Hiking Devil's Head Lake, Literally

What better way to enjoy these picture perfect last days of summer than by hiking the trails at Devils' Head Lake in Baraboo. The views were stunning, the hiking trails spectacular and the entire afternoon was pleasant in every way. I am sooo glad we went! This family excursion also provided some prime bonding time as we took on some of the most challenging and difficult hiking trails and managed to hike our entire way around the Lake. Grace was not in this for easy and boring and the hiking trails that we chose and occasionally "stumbled" onto certainly delivered. There were a few times when I am certain we went rogue and were not even on "trails".

Devil's Head Lake - Balanced Rock Trail

The most difficult trail Devil's Head Lake, and the one we chose, is the Balanced Rock Trail. While there certainly wasn't anything balanced about it, it definitely delivered in terms of thrills, challenge, adventure and views. Simply spectacular sums it up quite nicely. We wove in and out of wooded areas, ventured to the bluff edges, and make the long and winding descent from the top of the "mountain" via the Balanced Rock Trail. It was one of the situations where it was better to keep looking down at where you were instead of where you were going....that view was rather daunting (scary, too). There were tons of rock, BIG rocks, everywhere. I am happy to say our mission was accomplished with no injuries...other than sore quads for Dan and Grace. Next time we may have to up the challenge and ascend via Balanced Rock.

All in all, we managed to get in a little over 2.5 hours of hiking time, ascending/descending the trails and circling the ENTIRE lake. Thankfully, we took on the most difficult trails in the beginning which allowed us to appreciate the easy trails as we found our way back to our beginning point. I could not have asked for a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon. I definitely want to back when the trees are changing colors and there is a chill in the air! I can almost picture the breathtaking views from the bluffs!

Until next time...

A Day at Navy Pier

One highlight of Summer 2014, travelling to Downer's Grove, Illinois to spend a day with our kids. We took the train from Downer's Grove into the city, Grace's first train ride ever which was kind of cool. We had a picture perfect day to walk the streets of Chicago, check out the Bean, stroll through Millenium Park, hang out at Navy Pier, and enjoy some lovely views.

Taking in Lake Michigan from Navy Pier

The Cloud Gate Sculpture aka "The Bean" was an optical feast. The Bean is a public sculpture in the center of Millenium Park in downtown Chicago. It is made out of 168 highly polished stainless steel plates - giving the appearance of liquid mercury making it high-reflective. It is a very intriguing piece of art and was the perfect spot to get some unique, memorable photos. The coolest part is being able to walk around and underneath it. Check out the picture below from inside The Bean and looking up. Amazing!

Inside The Bean looking up.

Outside The Bean. 

 

The plants and flowers on Navy Pier were amazing, so many different mixtures and beautiful vibrant colors to take in. I took some photos for inspiration back home.

 

A photo from the Pier with nothing but miles of fabulous views behind us was a must. We don't take many family photos as I am usually the photographer. This one turned out great, if you don't mind double-fisting Dan!

 

Until next time,

Making Homemade Meatballs with Kids is Easy and Fun!

Grace has been taking a liking to the kitchen recently. This week she wanted to make dinner. She ordered me out of the kitchen to go sit and chill.  While I did not go "sit and chill", I did put her in charge of the main menu item of homemade meatballs. She eagerly dove right in. She was all ears as I explained to her how to read the recipe first, gather your needed utensils and ingredients beforehand, and then follow the recipe directions carefully. I have to say that she does all of those things very well. Her current specialty is chocolate chip pancakes. She can do those without any help from me and has even impressed her friends!

Preparing the meatball mixture!

Her first task was to prepare finely chopped onions which involved shedding only a few tears. ( I think this might have been the first time she ever cut an onion.) Next up, she measured out all of her ingredients and dumped them into mixing bowl - I love the dump and mix concept. She was hesitant at first to mix and mash with her hands but by the end she was loving it. Lastly, she shaped the meatballs and placed them in the oven to cook. Mission accomplished.

