Words for the Week

Time for some good words I came across recently.

harangue:

(n.) A lengthy and aggressive speech.

(v.) Lecture (someone) at length in an aggressive and critical manner.

homiletic:

preachy.

Not sure I'll be throwing either one of those into a conversation any time soon, but each deserves some attention regardless.

Happy summer (officially)!

~K

DIY Graphic Tee

Remember forever ago when I asked for opinions on a design for a graphic tee? (See post here)

Well, I finally got around to making it. I chose the bike for a few reasons. First, it's whimsical, and as summer approached, I just wanted to wear around a whimsical bike. Second, I felt that it would be easier and more logical for my first try at this type of thing.  I didn't do "velo" like I was planning because I don't want to regret it, so I thought I'd wear the shirt around a bit and then add the word later if I feel the shirt needs it.

I used a fabric paint marker and finished much faster than expected, to my delight.

This is right after I finished. Preston was pretty excited himself and encouraged me to hurry and put it on. (Which is my way of saying this picture isn't of a complete "outfit," if you couldn't tell by the bare feet.)

I've already got sketches of my next few shirt designs, including the bird that was in the running for this project :) 

Tell me what you think!

Peter and the Starcatchers

I finally read another book.  Peter and the Starcatchers.

Peter Pan is one of my favorite stories, and so I was excited to read this "prequel to Pan" story.  Though not the most well-crafted tale, it drew me in with its lovable characters.  And Dave Barry is obviously hilarious, so that helped my enjoyment level.

The Utah Shakespeare Festival is putting on the play version of this novel this summer, and I'm really looking forward to it. The play is markedly different than the novel, but when seen as two separate works, the differences are more than livable.

I recommend partaking of both.  Go catch yourself some starstuff!

How to Look Lovely--DIY Painted Quote on Canvas

Happy Friday!  I hope you all have fun plans for the weekend.

I saw this graphic art on Pinterest with a saying that I love. (You'll have to scroll for about ever to find the actual art, just a warning.  Or you can just check out my Pinterest profile.)  I also just got a new office for work.  So, I determined that I would make my own art, using canvas and acryllic paint, to hang in my new office.  Though I did not intend to use the same design at all as the original, I ended up following it pretty closely.

I tell you what, this project was a beast.  But worth it, I think.

Materials:

This project had many, many steps, most of which I didn't document.  But the following pictures give a gist of the process.

(Sorry about the poor lighting)

I ended up disliking the red, and so had to paint over those scallops.

Painting the actual saying was by far the most technical part.  If I painted for too long, I got tired and sloppy.  I had many "whoops" moments that added quite a few minutes to the project.  But obviously I finally made it.  Though it's not perfect, the final project is pleasing.

Here it is hanging in my office.  You like?

And there you have it!  The RX for looking lovely.

~K

Fresh, Light, and Cold--the perfect summer dessert

Whenever the weather turns warm, I crave this whipped dessert that my dad used to make.  I'd rush home from school during those warmer days before summer break just to have a piece.

I love it because it is light, fresh, and so versatile. Sometimes I put fruit in it and other times I like it as simple as can be.

The recipe is very basic.  You can manipulate it in so many ways to get what you like.  I usually like a really thick crust, but made a thinner crust this time.

Ingredients:
Butter, melted
Graham Crackers, crushed to fine crumbs
Yogurt (6 oz)--original is best, but low fat works just fine
Cool Whip (8 oz), thawed
Fruit (optional)

Graham cracker crust:
I use about one cube of butter per package of graham crackers.  I used two full packages of graham crackers to fill this 2 qt dish.  Combine crushed grahams with melted butter until moist.  Pack into the bottom of the dish.  (I actually do the mixing right in the dish, so packing it down is easy and it's one less dish to wash.)

Filling:
Combine cool whip and yogurt.
Add fruit.
Spread onto graham cracker crust.  Freeze until it is as frozen as you like it.

Yep.  That easy.

This round, I used key lime pie yogurt and fresh strawberries, but a few of endless other flavoring options are:
key lime, white chocolate, and raspberry
pina colada, grape, and pineapple
strawberry and kiwi

**Note:  This post dedicated specially to those of you withering away in this blasted heat.

~K

Flanigan Arch Hike--Cedar City, UT

You local people will remember the ginormous mudslide that took out like a mile of the canyon road back in the fall of 2011. That mudslide not only blocked access to Duck Creek, Brian Head, and other destinations up SR-14, it also choked up access to the Flanigan Arch hike.

After a lot of construction and wishful thinking on the part of the state, the road is put back together and people can once again head down the gully and reach the river trail up to the Flanigan Arch view.  However, an extra 300 or 400 yard scramble through scrub oak now comprises the beginning of the hike.  I was not prepared for this.  Otherwise, I would not have worn shorts last weekend when Preston and I ventured down the gully to experience the hike for the first time in years.  Actually, I probably would have bailed altogether, but Preston has a way of calling to me through densely thick scrub oak from a few good feet further that the opening is just ahead, I just can't see it.  I heard that like 5 times.

Whatever the tactics, the effort to reach the old trailhead was worth it.  We experienced a gorgeous hike.

I will admit, I argued that these "steps" in the rock had to have been man-made.  There was no way nature did that.  But who am I kidding?  I live in southern Utah, for heaven's sake, where nature is our most brilliant sculptor and artist.  

Forgive me, mother nature.  And well done.

  

Unfortunately, I have been a bit dulled to the beauty that surrounds me since, well, it surrounds me.  But lookey here, trees are growing out of a rock.  A rock with stairs.  Pardon me for not being in awe every single blessed day of my life that I live in such a place.

Lately I was reading about a prominent Cedar City man born in the late 1800s who called southern Utah "God's Great Gardens."  I couldn't help but agree as I wandered this canyon.

  

And here is the arch.  You can actually hike up to it, which we didn't feel inclined to do that day, but I'm sure it is a spectacular view.

Also, that big rock to the...east, right, left?...of the arch looks like the Titanic.

Apparently Preston and his buddies would crawl through this space to get to and from the arch when the water was too high and strong to get through.  My claustrophobic self freaks out a little just imagining being in there and surrounded by high, rapid water.

During the whole hike I was amazed at how colorful the rocks are.  Pink, blue, green, and purple rocks with stripes, spots, swirls.  I don't remember seeing rocks so naturally bright.  That rock is not, like, "nature" pink and yellow, it's like "my 2 year old nephew could tell" pink and yellow.  Crayon pink and yellow.  Amazing, southern Utah pink and yellow.

I kept it.

Chicken Fried--an end of an era

Preston and I went out to lunch today and began planning our 8 weeks left in Cedar City over pulled pork, fried onions, and ice cream.  While we sat reminiscing about summers past and realizing how short 8 weeks really is, the song "Chicken Fried" by Zac Brown Band came on.

I may have nearly cried.

(But when Preston asked me if I was going to cry, I said no, so that confession stays here.)

That song has a special place in my heart.  It accompanied many happy moments during my freshman year, my roommates and I playing and dancing and singing all of the time.  "Chicken Fried" reminds me of a magical year with the best of friends.

And nearly 5 years later, as the song played, it hit me how quickly these happy days in Cedar City are winding down--with a new, forever roommate, I am now planning for a new city with another beginning.

I could wonder at the adventures we'll have, what new song will bring that sparkle to our life as we venture out, but for now I'm wrapped up in the here and now, in the nostalgia that this song brings.

Enjoy.

(actual song begins around 1:20)