So I have to tell you guys all about the most amazing place I found when I was in Phoenix. called Mexican Arts Imports. First though, I need to tell you why it was so amazing.

A couple of months ago my husband and I compiled a list of ALL the projects that we want to complete around our house. Everything from plant new flowers in our front porch pots to painting the house to replacing our entire outdoor drainage field. EVERYTHING went on this list.

This means that whenever we have some “down time” we grab the list and see what we can accomplish. Obviously some things are easier than others, but the goal is to get everything done at some point. A few weeks ago we tackled one of the things that had been bothering me for over a year. Painting our bedroom.

Two summers ago I went ahead and repainted every single other room on our first floor, AND all but two of the bedrooms upstairs. It was exhausting, but so worth it. The only room I didn’t get to on the main floor was our bedroom. There was so much on the walls and in the way, that it just seemed too overwhelming.

So one morning my husband says to me that if I want to do it that day he will help me move everything and paint!! HECK YES!!  As we were taking things down and out I decided that now was the time to redo anything I wanted to change. Once it was done and the plant was back up, I started thinking.

One of the things I was ready to change was my headboard. I had built this one a few years ago and I feel like since then I have narrowed down my style and honed in my vibe, and it was time to change. I also really wanted to bring some of the bright bold colors that I have throughout the rest of my house into my bedroom. Cue the pinterest searching.

I stumbled on this pin from The Crafty Chica and I was in love!  Only to find out that these blank ceramic planters were no longer carried. So the idea grew. I knew I would be heading to Phoenix, which is significantly closer to Mexico than where I am in Washington so I decided that my take away from this trip would be some Talavera wall planters.

Cue my extreme disappointment when on the 3rd day of our trip I still hadn’t found anything remotely close to what I was looking for. So I started Google searching, and reading, and digging and hunting. Then, in a flash of light with a choir of angels in the background I stumbled on Mexican Arts Imports.

O.M.G. You guys, this place had everything I never knew I always wanted!  It was incredible. I could have spent hours in there. I probably would have if my husband hadn’t been there. I am one of those touch and see ALL THE THINGS kind of people. Wandering around and absorbing things is how I roll.  And guess what I found, exactly what I was looking for!!

Now all I need is to find my perfect headboard. Once it’s installed I can hang these beauties and celebrate one more thing coming off the list!

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Continue reading Explore Phoenix: Mexican Arts Imports over at My Craftily Ever After.

You may have noticed (if you follow me on Instagram) that I just got back from another trip to Phoenix.  I had such a great time while there and there are so many things to see and do, including touring Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West.

Last year my sister and I traveled to Phoenix to check out the Grand Canyon, Desert Botanical Gardens, and eat all the good food! This year when my husband and I went we really got to hang back and relax.

We spent a couple days driving around and seeing all there was to see, which was super exciting in our fancy sports car!  I swear I have never had sooo many people stop to talk to me about a car before!

We were hooked up with a 2019 Mazda Miata, and even though my husband is 6’4″ he mostly fit in the passenger seat. I obviously didn’t let him drive because I was having way to much fun!  Taking the top down and sunning myself made the whole thing even better. Talk about feeling glamorous!

Taliesin West

One of my favorite places in Phoenix was Taliesin West. It was the winter home of Frank Lloyd Wright and still today it serves as the home of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and School of Architecture.

Deeply connected to the desert, Taliesin West has an almost prehistoric grandeur. It was built and maintained almost entirely by Wright and his apprentices, making it among the most personal of the architect’s creations.

The home and all of its outbuildings have been meticulously maintained in the original style so that they are just as they were when Frank (we’re on a first name basis, right) built and lived in it.

One of my favorite parts of the home was the way Frank used the landscape to both heat and cool this home. Everything was designed with purpose and nothing was too small to take into consideration.

I loved that seating in the auditorium was constructed to create the most comfortable seating position. Frank liked the sit with his legs crossed and his arm around his wife’s shoulders. He build the seating at an angle to accommodate this and to prevent anyone from having the person in front of them’s head block their view. It is the small details that make his work so astonishing!

Enjoy a few of my favorite shots of Taliesin West! 

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Continue reading Explore Phoenix: Taliesin West over at My Craftily Ever After.

