Tulips as far as the eye can see!

Last year I went to this tulip festival and loved it! I had to make sure to go back this year. It didn't dissapoint at all it was so breath taking! There is a lady in our ward that Trish and I have taken under our wing. She is so sweet and reminds me of a mix of my grandma's. Her own family doesn't visit her very much so we have enjoyed taking her with us. She had a blast and of course she had to bring her toy poodle punkin:) I hope you enjoy the pictures!

I promise I am still alive!

Hi! Did anyone miss me? I have so many new posts that I need to do! I am sorry I haven't been around. I have had major issues with my computer like the cord started on fire so I had to get a new one:( Then the one they sent me has not worked either so I am hoping this next week it will come. I have really missed your blogs and being able to post. I hope I didn't lose all of my readers. Anyway stay tuned I hope to get a few posts done this week!

Thoughts

I have been thinking a lot about how different I am lately then what I use to be. I have struggled my whole life with my weight and hated myself. It wasn't easy being teased and made fun of especially by family members. Its been a difficult road and I have gone up and down back and forth with weight. I am at the highest weight I have ever been and I am not proud of that. After watching the biggest loser season after season I have come to realize a few things. 1.You have to change whats wrong inside before you change the outside. 2.You have to come to love yourself and make the change for you not anyone else. 3.You have to learn to eat right and be willing to keep excercising even when you reach your goal weight. There are lots more but those are the top ones. I have tried and failed a number of times with different things. I have lost lots of weight but because of the things mentioned above the weight came back. It has been harder to deal with then I could ever tell you. I am once again trying something new to see if I can get it to work. I have lost 3 pounds so far and I seem to be in a different mind set. I am hoping this is the time that I will finally make it and be happy with myself.

Easter fun

Growing up my mom always made the cutest bunny cake on Easter. I guess I am keeping that tradition going. I made this cake and then had to do the little nest cupcakes too:) I also remember sitting around my grandma's kitchen table dying eggs. It was such a fun time as she got out the same old mugs that have been stained through the years with the dye. We would write our names in crayon and then have the hard choice of what color to dye it. My grandparents were the best basket hiders in the world. It would take most of the day looking in the acre and a half of yard they owned. After my grandpa passed away I got to take on the project of putting the baskets together and hiding them. I can see why they had so much fun! There are so many hiding spots out there! I am so thankful for family traditions that have so many memories etched in my mind.

Cute chick for Easter

1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup white chocolate chips
1 Twinkie

Chocolate sprinkles
Orange frosting
2 candy lemon slices

To make a pair of nests, first spread 1/2 cup of shredded coconut on a cookie sheet and toast it under a broiler until golden brown, about 1 minute. Remove the coconut from the oven, stir it, then toast it for 30 seconds more. Repeat as needed until all of the coconut is evenly toasted, then let it cool.

Next, melt 1/4 cup of white chocolate chips in a double boiler according to the package directions. Remove the pan from the heat (keep the chocolate over the warm water) and stir in the coconut. For the nestlings, lay a Twinkie flat on your work surface and cut it in half. Press 2 chocolate sprinkles into each half for eyes and pipe on orange frosting beaks. Let the beaks set a bit, then stand the chicks upright on waxed paper and spoon the warm coconut mixture around them, shaping it into rings. Lastly, use frosting to stick on trimmed candy lemon slices (we used Brach's) for wings.

Jake and blossoms

Life has been so crazy lately but its a good thing:) I have been working full time and its so nice to have a job I like! This last Monday my roommate and I had the day off so of course we played. She is really good at playing the ukelele and really likes this guy that goes on tour and plays. He got his start on you tube and became popular posting videos there. He recently got to play for the queen of England. He played his Uke and Bette Midler sang so it was quite an honor! He is unbelievable and we could watch him forever. So much talent and he is funny too! Trish got us tickets to see him in Portland. We weren't sure how to get there so we left a bit early. We stopped at the temple to look around and deseret book. Everywhere is so beautiful with it all in bloom I had to take a few shots:)It has been so nice and warm here up in the 60's! I am excited for good weather its rained alot already this year. I am hoping to keep up with my blog but if I get a bit behind I am telling you sorry in advance:)

Trip to Utah

Its been a long time since I have done a post! Its been a crazy couple of weeks for me. I will try and stay caught up in the mean time this is what I have been up to! I have this good friend Rebecca that I have known for about 13 years. We were roommates and after she got married we still stayed in touch. I knew her anniversary of 10 years was coming up in March of this year.(Its actually today:) )Well she does not get out often because she has 5 kids and its hard for her to go anywhere especially overnight. I thought it would be a nice thing for her and her hubby to get away for a few days. I emailed her husband with the idea, he of course was thrilled I would even consider coming and watch the kids. We wanted to keep it a surprise and almost did but things came up and he couldn't come get me at the airport so we had to tell. I think she was shocked so it was a nice way to surprise her. I really didn't know what I had gotten myself into until I saw the outlined daily routine! She is very organized and runs a tight ship:) For the most part it went really well and I enjoyed my time with them. Dont get me wrong they are great kids they just like to see how far I can be pushed:) The oldest is 8 and the youngest 1 so I was on the run literally:) I didn't get a chance to get pictures of the older 2. When they got home from school it seemed like there was alot more going on! The kids loved being outside I was glad it was good weather so we could have fun. I hope they didn't think I was too mean, I tried to be fair. Anyway I am glad for the chance to visit them. I also got to go see my parents for a few days and it was great! I couldn't believe how much snow they still have. We had a nice relaxing time together and it went by way to quick! Its always nice to be home and sometimes I wish I still lived close. I was really excited to hear from my boss while I was in Utah. One of the people I work with had quit and she was moving me to full time! Such great news since I have only been working 3 days a week. I have already been blessed so much this new year! I am looking forward to the rest of this year:)