feeling mildly inspired

i have been working really hard to study for my math final this semester.
and really evaluating what i am doing in college.


i have been feeling kinda (okay EXTREMELY) overwhelmed. and maybe a little lost.


at work today while browsing some of my favorite blogs that always lift my spirit and make me smile (examples here & here) i found lists of simple, beautiful, little things that make every day great.

i was inspired to take a breath and remember what makes this journey called life even more beautiful.

1#

E: "c. do you love me?"

C:"more than anything in the whole entire wide world."

E: "you promise, promise?"

C: "promise, promise" then he kisses me on the head.

and i smile,because i know he means it.


2# picnics in the park

3# new sexy high heels

4# the smell of fresh laundry

5# ice cold diet coke

6# chicken fingers & fries submerge in ranch & ketchup

7# sunday dinners with my family

8# salt lake valley sunsets (best in the world)

9# warm summer nights staring at the stars

10# kisses from my c.

oh the wonderful simple pleasures in life.

when there is nothing better to blog about.

my life is fairly uninteresting. and when life gets a little dull its time to add frosting and sprinkles!! it is a friend of ours birthday-and i thought it would be so nice if we baked him a cake- well i was mostly just looking for an excuse to use my cool new cake pan-but it was still a nice gesture. c. is always such a good sport and participates in all my baking endeavors. just one more reason i love him!

this is my awesome Giant Cupcake cake pan after her maiden voyage.

right out of the pan..... i think i added a little to much batter to the bottom half, it looks like a giant muffin! which then gave me the idea that next time i make a muffin loaf i will bake it in this so it will still look like a muffin- i need to host a tea party or something and serve giant muffins! anyway back to the current cake....there is not a recipe or instructions of how much batter to put in the pan, so i guessed and made two box white cakes-i used a little over a box and a half in the cake so with the remainder we made these adorable little cupcakes. c. & linda (his mom) decorated this cute little rainbow of cupcakes. (sweet little shout out to equality & equal rights for ALL!!) :)TA-DA!!! so pretty and colorful!!we look lovely at 1 am when we finally finished this master piece....
(on a side note if anyone would like their own awesome giant cupcake pan by wilton-they are available at target, and amazon.com. mine is from amazon because it was like $10 cheaper- also, the bottom takes longer to bake then the top does!! fill the bottom half and start baking it for 15-20 minutes then add the batter to the top. this should make it so the top does not burn)

my dad.

On sunday my dad celebrated a big birthday! it was a very fun day of yummy bbq,a family adventure to the park, and yummy cake.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD! You are such an amazing person! you have more talent in your little finger then most do in their whole body. Our family has been so blessed to have you as our strong quiet leader. thank you for all of your hard work and sacrifice for our family. i love you with all of my heart!!my dad and his new camera my parents . they love each other.

g.ma & g.pa

c. was sleepy after playing at the park w/scottie.

because my dad needs nothing, buying him a gift is always a bit of a challenge. so this year i made him a gift from the heart :) i made this little beauty-Homemade chocolate cake w/chocolate sour cream frosting
i was really really nervous how this would taste because i have never made a homemade cake before - it think it turned out alright, well nobody died after eating it so i am going to take that as a good sign. everyone said it was good, but i think they were just being nice to me :)

P.S. on a totally separate note, i have not bit my nails in 7 days. this is a very big deal!!

rainbows in the kitchen

last night was so incredibly pleasant.

c. and i made R A I N B O W cupcakes!!

the most adorable happy cupcakes i have ever seen!

colors of the rainbow

this is what they look like on the inside. i did not get a picture of these aborable little things frosted because my little nikon was exhausted- but imagine cute fluffy white frosting to top them off!

this recipe is very simple!! and fun to make! the original recipe i saw was a two layer round cake with white frosting. it was so cute cause it looked kinda plain and blah until you cut into it and see the awesome rainbow inside.

traditions.

when my grandparents were alive, one of their favorite holidays was easter. My moms whole family would get together and we would bbq and have a big easter egg hunt. my grandma would make an white easter bunny cake with white coconut and big paper ears, since she passed away i have taken over her roll to make her trademark cake every year. i think it really means alot to all of my family to have that remider of her there every year. we miss my grandparents very much, but love that we can keep our family close and let the traditions they started live on.i have added a chocolate bunny into the mix just to keep things interesting.also this year i (and all my helpers :)) made another batch of cupcake pops. this time we did a mix of easter eggs,bunnies,& chicks.

ryan & scottiesteph & me

uncle mark & my dadthis is the girls traditional "attitude" picture. (my sister d. (third in on the left) sprained her ankle at her new hobby(see previous post))

sami jane

this pic of steph makes me happy :)

bomber babes

my older sis. has found herself a new hobby. Roller Derby!! she had her team pics for the bomber babes on friday and i did her hair and make-up for her. i think she looks beautiful if i do say so myself!

(photos by fuzzygraphics)

happy birthday round 2

happy birthday lindsey caitlin!! i hope you have a most wonderful birthday today!! i love you my dear!! we have so many wonderful memories together-the highlights of most of my teen years involve you and our crazy ways!!

happy birthday bff

today is a very special day!! It is my wonderful madisons 22nd birthday!

dear m.,

fate brought us together when i needed a friend the most.

we have been there for each other through some of the darkest hours, always knowing that the other would hold our hand until the storm cleared. we have watched each other grow and learn. we have had our hearts broken, and lost many friends-some years more difficult then others. i don't think i would have made it through without your support.

oh but the good times far outweigh the bad! so many nights dancing until our hair was dripping in sweat, singing our guts out, and going on adventures. talks of politics, religion, faith, and hope. The long summer days laying by the pool and those beautiful nights sitting on the porch just spilling feelings of love, loss, and dreams. i cherish these memories that our friendship has bloomed from.

thank you for your kind, understanding, and charitable heart. you have taught me lessons of patients and love that will never be forgotten.

it is a new year of life! release the past with love - your possibilities are endless!

HOT CHICKS!!

this weekend my wonderful family and i decided to do a little baking project. so after being inspired by the talented bakerella- we got to work! I have NO idea how she gets the chocolate to be so smooth, she makes it look so easy!! we did our best but we are definitely amateurs!sami,me,deni, & scottie dippinmore dippin...this dipping thing was a lot harder to do then i thought it would be!!!sami,deni,mom, & c. starting to get creative.these are all of our cute little chick creationshere are some close ups. i love the pink one with the worried eye brows that c. madepigs,monsters,bunnies,chicks with mustaches, & roller derby chicks.marilyn monroe chicks, & chicks with red hawksthe lone rooster -a favorite of mine -made by my dad.

more chicks.

Solid Work Fam-it was so fun to see every ones different personality coming out in the decorating of the chicks.

hmm...maybe i will pass.

i have spent many a hours day dreaming about the future- my dream house, my dream husband, my perfect life, with my perfect babies- well i stumbled across this website that can take all the guess work/worry out of what your kids will look like- So i put in a picture of c. and i and the computer generated these pictures of our future little gifts from heaven.
hmmm....for some reason i thought they would be more attractive and a lot less alien looking.