Jan 302017
Jun 192016
May 172015
“Mommy? Mommy, are you still sleeping?” B is whispering this into my ear as I sleep . . .
I don’t say a word, hoping he will take pity on his poor tired and sleepy mom and let me be, for at least a moment longer.
“Mommy? Mommy?”
This boy of mine. No matter what time he goes to bed, as soon as the crack of dawn is upon us, he is up and at ’em.
“B — we are on vacation — you can sleep in if you want . . .” I try and convince him.
He is still standing next to me, I can feel his presence — he is probably pondering his next move . . .
Then hubby says, “Good Morning B,” with all smiles (I can hear him smiling, does that make sense?) and he is next to rise and now it’s official, our day has begun. But after the fog clears from my sleepy head, I am grateful for the early morning wake up call. I look outside and see that the clouds moved out overnight and a beautiful pastel sunrise is on its way.
These two posts of mine covering our trip to Kalaloch Beach State Park is proof of the Olympic Peninsula’s moody weather behavior. Cloudy, cozy and drizzling one day and the next? Nothing but blue skies. I took at least a million pictures.
Hubby and B headed down to the beach for a game of soccer while Oliver and I pulled ourselves together and made a skillet breakfast fit for an Olympic Peninsula king :)
Apr 282015
Last summer in Rolsyn, Washington I visited the farmer’s market quite often. Just a short walk from where my silver girl was camped, I felt very spoiled and so lucky to have it so close. From the farm fresh veggies to culinary artisanal delights such as a totally indulgent cheddar cheese spread and fresh baked baguettes, the market was Heaven on earth for any foodie for sure. In addition there was a darling waffle stand with the sweetest lady making waffles. I will never forget her summery pink dress, long silver hair braided into a bun on top of her head and her infectious smile that she gave me when my curious self went over to check things out. There was a small group of young children before me, watching with big eyes as she poured the batter into the waffle iron. Continue reading »
Feb 032015
I adore this time of year which brings us the celebration of Valentine’s Day. As I walk around town I see in storefront windows sweet chocolates for sale, heart shaped candies and sentiments of LOVE all around. I see a handsome young man cross the street with the biggest bouquet of red roses and a pink package under his arm, surely intended for his love. My heart feels warm and fuzzy and I am struck by cupids arrow which gets me in the mood for Valentine’s Day ❤
What better way for hubby, B, Oliver and I to celebrate Valentine’s Day than with a trip with our silver girl to the romantic snowy mountains of Montana. I decide with B to decorate her for our trip with hearts and pink bunting and other Valentine’s day goodies while cooking up a small batch of a heavenly sweet orange concoction in my kitchen. We are crazy for citrus and having a bushel of oranges leftover from our Super Bowl party has led me to become obsessed with figuring out the best way to use them up. A lemon curd is one of our favorite accompaniments to breakfast yogurt so why not create an orange version (recipe to follow). I should also say this is particularly delicious spread on buttered toast !
Today we enjoy it layered in a breakfast parfait of plain Greek yogurt, strawberries and chopped hazelnuts. Perfectly bright and delicious :)
We make an “I Love You,” bunting and I can’t decide where to hang it.
“Maybe we should make another one mommy,” B suggests (he understands my OCD with things like this)
I design on the computer a small Valentine’s Day banner/flag. We print it out, fold the top edge over the back a bit, tape it closed and slide a pipe cleaner inside for support. We then string happy colorful string from which it will hang.
We hand stamp and decorate home made cards to give and have a truly enjoyable morning crafting.
We soon leave on our trip and I am excited to share with you here on J5MM all about our travels and experiences when we return. Hopefully the roads won’t be too bad getting there and hopefully there will be plenty of snow in the campground and on the mountain. The boys will be skiing and I’ll be keeping the home fires burning while they are away. I have been invited to take a snow shoe hike through Glacier National Park by an on-line friend I recently met and can hardly wait.
I plan on actively tweeting, instagramming and facebooking if you would like to tag along.
In the meantime, if you would like to add some Valentine’s Day charm to your RV and you like what I have designed, you can print this out :) Simply click on the image below to download the PDF. Cut out the banner, fold the top over the back by about 3/4 inch, tape shut and slide a pipe cleaner through the opening and tie string to hang. Et Voila! Instant RV decor for Valentine’s Day.
