A much needed breather

Yahooo finals are over and I am done with the semester. Now I get three weeks to myself with no school. I can focus on packing for the big move, making and creating things, baking, reading, going to the gym, planning our wedding. etc. etc. The possibilities are endless with three whole weeks! I am super excited and eager to get things done! Man I love the relief after the semester is over. project time:)

Change

There are so many changes happening in my life right now! Change is good and I am super excited about everything that is changing...but at the same time it is overwhelming.

I just got a new job, and quit a job I had and loved(yes, i did cry) It has been something I have been praying about and I had been looking. It is quite the miracle how it happened actually. One night I was looking for jobs and I had already seen all the recent job posting. I had looked liked everyday for at least 2 weeks, and had seen everything. I applied what seemed like a million places, and hadn't received any call backs..awesome. So I decided to try another route. I wanted a job in cottonwood heights area so I wouldn't have a long commute to work. I mean after all gas is ridiculous and I'm getting married, I need SOME money. I searched for schools and private schools in the area, because really that is the only experience I have ever had. I came across a few websites and decided to email them and ask if by chance they were hiring. Finally I got emails back from two women who told me to forward my resume. Now this was improvement because I just found these websites and emailed them out of the blue asking for work. Anyways..I emailed Karla Jay the owner and director at U Can Learn back and forth until we set up an interview. At the interview she told me she wasn't looking but after my email she decided they could use another tutor. hello!? what? Thank you Jesus. Seriously it was such a miracle. I somehow ended up on her website, emailed her and got a job. Now God does answer prayers! The best part is i got a 3 dollar raise from my other job, and I can get more hours! Can it get any better than that? well yes it can..glad you asked. I absolutely LOVE my new job. I get to assist people that have learning disabilities like dyslexia. I get to tutor children and it is an absolute blast. They say the most hilarious things and make working so much fun. Within the first few days of working I was told I have a boy name and watched a kid "prarying"( yes he said prarying) that he would get a billion dollars. I show up to work early and stay late because I just love being there. Our pastor spoke about this exact thing one Sunday morning and it is something I will always remember. "it is a gift from god to enjoy your work" and I do. God has always been so faithful to me by providing me with a job. I absolutely love my new job and cannot wait to see where it takes me.

I have also recently done big girl changes like creating a new bank account without my parents help. I will be moving in about 6.5 weeks. I am getting married. I have to change my name. I will be graduating college next spring. Okay when I write it down it doesn't seem like that much but really!! In a few months nothing will be the same! It's kinda crazy..

Easter

This Easter was by far one of the very best I have had. I started out the Easter weekend by making Snider bro's meat's some treats! Of course they were all Pinterest inspired, and I thought they turned out great!

Little bird nests made out of chow main noodles covered in chocolate and cadbury eggs!

 Easter bark made with melted chocolate, vanilla frosting (this happened by accident but tasted great!!) and chopped up Easter candy.

 bunny butts:) These are vanilla wafers and melted chocolate with a mini mallow tail.

Everyone at sniders seemed to enjoy my festive treats and I am glad. I love to bake and I know exactly where to take it so it gets eaten:) Plus there is just something about holiday food that makes the celebration that much better.

My mom asked me to make her a cake that she saw on Pinterest. Ha it's a family affair!! Never have I needed, or even wanted for that matter, peeps. Not a fan. But I needed them for this cake and of course the one time I was looking for them, I couldn't find them anywhere! I went to 4 different places and finally stumbled across them at Walgreens.

I thought it turned out pretty cute:)

Then on Easter day the real fun began. We went to church because after all Jesus is what Easter is all about!! Then Jake had set up an Easter egg hunt for me before church so right after we went to hus house...isn't he so perfect? 

 There were SO many eggs:)

 He even hid my Easter basket complete with bunny ears, a nook and nook case, candy, a super cute ring, bubbles, and sidewalk chalk. Does he know me or what?!

Then I found a cute bunny stuffed animal! It was perfect! Best Easter egg hunt ever! I seriously am spoiled rotten. A nook?! for easter?! Who does that?

 Then we rushed over to my house for a family BBQ. I was super excited because I had set up a scavenger hunt for Jake. He isn't crazy about doing Easter egg hunts so I thought that a scavenger hunt might be a little more fun for him.

I made up all the clues myself except for the last little rhyme which I found on another blog.

 

Clue #1

The Easter Bunny’s been here!

