Happy birthday {dear} friend!

this is one of the NICEST people who will ever have the pleasure of meeting.
and if you do ever have the chance to meet her, count it as one of your many blessings!!!
years ago i was fortunate enough to learn a new {hobby}...quilting and in doing so, i met susan.

she has since changed my life. she not only got me started with my own quilting business but she played a HUGE part in me joining the church. both of which, have brought me so much joy. i'm grateful for her example, her talents and the love she gives so freely.

susan, i adore you!

happy birthday!

p.s. isn't this little cupcake quilt adorable! one her talented students made it! so cute!!!

Third times the CHARM

trina had this recipe on her blog and sharyn raved about them so i had to give them a try.

the first couple times they were good. the kids LOVED them, but they weren't as sharyn had raved. i was bummed because i had brought them to the birthday party and i know they weren't living up to their potential, so i tried yet again...

this time i googled it and found the recipe here at allrecipes (love that site!). i read the reviews and tips and tried yet again.

can i just say DELICIOUS!!!
the key is really to undercook the cupcake a tad. if you think they are perfect, they are probably too done.
if you want to wow the kids (and adults) give it a try.

In Full Swing

rachel griffith from ps i quilt made this quilt.
if you like it and would like to make it you can go here for the pattern.

and if you want a kit go here...
i'd like to make it with a scalloped border, oh sew cute!

A room with {views}

what a treat!
i tagged along to a {birthday party} today and boy am i glad i did!
a lovely lady hosted it at her beautiful home and when i say beautiful, i mean beautiful!

she has just finished a sewing room remodel in the upstairs room of her {castle}
and everything including the views are amazing.

if you click on the collage you'll get a good look at the fun stuff she's done to make her sewing room unique.
i love the tree that holds the thread and the way she's labeled her baskets! if you look closely at the quilt rack, you'll notice that it holds quilts that need to be complete along with their binding all neatly waiting to be stitched on. i wish i could've gotten a better look at the grandmother's flower garden quilt and the lone star that are quietly sitting on the rail. beautiful!

and even more beautiful are the views from her room...

these are some of her gardens.

and the lake out back.

and when i said castle, i meant it. the house has been built to resemble that of a castle and they did a remarkable job. here's a few more photos.

this was the a side of the back yard. i wasn't able to photograph everything that i wanted to, it would've taken too long but it is all georgous and so is the gal that lives here.

thanks for letting me tag along and take photos, i loved it!!!

p.s. if you come home one day and a blue minivan is in your driveway, don't be alarmed, it's just me taking in the views!

My First Lesson

well the cookies were good, but the lesson...
{not so much}

my brain is not functioning properly yet and i was constantly losing my train of thought and not coming up with the words that i wanted.

so frustrating!
i want my brain back!

i'd rather give a talk every month than teach. {ugh!}

I'm in {bake} mode...

kathy sent me a link to these and i thought i'd share the wonderful find with all of you!

oh...and while i was browsing good ol' williams sonoma, i had to get the pancake pen.
thanks kathy for sharing this with me!!!

Pray from the {HEART}

tomorrow i am giving a lesson in relief society.
the lesson is on prayer and it's my first time teaching.
i'm very nervous so i thought i'd give everyone a heart shaped cookie to win them over
in case the lesson doesn't go so well...

i think between the cookies and this video and my strong testimony of prayer, i'll win over a few.

say a prayer for me that i can deliver the Lord's message in a way pleasing unto Him...

Cupcakes at {seven} am

masyn wanted me to make cupcakes for the school's 50th birthday celebration today.
so up i am on 'sleep late SATURDAY!!!' {for those of you who watch KUSI}
although that's not quite how i'd describe my saturdays lately...

so we're up and moving. cleaning, baking and {blogging} of course on a beautiful saturday morning.

have a wonderful day!

A Nice Visit

ok...i am reaallly upseting myself!
i left without a picture of papa. {ugh!}

anyhoo, i finally took the kids to see grammi & papa last week.

papa has had a rough couple of years and it's taken it's toll on grandma.
i've always admired her strength and fortitude that's why i named masyn after her.

papa is doing as good as can be expected. things could be a lot worse so we are all grateful for that!

i'll vistit them again shortly (this time with masyn) and i'll get pictures of everyone.

The {first} Box

in the last month, several people have asked when i'm going to start packing...
my response is always the same. "when inka (shawn's mom) starts packing, i'll start packing.
to make a long story short, that got back to her and i recieved a text message that read, "i've packed a box."

my reply read, "{keeping up}. one down, waayyy too many to go."
i'll wait for the next text and in the mean time, i'll keep collecting boxes...

A Softer Side

of my boy!

evyn's having a positive impact!
(shawn isn't so thrilled...he says, "he's turning into a sister")

p.s. a side note about the hat. as cute as it is that he 'has' to wear it backwards, it causes a HUGE problem when sitting in a car seat. boy does he get irritated that the hat and the car seat don't exactly work well together. {ugh!}

Back To Work

the quilts in my sewing room are calling my name...

so i finally gave in and got back to work.
i finished tiffany's quilt today and quoting jake, "it's so big it could be a tent".

happy quilting!

Who's Who

i found this picture of nolan and couldn't believe how much evyn looks like him...