fresh.

Last weekend I made fresh pico de gallo from the garden-- well, about 90% at least. I was glad to finally use produce from the garden besides the monster zucchinis that keep piling up. I threw in all five tomatoes, including our pretty, little red zebras. I also threw in some anaheim and green bell peppers. So, the only extra produce we needed were onions, cilantro, and a lime (which was all conveniently already in our fridge.) I would give you a recipe, but it's pretty much up to personal taste. I use the tomatoes as my base, and throw in everything else until it looked about right. Once everything was chopped and mixed together, I squeezed in some lime juice. We found that it tasted even better the next day, after marinating all night in the fridge.

Would you be interested in a roasted salsa recipe? Check out Alison's recipe on She Blogs, She Blogs! It will be my next venture into garden salsa territory.

This was actually the second batch of pico that I have made from the garden. The first batch was quite a bit more hot because I also added a few jalapenos from the garden. It was too hot for my taste, so I left them out this time. But, I did learn a pretty important lesson from those little buggers. Did you know that you have to wear gloves while cutting jalapenos? I didn't, and my hands were burning for days afterward. It was killer. I looked up home remedies online, and found everything from soaking your hands in lime juice to milk, and even bleach (!?). I tried covering my hands in lime juice and the heat went away instantly! So, for future pepper burns--lime juice. It works. And, in the future, I plan on keeping some latex gloves in the kitchen.

utah lake.

This last weekend, we took a spontaneous trip down the road for a picnic at Utah Lake with the Williams. These pictures were taken in the very peaceful and beautiful 15 minutes that we first arrived--the sunset was gorgeous, the picnic was delicious, and there was a cool breeze coming off the lake. We started to get some coals glowing for our dutch oven cobbler, and somehow cute baby Jo ended up naked (ok, maybe she had a little accident.) Then suddenly, the sun went down and huge swarms of monster mosquitoes began attacking. The next five minutes looked a little like this: the girls running to the car, trying to calm Josie down, and attempting to plug up the only open window with a sweatshirt as mosquitoes started flooding in. The boys running around throwing things into the car, discarding hot coals, and attempting to balance an overflowing dutch oven in the trunk. I know it sounds a little melodramatic, but I swear I am not exaggerating.

We ended up back at the Williams', nursing our mosquito bites, and spent the rest of the evening watching Coco Before Chanel and eating peach cobbler (baked in the oven). It was perfect.

how she wore it.

Edie

Australia

1970's vintage floral top

I am so excited to show off our first Australian submission. This is little, baby Edie, daughter of Lili. She is wearing one of my favorite children's items from the shop, thus far. I found this little top in an antique store, called Man in the Moon. I thought that it was the perfect shape, with the perfect vintage floral pattern. And, I loved the corduroy "vest." It wasn't until I brought it home that I realized there was a hole at the hem of the sleeve. Luckily, I was able to re-hem the sleeves and make it good as new. Let me tell you, I was very tempted to keep this for my own (unborn) children. But, looking at these photos of sweet, little Edie makes me happy that it found a good home. I love that Lili took such care in accessorizing the outfit--with that tiny amber necklace, and the mustard flower in her hair. What a beautiful baby girl!

You should check out Lili's blog, it makes me smile. I can just imagine her accent, as she starts out every post with "hello poppits..." She just threw the most adorable party for her and Edie's birthdays. I will most likely be stealing some of her ideas. And, it makes me so ridiculously baby hungry. Also, check out her shop, Once Upon a Time. I can't get over how great her little felt toys are, with names like "Fabbity Dabbity Bertie the Owl." She even has a "Fantastic Mr. Fox!" And, I love her descriptions--they each have a little message from the character.

Thanks for your submission, Lili. We loved getting to know baby Edie. Happy birthday to the both of you!

We would love to see more photos! If you would like to be featured, send them to roxandsamvintage@gmail.com. I look forward to seeing them! To see more submissions, click on "how they wore it" under categories on the right sidebar.

payson lakes.

This last weekend we headed up at Payson Lakes with some friends. I love camping with friends, especially bigger groups. We set up camp at Blackhawk--four little tents popped up while the womenfolk finished getting dinner ready. We had tin foil dinners, baked peaches and apples, and these funny little biscuits filled with pudding. Unfortunately, Sam and I have a bad habit of taking too many pictures of food and flowers, and too little pictures of the actual people we spend time with. We'll work on that.

