foodie friday...buttercream frosting

growing up my mom always made our birthday cakes. she insisted on making the frosting too. i barely even knew store bought frosting was a thing. i knew it tasted better, but i never bothered to learn how to make it. when celsey and i started making cakes, we bought the frosting. it was expensive and hard to work with so we got smart and started making my mom's recipe.
4 cups powdered sugar 1/2 cup shortening 1/4 cup margarine or butter (i prefer margarine) 1/4 cup milk 1 teaspoon vanilla
mix all ingredients together. add more milk if needed.
i use this recipe for cake decorating and as a base for flavored frosting. everyone always loves it.

off season crafts: modify ink

i love making holiday crafts. i have ideas, and i usually have big plans to make the crafts before the holiday. finding the time often becomes a huge challenge. i end up scrambling to finish the project or don't even end up getting it done. i starting making a halloween crafts about a year ago. it was a little funny working on halloween crafts in the opposite season, but i decided i really loved it. when halloween came, my crafts were done and ready to be displayed. after i made my glitter shamrock, i wanted to make something similar for every holiday. i'm planning to stick with the idea of crafting for the opposite holiday. my next project is going to be fall and a gold glitter pumpkin.

i found the perfect print to go with my pumpkin (that isn't made yet). modify ink offers customizable art. they provide the design and you change the colors. it's super easy to use. with a few clicks of the mouse, you have art that matches your space.

i was so excited when i found this print. i have a lot of halloween decor but not much thanksgiving. i need to make the glitter pumpkin and decide if i want to frame this or display the print only. thoughts?

if you're looking for a print (words, designs, both), check out modify ink. now through monday, use this link to get 30% your purchase. you'll be glad you did.

***i received this print in exchange for writing this review. as always, all opinions are my own.

currently+announcements

i should be used to it by now because it happens every year, but this winter wonderland is going to be the death of me today. i hate winter even when it's supposed to be winter so when it's supposed to be spring i'm a little grumpy about it.

 in other better news, if you're local head on over to instagram and check out the giveaway i posted. cahoots fitness opened in lehi, and it's the coolest idea. i've teamed up with them to offer a free month membership including movement preschool/child care.

i haven't talked about autism awareness month as much as i usually do. autism is something very close to my heart so i do what i can to raise awareness. one of my favorite things is the blue polish swap. i know we all love getting real mail so this is a super fun thing to do. today is the last day to sign up. it's pretty simple. comment here or on the post on instagram with your email, get a partner, send a package/get a package.

sometimes time goes by so quickly and other times i can't believe it's only wednesday. how's your day going?

beauty: in my makeup bag-eye shadow

i still can't believe how much makeup i have in one sort of small bag. besides a huge eye shadow pallet, extra eyeliner, and lip products, i keep everything in my makeup bag. i love eye shadow, and i love options. i use the same base color every single day (clinique daybreak) and highlight with a variety of other colors.

some of my fave eyeshadows are MAC, clinique, and recently the ulta happy birthday pallet.

if you're not a member of ulta's reward system, join now.

what are your faves?

in case you missed what else is in my makeup bag part 1-the basics part 2-mascara/eyeliner
PS-i'm hosting a blue nail polish swap for autism awareness on instagram. i'm leaving sign ups open through today. it's simple. sign up, get a partner, send a package/get a package.

random rambling...far away family

i've talked about my family and living away from them before. in case you're new around here, i grew up in north carolina, far far away from any extended family. i moved to utah (with my family) for college. they left (half way through my freshman year) and i stayed. here i am all these years later living far far away from my family. i actually live closer to some of my extended family now than my immediate family. it is hard, but it is also very normal for me. aside from a few semesters of my sisters living in utah for parts of college, i've spent my whole adult life away from family. i wish things were different. i wish i lived close to my family.

i spent last week in california with both of my sisters. i love being with my family more than anything. my sister has a newborn baby so the trip was very low key. we spent most of the time at the house holding the baby, playing with the kids, and helping around the house. it was the perfect trip! 

saying goodbye is always the worst. i start dreading the goodbye well before it's time to leave. that dread was especially bad this time. when we were all single, we got together with all of our family at least a couple of times a year, but now that my sisters are both married, it's a lot harder. we don't see each other nearly as often as we would like, and we don't have a plan for the next time we'll be together. i think that's the part that makes me the saddest. i hope to go back to california this summer, but my other sister/brothers/parents won't be there.

on a daily basis living far away from family is the norm. yes it's hard, but it is all i have ever known. but, when it's time to say goodbye, there is nothing normal about it. it's so very sad and hard. airport goodbyes cause the worst ugly cry tears, and this time was no exception.

