parents in cali part 1

earlier this summer my parents started planning a trip to california. work has been insane this summer. between work and some other obligations i didn't know if i would be able to go. i'm not one to miss out on fun so i decided to just go. the kids are at such fun ages right now (i really love all the little kid stages). we did some fun things (mini golf, beach, cafe rio (mostly because my mom dies over it), swimming, playing at the house and the park, etc.) i was a little camera happy so i'm breaking this up into 2 posts-mostly mini golf and the beach. we played mini golf for karson's birthday, and he's been asking to go again ever since. karlee has been learning how to pose ever since she was a little tiny babe.

 she's getting pretty good at it. karson on the other hand, just does funny things on purpose.

grandma and grandpa (my parents). my mom actually got a hole in one.

 attempting to get a decent picture of the kids

 kyler wanted in on the fun too.

 karlee getting a few tips from jeff and karson with his classic duck face

 more attempts to get kyler to look at the camera

 after it was over

  we had a lot of fun at mini golf. i love doing fun things with the kids. i'll be back on thursday with part 2 of the trip.

random rambling...change change change

leaves changing colors is one change i look forward to

i've had this post planned for a few months. i never got around to posting it, and now it has evolved into something different. some people really like change a lot. they actually seek change. i am not one of those people. i like to be comfortable. even when change is good, it is still really hard for me. even when change is planned and anticipated, it is really hard. stability is good. comfort zone is good. except sometimes change is inevitable. 

some parts of my life are pretty stable. i've worked at the same job for 10 years, and while there has been a lot of change over those 10 years, i still go to the same office everyday. until recently i lived in the same place for a little over 3 years. i've been with the same cell phone provider, insurance carrier, gym, etc. basically since the beginning of time. you get the idea.

this summer i felt pretty comfortable. sure there are always things in life we would change if we could, but overall things were fine. i wasn't looking for a change necessarily (i mean besides the obvious looking for a husband kind of change), but change happened anyway. 2 of the girls i lived with bought houses, and in a very short time everything changed.

i decided rather quickly to move. i found a place, found someone to move into my old place, and moved all in a matter of 2 weeks. it was crazy fast, and everything just seemed to work out. i had really mixed feelings about this change. i was really sad to move on from friends i was really comfortable with, but i was also excited for a new place and new friends. this has honestly been one of the easiest changes for me. unlike other changes, i didn't feel anxiety about the change. i felt and still feel really calm about it.

a lot of things have changed lately. i live in a new place with new girls. i attend a different ward (church congregation). i have new responsibilities at work. i have some new and really great friends (do you have friends you group text with on a basically daily basis? i highly recommend it. gracias to alycia for that line.) exciting things are happening here on the blog. 

when i started thinking about writing a post about change a few months ago, i felt really sad. i was sad that people were moving on to new and exciting things. i'm glad i didn't publish it back then. i have a new perspective on change. change is going to happen no matter what so i might as well embrace it.

PS...how do you feel about change? do you love it or hate it? 

PPS...i can't believe october is practically half over which means november is right around the corner. i'm joining forces with kelly from modern camelot for another round of 30x30. we would love for you to join us. if you are even considering participating, email me and we'll get you on the list. it's fun!

unblogged bloggables...favorite things party

i keep thinking i am close to being caught up on all the unblogged bloggables, and then i get behind again. this time i really do think i am almost caught up. kyla and diana hosted a super fun favorite things party back in august. here's how it works... everyone brings 3 of their favorite things ($10 limit per item) put your name in a bowl 3 times draw a name out of the bowl and that person gets one of your 3 things keep going until everyone goes home with 3 things. it's like christmas and so much fun,
everything was so cute!

 sharing our favorite things

 such a fun group

kim. kyla, alycia, michelle, me, rachel, jessica, jessica, sasha

dana, jenna, diana, jenny, deidre, alacia

 we obviously had a fun time

 diana, jenna and her cute bump, alycia

 with my blogging bffs

 the lovely hosts kyla and diana

thanks ladies for putting together such a fun party. let's do it again soon!
Kim
Dana
Kyla
Jenna
Alycia
Diana
Michelle
Jenny
Aubrey
Deidre
Rachel
Alacia
Jessica
Jessica
Sasha

what would you do...1.0

remember kimberly from blogging the bach?!? it's been a couple of months since the bach ended, and we've really missed our regular collaborations. so...we decided to start something new. (don't worry, we'll be back blogging the bach in january).