And also, unfortunately, we lost the Allen's halfway through the night because Matt got food poisoning or stomach flu. I can't imagine, that's the worst possible thing to happen while camping. Luckily, they made it to the ER and hooked him up to an IV. He's doing better now.

In the morning, we made breakfast burritos, and slipped on our swimsuits to hit the lake. Mariah borrowed this beautiful, old metal canoe from her boss. It was my first time in a canoe, so I spent most of the time clutching the sides. It was beautiful, though. There is something so peaceful about skimming across the water in a canoe. Even though we were surrounded by other canoes and rafts, it just seemed so quiet and still. I loved watching the kids floating around on drift wood, and the homemade pontoons bobbing in the water. We saw a funny couple on a raft-- the man's heavy body dragging low in the back, and the woman perched up on the front of the raft that floated a few inches above the water. Sam and I only had time to take a quick loop around the lake before we had to leave, but it made my day.

I can feel the summer slipping away, and it's killing me! We have plans for a few more trips before the icy season creeps in, though. It's weird to see kids headed back to school already. But, there is also something so exciting and new in the air. I will start school next week. Did I tell you I have a new job? I am teaching dance at Meridian School in Orem. It is only a small part-time, so I am still looking around for more teaching jobs. But, I am so excited to get to know my students and I have big plans for this semester!

rock canyon.

I'm sorry that we haven't been around much. It was a bit of a roller-coaster last week. So much so that Sam and I decided that we needed some away time to talk and think. And, we have a lot to think about. Isn't it crazy how easy it is to compartmentalize your life into a neat timeline? And yet, how difficult it is to make it actually happen? I always thought life would be cake once I finished my degree--not so, let me tell you. Sam and I are at a crossroads, and it's both exciting and terribly frustrating. I am such a "planner" and "do-er." But, I guess now is the time to let go a little, and see what life has in store for me. What a great adventure, eh?

So, Rock Canyon seemed to be the best place to get away. I love Utah. I promise you, I will be singing a different tune in just few months when I am barricaded in my house, too afraid to step outside for fear that my feet will fly out from underneath me. I really dislike Utah when the ice and snow arrive. But, I love Utah summers. Friday night Sam and I packed up the tent, and headed up to Rock Canyon for an overnighter. We live just 10 minutes from the canyon, so we can arrive at 11:00 at night, and leave at noon the next day with no worries. Camping is not a hassle when you live so close to all this beauty. We set up camp on the backside of Rock Canyon, below Provo Peak, right next to a stream. There's nothing like a campfire to calm you down, and make you realize how good life is. In the morning, we went exploring a little and played around with our new (old) tripod that we picked up at a thrift shop a few weeks ago. Then, Sam bounced the CRV over every bumpy road all the way down the mountain. I think that off-roading is Sam's form of therapy--he gets such a big grin on his face.

By the way, Sam is headed off to Zion with the boy scouts for the next few days. I could use a little company, give me a call!

how she wore it.

Isabel

Provo, Utah

1980's cream shirt dress

We really enjoyed getting to know Isabel, and her husband, Johnny. They actually live a few blocks away from us, and we are definitely taking them up on their offer for carne asada taco night. We'll bring the horchata! Isabel even featured the shop on her cute blog, A Dose of Lovely. This was one of my favorite items from the shop, because I think every girl should have two or three simple shirt dresses in her closet. She looks great, and I love the red lipstick. A few months ago I bought red lipstick--Infallible Lip Color, because Beyonce told me to. But, I am always saving it away for a special occasion. I love that Isabel wasn't afraid to wear red lips with a casual shirt dress on a summer afternoon. Get it, girl.

If you have photos, send them to roxandsamvintage@gmail.com. We look forward to seeing them!

By the way, don't forget to check out our Facebook page. We will be choose a random fan this Friday, August 12, to receive $50 towards anything in the shop! Good luck!

from the garden.

We are harvesting!

We have zucchini, squash, jalapenos, anaheim peppers, bell peppers, and cucumbers. And, pretty soon we will have tomatoes running out of our ears. We are so excited! This has been the best Utah summer for a first-time garden. We have had little thunderstorms almost every other day. We barely even have to water our overflowing garden.

