haaaaappy halloweeeeen!

i hope you're having a spooky spooky day! i currently am stuffing myself with pumpkin everything {you'll see}...i love this holiday.

a blast from halloweens past.

i was looking through some old facebook photos and found these beauties.

halloween 2006.

halloween 2007 - i may or may not have dressed up as sharpay evans from high school musical...love that movie.

halloween 2008 - the first with my lover boy. ohh man i was so tan from my cruise with my bffs!

i just love how old photos bring back so many memories. i hope you have a spooktacular halloween weekend!

i've been in the kitchen.

isaac has been home for a full week from his business travels {which hasn't happened in quite some time!} so i've been cooking and baking up a storm. i've posted two of my favorite recipes and i thought i might share some link love so you can give them a try!

find the recipe for this delicious baked stuffing chicken over at a few scrumptious things...

and my recipe for chocolate crinkle cookies over at just cook already...

yum!

i wish...

{image}

i want so badly to have a beautiful porch to display my beautifully carved pumpkins. unfortunately we live in an apartment complex in which no one comes to trick or treat. boooooo. so sad. at least i don't have to buy candy...?! you know me, always looking on the bright side.

do you have any fabulous halloween plans? we're still trying to get our weekend all planned out. i'm kind of thinking we need to take a ride on the creepy heber valley railroad. has anyone done it? if so, please fill me in on if it's creepy or dumb. thank you very much.

p.s. it is a winter wonderland outside...i feel like i should be planning christmas not halloween!

booties.

i love boots. i strongly believe that spending a little extra money for a good pair always pays off and you can wear them far longer than any cheapy pair. and they don't let your feet get wet like some of my cheapies, which is the worst in the winter. the worst. i love this pair by steve madden at nordstrom so much. i don't have any brown boots and i think it's high time i get me a pair.

dear mom, buy me a pair for christmas please. shall we take a trip to nordstrom this week?! i think yes.

silver lake.

last thursday isaac and i took advantage of the last lovely day of fall {pretty sure it might snow today...grrr} by doing a little hike/picnic at silver lake. we munched on pulled pork sandwiches and coleslaw, chips, honeycrisp apples and pumpkin cupcakes. it was perfect.

if winter seriously takes over today i am going to be so mad. i just love fall so much.

a little tidbit.

{image}

this week one of my particularly busy patients {a 15 year old boy} said to me after a very hectic shift together, "thank you for being so patient with me, it really means so much to me." i can't describe how good it felt to know that i had made a small difference in his hospital stay. i love my job so much and feel so happy that i am able to not only work to help support my little family but i also get to do a little good each day in this very crazy world. children are amazing! i feel so blessed.

the end.

pretty pretty.

while shopping a few weeks ago with my mom we spotted this skirt hanging on the holds rack at forever 21. of course we asked about it and the salesgirl found us both one in our size! and for only $19.80! it was a true miracle to find a longer skirt at forever 21. everything there is so dang short and it drives me crazy! this skirt perfect with black tights and my black flats.

p.s. i posted one of my favorite easy meal ideas over on our new blog a few scrumptious things yesterday...go take a looksie!

pumpkin cupcakes.

tuesday was such a perfect day. my hubby was coming home that evening so i spent my day off preparing for his arrival by sleeping in, grocery shopping {i seriously love grocery shopping, but only once a week - i hate making small trips}, reading outside in the lovely fall weather, and cooking/baking. i, of course, had to plan a special fall meal and it turned out so yummy. i made chicken chili {with fritos+sour cream+lots of cheese} and pumpkin cupcakes. i had big plans for some cornbread as well but i used the last eggs making the cupcakes...whoopsies!

i must say thank you to my sweet blog friend jana for posting the perfect recipe just in time for me to run into the kitchen and whip up the yummiest cupcakes ever. thank you thank you thank you jana!

ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1 t. course salt
1 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. ground allspice
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 cup {2 sticks} butter, melted and cooled
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 can {15 oz} pumpkin puree

directions:

preheat oven to 350 degrees. line cupcake pan with paper liners. set aside. in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice. set aside.
separately, whisk together brown sugar, sugar, butter, and eggs. add dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. whisk in pumpkin puree. divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about 3/4 full. bake approximately 20 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. makes 20-24 cupcakes.

cream cheese frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 package {8 oz} cream cheese, softened
1 t. vanilla
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

directions:

cream butter and cream cheese together until smooth. add vanilla and powdered sugar {it will be pretty thick - i added a little milk to thin it a bit}. spread or pipe on cupcakes.

these cupcakes are by far the best pumpkin treat i've ever had. i'm having one for breakfast now, be jealous. happy thursday!

oh my yum.

