Lemon Sugar Scrub

I keep saying I'm done with these lemons, but I keep finding uses for this amazing fruit!  Mackenzie found a great non-edible use for lemons.

This is so simple, but creates a scrub that exfoliates and softens your skin without chemicals.  Ready?  Here's how simple this is:

Lemon Sugar Scrub

3/4 cup Granulated sugar

1/4 cup Olive oil

2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

Mix well.  I doubt you can store this for a long time because the ingredients are perishable (when the oil goes rancid).  This is great next to your kitchen sink or try it on your feet (just watch that oil near anything that can be stained).

Enjoy!

cindy

Arizona Fiery Sunset

Arizona Fiery Sunset, a photo by straddlingthegap on Flickr.

Winter is tough other places, but it usually gives us the best sunsets. I love Arizona.

Beautiful Day!

Beautiful Day!, a photo by straddlingthegap on Flickr.

Finally winter weather as it should be in Arizona.

Verde Canyon Railroad

We were in the Verde Valley area of Arizona during Labor Day Weekend.  The Verde Valley is in Central Arizona, south of Sedona and about 90 miles north of Phoenix.  It's a bit overlooked in the shadow of Sedona, so I wasn't sure what we would do over the weekend.  But we found one of the best gems in Arizona - the Verde Canyon Railroad in Clarkdale.

The Jewel of the Desert

Last week I attended a legal conference on water law.  The conference was fairly mundane, my third consecutive year of attending this conference.  The one thing I look forward to every year is that the conference is at the Arizona Biltmore, the Jewel of the Desert.

If you have never visited or seen pictures of this world famous five star resort, it is an architectural dream.  It opened in 1929, seven months before the Stock Market crash that began the Great Depression.  It's unmatched character is the heavy influence of Frank Lloyd Wright both then and now.  It is timeless.

The entire structure is made from pre-cast concrete block, made on site and known as "Biltmore Block."  The strong geometric lines were designed by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright.  (Not many people know that Wright had a school of architecture - Taliesin West - in what is now Scottsdale.  He was not a stranger to the desert.)  Everything in the hotel follows these lines, from the mission furniture to the light fixtures down to the carpet.  It's like a step back in time.

Movie stars and politicians could be seen at the Biltmore pool; Marilyn Monroe called it her favorite pool.  My claim to fame is that my niece and nephew have each worked poolside at the Biltmore, my niece fetching towels and my nephew regulating kids going down the slide :-)

Every President since Herbert Hoover (in office when the Biltmore opened) has stayed at the Arizona Biltmore (with the exception of the current President).  There is a cool hallway off the lobby that has a picture of each President at the Biltmore, usually on the golf course.

So many people think Phoenix is a recent oasis that popped out the desert, but it truly does have a history.  A living testament to that history is the Arizona Biltmore.  If you visit Phoenix, or just live in the area and have never seen it, its a jewel in the desert you cannot miss.

A disclaimer - I did NOT receive any compensation, consideration or even recognition from the Arizona Biltmore for writing this post.  (I did use historical pictures from its website, but the current pictures are mine.)  I love history, this is Arizona history, and the opinions expressed here are my own.

cindy

Flowers

I love flowers.  I love taking pictures of flowers, even if I'm just using my cellphone.  When I lived in the Midwest, I remember being tricked into thinking spring was around the corner by the end of February, only to have winter roar back in March.  These pictures are for you who are still subject to the cruel spring trick:

This is a calla lily from San Juan Capistrano.

Mexican poppies from my backyard (a sure sign of spring in Arizona)

Peace rose from the backyard

Hydrangeas from Mississippi.

Lilies from Louisville

As you can see, flowers give me great joy.  I love to take pictures wherever we go.  I hope today with spring coming, these give you joy too.

cindy

Beauty for Ashes

Today begins Lent, the season that prepares Christians for the commemoration of the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  We start this season with ashes to remind us that we come from dust and to dust we shall return.  Many see it as a time of sadness and mourning.  But Lent is really a time of transition, where we can renew our commitment, come home and change our lives.

The Year of the LORD’s Favor - Isaiah 61

 ¹ The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, 
   because the LORD has anointed me 
   to proclaim good news to the poor. 
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, 
   to proclaim freedom for the captives 
   and release from darkness for the prisoners,^[a] 
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor 

   and the day of vengeance of our God, 
to comfort all who mourn, 
 ³ and provide for those who grieve in Zion— 
to bestow on them a crown of beauty 
   instead of ashes, 
the oil of joy 
   instead of mourning, 
and a garment of praise 
   instead of a spirit of despair. 
They will be called oaks of righteousness, 
   a planting of the LORD 
   for the display of his splendor.

Today I received ashes, but in 40 days I hope to celebrate in the beauty of the Lord's resurrection on Easter.

cindy

A Visit Back in Time

Some of you may have read that we traveled to California last week for a choral festival in San Juan Capistrano.  While the kids were in rehearsal, Christian and I toured the historic Mission of San Juan Capistrano.

Founded in 1776 by the Franciscan friars, it includes the oldest standing building in California, Father Serra's chapel.

 
This is the place the swallows fly to every March on St. Joseph's day (March 19).  I have seldom visited places so beautiful.

This is the original mission church, which collapsed in the 1800s.

