Family activity, family adventures, Goals, pnw

Family Adventure ~ Little Si

We were up early to try to beat the crowds and were so thankful when we pulled in a little after 8am and there was still parking! Yay! Praise God!

The trail starts steep but then levels out for a bit where you almost think ,”where is the elevation gain? “ Oh no worries .. the last part of the hike is all elevation.

Be on the lookout for rock climbers also. We saw several sets of them ascending the rock face which was very cool.

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As you get closer to the summit you will have some rock scrambling so trekking poles are super helpful especially coming down.

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When you come to the top clearing you are met on the left side with a stunning view( top picture on this post) ! In fact it may be our favorite view even more then the summit!

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Then you climb a little more and are on the summit of Little Si. Mt.Si is behind you and the whole Snoqualmie Valley is in front of you .

Such a fun family hike! It took us about 3 hours round trip and we logged just over 4.5 miles on our Apple Watch.

Disneyland, Money Saving, Starwars

Disney Photo Shoot Ideas for Senior Pics

My son had his own personal photo shoot right in the middle of Galaxy’s Edge which was so cool!!


We were doing his Senior Trip @disneyland and knew we wanted some of his Senior pics taken there. Thanks to the amazing PhotoPass Photographers Team @disneyland that made that dream a reality. The Photographers were so creative and had lots of ideas to bring the pics to life! We loved how they stayed in character as they did the photoshoot.

Here are the details on the photopass⬇️

⭐️ It is part of the Genie ➕.. so for around $30 a day you get all day pics ,lightening lane on select attractions and audio tales from behind the scenes including fun facts of the park . Definitely the best value!

Or

⭐️ Another option … for around $25 a day you can purchase the photo pass .

This is such a fun way to take special pics and either option is so affordable!!

Have you ever thought of taking special photos like this at Disney? Or have you? Let us know in the comments!

Check out the finished results ⬇️

Gathered thoughts, homemaking, homesteading

National Sourdough Bread Day

Happy April and National Sourdough Bread Day … and ofcourse April Fools Day!
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I am still trying to master the beauty of making Sourdough but I haven’t given up . That’s progress right? And we have managed keeping our starter alive so another victory! Yay!
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There is something wonderful to the whole process so I keep trying and every time I make it I get a little bit better. What about you? Have you tried a sourdough starter before? Love it or leave it?
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sourdoughbread #sourdough #homemaking #homemaker #redeemingbeautyfamilyadventures #nationalsourdoughbreadday #bread #breadmaking #instaworthy #ınstaphoto #diy #selfreliance #faith #blogger #influencer #foodblogger

Family activity, family adventures, pnw, Review

Spring Bloom at Knutson Farms

We started our Easter Weekend by going to Knutson Farms for their Spring Bloom. It is happening now through May 5 🌷Tickets are $15 per person on the weekend and $12 during the week . It includes all the rides , games , animal barn , Easter Egg Hunt ( limited to March 29/30) , and all the fun photo ops that are throughout the farm.Check out all the fun things we did that were included in the admission ⬇️

Photo props – There are so many unique photo props scattered throughout the farm. We loved exploring and getting pics with them all especially the Jeep ❤️

Beautiful #instaworthy photo spot

Animal Barn – Who doesn’t love visiting the animals on the farm? This is one of our family’s favorites! The sheep were super friendly, the goats were so cute fighting each other and the miniature donkeys were braying at us and showing off their teeth . The chickens were on full display and we even saw a Bob Ross imposter duck … 😂

Ready for a pic

Cow Train & Hay Ride – These were both so fun! They also have a Grain Train you can ride that looks like mining buckets .

Games – sandboxes, jumping pillow , tricycle races , and so much more!

You can also purchase some additional items like the mining experience ⬇️ .. this was so much fun for all my littles! They all got a great assortment of gems and the whole experience was great.

Another extra you can add on is the the U Pick tulips ⬇️ We all enjoyed picking out just the right ones to take home , and loved learning after the flower dies we can save the bulb to replant 🌷


Oh and can we add the Coffee Cart drinks were amazing! We ordered a few drinks …Berry Bloom Italian sodas and an Iced Lavender Haze ☕️ The lavender haze was so good!! The drinks were also at great price points .

Another #instaworthy photo spot but also a great place to catch up with friends

Lots of Food Options – and affordably priced!


There is also a super cute store and flower shop . There are all kinds of gift options inside .. cards, gardening, candles , stationery and lots more. We enjoyed picking out some flowers for friends we are meeting this weekend 🌷

Video clip of the adorable store


There is something here for everyone! I was surprised how long we stayed enjoying all of the fun..over 3 hours! This is definitely something you want to add to your plans.It is a great way to support Local Farms in your area❤️

Here is a fun reel of our day at the Spring Bloom ⬇️

Book, Review

The Lady Unrivaled ~ Book Review

This was such a great read! It had all the feels of Downtown Abbey with mystery and faith mixed in. I loved the lineup of characters. The author did a great job layering and weaving the characters throughout the story . This is book 3 but can totally be read on its own. The other books explore some of the other characters you meet so I’m looking forward to reading those as well ❤️

faith, Gathered thoughts, history

Holy Wednesday

Holy Week Wednesday .. did you know it’s also known as Spy Wednesday? It is a solemn day in the Christian liturgical calendar, as it marks the beginning of the events leading to the crucifixion of Jesus, which is commemorated on Good Friday.

