Fourth of July In Flagstaff!

Is there anything that's more summer-y than the Fourth of July? I think not. This weekend Americans across the nation are pulling out all their reds whites and blues, slurping down juicy bites of watermelon and enoying dad's grilled perfection.

Here's a few PJ picks for the holiday weekend. :)

To wash with:
Guests will be lovvving primal elements soap in your bathroom. Send them here if they're jealous. :)


To burn: Little bug in bucket candles. So cute for your backyard bbq!

To decorate with:
Dishtowels and wineglasses galore!

To wear:
Love this one shoulder top and comfy linen pants on beth! And that hat? So glamorous.

These cute fabric flower earrings remind me of a fourth of July picnic.


Happenings
As far as festivities go, Flagstaff is the place to be in the summer, especially on the fourth. Thousands make their way downtown to celebrate with Flagstaff's Annual Fourth of July Parade. This year (The 15th annual!) there's more than one hundred entries in the parade that Governor Janet Napolitano has deemed an "Arizona Treasure."


Even before the Fourth arrives there's a whole weekend of activities Friday kicks off the weekend with Movies on the Square and First Friday's Art Walk. you can get a deeper appreciation for our country's history at the Pioneer Museum where there will be Civil War artillery demonstrations. Also The Arizona National Guard’s outstanding 108th Army Band will be featured in concert at the museum at Fort Tuthill on the evening of the Fourth.

And there's so many more fun, free, family events! Check out this site for more events and details!

Have fun! Be safe and leave the fireworks to the professionals. ;-)
Happy Fourth kids!

Day Trip!

Happy Tuesday Loves! ....and Happy Solstice!

With June over halfway gone, things are warming up around here, so I know things are seriously heating up down in the valley of the sun. Can we say....DAY TRIP!?

Time to high-tail it outta there and head for a beautiful land that's thousands of feet higher and lots of degrees cooler. So listen to your spontaneity, hop on the I-17 and soon enough you'll be rolling your windows down and breathin' in the fresh mountain air.

But what's there to do with just one day in Flagstaff? LOTS! But here's my version of a perfect day trip in Flag.

First: Get your hike on! A little adventure outdoors is just what a day trip calls for! One of my absolute favorites (and somewhat of a local secret) is the Lava Tubes. Be sure to bring flashlights and sweatshirts. It's pitch black and cooooold down there. You'll feel like Indiana Jones the whole time.

source

Once you've victoriously emerged from the lava tubes, have a picnic in a nearby meadow. Really anywhere off the dirt road to the lava tubes will be gorgeous. Snack on whatever deliciousness you've brought from home. (But don't go too crazy..you're going somewhere yummy for dinner!)

So now it's late afternoon and you're making your way back towards town. By now you're either ravenous for dinner, or wanting to keep it light and refreshing after a beautiful day of activity. Either way you've got options. Both MIX and Diablo Burger are two of my favorites and and are conveniently attached to the Old Town Shops in the heart of down town Flag. Opt for the patio seating, which are both nestled in the corner of Heritage square (jackpot for sunshine enjoyent and people watching.)

This burger is hands down the best I've had.
source

Ate a MIX Salad for lunch today. So yummy!
source


After Dinner, walk it off as you stroll around the Old Town Shops and other shops in the vicinity. There's a plethera of new summer apparel at PJ, so it's the perfect time to stop in and snag that dress that no one in Phoenix has. ;)


Here's Taylar in a dress, scarf, and hat from PJ. Lots more coming at the end of this week too!

The sun is closer here! Wear a big 'ole sun hat and lots of sunscreen. Just got all these in! So many to choose from! (Plus naked bee sunscreen is on it's way this week!)

On the way home, if you're leaving before dark and you live on the east side of the valley (Fountain Hills, Mesa, Gilbert, etc.) take the scenic route. Lake Mary Road to Highway 87 is a beautiful drive and cuts out all of the freeway mumbo jumbo. And if you're a central Phoenician or live in the west valley, it's the I-17 for you, which is okay too, because you can stop at Rock Springs for some pecan pie! YUM.

Now doesn't that sound like a lovely day? Do yourself a favor and put together two hours of your favorite driving music and get your booty up here!

See you soon!


Love, The Girls At P.J. Chilcottage.

Mix Flagstaff!

Hey ya'll!

So...has anyone been into the Old Town Shops lately...? If not, you're in for a surprise. A very delicious surprise! Last week, the mystery construction project was revealed in a big way!

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm proud to introduce the newest edition to our building, MIX Flagstaff!
With it's beautiful open layout, you can stroll on in from Heritage Square.



So here's the concept: They serve egg scrambles at breakfast, and salads, soups and sandwiches at lunch and dinner.


The great thing about this place is that you've got options! You can pick your "mix" of ingredients and create your own culinary masterpiece, or if that's too overwhelming for you, there's plenty of salads and sandwiches that have been created to take the brain work out for you!

Need a caffeine boost? Mix has that too. Would you look at that beautiful espresso machine? With beans imported from Italy, you better believe the coffee's good.

Plus if you're really in a hurry, they're stocked with pre-made salads and sandwiches and other refreshments.

So if you find yourself in the flagstaff downtown area, and you value a restaurant that:

is Fast and Easy.
uses fresh ingredients.
caters to your taste.

then, mix is absolutely perfect for you. :)

Happy Mixing!
Love, The Girls at P.J. Chilcottage

p.s. Check out the MIX facebook page to see some pretty pics of the FOOD.