Over spring break my sister and I took a sister-cation down to Phoenix to explore the desert and bask in the sunshine. While there we tried to do as many things as possible (including eating and seeing the Grand Canyon) in order to really get to know the area. One of my favorite places we went was the Desert Botanical Garden.

Desert Botanical Garden

The Desert Botanical Garden is located right in between Phoenix and Scottsdale and is super easy to get to from no matter where you are staying in the area. The Desert Botanical Garden is home to thousands of species of cactus, trees and flowers from all around the world spread across 55 acres.

DESERT DISCOVERY LOOP TRAIL

There are several different trails through the garden and you can loop through them skipping those that don’t interest you and making multiple loops in different directions through the ones that do. One of my favorites was the desert discovery loop trail. This trail circles the whole garden and we were able to cut across and around it to see the whole garden multiple times.

DESERT WILDFLOWER LOOP TRAIL

The desert wildflower loop trail gave me chills as we were able to see just how many different flowers and flowering cacti are able to not only survive, but thrive in the desert climate. It made me feel even worse about my not-quite-as-black -as-it-used-to-be thumb with my own plants at home.

BUTTERFLY PAVILION

One of the highlights of our visit was the Butterfly Pavilion. I was amazed at how many butterflies there were in a single area!  The butterflies were not at all shy around people and at one point one landed on my leg. I’m not going to lie, my first instinct was the shriek and swat it away, but once I calmed down I realized how amazing it was!

Continue reading Explore Phoenix: Desert Botanical Gardens over at My Craftily Ever After.

So far I’ve shared with you all sorts of things about our trip to Denver a while back (Rocky Mountain National Park and Food), except the whole reason for our trip!  My husband and I went to celebrate our anniversary, and while I have a deep love and passion for travel my husband has an equal love for rock concerts.  So to help convince my hubby to adventure with me to Denver we had to see a show.

I’d heard lot’s of good things about seeing shows at the Red Rocks, but being there in person was a whole different experience. The venue is intimate without being small, and the views from every angle are great. I don’t think there’s a bad seat in the whole place. The only thing I should caution you on is to wear your good shoes, because the stairs are no joke, 380 steps straight up. And that’s just from the parking lot to the gate.

Luckily there happened to be an amazing concert happening on our actual anniversary. Playing a three headliner tour at Red Rocks Amphitheater were some of our favorites: Bush, Stone Temple Pilots, and The Who. Now I won’t lie to you, I totally went to see Bush. As a pre-teen (does that age me much?) I was totally infatuated with Gavin Rossdale (so dreamy) and Bush. So when Gavin himself walked right up next to me during the show I most definitely reached out and put my hands all over him!

However, for me, Stone Temple Pilots put on the best show. A great mix of classics (group sing along anyone), and some new songs off their new album. I spent the hour singing and dancing with 10,000 of my closest friends.

The Who closed the show, and was the main attraction for my husband. By the time The Who took the stage we were ready to rock and they did not disappoint. Hit after hit lead to everyone around us dancing like maniacs and rocking out to some classics.

All in all, it was an amazing experience and I am already stalking the Red Rocks upcoming events to see how soon I can convince my hubby to head back!

Continue reading Explore Denver: Red Rocks over at My Craftily Ever After.

One of my favorite parts of traveling is getting to sample lots of different foods. I love finding local restaurants and trying new dishes that I can’t get at home. Which, if you live in an area lacking in diverse cuisine like I do, is basically EVERYTHING!! So keep reading to find some of my favorite eats in Denver!

Rocky Top Tavern

4907 Lowell Blvd
Denver, CO 80221

After landing in Denver we headed straight to our Airbnb to drop off our stuff and get our bearings. We arrived a little before check-in time, but never fear amazing food was to be found literally around the corner.  Rocky Top features traditional bar foods done right. And their tatertots, my husband could not stop talking about how good they were!  Definitely recommend!

