started with

The weekend started with a little live music.

Chatham County Line to be exact.

Completely blown away, yet again.

Then some adventuring around town with a good friend that was visiting for the weekend.

Saturday started with a nice 6 mile hike.

   

Girls day hike with Kelsey…

…and Rachel!  Rachel and I went to grad school together in Charlotte, NC and worked at the same architecture firm before I moved to Colorado.

So about that 6 mile hike…

It ended up turning into ELEVEN miles.

 

I take full responsibility as the trip planner.  Never trust me with a map.  Or in the mountains.  Or in the mountains without a map.

It was supposed to be a 6 mile out + back with a loop at the half way point.

Well the loop was not part of the 6 miles. 

The loop + the out and back part + the part where we made a wrong turn, where there weren’t supposed to be any turns to take [!!!] = 11+ miles

When we saw this view we knew something was wrong.  This was not the way we came in.

 

Luckily, there was only 1 other way we could go.  So we were quickly back on the right path.

After 3.5 hours we reached the car.  Good thing we packed lunch!

Sunday consisted of coffee with my friend Krista.  Fail on not actually getting a photo with Krista.

A bike ride with the husband.

Jelly legs between this ride + yesterday’s hike!

And finallyyy getting our garden started.

I bet you can’t guess what’s mixed with the soil!

And the weekend ended with loaded twice baked potatoes.

Busy + tiring, but relaxing.  If that makes sense…

Can I put this weekend on repeat?

…

Thanks to all who entered the Love Grown Foods granola giveaway!  I was blown away by all the love you dished out this weekend.

The winners are:

1. Grace - Showing some familia love by going to not one,but TWO weddings this weekend! My cousins( also sisters) are getting married a day apart. One party-filled weekend. :) I would love to win that granola - I haven't had any kind in months, and I've especially wanted to try this brand!
2. Michal - I'm making homemade recipe cards for my friend. I'm also making thank you cards to several friends this weekend to thank them for celebrating my birthday with me recently! :-)
3. Courtney - I am participating in a dragon boat race in Tuscaloosa with our crossfit group (which I just love)! Should be lots of fun :)

Be on the lookout for an email!

Ashley

radishes.

A vegetable I’ve always overlooked.

I’ve bought radishes twice in my life.  Today being the 2nd time.  What piqued my interest?  My brother!  While I was home, he told me a funny story about buying radishes.  While I won’t get into the story, what really made me do a double take was the fact that my brother bought radishes!

Whaaaaat?

EYE don’t even buy radishes!! [“I” spelled “eye” for emphasis!]

My brother went vegetarian this past fall, which I mentioned awhile back.  He said he eats a majority of raw food because it’s quick + easy.  Again!  Say what??  He doesn’t prepare raw meals, per se, but just eats raw veggies, fruits, nuts, etc. to save time throughout the day.  He does still eat cooked foods on a daily basis but mostly for lunch.

So I asked him how he eats radishes…

Raw with a little salt.

I guess that makes sense, as they’re most commonly seen raw on salads.

Yes, my salad is in a casserole dish + piled high. 

If you’re not big on raw radishes, you can always steam them.

Topped with butter, salt, + pepper, they are quite delicious. 

Steam until just tender.  The cook time will vary depending on if you steam them whole or sliced.

Either way, delicious. 

In other vegetable news…

I finally bought seeds!!  They’re from Botanical Interests and are all non-GMO.  They sell them locally at many different places, but you can also find them online.  I was completely overwhelmed selecting my vegetables.  If 1 thing grows I will be happy! 

Our garden bed as well as our yard are covered in weeds.  Very nasty weeds, with monster roots.

After quite a bit of time, I got them up as best I could.  We weren't planning on putting weed barrier down, but I think we’re going to have to now.  These aren’t the weeds you can just easily pluck from the soil.  Their roots are 5-8” deep and on a mission to take over!

Literally, all over our backyard.  So today I sprayed them for a good 20 minutes with a 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water.  We’ll see what happens in 24-48hrs.  I’ve seen different methods for using vinegar to kill weeds, but I’m not too hopeful these are going to budge.  All I know, is that we don’t want to use any crazy chemicals to kill them.  Luckily, we have a great garden store in town with tons of eco-friendly options and a super knowledgeable staff.  Bath Garden Center  Details on what we’re filling up our veggie box with soon!

DIE weeds diiiie!

Please!?

Now go get some radishes!

Ashley