a simple pleasure.

every once and a while i'll get an email from my dad with pictures of cricket attached and little messages like "come play with me!" and "come see me!"  it seriously brightens my day each time.  i instantly want to drop all my work and head on over.  i love that pup, and my dad.  she is one funny funny dog.

chocolate cupcakes with orange cream frosting.

the highlight of my weekend: baking these cupcakes.  i mustered up the strength to make them {after laying around all day} on saturday and boy oh boy were they worth it.  orange and chocolate are perfect together, i can't believe i just figured out how to pair them in cupcake form.  these are heavenly.

orange cream frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup milk

6 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon orange extract

3/4 teaspoon vanilla

 food coloring

in a large mixing bowl beat butter until smooth. gradually add 2 cups of the powdered sugar, beating well. slowly beat in the 1/4 cup milk, orange extract and vanilla. gradually beat in the remaining powdered sugar. beat in enough additional milk to reach spreading/piping consistency. if desired, tint with food coloring. pipe or spread on cupcakes!

yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum.

birthday dinner with the girls.

 

 remember how i said birthday week was over?  well...i forgot just one thing.  this fabulous dinner my friends had for me.  we went to california pizza kitchen and ate the most delicious food.  i think we ordered the best combination possible off their menu...you have to try it.  here's what you need to order:

spinach artichoke dip.

bbq chicken pizza with applewood smoked bacon {seriously so much better with bacon}.

the mac and cheese off the children's menu - so creamy and delish.

doesn't that sound amazing?  i can't wait to go back.  i love food.  and my friends! but mostly food...

husband makes delicious food.

 weekend highlights:

-while sick, isaac cooked me breakfast, lunch and dinner alllllll weekend long.  it was all so good {see above!}.

-i finished reading the guernsey literary and potato peel pie society.  i loved it.  one of the best books i've read in a really long time.  i can't wait to discuss it in jana's virtual book club.  you can join us if you want!

-i baked for the first time in the new year.  i seriously can't believe i went sooooo long.  so so unlike me.  of course i made cupcakes. and they were delicious.

-husband and i caught up on all the new episodes of our favorite shows - did you see the office last week?  seriously hilarious, it's been a while since that show has made me laugh that hard.  watch it.

-lots and lots of naps.  we're talking 4 and 5 a day.  i love naps.  period.

despite feeling icky, it was a lovely weekend.  lounging around at home was just what i needed.  how was your weekend?

miserable.

i am home sick today and am 100% miserable.  it is currently 5am and i'm up because my throat is on fire.  yes, fire. that's what i get for working prn at a kids urgent care - one of the first patients i checked a few nights ago coughed directly in my face when i was listening to her lungs.  gag.  i knew it was coming...{i wish my mom had told me about zicam a little sooner}...i'm just not used to working with such sick kids!  i mean, i work on the surgical floor at the children's hospital where all the children are obviously sick - but generally not the contagious kind.  i guess i'll be wearing a mask at the kidscare from now on.

i think i can fall back asleep now, have a lovely friday!  i'll be home reading the most lovely book - the guernsey literary and potato peel pie society, sucking on throat lozenges, and napping all day long. 

p.s. check out the comment section on yesterday's post.  hilarious. 

wanted: beautiful seafoam watch.

you guys.  you guys.  iwantthiswatchsososobad.  so bad.  unfortunately, as part of my new years resolutions and the strict budget i've put myself on, it is currently a no-go. if only i had discovered it before my birthday and christmas!  poop.  someone please give me $160.  k thanks.  

someday this pretty little watch will be on my wrist.  someday.  it has my name written alllll over it.

sparkly, sparkly nails.

one of the best parts of my job is spending time with my little patients. it doesn't happen very often...but this weekend i took care of the sweetest little 10 year old, and i actually  had time to hang out with her {i am usually running around like a crazy person}.  we watched hannah montana while she painted my nails sparkly pink.  aren't they cute?  unfortunately they got a little chipped right after due to my nurse duties, but i love them nonetheless.  she also made me some pretty jewelry and a feather pen.  after 2 days of caring for her i left one spoiled, happy nurse.  

i love my job.

temple date night.

  one of mine and husband's new years resolutions is to attend the temple together at least once a month.  well, for january we can add a big check mark next to january on our list {little fact: i loooove making and checking off lists!}  isaac took me on friday night for a little date night, followed with some frozen yogurt.  it was just what i needed, i just love my isaac.

my husband is a funny, funny man.

isaac recently posted this video {along with a few others that are hilarious!} and i couldn't help but share it.  watch it.  and then go to his blog, he who laughs, to watch the others.  you won't regret it.

photo of the day.

back when isaac and i were dating, my bffs and i went on a cruise.  i recently stumbled upon this photo and it brought back so many fond memories.  this us us in jamaica. this day of the cruise is probably one of the craziest/most adventurous of my life.  we let a strange jamaican man drive us deep into the forest...what were we thinking?!  pretty sure he took this photo.

haha.  see more of this sketchy, fabulous cruise here. 

birthday date.

 this year isaac really spoiled me on my birthday date.  we're talking cupcakes, a trip to williams-sonoma {where he bought me a cuisinart ice cream maker!  i can't wait to use it this summer}, ice skating at gallivan plaza {where i captured the best photo of ike, see above}, and ate the most delicious meal at the copper onion.  seriously, it was amazing.  it is probably my new favorite restaurant - you must try it!  it's a little pricey, but i'm hoping we can go back for a little valentine's day action.  i'm going to save my pennies.  