Cleopatra Grill & Hummus

10250 Federal Blvd
Federal Heights, CO 80260

I absolutely love middle eastern and mediterranean cuisine. When my husband traveled to Egypt earlier this year I was so jealous about all the incredible foods he got to try. So when he says that this place is as good as anywhere he ate IN EGYPT I believe him. We tried a few different items including the chicken shawarma, falafel sandwich, and spanakopita. It was out-of-bounds good, in fact it was so good I took some hummus and pita to go so that I could snack on it later when my belly wasn’t quite so full. This place isn’t in Denver proper, but it was on our way home from Rocky Mountain National Park and totally worth the stop!

Tocabe

3536 W 44th Ave
Denver, CO 80211

I spent a lot of time researching places to eat while we were in Denver, and Tocabe kept coming up. Tocabe is an authentic Native American eatery serving just about any kind of indian taco you could dream up. This place was located less than a mile from our Airbnb and the food was phenomenal! We discovered that it was also featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives (which is a favorite show of mine) so you know it’s good!

Sam’s No. 3

1500 Curtis Street
Denver, CO 80202

This place is located adjacent to the 16th Street Mall, so while we had a 30 minute wait for a table we were able to stroll and shop the mall while we waited. We found out after arriving that Sam’s No. 3 was also featured on Triple D (another score for us) and it was easy to see why.  The portions are ridiculous, I mean look at that burrito, and the food was so incredibly good that it was pretty much impossible not to eat until we needed to be rolled out. This place was worth the wait and then some!!

Denver is definitely on my list for a return trip so let me know, where are your favorite places to eat?!?

Continue reading Explore Denver: Food over at My Craftily Ever After.

One of my most favorite things to do is head out into the great outdoors and find an adventure. I’m lucky enough to have a husband who supports this passion so we headed down to Denver, Colorado this month to celebrate our anniversary and explore Rocky Mountain National Park!

Getting There

First thing to note, is that Rocky Mountain National Park is not actually in Denver. It’s a quick 1 1/2 hour drive northwest of the city, however the drive is beautiful and the traffic non-existent. We decided to enter the park through the city of Estes Park on Hwy 36. This brought us up through a few small cities and we were surprised to find that even though it was move-in week at Colorado University we didn’t get held up with traffic at all.

The first thing we did once in the park was stop off at the Moraine Discovery Center. They have a ton of informational displays and an entire mini-museum upstairs. The weather was a little overcast and grey as we entered the park, but the views were breathtaking none the less.

Wildlife

We headed down Bear Lake road and almost immediately encountered a couple of wild elk just munching away at some shrubs and trees along the road. As I hopped out to get up close and snap some pics the elk didn’t even bat an eye. I was maybe 20 feet away and probably could have gotten closer if I wanted. AMAZING!!

Trails

After our exciting elk adventure we continued on down and ended up at Sprague Lake. There was a small half mile trail around the lake that we decided to walk a few times. Every single time we went around, we saw something new and different. From soaring mountains to jumping fish there wasn’t a bad spot to be found.

After a few laps around the lake we headed out. We had seen a bunch of signs along the way letting us know that Bear Lake parking was full and that if we wanted to make it down there we would need to park at one of the many park and ride locations and take a shuttle down. Instead we decided to turn back and continue on Hwy 36.

We stopped off at Deer Ridge Junction and I was able to catch this incredible view of Horseshoe Park. In the distance you can see 6 separate mountains. Up close you get a shot of the amazing Mitsubishi Outlander Sport we drove while in Denver. I’m so impressed at the features new cars have and this one was no different. The Outlander Sport features an incredible panoramic sunroof which allowed me to spend as much time as possible in the sun as well as getting an epic view of everywhere we went!

We stopped off at Sheep Lakes to get out and explore once more, and the wide open spaces backed by the mountains was breathtaking! Although, we did not see any sheep!

I loved absolutely everything about our trip to the Rocky Mountain National Park and I am looking forward to heading back with the kids to spend some time camping in the park and seeing everything I missed this time!  Have you ever been? What was your favorite part?

Continue reading Explore Denver: Rocky Mountain National Park over at My Craftily Ever After.

Wow!  I’ve been trying to figure out how to share my crazy road trip from Phoenix to the Grand Canyon with you all and I don’t know if I will ever be ready, but I figured I shouldn’t wait any longer!  My sister and I traveled to Phoenix for spring break this year as a little sistercation and decided that we must do ALL the things we possibly could while there. While this did not lend itself to a relaxing trip, it was definitely an experience to remember!

