Catching up...

So with Finals, Juries, and everything else school finally finished, *huge sigh of relief* for now... I can catch up and blog about our cute baby! ;)

Bear has learned to brush his own teeth. Mostly because Mommy and Daddy do, and of course he can't be left out of the party. ;) So every night before bed is a family teeth brushing extravaganza!


Those teeth didn't come without a price. Yay for popsicles to comfort a teething toddler.


He has also decided that he loves to play in this wicker basket. He will bring books or toys and go over and sit in the basket, "reading" books, or playing with toys.


Bear has discovered the joys of coloring! Crayons and paper have been hours of fun for him. What's more, he will take out one crayon, color, and put it back before taking out another crayon. How old is this kid?? ;)





I just can't believe how fast he is learning and growing. Videos to come of piano-playing, dancing, and tickling!

There's a Football Star in the Family!

This is Video of my brother Brandon scoring a touchdown in the Olympus Playoff game. Perfect catch, outrunning 4, count 'em 4 guys, a little stiff-arm, and boom! Touchdown!
It's pretty dang awesome. Also, I must mention that Brandon's team won the Conference Championship!! Congratulations Brandon!!

New Calling

So I found out today that I have a new calling as part of the Enrichment Night Planning committee, although the Bishopric said that's not what they officially call it any more,... but anyways, it will still be Enrichment Night to me. I am so excited!! When the Bishop called me yesterday, I was nervous that I would be called to Primary again, not that I don't love Primary, but I've always wanted to serve in Relief Society, and now I am!! :D It will be so much fun! Let me know what some of your most memorable Enrichment Nights have been!

Delicous Cheesecake-filled Pumpkin Muffins

This Recipe is from Rachael Ray Everyday magazine.

I made these to enjoy while we celebrated the MLS cup Sunday night. They are amazing and easy! Even my brother liked them, and said that instead of muffins, I should just layer the batter in a cake pan. I like that idea. ;)

By the way, REAL KICKED TRASH on Sunday! It was AWESOME and I was so glad I was able to watch the game!! Thanks to my parents! Apparently, regular T.V. didn't think the MLS Cup was important enough to broadcast on any regular network, (LAME!) And we don't have cable, so... thanks again! I did bring delicious muffins and a cute baby though! :)

Recipe:

Ingredients:
One 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 large eggs, plus 5 large egg whites
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoons salt
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil 1
cup light brown sugar Simmering water
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces and chilled

Directions:
Place a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350°. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with baking liners. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar for 3 minutes. Beat in 1 egg white and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.


In a bowl, whisk the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. In another bowl, mix the pumpkin puree, 2 eggs, granulated sugar, oil and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Whisk in the flour mixture.


Layer each muffin cup with some of the pumpkin batter, then the cream cheese mixture, then more of the batter. Bake until springy to the touch, 25 minutes. Let cool.

Frosting:
Using the electric mixer, beat the brown sugar, remaining 4 egg whites and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Fill a medium saucepan with enough simmering water to reach a depth of 1 inch; place the mixing bowl on top. Whisk the mixture until it registers 160° on an instant-read thermometer.


Transfer the bowl back to the mixer and beat at high speed until fluffy; lower the speed and beat to room temperature, about 5 minutes. Add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, then beat at high speed for 5 minutes. Beat in the remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. 6. Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag; pipe large rosettes on top of the cupcakes.

Enjoy!

Homemade Corn Dogs!

ta-da! (okay, I know my hair does not look good, but that's what I get for having the husband take the picture...lol, I know if my sisters/friends were taking it they'd say, "Oh, here just let me fix your bangs.." oh well!)


mmmm! Robert approved!



Recipe:

1/2 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 cups flour
2 T sugar
1 tsp. salt
4 tsp baking powder
1 cup Milk

1 pkg of your favorite hot dogs! (or turkey dogs...)

Heat oil in a deep skillet until water sizzles when you flick it in the oil. Dip hot-dogs in the the batter (only cook 2 at a time) and then place in the oil. Cook until golden brown, then drain on paper towels and place the popsicle sticks or skewers into the corn-dogs. Enjoy!

First Recipe: Homemade Pizza, crust and all!

So I went to a "Food Nanny" enrichment night for relief society, and her favorite recipe was this pizza crust. I have always thought Pizza crust was really intimidating, but it turns out It is easy AND fun! Not to mention delicious! It really was a blast to have it turn out the perfect texture, and to spin it out and stretch it with your fists. (Future pizza-dough thrower perhaps? hehe) I have to say, Homemade pizza is amazing, and it is WAY cheaper too.
So go ahead, have a pizza night! Your wallet will thank you.