for the little tykes...saying yes

i've talked about discipline and the importance of consistency which quite often means telling kids no. parents have to tell kids they/do things throughout the day, but today i want to talk about the opposite.

it's really important for kids to have boundaries and limits, but sometimes it's ok to say yes. yes to pulling all the canned foods out of the pantry to play store yes to riding bikes in the front  yes to cheetos at the store yes to playing barbies when it's time for laundry yes to an extra story at bedtime and  yes to a frozen yogart run at 7:30 at night when it's normally time to get ready for bed. of course, some of these are exceptions. we can't say yes all the time which makes it even more exciting when the answer is yes. i'm in california visiting my sister and her family. my niece has been promised a girl's night for the past several weeks. dinner ran late, and it seemed like there might not be time. tonight the answer was yes. the girls loaded up in one car to go get frozen yogart, and the boys loaded up in the other to go get ice cream. the kids got to bed a little later than they should, but we all had a fun, memorable night. the kids came home so happy and cooperated with bedtime. the yes was totally worth it, and i'm so happy i got to be part of it. what have you said yes to lately?

simple jewelry board

my niece is really getting into jewelry these days which i totally love. she has enough that she needs a better organization system. this was the perfect, simple solution.

supplies

block of wood (sometimes you can get lucky and find scrap wood)

paint (we used a cotton candy pink) and paintbrush

tools (drill, wrench, tape measure, pencil)

sandpaper

drawer pulls

paint block of wood. you'll probably need 2 coats. sand edges if you want to distress. (we meant to do that but kind of forgot)

measure where you want the holes and drill holes. grab edges with wrench and slowly twist into block of wood

hang on the wall 

voila. so cute for a little girl's room. this would also be so cute for a grown up room.

i kind of want to make one for myself except i have the biggest jewelry board already. 

wwyd...floral inspiration

in case you're new around here or just need a reminder...the second wednesday of the month is  WWYD (what would you do)... each month kimberly and i choose a theme, do something(craft, recipe, fashion) with the theme, and host a link up. we're not big on rules so if you have a post (new or old) that fits the theme, we would love to have you link up with us. this month we want to know what would you do...with floral inspiration?
floral patterns have been all the rage for a while. my style is not vintage at all, and i really haven't gotten too on board with floral patterns. i think these are the only 2 floral items i even own, and they're both agnes and dora.

i usually don't wear a lot of leggings in the spring/summer, but this outfit is so springy i make an exception.

gap cardi|old navy v nack|agnes and dora leggings|target flats

i've posted this outfit many times. it's my fave floral.

agnes and dora kimono and skirt|target v neck|gap sandals

photo kaycie eddie photography

we want to see your floral looks. link up below.

next month we want to know

what would you do...with strawberries?

An InLinkz Link-up

beauty:in my makeup bag-mascara/eyeliner

i started talking about my makeup bag last week, and i'm back for more makeup this week. i've posted my mascara on instagram a few times. it is a little out of control how much mascara i wear.

with my makeup routine, i apply eyeshadow and then eyeliner. my fave eyeliner right now is kat von dee liquid eyeliner. i also like stila and urban decay liquid. i go through phases with eyeliner. sometimes i prefer liquid, sometimes twist up. 
i start out with a primer. right now i use the clinique eyelash primer. i also really like MAC eyelash primer. i start with either a lengthening or thickening mascara. after a few coats, i curl my eyelashes, and start adding more and more coats. i alternate between MAC and clinique for lengthening and thickening depending on sales and prices. i just got the bare minerals lash domination and added it to my routine. i finish with mary kay to seal it all. it's not waterproof, but it seems to help the rest stay. 
people give me a hard time about all the mascara, but it's what works for me. what mascara and eyeliner do you use on a daily basis? does anything change if you're going out?

2015 goal update...FOCUS on...the blog

it's the first monday of the month so it's time for another goal update. generally i mostly set goals that i am pretty sure i can accomplish. not that anyone likes to fail. but i really really hate it. i'm not a risk taker in any aspect of my life so it makes sense that i don't set risky goals.

march goals, however, did not go as well as i hoped.

MARCH is FOCUS on the BLOG

1. set up sponsorship program to start april 1-total fail. i haven't done one single thing with this. i was hoping my new blog design would be live and i could start ads from there. it's still in the works, and i'm using that as an excuse. i gave away ad space in a giveaway recently so time is running out.

2. follow up with brands from build your blog-i FINALLY unpacked my swag bag and have a pile of people i need to follow up with. the follow up still needs to happen for most.

3. start planning slumber soiree-i still don't have a venue or date, but i do have one sponsor. thanks olive the things for helping me not completely fail this goal.

i obviously still have a lot of work to do in this area. the blog is definitely a work in progress, and i plan to continue with these goals.

