Wrapping up Summer...

Before I knew it, summer came and left. For my very first summer not being stuck in an office building in  6 years, I would have to say it was quite fun and enjoyable. I now know all that I've been missing, and I kind of hope that I never miss out again.

For my outdoorsy man, summer consisted of a LOT of fishing trips, in just about everywhere (lakes, streams, creeks, and ponds). Ocean fishing is something he's always wanted to do... It's on his outdoorsman bucket list.... which is a very long list. Sometimes I hear the list and the re-edited list right before bedtime.

Anyway, we also have a lot of summer hiking trips. Usually out in the middle of nowhere looking for deer antlers and elk antlers, and most of the time it's with this guy...

On the left is my man and on the right is his cousin and partner in crime. 

I know when these two are out, coming home at 6pm usually means somewhere between 8-9pm. 

In a previous post I ranted about my husband bring home fish every time he goes out fishing, and how I do not want any more fish in my freezer, well... I have to say that catching fish is OFFICIALLY better than NOT catching ANY fish.

I introduce to you dinner on a fishless night....

Can I just take a minute and tell you how happy that I am I stayed home on this trip. He boiled them and dipped them in a stick of melt butter. Yuck!!! He said it was yummy, whoever, my stomach thinks otherwise. 

On a happier and lighter note, we finished off the last day of summer with the perfect outing for our little family. We went up the canyon to a cute little camping/creek area and just had an evening out. Of course, we prepared a nice dinner of dutch oven potatoes and hotdogs, but it was our kind of perfect. 

Of course, I had to sneak in there a mommy made item. I finished a beanie just in time to keep her warm for this perfect family evening. 

Our girl had found a evergreen twig that she would just not leave alone, she literally had it with her the whole time. 

In my opinion, this was the best way to wrap up summer. Family time, good food, and being in the outdoors with my loves, it is picture perfect. 

Antler Wreath

I have been dreaming about this project for weeks! I literally didn't sleep a couple nights due to my excitement. Every toss and turn had me thinking more and more of new ideas and what it might look like. The idea was to make an antler wreath for our front door,  and I wanted it to look country chic but not cheap.
However, with this project in mind I had a few concerns. My main concern was how or what I could do to preserve the antler color and hardness. Anyone that has been around antlers enough know that it is a bone, and the sun dries up the calcium in them and makes them brittle and weak, giving the antlers a pinkish color to them. So, I did a lot of asking around, but finally I decided to go with a clear coat to place on the antlers. It took several coats for me to feel comfortably done, and that was extremely time consuming. Needless to say, I was on my way to finishing my latest horn decor item.

A couple days later I added the finishing touches to this beauty!!! I was beyond excited and proud of myself. This city girl pulled it off. I mean, this 4 in. stiletto wearing woman didn't go out an buy this item, I made it! Woot woot!!!

This item is not for sale, and since this wreath is made with real antlers that my husband found, there is noway I could make this exact wreath again. However, I know I could make one like it. If anyone happens to be serious about ordering something like this, message me. I'm sure we could work something out. ;)

Elk Red Curry

I have found that I have a love for curry! Thai food is something that I crave! While in the grocery store I found a curry paste and had to try it out! Of course chicken is a delicacy in our home, so why not make it with elk?

We have Elk chunks, diced cooked potatoes, some green peppers from the garden, coconut milk (not featured), and the curry paste.

Combined them all and it smelled AMAZING!!!! 

Served over Jasmine rice!! I would say this is a fun, yummy, and different way to use Elk meat. It's definitely worth a shot! ;)

Thrifting Veggies

This is the story of the end of the zucchini plant in our garden. It all started when we were producing more zucchini's than we could eat. I am talking about zucchini side dishes for every meal. Not to mention the zucchini's that we gave to at least 4 different families, and more than once. I had the hubby pull the plant and in doing so he walked in with these huge beauties!

I am a firm believer in not wasting, hence why we gave so many away. So, I resorted to shredding these babies and freezing them. Literally for a couple hours a friend and I were shredding these bad boys. 

I ended up with 7 1/2 bags of zucchini!!!! Two bags were given to my friend for helping. Now, here is the kicker... What in the world do you do with a bunch of shredded zucchini? 