i had a really really great birthday.  thank you for your kind birthday wishes!

okay, birthday week is over.  are you happy i will finally shut up about it?  i bet you are.  now i feel like i did right after christmas....what am i supposed to blog about now?!  is there anything you would like to have me feature more on my blog?  

gimme gimme gimme some ideas.

the sweetest surprise.

 let me just tell you a little about some of my sweet, sweet friends.  on saturday night we planned a little date night with 2 of our very favorite couples to eat yummy cafe rio and play games.  they completely surprise me with pink and teal balloons, sweet tooth fairy cupcakes and cakebites, and the most perfect apron from the one and only anthropologie.

can you believe it?!  all of my favorite things!  it was the best birthday surprise.

dear kat&ty and kalie&spence,

iloveyou. thankyousosomuch.

love, emma.

i still can't believe i'm 24.

 24 sounds soooo adult.  i still feel like a tween...yeah, a tween {who is obsessed with edward/jacob, loves high school musical, and wishes she could still get barbies for christmas}.  

i guess i have a career and a husband...so that's pretty adult right?  wowza.  enjoy these birthday photos taken by my dad at our traditional birthday cake and gift opening celebration.

get cookin'.

hello, another delicious recipe here.  last night i posted the recipe for my favorite teriyaki rice bowls over on a few scrumptious things and i thought you should know.  mainly because these rice bowls are awesome.  and healthy!  

also, be our friend on a few scrumptious things.  it's one of my new years resolutions to post millions of delicious recipes on the blog this year...so you don't want to miss out.  yes. i said millions.  ha! k bye.

birthday boots.

guess who got herself not 1 but 2 pairs of birthday boots?  meeeee!  when my mom and i went to nordstrom to try on the tan booties, i tried on the green as well and fell in love.  of course, the tan were more practical...so she bought me those but i went home and found the green pair for a steal of a deal on amazon.  happy birthday to me.  can i just tell you how much i love amazon?  love love love it.  

anyway, we're just going to call it birthday week here on emma the joy.  i'm seriously depressed it's over...so i'm going to re-live it each day here on the blog.  hope you don't hate me by the end of the week.  please please don't.   k thanks.

p.s. please do not make fun of my ridiculously long skinny foot...it's a sensitive subject.

birthday lunch.

my birthday was one fabulous weekend celebration.  and when i say weekend, i mean allll weekend.  it was so much fun.  on friday we started the fun by meeting my parents for lunch at stella grill.  it was delish.  i love their bbq chicken sandwich. 

my isaac and friends/family made my bday so so special, i can't wait to share more with you! i was one spoiled birthday girl.

how was your weekend?!

birthday girl.

best birthday ever. that is all.

today, i am 24.

 

happy birthday to me!  i think i'll get my face painted just like this today.  and i'll love it as much today as i did back then.  isaac, pick up some face paint?

sooooo dang funny.

do you watch parks and recreation?  if you don't you really really must.  husband and i recently have been re-watching the first and second seasons on dvd and we can't get enough.  above is one of my very favorite clips, amy poehler kills me.  enjoy!  and watch it!

birthday bag.

isn't this knot front bag in blush fabulous?  i've been wanting a new purse for a while now...and with my birthday in just a few days i think this would be perfect!  i can always count on nordstrom to have cute affordable bags.  love it!

treats of two thousand ten.

 1. chocolate cupcakes with buttercream frosting

2. s'mores cookies

3. white cupcakes with strawberry meringue buttercream

4. oreo cheesecake bars

5. chocolate crinkle cookies 

6. blueberry lemon buttermilk cake

7. angel food cupcakes topped with whipped cream

8. sinful sundae

9. yellow cupcakes with vanilla and chocolate buttercream frosting

10. loving cups

11. low-fat vanilla cupcakes and cream cheese icing 

12. creamsicle cookies 

13. chocolate cupcakes with mint buttercream frosting 

14. twix cheesecake {featured on letters from base}

15. chocolate cupcakes with white buttercream frosting

16. homemade peppermint oreos {featured on m loves m}

as i put together this post i kept thinking, did i really bake/eat all of these treats?  why yes, yes i did.  wow.  but don't worry, i made most of them for some sort of party/family event/gift...i promise.  you guys, i seriously love baking.  i can't wait to use the cookbooks i got for christmas and develop my skills even more this year!  

these are all really really delicious recipes, get baking!

thoughts on the new year.

i have been thinking a lot about the new year and feel excited about all the possibilities it holds!  i have set some resolutions and thought i might share a few of them with you to make myself more accountable...

save, save, save.  i have never been good at this...and to start my saving i am going on a shopping freeze.  no more winter clothes!

exercise!  lately i have a bad habit of letting a terrible night of sleep or a mild headache sway me from getting my groove on via hip hop abs or turbo jam.  it's not good.  it's time for me to tighten up, as shown in one of my favorite clips...

organize!  my closet it scary and i need to get rid of some stuff that i haven't worn since high school.  yikes...

other little goals include developing my spirituality, helping my husband with his business {i'm going to be his accountant!}, reading at least 1 new book a month, taking a dance class, learning to bake bread, trying not to be so grumpy when i'm tired/hungry, learning more about heart defects and arrhythmias so i'm better prepared to take care of the little heart babies at work, trying lots of new recipes and in general just being a nicer wife/daughter/sister/friend.  

here we come 2011!