APRIL is FOCUS on WORK

1. continue working on march goals for the blog

see above

2. revamp curriculum for class i teach

i have been meaning to work on revamping some class curriculum at work, and it needs to be done.

3. help with autism awareness by organizing blue polish swap

details coming to instagram this week

i have more goals for work, but i don't have a lot of time this month due to time off. i may come back to this goal later in the year, but i wanted to at least get a start. let's hope hope april goes better than march.

how are your goals going? what are your goals this month?

churchy..easter/general conference

i usually like to write about churchy things on sunday, but i needed to get this in before the weekend. i love the candy, the crafts, and the fun with holidays, but the most important part of easter to me is that Jesus Christ lives. this short video helps remind me why i celebrate easter. not only is it easter this weekend, but it is also lds general conference.

LDS General Conference happens twice a year (april and october). members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (and anyone else who is interested) do not attend standard worship services. instead we have the opportunity to hear from the leaders of the church including the prophet, president thomas s monson. there are 4 general sessions (2 on saturday and 2 on sunday) as well as specialized sessions for the men (saturday night) and women (last weekend). because the church headquarters are in utah, the sesions are broadcast on local tv. all sessions are also available on the internet at lds.org.

so back to why am i posting churchy things early...i look forward to general conference weekend every 6 months. it gives me a chance to spend the weekend hearing and thinking about churchy things. it helps me focus on the important things in my life and gives me the strength and comfort to get me through the challenges of life. the leaders of the church often suggest listening to the sessions with questions in mind. it really is amazing how certain talks speak directly to me. it always reminds me of God's love for me and His hand in not only my life but the lives of everyone around me. i wanted to post a little early to extend an invitation to you to check out lds.org this weekend as well as #ldsconf on social media. the messages are uplifting and inspiring no matter your religion.

in other churchy news...meet the mormons came out on video this week. it was honestly the only movie i saw in the theater last year, and i can't wait to see it again. if you're not mormon, and you want to know a little more about my faith or you're just looking for an uplifting movie, mariel generously offered to buy you a copy. check out her post here. i'm not a movie person at all so for me to say a movie is worth your time, means a whole lot.

sarah posted easter activities to do with kids.

easter vinyl/wood craft

i love holidays! i love the crafts, the food, the decorations, and the celebration. i try not to go overboard adding decorations each year because i have so much already, but i do like to add one or two things for each holiday. after my glitter shamrock project, i wanted to make something similar for easter, and i still want to... i saw this sign at the wood craft store (wood connection). it was the perfect simple addition to my decor this year.

this project is a little different than vinyl projects i've done before. the vinyl is more of a stencil.

1. paint the board the color of choice for the words/pictures (i chose gray)

2. allow plenty of time for paint to dry

3. apply vinyl (i bought the vinyl at wood connection, but you could also use your silhouette/cricut to cut it yourself)

4. paint over the vinyl in color of choice (i chose teal). i needed 2 coats to completely cover the gray)

5. again allow plenty of time for paint to dry

6. carefully peel off vinyl

7. touch up with small paintbrush

my decor is pretty simple this year. the holiday is so early. i have a few more crafts to make throughout the year to be all ready for next year. sometimes i like crafting on opposite seasons. do you ever do that? try it. it's kind of nice.

wear it wednesday...adding a bright color

i don't necessarily think it has to be spring/summer to wear bright colors, but spring makes me want to brighten up my wardrobe. my go to methods for adding color are cardigans, shoes, accessories.

 target boyfrient cardi|target v neck|gap jeans|toms wedges|cents of style necklace|michael kors watch|alex and ani bracelet

adding a bright cardi and shoes totally brightened up my look. 

beauty: in my makeup bag-the basics

i love nail polish, and beauty products, and makeup. i love the products i use, but i also like new ideas of what everyone else uses.

i started taking things out of my makeup bag planning to do one post until i realized i have far too many things in there. for the next few weeks let's talk about what's in my makeup bag starting with the basics.

it's hard to believe i fit so much stuff in this small bag, but i really do fit a ton of stuff in there.

i've talked about face primer before. i always start with primer. i currently use monistat chafing gel-yes, you read that right. next i cover under eye circles and blemishes with clinique concealer. i prime my eyes with urban decay.

i use bare minerals original foundation, concealer, blush, warmth, and tinted mineral veil

i never thought i had a lot of brushes until i took them all out. most of them are bare minerals. eye shadow brushes are avon and clinique. i apply a couple of coats of mascara while warming the eyelash curler in my hand and then separate eyelashes as needed.

what are the basics in your makeup bag?