weLcoMe dAisY

Some of our friends recently adopted this beautiful little gal.. And she is in neighborhood demand.. I have plenty other friends wanting a sneak peek.. So here it is! I know I said I was going to show you my cute 4th of July bags, but that'll be tomorrow, and a sneak peek of this girl is even better!

Since her Mom and Dad wanted to do some pics in her traditional Chinese dress, I thought it would be fun to do some Chinese architecture, too. I found some at the International Peace Gardens in downtown Salt Lake. I'd never been there before, and thought it was worth visiting..

aaaand here she is!

I think the right word for her would be "spirited." She was so cute and spunky.. I was in love automatically.

I can't believe how perfect she is for her new family.. she's the perfect fit. I loved seeing them all together.

And we are so glad to welcome her to our neighborhood family!

to a sPaRkLy juLy: music mix

I always have to make my music mixes for different occasions.. and it doesn't take much for something to be an "occasion" for me. I thought I'd share my July mix with ya.. and if ya like it, let me know and I'll keep sharing different mixes. If you don't like my sweet Indie/Pop/Oldies taste then I apologize.. but not really.

For me, a July mix should be summer nights and summer drives fun that you can see yourself listening to while you watch fireworks and eat salt water taffy..

Hope you enjoy!

Come back tomorrow to see my oh-so-cute 4th of July goody bags!

My Gorgeous Gals

Here's a little preview of our trip to the local orchard. This local orchard just happened to be full of long, wet grass that rocked my allergen world.. like no allergen ever has. I had a Hitch moment when my face and eyes got super swollen and my legs welted and were covered in hives. I learned my lesson... getting older=worse allergies. Also.. if your face and legs are swelling, go home and get out of the way of anyone with a camera-yeah, I'm talking to you, Marielle!!

I have been called to the Young Women in my ward longer than I was in Young Women's, myself.. and I love it. We thought it would be fun to get some cute pics of the girls before girls' camp.

Love the apple trees..
Such a cute smile!
Times two!
Times three!
This one's got the photoshoot down.. Seriously!
Love this one!
So photogenic!

"Ah, You girls just keep me young. I just love you so much."
- Mean Girls quote... but you already knew that.

FaTheRs DaY

Here's a little example of the differences between Jesse, my husband, and Me.

Me: I wanna get you an Ipad for Fathers' Day. You deserve something nice, let me spoil you, pleeease?
Jesse: You going and spending money that I'm just going to have to earn back is not my idea of being spoiled.

Plan B. Actually, plan E...F? I always dream of surprising Jess with something unexpected.. but my plans never really pan out. My biggest dream? To one day surprise him with a big giant truck with some 4-wheelers in tow. Seriously.. I think about it all the time. Now... where do I get and then hide the 60,000 dollars to do so? Since I didn't quite reach my goal and lavishly surprise him, I had to go looking for some other ideas. And when I'm looking for ideas, I always look to my hero, Marth, first..

How cute is this? Bentley is my little artist, so she would love to give this.. and I think it would be something Jesse would use.
I always love a full basket of goodies. And once again.. practical. This guy might come from me..

On Martha's website, you can print off these labels. Count me in. I love you, Martha.

I also thought about some personalized gifts for my daddy-o, Big Bad Bruce.. I found this artwork on Etsy from sodapopcorleone. This may blow your mind for a sec, but there isn't a lot of Tab soda gifts out there. My dad drinks it like crazy, and yes... they still make it. And no, I don't think he's the ONLY one who still drinks it. He could be, who knows. Here's something I didn't know until a year or two ago.. Tab was originally marketed as a woman's diet drink.. pink can? Tab fact. My dad wears womens' wal-mart shape up's too. He's a complicated person to shop for.

My dad loves his tractor. He's always out working on it.. ordering things for it.. but never really using it? I plugged in "tractor" to Etsy and found this guy amongst thousands of kiddie tractor things. I don't see my brother or sister spending this kind of time looking for the perfect gift. And I'm the least fav?

Now for the Husband of mine who wishes he were raised on the Jersey Shore.. I thought what would be better than a Pauly D pendant? It would go perfectly with the dog tags he often wears, possibly on the same chain. You may think I'm kidding, but my husband would be stoked. Wish I would've thought of it in time!

Look at that stare. Right into your soul.

Last, but defintely not least comes the plaque that I know Jess would love. It's lyrics from one of his favorite shows. Also found on Etsy, from luciusart.. again. Wishing I would have gone diggin' sooner!