pudding on the rice...ohhh where to begin. my sweet cousins are currently living in portland, oregon and own the most fabulous rice pudding and crepe shop called pudding on the rice. their first store was in provo, utah where i whipped up hundreds of batches of rice pudding during my first years of college, it was the perfect job for me. i loved it. yesterday, my mother-in-law called me from her trip to portland to tell me she was visiting pudding on the rice! i was sooo jealous. you guys, their rice pudding is seriously delicious.

isn't the color scheme perfect? i wouldn't have done it any other way...the love for pink obviously runs in my family! and aren't they such a darling couple? if you live anywhere near portland, you really must give it a try. and then tell me about it.

thank you google video chat.

isaac and i just discovered we could video chat from my dad's imac and it.is.awesome. although i miss seeing/squeezing/pinching/loving him in person, chatting via video fills some of the void. it sure was nice to "see" him after a looooong day at work. let me just say i had the most complicated patient yet {we're talking pca pump, tpn+lipids, tracheostomy, increasing oxygen needs and serious pain issues}...along with 1 other patient. i was super overwhelmed, but i learned a lot and overall feel really good about my nursing skills.

i also played this song a million times when i got home, and danced like crazy. i can't get enough.

just me and cricket girl.

yesterday i dropped my family off at the airport so they could fly to florida for a week of fun. i'll be honest, it was pretty depressing. i wish so badly isaac and i could be there with them, but i realize i am extremely lucky to have a job as a nurse {especially my dream job!} and i just couldn't ask for the time off as a newbie. soooo instead i get to spend all my free time this week with our little dog cricket! last night we watched you've got mail {love that show} and ate popcorn and ice cream, such a fun girls night. oh, and we got a walk in as well. go us. we're going to have a fun week together, i can feel it.

oh what a day...

today is such a lovely fall day here in utah! i am itching to head up to silver lake and have a picnic with the hubs, dang his business trips!!! luckily he will be home within the next couple days and we can head up the canyon for a lovely picnic. for now i'll settle with a nice walk with my family's pup cricket. now what to pack? any good fall picnic suggestions?

new blog.

happy saturday dear friends!! after working 5 days straight i am so excited to have the weekend off. too bad my hubs in still out of town for business...not fun. luckily i have a lunch date with two of my best friends and list of errands to run.

i have some pretty exciting news for you...a few weeks ago one of my best friends asked me to help her start a recipe blog. i, of course, accepted - seeing as i love any way to share and find new recipes. the blog is still a work in progress, but you really must go check it out. unlike my little sweets blog, it will be mostly filled with healthy, good for you recipes! it already has a yummy recipe for chicken chili and healthy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies posted. see it here.

happy weekend!

waiting for superman.

i heard about this movie on npr yesterday and i really want to see it. i have become more and more interested in education reform {maybe because it's becoming more real to me that i'm going to have children that will affected by this sooner rather than later!} and this movie looks very informative and well made. i can't wait for my hubs to get home from his business trip so we can make a date night out of it, we love us a good documentary.

christmas on my mind.

ike and i on the day we got engaged, december 24th.

you guys, today is october 14th, and i am already getting so antsy to start preparing for christmas! every time i set foot in a store i want to begin my christmas shopping, buy a bunch of beautiful christmas ribbon at costco, and start gathering fun new decorations. a little premature, i know. but i'm just so excited, and i love preparing for the fabulous holiday. love it. and it's pretty much all that i can think about this morning...i'm crazy. alright, i must shift into work mode, i have a nurse residency class to attend! have a lovely thursday!

p.s. for a flash back in time, you can read my post about our magical christmas engagement here...

book rut.

{image}

to my dear sweet friends,

please help me! i have all this free time to start reading books like crazy and i'm in a total rut. the book i'm currently reading {commencement} just isn't cutting it for me and i can't get into it. i need suggestions!! anyone read any fabulous books lately?! please share.

love you lots,

emma.

it's getting a little ridiculous, i know.

you guys, my family has a lot of birthdays this time of year. which means i never shut up about them, so so sorry. it also means there are lots of presents to pick out for my favorite people! i love it. today is my sweet mother's big bad birthday. i'll be at work all day, but i'm thinking some cupcakes are in her future.

happy birthday mom!

birthday birthday.

yesterday we celebrated my little brother's 15th birthday with a little party at our house. i love planning and putting together parties --- but my poor hubs. i get so stressed when the tiniest thing go wrong and he always has to calm me down. thank goodness i married such a relaxed and easy going man, because i can be such a stressed out mess.

anyway...my brother loves circus peanuts and homemade oreos, such a teen. i've talked about these oreos quite a few times so i thought i would finally post the recipe for you! enjoy.

ingredients:

1 devils food cake mix

1/3 cup oil

2 eggs

cookie directions:

preheat oven to 350 degrees. mix cake mix, eggs and oil. roll into balls and bake for 10 minutes. cool.

