Cupcakes & Snow

So I went to The Sweet Tooth Fairy to pick a treat up for a friend because she's helped me by watching Summer lately. Anyways.. remember my post (2 posts ago) about how Sum will do anything for a treat? So we go into the bakery and Summer just freaks out: "Ohhhh mommyyy, yummmm, I want a cupcake, mmmmm! Mama pleaseeee? Cupcake? Yummmmm! Pleaseee mommy?" I probably would've ended up buying her one just because she was being so cute. But there was a lady in front of us, she turned to Summer and told her that if Summer was with her she would buy her anything she wanted. The lady turned to me and said "You daughter is so adorable can I please buy her a cupcake?" : ) I thought it was so sweet and cute of this little lady to buy my pleading daughter what her heart desiered. So 10 seconds later a fetti-ferry cupcake was in Summer's happy hands. Here's a pic of her on the way home..

She IS adorable, isn't she?! : )

Later that night it was a flippin blizzard outside. Summer loves snow.. so what did we end up doing? Playing in the snow! Summer doesn't have snow clothes so she ended up playing in her raincoat, zip up jammies and suede boots.. nice.

4 x 4

Kendra tagged me.. here it goes..

1. Four Places I Go:
-Gym
-North Ogden
-Church
-Target

2. Four Favorite Smells:
-Summer after a bath
-Springtime
-Muffins in the oven
-Carmelized Pear candle

3. Four Favorite Movies/Shows
-Glee
-Vampire Diaries
-Off the Map
-Dirty Dancing

4. Four Recommendations:
- Don't pray for patience
- Always be working on a book
- Have "ME" time every day (mine is at the gym or in a book)
- Don't complain, it just gets everyone down and is plain annoying!

21 Things About Summer

Summer is 21 Months old this February. I can't believe that she will be 2 in only 3 months! (I'm already throwing around party plans around in my head!) I'm copying my cute friend Kendra.. but here is 21 fun facts about Summer Lin.

1. She LOVES ketchup. On everything, on hot dogs, strawberries, you name it.

2. She loves it when her daddy makes her laugh. And when he makes her laugh, she doesn't stop.

3. Summer will do almost anything for candy.

4. Summer loves her friend Luke (the boy I babysit). She asks for him probably once a day.

5. She loves to read books.

6. Summer loves to color. She colors around 3 times a day.

7. She loves Belle off "Beauty and the Beast". She has a little Belle doll and plays with her all day. She calls her "Beh".

8. She's kind of a bully. She hits everyone (which we are working on). But she can also be super sweet.

9. Summer loves babies and has been asking for a baby. : )

10. Her new favorite TV characters are Elmo, Buzz and Woody.. hopefully that's a good bye to "Yo Gabba Gabba".

11. She loves her Grandmas lots.

12. When we walk past our neighbor/friends door she says everytime that she wants to "knock" and play with Addalyn.

13. We have mommy/daughter dates to Yogotogo and cupcake bakeries. Summer loves treats.

14. When we're watching sports games she will yell at the TV "Go! Go! Go!" while shaking her fist in the air.

15. She has had one too many falls, so Summer is constantly afraid of falling. She can hardly sit in a chair without saying she's going to fall. : (

16. Summer loves bubbles.. she is bubble crazy.

17. She still loves her pretties. (Jewelrey)

18. Summer is a mommys girl. (Which I love)

19. She loves to play with her cousin Kamryn.

20. When she wants something Summer will tilt her head to the side, smile real big and say "pleaseeee" in the sweetest voice ever. She knows how to work it.

21. Summer loves to have her hair done. Shes such a girl. : )

We love our baby Summer and are so blessed to have her in our lives. Love you sweetie!

Neglecting

..THAT is what I've been doing to my blog lately. But it's not my fault. For some odd reason Blogger is not working on my computer at home. Weird.

