Small Homes, Big Memories

Hey all!

I've been thinking a lot lately about small houses.

Most of us in this stage of life are living out of a one or two bedroom apartment with some ghetto feature or another. My sink is super tiny. I have a friend who has to balance her dresser with books to keep things level. There is always something wrong with the house we are in.

But I don't believe that we should be unhappy in our home.

One of my coworkers recently made an art piece that said the following

"Love grow best in little houses with fewer walls to separate. Where you eat and sleep so close together, you can't help but communicate. And if we had room between us, think of all we'd miss. Love grows best in little houses just like this." 

It came from an old country song called "Little Houses" by Doug Stone. (http://www.metrolyrics.com/little-houses-lyrics-doug-stone.html)

I love what the song embraces. Sometimes it takes living in a small place to really love someone. Sure it gets frustrating having only 800 sq feet when you both grew up in four or five bedroom homes, but think of the memories.

One day, I can't wait to show my kids pictures of our first house.

The joke at our house is one day I'll have a walk-in closet as big as my kitchen is now. (Once you see these pictures you'll realize it's not an unrealistic goal.)

So if you are living in a "tiny house" right now, appreciate it.

Here are some pictures of what our house loos like right now. I could have cleaned it up but I wanted to show what it looks every day.

Our "office"

I love our entertainment center 

Can you notice what is missing? (Answer: There's no counter...)

My teeny, tiny kitchen

The whole main living area. Don't you like my birthday balloons? 

Gotta love the laundry basket eh? 

We both hate decorative pillows so that's why it seems so plain

And there you have it! Our tiny, lovely, home. 

Reading Roadtrip: Alaska

Literally it took me 5 hours to finish this award-winning book. My latest reading road trip adventure took me to the tundras of Alaska as I lived with Julie in Julie of the Wolves.

Reading Roadtrip: Alabama

Reading takes you to so many places doesn't it? That's one of the main reasons I love reading so much. Opening a new book, feeling the crack of the spine, it's a refreshing feeling. Over the course of my life. I've read a lot of books. Many of which I have loved. A few I haven't. But this summer, I decided to create sort of a "reading challenge" you could say, to help me pick good books. Big thanks to Epic Reads for giving me the idea. I'm calling it the Reading Roadtrip. I'm going to read a book from every state, maybe not by the end of the summer, but at least until I've been to every state. 

Our first stop, Alabama.

Grilled Veggies and Steak

Hi! Ya it's me. Sorry it's been so long for a recipe but tonight I created something AMAZING and I just had to share it. Introducing grilled veggies and steak, AKA homemade Hu Hot part 2!

Depression And Rodeos

Let me tell you a story, and TBH, this story is more of a rant for me to write though my thoughts. So if you want to keep reading, don't say I didn't warn you.

Summer Dates

On the first day of Summer, Con and I found ourselves chilling for two days in front of Netflix. We decided that it was time to get off the couch and do something better with our summer. So we decided to create a list of easy, cheap things to do on those summer nights.

1. Go for a walk up the canyon. Logan Canyon is the best place to go walking in the summer. There's easy nature walks to strenuous hikes. Sometimes we'll just explore trails to see where they go. It's fun to be out in God's creations. 
2. To the park. We have Merlin Olsen in our backyard and it makes for some great people watching. If we're really feeling childish, we'll even go down the slide a few times. 
3. Hammocking. The best investment ever! We purchased some hammocks last summer and love to take them to a quiet place to read or just sit and talk. 
4. Snow cone Drive. A child sized snow cone is $1.50. This makes for a cheap, tasty date to enjoy in the summer. I have to admit, margarita and lime are my favorite flavors. And when you add sweetened condensed milk  .... 
via GIPHY

5. Campfires. All you need for a fire is firewood (duh), matches, and MAYBE something to roast. I totally believe there's a reason humans have been drawn to fire for so many years. Plus, there's just something so romantic about seeing the one you love in firelight. 
6. Stargazing. Obviously we have to wait till it's dark so sometimes that gets late but we loooove filling the bed of our truck with blankets and pillows and finding an abandon field. And more often than not, stargazing turns into a little more than that ;) 

So those are just some of our favorite things to do in the summer that cost little to no money and don't take a lot of planning! What are some of your favorite things? 

Crockpot Mexican Chicken

Hey ya'll! It's been awhile since I posted a recipe and since today is Mexican Monday, I thought I'd share my favorite chicken for ANY Mexican dish. For tonight we put it on tostadas but I've had it in tacos, burritos, taco salads, and even enchiladas. Big thank to my Mamma for the original.

Chicken Tostadas

Ingredients 

• 2 large chicken breasts
• 1/2 c. Italian dressing
• 1  1-oz Ranch dressing seasoning
• 1 1-oz taco seasoning
• 1/2 c. water
• 6-8 cloves of minced or smashed garlic
• 1 TB dehydrated onion
• Salt, to taste
• Juice from one lime

Place all ingredients but salt and lime juice in crock-pot on low for 4 hours (or high for 2). When done, drain most of the liquid and sprinkle in salt and lime juice. Shred and serve. It's that easy folks. We ate it with tostadas, guacamole, lettuce, sour cream, and salsa. Easiest dinner ever. And very low-carb (if you're into that kind of thing).