As I read the scriptures this am,I couldn’t help but think of the relationship between Jesus and Judas. Judas saw the miracles and had an encounter with Jesus like no other. We see the whole story as it played out in scripture but in those moments and the moments leading up what was Judas thinking? Was he wrestling within, did he almost run and confess it all to Jesus or was he always plotting ? And the while time Jesus knew.. he knew it all .. how it was going to happen,who would be the one to betray him and yet he still loved him❤️I can only imagine the heartbreak in knowing this and how Jesus felt as he washed Judas’ feet .

And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. They were delighted and agreed to give him money. He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present” (Luke 22:2-6).

“He answered, “He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, Rabbi?” He said to him, “You have said so.””

Matthew 26:23-25 ESV

Holy Wednesday is often marked with a service of Tenebrae (Latin for ‘darkness’ or ‘shadows’).With the reading of psalms while candles on a candelabrum are gradually extinguished, creating the sense of growing darkness.This symbolizes the abandonment of Jesus by his disciples.

disney, Disneyland, Hotel, Review, travel

Pixar Place Hotel

Entrance to the Pixar Place Hotel

Pixar Place Hotel is only a few months old but is absolutely beautiful! . It opened in January 2024 and was originally the Paradise Pier Hotel.
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The hotel is full of art and sketches of some of your favorite Pixar characters. There are hidden Mickeys in the ceiling lights and hidden Pixar characters added to the floors .. so look up and down as you venture through on your way to the parks . There is also an “Up” inspired elevator .. so cool!


The Pixar Place Hotel is also one of the more affordable Disneyland Hotels so what’s not to like? Beautiful, fun and affordable! Oh and it has its own secret entrance into California Adventure..yay!!


Let us know if you have stayed here and your thoughts! Did you love the remodel into Pixar theme or miss the Paradise one?

Hotel, pnw, Review, travel

Home2Suites by Hilton Review

We had a girls trip recently and stayed at the Home 2Suites Hotel by Hilton . We have never stayed at this line of Hiltons before so we wanted to check it out.

The hotel was very welcoming when we walked in .The front desk agent was very kind and texted us to see if we needed anything once we made it to our room .

The room was clean and huge! It really is made for a family of 4/6 easily. There were two queen beds and a pullout couch. A fully stocked kitchen and full size refrigerator.

Our Stay included breakfast ..love that! It was a typical breakfast buffet . Eggs, meat ,toast , oatmeal and grits!! I was so excited for these!

Our cost was for one night was $225, which we felt was a great price especially if we would have taken the whole family . We ended up using points from our Chase card so it was free !! Yay 🥳

Oh and they take dogs. We had quite the parade of dogs as we enjoyed breakfast in the am.

family adventures, history, Mt.Rainier National Park, pnw

Stevens – Van Trump Historical Monument

“Our Secret Rainier”by Mountaineers Gene Yore and Mickey Eisenberg refer to these harder to find memorials and plaques of those that have added to the history of Mt. Rainier.
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The Stevens – Van Trump Historical Monument is one of these. It is located on the Skyline Loop Trail by the Mazama Ridge. It is made in the form of a bench so that climbers can sit and reflect on the climbers of past summit push.

This was a welcome site as we descended the Skyline Loop Trail .

faith, family adventures, Gathered thoughts, Goals

Coffee Break & Update

Coffee break! It has been a season of adventure for me personally as well as my family which means my social media had to take a back seat .. and honestly I’m ok with that! I want to live life full of adventure and experiences to live them and share them but not to do it for the sharing.

Ok so for some updates on what’s happening in our lives and what content you can expect to see.

First of all, we still love traveling and have several trips to still be posted once I get them fully edited with cost breakdowns. I love yo see the actual cost of family trips and the value of what you get so that’s important to us to share. In our years of traveling we have not seen enough of those!

We still love Disney .. but God has shown us there are so many beautiful places to see and learn about so we have started broadening our itineraries 🌎

We are still homeschooling and I am teaching at a Coop so lots of content of what I have done or will be doing is in the drafts . Just to note, as we head into this new school year we will have a Senior.. be still my heart!

A new adventure brewing.. this last year I was inspired to climb a mountain.. not just any mountain .. Mt. Everest . Let me just say that this is an adventure in Gods hands that I am learning to trust and show up for. I am completely ok if God only takes me to the base camp or if he takes this from me but for now I am feeling lead to train for it and trust him. Side note, I am not a mountaineer and or have never had any training .. I grew up in Texas so enough said😜oh and this is a 10 year plan 🏔️

In January, a dear friend , accepted my request to train and work toward learning how to climb elevation. She has the skill and knowledge to hike any mountain 🏔️ and I’m so thankful for her knowledge and skill and that God blessed me with her. She encourages and challenges me.

In January , we made a plan and have been going strong ! Guess what! Other ladies have joined us ❤️So you can expect to start to see these adventures soon.

I’m excited to get back to sharing our adventures with you all ❤️