hiking in stilettos

Wednesday, March 6

Life Lens

Life lately has meant long days at work, busy weeks, lazy {but productive} weekends, small projects around the house, afternoon espresso, the last few fires of winter, puppy feet warmers, and delicious weekend brunch (made by husband).

xoxo

Tuesday, March 5

Sunny Cranberry* Trail Mix

*I originally set out to use cranberries and golden raisins as the fruit of choice for this trail mix, but unfortunately I didn't have any cranberries on hand. So, I improvised.

When husband and I were in Colorado we munched on the most delicious trail mix that we found at Target. Unfortunately, the mix contained a laundry list of ingredients that are not only unnecessary, they're not very healthy. So, naturally, I decided to make my own.

1 cup lightly salted almonds

3/4 cup each pepitas, golden raisins

1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup currants

1/4 cup melted coconut oil

Mix all ingredients together except coconut oil. Melt the coconut oil and pour over the fruit and nut mixture and combine well. Store in an airtight container.

Next time I will add more sunflower seeds and less almonds, but since I only had 1/2 cup of sunflowers, this was what I made. And not only was it healthier than the bagged stuff, it was sure tasty.

xoxo

copyright Hiking in Stilettos

Monday, March 4

{What I'm Wearing} Black & White, Dots & Stripes

DETAILS:
Loft top (similar) & skirt (similar here and here), F21 belt (old, but this one is fun), Dolce Vita heels, Michael Kors bag, June Shin ring

Last weekend I had the absolute pleasure of spending some time with my dear friend Lesley on her birthday. It was such a fun night, filled with laughter, stories, red wine and homemade chocolate cake. But one of my favorite moments was sharing fashion tips with sweet little four-year-old Matilda. Til and I found out we share a love of stripes and polka dots, and she suggested that I wear them together. And while this skirt isn't exactly polka dots, it's a close second and one that I think Til would approve. So this outfit is for my friend Matilda Graham, that sweet little blonde that stole my heart the moment I met her.

xoxo

copyright Hiking in Stilettos

Friday, March 1

Quietude

{Job 26:7-10, 14}

Lately I've found myself craving more time for silent reflection. My soul feels unsettled, yet have no answers for all of its questions. I feel bombarded by wants, necessities, responsibility and the vastness of endless possibilities.

This isn't inherently bad, though. Being sifted, as I call it, allows us to grow and change.. to refocus our energies.. to become a better version of ourselves. I don't know where this will leave me but even in the throes of this soul-searching journey, I am in awe of the beauty in this life of mine.

Happy weekend.

xoxo

Tuesday, February 26

(p)inspirations

A few of my favorite inspiraitonal pins from the last few weeks.

Anticipating... springtime colors, summertime warmth, afternoon sunshine, camping trips, household projects

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

all can be found here

xoxo

Monday, February 25

Colorado Adventures Part III: Granby*

*A fair warning: this post is picture-laden. There were just too many beautiful moments from this part of the trip!

On the last full day of our trip, husband and I headed out to Granby for a more serene outdoor adventure at Snow Mountain Ranch. We arrived at the park around 9am to rent our gear, then headed out on snow shoes to explore the seemingly endless trails, ridges and peaks. A mere few minutes into our trek, the buildings were small in the distance and not a sound could be heard. No cars, no people. Just a little bit of wind... and then we happened upon two moose!

After winding around some of the flat trails we decided to make the climb to the top of Coyote Tooth and get a view from the ridge. The trail narrowed and steepened, and it felt like we walked into another world. The trees were so still and perfectly laden with snow. The sky was a brilliant blue that allowed the sun to cast perfect shadows on the untouched snow. It was magical.

The view from the top of the ridge was worth the short climb. We decided to brave the slightly chilling breeze and eat lunch atop the ridge. Once we were almost frozen, we decided to head back to the camp and try our luck with cross-country skis. I'll have to say that cross country skiing was not my forte. We only attempted it for about 45 minutes or so, definitely not enough time to figure out the right technique, so it's on our list for the next winter trip we take.

As much as I love downhill skiing, I have to say that this adventure was my favorite. There was something so special about being atop a ridge with untouched snow and feeling a million miles away from anything and anyone. There is a part of my soul that longs for solitude and a closeness with God, and I truly believe that I find that most in His vast creation, in nature.

xoxo

Thursday, February 21

Colorado Adventures Part II: Winter Park

After our brief time in Boulder, husband and I and our buddies headed over to Winter Park for a few days of skiing. The drive from Boulder to Winter Park was really quite lovely. I enjoyed watching the landscape change as the snow started to cover more of the mountains, the rocks began to fade and the trees began to grow in tall clusters.

Downhill skiing is one of my favorite things to do with K because we are well matched in our skill level {except I may be just a little bit better, ha.} so we always have a ton of fun. Winter Park was gorgeous, with plenty of good tree skiing, my favorite. I love finding skinny little trails off the sides of the runs that wind through the trees. A few times husband was behind me so I knocked some snow off the branches onto his head. Ha! Mary Jane was our favorite mountain with Edelweiss being our favorite run. It was long and winding with lots of trees and hideaways. We skied at Winter Park two days in a row and spent the entire second day skiing over at Mary Jane.

And although Winter Park was lovely and lots of fun, I didn't think it was necessarily better than the other places we have been. Wolf Creek, our honeymoon spot, was a great, smaller scale local place. And Breckenridge is probably my favorite ski destination in Colorado. We didn't eat out in Winter Park, mostly because nothing really grabbed our attention. Instead we spent our evenings in our condo, making dinner, playing cards and watching movies.

You know the night life is just not for me, 'cause all you really need are a few good friends.

xoxo

Wednesday, February 20

Encouraging Spring

Loft blazer, peplum & trousers {ha!}, Nine West heels {old}, Ily Couture neckalce via Etsy, vintage bracelets

It's about this time every year that I truly start to long for springtime. January has passed with it's cold days and fireplace nights, and as February is winding down, so is my desire for winter. Spring colors start to creep back into my vision, and I long for the days of open toe sandals and trail runs in shorts.

This February is no exception. The instant I eyed these pink pants in my closet this morning, I knew they needed to see the sun. So, I wore them. And although the sun and blue sky made me believe it was warm outside, today's high of 40 had me back inside in a fleece not too long after church.

Guess you can't win 'em all.

xoxo