*frosting ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup shortening

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons milk

frosting directions:

cream butter and shortening until fluffy. add vanilla. slowly pour in powdered sugar, then add milk while mixing. after the cookies and frosting are made, frost the middle and put together.

*this frosting recipe makes a lot of frosting, so unless you like a lot on your cookies, i suggest you half the recipe. it works out perfectly.

recipe via just cook already.

a recipe for your sunday.

yum yum yum, i love me a good pulled pork sandwich. i've never had a good recipe for them, so i was pretty excited when i opened my email and found this slow-cooker recipe from real simple. i love anything i can through in the crock pot and go to work. definitely going on my to make list.

it's freezing!

{image}

the weather here in utah has switched from summer to fall in the matter of hours. our apartment has been a hot 78 degrees for weeks and now its a chilly 68. i woke up this morning so cold {i need some hot chocolate and my hubby's robe stat}. my hubs is always complaining that i steal the covers from him all night and that it's a constant battle for him to keep warm {sorry ike man...} and since he's been out of town i have realized that when he isn't there to steal them back i pull them so much they just fall off me and on to the floor and i wake up freezing. i'm crazy. i think it's time to put our down comforter back on our bed, can't wait. it will be a nice welcome home for isaac tomorrow, he loves that thing.

tonight i'm working a night shift so this morning is full of getting everything prepared for the weekend before i work all night and sleep most of the day tomorrow. my little brother and mom's birthdays are this weekend and we're celebrating in style. i've planned a yummy party for them on sunday and there are a few more things i need to pick up before everything will be ready.

i'm also tempted to bake some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies to take in to work tonight...and maybe make a quick stop for a few pairs of colorful tights...seeing as its now chilly enough to wear them!

i hope you have a lovely weekend!

a little obsession.

i am obsessed with cardigans. especially long boyfriend cardigans. i've had a love affair with them for years, but this season they are everywhere and i can't get enough! on monday night my hubs picked me up from work and informed me he had a meeting at the barnes and noble in the mall. i originally was going to just drop him off and have his friend bring him home {i was starving} but then he pulled up next to the giant forever 21 and i couldn't resist. i, of course, found myself a lovely boyfriend cardigan, along with some other goodies and a few birthday gifts for a ridiculous deal. love that place. i didn't see the sweater pictured above, but i sure am thinking about ordering it online...

today.

today i woke up in a very bad mood and i don't know why. i hate it when that happens. it makes me want to forget all the things i need to get done today {a good work out, grocery shopping, loads and loads of laundry, party planning} and just sit around and watch all the shows on my hulu queue. gaaah i hate that. then i stumbled across this picture of my sweetie and i on our wedding day and felt much better. i love how photos can capture such lovely moments and bring back such happy memories.

okay okay i'm ready to take a deep breath and get started on my to do list. here's to a productive wednesday!

sister sister and a little guest post.

i love celebrating birthdays, and jenna's was delightful. aren't we such twins? with very opposite hair colors of course...

i found this fabulous treat tray for her at target! target! another reason i love that place.

and of course, red velvet birthday cake. supreme.

yesterday i did a special guest post on one of my best girlfriend's blog...you really must check it out. here, i'll give you a little preview...

want the very easy recipe for this sweet treat? go here.

sunday brunch.

yesterday was such a lovely sunday. we spent the day lounging around with family, eating a delicious brunch and enjoying some spiritual guidance during general conference.

i also spent the weekend recovering from my night shift {by sleeping all day saturday...} and then going out with my best girlfriends for soup and salad at zupas, frozen yogurt, and to a movie {easy a...i have mixed feelings about it}. it was the perfect weekend. now i'm recharged to work like crazy this week! how was your weekend?

chocolate chocolate chocolate!

yesterday after spending the morning in class for work and then lunching with my bff, i got a very strong craving for chocolate. i debated going to sweet tooth fairy for a cupcake but then i remembered the see's candies gift certificate my mom gave me last christmas. i drove to the mall as fast as i could and picked out a whole pound of chocolate. yum. i felt rather piggish telling the lady helping me "i'll have two orange creams, and two of those apple pie truffles, oh and..." on and on until my box was full. this experience totally reminded me of a favorite 30 rock clip...love it.



i woke up extra early this morning to try and get some things done - i'm working a night shift tonight and i need a good long nap before i go in. i figured waking up at 7 would give me plenty of time to get all my stuff done before i plan on sleeping all afternoon! oooh night shifts...i do not love them. mainly because they don't allow me to hang out with one of my best friends --- sleep. good thing i have my chocolates to keep me awake all night!

happy friday!