How To: Buy an International Flight

August 19, 2015August 19, 2015 by Sarah | Leave a comment

Buying an international flight can seem overwhelming. I still sweat a little when I finally confirm a flight plan even when I’m satisfied with the price. There’s something about hitting that buy button that makes everything seem so immediate and real. It can be daunting to check different airports, dates and prices, but with a little bit of background knowledge, buying an international flight can be a satisfying experience instead of a nerve wracking one. Below are a bunch of tips that I always run through before purchasing an international flight.

Utilize Price Alerts + Travel During Cheap Weeks

While it’s definitely helpful to have flexible travel dates, letting skyscanner choose the right time to fly is an even better deal. If you are planning a trip, even if it’s two years from now, sign up for price alerts. Skyscanner will send you an email letting you know when super low fares are spotted on the horizon making it a little easier for you to decide when to fly. I like using price alerts for destinations I know I’ll be visiting often like Katie in Colorado or for places I really want to visit, but can’t justify at the moment like Jamaica. Price alerts are nice because you don’t have to waste time plugging in a bunch of dates or scouring google flights late at night (I used to be guilty of that) looking for a good time to fly, you can simply read the subject line of your email and make a more informed decision.

Blueberry Lemon Yogurt Popsicles

August 17, 2015July 26, 2017 by Katie | Leave a comment

Lemon is our ingredient of the season! So far we’ve used it in a buckle, in bars, in a savory pasta, and in the shower. This is our second lemon popsicle recipe, click here for lemon cream pops. And, summer’s not over yet! You can see our complete archive of popsicle recipes here.

We arrived at the beach house to greek yogurt in the fridge, blueberries in the freezer, and lemons on the counter – right next to the empty popsicles molds. What were we to do but make some blueberry lemon yogurt popsicles?

Cheap Oversized Photo Art

August 12, 2015March 24, 2016 by Sarah | Leave a comment

How many times have you google searched cheap prints? I have a l o t. Pretty much every time I have a show or event. I’m always trying to figure out the best way to produce LARGE photographs inexpensively. Katie recently introduced me to a new method: Engineer Prints. Engineer prints reproduce line drawings and graphics with high definition and contrast, but they’re also really great for making large black and white photography prints. Engineer prints are the perfect low-cost option when you’re looking for a statement piece without the price tag. Since these prints range from only a buck to $10, the quality is obviously not fit for The Louvre, but they’re definitely awesome enough for a wall in your home or as a focal point at your next art show.

In addition to sharing our love of engineer prints, we also wanted to show you a simple way to add some structure to your print before hanging it. This will help to turn the image from something that looks like a poster into a more substantial piece of art.

Photo Recovery from LaCie RAID Drive

August 11, 2015August 19, 2015 by Katie | Leave a comment

This isn’t the typical Live Seasoned post, but since so many of us deal with digital photo files, I thought some readers might find it useful (just bookmark this for that rainy day when you come home to a “missing” external hard drive).

"You would need to contact a data recovery company" LaCie Website

The Backstory

I’m sharing this information because maybe this will be useful for others thinking about photo storage. Or maybe you’ll have a suggestion for my photo storage and backup situation?

I’ve been using digital cameras since 2003, and have built up an archive of thousands and thousands of photos. I’ve always tried to be careful about storage, but if this experience taught me anything, it’s that I still don’t have a perfect system. A few things to know : I’ve always used and loved Apple computers, and don’t see that changing anytime in the future. I’ve also always used the iPhoto software that comes with the operating system for sorting, viewing, and sometimes editing my photos. So, original copies of all of my photos are imported from my camera to iPhoto, I then export specific photos that I want to share with people (either through the blog, email, or for printing). I don’t really see this changing in the near future because I don’t have time to learn anything else right now, but I do assume that there may be a day when I move away from iPhoto.

For years I kept my iPhoto libraries and exported photos on my computer and would use a relatively small (always less than 1 TB) external hard drive as a backup. Eventually, I bought a MacBook Air and at that point decided that the computer didn’t have the storage space I needed, so I would store all photo files on an external hard drive and plug it in whenever I wanted to access them. At that point, I realized that I would need to decide how to backup the hard drive. Enter a RAID drive.

Camping with Little Kids

August 10, 2015September 22, 2017 by Katie | 2 Comments

Want to see more of our camping posts? Click here to see posts with previous adventures and our gear suggestions. Or maybe you just want to come along with us on a day hike?

