I don’t believe you have to spend a lot of money to get organized though. All you really need is containers to hold supplies and other items to keep them contained and together. I was pleasantly surprised to find everything I needed to get my kitchen organized was at Dollar General.
Having just moved a few months ago, I still had spaces in the kitchen that weren’t as organized as I wanted them to be. Since spaces are different in every home there’s always adjustments that need to be made. The whole point to being organized is to save time. If something isn’t working, don’t be afraid to change it.
I decided to start with the refrigerator. I love using plastic baskets to keep things contained in the fridge. It makes it easy to keep similar foods together, easy to clean up spills, and easy to take baskets in and out when needed. I even use them in the bins to keep fruits and veggies separated, have lunch items ready for the kids, and keep my gluten-free foods separate from other foods.
This kitchen is limited on space. I have 2 cabinets on each side of the oven where I store baking and cooking supplies. I also have a small drawer that holds my most used spices. I added a couple small baskets to the cabinets to hold envelope mixes in one and candles in the other. The envelope mixes were always falling down and the candles were hard to get out of the boxes. Who would’ve thought .25 cents could help in my organizing so much?
I don’t store a lot of supplies under the kitchen sink, just the ones I use often. I really hate the boxes things come in, they’re usually inconvenient and get torn easily. I used inexpensive baskets to hold scouring pads and other cleaning supplies.
I didn’t think a pantry could be any smaller than the one in my last house but I was so wrong. This one is about 6” shorter and about 20” shallower, so it’s really small on space. I like having my food in containers to keep it fresh longer and easy to see when it’s getting low, plus containers make a better use of space and help keep things organized. You always have a designated space for everything. These baskets and small bins are perfect for holding popcorn, baking supplies and small packaged foods. The kids don’t have to worry about knocking things over or messing up the pantry when they get food out. And if someone else puts the groceries away it’s obvious where everything goes.
The last thing I added to getting the kitchen organized was an inexpensive dry-erase board. It hangs on the side of the fridge and anyone can write down when we’re running low on something or if they have a special request.
My kitchen is now organized and ready for Summer. If you’re looking for functional and inexpensive organizing supplies head to your local Dollar General and check out the huge selection. While you’re there check out all the Summer fun items, everything from outdoor barbecue items, to things to play with at the park and pool. And since crafting is one of my favorite things, I can’t forget all the crafting supplies that are perfect for days when it’s way too hot to venture outside.
Who doesn’t enjoy a fresh fruit salad in the Summer? I picked some of my favorite fruits to make this Fresh Fruit Salad with Mint Sugar. It’s light and refreshing which makes it the perfect salad as a side for lunch or dinner. The mint sugar has the perfect amount of mint to enhance the fruit but not overpower it. You’re going to love it!
Ingredients:
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 lb blackberries
3 medium peaches or nectarines, diced
1 1/2 cups seedless grapes, halved
2-3 tangerines, peeled and sectioned
Pulse fresh mint and sugar in a food processor until finely ground. Combine all fruit in a large bowl. Sprinkle mint sugar over fruit and toss gently. Let stand 5 minutes before serving . Makes 6 servings. I made this on Mother’s Day and the whole family loved it, even my youngest who doesn’t like mint.
Have you been working on getting your home organized? I’m sharing with you 10 Organized Spaces Around the House. The kids will be getting out of school soon and it will be time to play, so now is the perfect time to get the house organized before Summer comes. I’m sharing with you 10 Spaces and ideas on how to get them organized. Start working on one space then move onto another until the whole house is organized and ready for Summer fun. Don’t forget the first step to organizing is de-cluttering. Get rid of the excess and then you’ll have less to organize.
I love relaxing on the patio in the evening while sipping a delicious Summer drink. This Pineapple Limeade is one of my favorites. It’s a little tart and not overly sweet. Just the way I like it!
Ingredients:
6 cup pineapple juice, chilled
1 cup lime juice
1 cup sugar
2 liters sparkling water, chilled
Lime or pineapple slices, if desired
In large pitcher, mix juices and sugar. Pour half of mixture into another large pitcher.
Just before serving, stir 1 liter sparkling water into each pitcher. Serve over crushed ice. Garnish with lime or pineapple slices.
I’ve been making a lot more dishes using quinoa. The bonus is that most of my family likes it. If you knew how picky my kids and hubby are you would know this is a big deal. Finding things for my picky family to eat is a lot of effort but worth it if I don’t have to cook 2-3 separate dinners every night. I made this Veggie and Black Bean Quinoa Salad full of flavor and food that my family will eat.
Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed well
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
1/4 cup diced red onion
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 15 ounce can black beans, drained
1 zucchini, chopped
1 cup frozen corn, defrosted
1 carton cherry tomatoes, halved
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
3 tablespoons olive oil
Rinse quinoa in cold water. Drain well. Combine quinoa, water and salt in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 15-20 minutes or until quinoa is tender. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Place in a large bowl and fluff with a fork so it will cool quicker.
While the quinoa is cooking, prepare the rest of the salad. Mix the black beans, corn, tomatoes, zucchini, jalapenos, cilantro and oil in a large bowl.
When the quinoa has cooled, add to salad mixture. Then add the red onion and lime juice and mix well. Add salt, more oil or lime juice to taste. Serve at room temperature. Refrigerate leftovers.
Spray painting makes me happy! And painting things that would other wise be thrown away makes me even happier. I love taking everyday items and turning them into something lovely and usable. Who would’ve thought a soda can could look so awesome?
I used a regular can opener to take the top off the soda can. It comes off easily and leaves a smooth edge.
First I primed the cans then painted them using Valspar Flat La Fonda Mirage. I love this color. It’s going to be so easy mixing these new vases into my Spring and Summer decor, actually I’ll probably use them for Fall and Winter too. They fit perfectly in this wood tray which together make a pretty awesome centerpiece for our dinner table.
I love fresh flowers but don’t have many in my yard right now so I picked some up at the grocery store for only $5. They look lovely in my new soda can vases. They look pretty good on the back patio too. It’s been cloudy all day and the lighting was really bad in the house so I moved them outside.
These painted cans would be great for organizing too. I can see them organizing pens and pencils on a desk, paint brushes in a craft room, and makeup brushes in the bathroom. They would also be great holding eating utensils for a picnic.
