April Showers Bring May Flowers

 April has been jammed full of adventure, studying, laughing, goofing around, dating, hiking, and enjoying life. It's the life of a college student, specifically mine and I LOVE it. So unpredictable, enchanting, and refreshing just like the weather of April...

A candid moment between Lindsay and I...it makes me giggle every time I see it!

It was a warm spring evening....

and we took every advantage of it....

Another favorite photo...Madi looks as though she is swinging bare bummed! Her response? #nopantsdontcare

Baby Animal Days was a success! Looking a little dreary with rain clouds we were nervous! It started off great however! The baby bun buns stayed nice and warm cupped in our hands.

Oh but wait...It's Utah and I'll be damned if it doesn't give you a little spurt of rain/downpour when you're least expecting it. 

These little cuties could go home with you for a price! However...I don't think Mother Teresa would approve, no matter how nice she may seem and no matter that price!

While raining on our poor little heads and no jackets...we waited patiently to see the baby bears inside! It was worth the wait to see those little balls of fur.

 Did I mention that a bunny snuggling up into your neck is the new therapy? But when that bunny starts to nibble on your hair and chews off a piece that bunny can go right back into its cage.

Every year my parents go to St. George in April for my dad to attend continuing education. It's great. I hadn't been in 3 years so I decided that a little weekend getaway was perfect to fix my school blues. If you have never stayed at The Inn at Entrada, I highly reccomend it! This view is right in your backyard of your "hotel" room.

Grammy decided to pick a fight...you should see the other guy!! No no, she picked a fight with the curb. Though this picture makes her seem as though she had been through the war and back...it's her blue eyes that steal the picture. In fact it's the first thing I noticed after the picture had been taken! She is beautiful no matter the black and blue.

No trip to St. George is complete without stopping at Nelson's for some custard! Look at these cuties!

Dad enlightened me with climbing up the "Dixie Rock". It was insanely windy! We enjoyed our 15 minutes of freedom from Mother T and Grammy E to explore the colorful rocks.

At this point I told my dad we must have a photo shoot! Well done pappy!

Me and Mother T at dinner honoring the eye doctors of the Utah Optemetric Association. 

I made the parents get up early Sunday morning before we left for home to hike in the beautiful Snow Canyon State Park. It could not have been a prettier day.

Oh hi dad...Where the hell did you get those socks? We'll work on that ok?

My grandma looks smashing in any color she puts on! I love her with all my heart and don't know what I'd do without her. (excuse the blurry Iphone camera)

Final photo...This is the moment I truly fell head over heels for the beauty of southern Utah. The colors of the bright orange rocks captivate me with the brilliant blue skies standing out in the background. I think I could get lost here for hours and be completely content with life.

Now back to the real world where college is still happening and finals still need to be taken.

Easter Hoppin'

Easter is always one of my favorite holidays...Between the Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs and Jellybeans those two things come close to crowing Easter on their own! 

This Easter Sunday happened to be a beautiful, wonderful, warm and blue bird day. The crocus flowers enjoyed themselves...

Dyeing Easter eggs...Even at age 19 I still make my mom wait for me to join in on the fun!

Easter seems to play the sweet music of spring time finally showing its wonderful change of weather...be it sunny and warm or raining/snowing in the next ten minutes! It's Utah.

This year gave me the chance to try out cute new baking cups (new favs) and a new yummy recipe. These cupcakes turned out deliciously moist and full of flavor with the perfect touch of smooth Cream Cheese Frosting. Also a healthier alternative to the normal cupcake, seeing this one has carrots in it. Go ahead, treat yourself to two for your veggie intake of the day! This recipe comes from Smithfield.com

The Best Ever Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 4 eggs

• 3/4 cup vegetable oil

• 1/2 cup apple sauce

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 1 8-oz. can of crushed pineapple, well drained

• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons baking soda

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• Small pinch of ground cloves

• 3 cups grated carrots, grate on larger side of cheese grater

• 1 cup chopped pecans

• For Frosting:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened

• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened

• 3 cups confectioners' sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Steps:
In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Pile the frosting high on the cooled cupcakes and garnish with the toasted coconut if desired.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, apple sauce, sugars, pineapple and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and small pinch of ground cloves. Stir in carrots. Fold in pecans. Pour into muffin tin lined with beautiful paper or foil liners. Fill each liner 3/4 full. Bake in the preheated oven for 18-20 min. Let cupcakes cool completely. While cooling, prepare frosting.
Frosting: 
In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

I decorated the cupcakes with a large round tip and topped it off with chocolate shavings to represent a nest with two cadburry eggs in the middle.

They were a success! I would give this recipe a 10 out of 10 and encourage you all to try this delicious somewhat healthy cupcake! 

At the end of yesterday's beautiful Easter Sunday full of laughter, yummy food, gorgeous spring weather, and family I find myself grateful and feeling more blessed than ever! Here is a selfi-Sunday pic....Couldn't resist!

Love Is In the Air

Like every love story...this one has a beginning, middle, and a happily ever after. It begins with a girl and boy venturing out on their own to find the adventures of life. Jami came from the far away land Queen Creek, Arizona...Austin from little old Logan, Utah. They first crossed paths on their missions in the Netherlands. Coincidence? Maybe...