Let’s go on a hunt to find your

Basket this year!

Your first clue is to visit a place

that is not too far-

go the the room where the guitars are.

 (Music Room)

Clue #2

Now that you have found

clue number one-

Where do you go when

your dinner is done?

 (Microwave)

This was hilarious..jake thought it meant after your dinner has digested..

Clue #3

Wow! You’re well on your way

Go to a place where the tools stay!

 (Toolbox)

Clue #4

Nope, your basket isn’t here!

Maybe go check in the bathroom mirror!

 (Bathroom)

Clue #5

You are getting closer but not there quite yet

Maybe it is where we get our hands wet?

 (Kitchen sink)

Clue #6

I’m a little tricky, my hiding is just right

Try outside where we might fly a kite!

(backyard)

 

Clue #7

The next clue can

be found

where the fish might be

well hurry! Go look and see!

(Pond)

Clue #8

Isn’t this so fun?

Lets keep looking and try where we run!

 (Treadmill)

Clue #9

You’ve made it this far,

don’t quit now-

visit a place we hear Rylee’s meow!

 (where we keep the kitty food)

Clue #10

Nothing gets past you,

Where would we keep Mt. Dew?

 (Fridge)

Clue #11

You are probably getting tired,

so lay down and rest,

after all this isn’t the end of the test.

 (Bed)

Clue #12

A few more to go,

Check out an object we use to mow.

 (Lawnmower) 

Clue#13

I know you are loving this

It’s as fun as can be-

Go ahead and visit the tree.

 (tree)

Clue #14

Your basket is worth it

Don’t give up!

You can do this, go crab a cup!

 (Kitchen)

Clue#15

I know you probably think

This is getting old,

So visit a place we medicate a cold.

 (Medicine cabinet)

Clue #16

Ah-ha! You are so great

Try a place you pick me up

For a date.

 (Front porch)

Clue#17

Okay I know you are

Just about done

I just wanted to have a little fun.

Our hunt is almost complete

Its about time to cook up the meat.

 (BBQ grill)

Clue #18

By now I bet you’d like to find

Your treasure,

and it would be my

Greatest pleasure

to reveal this secret

Place to you.

But before we’re totally

And completely through..

Always remember the joy of this season

Is that jesus is alive and for that very reason

We celebrate this day with laughter and smiles

And thank god for his love which extends miles and miles.

The very last place id like you to see

Is the person who is lucky to celebrate with thee

She’ll give you your basket and some candy too

Because she is absolutely madly in love with you!!

I was holding the basket at the very end and just handed it to him.

 It had some candy and a new Diesel watch!! He had been wanting a watch for a while but I could never find one that wasn't super ugly. Finally I found this gem. He loves it:)

The rest of the day we spent with family and friends.

 and of course playing with our new toys!

 Can't forget dying Easter eggs!

 Then we went to the driving range because it was such a gorgeous day out.

 I cannot wait for this golf season. 

I love it and I love that it is a hobby Jake and I can do together!!

Easter was such a fun beautiful day. I got to spend it with people I love and the most important part is, it was a day to remember what Jesus did for us. Not only did he die for us, he rose again!! He is risen and living in us today. I am so blessed and thankful.

Thank you Jesus for living in me and for my friends and family.

blubbery lips and shaky faces

hahahahha these never get old. If your bored, try it! you wont be disappointed.

April Fools day-Yes it is a holiday!

So this year I decided to get excited about April fools day and play actual pranks, not just silly little stupid April fools jokes. After all it IS a holiday and I had to celebrate! So I got serious. And it was SO worth it and an absolute blast. I started thinking of things I could do to trick Jake. Usually he is the one tricking me, mostly by scaring me to death but I wanted to get him.

 I had my stepdad write a note saying sorry about the dent here is my name and insurance information on a little piece of scratch paper. 

I snuck it on his windshield before we went into Nordstrom Rack. When we came out he didn't see it so when we got in the car I asked him what was on his windshield. He got out of the car and grabbed the note and started walking around his car looking for something. I was trying not to laugh because I didn't want to blow it! When he got back in the car he handed me the note and said he couldn't find any dent. I asked him if he was going to call her anyways and he said no since he didn't see anything. I told him I'd look for it when we got out of the car again.

When I got out I looked for the "dent" and played along for a minute then I exploded with laughter and yelled APRIL FOOLS. It was so awesome!!! I was beyond proud of myself.