Ten Tips for High School Grads

Ten Tips from a College Grad to a High School Grad

Along with some words of affirmation from Curly Girl

Hello All! Hope this post finds everyone on a sunny and optimistic Tuesday morning!
Last week we chatted about summer's arrival and our ushering in this balmy and beautiful season with soap! At the end of this week, for Flagstaff high school grads, summer isn't approaching...IT'S HERE.

From all the girls at P.J. Chilcottage to all of you grads, we would like to extend the most joyous of CONGRATULATIONS!!! We know you've worked your little tushes off and are so proud of you!

All of us girls have been in your shoes and know that this can be an exciting but overwhelming time. As a recent college grad from NAU, I've walked in your shoes and am delighted to share a few words of wisdom that will (hopefully) help you enjoy the next four years to the full!

1. Make new friends, but keep the old.

One is silver and the other's gold!--(How many of you

just sang that with me?) Maybe you're rooming with your best bud or you have some high school friends to lean on during this transition--great! My advice is to bring some new faces into your crowd. Allow yourself to branch and find new friends. The friends you make now will

impact your life in awesome ways...if you let yourself make 'em.

2. Cook with new friends!

When new relationships are formed...nurture them! How? FOOD of course! Cook together. Designate a special night of the week for dinners. Pool your money, shop together, put on your favorite jams and eat and eat! (There's nothing more comforting than a homemade meal.)

3. Take a PE class for credit.

This one seems appropriate to follow the community cooking tip. ;-) Seriously. DO THIS. If you're like me and have absolutely no self discipline, the required attendance will give you the motivation you can't muster on your own. Plus they're fun and stress relieving. Try Zumba. The rhythm WILL get you!

4. Take your time finding your major.

You're paying good money for this degree! Make it one you LOVE. If you're undecided, don't force it. Try your hand at a variety of different entry level courses. You might find a passion you never knew you had.

5. Get a job.

I know. Being a student is your job. But sooner or later it's time to put the big girl pants on. Even if you work just a few hours between classes, you'll have fun money for the weekends with all your new friends, meet new people, and learn valuable life skills.

6. Explore your new habitat!

Go adventuring! Try the restaurants, window shop downtown, jog the urban trails, bike through neighborhoods. Becoming a part of the community outside campus will slowly help you adjust and feel more like a local.

7. Get a bike and ride it.

Even if you need to thrift one and tune it up, this is a worthy investment. It'll become your best friend. So name it, put bike bells and streamers on it, and cruise away. It'll cut walking and town traffic time in half all while toning your glutes and quads. Um, yes please.

8. Cozy up the joint!

For us nesters this one goes without saying, but home should be your safe place of refuge. Decorate it with things that make you happy. De-dungeon your dorm with pillows, blankies, wall art, and lots of photos.

9. Call your mama!

I'm not sure how, but moving out often magically transforms mom into this whole other person. She the first person you call after a tough exam, and you know whatever she says is going to be wise and comforting. Tell her you appreciate her. Savor her home cooked meals this summer, and program her as your #1 speed dial.

10. Know that it's going be hard, but it's going

to get better.

Honestly, there's no formula to having the perfect Freshman year. Leaving home and all you know is hard, but take joy in the little things and keep pressing forward. Every semester gets a little easier, and you start to feel more and more like the person you're going to be. Take curly girl's advice, get a really cute helmet and spoil yourself with a manicure.

Congrats class of 2011.
Go shine your little light on the world. :)

Love,
Lizzy & The Girls at P.J. Chilcottage.

Girls' Night Out!

GIRLS' NIGHT OUT!

Welp, it's June kids! School's are ringing their last bells, sweaters and boots are hibernating under beds and in the dark corners of our closets. Dare I say...it's starting to feel like Flagstaff's favorite season...SUMMER!

And last night, summer smelled like (what else?) SOAP!..And lots of it.
At P.J. Chilcottage, soap seems to be the glue that holds us all together. Honest to goodness it's the one item in our store that EVERYONE loves, guaranteed. So..twice a year we have a blast inviting anyone and everyone to make two bars of their very own, all for a low price of...FREE!

So here's how it works:
Everyone gets two soap bar molds from one of these lovely ladies..

Then, you pick out whatever shapes strike your fancy!

Maybe your soap reflects your sweet tooth...YUM.

Whatever you're into, we've got shapes: surf boards, soccerballs, high heels, cacti, monkeys, you name it. :)

Every year we have guests that really break the mold and get creative.
Including a rainbow soap made from chopping up different colored shapes.
Cool, right? ...Why didn't I think of that?

The creative process can take quite a while. (A great way to keep little hands busy.)

Once you have it JUST right, you'll pay a visit to these darling girls and get a steaming hot cup of melted clear glycerin. The scents of choice for last night were lemonade (like grandma made) and vanilla.

Just pour and let it cool while you shop fresh sales!

Here's the finished product:

And if soap's not the glue that holds us all together, then food certainly is! And we had a very special treat last night of sampling from MIX, a new restaurant to be opening in our building very soon!

The spread included pecan turnovers, pastrami baked turkey, salmon and caper spread, and herb & pumpernickel focachia bread. A HUGE step up from our usual store bought spread.

All in all, we had an absolute blast hosting all of you that came out last night! If you missed it, shame on you and you'd better come to the next one! (You can keep yourself in the know via our facebook page!)

See ya'll next time for some yummy eats, free fun, and smokin' deals!

Love, The Girls at P.J. Chilcottage.