friday's favorite

ORIGINS is one of my favorite lines. I use several of their great products... my favorite today is the 'Ginger Float Cream Bubble Bath'. It makes being sick a little easier to handle. (sidenote: if you have any comfort food ideas or want to share your "cure all" secrets, I'd love any help I can get!) Fill up your tub with hot water, grab a scoop of the bubble bath in your hand and put it under the faucet. The scent is soothing, relaxing, and fresh. I love it!

Then when the bath is over, you can top it all off with the 'Ginger Souffle Whipped Body Cream'. It's so soft and smooth, and smells great!

Check out your nearest Origins store and smell them for yourself. Or, if you think you're ready for something new, you can buy them here.

Also, click here to check out their offer for a FREE mini facial and a FREE product!

spoiled

I feel SO SPOILED! It hasn't been one or two or even three, but FIVE nights in a row I was able to hang out with my hubby! I know, that might sound silly- but we usually get to spend our mornings together so being together 5 nights in a row was a special treat!

(5 nights in a row and no pictures to show... boo! I guess I was so enthralled with the time I wasn't worried about anything else. Which is probably how it should have been anyways...)

We started Friday night at the "International Plaza" for a farewell get together with some of Jeff's work people. We just happened to be right by "The Cheesecake Factory" and how could we resists buying a nice slice of yumminess?! We purchased a slice of "Adam's Peanut Butter Cup Fudge Ripple" and thoroughly enjoyed it. (Even Jeff loved it, and he's not a huge cheesecake fan!)

Saturday and Sunday are our normal nights together... Jeff enjoyed a ride on his new bike Saturday and then we hung out at home both nights. And that is one of my all time favorite things!

Monday night I bought some ribs from Sam's Club and made some other things to eat with it and we had a yummy dinner together at home... so great! How much fun we had eating dinner as a little family on a Monday night, we felt spoiled! (and if you've never purchased Sam's Club ribs... the ones that are cooked for you, by the rotisserie chicken... you should try them out. They were pretty tasty, especially because all I had to do was bring them home and eat them!)

And last night was a surprise date night! Once again, another fabulous night together! How lucky are we?!

We drove to one of my new favorite places, "Jason's Deli". If you haven't been there, you should try it out. I'd highly recommend it just for the free soft serve! Yummy yummy in my tummy!

We had a lot of fun and I can't wait for Saturday night when the "night fun" can start again!

friday's favorite

these eyes:

{Oh, how I love them!}

25 years

Dear Mom and Dad,

Happy Anniversary! I'm so happy you two found each other! I am so grateful for your relationship and the examples you are in my life. I love you both so much and hope you have a fabulous day!

I love you.
-Amy K.

friday's favorite

one word: FREE

I think every person loves that word, and if you don't, I don't know why you wouldn't! I thought I'd share some of my favorite free finds with you today...

Help end hunger and donate some free rice.

Not completely free... but I LOVE buy one get one free. If you have a Publix near you- check out some of their deals this weekend. Honey Bunches of Oats, one of my personal favorite cereals... on sale, buy one get one!

Are you looking for someone's trash to become your treasure?! I always love searching Craigslist free section, you never know what goodness you might find!

Something new today that I've been anxiously awaiting... and the best news, it's FREE!

Go here to learn more.

I'd love to know some of your favorite freebies, so come on, share the wealth!

where is fall?

Living in Florida is great, I don't have to deal with snow. But, it's around this time of year I start to miss Utah more than usual. I LOVE seeing the leaves change colors. The mountains take on a whole new look and the temperature is just cool enough to be able to wear your cozy slippers every once in a while.

I have been seeing pictures of the red and orange leaves and the beautiful fall changes happening in Utah and other places that get to experience the four seasons, I was feeling jipped.

But then, I realized that those places might have beautiful autumn leaves, but they don't have these gorgeous flowers right now....




So I put a smile on my face, lifted up my chin and remembered to relish the "fall" I'm experiencing. (Even if it is in our own Florida way.)

my cup overfloweth.