Christian was not really interested in going in for the tour (he wanted to sit in the car with his iPod Touch), but once he was inside, he loved it!

My favorite part was that you could stay there forever, thinking about all the people of faith who lived there.

I could stay there for hours exploring the little corners and places that were so peaceful and serene.

There are so many other pictures I took, but they would fill a book.  In the meantime, if you're in southern California, this is someplace you must see.

cindy

Happy Birthday Arizona!

While everyone in the rest of the country has been celebrating Valentine's Day today, here in Arizona we are starting a centennial birthday celebration that will last all year.  Today, February 14, 2012, is the 100th birthday of the State of Arizona.  Arizona was the 48th state to enter the Union and the last in the continental U.S.

It took 56 years for Arizona to gain statehood and couldn't even get the Union to recognize it until the Confederate States of America named it as a territory exactly 50 years before statehood.  Arizona has always been a wild and rugged place.  Here are some fun facts you definitely don't know about Arizona:

• Arizona is built on the "Five Cs":  copper, cotton, citrus, cattle & climate
• The saguaro cactus grows exclusively in the Sonoran desert, which is in Arizona and parts of Mexico

• The hottest day recorded in Arizona was on June 29, 1994 in Lake Havasu City - 128 degrees.  Strangely enough, even though I didn't live in Arizona at that time, I was there.
• Arizona has more golf courses than Scotland
• The first woman on the U.S. Supreme Court, Sandra Day O'Connor grew up, practiced law, was a judge and legislator in Arizona before being appointed to the Supreme Court
• The town of Show Low was named during a card game when two men agreed the one who could draw the lowest card could stay and the other would go.  C.E. Cooley turned up the Deuce of Clubs and said "show low it is".
• The London Bridge was purchased and moved to Lake Havasu City on the Colorado River

Arizona has plenty of natural resources (especially copper, silver and gold) and gorgeous places to visit.  Everyone knows about the Grand Canyon, but some other great places include:

Monument Valley

Bisbee

Tombstone

Arizona is a different place and not always in a good way, but different is also unique.  It's not like anyplace you will ever visit, which is why we would love to have you come visit.  Happy birthday Arizona!

cindy

The Critters I See

When we moved to Arizona, the only critter I was concerned about was a rattle snake.  That was 16 years ago.  We live in a suburban area a bit removed from the immediate Phoenix metropolitan area, so we do tend to see more wildlife.  To date, the only rattlesnake I have seen was about 1/2 mile from my home at my church.  I watched a fireman pick it up by the neck and hold it up.  It was 6 feet long.  Since then, the only Diamondbacks I have seen are at the baseball game or in a tank.

I didn’t imagine then what other critters I would frequently see.  Here is the one I see most frequently:

This is a bark scorpion which we find in our home on a semi-regular basis.  They are venomous, and when they sting it hurts – a lot.  It can also make your extremity swell or feel warm and tingly.  I have never been stung, but my daughter was about a year ago and it was a very long night for my husband and I.  We also find these on occasion.  It’s a black widow spider:

Another critter we see every so often are javalinas.  These are pretty unique to Arizona, and they look like wild pigs.  Funny thing is, they aren’t related to pigs at all.  I don’t have my own picture because they tend to herd around at night.  This picture was taken about 3 miles from my home, but he’s pretty typical.  I think they have a schedule of when our trash is picked up because they routinely turn it over the night before pickup.

We do see coyotes sometimes, but mostly we hear them – every night.  Sometimes they make the sound of a woman or child screaming and packs of them love to call out to each other.  It is really something eerie to hear them barking and wailing.

Finally, the most interesting animal we see at least a couple times of year is this one:

NO, NOT THAT ONE, THIS ONE:

This is a bobcat.  The one we see likes to come up from the wash on the side of our house and wander around in our front yard.  A couple weeks ago I parked my car in the driveway in front of our house.  As I walked to my car and came around the corner to get in, I encountered my furry friend about 3 feet away.  They are beautiful animals, and when you see them you immediately think of a big housecat – think 40 pound kitty.  Luckily, they don’t usually want to see us any more than we want to see them (except the time one stood next to our house and looked in the window).    

While many people would think it’s scary to live out here in the desert, I’ve learned to enjoy the unique critters we see just like I love the unique plants and scenery.  How many people can say they see this sight 2 blocks from their home?

cindy

Scenic Saturday

The desert has so many unusual and beautiful plants.

This is a Teddy Bear Cholla (choi-yah).  

It is also called a Jumping Cholla because those furry looking balls seem to pop out if you get too close.  

I would rather stand back and see it as soft and cuddly. 

cindy

Roses in Winter

I love Arizona.  When we moved into our house, I noticed the previous owner planted about 25 rose bushes.  I'm not as good at maintaining them as I should be, but they are very forgiving.  It's the time of year when the roses come out again and I couldn't resist.  This is Peace:

I wish I could remember the name of all of them:

I do remember this one - it's a Tiffany rose:

God is good!

cindy

Winter Solstice

That pink glow is a snowstorm about 70 miles away.

I'm so blest.  I get to see this view every day on my way home.  Today I just had to stop near the Pima reservation to snap these.

I know this isn't a traditional winter scene, but I wouldn't trade this for all the snow in the world.  (Plus, we can drive up to that pink area for snow if we want some).

cindy