merry christmas.

christmas is getting rather close. yay!
i'm busy today baking my life away, finishing up some stockings & gifts, wrapping a few more things & cleaning our disgusting house....gap has kept me busy lately, i've had to neglect a few household chores.
but from us to you, have yourself a merry little christmas.
we love you!!
xox

ps thanks for all the kind words of encouragement about the post below, things to look forward to in 2O12...new business endeavours!!

busy bee

i realize I've been mia. been genuinely busy. way busy. had photo shoots like crazy....which is awesome! working at gap again. which is also great! all those shoots have meant a lot more time editing and delivering images to clients which I LOVE. but i've also had an idea brewing...i have been baking and finding yummy things to make. and i figured in all my spare time ;) I'd love to start catering treats in fact if I could make baking and photographing my main sources of income I'd be in heaven! but I'm kind of stuck, i'm just feeling like I don't know how to start this new venture but it's something I'd really like to pursue. ideas? theories? successes? failures? they are all about to happen but if anyone has tips they would be much appreciated. now it's back to work for this little worker bee
:)

thankful

feeling rather picked on at the moment so I figured I needed to take a moment and be grateful.

I'm so grateful for my loving families....both sides. all their love and support. thank you for all your love.

thankful.

particularly feeling blessed today for my body. I feel very blessed to have the ability to walk. run. work out. be independent. I have been able to run 2 half marathons and intend to run a whole in the next year. I couldn't do MOST of the things that I do without my functioning body. what a miraculous blessing.


this was 2 weekends ago after the Halloween half.

thankful

for the temple.
the beauty & peace found therein.
the ability to perform baptisms yesterday morning with the man i love.
& for the knowledge of eternal families, that you can attain within those sacred walls.

mason.austin.keaton.

couldn't help but post this.
had a fall photo shoot with little mason keaton, his mom shanna is one of my dearest friends. & this little guy is one of the sweetest little things.

i mean really?

in love with this child.

thankful

today i am grateful for my job. even though some days I despise it. I really am grateful to have had a job all through school and all my traveling experiences. it's been a good long 5 years here & we couldn't survive as independently as we do if I didn't have it.

thankful

today i am thankful for a husband who loves me despite my grumpelina moments & is continually the calm in my storm.


I honestly thank god for him everyday.

.ny style cheesecake.

i found the best cheesecake recipe.
i know because i have made it 2 times, both times. divine.
first i started with the crust, graham cracker crust. don't even get me started. i could eat that stuff plain.
then i made the filling, & ohhhh so much cream cheese. a disgusting amount. but oh my yum.

and then you go through this rigourous baking process, bake it for 45 min @ one temp & 3O more at a different temp & then you turn off the oven & crack the door & let it continue to bake for 1 more hour, then you must let this baby set over night. but oh the wait is worth it.
thank you martha.

busy bees

alive & doing well.
been doing lots of cooking & schooling & cleaning & being together {not as much of that as we would prefer :(}. & running-the Half marathon is rapidly approaching & decorating & more baking. in between that all we dropped nick off at the mtc so fun! went to Disneyland!!! and Forrest got 107% on a math test.
life has been fabulous & I've been working hard on celebrating the little things....it makes life soooo much better.


disney


baking


Vegas


splash mtn.

we are doing fabulous and enjoying this fall weather :))

corndog

tonight i was feeling adventurous when it came to dinner, however my taste buds were feeling kinda like a kid. i wanted a corn dog. with tater tots. wow, the only way it could have gotten any kiddier was with a side of mac & cheese {don't get me wrong, that crossed my mind....but we had that for lunch yesterday}.
in order to justify a corn dog dinner for the hub & i, i decided to make home made corn dogs.
and let me tell you. so bomb. they were super easy to make, & oh so delicious. plus now we have plenty in a ziploc baggy in the freezer to pop in the microwave for an easy lunch on a random day in the near future......

batter recipe & instructions:

1 tbsp vinegar
about 1 cup milk
1.5 cup flour
1 cup yellow corn meal
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsps baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
12-14 hot dogs {i recommend hebrew nationals!!}
popsicle sticks
1. preheat your oil in a deep fryer or large skillet to 375 degrees. you need it to be somewhat deep so the dogs can submerge themselves.
2. place the tbsp of vinegar in a measuring cup, then add enough milk to equal 1 cup. stir & let sit for 5 minutes.
3. whisk together the flour, corn meal, sugar, baking powder, salt, & baking soda in a large bowl. add milk & eggs then whisk until combined.
4. insert popsicle sticks/skewers in hot dog, dip in batter. coat hot dog well & fry in oil until golden brown. place on paper towels to soak up extra oil. enjoy.
try it, you'll be amazed.

6th birthday

today we celebrated gabby's 6th birthday.

i honestly cannot believe she is that old, i remember the day she was born.

in celebration i made her some minion cupcakes in honor of "despicable me".

they were quite a hit & pretty yummy too.

maybe some day i'll get to do this for real....as a job.

labor.day.weekend.

to our little family this means camping. and this year it even meant some more hunting. I had so much fun. we fished. hiked. hunted. played card games. snuggled in a tent. ate large amounts of junk....& thought that was a good idea at the time.


also one of the coolest things ever! Saturday night forb & i were sitting on a log being silent and still {it's amazing how much you notice and hear} when a doe walked right up and stared us down for several minutes and a few different times. she could smell us but couldn't see us. it was honestly one of the neatest things! how was your labor day?

needed to read this

“he’s not perfect. you aren’t either, & the two of you will never be perfect. but if he make you laugh at least once, causes you to think twice & if he admits to being human & making mistakes, hold onto him & give him the most you can. he isn’t going to quote poetry, he’s not thinking about you every moment, but he will give you a part of him that knows you could break. don’t hurt him, don’t change him, & don’t expect more than he can give. don’t analyze. smile when he makes you happy, yell when he makes you mad & miss him when he’s not there. love hard when there is love to be had. because perfect guys don’t exist, but there’s always one guy that is perfect for you.” -bob
really needed to remember we aren't perfect but together we get closer than we ever will be alone to perfection.

hello fall

forb and I lived it up before school started.


