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Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

I found a recipe for pumpkin cinnamon rolls (holy yum right??). Click here for the original recipe http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/pumpkin-cinnamon-rolls-recipe/. On Sunday I gave them a try. Unfortunately, they didn't turn out as well as I had hoped. The fam all agreed on a few things that I should change when I make them again:

1. Double the sugar in the dough. Instead of 3 tablespoons, do 6. The rolls weren't sweet enough.
2. Add cinnamon to the filling, probably a tablespoon. The filling didn't have enough flavor, it needed a little something more.
3. Double the amount of filling. There wasn't enough stuff in the middle of the rolls.
4. Watch the bake time! Mine were only in for 22 minutes and turned out a bit brown :( no one likes a crunchy cinnamon roll. Next time, I'd check them at 15 minutes, and every couple minutes after that.

Although the rolls themselves didn't turn out too well, the maple cream cheese frosting sure did!

Hopefully my next pumpkin cinnamon roll endeavor will be a complete success :)

Happy Tuesday :)



Saturday, September 22, 2012

This life I live.

I am so grateful for my life. The past month or so I've been so in awe of how wonderful life is. Sure, it's incredibly hard at times, I won't deny that, but the good completely outweighs the bad.

Yesterday was so great. I worked in the morning. I work with my family. I love it. I get to see them so often. When our shift was over, Dallan and I headed to Village Baker. We'd never been there before and Ashlee and our co-workers said it was better than Kneaders. . .So I had to see if the rumors were true because I am a firm Kneaders fan. Turns out, the rumors were absolutely true. I got the vegetarian with provolone sandwich on their honey whole wheat. Let me tell you, I am in love. It was the best sandwich I've ever had. We also got a pumpkin bar of sorts to share, and I savored every bite. We went to the West Jordan park to eat, then went for a walk on the Jordan River Parkway. The weather was perfect. It was just warm enough with a cool breeze. An amazing fall day. Days like these are my favorite. Just walking and talking with my brother about life; the complexities, the simplicities, what we've learned thus far in our lives, what improvements we're making, and how happy we are, where we are, with ourselves.

A couple Sundays ago Dallan and the Briggs came over for dinner. We played the game 'Headbands' outside while my dad played with Owen on our swing set and in the yard. It was so fun. We laughed so hard with each other. My mom made homemade raspberry peach pie for us. As we sat in the backyard eating our pie and laughing with each other, I couldn't help but feel so fortunate. Later, Dallan and I were talking about how amazing it is just to be alive; to have air in our lungs, to have bodies that function the way we want them to, to be able to laugh, to never know what hunger truly is, to be able to see the sky.

So often we overlook the simple enjoyments of life, when the simple things are what make life so great. For me it's: Family. Laughter. Writing. Singing. Baking. Dreaming. Hearing Owen speak. Reading. Swimming. A new dress. A good night's sleep. Running. Dancing. Friends. And Love.

I have been so grateful lately, I feel like my heart is going to burst. I guess Thanksgiving came a little early in my mind this year :)

Thursday, September 20, 2012

It smells like fall :)

I just finished making (for the first time ever) pumpkin bread with cream cheese frosting. . . Mmmm. I love fall for so many reasons. One being pumpkins :) I love pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cheese cake, pumpkin shakes, pumpkin cookies, and basically any food that begins with 'pumpkin'.. I have lots of new pumpkin recipes I'll be trying in the next few months, so prepare yourselves ;)

This bread is quite simple:
1 1/2 cups pureed pumpkin
1/2 cup applesauce
4 eggs

Beat all of the above until smooth. In a separate bowl, combine the following:

1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Then slowly mix the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture.

Grease 2 8x4x2'' loaf pans and divide the batter evenly between the two.
Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees.

Frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
a few drops of milk, if needed.

The end :)

Happy fall to you.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Hair, hair, hair.

Today I looked in the mirror and realized how icky I had let the ends of my hair get. Conveniently enough, a Fantastic Sam's just opened up near my neighborhood. So after work I took a little trip to the salon. The cosmetologist who cut my hair was simply amazing. Christina is her name. Because of her, I left with a brain full of new knowledge about how to have good looking hair.

 She began our conversation by asking me what kind of shampoo and conditioner I use. Come to find out, I've been using one that's totally wrong for my hair. I've been using Fructis' for 'dry and damaged hair'. Guess what? the 'damaged' part is for hair that's been dyed. The product puts proteins back in the hair. Since I have never dyed my hair, I've just been putting all these extra proteins in my hair and it's actually caused my hair to break more easily. Whoda thought? Apparently all I need is a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner.

She said when conditioning your hair start from the ends and work your way up. The hair on top of your head doesn't really need conditioning.

She also said tying hair back causes breakage because the elastic pulls on the hair. So when you need your hair pulled back, use a clip. She said Target has cuter ones than Wal Mart :) Goodbye elastic bands!

Also, combing your hair when it's wet will cause less breakage than a brush. Hair picks work the best.

