Sprinkles at William Sonoma

A few months ago I blogged about Sprinkles cupcakes in Beverly Hills. Well, I just discovered that they are now selling the actual Sprinkles cupcake mix at William Sonoma! Of course, I had to buy a few for xmas gifts (and for me). I haven't tried baking them yet, but I know they'll be delicious.

Santa Claus

Last night we took Gavin to see Santa. Apparently Santa Claus was hanging out in a festive little hut in Sugarhouse so we didn't have to deal with trying see him at a crowded mall. This was Gavin's first time sitting on Santa's lap and he did great. We prepared him by explaining that he would go visit Santa, sit on his lap, and tell him what he wanted for Christmas. So Gavin did exactly that. Gavin climbed right up and preceded to tell Santa the only thing that he wanted this Christmas... Thomas trains (particularly Henry or Edward). The only problem came when it was time to say goodbye to Santa and Gavin looked confused. He didn't want to get off of Santa's lap. He was waiting to get the trains he had just told Santa that he wanted. We realized that Gavin thought he was going to actually get the toys during his visit with Santa. It's pretty hard to explain to a 2 year old the concept of waiting till Christmas.

Favorite Dress

All the magazines say that a sweater dress is a must have this season. I found my new favorite sweater dress at Anthropologie. It looks like this photo, except that it's red. It's soooo comfy. I feel like I'm wearing a nighty. And it's so versatile. I can dress it up or down with tights, leggings, flats, boots or heels (esp. a cute pair of maryjane pumps). I can even wear a long sleeved tee under it (since it's been in the 20s & 30s here lately).

Kitchen Remodel

I am very excited to be able to post some photos of our new kitchen (finally). It's not completely finished, but it is now fully functional. We just got our new range and microwave yesterday. I have been without a stove/oven since August. I was so excited to have it back that I made sure to prepare every meal we ate today using our stove. Now I'm in the mood to bake. As you can see from the photos, we (by "we" I mean Tony) still need to install the microwave above the range, install the counter lighting, put on switch plates, and replace the window/trim & blinds. We love our cabinets. Our cabinet guy did a beautiful job. And I'm so glad that I was able to convince Tony to get granite counter tops. We both love them. Let me know what you think...

Halloween

Trick or treat (or as Gavin says, "Boo boo beet!")!

Gavin's Halloween Costume

Yesterday we went to a 2 year olds birthday/costume party. I was able to snap a few photos of Gavin playing in their yard in his green dragon costume. It was a big hit and Gavin seemed to enjoy wearing it. His costume should get lots of wear this year because he will be wearing it to his preschool Halloween party on Wednesday morning, as well as for a little trick or treating Halloween night.

A Must Read!

So I kept hearing about this incredible book series by Stephanie Meyer. I mean I've been hearing about how great it is from everyone (friends, family, coworkers). The books are about vampires and that kind of turned me off. It wasn't until my book club decided to read the first book, Twilight, for one of our meetings that I decided I needed to find out what all the fuss was about. It was incredible. There was so much suspense and anticipation that I literally could not put it down. Above all else, it is an beautiful love story. I would highly recommend it. In fact, I finished Twilight today and immediately called the local library to see if the 2nd book, New Moon, was in. The librarian chuckled and informed me that there are 91 people on the waiting list. I can't wait that long. I'm going to B & N today to buy it.

Pumpkin Patch

Here are a couple of pictures from a wonderful little trip Gavin and I took to a nearby pumpkin patch. It was a beautiful, cool fall day. I just love autumn.

New Do

It's Fall and I was in the mood for a hairstyle change. My hair was pretty long and I was getting kind of bored with it. I've been thinking about getting a longer version of the bob (by longer, I mean to the shoulders), but I got cold feet and decided to have my stylist cut my hair an inch or 2 below my shoulders. He ended up cutting off 4-5 inches. It's fun to have a change, but I'm thinking I should have either gone longer or shorter because it's kind of in that in between stage and I don't really like how it flips up (whether I want it to or not). However, the big benefit is that it feels really thick and healthy. So, what do you think? Do you prefer my hair longer or shorter? And should I cut another 1-2 inches so that it is just above my shoulders? And, yes, I did take this photo of myself... cheesy, huh.

Gavin Pic of the Week

Best Slippers Ever!