Stewart falls



being together....we all know it's Better when we're together.



golfing



dinner out

and than on Monday he started classes! I can't tell you how proud of him I am! he is one smart cookie and about to get even smarter! love this boy to pieces!
ps cooler weather is finally coming!!! :))

sugar.cookies

I made homemade Kneaders sugar cookies. can you say oh my?! yum!!!


& forb worked so late last night so I left him a little note....


:))

pallet shelf

I'm one lucky woman! forb found me the perfect pallet to make this awesome shelf/frame! this weekend! woooo

want no need

I try real hard not to covet things but I would give up half my closet to own these boots this winter & every winter forevermore for that matter.


don't mind the ghetto iPhone screen :)

baby

pictures like this make me want one....

dinner

tonights dinner consisted of Parmesan crusted chicken & pesto stuffed shells. so good. searching for a job that has me cooking/baking all day.....


:))

you

god gave me you for the ups and downs.
god gave me you for the days of doubt.
for when I think I lost my way there are no words to say it's true.
god gave me you.
on my own i'm only half of what I could be. I can't do without you.


lover I love you!!!!!!!

independent

trust; [noun] to have confidence or reliance on somebody or something. or to confidently allow somebody to do something.
i guess I've always had a struggle trusting and relying on other people. i think it's just the way I was built. it's always made more sense to be independent and do everything myself. if something doesn't get done it's my fault. I don't have to redo something that someone else already did because it's been done wrong. sure sometimes it makes life more busy & stressful than it needs to be but i'm a big planner and checking things off make me feel accomplished.
being independent has never been a problem.
but now, now I see what a hinderance the inability to trust is. I think I've gotten better at trusting but I still can't let go completely, I try not to let people close enough to cause pain. there is one man though who I love enough that I let him in. sometimes it's total and complete reliability on him and other times it's 90%. but I can definitely see the lack of ability to trust on my part becoming an issue. so because I want to trust in him & everyone 100% I need your help.
how do I reverse my inability to trust those closest to me? or anyone for that matter?

sincerely
mrs no longer wants to be independent

kitchen+aid

our green apple kitchenaid arrived. & i am in love with it! we've made cookies and pizza crust with it so far....this weekend I'll be testing it's skills at mixing German chocolate cake & fruit pizza for mother gillette's birthday!


& we used our cute moose cookie cutter from the honeymoon in jackson hole.


bring on even more baking.

fishing

this last Monday we spent all day fishing up at mill hollow with a lot of the family! we caught at least 3O fish. and I finally learned how to successfully hook and reel in a fish! we had a fun time hanging out. eating treats. getting some serious rays of sun and venturing around the lake.
the handsome boy



us and my fish!


love birds :)

baking

somedays I wish I could bake as a job....


because it makes me so happy.


the whole process is fun and I love seeing the outcome.


but maybe than it would make me hate making dinner....maybe someday.

deer

so I am officially becoming a gillette. meaning I got my first hunting tag. it is indeed an archery deer tag. I feel no need to justify my attempting to shoot a deer to anyone out there. you may think it's cruel or disgusting but for us it saves a crap load of money on meat!! forrest and I hardly ever buy beef because we eat deer and elk. it's awesome!
but aside from that I've loved spending time with the hubby learning to do archery and I'm excited for the fond camping/hunting memories that will soon be made :).
practice at dusk.



hopefully good news to follow in a month or so :)

mr & mrs

got pictures back....


can't wait to share them!!!!
xx

kenny

we were lucky ducks. Saturday we got to go to the Kenny chesney concert! we were about 2nd row in the grass & minus all the drunk people it was awesome!


there were some mean clouds. thought for sure we were going to get drenched!!


but we only felt a few drops and than rocked out with Kenny for the rest of the night!!!


so much fun! thanks babe for the fun time.
xx

treats

I have a small problem I can't stop baking treats....



pizookies



sopapilla cheesecake



and my sad 4th of July disaster :( the cake was supposed to be an American flag once you cut it open but it fell apart...next time.
and training for the 1/2 marathon begins this week because the chubster club not loving it.

the 5O

we just bought a new car....


what do you think? Forrest calls it the 5O of love, we can even kiss driving.


that's how we cruised around the farmhouse in Oakley. we had a big bbq, attended the Oakley rodeo, fireworks, & a big campout in the yard.


Forrest just belonged.

a bit busy

been kinda busy.
whoever said it wasn't kidding...we see less of each other now than before we got married. lame.
unpacking and settling...fun & exciting but exhausting.
family get togethers same as previous statement.
we found a washer, dryer, table. only things we need now are a dresser, ottoman, & kitchenaid.
it's all coming together.

random:
this is one of my favorite pics from the wedding....


such an amazing day. love him.