Anyways, here's a little of what we've been up to:

1. We're going on a cruise to the Mexican Riviera in 15 days with my family and grandparents. Excited!
2. We're batteling the cold weather, batteling colds as well. Annoying.
3. Learning that having a toddler in Utah, in Winter, with snow is: BRUTAL.
4. Working/School. Boring.
5. Summer is now 21 months, I can't believe in 3 short months she will be 2. Crazy.
6. My family and I used to live in Va. We obviously moved back (thank goodness), and my grandparents moved there last month. Random.
7. I have been reading "Fallen" & "Torment". Non-Reccomended.
8. Have been dying to read "Wuthering Heights". Have you read it?
9. We don't see movies much anymore.. but Scott & I saw "Just Go With It". Funny.
10. Summer's favorite movie is "Snow White" because she thinks the dwarfs are all Santa. Geeze.
11. Pre-ordered "Burlesque".. Cam Gigandet, yum.
12. Summer asked for a baby the other night. Uh oh.
13. We're getting new neighbors. We liked the quiet ones we had. Crap.
14. My dad bought me probably one of the most thoughtful things he's ever given me last night. Love.
15. I miss blogging. Stupid computer. Sad!

Yummy (pretty) Healthy Muffins

I've had this recipe less than a week and I've made it twice. (I'm eating one right now!) Thanks Megan (Scott's cousin) for such a yummy recipe. I have to share it with you guys.. they're divine!









Apple, Zucchini, Carrot Muffins:


2 C. shredded carrots
1 C. Shredded zucchini
1 apple, diced
2 C. flour
1 1/4 C. Sugar (Scott & I are trying to eat better, so I left the sugar out and it still tasted wonderful)
1 TBS ground cinnamon
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3 eggs
3/4 C Unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp. Vanilla

Bake at 375 for 20 mins

Girls Craft Night Out!

A few friends came over last night & we made the yarn wreaths. Yay! They were so cute and expressed each of our individualities. It was a lot of fun to get together to talk, eat and craft. So, thanks girls for coming over. I had a request for some pictures.. so here you go. (And yes, those are raspberry cupcakes on the table, I'm SO going to the gym tomorrow!)

And here's a quick pic of my adorable little girl. She loves her pretties & can never have enough of them on at once. : )

My New Loves

I have a few new loves in my life..

1. Golds Gym.

Scott & I joined the other week & have gone almost every day. We love it there. Who knew working out could be so much fun?

2. Raspberry Cupcakes

..Kind of a conflict of interest huh? Here's the recipe.

Making Some Solutions

If you read my "Boredom Blog", this solution blog is it's sequel. I have been thinking of some fun things to do on days where I'm not at school, working or doing household cleaning. One of my friends said that she takes her little girl to a indoor bounce playground. So, I called a friend and we went to one that's about 20 minutes away in North Salt Lake. I had been there a few years ago for my nephews birthday party, I had totally forgot this place. The kids were so scared at frist but soon warmed up and LOVED it! And the best part, it's only $5 a kid, and no charge for you!

And then, a few days ago I decided that I would make Summer some play dough. It was the easiest thing I have ever made in my life. She's still a little young for it, but she had fun experiencing something new. (And best of all, if she eats it, it's not that bad!)

If you want the recipe here you go..

1 C. Flour

1/2 C. Salt

1 C. Water

2 tsp. Cream of Tartar

Combine ingredients in saucepan & cook over low heat until mixture is like mashed potatoes. Pour on wax paper & knead for a short time. Add food coloring in water.

(I did a bunch of different colors. So I did this recipe 6 times. Each recipe basically makes 1 color of playdough.)

Fun Magnet Calendar

I saw this calendar at Ben Franklin Crafts a few months ago.

The calendar there comes with these different kits you can buy for $16. Each kit is for a different month, therefore each kit is $16. If I were to buy a kit for each month it's $192! Come on Ben Franklin.. That's so DUMB!

I bought the 1st kit (for December) and right after I had finished it, I decided that it was so not worth the money. So I jazzed it up a little, and for $5 (that is $5 for all 12 months, $5 vs. $192 hmm..) I made this new and improved one.. (it matches these and the rest of my kitchen!)

Yarn Wreath

Photo from Living the Swell Life

I'm almost always looking for new crafty fun things to make.