I have been uplifted, edified, inspired, and educated. This weekend was full of goodness and I feasted upon all of it. (Really in two ways... I ate and ate. Breakfast cake, waffles and homemade pizza- yum! but I also spiritually feasted)

General Conference always fills up my cup, and then some. I am so grateful for a living prophet to guide and direct us and for his knowledge and counsel. I was thrilled when they announced 5 new temples to be built, especially for the Rome, Italy temple. Someday, I'll make it out that way and have the chance to visit.

It's hard for me to narrow down a favorite talk because I truly gained something from each talk. President Uchtdorf's talk in the Saturday morning session on hope was wonderful. He said, "No matter how bleak the chapter of our lives may look today, because of the life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we may hope and be assured that the ending of the book of our lives will exceed our grandest expectations."

After conference ended I was filled with a greater determination to be a better wife, a better sister, a better daughter, a better neighbor, a better visiting teacher, a better friend, a better missionary, a better example. I know that life comes at us fast, sometimes too fast for us to handle. But I also know that it's from these great leaders of the church that I can find the inspiration and patience to learn how to handle those fast pitches.

President Monson spoke so simply of a few things I know I can do better....
"Enjoy the journey, now!"
"Stresses in our lives come regardless of our circumstances."
"Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved."
"Let us relish life as we live it!"
"Express gratitude, always."

So, among the other aspects of my life in which I hope to improve, I also hope to improve my gratitude and happiness. To find the joy in each day and relish life. And to look inside myself and see the good. Life is a grand journey, and I know that if I can take a day at a time with hope on my side, then I will do just fine!

you can access general conference here

friday's favorite

being auntie amy to these sweeties:

{Mekena, 4years old. genius.}

{Kirra, 2.5 years old. She can make enough faces to have a whole book; sad, funny, happy, excited, scared...I think you get the point! haha}

{Reef, 6 weeks. His dad rocks! (We went to Disney on ice last night, this was inside the forum and the lights were all orange and funky, but I couldn't resist- look at that huge smile!) Love it!}

{tree hugger. haha just kidding. She wanted to try to climb it. She's getting so old and grown up looking. She's a beautiful little lady, not a little baby girl anymore!}

{Adorable! Don't you just want to kiss those little cheeks?}

{So peaceful, so sweet. And his mommy loves him! (and so do I!) and you would too.}

inspiration sandwich.

My sweet little sister, Chrissy, sent me a surprise in the mail while I was recovering from surgery. I was so excited! (finding fun surprises in the mailbox is one of my ultimate favorite things!!) I was completely surprised when I opened the package and there was a book inside, only because Chrissy's not a big fan of reading. So, I opened up the book and flipped through the pages to find places she had highlighted and made notes of her own that reminded her of us or that would help to lift my spirits. She's such a sweetie!
This book is so much fun, I wanted to share it with all of you! It's definitely quirky, and I love that. It's full of good insights, silliness and creativity. I love the whole thing, but I thought I'd pull out just a couple of parts to share with you....

"Feeling rich is born of simple things: good health, comfort, freedom and laughter along with being well loved."

"Write a love letter on a bed sheet with magic markers" (how fun would that be?)

"When I call for an airline ticket, I might ask if there's a special fare for people wearing raincoats or standing on their head at the airport. Then, the ticket agent and I can laugh together and become partners in finding the best ticket price. (I always fly at a great discount.)"

"Impossible means I'm possible! Plant all your impossible gardens, and see what blooms!"

You can see a preview, here. And you can buy it, here. If you don't want to buy this particular book, you should still take a peek at the site because there are other books and lots of fun items. So, head on over and check it out. (If nothing else now you might know what to possibly get me for Christmas! haha) It's definitely worthy of 5 stars in my opinion! Let me know what you think!

{thanks Chrissy for the sweet surprise, you're the greatest. I LOVE it!}

carnival pictures

I just sorted through the pictures I took at the party on Saturday and I'm a little bummed. I didn't get very good shots. The sun was so bright and then you combine that with the shade of the trees and also being a little too busy to truly realize what you're taking a picture of- well, all I can say is these pictures don't nearly do it justice. The event was incredible. Any event Tiff puts together is incredible! She is so creative and detail oriented.... you need to throw the party of the year, you call her. So, even though I'm less than thrilled with most of these pictures I wanted to show you so you could have a small glimpse of the greatness.


