As I mentioned in this post, during our Moab visit the swimming pool at our campground was closed. It was a disappointment, BUT our day turned out even better than expected when we were tipped off about this magical swimming hole.
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Have you ever used a lip scrub? They’re a gentle scrub, often made with sugar, that you rub on your lips to remove dry skin and add a touch of moisture. They’re a delicious solution to those pesky dry lips that are unavoidable come autumn and winter.
This DIY is so simple that we don’t really have an exact recipe, and as you’ll see, you definitely don’t need one.
I made a tiny batch of scrub – just enough to fill a small cosmetic jar, but you can easily play around with a recipe and scale up or down. Down? Yes! Making a scrub is as simple as putting a dab of coconut oil on your finger with a sprinkle of sugar and then rubbing it on your lips.
You can use your scrub any time of day. I prefer morning and evening. At night, I’ll often follow the scrub with a nice thick balm like Ilia’s lip mask.
This is one of those recipes that I’ve always wanted to make, but didn’t take the initiative until we decided upon cinnamon as our ingredient of the season.
This pitcher of horchata was so easy to make and definitely exceeded my expectations!
Continue readingCinnamon is our Ingredient of the Season this fall. Both Sarah and I can’t believe that it’s taken us this long to feature this well-loved spice, but that definitely doesn’t mean we haven’t been using it. Below is a long list of past Live Seasoned posts using cinnamon.
Apple Cream Cheese Quick Bread
Lamb Meatball & Vegetable Soup
In June Calder and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary with a hot air balloon ride! Check out this post for a snapshot of our wedding day.
How did we decide to celebrate with a hot air balloon ride? I think you meant to say, “why not celebrate with a hot air balloon ride?!”
Continue readingToday I’m comin’ at ya with a simple suggestion: read used books. Whether you’re a book worm yourself or you love gifting books to others, we encourage you to purchased used books from small, local retailers.
Why buy used? Used books are EVERYWHERE! Some folks keep each book they read, but most are capable of shedding books they didn’t love or don’t need anymore. Buying used books helps to reduce waste both upstream (waste you don’t see that’s produced in the production, transportation, and packaging of books) and downstream (household waste that we throw away each year).
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You’ve read that right, after a 2 year hiatus, we’re back with a new featured ingredient. I’m really excited about some of the posts that we have planned for this season, and I can’t believe that we hadn’t highlighted cinnamon in all of its spicy glory sooner.
This is going to be a great season. Cinnamon is a spice that’s used throughout the world in both savory and sweet dishes, and we’re looking forward to exploring all of that variety. Of course, we’ll be sure to step out of the kitchen to use cinnamon in a number of different craft and beauty applications.
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If you live in Washington, it’s time to pencil in a weekend to see the larches! If you’re not familiar with larches, they’re the bright yellow pine trees in the photo above. Larches are deciduous conifers meaning they have needles instead of leaves and although they are conifers, larches are deciduous trees that lose their needles during autumn. Pretty neat!
I hadn’t seen a larch until I moved to Washington state. They are native to much of the cooler temperate northern hemisphere, on lowlands in the north and high on mountains further south. Larches are among the dominant plants in the boreal forests of Siberia and Canada. In the U.S., you can find larches in Oregon, Idaho, Montana, here in Washington. In Washington, you can typically count on larches being in bloom at the end of September and the beginning of October. The vibrant color varies each year and is different depending on the time and elevation, so your best bet is to get out there early and often. Larches can grow to be big boys – sometimes reaching 150 feet tall.
If you’re looking for a nice walk with bright autumn color, any old hike will do ya, but I highly recommend hiking to Blue Lake. Note there are at least six lakes named ‘Blue Lake’ in Washington (and another Blue Lake that Kate visited in Colorado!). I’m referring to the one just off of Highway 20 in the North Cascades. Blue Lake is an amazing Seattle weekend getaway destination. This beautiful 4.5 mile out and back hike features towering granite peaks, evergreen forests, meadows and slide areas with wildflowers and foliage, and of course the most beautiful blue mountain lake.
If you’re traveling from Seattle, it will take you about two hours and forty minutes to Blue Lake. Blue Lake is a sparkly gem surrounded by sheer granite peaks and it would not be a stretch to say it’s the most beautiful lake I’ve ever seen and way up there on my short list of best hikes. That’s no giveaway coming from someone who has been hiking and backpacking since the age of eight. Someone who has hiked across mountain ranges in Nepal and through jungles in Thailand, this hike was freaking amaze balls. If you’re within a three-hour radius, grab your boots, drive to Blue Lake, and start walking.
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say we also caught Blue Lake at the best possible time of year. Before setting out on this hike (back in 2018!), I had no idea the larches were in bloom. I actually had no idea what larches were, but now I plan weekend adventures around these beauties. You have to catch them when they change color before the needles fall. You’ll be ooing and aahing every step of the way. Just for reference, this hike to Blue Lake was during the last weekend in September, on the 29th to be exact.
With cooler nights and crisper air, I’m definitely starting to feel the change in seasons. Of course, the abrupt shift from our carefree summer adventures to the more rigid school schedule has further confirmed that we’ve turned the corner. The combination of weather + sticking to a schedule has left me feeling extra thankful for my morning and afternoon coffee breaks.
If you’re craving a bit of inspiration to caffein your days, here’s a round-up of some of our favorite recipes and products.
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Finding this perfect stopover so close to a road that we travel every summer was a great reminder to always keep exploring, even when you’ve been there before.
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