When we originally started mapping out our trip we knew that we were going to need to set aside an entire day for the Grand Canyon. We figured that since we were already cramming a 3 hour (each way) road trip into our vacation we should probably stop and see everything in between as well! This should have only added a couple of hours to the trip, but inevitably traffic got the best of us.

We started out early in the day and marked Montezuma’s Castle as our first destination. It was a short walk through the slightly elevated desert valley once we got there, and although the actual remains are, I’m sure, amazing, it was a bit too far up the cliffside to really get to see. Luckily there was a model set up for us to take in the incredibly design of what was once a booming community!

Next up, and only a few short miles down the highway was Montezuma’s Well. This neverending aquifer provided all the water for the people, plants, and animals of these fledgling societies.  So cool!

After that we settled back into the car for the jaunt over to Tuzigoot National Monument. This was a pretty awesome experience as we got to walk through the ancient buildings. The sun was hot and the earth was dry, but inside the buildings the air was cool and conditions were amazingly livable. It was easy to imagine kids running and playing while men and women tended to the daily chores…just like today!

After climbing to the top and seeing what there was we headed north toward Sedona. We were cruising along, making good time, when we ran into our first hiccup. Traffic. We spent a solid hour traveling into downtown Sedona, and another hour traveling out of it.  Luckily we had a sweet ride with air conditioning, a killer sound system, and all the comforts you need on a long road trip.

We tried to hit Bearizona before they closed for the day, but sadly we were too late to drive through the wildlife park. We did however take some pictures under the Bearizona archway!

After Bearizona it was straight through to the Grand Canyon!! I’m not going to lie, by this point in the journey I was hot, tired and a little bit over being in the car, but still we persevered. We made it to the Grand Canyon in time to watch an epic sunset and have our breath taken away by nature’s beauty.  It was an experience to remember!

Heading back to Phoenix that night I was grateful for a couple of things, but mostly the dynamic adaptive cruise control that came standard on our car. People if you haven’t experienced this feature, let me tell you now, it is life changing for long road trips!! My biggest gripe about using cruise control is having to disengage when I run into slow pokes on the road. Setting, canceling, and then resetting your speed is a pain in the booty when you are traveling long distances. Dynamic adaptive cruise control automatically slows when you approach vehicles going under your set speed, and speeds you back up when they move on out of your way. Seriously life changing!! It made the ridiculously long drive back to Phoenix a breeze and allowed me to worry more about any stray wildlife than fiddling with the cruise control.

All in all a day trip to the Grand Canyon isn’t totally crazy, but definitely not for everyone!  Enjoy at your own risk!

Continue reading Explore Phoenix: the Grand Canyon over at My Craftily Ever After.

Spending a whirlwind few days in Phoenix was amazing, especially getting to eat all the delicious foods waiting around every corner!  I tried to snap a picture or two of each place we went and I’ll do my best to give you my real opinion on what we got!

Matt’s Big Breakfast

825 North First Street
Phoenix, Arizona 85004

The thing I liked most about Matt’s was that it wasn’t an overly complex menu with breakfast dishes that were trying to be something else. It was just scratch made, hearty breakfasts.  I ordered a scramble with their country potatoes and sourdough toast. The first thing I noticed is that their portions are incredibly generous!  In fact I only made it through about half of my plate before I was so stuffed I thought they might have to roll me away!

The toast came extra buttery and with a side of fresh made strawberry preserves. The egg scramble was a little dry in my opinion, but I like my eggs on the runnier side, even when scrambled.  The potatoes were perfect!  I love a good breakfast potato (who am I kidding I love all potatoes) and this one was out of the park good.  They also had bottles of homemade ketchup on the tables and homemade hot sauce on the ready in the back.  Amazing!

La Santisima

1919 North 16th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85006

Heading back from the Desert Botanical Garden on day two we decided to hit up this little taco shop we had heard about from a couple locals.  Turns out it was actually a pretty big Mexican restaurant with a pretty incredible taco menu.  Of course I can’t not mention the salsa bar. I love a good salsa bar and this one was amazing with 12 different options!!