Pizza Crust:

Pre-heat oven to 450*
3-4 C. Bread flour (Bread flour is important, it is what allows the dough to have incredible elasticity without breaking.)
1 TB yeast
2 TB evoo
1 C. warm water (approx. 115*)
1 TB honey
pinch of salt

Mix the flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add the warm water, honey, and evoo. Mix until the dough is a sticky-firm consistency.

Place dough on a floured surface. Knead until the texture is smooth. (5 min) separate into two dough balls.
Roll out with rolling pin for thicker crust, or stretch gently with fists, working outward for thin crust.

Grease pan with evoo. Place rolled dough on pan, go crazy with toppings!

Bake for 10 minutes. (No waiting for the dough to rise! amazing!)

YUMMY!

Bitter Baby Face

Robert got into our Halloween candy stash, and just happened to pick the Warheads (super-sour candy) and Wes was lucky enough to catch this pic. What is even more hilarious is that he would make this face, and then keep on eating it! Oh Robert, we love you! ;)

November Excitement!

It is now November, which means it is time for my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving! I'm going to get everyone's FAVORITE Fall recipes, and make them. I am so excited. My favorite.... Spaetzla. No Thanksgiving in my family is complete without this yummy German dish. Seriously, Thanksgiving without Spaetzla is not Thanksgiving at all. ;) At least to me. I will certainly be carrying on that tradition in our family.

Do any of you have Thanksgiving traditions besides the typical Turkey dinner? I look forward to making all of your favorite recipes!!

DIY: Shoe Repair

My favorite pair of Steve Madden Mary-Janes broke a few months ago, and I was never able to find any other pair of shoes I liked as much as these. So... I fixed them, not only that, but with new and improved buttons!

This would probably be helpful for little-girl shoes too, they break like this, and they are not cheap! :)

All you need is:

Needle and Thread, a Small elastic hairband, (even smaller for little girl shoes), fancy buttons to your liking, and Moleskin, or anything similar.

B-Bye old buttons! (you can see how the elastic tore completely off.)


Enter from the inside of the shoe, using a starter knot, At the location of the previously attached elastic.

Attach your chosen elastic band, finish with the finishing knot on the inside of the shoe. It looks silly right now, but the finished product is great.


Place the button in the button-hole, thread the starter knot through the elastic, and then thread through the button, sew around the elastic and through the button-hole 5-6 times, and finish with a finishing knot going THROUGH the elastic.


Done! Voila!




I also placed some Dr. Scholl's "For Her" tape over the knots so they don't rub.




My shoes have new life, and I've already worn them about 5 times, and they wear like a dream. :)

Sushi Love

Wes and I decided that Sushi is a perfect meal. We have never had that "heavy" feeling after eating sushi, like you do at a steakhouse or Italian restaurant. The textures, flavors, and colors are wonderful(If you have really high-quality sushi). Whenever there is a special occasion, or date-night, we will undoubtedly go for sushi. Yes, I think it is Love.

Fall Break Fun

Hiking Adam's Canyon was great, we decided we are going to go hiking a lot more often. And snow-shoeing in the winter. Robert really enjoys being in the Sherpani pack. He wouldn't look at the camera though, too many other awesome things to look at. :)
Love the beautiful fall colors







I love being outdoors in such gorgeous scenery.




mmmm... time for lunch: Fresh Salmon, rice, and fresh veggies
Robert kept trying to throw the bowl, he's just barely figured out how cool gravity is. ;)


ahh, yay for a break. Can't wait for Thanksgiving!

DIY: Sewing Basics-The Sewer's Knots

This is SO easy. No longer will you have to fear sewing on buttons, fixing a tear, or adding embellishments to shirts, skirts, purses, or whatever! These knots are used for starting and finishing.

Starting Knot:
First: Thread your needle, and wrap the ends around your finger.

Like so


Second: Squeezing your fingers together, roll the threads around themselves by pulling your finger back across your thumb.



Third: Pull downward from above the loop compressing the thread into a knot.


(This can be repeated until the thickness of the knot is to your liking.)


You're ready to start! Pull the threaded needle through the fabric until it stops at the knot.




Finishing Knot:
There are a few different ways to accomplish a finishing knot, My mom showed me this one, and I think it is by far the fastest and easiest.

Once you have finished sewing, bring the needle halfway through the fabric.



Take the threads coming directly from the eye of the needle.



Wrap those threads around the needle 3-4 times.


Scrunch the wrapped threads into a tight coil. (I know this one is a little blurry, but you can see how it's coiled.)



Pull the needle all the way through. Sometimes, the threads may get a little too much friction, just assist by using your fingers and sliding the coil down the threads if necessary.


