Happy Halloween

Goblins, witches, ghouls galore;

may your Halloween be anything but a bore!
Download this darling Halloween card from A Black Apple here.

freshly

Celebrating our 5 year wedding anniversary! Trying to milk this milestone for all it's worth. It's totally working.

Listening to The Monster of Florence book on CD. A creepy read for book club perfect for Halloween.Reading about Feng Shui for the office. Working on eliminating bad chi from all aspects of life.

Slathering dry skin with Nature's Gate Papaya Lotion. Chantelle turned me on to this lotion in Lake Powell. I can't thank her enough. Best. Lotion. Ever.Voting by mail! It's by far the best way to vote. The only downside is that you don't get a cool sticker to sport on your lapel.

Blogging about blogging is my new favorite blobby {blog hobby}Scooping ice cream with the Zyliss. Get one. Now. You won't regret it.You Tubin' these cute kids...

Wishing on a star. A far far far away star.

Love List 10.28.08

I love how BD and I have been married for 5 years, but still consider ourselves newlyweds. I love snuggling with him in the morning when neither of us want to start the day. I love that he is voting for Nader. I love sleeping with the windows open, even when it's chilly. I love wearing sweat pants or not wearing pants at all. I love baking pretty things with my sister. I love making a mess in my kitchen. I love that my mom has baked a cake or a pie for every person that has ever done something nice for her as a way of saying thank you. I love serving the young women in my neighborhood, I love them too. I love it when it rains, or snows, or howls. I love ice cream and would eat it for all three meals if I could. I love singing in my car, really loud. I love the feeling when an airplane leaves the ground and for about 5 milliseconds it feels like I'm floating. I love being in new places where I'm completely out of my element and scared to death. I love being at home the most. I love watching the clouds from my window move across the valley like a cotton ball ballet. I love seeing people walk their dogs in the park because they always looks so happy. I love my best friend for forgiving me even when I forgot her birthday. I love hearing about a life well lived, well respected, and well loved. I love my Savior and His church where I belong. I love hot chocolate. I love chocolate, dark. I love listening to family folklore and feeling connected to my ancestors. I love thinking of my grandmothers and wondering if they are proud of me.

I love, I love, I love...

Now it's your turn! Make a love list all your own and be sure to tell me where to find it.
Via Operation Nice.

Mickey and Minnie Mouse Cupcakes

My bestie Lacy asked me to make cupcakes for her darling little Izzy's 2-year old birthday party. I was really excited to do Mickey and Minnie Mouse cupcakes until I started researching other cupcakes online. I couldn't find ANYTHING that I remotely liked therefore I had to get really creative to achieve my own expectations to sophisticate Mickey and Minnie the way I envisioned. My sis Brook and I found some do-it-yourself silicone plastique online and with a donated Mickey Mouse key chain {thanks Marci!}, and some helpful volunteers {thanks Todd & Tom!}, we created our own custom chocolate molds. Voilà!The end result was awesome! I pulled in pretty much my entire family {troopers!} to help collaborate on these cupcakes, and because there was chocolate cake involved, they came salivating. It was an all-inclusive Richman family cupcake fest at my mom's house. Plus, we almost succeeded at obliterating her kitchen in the process. One of these times we will succeed and then she'll get a brand new kitchen. We're always looking out for you mom.I won't mention the two failed batches of meringue buttercream frosting. Or the extra trips to the store for more ingredients. Or the Cafe Rio pork salad binge in the middle of it all. {sigh} That's all part of the fun, right? Sort of. Failure is what makes us better at our craft. Double failure is a solid below the belt sucker punch to morale at which point you should give up completely and go back to what you know: buttercream sans egg whites. Egg whites can be as temperamental and unpredictable as your hot flashing mother-in-law, meaning that if the temperature is not exactly perfect all hell will break loose in a matter of seconds and people will wish they were never born. Rather, let's discuss the rich chocolaty cake, the cute red fondant bows for Minnie, the creamy vanilla frosting, and the irresistible sprinkles to top them off. My intent was to have Mickey and Minnie recognizable for Izzy so that she would love them and want to eat all 2 dozen at once, while at the same time making them interesting and sophisticated enough for adults to want one too. Of course, the ultimate goal is to make them taste better than any cupcake you've ever had before. I try to use only the best ingredients and I think it makes a big difference.
I loved how they turned out, especially the Minnie's. They are simple and sophisticated (for a Disney character) and they taste great (except the fondant). Although I envy anyone who can do this for a living and keep their sanity. I bow to you, cupcake goddesses. Then again, I know I'm my own worst critique and admittedly I set the bar WAY too high. Still, I promised BD I wouldn't quit my day job.

