... when ...

my siblings come to town, we:


get gourmet dinners cooked for us by Blake & Dan,


skype the family that didn't come to town,







get our hair done,





visit the yummiest restaurants,






go bowling,





and have a wonderful time!

Crazy Cupcakes

Last week, we got to hang out with 5 of our favorite kiddos!! We picked up Omar & Marisol from school and headed out to Smithfield to decorate cupcakes with Daisey, Isaac & Maggie!!






We had stopped at the store for some cupcake decor and ended up leaving with a bag of Doritos as well! Who knew that the Doritos would be the most popular choice of cupcake topping? Popcorn, gummi bears, chocolate bars & conversation hearts were also included in the decor!

We had a fabulous time hanging out with the kiddos (and Brittany, of course) and giggled quite a bit at the crazy cupcakes that they made and ate!!

Belated Valentine's Day Wreath

I attempted to make this wreath for Valentine's Day! I finished yesterday - just a few days late, but it is hanging on our door anyway!


It took me some time, quite a few movies and episodes of"Big Bang Theory," but I finished it! In case you want to make one for yourself, I made this:


After your rosettes have been made, just glue them to the wreath & enjoy!! Just so you know, if you're looking for a quick project, this is not it! The rosettes, while easy to make, were very time consuming and I had to keep going back for more felt because I kept running out!! All in all, I really don't know how many rosettes it took - sorry - I suppose my tutorial is not all that informative - so if you attempt your own - good luck!! :)

But, I LOVE the way it turned out and I'm proud of my recent crafty attempt! Perhaps I won't wait so long until my next one :)

... all you need is love ...

In honor of all things Valentines Day, here is a picture of Nate & I at our first Sweethearts Ball in 1997!!


We had a wonderful Valentines Day yesterday! One of the best things about being married to Nate is that I don't have to wait for Valentines Day to come around every year to know how much he loves me!! He has always made me feel special and I have never doubted that I have always been his Valentine! To celebrate the big day, however, we had some dinner at the always tasty Olive Garden and then headed back home to spend the evening in! I am so grateful for Nate and for his love and I will be forever grateful that he stole my shoes from me at the Rec Center on Valentine's Day in 1996, lighting the flame that keeps us together today!

And, just because they're kind of funny, here's another photo (Sweethearts Ball - 1998)!!

i {heart} shutterfly

I've developed an addiction to photo books!! Nate & I have taken so many photos around the valley with Nikki the Nikon and they just sit on our computer - so when Shutterfly emailed me a 50% off a photobook code, I hurried and made this book!!

Click here to view this photo book larger

... winter's silver lining ...