Pull firmly, then trim off the excess thread so that only the knot remains.

Done!! So easy. I used this process on a couple of Thrift projects that are coming soon! I use them for EVERYTHING.

Secrets to Shopping at Ross

I am really excited to share my Ross/Thrift store shopping strategy. I love shopping, but I hate how expensive a lot of the designer clothes are. Ross, TJ Maxx, Marshall's,Nordstrom Rack, Consignment shops, and many other stores have designer clothes often for 50% off or more, which is awesome. The problem is that they are usually messy, unorganized, carry huge amounts of product, and you cannot usually find the same thing twice. This can be really frustrating if you go to these stores without a plan, wandering through dozens of clearance racks, piles of shoes, and hundreds of other clothing items. So, here are my 5 Tips to help make shopping discounts less discouraging.

1. KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR: BUY YOUR FAVORITE FASHION MAGAZINE. Tear out pages with specific looks or items you LOVE. It will save you a lot of time wandering aimlessly through the store. Memorize BRANDS, Specific styles, and particular items you are looking for. (I have pics of magazine items, and then my matching Ross finds, just after the tips.)

2. IT'S OKAY TO WALK AWAY EMPTY HANDED. You just have to plan on not finding what you're looking for every single time. It takes me usually 3 visits to put together an entire outfit. I rarely, rarely find an entire outfit in one trip. A lot of people get frustrated feeling like they HAVE to find something, or put an entire outfit together. Discount stores are hit and miss, they will not have everything you want all the time. When you pay full-price you are also paying for the convenience of having all sizes and styles consistently in stock.

3. GO THROUGH THE RACKS QUICKLY. Don't look at every single item if it doesn't immediately catch your eye, or match something you are looking for. Scan through with your eyes first, then pull it out only if it meets your criteria. Jeans first by wash, then by cut, and brand. I always look for the darkest, most appealing wash, and then make sure it's the right cut I want: skinny, trouser, boot, etc. Scanning for brands is also easy. Which is why the first tip was memorize your favorite brands. "J-Brand" "7 for all mankind" "Seven" "silver" etc. You should be able to scan through the jean racks in 1 minute or less. Shirts same thing. Depending what store you are at, most of the tops are divided into "Knits" "weaves" "Tanks" "Jackets/sweaters" and "Blazers" with some variation. Don't waste your time in "knits" if you are looking for a button-down, etc. I never spend more than 20 minutes in the store. (That's the long side of things, if I go through EVERYTHING: shoes, tops, jeans, jewelry, purses.) Get in, Get out.

4. ASK FOR EXTRA: If there is a button missing, a broken zipper, makeup on the collar, a scuffed shoe, or anything that is an easy fix on an item you love. GET IT. Ask at the counter for an additional discount for that item. They can give you as much as 20% extra off for any of those things. (woo hoo!)

5. WHAT NOT TO BUY: do NOT buy lingerie, socks, toys, or swimwear from discount stores. I cannot tell you the disgusting things I have witnessed while working at these stores.

Okay, so here are some of the results of my shopping. I bought "People Style Watch" for my fashion magazine, and these are the things I found!



Okay, I don't know if you can read it, but the price of this jacket is $168.00 at Express. I loved this because of the Ruching detail at the collar, and the slim A-line Shape.

I found this exact, and even BETTER one, (it is made in Italy) at TJ Maxx for $40.00 It is red, but it is FABULOUS! I can't wait to wear it. Notice the button detail on the sleeves, and the leopard print lining, and the SAME ruching detail on the collar. It is also Wool. YAY! (I know my pictures are not magazine quality, but I hope you can see how similar they really are.)


So this shirt is 44.50, they claim this is a "Great buy" but I know I can do better...

Score! I got this Nearly EXACT replica at Ross in Blue for $6.99. Love it!

Okay, so those are just a couple examples, and yes, they weren't EXACTLY the same, but for the difference of COLOR you are saving a lot of money. And it's totally worth it. Good luck on your Thrifting adventures!! Let me know if this helped you at all!

October Events

UTAH PHILHARMONIA: ‘NEUMES FROM THE TOMBS’
The School of Music’s haunted orchestra, the Utah Philarmonia, will present “Neumes from the Tombs” on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 23 and 24, at 7:30 p.m. in Libby Gardner Concert Hall. This always spectacular Halloween event will feature violinist Hasse Borup, the University Lyric Opera Ensemble and dancers from the U of U Ballet Department. The spooky program will include music for the whole family by Verdi, Tchaikovsky, Williams, Saint-Saens and more. Tickets are $7 general admission and $3 for students. The audience is welcomed to join the orchestra and conductor, Dr. Robert Baldwin, in wearing Halloween costumes. Tickets can be purchased at www.kingsburyhall.org or by calling 801-581-7100.