    

Making homemade meatballs with kids is super easy and fun and here's why:

• Minimal familiar ingredients - our Betty Crocker recipe had just 5 ingredients
• Dump and mix concept - no first this, then that - just pour it all together
• They can get down and dirty - I encourage mixing and mashing with hands
• Forming the meatballs is fun - imagine playdough....

The finished product was delicious!

We combined our homemade meatballs with yummy zucchini chips for a very tasty dinner.

Until next time,

Learn to Use and Love Your Nikon Digital SLR Camera

How many of you out there have a digital SLR camera? If I were to guess, I would bet quite a few. In fact, on Gracie's field trip this week I elected to take our little Canon PowerShot Elph pocket camera, primarily because it would be easy for Grace to use and it is a whole lot smaller and lighter than our Nikon D40. I was surprised by all of the digital SLRs that made the field trip. First, they are a bit bulky to lug around on your  neck all day long. Second, almost everyone has a smartphone with a camera that can capture those in-the-moment photo opportunities quite nicely for instant sharing. Facebook or Instagram anyone? So, why would you bring a digital SLR camera on a field trip? The reason, I guess, is the desired end product. Digital SLR cameras take fabulous photographs and who doesn't want an awesome photo, or two, or twenty, of your child's 3rd grade field trip?

This reminded me of a Pinterest pin that I have on getting to know your Nikon SLR. I, for one, have pretty limited knowledge on what all of those buttons and dials on the outside of the camera are for, let alone being able to use them with specific intent. Read the owner's manual? Have you seen it! To play it safe, I pretty much stay in Auto mode, point and shoot, and let the camera do the rest. The time has come for that to change. I love taking pictures and I take a lot of them. I figure I might as well step up my game and learn about aperture, shutter speed, ISO, modes, etc. Sounds intimidating already.

These overview images of the Nikon prove to me that I really don't have a clue as to what half of these buttons are for or how to really USE the Nikon D40 (that we have had for well over 6 years). On the other hand, thanks to these images I at least now know what each button and dial is for. I am a very visual learner. Now I just need to learn the "why", "when", and "how-to" behind each one and I will be well on my way to taking pretty pictures beyond Auto mode. Baby steps, of course.

These images can be found on the Photo Tutorials page at itsoverflowing.com. Aimee Lane (and her husband) explain digital photography with an digital SLR camera in easy-to-understand language that the casual photographer like myself can comprehend and put to practice. The three most important things that I need to wrap my head around are aperture, shutter speed and ISO. Once I have a good understanding of those three elements, I will fear not the many buttons and dials.

In addition to her great photography tutorials, she also shares useful photography tips on Indoor Lighting, Action Photography, Choosing Family Portrait Outfits, and even a few Photoshop Tips.

If you want to extend your photography skills beyond point-and-shoot and harness some new creativity, then itsoverflowing.com fits the bill quite nicely--beyond photography I might add. I encourage you to check it out!

Michelle

No Work, Just Play, Going on a Field Trip Today!

And thankfully, the weather is going to cooperate! Today I am tagging along for Grace's last field trip as a 3rd grader. Say what?!? We are headed to Old World Wisconsin. I needed a good reason to take a day off work and this was perfect, no work and a day with Grace. She is pretty pumped. I remember field trips when I was a kid. No school, sitting with my friends on the bus, taking a "cool" sack lunch. Ahhh, those were the days.

I had never even heard of Old World Wisconsin let alone been there. A co-worker informed me yesterday that it is an awesome place. I checked out their Overview page and it appears she is correct. It should be a fun-filled day learning some pretty cool historical facts about Wisconsin. I wonder what the kids are most excited about?

I am ready, packed lunch and all!

Michelle

Never Stop Learning With Alison

I love technology. I love learning both new things and ways to use what I already know even better. MS Office and I are pretty tight. How could we not be? We spend at least 8 hours together each and every day. Even so, I feel there is so much more that I could (and probably should) learn in order to use Word, Excel, Power Point and Outlook more efficiently and creatively. When you spend that much time together, however, who has time to squeeze in "learning even more"? In comes Alison.