I recently purchased these Dearfoams Microfiber Terry Ballerina slippers. They are so adorable and comfortable. Plus, they are machine washable. You can buy them online at http://www.dearfoams.com/detail.aspx?ID=76 for $18. They'd make a great Christmas gift for a friend too.

Fun New Line of Beauty Products

Soap & Glory is a cool new line of beauty products from the founder of Bliss. The packaging really appealed to me. It's inspired by 1950s advertising and the products have really fun names like Calm One Calm All skin softening bubble bath, Great Shakes hand cream, and Sexy Mother Pucker lip-plumping gloss. Everything is under $10 and you can buy them at Target. I puchased the 3 items above. I really like the hand cream. It has a nice, subtle scent and it's nongreasy. I also tried out the lip plumping gloss and loved it! The color is beautiful and universal so that it should look great on lots of different skin types. For an added bonus it tastes like chocolate. Like many lip plumpers, it tingles when you put it on (even burns a little). But I really didn't mind because it made me feel like it was working. I've yet to try out the bubble bath... perhaps tonight.

Getting Dirty

Who new playing in the dirt could be so fun.

Sprinkles Cupcakes

I recently discovered a little piece of heaven on earth in the form of a cupcake. If you haven't heard of Sprinkles Cupcakes before I'm sure I won't be the only person you hear about it from; especially if you're lucky enough to live in one of the four cities where they have a bakery. Cyndi, June... listen up. Sprinkles has been getting a lot of press lately from celebrities, Oprah, The Today Show, etc. Last month while visiting my family in Ventura, California, my sister brought home a dozen of these incredible little cakes. I tried several different kinds (strawberry, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, pumpkin, and red velvet) and it was very hard to choose a favorite. There are 4 bakery locations so far: Beverly Hills, Newport Beach, Dallas and Phoenix (and more to come). Apparently they always have a line out the door. If you're smart you'll order in advance online http://www.sprinklescupcakes.com/ and curtail the line. They are $3.25 each (and worth every penny) or $36 for a dozen. I wonder if they can be shipped to Utah... No, I'm not that desperate.

Sisters

This photo was taken last month during a trip to visit my family in California. I can't believe I don't have any other photos of my beloved sister, Tiffany, on my blog. It's about time! She moved back to California (Pasadena) last year and I miss her terribly. Love you sis.

Cookie Cutters

I recently discovered a new hair cutting place just for kids called "Cookie Cutters". This place is amazing! This was Gavin's 1st haircut ever where instead of acting traumatized by the whole experience he was actually enjoying it! Here are a few reasons why we love it: 1) while you're waiting your child can play on the little play gym/slide, 2) your child can pick out what car, plane, motorcycle, etc. they would like to sit in while getting their hair cut, 3) each haircutting station has it's own tv/dvd player and your kid gets to choose a movie from a pretty wide selection of kids films, and 4) after the haircut your child gets to pick a baloon (with a lolipop attached). All this for $13! We certainly won't be going anywhere else for the next few years. The address is 1301 E. Miller Ave. in SLC (they also have a location in Draper).

Lagoon

We went to Lagoon last Friday (for the 2nd time this summer) and had a great time. We met Tony's family there so Gavin had fun riding rides with his 2 older cousins, Hayden (6 yrs.) and Corbin (3 yrs.). Now that Gavin is 36 inches tall he can ride several of the big rides as well as all the cute rides in the kids area. He had a great time getting wet on the log ride and the river rafting ride (don't remember the exact names). And the great thing about Lagoon is you don't have to deal with the ridiculous lines like you do at other major amusement parks like Disneyland and Magic Mountain. Tony and I were able to go on a few roller coasters while Gavin had fun with his grandparents. I really loved "Wicked". I guess that is the new ride they have been promoting this summer. We look forward to going back next summer when Gavin is 3. Two trips to Lagoon this summer is enough for the year.

New Car

So I finally sold my Jetta! We have been looking at several different kinds of cars for months and decided to get a Subaru Outback. I love it!

5th Anniversary

Yesterday was our 5th wedding anniversary. We had a wonderful dinner at the famed "Cucina Toscana", a northern Italian restaurant downtown. It was delicioso. We had a wonderful seafood appetizer and I had the best chicken marsala ever! Tony had veal (the first time I've allowed him to eat veal in my presence). He said the sauce was great, but the veal was a little overcooked. We wondered if it could compare to our all time favorite Italian restaurant "Tuscany" and we concluded that the food was equally as good, but the ambiance at Tuscany is way better.