Most people use it for zucchini bread and thaw when they want it. That is something that I'm going to try, but I found my own delicious guilty pleasure!

Ta-da!!! We have my new all time favorite cookies!! Chocolate Oatmeal Zucchini Cookies!!! Seriously, I was in heaven!!!!! I seriously found the holy grail of shredded zucchini. I have now made this recipe 4 times in 3 weeks. Yeah, I would say I'm a bit obsessed. So, next time you have extra zucchini, try it out! Click here for recipe. 

Baby girl cuteness!!!

I love having a little girl. She brings so much light and love to our lives with her beaming personality. I must say that I love making her hair bows and finding cute ways to dress her up. This would be a mommy craft post of the cute hunting season outfit that I've put together for her.

I made her a -headband and some cute barefoot sandals. I know, this is extremely unpractical, but in all reality my 8-9 month old will not actually be physically hunting with her daddy this year. However, she will be a part of the family hunting traditions. (:

We also had a cute "Daddy's New Hunting Buddy" onesie made by Southern Princess Bowtique. This boutique can be found on facebook and have very reasonable prices, not to mention very easy to work with. Link will be listed bellow, if interested.

We spent the night at the family ranch, so I was able to get some cute pictures of this little cuteness....

Dad and our little stinker after a morning on the mountain.

No smiles on this one... but still cute.

As you can see, I am very excited for hunting season. I find that kids make everything more exciting, especially when it's their first experience. With that being said...

Proud Dad taking his little girl out for her first shed hunt. There wasn't any findings, but it was very small loop since she was not sure if she liked it. Oh boy... I guess only time will tell if she will follow in her daddy's footsteps.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Southernprincessbows

Summer happenings.....

When you are married to a man that gets an itch to go out and do something all the time, you find that every season has certain activities that repeat. Prime example, my husband enjoys fishing. In the spring he will fish streams and explore new areas. Yearly I can count on at least one Lake Powell fishing trip. This year, it was a summer night fishing trip that resulted in quite a few catches. On average he and his buddy were catching 4 to 5 lbs fish. They had a blast and came back with quite the stories.

Every time my husband goes fishing, I have to plead for him not to bring back any fish. This works maybe 30% of the time. I love eating fish, but not for every meal. We happen to have enough fish in our freezer to keep me happy for SEVERAL months.

Summer time also means working on the garden, which is something Cameron likes to do. It's his daily outdoor project and I will say that he's done quite well this year.

The corn is 11ft tall... how did that happen? Needless to say, the garden is official over grown. We also have popping corn growing, we will have to see how to harvest that and see if we can make our own popcorn!

Although summer consists of a lot of swimming for most, it is also is a time for us to watch our bank accounts to see if the hubby drew out for a tag for the hunt. In our state there are only a few tags that you can buy over the counter, most tags are given out lottery style. Cameron did get a tag this year and his choice of hunting is archery. So, summer time consists of taking out the bow and getting it sited in for the season.

Luckily my husband has cousins that enjoy very similar hobbies and we make an evening of it. We load up the husbands, wives, and kids to go to the mountain, and while the boys shoot their bows we chat and relax. We call it family home evenings, it happens to be one of our favorite things to do.

Summertime is in full swing! Fall is literally just around the corner and we are clearly getting ready for it!

Home Decor... Horn Decor.. Same thing!

My home decor has turned into a horn decor. Hahaha!

I have finished my project that I made with deer horns. I made a picture frame holder!! 

Ta Da!!!! My picture is a 5x7 and I think I'm going to need to use an 8x10. Needless to say, it is finished and hung proudly on the hubby wall.... What I mean by that, it is right next to these beauties. 

The notorious duck from the previous post made it into the living room.... And the horn mount, well that was a gift... Who can say no to a birthday gift? Do you see why I lose these battles? I guess I don't help the cause when I made a picture frame holder... But, in my defense, if it's going to be displayed in my house and on my wall, then I better make or pick things that are my taste, right?

At least this is what I keep telling myself.

We also added a need western addition to our home, and I really like it...

If  we are going to live together, we might as well decorate together. (: So, after swallowing my pride and I am now proudly displaying my horn decor, and welcome to our home!