I went with their traditional quesa, which is where our modern day quesadilla originated. It is made with raw masa that is fried until crispy, then folded and filled with whatever kind of meats, cheeses and other goodies you could ever want.  My sister and I decided it was like a quesadilla meets an empanada with a little pupusa thrown in.  Basically magic in a masa shell! I also couldn’t help myself, but order some of their gourmet tacos as well. I went with a variety and tried the al pastor, arrachera, and adobada. Everything was great and I am going to be having cravings until I make it back again I am sure!

Breakfast Club & Barista Bar

4400 North Scottsdale Road
Scottsdale, Arizona 85251

The wait for breakfast at this hip “club” was more than we had time for, but we did swing through their coffee bar for a morning jolt on our way to Taliesin West. The coffee was good, the vibe was fabulous, and the food I saw walking past me looked out of this world!

Berdenas

7051 E 5th Ave Suite I
Scottsdale, AZ 85251

Little did I know when I randomly stumbled in to Berdena’s, I was about to have Phoenix’s winningest avocado toast. Smashed avocado’s, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, and salt was all it took to win my heart. Definitely worth the pickup if you’re in the Scottsdale area.

The Arrogant Butcher

2 E Jefferson St #150
Phoenix, AZ 8500

As soon as we got off the plane I was famished and we needed to grab something to eat.  Since there is no better place to be during happy hour than a shady outdoor table, with a warm breeze, and half off appetizers we headed downtown to The Arrogant Butcher. We were delighted by an overly generous portion of house made soft pretzels and provolone fondue and a platter of carnitas nachos with, you guessed it, even more fondue!

Sweet Republic

9160 E Shea Blvd #105
Scottsdale, AZ 85260

Because long hot days are only made better by ice cream, a trip to Sweet Republic was definitely in order.  The samples were freely flowing and there were so many choices that I debated trying to take ice cream to go, but quickly realized I couldn’t do that. I settled instead for a Pecan Turtle Sundae. Loaded with a scoop of Butter Pecan, plus a scoop of Salted Butter Caramel, then topped with butter pecans, hot fudge, salted caramel sauce & whip cream. Mmmmmm…

Snoh

801 N. 2nd Street
Phoenix Arizona 85004

My sister is a lover of shaved ice, and I am always up for  trying something new so we went for it. Unfortunately, I wasn’t too impressed and neither was she.  The “snoh” was overly dry and make a big flaky mess when we tried to eat it.  The flavors were lacking and it felt like a sad shadow of what it could have been.

Continue reading Explore Phoenix: Food over at My Craftily Ever After.

Maybe I’ve mentioned before that my husband works for a seafood processing facility. I probably also told you that this means we have an abundance of seafood most of the time. Well, last year, he finally fixed up the cannery at work and we have been enjoying the benefits of fresh caught, fresh canned tuna ever since!

Trying to figure out new and different things to do with all this tuna has been both fun and delicious. A few months ago I shared a really yummy recipe for Greek rice salad, and this tuna rice salad is a spin on that.  I mean, why not mess with a good thing!

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked long grain white rice
• ½ cup shredded carrot
• ½ cup chopped celery
• ½ cup chopped red onion
• 1 can white albacore tuna in water, drained
• ½ cup sour cream/greek yogurt/mayonnaise
• 1 tsp spicy brown mustard
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• ½ tsp garlic powder

Directions:

The first thing you need to do is cook rice according to directions to make 2 cups of cooked rice. If you are serving this as a summer salad, let the rice cool completely before you continue. If you are planning on serving it as a warm salad, no need to wait!

Add all ingredients into a large bowl and mix. If you like your tuna more on the chunky side, mix all other ingredients first, then add tuna at the end and gently fold it in.

You can serve this salad warm or refrigerate and serve cold. It’s delicious both ways!

Continue reading Tuna and Rice Salad over at My Craftily Ever After.

Many people get a feeling of depression and sadness during the winter months. This common occurrence is typically referred to as the Winter Blues or SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). Some common symptoms of SAD include irritability, lack of motivation, fatigue, weight gain, depression, and difficulty getting along with others. New studies have suggested that as many as 4% to 6% of Americans suffer from SAD each winter season.