Maybe you already know about Alison.com. If not, I definitely encourage you to check it out. It is a free online certified learning site that offers courses in a variety of subject areas like technology (my favorite), business, and personal development, just to name a few. I have taken two courses so far and my experience has been awesome. You watch the course video modules, complete the assessments, and receive your certification. Learning the Alison way has been interesting, engaging and rewarding. I love the feeling that comes from expanding my knowledge--in anything. Knowledge is power my friends.

So, what course did I take at Alison? Many people use Twitter. I hadn't the first clue about what it was, how to use it, why I would want to use it, etc. After taking the free Using Twitter For Social Networking course at Alison, I now know the answers to these questions and my Twitter fear factor has greatly subsided. Because of this course, I am confident that I will be able to create and use a Twitter account intelligently. I have not yet created my account. That is my "#goal" for this weekend.


I am currently enrolled in Alison's Microsoft Office 2010 course. I thought MS Office and I had a beautiful working relationship. After enrolling in this course and delving deeper into Word, the very first module, it appears I was sadly mistaken. There are so many cool features and tools in Word that even every day users like myself do not know about. The image and photograph manipulation module was interesting. Who knew you could do such cool things with pictures right inside of Word? Pretty cool and easy to boot!

I will never stop learning. I even get a little stir crazy when I am not being challenged or learning something new. I now have a running list of courses that I want to take at Alison. Another great thing with Alison is that you can be enrolled in more than one course at a time. Some of the courses are only one module, like the Twitter course, and others have many modules which are broken down into sections. So, you can mix things up a little by completing some of the shorter courses in between your longer courses.

Check out Alison.com. You won't be disappointed and you might even find it fun. I know I did!

Michelle

Return to the Blogging World

Once again, it's been a LOOONG time since I have shared a blog post. A lot has happened in this Beautiful Mess life of mine during that absence. I should have been blogging about all of the crazy, exciting changes taking place in our lives, but somehow life got busy, life got messy, life became a little less ordinary for us for a while. I am happy to say, we made it through...like we always do.

So, let's recap a few of the big things shall we?

Alexa, graduated high school! She went on to try her first semester of college. While she did great socially (never a problem) and academically, she decided not to go back. She is now in the process of trying to figure out what she is going to do with her grown-up life. That's a pretty daunting process for any 19-year old, I think. As a mother, sitting quietly on the sidelines during this "process" is not easy. If you know me at all, then you know why. I see her potential. I see her being good at so many things. But....she has to figure that out for herself, she has to find her passion, on her own terms and in her own time. That is how Alexa has, and probably always will, roll. This much I know, once she finds her passion, she will be going, going, gone. I am looking forward to that BIG day!

We sold our house and built a new house. Summer 2013 was exciting and house-building focused. We moved into our new home in November, just in time for the long, incredibly COLD Wisconsin winter. I have officially decided that Wisconsin is not an option for permanent residency upon retirement!

Goodbye lovely home.

Our new Home Sweet Home!

We celebrated our first Christmas in our new home with many friends and family. It was wonderful! This was Joni's second Christmas. She was our Christmas JOY this year. So much fun, so much love, so many presents!

The joy of Joni.

Our beautiful family will again be growing by another son-in-law. Eve and Shaw got engaged in November and will be getting married in Mexico this October 2014. And yep...we are going! 

Our fabulous family.

Chelsea turned 22 in December. How is that even possible?!? In 8 short months she will be graduating from UW-Platteville. After much hard work and determination, she made the Dean's List last semester. Woo hoo! She, too, is trying to figure out what to do with her grown-up life...after college. She has dreams. She has passions. She is already well on her way to a great life!

Chelsea turns 22!

And then there is Grace. Grace turned 8 last year. She continues to grow by leaps and bounds, blossoming into a young girl who is smart, funny, captivating, creative and just a joy to spend every day with. She is the youngest of our brood and thankfully, she keeps life from being boring and too predictable for Mom and Dad! 

Grace has dinner under control.

Of course, there were many more awesome highlights but these were some of the biggies. Finding delight in the little things, in those every day moments where you realize just how blessed you are, is the glue that makes this life and all of us stick together. I count my blessings each and every day for this extraordinary life I have been given. My happiest place of all...somewhere in the middle of ordinary and extraordinary. 