One of the things Calder and I are really looking forward to are camping adventures with the boys, but somehow we’ve had a hard time making time/plans for a trip this summer. Side note : since moving to Colorado, we’ve learned that you have to plan these trips in advance if you want to secure a site at a campground. Reservations are scooped up as soon as they come online! If you aren’t able to reserve a spot, there are some campgrounds that hold a few spots open for first-come-first-serve arrivals, but we’ve been too lazy to go through the effort of packing the car and taking the risk. We know we could just head out into the wilds, but again, we’ve been lazy.

As luck would have it, friends (hi Neha!) of ours were going on trip with a few other families, some sites opened up, and we were able to take one. Score! Alex is just a few months past his second birthday and Luc is four months old, so this was our first trip with both a toddler and an infant, and I thought it might be useful to share our tips/tricks for a super easy and enjoyable weekend camping trip. As you’ll see, we kept everything so simple for this trip. If you’re hesitant about camping with kids, I want to encourage you to do it and show you how it can be done without a lot of stress, tears, or baby gear. Of course, if gear is your thing, then pack on :-).

Mt. Judah Hike

August 6, 2015August 14, 2018 by Katie | 2 Comments

We like a good hike, and every once in a while we have the chance to hike slow, take pictures, and share the adventure with you. This is our first hike in California, but you can check out some of our previous Colorado hikes here.

Trail Location:

We found this particular hike in a book of trails that was in the house, but you can easily find information about it here and here. The trail is in the Northern Sierras, near Truckee, CA, and it’s just 4 miles from the Soda Springs exit on Route 80. It’s proximity to the highway makes it an easy and worthwhile stop if you’re on a road trip. There is ample parking in the lot next to the Sugar Bowl Academy (we visited in summer, I’m not sure if the parking situation changes when school is in session). From there, you have to take a short walk down the side road to get to the trailhead. You could also drive down that road and park at the trailhead, but I’m not sure how crowded that area gets on the weekend.

Trail Overview :

The total distance for this hike is about 4.5 miles. You begin on the Pacific Coast Trail, hiking towards the Sugar Bowl Ski Resort, and on one of the runs is where you’ll bump into the Mount Judah Trail. You could take a left there and head up the trail, but we continued on the PCT and took the second intersection with the Mount Judah trail (there are only two points of intersection). Whichever way you connect to Mount Judah, you’ll end up hiking the one initial PCT section both in and out to the parking area.

This hike is marked as moderate in the trail guides, and I would agree. The most difficult portion is the initial (and final) ascent (decent) on the PCT. The terrain is rocky, the trail relatively narrow, and the incline steep, but after those switchbacks, the rest of the trail is much less rocky with a more gradual climb. The trail covers a total elevation gain of about 1000 ft.

Side note : someone in our group was concerned about going on this hike with a bum knee, then Calder’s sister reminded them that they would be hiking with a septuagenarian, a pregnant lady, and a lady with a baby… if our rag-tag bunch could handle this hike, then most readers probably can too!

Continue reading …

Welcome August!

August 5, 2015August 19, 2015 by Katie | Leave a comment

On the first Wednesday of each month we like to pause and take a look at what’s going on in the world around us.

Just like last August, we’re fighting the melancholy feeling we get knowing that summer is more than half over. Although, we’ve planned accordingly this year and are ending summer with a bang. Sarah’s getting ready for a photo exhibit, followed immediately by the annual Schufest that she and our other siblings put on at the farm in PA. All of that comes after she flies out to Colorado for a quick visit and to help me wrangle these two boys on our trip east where we’ll spend a month at the beach (hoping to avoid Mary Lee!). It’s going to be a fun month!

In anticipation of our beach trip, this post is filled with photos from past visits. If these photos having you craving more, you can check out the posts from last summer. There are some photos from life on the island. Many of the men on the island work in the seafood industry, either hauling in oysters or hatching softshell crabs. The island itself is surrounded by miles (and miles!) of tidal saltwater marsh, we love it so much that we put together a little profile of our favorite ecosystem. This year we’re so excited to see the island, the beaches, and the water through the eyes of two-year-old Alex!

Chicken with Preserved Lemons

August 4, 2015February 7, 2018 by Katie | Leave a comment

Lemon is our ingredient of the season! So far we’ve used it in a buckle, in bars, in a savory pasta, popsicles, and in the shower.