Zion in the Fall

Zion in the fall is spectacular. We are so fortunate to have some of the greatest National Parks in the country literally in our backyard. In a last attempt effort to squeeze some remaining warm sunny days out of the year we met the Anderson's in St. George last weekend for a quickie getaway and some hiking at Zion.Saturday was only blue skies and sunshine in the Dixie Land. The park was surprisingly green and lush for mid October. The contrast between red rocks and green foliage was stunning. We hiked the Angels Landing trail, otherwise known as the "anyone care to die today?" trail. As someone who is...er, challenged-with-heights, Angels Landing was a tough one. I white-knuckled those chains all the way up and all the way down. Although it was beautiful, the trail was super crowded and the constant stream of bodies passing me on the trail only added to my anxiety. Alas, I made it and lived to blog about it, which is the real measure of achievement in my world. The last day we chose a milder trail along the Virgin River to slowly work out our sore muscles before the car ride home. I wish I could visit every National Park in Utah all in one sweeping road trip. Who's with me?And look! Check out our modern slash trendy engagement shot standing far apart in front of a wall, not looking at the camera, all hip like. Just one more way of wowing you with my awesomeness. You're welcome.

While I should be working...

In my fantasy life (you have one too, right?) this is what our weekend road trip down south would look like. Including those sunglasses too. I'll settle for our little VW diesel, a bike on the hitch and a couple of tuna sandwiches to go. Happy weekend!

via swissmiss.

And the award goes to...

A special thanks to Kami over at It's No Biggie for giving me the Kreativ Blogger Award! I will display it proudly on my sidebar. Coming from Kami this means the world because she is a blogging virtuoso. I read her blog daily for a little chuckle, a little music, a little linkage, and a little uplifting to a down shifting day. Upon acceptance, I would like to thank the 4 people who read this blog. Yes, this includes you Mom. I've found that blogging is so much more than a feeble attempt to make my life seem much more interesting than it really is, but rather blogging has become a creative outlet for me to write, create, share, and learn in a space that is all my own. For Kami to take the time to notice makes me smile. Real big. The best part is that I get to pass the Kreative Blog Award on to 6 other lucky bloggers. Here are my picks:
Jessie of O'Neals Window
She's a dear friend, who takes amazing pictures. I'm constantly in awe of what a great mother she is. I love getting little snippets of her happy little family.
Mindi of Word to Your Mother
She's a rockin' mother of 4 who knows how to keep it real. But honestly, this is really about me trying to win her dang blog giveaway! I don't know what a "turkey seasonal" is, but I NEED one.
Liz of Lizzy the Botanist
She loves to blog just as much, if not more, than I do. We're constantly forwarding each other little bits of inspiration for crafting, baking, and entertaining. We have big plans for when we have big money. Also, check out her Christmas blog and become an Elf!
Diane of Diane Can Cook
She's a SLC local, who knows what she likes when it comes to dining in and out. If you're in SLC you will appreciate her reviews of the hot spots.
Marta of Marta Writes
Don't know her personally, but her writing is always an inspiration to me. I've enjoyed reading about her first experiences as a new mom with a new babe.
Steph of Stephanie's Kitchen
She's a local stay at home blogger who bakes delicious food that makes mouths water. Her food is simple, unpretentious, and hearty. Plus, she's a member of the Daring Bakers so it's fun to see what she comes up with each month.

Now go on bloggers! Pay it forward. It feels real nice.

{more} Lake Powell 2008

What I loved most about Lake Powell '08

There is no place in the world like Lake Powell. We discovered that the end of September, early October is the best time to be on the lake. Lower temperatures, warmer water, and fewer crowds make for primo conditions. BD and I feel very fortunate to have made new friends along with spending 6 awesome days with our best friends. Life is good. I loved being on the boat {with Chief at the helm} , soaking up the sun {with SPF 55}, lip syncing to awesomely bad pop music {"hey little mama, oh you're a stunner"}, and giggling with my girl friends {about our jiggling parts}.