Why the Winter Blues Occur

Many medical professionals believe that the response our body has to daylight is what causes the winter blues to occur. It doesn’t help that during the winter season comes the increase in common illnesses like the cold or the flu. The shorter days and colder temperatures in many parts of the country also add to a lack of motivation or desire to leave the house.

There Is Hope!

The good news is while the feelings you get with the winter blues can make it challenging to experience joy and excitement, there are ways to help your body and mind work through these periods of sadness. With a few simple lifestyle tweaks, the winter season won’t seem as long and drawn out for you.

Beat the Winter Blues with Games

One newly researched therapy is game participation. Devoting time to physical and mental activities can help reverse forms of mild depression. Taking part in physical activity and indoor games during the colder months is a natural and effective way to boost your health and your overall mood. Studies have shown that participating in regular physical activities can help to manage stress and increase your energy and your cognitive performance.

Types of Games

There are so many different games you and your family can play to help boost your mood and have a good of old fashioned fun. Here is a list of fun and exciting games that can be played indoors for the whole family.

Balloon Volleyball: This is just what it sounds like, and it is super simple to create. All you need to play is a string or ribbon, to set up your net, and a balloon. You can have a competition with the family by playing one on one and moving each winner to the next round or play as a team for a quick and fun way to laugh and get your body moving.

Indoor Hopscotch: You don’t have to go outdoors to play hopscotch. You can use masking or colored duct tape instead of a chalk outline. Tape your court to any floor or even carpeting to get started. Going over the rules ahead of time is great, especially if you have young kids who might not understand the game. Hopscotch is a fun way to get moving and have a good laugh.

Tape Maze: Using colored duct tape or masking tape, you can make a unique tape maze on the carpet or another type of floor. Each family member has to walk through to find their way to the end. To make it more of a challenge, you can even try kicking a small ball through the maze.

Indoor Bean Bag Toss: Invest in a bean bag toss game, such as Baggo, to keep for both indoor and outdoor activities. It makes a great game to bring out if you are experiencing some feelings of the winter blues and for fun gatherings with families and friends. No matter their age, everyone loves playing a good game of bean bag toss.

Paper Football: Do you remember the fun days of playing paper football in school with your friends? Why not recreate this feeling at home? All you need to have is a table and a piece of paper to create your triangle football. Each team is given four downs to score a touchdown. Use this opportunity to teach younger children math skills by helping them to learn how to keep track of the score.

Ice Cube Shuffleboard: This no muss, no fuss game is a lot of fun, especially for little kids. Create a bullseye of sorts in the center of one of your floors with masking or colored duct tape. The goal of the game is to get your ice cube as close to the bullseye by sliding it over the floor. While the ice cube may melt, a towel or napkin can clean this mess up easily.

Board Games: Pull out your favorite board game and get the whole family involved. Purchase classic games with new characters, such as The Big Bang Theory Monopoly or Star Wars Chess.

Why Games Boost Your Mood?

Games allow you the opportunity to stop worrying about everything around you and only focus on them. If you are a highly competitive person, this is most definitely true for you. You become hyper-focused on the goal of the game and forget about everything else. By acting silly and enjoying yourself, you will boost your mood, connect with others, and even get some physical activity in the process.

Exercise can decrease the levels of stress and anxiety, both of which are a symptom of the winter blues. If you can, try to play your games in rooms with bright lights. Because of the lack of sunlight we experience during the winter months, our brains have a reduction in the chemicals that are linked to our moods. Increasing the light can help increase these chemicals and, in turn, increase your overall mood and attitude.

Wrap-Up

Participating in fun-filled games can help get you in a better mood during the winter months. Most games are easy to store away when not in use and can be played indoors anytime you need a quick pick me up. They are suitable for all ages and make amazing party games if you are feeling down and in need of company.

Plan a small get-together with family and friends and play a variety of games like cornhole, Pictionary, or even charades. Include all ages to keep the elderly in shape and their minds sharp and to teach youngsters new skills. Before you know it, you’ll forget why you were not feeling quite yourself in the first place.

Jennifer is a mom of 2 and lover of all things outdoors. Her passion is helping children learn vital developmental skills through play.

Continue reading How to Fight Winter Blues with Games over at My Craftily Ever After.