That is it for the update. It is Mothers' Day today so as I am off to embrace the day and all of awesomeness it is sure to bring! Wishing all of the mom's in this world a beautiful day.

Michelle

Good Summer Reads

In April of this year I finally took the plunge and bought myself a Kindle Touch. To my surprise, I absolutely love it!  Since purchasing the Kindle, my completion rate on reading books has definitely increased.  The Kindle Touch has renewed my love for  reading in a big way. I love having a book or two at my fingertips, ready and waiting at any given moment. I really had forgotten what it feels like to lose yourself in a good story, to feel your heart racing or breaking, to want to jump into the story and laugh or cry with the characters, and to literally not want the story to end...happy ending or not.

I recently finished the two-book New York Times bestselling Slammed Series by Colleen Hoover. The two books in this series, Slammed and Point of Retreat, had me at hello! The storyline, the characters, the heartwrenching twists and turns, from beginning to end, are superb. Both of these books will tug at your heart strings as you follow each of the characters through their struggles and triumphs - all which overlap with one another. I also found the heart of the story, what "slammed" stands for, to be a breath of fresh air as the characters try to problem-solve and communicate their innermost feelings of hurt, anger, admiration and love.

Slammed and Point of Retreat will make you believe in the power of love, laughter, forgiveness, gratitude, and compassion. It may even quite possibly move you to reflect on your own life and realize that this one life that we get is simply too precious to waste and that we should take chances to bare our souls, to be honest, and to look within for answers when life throws you a curveball. Don't dodge the curveball. If you are brave enough to catch the curveball, you will learn a valuable lesson.

I found myself not being able to put the books down! You will laugh. You will cry. They're just that "butterflying" good!! Thankfully, the author is working on a third book to which is due out by the end of the summer. The third book in this series, Will's Story, is already on my list and I can honestly say I have never had a "reading list" before! Be sure to check out Colleen Hoover's website where she shares a sneak peek at the first chapter to Will's Story I cannot wait to see where she takes the story from here!

If you are looking for a good series to absolutely devour this summer, I would HIGHLY, without hesitation, recommend the Slammed Series.

Happy Reading!
Michelle

Chocolate Swirl Delight - A Delightful Dessert

My husband says that we rarely eat the same thing twice. He is right, in part. While I do have my standard go-to dinner and dessert recipes, how can one want to make the same thing over and over again? I cannot and do not. With the internet and new sites such as Pinterest placing beautiful food right in front of my eyes each and every day, I rarely even "search" anymore. It's more like they magically appear! I see new recipe every day that I want/need to try. Hence, since I do most of the cooking, my little family is at the mercy of my recipe curiosity. They graciously go along with it, most of the time. In fact, rarely do I fail when it comes to testing dessert recipes. I even dedicated one of my Pinterest boards to desserts only, Decadent Desserts.

I was on a search, a search for a real crowd-pleasing dessert, when I stumbled upon the Chocolate Swirl Delight recipe. This dessert was replacing a traditional birthday cake, so it had to be special. Well...first, I saw the picture. Then, I read the recipe. Four, yes four, ingredients and no baking! I'd be a fool NOT to make this, right?? And, so I did. It won the crowd over just as I had hoped. It turned out as pretty as a picture and tasted spectacular! The best kept little secret here is that the only "effort" required is slicing the Little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls and even that was kind of fun.

Chocolate Swirl Delight

This dessert was delightful, melt-in-your-goodness that got rave reviews from family and is bound to be requested and repeated!

Michelle

Excellent Summer Read

I recently finished reading On The Island:A Novel by Tracey Garvis-Graves on my Kindle. I loved this book! It was the perfect summer read to keep me coming back for more. I read this book in under a month and that says a lot, for me. I thought the book was well-written and had a superb mix of suspense, despair and romance, with a few surprises sprinkled along the way. It will tug at your heart strings in no time. I was pleasantly surprised by the ending as well. If you are looking for a good summer read to get lost in, I would highly recommend this book. In my opinion, it was a 5-star read and worth every bit of the Amazon Kindle price of $5.99.