Mmmm...

Okay, so I am now addicted to breakfast burritos. Since I went vegan, I have had to actually think of what I want to eat, instead of just going to my 'go to' fast food (and I don't mean Fast Food, I mean quick to make) in the morning. So here is the new breakfast burrito...

Olive Oil
Onion
Peppers
Baby Portabella mushrooms
Summer squash
First, I saute these in a pan with a little salt and pepper.

Then I added some left over potatoes I cooked up the night before. I used yellow, red, and purple potatoes and just roasted in the oven with olive oil and salt and pepper. When I make them, I just make some extra so I have them for breakfasts.  Since you may not have those laying around you could add anything you like...I add some firm tofu sometimes. If I am feeling like an asian flare, I will add some tamari and hoisin sauce with the tofu/veggies.

I also added some black beans...but I tend to get carried away and then I am not able to stuff it into a tortilla or finish it! So then I have some for the next morning. I am all about leftovers lately.  I had some leftover guacamole from the night before and added a bit of hot sauce. There you go, yummy and filling.

Enjoy! Let me know if you like it or have something I should try.

Petrified Forest

I can't believe I have lived in Arizona for 16 years now! That's like half my life...ok less than half. I do get antsy to leave once in awhile, so I spend time looking for villas in Italy...or more productively we go for a hike or one of those Arizona type things.

Recently Jessica came out and we went to the Petrified Forest, here is a little taste of what we saw...



Arizona, I do love you...but I can't promise I won't leave you for Italy.

Who Am I?

Okay, so it started with this...

Averey got it for me at a yard sale for a quarter...and I was hooked.  I guess I never thought I would be going down this road.  Or should I say dusty trail.  Yes, I too have become a belt buckle wearer.  Ryan also jumped on the wagon...

And somehow, one isn't enough...pretty soon you find yourself eyeing other buckles around...dare I say coveting?  Making it a point to look in all the antique shops to find that unique piece...

Oh yes, I found it an owl buckle, embracing my two recently discovered loves, owls and buckles...how could you go wrong with that?  Now if only I could get a sloth buckle, ahhhh that would be Divine.

Here are a few unique ones I saw on the Internet, in case you would like indulge your inner cowgirl/cowboy...

Okay, not cow boyish, and I certainly wouldn't describe myself that way either...but it is interesting how a quarter can change your life.

Instant Gratification

We have become impatient people.  I came to this realization the other day...Ryan and I went up to Jerome on a stormy morning to take pictures. I brought my new 'vintage' camera, and my iPod with Hipstamatic.

Isn't it beautiful? This is the first chance I have had to use the Argus. Using it seemed anti-climactic...I would take a picture, and then wonder how it is going to look.  It wasn't that long ago that a manual camera was all that I used...yet here I am impatient thinking I have to use this roll up so I can get them developed.

And yet it's not just me. I don't even know where to take the film when I am done...because everyone is impatient, and photo labs have been replaced with a little girl that shows you how to use the complicated printing machine (well for me anyway). And to prove this not opinionated thought just take a picture of a little child...the first thing they do is grab the camera to see what their picture looks like...and when it is a manual camera, they get confused and can't figure out where the picture is.

So now would you like to see my pictures? Well, I am not done with the roll, and I wouldn't even know how to put them on the computer anyway.  So, when they are in my hands, come on over and we can have some coffee and look at my pictures.

Oh, I guess I can show you the ones I took on my iPod...

I am such a hypocrite.

Hello Again!

We haven't hung out lately, it's my fault, I just got so busy I didn't make time for you...and frankly, I just ran out of things to say...I know, that doesn't seem possible, but a one ended conversation like a blog leaves you hanging...

 Are you there? Are you interested at all in what I am saying, or do you have that glassy eyed bored look on your face and I should step up the excitement to keep you here.

 I suppose that more people stop by to read when I am actually writing as opposed to when I don't write, bored or not, so here you go:

We have been enjoying Cottonwood and the surrounding areas, recently we have been able to do some hiking. These are on top of Mingus Mountain after the infamous (at least in these parts) cowboy breakfast.

                             Leaves changing.                                        

                                            

  Then we hiked up some more to see the hang gliders

                           run off a concrete platform to an 8,000 foot drop...                           

We also had the opportunity to spend some time in Sedona when family came out to visit. We went to slide rock and hiked around a bit...

World's smallest fire hydrant...maybe for

tiny dogs.

The apple picking shed.

Chloe and Knowle taking a break.

Antique futuristic tractors.

Knowle in front of a huge tractor tire, little did

we know we would be seeing a man hoola hoop

one later that very evening.

Chloe took this one while laying on a rock resting.

 More fall colors.

That's a little of what we have been doing lately.  Sorry there were so many pictures, I actually took much more, but had to edit them down so be thankful for that!

New Love.

Ahhh new love...so sweet, so innocent, so fresh and interesting...I found a new love...

Aren't they beautiful? I didn't even realize that I had this fascination with kaleidoscopes until last week, when we went up to a shop in Jerome called Nellie Bly Kaleidoscopes and Art Glass.  I think we spent at least an hour in there playing with all the kaleidoscopes, and dreaming...so I wanted to share some of the photos I took through their large (and too expensive for me to ever own) kaleidoscopes.

And then there is renewed love...a forgotten love that you felt you could never have, and then you realize it can be in your reach...here's Ryan's...

His orchids. It seemed we could never keep them alive, and since we have moved to a milder climate, he has decided to fill the house with them! Which is nice for me, because it fills my need to document every little thing with hipstamatic.

So...yes we are enjoying Cottonwood, and settling in quite nicely.

Just a side note, all my friends with blogs, I have been trying to comment on your blogs, but for some reason every time it kicks me back to the log in page...infuriating! Is this happening to anyone else...I assume the answer is yes if I get no comments...or that you just don't want to comment...hmmm dilemma.