Tony gave me the perfect gift... a certificate for an hour long European facial at my favorite spa "Breathe". Can't wait to use it! Thanks Babe. You're the best and I love you.

Rocco's Summer Haircut

So I took Rocco to the groomer's to get a trim and I came home with this. It hardly looks like my dog! If you forget what Rocco looked like before scroll down to check out my previous posts about him. They practically scalped him!

Laundry

Gavin has an interesting way of helping me fold the laundry. He does this every time... He places an item of clothing on the dogs, one by one, until you can hardly see the them. As you can see Rowdy and Rocco don't mind. And I don't mind because it wasn't my clothes that I was folding.

St. George

These photos are from our annual Pyne family reunion last week. This year we met at my parents vacation home in St. George, Utah. We had a great time relaxing at the house, hanging out at the pool (the weather was about 102 degrees every day), and hiking in nearby Zion National Park. Gavin had a wonderful time with his four adorable cousins: Christina, Katherine, Caitlin and Ashley. In fact, he had so much fun running and jumping around that he ended up hitting his head on one of the stone fireplaces. We rushed him to the emergency room and he ended up getting 2 stitches under his right eye. It was very scary, but Gavin was such a tough little trooper about it. I hate to admit that this was the 2nd time we have been to the emergency room in St. George. The 1st time was about 6 months ago when Gavin fell on a cactus. Needless to say, I hope to never see that emergency room again (or any other for that matter).

New Bedroom Decor

Tony and I are redecorating our bedroom. Right now he is in the process of enlarging our closet so that it will be twice as big as it was. We will be adding white 3-panel sliding doors. We purchased a new headboard and nightstands and I plan on refinishing our current dresser to match the other new pieces. We will be painting the walls beige. I know, beige sounds a little boring, but we want a paint color that will be good for resale, since we plan on moving in the next 2 years.

I finally made a decision on the bedding. I purchased a duvet cover similar to the one above (left). I plan on accenting the new duvet with a tailored bedskirt, white sheets (or perhaps white and beige striped sheets), and Pottery Barn shams with beige shells. This opens up all new possibilities for me. I've always wanted a beach-themed room somewhere, anywhere in my house that displays my love for the beach. I even found some great wall art of shells with the same colors as the walls and bedding (score!).

Great Recipes for Summer

Fabulous Fruit & Feta Salad

1 bag (10 oz.) mixed salad greens

1 can (11 oz.) mandarin orange segments, drained

1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion

1 cup walnut pieces, toasted

1 pkg. (4 oz.) traditional crumbled feta cheese

3/4 cup Kraft light raspberry vinaigrette dressing

Toss everything together and enjoy! It doesn't get much easier than that.

Bumbleberry Lemon Upside-Down Cake

1/3 cup butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries

1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

1 cup fresh strawberries

1 pkg. lemon cake mix

whipped cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In 13 by 9 inch cake pan, melt butter. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly on top. Scatter fruit over sugar. Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Pour batter evenly over fruit. Bake 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes, then turn upside down onto a large platter or a cookie sheet. Serve warm with a generous dollop of whipped cream, if desired.

More recipes to come...

The Last Week of School!

I am now officially on summer break! Yay! Today was the last day of school. This week has been loaded with fun for the kindergartners in Mrs. Allred's class. I decided to create a fun theme for each day this week. There was no school Monday. Tuesday was pajama day. I read my favorite bedtime stories and we did fun math activities with Fruit Loops cereal. Then they got to eat it of course. Wednesday was crazy hair day and Field day at Emerson. Thursday was sports day because us teachers played a softball game against the 6th graders. You would have been proud, Dad... I made 2 runs (I was only up to bat twice). I thought one would surely be a homerun because I hit it into center field. One of the 6th graders caught it and then dropped it (thank goodness). Needless to say, the teachers won 17 to 11. Today, Friday, was beach day. I chose to wear a beach themed t-shirt with a grass skirt and flower lay (not sure about spelling). The kids really got into dressing up. I thought I would share some cute pictures of them. Farewell, my sweet kindergarten class of 2007. I'll miss you (most of you).