Happy Father's Day to all the amazing Daddy-o's in my life! I'm so happy my kids have such a great dad!

peachberry bites

These little guys came about one night when I was late for a neighborhood bar.b.que. I'm always the disappointment who comes with something store-bought when everyone else has their delicious homemade sides. I couldn't be the flake who was late and bumming food off of everyone else. So I threw these things together, and botta bing botta boom! People tell me they liked them.. but maybe they were just trying to support my efforts...



All you need is right here

Athens mini fillo shells (I use two packs)

Smuckers boysenberry syrup (yeah, the stuff for pancakes)

Peach sherbet

Cool Whip

Raspberries


Don't judge my messy house.. I started this time by putting a little syrup in the bottom of the cup.



I fill the shell most of the way with the sherbet. Easier if it's softened..

Top it off with some cool whip..

At this point I freeze it until I'm ready to serve it. It softens up pretty fast, so especially for something like a bar-b-que you're gonna want it pretty frozen.

Ready to hit the party? Take those bad boys out and drizzle some more boysenberry syrup over the top, garnish with a raspberry and go!

I was trying to snap a pic while Benny was trying to steal one...

They're really easy and quick to make... My specialty!

it's okay for a girl to dream

It's that time of year again. I start putting together a folder of all my yard inspirations that I would love for my own yard. And every year my yard looks a little worse than the year before. But I feel like this might be the year that we make some progress.. I know, sounds crazy.. but I have already trimmed (butchered) my huge tree in my back yard, and planted some potters...so there. I really want a fire pit, with permanent seating like this guy. I also love the idea of a little waterfall behind the pit..

I have a wood pile in my backyard right now that terrifies me. I know there is a spider city in there, and anytime my kids go near it I have an anxiety attack. I love the way this looks-a somewhat organized stylish wood pile. Maybe it would contain some of the chaos that is my wood pile that is going on right now.. Spiders runnin the show and thinkin' they own the place in my backyard.

And this guy. How awesome would this be? Now I just have to get to work, I'll keep you posted if any of these dreams ever come true!

And I wanna know-What projects are you aspiring to this summer?

piNk LemOnAde CupCakes!!

They're baack! And they're still supa dupa delish. I have missed my pink lemonade cupcakes. Summer is the perfect time to bust these bad boys out. I had to go back to my old blog to dig them up, and I stole this pic from http://www.ericasweettooth.com/ Her stuff looks crazy delicious! I originally got this recipe from Betty Crocker (I believe), and it's always a favorite at any summer get together! And we all want to be the favorite at any summer get together.

1 package white cake mix (not the pudding kind)
3 egg whites
1 cup water
1/3 cup plus 1/4 cup frozen pink lemonade, thawed, divided
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 to 8 drops red food coloring
4 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
Lemon slice candies


preheat to 350
Beat cake mix, egg whites, water 1/3 cup concentrate, oil and 4 to 6 drops food coloring.
Spoon into cupcake cups.
Bake 18 to 20 minutes of until toothpick comes out clean. Cool for five minutes, remove and let finish cooling.
Beat powdered sugar, butter and remaining 1/4 cup concentrate in medium bowl with electric mixer at medium speed. Beat in remaining food coloring.
Spread frosting over cupcakes. Garnish with candies and straws (that makes it way cute) if desired.



Try them. Do it. It'll change your life.

Then tell me about how you were the hit of the party.

Spring Sunshine

I've been wanting to get some pictures of my kids all winter long, so here they are!

The spring blossoms were so beautiful in the local orchard, Bentley loved it!

Thanks for Looking!

Bauer's Turning Three!

And you better be there! Or else...

I wanted to do something funny for Bauer's birthday invitations cause he has such a funny little personality. This is what popped into my mind... getting him to cooperate was a whole different story.



He loves to punch things. Jess, the dog (don't call the humane society), the air.. he has such a cute little tough guy face.. I tried to get him to combine the two..

So then you flip your little invite over and you get this.

I know I already asked you not to call the Humane Society, but let's not call child services either when I tell you that to get him to cry we may have told him he had to go to bed while the other kids were playing. My friend's idea-not mine, of course. It's art, it's serious, it's a 3-year old's birthday party. So don't judge me.

These will go out with the little party favors that I got from http://www.beau-coup.com/. I thought the mini gumballs were so cute! I always love filling little bags, but this year I'm going simple and just doing one take home thing.

It should be a good one!