This is the adorable centerpiece Tiff created... LOVE IT!
Below are just a couple of the many sweets from the party.... Mini caramel (or chocolate in this case) apples and adorable train sugar cookies. The sugar cookies were their favor with a train cookie cutter.

Baby Reefy was partying too! Here he is with my hot mama! And mom and the girls at the "ring toss" booth.
Here is the "admission ticket" booth. Isn't it so cute?! The birthday boy loves Sponge Bob so there were some Sponge Bob accents throughout the party. A Sponge Bob jumpy house, a visit by Sponge Bob and this incredible Sponge Bob cake.

Two of my all time favorite girls.... I'm sad the picture of Kirra on the pony is blurred- not sure what happened there. She LOVED those rides! Look how adorable Mekena is... love that crazy balloon hat and that face painting is beautiful!

Here's a sample of two of the booths... they were too cute! The refreshments booth had the drinks and the mini apples.



Again, the two cutest girls at the party! Can you see a little more up close how incredible that face painter was? I love the idea of doing a princess by painting a crown on the forehead... brilliant!

So... there's a little touch of the coolest carnival party ever! It was great.... I was only a little sad because I really wanted to eat and eat, but because I was sick all I ate was a little fruit. (And of course apples are fruit, even if they are covered in chocolate!)

What do you think? You want your kid to have the coolest carnival party ever? Call Tiff!

carnivals & contests.

Whew! These past couple of days have been crazy! Between being sick, party planning, and working... I'm worn out!

Tiff had an event yesterday. A 5 year old birthday party. And of course, it's not just any 5 year old birthday party when you have the clients she does. It was a full carnival party and it turned out fabulous! Full of cotton candy, popcorn, snow cones, mini caramel apples, petting zoo, pony rides, games galore and more! (haha I rhymed! Can you tell I'm a little loopy?!) I'll post some pictures soon!

Now, I can no longer say I never win anything. Look below to see the wonderful blanket I won- how adorable is that!!! I entered the contest here and was so pleased to hear I was the lucky winner!

Blanket and photo courtesy of Star Looks Boutique

How was your weekend?

cupcake love.

I LOVE CUPCAKES!

I do.

They've been my new love lately... really. Everything about them is just so darn cute. I mean, honestly, have you ever looked at a cupcake and thought "that is sooo not cute"? NO, I think not! You look at them and think, "Oh my, look how cute that is!". Ok, or maybe that's just me because I've been having this cupcake fetish for a while now.

I saw a giant cupcake pan at Target, look.

I want that. Scratch that, I NEED that!

Now, you try to tell me this isn't cute. You can't, I know- because it is SO CUTE!

(thanks capital cupcakes for the CUTE photo)

Saucy over at "bloggedy blog blog blog" tortured me with her cupcake pictures, I almost licked my computer screen they looked so good!

I very well, may possibly need to be driving one of these around soon... with the price of gas and all, it seems like the economical thing to do. No?!

I just found the cupcakery blog, you know they've got to be full of cute sweetness!

And to add another apron to the collection, I most definitely need a cupcake cutie similar to the one below. (and you can buy it here.)

Oh the cuteness overload... what's a girl to do?!

Home Favorites on Friday

I'm a fan of Tip Junkie so I thought it'd be fun to participate in this "home tour" she's doing and share with you 10 of my favorite things in my house. Those of you who know me understand I have a very difficult time with favorites... like when you get those forms you have to fill out that ask you questions like "What's your favorite treat?", "What's your favorite color?", "What's your favorite book?", or "What's your favorite movie?", I always feel stumped and nervous- like if I don't answer right then there will be grave consequences. Silly, I know, just one of my quirks. So here's a few of my favorite things in my house today:

#1: Our table- it's a tall square, dark wood table and we love it. It's earned a few scratches and dings with the moves but it'll be around for a while so I'm sure there will only be more. This is one of the first things Jeff and I bought that was "grown up stuff" haha Before we bought this most of our furniture was all hand-me-downs which are great... but we loved being able to buy this. Even if it did take 16 stores to find it! (and the beautiful roses are a get well gift from Jeff's mom and dad, I love them, thank you!)