It gets better...and I cant stop gloting. Really it was such a proud moment in my life.. it was like seeing my baby walk for this first time. Yes it was that great and i was so proud. I looked online at april fools jokes and came across a blog where a lady made a fake parking ticket. THIS WAS PERFECT! However I couldn't figure out how to put Jake's information and our city so I had to create my own.

It took forever, but really it was worth it and I thought it looked so real! 

 

Looks authentic doesn't it? Next I was on the mission to find an envelope that looked official. Luckily I had mail that had one of thoes clear strips so you can see the name and it even had a stamp

Perfect! It was open but I didn't think he's notice.

Jake happened to be house sitting and his mom always put his mail on his bed. So the night before I put this letter on his bed because I knew he'd be home to get clothes for the week. Again he didn't notice it so I asked him about it. When I handed it to him he opened it and started reading. And then...he got upset. He starting saying that he had never gotten a parking ticket before and that now he owed 400 dollars or else they were going to boot and tow his car. I told him to call the number and he said they were probably closed on Sunday's. He continued reading and the situation escalated. Then I busted laughing and yelled APRIL FOOLS again. I wanted it to go on longer, but he was getting upset. It was awesome.

Seriously the best April fools ever. I didn't mean to make him upset, luckily I found myself a good sport and it was all fun in games. Seriously I am beyond proud that I accomplished such believable tricks.

Another ordinary day made extraordinary:)

Happy St Patty's Day

So I have mentioned before that I absolutely love holidays. And this is a VERY true statement! No matter how big the holiday, I just like to celebrate. I geared up for St Patty's Day to make today a blast! Of course one thing I love about holidays is baking, its another excuse to make and eat delicious food:). Plus eating festive food just makes it that much better. So for St. Patty's day I decided to make cake balls. I have never made them before but have wanted to try so this was the perfect reason to make some. They are very time consuming but since I have been on spring break all week I had time to try them out.  Boy was it a blast! Seriously, I had so much fun baking all by myself. That's saying something because I love being around people. Anyways.. I found a tutorial on how to make cake balls from Bakerella.com. It was fairly easy to follow and a total blast.

Since it is St. Patty's Day I wanted to make green cake balls. I used butter golden cake mix ( I wanted to home make a cake but didn't have enough time) and used lots of food coloring to turn it green.

It came out lookin' pretty nasty and I was super bummed. But much to my surprise the inside was exactly what I was looking for!!

Bright green!

The best part about making cake balls is mushing up the cake. I have always wanted to squish a loaf of bread so badly and crunching up the cake filled that desire! Seriously, how many times have you been able to take a cake and just squish it all up to crumbs? Probably not since your first birthday. And you don't even remember that anyways!

 

Then I made some green frosting..

 

And the second to best part came..You have to mix the frosting and the mushed up cake together. This was SUPER messy. I personally have a texture issue so it took a minute for me to stick my hands in their to mix it all up. It wasn't so bad but you definitely get sticky and messy. 

After you mix it you roll the cake and frosting mix into little balls.

 

Then you put them in the fridge or freezer for a few hours. I put them in the freezer to speed up the process. Plus I found out it is a lot easier to dip them if the balls are frozen. 

I had the hardest time dipping the balls into chocolate. Every time I have had a cake ball the chocolate is perfectly coated around the cake ball...Yeah I definitely didn't get that result. I melted chocolate in the microwave and didn't get a super thin easily spreadable result. I decided that if I had a chocolate fountain I could get that perfect result! I used little shrimp forks to assist me in dipping the cake balls and they actually worked pretty well. 

I know I know, definitely not bakery status yet..next time. I ended up only dipping half of each ball because I was having a hard time covering the entire ball. And that is why I suggest 

something like a chocolate fountain. I added green sprinkles, to make it more festive and wala!

I refrigerated them so the chocolate hardened and then they were ready to eat.

Then I made a delicious party mix that I found on the The yummy life. This was a lot more work than I was expecting but it was fun. First I melted white chocolate and hand dipped each pretzel and of course put more sprinkles. You can never have too many sprinkles, right?!

 Then I had to make green popcorn. Now this is where it gets a little embarrassing. So I looked up how to make green popcorn and followed the directions exactly.. little did I know it would end up ruining my mom's plastic bowl.

Yep totally melted the bottom of the bowl. oops!

