Happy, Happy Birthday!

Yesterday was my wonderful husband's Golden Birthday. Don't worry, he had no idea what a golden birthday was, but that's what I'm here for, right? So for his birthday I told him I was making him dinner. What I didn't tell him was I was going to invite all his friends. It was his surprise Breakfast-for-Dinner Birthday Bonanza, complete with waffles, bacon, sausage, eggs, hash browns, and biscuits all served on gold plates! And for birthday cake, Karla suggested coffee cake to stick with the theme. So I made this rhubarb coffee cake. It was mighty tasty with a little vanilla ice cream. I recommend it if you're a rhubarb person. Thanks to everyone who helped the party come off without a hitch. Unfortunately, I'm one of "those people" who's having too much fun hanging out with friends to actually take pictures of the blessed event, so all I have to offer is pictures of the now deflated golden birthday balloons (which I actually purchased with gold coins. No, really, I did.).

Delicious Exfoliator

So its been warm enough that I've been wearing sandals lately, which means my heals are starting to crack. I thought I'd share my favorite way to exfoliate hands and feet. Just combine regular white granulated sugar with your favorite soap, body wash, bubble bath, etc. The ratio of sugar to soap should be about 2:1. Rub it into the skin, focusing on problem areas for about a minute and rinse off. Follow up with your favorite hand cream or lotion.

Orange and Blue!*

I think my favorite part about this months Martha Stewart that I received yesterday is the color pallete on the cover.

It's a little hard to tell from the scanned image, but it's orange and teal, and there's poppies on the bed stand and I love it!

*I may or may not have been a cheerleader in high school and our colors may or may not have been orange and blue.

Loving Lately

1. These shoes. They will be mine. Oh, yes, they will be mine.


2. This artwork from Etsy artist Fabiz.

3. This painting from Abby Ryan

4. This bedspread found here.

5. Frilly, delicate flowers found here.

6. The peacock painting on the wall in this picture found here.

Conference Weekend

Had another lovely Conference Weekend. There were some great talks, and it was wonderful to hear from our new Prophet and new apostle. I think my favorite part about Conference weekend is that it is spent with family. I usually try to keep my hands busy while listening, so I made a new necklace.
It's a turquoise pendant with faceted citrine nuggets. I actually bought the citrine beads this weekend at a bead fair in Salt Lake. I went with my mom during the priesthood session. They were a little spendy, but too pretty to pass up! They're quite large (the turquoise pendant is about 1.25" diameter to give you an idea) so it's a pretty bold piece, but the design is still simple.

I also went for a walk with Brian on Saturday afternoon to take pictures for photography class. Here's a picture that I took:
And here it is after some Photoshop action:

And here it is after A LOT of photoshop action:

The second one is my real assignment. The third one was me showing Brian all the cool things you can do with photoshop. Please note the twinkle in the eye, and the bling on the finger. I think I'm better at the jewelry "art" than the photography "art", but it's been a fun class.

*Spell check does not recognize the word "bling".

Calling all Local Girls...

So my good friend Karla is really great at planning things and making them happen. I'm more of a dreamer myself, but Karla gets it done and does it fabulously! She has decided to start a Ladies Craft Night, where once a month we get together and learn from each other. Doesn't that sound awesome? I can't wait to see what she comes up with to teach the first month. Read more about it on her blog here, and sign up! Here are a few pictures of some of Karla's sweet skills. She made this package of beautiful things for me as part of a "Pay it Forward Swap". Here's the description:

PAY IT FORWARD: I will send a handmade gift to the first three (3) people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. You may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog. (so, you must have a blog to participate.) I can't wait to see who I will be giving to. To join, just cut and paste and comment away. so get posting.

Now that she's given me my package, it's my turn to pay-it-forward to three people. Anyone interested in this swap comment on this post and let me know! And go sign up for Karla's Craft Night so you know how to make something awesome!

*Just a clarification, you need to be a "local girl" to be a part of Ladies Craft Night, but not for the swap.