THESE are adorable.

I think I'll make a Spring one.

Anyone with me? I have the tutorial & think a craft night would be perfect!

Call/text me if interested.

2010: A Year in Review

2010 was a great year. Lots of great things happened that changed our lives forever. The good, the bad.. and everything in between.. Here's some highlights of a great year.

We took a MUCH needed vacation in March, 10 days in Vegas & St. George. It was so much fun to have just the 3 of us, with no work & no school.

We moved out of my parents and into our awesome (but small) townhome in Kaysville. We love it and feel that we were guided straight to it with the help of Heavenly Father. Nothing but good friends, a great ward & a great location have come from our newest move. We finally live in a place that feels just like home.

I started babysitting 2 days a week in Ogden. I watch a 2 year old, 6 year old & 8 year old. Besides being able to take Summer with me, this job has been a huge blessing.

Summer turned 1 in May and started walking a few weeks later.. watch out!

We went on a fun family reunion on my moms side up in Island Park.. we got to meet a bunch of people we never knew we were related to.. and had fun getting to know Shelby's new boyfriend better too! : )

Scott turned 25..

..then I turned 22.

Scott & I celebrated our 2nd anniversary.

My mom, sisters & I went on an amazingly fun & incredibly memorable vacation to St. George and got to see Tarzan at Touacan. Front row! (Not that I'm bragging or anything..) : )

I started back at school at Weber.

My dad had brain surgery & recovered fast.

I started Swagbucks & we've never had so much extra money to get so much extra fun stuff. I am addicted.

Summer turned 18 months.. and again.. our lives were changed FOREVER.. I think we are going through the "Terrible 18 months", not the "Terrible two's".

We started the battle with Summer of taking her to Nursery.. thank goodness she now likes it.

We had a very memorable 2nd Christmas with our Summer.

Scott got his schedule changed yet again, this time it's work: Sun-Thurs. WHY can't we ever get him a Sunday off? Maybe someday..

Anyways, that's our quick year in review.. here's to another great year!

Boredom...

Summer and I are BORED. I get like this after a few months of repitious things.

Monday: laundry

Tuesday: fold laundry & put away

(isn't that bad.. i hate folding laundry so I never do it the same day I actually wash them.)

Wednesday: Work

Thursday: Work

Friday: Scott's off, so something fun

Saturday: Grocery shop

Sunday: Church

So that's my schedule and no it never really changes.

I have been really worried about Summer. She LOVES tv. Yes, it's 100% my fault. She loves "Up", "The Little Mermaid", "Yo Gabba Gabba" and "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse". Don't judge me on this.. but I bet Summer watches 4 hours of TV a day. WHAT? 4 hours.. AT LEAST. Oh my gosh, I'm feeling like a pretty bad mom right now. But, how easy is it for us to get super busy and let our kids watch TV until their dads get home.. or maybe that's just me! : /

Anyways, I was reading about TV and children under the age of 3.

..All I can say is OH CRAP!
I'm in big trouble.

Anyways, I'm posting this mainly for myself.

SYDNEY.. Summer is now only allowed 2 hours of TV a day.. Okay?!

4+ hours of TV is NOT okay.. this is your baby!

..Sorry, I needed to freak out on myself for a quick second.

SO.. now what are we going to do allllll dayyyyy longggg? (Especially now that the weather is not ever above 40*) Google search provided with the following answers to "What are some great activities to do with an 18 (19) month old?"

1. Finger painting

2. Bake cookies

3. Go to the library when they have story time for kids

4. Use an inexpensive pan to fill up with rice or dried beans. Use a shovel to play in it like a sandbox. (?? MESSY)

5. Make an obstacle course with pillows & blankets

6. Go to Chic-fil-a or McDonald's play places

7. Buy some Ivory Snow soap flakes in laundry isle, put on the table, add food coloring & a little bit of water & have her squish it around.

8. (Speaking of #7 I have a playdough recipe. I think Summer would love playdough. Call me if you want it!)