Then you add green m&m's, yes I did by a big bag and pick all the green ones out! Then melted white and milk chocolate and don't forget to add salt. One of the best things about this mix is it is sweet and salty. I probably could've added more salt so don't be afraid to dump it on.

 

Then I froze it. The yummy life doesn't say to do this, but I wanted to speed up the process and get the chocolate hardened. 

Then you simply break it up into pieces, add the pretzels and eat!

 

I had St. Patty's day lunch at snider's meats. They have delicious sandwiches and cute workers too:) I brought them these treats and hopefully they loved them and got into the holiday spirit.

Anyone could use a cake ball and popcorn pick me up on a busy day at work, right?

The best part about St. Patty's day 2012 is fantasy bridal called and my dress came in!!!!!!!!!! I ordered it back in November so I have been anticipating this day for months. Of course I made my mom rush over there with me so I could try it on! It's gorgeous. Better than I imagined. I cannot even wait!!

Happy St. Patty's Day:) Make today a reason to celebrate!!

nesting?

So you know when a woman is about to have a baby, like literally about to have a baby,  she gets into this weird nesting stage. Where all she wants to do is clean her house and do all these motherly things? Well ever since I got engaged I have been doing that exact thing. It is so weird. I have always enjoyed sewing but I mean all of a sudden I had this need for a sewing machine! I can probably thank this whole "nesting" thing and pinterest for that. I researched and decided that i would by a Brother CS6000i sewing machine.
 It is such an awesome sewing machine, not to mention it threads the needle for you! Oh how technology has changed since I took sewing in high school like 3 years ago. The thing that is so great about it is it is super easy to manage for beginners, yet it is super complex for more advanced seamstresses. I love my sewing machine:)

I have made a few starter projects and currently am working on an adorable bohemian tote bag! pictures to come:)

I have also been into cooking and baking! This could get me in trouble because there are always such delicious things around! I got new pots and pans for christmas and also a weight watchers cookbook. Of course I wanted to cook everything out of it immediately and for a while i did. I cannot wait for when we move into our own house and I control whats for dinner and don't have to feel weird making a mess in my mom's or mother in laws kitchen. The very first thing i made was chicken noodle cassorole, it was pretty good if i do say so myself! 

 It kinda looks like cat barf but really it was good!

My all time favorite weight watchers recipe is this 1 point soup. Not even kidding i could eat the whole batch! It is so delicious and super healthy for you. Nothing i love more than a vegetable soup on a cold day.

 It is super simple to make and tastes even better the next day! All the juices of the vegetables mix together and it tastes so good. Like really, make the batch and save it for the next day, let it marinade and it will taste so yummy. You can get the recipe HERE.

Like i said i'll bake for absolutely any reason. I just want experience and the only way to get it is to bake, right? I have been trying to take pictures so i can see how far i have come and what all i have tried.

 

Holly cupcakes for christmas time

 

Peanut butter reese's cups. once i learned how to make this i couldnt get enough. Pretty sure i made a million batches of them. Not to mention they are SO simple and seriously probably one of my all time favorites.

 

 

This little delight was a cookies and cream cupcake with a whip cream frosting.

 and this...so far..is my very most prized baking accomplishment. One of Jake's coworkers asked jake if we would bake her and her husband a cake for their anniversary. Of course jakey said yes and then the pressure was on. I had never baked a cake before and i in no way clam to be a baker so i was super nervous about it. Honestly the first cake failed miserably and we had to head back to the store to try it again. SUPER frustrating. I guess i just want things to work out the very first time. am i the only one? The decorating, which makes it look so great, was definitely the easist part of this cake baking process. And it was SO fun! I got the fantastic tutorial that made this cake possible HERE. Not going to lie once you see how easy it was you probably wont be as impressed with me..

 Look at that smile! I was having a blast. It was so much fun and i loved the way it turned out. Most importantly jakes co worker loved it and was very thankful.


All of that to say that my step dad has noticed that i have been doing all of these "motherly" things like sewing, crocheting, cooking, cleaning, making things, decorating etc etc. Apparently he told my mom i was "nesting". I blame pinterest and being engaged on that. Seriously. weirdest thing ever! Am i the only one this happened to?! Who cares why, i have found many new hobby's and just maybe i am nesting...hopefully that means I'll be a good wife:) thank you Jesus for a break from school so i can do my hobby's!