Theme for October: Thrifting and DIY

So I thought October would be a great month for Thrifting tips and DIY projects, with Halloween coming up soon! :) There are so many fun ideas for October!

Topics to be covered:

Sewing basics: From threading a bobbin to Hemming jeans and dresses.

DIY: (sewing falls under this one too!) How to crochet, make homemade taffy, caramel apples, and Fun (cheap) costumes!

Be Thrifty: Tackle yard-sales and discount stores, (Ross, TJ Maxx)like a pro!


Featured this Month: Emily Urie: dubbed Thrift and DIY expert!
Paula Wardell: Seamstress Extraordinaire and Taffy Queen!
ME! My secrets to shopping at Ross. (This is for you, Jessica!)
Niki Snow: How to crochet



NEXT MONTH: Is ALL ABOUT FOOD! Favorite Recipes, Restaurant Reviews, food traditions, SOUPS, and everything that makes you feel good on a cold fall day.

Blog Re-focus

Hi everyone! So I was thinking the other day about how our families have so much variety and so many different kinds of talents and expertise that I thought, "wow, I could learn so much from every single person in my life!" So... that brings me to my decision to re-focus our blog into:

How to be living the good life; secret tips from the expert in all of us.
Every month will feature a different "Expert" in a specific category.

Example: One month my own dear Wesley may do a feature on Camp cooking, backpacking, and the latest outdoor gear. Another month, I will have a guest such as our own lovely Katie Thompson on hair and beauty basics. (If she doesn't mind of course!) Then I may just have my mom Paula do a feature on Cake-building and decorating techniques. Etc. Etc. I just feel like I have so much to learn that will help me live a better and more fulfilling life, that I want everyone to have fun learning with me!

I hope you enjoy! Also, post a comment about any ideas for who you want to do a monthly feature! :)

Have a great day!

The end is near!

My last mid-term test is tomorrow. What a couple of weeks THIS has been. (Wesley has been so patient, I have been totally crabby...Migraines from trying to write dictations of applied 7th chords in inversions during chromatic modulation would do about anyone in I think...) *sigh*

I just can't wait to party this next week! Girls' night out with the "Snow" family girls, and then heading down to Zion's National Park to go camping for a few days, to enjoy total tranquility... *ahhhhh....* I feel better already!

Check out this blog for fabulous frugalista finds!

Designer makeup for 85% off? Quality Makeup for $1.00? Jeans that will last you for more than two years? Think it's too good to be true? It's not! See for yourself- Checkout my friend Eliana's Blog.

Here's the link: http://thestylemanor.blogspot.com/

First Words!

Okay, here we go a-bragging.... ;) Every mom does it, right? It is amazing to hear my little guy starting to mimic sounds, and to associate words with objects, animals, or people. So far he says, "dog" "woof-woof" "car" "gimme-that" (more like, "ime-at" lol) "moo" and an urgent blowing sound for "food" (because at mealtimes we always blow on his food because it is too hot, and now he blows on everything that is food, thinking that's what we call it. So cute!) He kind of says "mum" and "dad" but not regularly enough for us to think he knows that is what our "names" are.

Other fun developments: He can wave bye-bye, he brings me his shoes and lifts up one foot for me to put them on. He tries to take off his own clothes when he hears us running the bath water. He waves "bye-bye" runs to the door, and tries to open it when he wants to leave. He "sings" along when I sing him lull-a-byes at night, he just kind of babbles and coos. I love it. He also will grab a book, run over to me, or Wesley, and sit in our lap and open it for us to read to him. *tear* Oh, my baby is growing up so fast...

Belated First Birthday Pics!

Robert's first birthday... wow, that came so fast. It was such a fun day, he loves being outside, LOVES it, so of course we had to have an outside BBQ to celebrate. He got a lot of fun presents, but of course the garden hose was much more fun. ;) We made his favorite foods, hot-dogs, tomatoes and strawberries, and bought a fun birthday cake. We sang, blew out the candle, and anxiously awaited his response to his first ever piece of cake...and it turns out... he hates cake! Lol!! He tasted it, made a "yuck" face, and then continued to simply play in it, without one bite going into his mouth. What kind of toddler doesn't like cake?? Well, we are sure he will eventually. Everyone likes cake. ;) After cake there was more fun with the garden hose, and then playing inside with his new toys. Thanks everyone for your fun gifts!

















Unfortunately, my camera died before I got pictures of him playing with the garden hose. I did get video though! So I will try to post that ASAP. It's super-cute! :)