If there’s one thing making this chicken with preserved lemons dish confirmed, it’s that Calder and I fall hard for main dishes with a mix strong flavors. For example, this dish calls for fresh and preserved lemons, fresh ginger, garlic, onions, olives, and cilantro (wow!). I would never dream of putting that many flavors together on my own, and I wouldn’t have the confidence to assume that they would go well with chicken. BUT when flipping through cookbooks, that’s just the sort of edgy combination that jumps out and gets me excited to try a new recipe. Such was the scene last week when I pulled our Tagines & Couscous cookbook off the shelf.

Stop. Do you know what a tagine (also spelled tajine) is? It was only in the past few years that I learned, and then we received a beautiful tagine as a wedding gift. A tagine is a piece of cookware from North Africa that’s made of clay and is sometimes glazed or painted. It’s made of two pieces, the bottom is flat with low sides, the top is cone-shaped. The top’s shape is meant to allow condensation to form and drip back down into the bottom of the dish. While tagines are traditionally used to cook over hot coals, they can also be used on traditional stovetops and in the ovens.

Funny thing – ours is so beautiful that I still haven’t gotten up the courage to actually use it. I’m scared it’ll break! Luckily, even if you don’t have a tagine, you can still make many of the recipes that call for them using a heavy-bottomed pot, like a dutch oven. That’s what I did for this dish.

Seasoned View: Vol 17

August 3, 2015August 19, 2015 by Sarah | Leave a comment

Each month we share our Seasoned View. Snapshots of nature and daily life taken by the Seasoned sisters. Find last month’s past months’ here.

Happy Monday! It’s August. Holy crap. Time to get movin’ on all your summer plans. This month will surely be my busiest and most fun yet. I actually have to work on another task so I’ll keep it brief. You can upload one or all of these photos to use as your desktop background or as phone and tablet wallpapers. Simply click on the download link below each photo and save the image. Enjoy!

Two Bits

July 31, 2015July 31, 2015 by Sarah | Leave a comment

We want to break down these internet barriers and invite you into our lives and we’re hoping you’ll do the same. You are welcome to share a bit of your week or day in the comments, or if they’re better represented by a photo, tag us on instagram @liveseasoned.

Sarah here :

Can you see it? Yep, that’s three adobe programs open at once. My to do list is a mile long this ~~week~~ month and while it’s a little intimidating, it’s also thrilling and I love trying to squeeze it all in. There are never enough hours in a day, but that’s why I organize my list by week! I’m definitely a list person.

As you know, I’m preparing for my trip to Nepal, which means I’m squeezing in all kinds of odd jobs and activities before go. Right now I’m focusing a lot of energy on my RAW gallery show in Raleigh. I’m digging through my archives and ordering prints, designing postcards and trying to envision my space. I’m shooting a wedding this Saturday and working in the darkroom on Sunday then next week I’m off to visit Katie (the other half of Seasoned) in Colorado :)! I’m also trying to iron out all the details of the upcoming Schu Farm Fest, a mini music and arts festival, the Schu siblings hold every year. Okay, last year was the first year, but it was amazing and it will go on forever. Of course, I’m always working on organizing and creating materials for Haand, the lovely housewares company where I work.

Oh yeah, I’m 26 now! My birthday was last Saturday. I spent the morning at The Honeysuckle Tea House, hiked in the afternoon with Cash and Kevin, and then went to an event held at a local goat cheese and milk farm. While the farm party was not exactly what we envisioned (beer flowing freely from a dozen spouts and baby goats in pajamas), we had a great time. While we waited for the local brewery reps to arrive, K and I rowed a boat across the pond, mooed at innocent calves, ate our weight in Middle Eastern food and kissed baby goats.

I shopped online for health insurance yesterday. It was worse than doing taxes.

Katie here :

Ack! This week flew by in a flash. Ready for it?

Monday : I don’t even remember.
Tuesday : Drove to Aspen for a meeting and back. I couldn’t help but stop at the top of Independence Pass for a photo! It never gets old.
Wednesday : Recovered from Tuesday just in time for a little picnic dinner in our favorite park.
Thursday : I had one goal all day. Make a kicka$$ dinner, and I did. More on that soon!
Friday : We’re heading out of town tonight for a weekend camping trip with five other families! It’s going to be crazy. Let’s hope the kiddos sleep.

In between all of that I’ve been working to repair my broken hard drive. The one with all of my photos since 2003 (yikes!). We’re in the homestretch and everything is going to be recovered! And if you’re wondering where my backup was, this was my main copy and my backup. Thanks LaCie.

How was your week?