Monday, June 2, 2014

Mountain Bike Monday - Gravel grinding at the Battlefield

Battlefield ride 6.1.14

Yesterday we decided to mix it up a bit at the Battlefield. We did a little road riding and a little trail riding.

Battlefield ride 6.1.14


The Battlefield is a great place to take our gravel grinder bikes and go all over the park! The multi-use trails are hard packed and perfect for a speedy off-road ride. There are the occasional patches of soft sand and horses to navigate, but for the most part it's a pretty fast roll!

Battlefield ride 6.1.14

This time of the year the Battlefield is so green a lush! It was pretty quiet out there! We enjoyed the peacefulness of the park!

Battlefield ride 6.1.14


We mixed it up to keep it interesting. We did a little road first and then we did a big outer loop on the off-road trails. The trails are so packed that you can really get some serious speed!

Battlefield ride 6.1.14

Even though it wasn't too hot I still turned bright red! Just call me the tomato!

Battlefield ride 6.1.14

We did about 22 miles and really enjoyed the day! It was gorgeous!

Battlefield ride 6.1.14


And, we discovered a cool new children's education area they recently built!

Battlefield ride 6.1.14

Pretty neat!

Battlefield ride 6.1.14

We're really fortunate to have this park so close to us! If you're in the area take the family out and ride!

Battlefield ride 6.1.14

Hope your weekend was great!



Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Our Florida Trip

Last Tuesday Mom, Dad, and Charlie dropped us off at the airport for a quick trip to Florida to visit Dynamo's family!

Florida May 2014

Dynamo's parents live in the Bradenton/Sarasota area of Florida! It's really a lovely place with lots of exciting things to see and do! The first task on the list was to hit the beach at The Point on Anna Maria Island!

Florida May 2014

The weather was hot, but it's always a nice little breeze on the beach! Just enough to make it comfortable to hunt shells!

Florida May 2014

This time I had to be selective though! There's only so many we can haul back on the plane! Of course I had to snap a few family pics when we first got there!

Florida May 2014 (3)

Here's Dynamo with his folks!

Florida May 2014 (10)

Here's his beautiful mom!



Florida May 2014 (11)

They've been married a really long time! Such an inspiration!

Florida May 2014 (18)

And here we are! Mr. C did a good job snapping this pic! It's nice to have a real pic versus a selfie!

Florida May 2014 (15)

The beaches are beautiful there! The Gulf is so clear and warm!

Florida May 2014 (13)

Not many shells this time though! Just sea creatures missing their shell! Anyone know what this is? I think it's a conch without his conch shell! We threw him back in hoping he could find his shell!

Florida May 2014 (22)

The next day we decided to head to Venice. We had always heard about all of the shark's teeth you could find there!

Florida May 2014

We headed to Caspersen Beach after a lunch in town! It was a little rocky and had some dark sand. The water was a little rougher, but people were busy looking for treasures with their sand sifters! That's one tool we need to get!

Florida May 2014

Florida May 2014 (23)

We found a few teeth...

Florida May 2014

Not bad for just looking through the shells that had washed up!

Florida May 2014 (25)

While visiting we also hit Lido Beach, which is near St. Armand's Circle.

Florida May 2014 (35)

Florida May 2014 (32)

Each beach is a little different, but they are all gorgeous!

Florida May 2014 (31)

Not many finds there either!



Our last day there we hit the Sarasota Farmers Market!

Florida May 2014

It was bustling with people as usual!

Cookies...

Florida May 2014 (39)

Olives...

Florida May 2014 (40)

Fruit...

Florida May 2014 (42)

Soaps...

Florida May 2014 (41)

If you ask me if I bought soap, the answer is yes! Always! Support all local handmade!



Wall to wall people enjoying the warm sunshine!

Florida May 2014 (43)

Of course when I saw this bumper sticker in the parking lot I had to snap a pic! 3 feet please, people!

Florida May 2014 (38)

After the market we relaxed a little before hitting the beach at The Point one last time!

Florida May 2014

These little birds were neat!

Florida May 2014

Dynamo ventured way out into the water (it was low low tide) and he found a starfish!

Florida May 2014

Yes, we threw it back!

The water was warm, over 80 degrees! It was a lovely week for the beach!

Florida May 2014

Before we left we did get to meet up with Dynamo's brother, Michael, for dinner!

Florida May 2014

It's always so nice to see family!

Florida May 2014


What a great trip! We enjoyed our time with Dynamo's parents! We hadn't seen them since our Thanksgiving trip so it was great to get a few days to visit!

Florida May 2014

When we got back into Richmond, my parents and Charlie were there waiting with some of our most favorite donuts ever!!!

Florida May 2014

Now it's back to soap making, yard work, and life! Hope your Memorial Day holiday was great! It is a time to stop and be grateful to those men, women, (and dogs too) who have served our country!



Friday, May 23, 2014

Bug Off...

Lemongrass Lavender Soap by The Daily Scrub

Each time I make this soap it gets better and better! I just love the combination of lemongrass and lavender. It's a delicate combination to be sure that the lemongrass doesn't overpower the lavender.

Lemongrass Lavender Soap by The Daily Scrub

I think we finally got it just right!

Lemongrass Lavender Soap by The Daily Scrub

This combination is great for this time of the year! It repels bugs! And, the yellow Brazilian Clay adds a little extra goodness!

Lemongrass Lavender Soap by The Daily Scrub


The colors turned out nice as well!

Lemongrass Lavender Soap by The Daily Scrub

What's your favorite bug repellent combo?



Thursday, May 22, 2014

Yard Works

Garden 2014

We decided to install irrigation to our veggies and flowers this year! Dynamo is so handy. He knows just how to do everything! It always amazes me how much he can do!

Garden 2014

During the installation there was a lot of inspection by the Little Man! He just had to get in the middle of everything to see what was going on!

Garden 2014

The most funny was when the elbows weren't on yet and the water shot up like a geyser!! Charlie had a blast!

Garden 2014


Garden 2014

So, we kept turning it on and off so he could play!

Garden 2014

Garden 2014

He loves to be dirty!

Garden 2014

Then he wondered where it went?!!

Garden 2014

We're excited that the irrigation will save us some watering time this year!
The little man is proud of his completed irrigation job! Where'd the geyser go, Mom?

Garden 2014

How's your garden growing?