It wasn't until later they captured one anothers hearts...We have watched Jami and Austin grow together as one for an entire year!! Austin was whooped. They both agreed it was time to seal the deal. I was lucky enough to be apart of the proposal and watch from a safe distance. The air was freezing and almost unbearable that chosen night. Austin and Jami would soon be sledding down into an open field with candles lit in the shape of a heart...There in the middle Austin proposed to the love of his life.

They were beaming from ear to ear....Talk and plans of wedding were on the countdown. This is where they asked me to become part of their fairytale day. 

For some reason or another I have gotten into baking, I quite love it actually. Austin and Jami wondered if I could and or would bake cupcakes for their wedding reception. I gleefully accepted the challenge of baking 500 cupcakes, three different kinds. Have you ever seen 500 cupcakes? Me neither... till now. The flavors?

 Banana Cream Pie: Banana cake with and graham cracker crust, banana pastry filling, whipped cream frosting, topped with toasted coconut. 

Skore Cake(Austin's fav): Chocolate cake with a caramel center, bits of heath candy bar, with a whipped cream frosting.

Stroopwaffel(it's a Dutch treat from the Netherlands): Cinnamon caramel cake, cinnamon cream cheese frosting, topped with a cut out heart shape in the Stroopwaffel cookie, drizzeled with caramel sauce.

I bravely took the challenge to bake all of these. Yes, they are all made from scratch. I began in mid February baking 2-3 batches and then freezing them. On the day of the wedding they were set out to thaw.

(this isn't even all of them...this is about 350)

Due to the whipped cream frosting it was extremely important to frost the cupcakes as fresh as possible. The morning consisted of setting out butters and cream cheeses to become room temperature. It was getting near time to get myself put together and head to the temple to see the beautiful couple.

We all took position to be ready to greet the new bride and groom...It was a little brisk-which of course I forgot my jacket....

Dear sweet Cole...Just as handsome as his older brothers! This will be his first time he gains a sister-in-law and he's pretty excited.

Grandma Elaine poses with Ian...They both are good looking people who I absolutely adore!

Aunt Pattie, Uncle Todd, and my dad Jeff wait patiently while giving advice to the camera about marriage... I can only imagine what they have to say!

Grandma Elaine has attended many of the cousins weddings with many more to come.

Such a good looking couple...I will be expecting beautiful babies! They add more vibrance to our already colorful family

I love the pictures when the groom can't take his eyes off his bride!

Another adorable couple Channing and Jaren...what cuties!

A couple quick family pictures and I'm off back to home to begin the messy task of making the frosting and the actual game time of frosting the cupcakes. This was unfortunately the part where I had to stay home and miss the family dinner. Hey, you need fresh frosting! That is my name and rep that people will be eating!

I called for more reinforcement troops to help me get to the finish line on time.

I frosted like a mad woman and finished just before the reception got into full swing...I breathe a heavy sigh of relief realizing that maybe I had almost bit off more than I could chew.

With the 511 cupcakes, to be exact, out of the way won and done it was time to have some fun!

My cute mom and my adorable grandparents...However Teresa is looking a little tipsy with those eyes? Mom who gave you the bubbly tonight?!

One of my most absolute favorite parts of being part of the wedding party is the flowers you get to take home...

As the night came to a close...we were all pretty exhausted wanting only to sit down and not lift a finger.

But I think I can make an exception and lift a finger to take a cute picture with the Big E...Here's to the bride and groom, may the odds be ever in your favor! As far as cupcakes go, I don't want to bake one or eat one for a LONG time! Thank you Austin and Jami for giving me the opportunity to see what I could actually do with my baking. Cupcake Wars? Nope. Nope. Nope. Oh and another nope.

It's a little late to tell you about my new resolutions, goals, and traditions to be carried out for the year of 2013, buuuttt....I'm gonna let you in on one of my new favorites for this year. Red Lip Friday. Yes, you heard me, it has officially been dubbed Red Lip Friday. 

You may wonder what and why Red Lip Friday is a thing. Well, one day I was pondering about all the crazy things we do up at our home turf Beaver Mountain and I thought to myself, we need something to set us apart from the rest of the skiers. Something new. Something bold. Thus the red lipstick idea was born. 

The red lips are to be worn every Friday, and every Friday is a day to be skied at the infamous Beaver Mountain. Before we take off to ski, we apply the ever moisturizing Jiggy Stick , following with the rich color red lipstick named "Red Zin" Sometime be sure to ask us the story of trying on EVERY single tint of red in the makeup store Ulta. We ended the night looking like clowns...

 

As we jump in line to aboard the ski lift, the lifties appropriately gives us a hard time about our freshly applied lipstick. Asking if "they could have some?" Nice try lifties...no kisses for you!

We have established a name for ourselves on the mountain known as the "Lipstick Girls" It's got a nice ring to it...

Be it snowing, blowing, shining, or bitterly cold we proudly wear our red lipstick every Friday, skiing to our hearts content. 

"Pour yourself a drink, put on some lipstick, and pull yourself together."

-Liz Taylor

These ski days give me time to enjoy the beautiful nature and literally pull myself together after a long week of work and school. 

(and by pouring a drink I mean pouring myself a nice Diet Coke) 

I can't help but think that a certain red head would love this new Red Lip Friday tradition of daring the new red lip look while skiing and enjoying every second of it.

At the end of the day the saying runs through my mind, "Classy, Sassy, and a little Smart-assy." You could say we are trying to follow through with that...What is it that you love about the New Year?