Thursday, May 26, 2011

Spring Gardening

We caught the gardening bug this spring. We're planting strawberries all along the back wall of our house. This pretty Dark Pink climbing plant in the corner is Bougainvillea. I love how tropical it looks. It grows best in humid climates, but we'll see if we can keep it alive in the shade of our Mulberry tree in the desert.

These are the strawberry plants we transplanted from another garden. We've been keeping them alive in water for the past week while we've been preparing our yard for them and they still look pretty good! Here's a tip from my gardening guru neighbor, Kayleen: When transplanting strawberry plants,you have to take off all the berries after you move them so the plant will concentrate on making roots in their new home. Who knew?

This flower bed beneath the faucet has been in my dreams all winter to make into a blossoming little oasis. It was full of weeds when we moved in. Now its ready to be planted.

And here it is! The finished product. I love it's rustic look. Don't you think Javi did a good job? I love my hard working husband.

This is another flower bed we made around the new little Mulberry tree in our backyard. It's a little wider in diameter than I would've liked, but I love the river stones we picked out of the Santa Clara River to use as the border. We'll use the same river rocks to border our new strawberry beds. So what do you think of our spring gardening projects so far? I have so many, many more to show you! Come back and check them out.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Saturday Picnic under the Mulberry Tree





We have a huge Mulberry tree in our backyard that is perfect to have a picnic under, so on Saturday we had a gardening and picnic day. Here are some images from our yummy lunch. We had egg salad sandwiches with butter lettuce, tomatoes and pickles as garnishes, apples and oranges, and some apple juice. It was a perfect Saturday afternoon in our backyard.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

30 minute French Onion Soup for the whole family


We made this the other night for dinner. So easy, so quick, and my three year old loved it! I got the recipe from Giada De Laurentiis. Thanks Giada! Italians unite (I'm Italian by marriage) in this delectable soup. Its a great dish for a crisp, spring evening.

It looks complicated, but this dish is so fast and easy. Here's what it calls for:

32 oz. Beef Broth ( I use Swanson's in a box)
1 large sweet yellow onion
Ciabatta bread, cubed on top
Fontina Cheese, sliced on top
2 tbsp Olive Oil
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
A couple sprigs of Thyme,

Just cut up the onion in chunky rings, saute them in the olive oil on medium to medium-low, covered, for about 10 minutes, until the onions are soft but not browned.
Then pour in the beef broth, and simmer for 10 more minutes.
Then pour the soup into your ceramic individual bowls(I use my pasta bowls), top with chunks of ciabatta bread, fontina cheese, and put in the broiler for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and golden. Throw some fresh thyme on top and voila! You have the most delicious meal that even a toddler will eat. (At least the broth, bread, and cheese :)

Father Receives Baby


I love this birth story from a fellow HypnoBirthing teacher's blog, Lauralyn Curtis out of Mapleton, Utah. My favorite part is that the father wrote the story, and received the baby instead of the doctor. Did you know father's can do that? Just ask the doctor and he'll help you. Or you can do it yourself with a little guidance. It will create an instant bond between dad and baby.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

HypnoBirthing Class 1


Last night we had the first class at Dr. Heath's office. One of the birth companion's said he really enjoyed it and couldn't wait for the next class! I love to see the relief and peace on expectant parents' faces after the first class. HypnoBirthing = Hope.

Photo via Customity

Thursday, May 5, 2011

HypnoBirthing Classes only $100!!!



The next HypnoBirthing class will start next Tuesday, May 17th in Dr. Terence Heath's (obgyn) office in Cedar City... and the price is only $100!!!! Including everything! I know, it's really cheap, but I'm doing a promotion since I am starting up a second location. Class prices after this first one will be based on enrollment. Email me for a registration form: jill.christian@gmail.com or simply show up to the first class at his office: 110 West 1325 North Suite 300, Cedar City, UT 84721.

P.S. I am still teaching in St. George at Pure Health Chiropractic.