9. Go visit a friend

10. Inflate a beach ball 3/4 the way up so they can roll around on it

Those are the best suggestions that I could find without spending much if any money at all. I am writing this for my cause, but I hope this helps the other bored moms out there as well!

Toms

Scott got me Toms for Christmas. I LOVVVE them. But, I think Summer loves them more. She loves to try them on and walk around the house. I guess she likes them because they're super sparkly : )

Swagbucks

Okay, I am lucky enough to get people asking me what Swagbucks is ALL the time. I love telling people about it and all the super cool things that you can do with it. But I think I'm just going to post about it so when people ask me, I can just send them to my blog! Aren't I smart? : )

ONE: Swagbucks is 100% FREE to sign up and is 100% scam free.
(I had a bad experience with a big scam a few years ago. So, now I make sure that I'm not going to get screwed when I sign up for things)

TWO: From what I've read about, Swagbucks gets paid by companies to get people to do surveys, take daily polls, special offers etc. Swagbucks then rewards us "Swaggernauts" with points. When you get so many points you can trade them in for gift cards, sweep sakes and TONS of other prizes.

THREE: You earn Swagbucks by taking daily polls, playing games, watching the "Swagbuck TV", printing their coupons and using them, special offers, using their toolbar, doing searches just like you do on Google, taking surveys and (my favorite way) getting referrals. You can make tONS of points by getting referrals. Get people to sign up that will actually do it. Not just sign up and never use it. Example: I have a couple friends that signed up under me, but one has gotten me almost 2 gift cards just because she is an excellent "Swaggernaut." Thanks Brittney! I didn't sign up under anyone because I didn't know that people could get points for doing it. I wish I would've signed up under my friend Kendra to get her tons of points.. but too late. Sorry Kendra!

Swagbucks is a great way to save up some points for the things that you may want, but don't have enough spending money for it. We used a lot of our Swagbuck points to get Amazon credits. we bought part of our Christmas thanks to Swagbucks & it really helped out. Now that Christmas is over I want to save up fun Disney movies for Summer. We don't have hardly and Disney movies, and to buy them on Blu Ray is SO expensive. Thanks to Swagbucks (again!) I am getting my credits to use for movies and other fun stuff. Today I just bought Snow White on Blu Ray on Amazon using my Swagbucks credit. Isn't this awesome?

It took me a while to get used to how it works and how to do everything. Once I sat & messed around with it I quickly figured out how to use it. If you have any questions feel free to ask me & I can help you out. I am turning out to be a Swagbucks expert. : )

I hope this helps! If you think that Swagbucks is for you then there is NO harm in signing up. When you do sign up you can sign up under me here..
Swagbucks

OR.. you can click on my Swagbucks banner on the right side of my blog.

Christmas 2010

Here's a few of my favorite pictures this Christmas.

(in this pic Summer held up her phone & said "It's Santa!")

We had a good Christmas this year. Not completely overboard like we did last year..
which our bank account really enjoyed.

Some highlights this Christmas:
1. Summer loves Santa. But not the real Santa.. she hates the real Santa
(Yesterday at Cabela's she said "Hi Santa!" to this older man with a
gray beard in line behind us.. oh my.)
2. We went to the Layton Park lights probably 5 times
this December because Sum loved them so much.
3. All 3 of us got Super incredibly sick this month..
at the same time. UGH! Not fun.
4. The girls night out with my mom-in-law, my sisters & my
mom was super fun. We went to Abbey's new favorite "elegant"
restaurant called Gourmandise & ate more dessert than dinner.
Then we went to see the Mormon Tabernacle Choir & David Archuleta
Christmas concert.

Our Christmas traditions:
*Christmas Eve we go to my parents to make gingerbread houses (this year I won the contest.), eat dinner and open our Christmas Jammies.
*Christmas Day we got to Scott's family's house to eat Christmas breakfast.


Summer's favorite toys this year are her princess kitchen &
her puppies that she can take on little walks.

Scott got a really nice set of binoculars from my parents
and lots of hunting gear from his..
We just need to get him out & actually hunting! : )

I love my new black sparkle Toms that Scott gave me.
And I got my first sewing machine & I'm super excited to use it!