WHAT WOULD YOU DO... (also #wwyd)

what does that even mean? each month we pick something and post about what we would do with it. for example

October...WHAT WOULD YOU DO...with a can of pumpkin?

the theme will vary from food to clothes to crafts. the options are endless.

posts go up the 2nd Wednesday of every month. 

theme for following month announced at end of post.

we would love for you to join us.

simple enough right?!?

enough talky talk. let's get down to business here.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO...with a can of pumpkin

my first thought was weight watchers pumpkin cookies because they are amazing, but i'm pretty sure everyone already has the recipe. (email me if you don't)

i love love love pumpkin, but i hate pumpkin pie so i was really excited to try some new things.

1. go overboard (naturally. if it's not over the top it's not worth doing)

2. ask around and see what others would do

i was at craft night and asked for ideas. candace happened to have this. all the recipes are adapted from this food network magazine.

pumpkin yogart

the recipe said to use vanilla greek yogurt, but i always buy plain. i added a little honey for sweetener. this was a major FAIL. it was so gross. i felt like i was eating pumpkin flavored sour cream.

twice-baked sweet potatoes

bake sweet potatoes in oven at 400 degrees or cook in microwave for 10 minutes. halve and scoop out the potato. add 1/2 c pumpkin, 1/2 c sour cream, cheddar cheese, 2 chopped green onions, 1 tsp salt, and pinch of nutmeg. spoon mixture back into potato and bake for 20 minutes.

the original recipe called for butter in the mixture (i skipped that) and regular white potatoes. i loved the sweet potatoes. this was so good, and i am definitely making it again...maybe tomorrow.

pumpkin soup

make 2 cups of chicken broth with 2 cubes of chicken bouillon or use ready made broth. simmer 1 can of pumpkin, 2 c chicken broth, 1/2 c cream, and 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice. stir every 5 minutes.

AMAZING and so easy! i added a scoop of sour cream, green onions, and cheese, but it was just as good without. 

PUMPKIN BROWNIES

i wanted to make cookies, but i didn't have a spice cake so i tried brownies with white chocolate chips. i left out the oil in the mix. 

the brownies were really good but didn't taste like pumpkin at all. if you're trying to get your kids, husband, self to eat pumpkin, add it in brownies.

besides making all these recipes, i really didn't go too overboard if you use a big can. potatoes, brownies, and yogurt only used a little more than a small can, and the soup used another small can=1 big can.

as long as i'm cooking with pumpkin, and it's wednesday, why not post a pumpkin inspired outfit?

every single thing i'm wearing except the skirt (which I made) is so old it's not even worth discussing where it came from. sorry!

i'm dying to see what kimberly did with her can of pumpkin. she's such a good cook. check it out here.

kiss me darling also decided to join us. they are the most fashionable girls, and i can't wait to see what pumpkin inspired outfits they picked, and i already know the recipe they're posting. trust me, you must check it out here.

this was fun right?!? for next month...

WHAT WOULD YOU DO...with $20 at Target.

halloweeny craft night/decor

last week diana told me about a craft night she saw on instagram. yes, you read that right. i love craft nights, and i had a friend to go with. never mind the fact that neither of us knew the host. that's beside the point. it's social media at it's best. candace did such a great job putting it all together. she had 3 crafts for us to work on. it was such a fun night, and although showing up at a random person your friend knows through instagram only might sound weird. it really wasn't. it was lots of fun.

 crafts in process

 i'm obsessed with this little witchy. 

 diana and our new friend IRL candace

 the witches took a little longer than expected, but i didn't want to leave without at least starting the banner.

it's pretty hard to see the little witchy, but i wrapped a box in black polka dot tissue paper and set the witch on top. i finished the halloween banner. i was in a little hurry so stapled the banner together with colored staples.

most all of these decorations were from last year. i was so excited to get them out again.

i made this wreath quite a while ago and have been scared ever since. the thumb tacks fall out sometimes, and it's kind of heavy. i bought all the thumb tacks at the dollar store and the styrofoam wreath with a coupon. next time i think i would use some sort of glue so the thumb tacks don't come out.

i have one more halloween project to do, and then i'll be all done for this year.