Fall holiday hike

Yesterday we went up to Mt. Lemmon to go on a nature walk at the Aspen trail and to see the fall colors.
While it may be 90+ degrees down in Tucson, Mt. Lemmon was a refreshing 60.
And while the leaves aren't at their peak yet, they're still beautiful to behold.

I really should have grabbed more leaves and pine cones on our walk.

I think I'm going to call this picture the stop light tree. Obviously you can see why.
Being on the mountain and walking on the trails brings such a sense of peace.
At first Wyatt was grumpy, I can't blame him, he had just done a 10 mile hike the day before with the boy scouts and was sore and sunburned. He later confessed that we were driving him crazy with all the stopping. That's when I explained to think of this as a nature walk and not a hike, to look around and enjoy.
By the end of our nature walk Wyatt was in a good mood but Chelsea was the one who was getting grumpy and wanted to go home.
This picture of the kids is one that kinda cracks me up. When we started out on the walk we were wearing jackets, except Rob who never wears one, by the end of our walk we see us in three stages. Chelsea still wearing her jacket, Wyatt in his t-shirt and Kelly who is sporting a tank top. 
The weather was just right for the t shirt.
 After some rock climbing and Chelsea whining that she wanted more beef jerky and was hungry we headed for the truck.
We tortured them by going up to Summerhaven and walking around the general store and then over to Ski Valley where we encountered 4 deer crossing the road.
Now we didn't make them get out and walk, oh no, they got to eat snacks.I  on the other hand hopped into the bed of the truck as we cruised down from the U of A observation station parking lot to ski valley, snapping pictures with my phone. I got plenty of finger pointing and weird looks from the people driving up that's for sure.
Once we got back into town we swung by Carl's Jr for a late lunch and headed home to chill.

Cricut Make something you love- Phoenix

Last week, me and two friends, Julie and Jill, drove up to Phoenix to attend the Cricut Make Something You Love event that introduces us to the new Cricut Maker machine. 
Not only did we get to see the Maker in action and try it out, we also go to play with the Easy Press and the Bright Pad. The event was held in this cool art gallery that complimented the Cricut vibe that was going on.
 I was super excited about being there and was hoping it was the push I needed to get my creative juices flowing. It was.
Something about that day sparked me, and its really hard to put into words.
I think one of the things it boils down to is that I miss what I once had, and that was being a stay at home mom.
Like many other moms I need to work to support my family, and the time that I used to create and write on my blog were now working hours and that put my creative life on the back burner, way back on the burner.
Creating in the evenings when the family was home was hard on them and me. Just writing about it I can feel the swirls of emotion.
To this day I keep praying for an answer to how I go about having a larger craft room, one that can accommodate the kids if they want to hang with me or even the hubby.
Added on top of that is my youngest asking to have her own room. Big fat sigh. I would love to be able to give her her own space, but where would I put everything?
I'm already overflowing the room.
Anyway, during one of our conversations my friend Julie remarked how I needed to start blogging again.
She is right.
So, even if its only short snippets I'm going to keep updating.

BACK TO THE CRICUT MAKER, there are so many opportunities that I can foresee using this machine. the capabilities of the knife blade for balsa wood and the rotary for fabric have my mind going in all sorts of fun directions.
While I've had my eye on getting a heat press, I know, I have no room whatsoever, the easy press was something I felt more comfortable with. It's lightweight, super stinking easy to use and from a brand that I trust.
It's definitely on my Christmas list.
Plus, it will finally get me to use the iron on vinyl that I've been hoarding, because I was too nervous to use my iron and the vinyl not staying on.
I really want that Easy Press.
I've had a Cricut since the first machine, my baby bug that was 6 x 12 to now having the original Explore. I've demonstrated it as an employee of Jo-Ann's to being a part of the Cricut Demo Army back in 2010. There is something about this company that has never pushed me away and that has continued to challenge me as a crafter to explore new avenues and techniques.

I believe my dream job would be to work from home creating anything that makes people smile and that fulfills that creative need that I have to give back and show homemade kindness whether that is creating cards, party decor, home decor or anything else my imagination whips up.
 Until such time, I will do my best to carve out what time I can and fulfill that creative need as best as I can.      Much love, Carrie