#2: the kitchen-

Unfortunately, who knows how much longer it'll be "our kitchen" but for now, I'm still loving it. I love the tall cupboards and how much space we have for storage. I also love that it opens up to the living room so that I can be in the kitchen, and still be part of the other things going on. (And I'm a fan of stainless appliances)

#3: the Kitchen Aid

I've only had for a short while, but I absolutely love it! It is so easy to use and the red makes me smile!

#4: my project desk-

If my whole office/craft room was complete then it would definitely be on my favorites list... but it's not quite there, so this is part of it that is my favorite. I love all of the work space this desk gives me to work on and the sides are all shelves, it's wonderful! Not to mention we got it from Pier ! at a great price, on clearance because of some silly chip on the corner. (thank you sharpie for fixing that!)

#5: my lovely lamp-

This was a love at first sight experience! (And another clearance buy, this one from "Home Goods") I just love it, and I knew I had to have it for my space and it's perfect!

#6: the Love-Sac

Although it may not be the prettiest piece of furniture, it's comfort outweighs the rest. It's one of those places you can't sit unless you have 20 minutes or more to relax, it sucks you in and you wont want to leave! We love having this, especially on movie nights.

#7: our signs & pictures-

We have a few vinyl and wood signs around our house, I love the personality they add. And of course pictures are a must, to me, they make a house a home. This is one of my favorites- it has our name and then it's just a picture of us under. (the lighting is not so great, but you get the idea)

#8: Live the life...

I absolutely love this as well. This is one of my favorite quotes and my mom bought this little piece to hang on my wall so I could always see it and be reminded to go out and live my dreams. (bad lighting again, sorry)

#9: my black stand

This is absolutely one of my favorite things ever! My sweet Jeffy made this for me for Christmas last year. I love it! I was originally going to put it out in the living room, but he thought it would be good by the bed. I thought I'd give it a try there, and haven't moved it. So, it's become a little bit of a "collector" but that's part of the reason I bought those red canvas bins for the bottom, to hide it's collections! This will always be a favorite for me!

#10: Guest Bathroom-

I know that might sound silly, but I found a set and I loved it. I usually don't really buy sets, but this one was a must. (And if I remember right, it was on clearance!) I loved the colors and design, and it matches the piece of art perfect. And that art is one of my favorites ever!

(oops, guess I could've tucked the tags under before snapping the picture.)

Thanks for visiting! I'd love to see some of your favorites!

Pleasantly Surprised

When I first saw previews come out for "Mama Mia" to hit the big screen, I thought it looked good but wasn't wanting to rush to the theater to wait in line. When my mom was visiting in August, we went and saw it- let's just say I'd rush to the theater to see it again! I loved it! I wanted to get up and sing and dance the entire time- I know, I'm a dork! It was full of fun, adventure, laughter & tears (yes, I cried.), friendship and discovery. Although I wouldn't give Pierce Brosnan a gold medal for his vocal talent I do admire he actually did his own singing. And the rest of the cast- I thought they were great! I give it 4.75 stars (just short of 5 because I didn't find the gay scenes necessary). If you haven't seen it yet, what are you waiting for? And trust me, once you do, you'll have ABBA stuck in your head for weeks!

I heard mixed reviews about "The Host" so I thought I'd give it a shot. I started reading with really low expectations, and although it took me a while to get into it, I ended up being pleasantly surprised. It doesn't make it on the list of favorites, but it was entertaining nonetheless. Like Meyer's other books, the story line is pretty "out there" and off the wall. I was confused for a while trying to sort out in my head what voice was talking from what body, but I just went with it and found it enjoyable. It's a simple read, well, minus the confusion of who was who. Language is clean, so that's always a plus. And I'm a fan of happy endings. I wouldn't run out and grab it off the shelves if you don't have it, but if you happen upon a copy I'd give it a try. I'd probably give it 3.5 stars give or take...

What about you out there? Anything you'd write home about?

did you know today is