Aaaaand, trimming your hair every 6-8 weeks will help it grow faster.
 
I just had to share this because I've never had such a great experience getting my haircut. I'm sure it sounds silly, but it's true. Christina was feeding me all this information about how to keep my hair healthy. It's amazing how a 30 minute haircut, and a friendly cosmetologist made my day so great. Thanks Christina :)

Saturday, September 15, 2012

3 Discoveries

I've made 3 very simple discoveries the past week:

#1. I love making zucchini bread and I love eating zucchini bread. Last October (Holy, that's a year ago!) I made it for the first time, but hadn't made it since. Last Sunday I had some time and a zucchini and thought 'why not make that bread again?'. After I made it and ate it, I realized I had forgotten how good it is. So I made another 4 loaves this morning :)

Check out the recipe here: http://rinner-rinner.blogspot.com/2011/10/zucchini-bread.html

#2. The Sock Bun. If you're on pinterest I'm sure you saw how cool this was months and months ago. I'm a bit behind on the times and just tried it this week. I am so glad I did! It's genius. What is it about a new hairdo or a new outfit that makes me feel refreshed in a way? Whatever the reason, I'm happy I finally tried out this bad boy!


And #3. I Will Wait by Mumford and Sons. This song has been on repeat this week. I'll admit it. . . I used to find Mumford and Sons super obnoxious. Now I think they're brilliant. Who knows why my brain changed its mind. This song is so lovely. It makes me so happy.


"Now I'll be bold
As well as strong
And use my head along side my heart"

Happy Saturday :)

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Getting My Craft On!

My sister Ashlee is the master crafter! It seems like she always has a craft she's working on. She makes them for her home and gifts for friends or family. She's got skills. She's decorated her home with so many things she's made. It's so neat because she has so many one-of-a-kind pieces. She makes things specific with people's personalities and interests. She's great at it. 

 A few weeks ago she was looking at the Wood Connection's blog and saw a super cute owl, called me, and said we should make it. I am not one for crafting. I 1) am indecisive and 2) lose patience. So Ashlee is helping me turn a new leaf. We made these owls and I love how they turned out. Perfect for Fall :)

My lil' owl.

Thanks Ash for teaching me the ways of crafting :)

There will be more crafts in the future months to come :)

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

New Dress

I may or may not have a habit of shopping when I'm feeling down. . . I know, not a smart pick-me-up, but it works. A few weeks ago I went out and found this dress and fell in love with it!

$25.99 Sale + $10.00 Gift Card = 1 Happy Girl

Saturday, September 8, 2012

New Music

Ever get in a music rut? Lately I've been bored of my music. Real music can be hard to find. It seems like most popular tunes don't have much feeling in them. And feeling is the best part of music. Not the lyrics, the singer's voice, or the fancy sounds computers can make these days. It's how the music makes you feel. Isn't that why we listen to music? Because it makes us feel something? I think the best music is the simplest. Just a few instruments and a voice is really all we need.

My friend at work told me about this artist named Birdy. She's a youngin and is flawless. I like the fact that she is so young but her music is so mature. I've been listening to her a lot. I love her music. She is so simple and unique. You may enjoy her tunes too :)

Check out her full album here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DmxJ3ZW2zw

I'd say which songs are my favs, but I can't. They're all so great in their own way. Decide for yourself.

Happy Saturday :)

Monday, September 3, 2012

Words for the Week

 I used to be a hardcore American Idol fan, fortunately those days are long behind me. But I remember when contestants would audition, and if they weren't so good-looking the judges would be surprised if they could really sing. Remember Susan Boyle's audition for the X Factor? Everyone thought she was a joke until she showed us her pipes. I'm not sure why we think people we deem as beautiful are the only humans with something to offer. Goodness comes in all forms, not just in beauty.

That's my shpeal for today :)

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Slow

Yesterday I was driving down a road full of construction. Living in Utah, this is no surprise. You'd think I'd be used to the orange cones, construction workers, dirt, and "Roadwork Ahead" signs. Yet, I still tend to get annoyed while driving through it. I've honestly been trying to have more patience lately and driving sure likes to test that! Anyway, I turned onto this dug up road, trying so hard to not be annoyed, and the greatest thing happened. Up ahead I saw a construction worker holding a 'slow' sign. They were moving a lot and I thought something was wrong. . .Until I got closer. This construction worker, an older woman, wearing her hard hat, holding this sign in the blazing heat, was totally dancing. Full out. Hard core. It was the greatest. She was smiling and waving at everyone who drove past. I waved at her and couldn't help but smile and laugh. She completely made my day.
I learned something from this lady: Attitude. She could have just stood there with her sign and not made the effort to dance, wave, or smile and no one would have given her a second thought. But she chose to make the best of her shift and try to leave a positive impression on people. And she did. We all have work to do that we'd rather not, but in this world we have to. However, we have a choice every single moment. We can stand through it, or dance through it. It's up to you.

 Let's dance.

Thanks construction lady :)