Tubin' on the weenie thingie! Oh, the laughs we had on this bad boy. Not to mention the bruises and soreness that resulted afterward. All in the name of a good time.
Playing this hard is hard work. If you weren't being pushed in, you were the one pushing in. It's just how it goes. I love this shot of Rach and I. All you see is me pulling her down with me. What you don't see is how she attempted to push me in first. Not. Gonna. Happen. Learning to wake surf was a definite highlight for me! Not only did I get up, I really surfed! Like really. Threw the rope in and everything. It was a proud moment. Wake surfing was every one's favorite lake sport, and everyone got up, including my 2 pregnant chicas! {It's safe, don't hate}.
And as always, it never hurts to be in a beautiful place with my beau. We especially enjoyed early morning sunrise hikes, roasting banana's by the fire, and lots of time on the lake together.
And last but not least, a HUGE thank you to the Wilding's for making it all happen! We're so very grateful to have been along for the adventure. Captain Jeff laid down only one rule for the trip:

1. It's your vacation, do whatever the heck you want! {As long as it doesn't interfere with anyone else's vacation}.
   

If you read my previous post you would know that he was actually the only one who broke his own rule. The Mr. posted some of his favorite "Pal" pics over on his boy blog. Go check 'em out!

Sunday mornings are for...

staying cozy in bed until the grumbles of your stomach finally win
eating warm banana pancakes, coconut syrup, and 2 eggs over easy
listening to Handel's Messiah with MoTab on the dusty record player
watching the first snowflakes of the season fall one by one by one

Boys Are Mean: A True Story

Once upon a time, in a far away land called "Lake Pal" four beautiful women were peacefully floating on the lake, getting some sun, and chatting it up like only women of this elite kind know how to do.Hey! Can someone take our picture? Smile girls, this one's for the blog!
In the meantime, while the ladies are distracted with the picture taking, a BOY enters the scene on a wave runner. Seems harmless enough. It's a beautiful day, the sun is high in the sky. A perfect time to embark on a personal journey on the lake to perhaps gain some perspective on how wonderful life can be when you're on vacation with dear friends in such a pristine environment.
It was not to be so. The BOY could not resist the great temptation to spoil a seemingly blissful moment of zen for the beautiful ladies. Unknowingly the women continue with their intellectual conversation philosophizing about the mysteries of the universe until...Disaster struck. With seconds to spare, The Sisters in Zion tried to warn one another. But it was too late. An ambush of catastrophic proportions was already underway.
Hundreds of pounds of water violently sprayed on top of them. Even over the roar of the water you could hear evil cackling coming from the BOY on his man toy. As the wave runner fled the scene the ladies were tossed about in the waves like plastic rafts in a mighty tempest. With all their might, mind, and strength they fought to keep from capsizing. Of course, only a BOY could be at the heart of this sort of calamitous siege. So, with tousled hair in their eyes and lake water dripping out their noses, the ladies let him have it. Expletives went flying. The women banded together, he will pay for this, they vowed. HE WILL PAY. But alas he would not pay. The BOY was not yet through inflicting pain and misery on the innocent victims who were merely attempting to enjoy their afternoon float. Picking up on their sarcastic sass and empty threats, the BOY still found it necessary to prove he was in charge. In a matter of seconds the BOY was back and even more full of hysteria. The first counteroffensive had only been the appetizer to his feast. This tyrant would not surrender until his woeful appetite was satisfied in full. He strikes again. For a second time the ladies are jostled amongst the waves and struggle for breath beneath the torrential downpour. Their lives flash before their eyes once again. After some time they recover from the most recent destruction, but it was too late for the one who got away. All of a sudden a second cohort enters the deplorable one-sided combat. Another BOY, we can only assume.
Hey Jeff! You missed one! Look...she's getting away! BOY #2 bellowed from the balcony above, betraying his one true love for the manifested bonds of brotherhood.
BOY #1 responds with another rueful cackle that could be heard all through the canyon lands. Not about to been seen as a compassionate ruler, BOY #1 revs his engine in pursuit of the one who would get away. It doesn't take long for him to spot the helpless victim trying to escape. BOY #1 eyes the target in his cross hair. Lock and load. {Sigh} What can a girl do? Boys will never change.
The end.