But, here's the problem: I want recipes. We (will) have so much produce, that I can't just keep sauteing them as a side dish anymore. I have had two or three of these anaheim peppers a day. It reminds me of when Sam and I were dating. He and his roommates had a pretty big garden in the backyard, and whenever he had me over for dinner he would roast some anaheim peppers covered with cheese as an appetizer. They are so good! In fact, I have a few in the oven right now. But, who am I kidding, anything tastes great covered in cheddar cheese. I need to get more creative here. Do you have have any favorite recipes for my list of fresh produce?

Here's the other problem: We need you to come and help us eat all of this! Come say hello!

ps. So, funny story: Do you remember this post? I was so excited about our garden's progress, and I took this picture of our flowering cilantro plant thinking, "Oh, I didn't know that cilantro had flowers--they are so pretty!" I found out a few weeks later that you are not supposed to let cilantro flower and go to seed. Oops.

yard sales.

One of the things that I love about Utah Valley is that on any given good-weather weekend there are hundreds of yard sales on every corner. In San Antonio, you had to have a permit to hold a yard sale--and, each neighborhood would hold a neighborhood-wide yard sale once a year, or so. Except that in Texas they are more referred to as "garage sales" because you would die of heat exhaustion if you sat on the lawn all day. When I was little, garage sale weekend was a much anticipated holiday. We would drag everything out to the garage, and my dad would sell everything for 50 cents while my mom cringed and looked the other way. My sisters and I would set up our plastic table on the lawn, and sell cups of Kool-Aid and handmade bracelets. And, at the end of the day, my dad would give us any of the profit from the sale of our old toys or half-naked Barbies.

But, here in Utah Valley, it's like a holiday every weekend. Sam's mom is the queen of yard sales. I learned how to thrift from my mom, and I learned to navigate yard sales from Sam's mom. She maps out the sales in the area the night before, and gets up at the crack of dawn to beat the crowd. Last weekend, Sam and I hit up yard sales in Orem with his parents-- and we struck gold. One of my favorite parts of the morning was watching Sam and some other guys circling a table of climbing equipment like vultures. The guy was selling most of his equipment for $5 or under. Sam got a couple of barely-used harnesses, a Petzl helmet that looks brand new, and some other odds and ends.

Later in the day I ran across all of these little beauties. I have been looking all over for a domed cake stand, and I finally found one! Now I just need to bake a cake. Any ideas? I also love that blue patterned pan, and the watermelon and lemon vintage Pyrex. Some of those may end up in the shop. But, I don't know, they do look pretty great in my kitchen right now.

a day trip.

So, our southern Utah trip fell through this weekend. It was a crazy, busy week. But, Sam and I decided to get out of Provo for a bit, and take a little day trip. We spent the day up in Midway and Heber, and took a detour on the way home to see Cascade Springs. We have been to Heber a few times, but I had never stopped to see Midway before. I loved the Swiss history apparent in all of the architecture and paintings. It was a beautiful day. We both felt like the day started off a little funky, but by the end I think the distance and fresh air did us some good. We came home with full stomachs, a small pile of thrift finds, and an armful of wild sage and thistles.

If you ever find yourself in Midway or Heber, UT:

1. Sidetrack Cafe (Heber)- We didn't actually eat at this place this weekend, but we have in the past and it is still our favorite restaurant in the area. Their food is packed with flavor. Try the black bean soup, or enchurito.

2. St. Lawrence Thrift Store (Heber)- Sam and I stop by here every time we are in the area. I left with a darling baby swimsuit for the shop and a great pair of 1970's wood heels for me, and Sam hauled off a huge, vintage Swingline stapler.

3. Cafe Galleria (Midway)- This place specializes in wood-fired pizza and bagels. We had the goat cheese/pepper pizza, and the pesto/chicken pizza. It still doesn't beat the pizza at Escalante Outfitters, but it sure hit the spot.

4. Midway Mercantile (Midway)- This antique shop is in the old mercantile. I eavesdropped on a conversation with the owner and an older lady who said that she used to walk to the mercantile for penny candy when she was young. I loved it. I spent awhile pawing through a table covered in beaded purses with matching belts. She has a great collection of antique furniture, too. Sam left with two 1960's Charlie Brown litho printed books-- this one and this one. We are not sure, but one or both of them might be first editions.