With all my heart,
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY
Love,
Monica xoxo
Orange Curd
Print recipe
Ingredients
- 2 medium (organic because you will be using the zest)
- 1 cup sugar
- 6 egg yolks (beaten)
- 1/2 cup lime juice
- 8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
Directions
| Step 1 | |
| Zest your two oranges and squeeze the juice adding both into a small sauce pan. | |
| Step 2 | |
| Add the rest of the ingredients, whisking to combine. | |
| Step 3 | |
| Turn on the heat to medium and stir continually until mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Around 7 minutes. | |
| Step 4 | |
| Remove from heat and let cool. Mixture will thicken even more as it cools. | |
| Step 5 | |
| This delicious concoction will stay good in your fridge for about a week (covered) | |
| Step 6 | |
| Bon appétit! | |
Mar 032014
Snowshoeing was big for me at Schweitzer Mountain Resort. Did you know? Schweitzer is the largest resort in Idaho and Washington with 2900 acres of amazing terrain and renowned tree skiing located in the rugged Selkirk Mountains. It was in these these mountains where I enjoyed many days of snowshoeing enjoying the peacefulness of nature while getting a great workout. If you love to ski but are looking to switch up your days with another winter sport, snowshoeing here at Schweitzer Mountain Resort is truly a once in a lifetime experience. On guided tours you meet at the Information Center which is next to the Selkirk Lodge, get your gear and head out with your group up the chairlift and begin your hike. Want to go at it alone or with a group? No problem — enjoy the great trail system where you can hike to your hearts content. Just make sure to fuel up with a hearty breakfast that will keep you going all morning long before you head out ♥
Feb 262014
Early Saturday morning we packed up the truck, hitched up the Airstream and hit the road. Six hours later we arrived in Sandpoint, ID (from Seattle). Our campsite for the next ten days would be at the Bonner County Fairgrounds. I can see how in summer this place would be super busy! The amenities here included water and electrical for all sites. Two sites had full hookups (read: dump out) and those were #30 and #31. If you plan to come in summer, make sure to reserve either of those two spots. The bathroom and showers were immaculate and the grounds were well maintained. All in all we were quite happy with our spot here! Continue reading »
Nov 032013
From a summer full of adventure to the new season of Fall — it’s been a lot of fun glamping in the Airstream during this season of change. I continue to pick apples off my heirloom trees after my early morning walks through the quiet town of Roslyn with Oliver. It’s a sweet ritual I have come to adore and really look forward to.
While cleaning/organizing the storage in my Airstream last weekend, I happened upon my beloved pressure cooker. It was good timing too as sitting in my fridge were some beautiful beef short ribs I was planning on braising away in the Airstream kitchen for a few hours for dinner that evening. Thankfully with the pressure cooker it not only cut down the timing of braising by more than half, it also produced some of the most deliciously flavored short ribs I have had in a long time. In less than one hour I was able to serve up those fall-off-the-bone beauties atop a bed of fluffy sweet potatoes. I will admit, I was little upset with myself that I had forgotten about my pressure cooker. It truly is a time (and propane!) saver in the silver kitchen. Continue reading »
Aug 052013
Four months ago we began planning our “Rockin’ the Rockies” Airstream road trip and finally, here we were, at the very beginning.
The Bitterroot Beginning.
We found ourselves at the “Angler’s Roost” campground in Hamilton, Montana tucked along the Bitterroot River. We softly landed in site #19 after a full day of driving from Seattle. Daylight was still ours for a bit so we settled in and took time to relax.
I kept thinking to myself “three weeks away from corporate America,” and those words, in and of themselves made me feel very happy.
And relaxed . . . Continue reading »
Jun 132013
It was our last night glamping with our Airstream at Fort Worden State Park. Around 2 am we awoke to winds howling and rain pouring down. I’m glad we were smart and put the awning up before going to bed. Have you ever had to put your awning up in the middle of the night because of strong winds and heavy rain? Not a pleasant experience, that’s for sure.
While the boys slept in, I took Oliver for a walk up to Fort Worden to get an up close and personal look at the historic buildings and also get a feel for where the movie “An Officer and a Gentleman,” was filmed. I also thought about those crepes I would make for the boys when they woke up . . . Continue reading »