Friends and random pictures

 Please excuse the puffy hair... I hope my hair doesn't always look like that :)

We've been crazy busy lately.  Trying to get ready for the move, tying up loose ends, fixing up the house a little, making sure it's ALWAYS clean for potential walk-throughs, Adam's test (which has become a four letter word in this household) and trying to hang out with friends as much as possible before we go.
I prefer to accentuate the positive where I can, so I'll talk a little about hanging out with the friends :)  On Thursday my friend Staci and I kissed the kids goodbye (except her baby) and went to Primm for a shopping spree of sorts.  We had mega discount coupons, so we did some pretty good damage there.  There's just something about shopping... it's liberating, isn't it?
Friday a bunch of us girlies took the kids to a mega-inflatable mecca.  They loved it.  Why didn't these places exist when I was a kid??
Saturday we went out to dinner as a last hoo-rah.  Chelsea is probably leaving us this week for St. George :(  Chrissy and I will move right around the same time.  It's crazy how 3 of us are just leaving... boom... like that.  
I plan on visiting often.  As often as I can.  I'm sure we'll be real sick of Idaho's weather come April, so we may make the journey right after tax season.

P.S. Sorry I don't have pictures of any of these events, our camera is slowly slipping away from us and will soon be in a better place.  We hope to be getting a replacement at Christmas.  Since no post is complete without a few pictures, here are a few random ones from the last few years that may put a smile on your face (or say what the heck?!  Ashton was HUGE).   Because it's good to walk down memory lane every once in a while.

Humungo Ashton

 Baby Ashton... I love all his blonde hair... he was such a cutie!

 Hallie around 18 months or so, love the piggies.

 Hallie and Tate... about 18 mos

 Hallie's Blessing

 Hallie got a little cold, so Daddy let her borrow his sweatshirt.

 And then the crazy couple.  Shortly after the wedding.  It looks like I married Barney Fife.

Big Things

Big things have been happening around our house.  First off, WhipperBerry has become quite the success and has taken up quite a bit of my time these past few months, although I will say, it has been put on the back-burner a bit recently because I've had so many cakes (of which I plan on updating... sometime).  Hallie LOVES preschool more than life and Ashton is talking quite a bit more now and loves his dad more than life.  Adam and I just love the kids more than life, so we're happy to see them happy.

Last week we got a life-changing phone call.  My uncle, a CPA in Idaho Falls, asked Adam to move up to Idaho and start working with him this December.  We knew this would be a prospect for us, we just weren't expecting it for a couple more years.  So we talked... a lot.  Weighed pros and cons.  Shifted back and forth.  Prayed a TON.  We finally decided that it would be a good move for us, even if we did have to somehow sell the house in this terrible economy and quit a great job with amazing people.

But it's true.  We're moving to Idaho.  And I'm kind of excited.  I wasn't, a few days ago.  I've come to like Vegas a little, and the unknown scares me.  But I love Idaho.  I always have.  I mean, just look at it...

                                                               (i may just have to buy this cutting board)

How can you not?  There is so much to love about Idaho.  I can be a real cowgirl there, if I really wanted.  Life is a little more laid back, and there are so many beautiful outdoorsy things to do.  When I went to school there, we would go bridge jumping and crawl through ice caves.  When we were there for the 4th, we went up to the Grand Tetons and saw the most amazing views I've ever seen.  Jackson Hole is nearby, and it's nothing shy of amazing.  And my family is there, at least for now.  That will perhaps be my most favorite thing.

I'm looking forward to Idaho.  Looking forward to white Christmases and beautiful summers.  And looking forward to the many wonderful memories that will be made.

Silhouette

Twig and Thistle is giving away the Silhouette this week.  Ahh!  I want one very very much.  It's kinda like a Cricut, but you can cut any kind of font without buying an insane amount of cartridges.  It's all done through your computer via their software.  For more info, go check out Twig and Thistle's or Silhouette's site!

My Salsa (booty-shaking required)

Well, I've had a bit of interest in a salsa I've been experimenting with for 2 or 3 years now.  It all started long ago when my wife took me to Chili's and insisted that we get the chips and salsa, so we did, and that started a long-lasting love affair...with a delicious salsa! =D

Below, you will find the recipe and some instructions for the salsa that I have somewhat acquired from others, altered, and created all at once (well, not really, over the years more like it).  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.  This is not a chunky salsa, nor is it a fresh garden veggie salsa.  I've tried it with fresh jalapeno, but it didn't have as much flavor.  You could try with fresh tomatoes, but it would be entirely different.  Here it goes:

Servings: Party Size
Skill Level: Easy

Prep Time: 15 mins
Ready In: 4 Hours - 2 Days

Ingredients:
1 - 14 1/2 oz can tomatoes and green chilies (Del Monte has produced two of the best batches ever)
1 - 28 oz can whole canned tomatoes (plus the juice, no brand preference here...generic is fine)
3 TBSP jalapenos (canned, diced, not pickled; you can add more or less to spice it up, a little more gives it a really good flavor)
1/2 C cup yellow onions (diced) (I've tried sweet, vidalia, and spanish, and I like yellow best)
1/2-3/4 tsp teaspoon garlic salt
3/4 tsp teaspoon Cumin
1/4 tsp teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 TBSP white vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Fresh Lime Juice (sometimes I'm generous here!)

Directions:
1.  In food processor (I just use my blender) place jalapenos and onions, and a little bit of the tomato juice from one of the cans.
2.  Blend for a few seconds
3.  Add everything else & blend it up until it reaches the consistency you want (try not to over-blend)
4.  Shake your booty-thang
5.  Place in covered container and chill (I always give myself a MINIMUM of 4-6 hours.  It is best after a day, and sometimes better after 2 days)





Comments:
This recipe is VERY easy to make, the only cutting/chopping you do is to the onion and the lime (my latest addition), unless you have lime juice hanging around.

Now, every time I make it, it's a bit different.  I can honestly say that my last batch, was my favorite EV-AR!  Concidentally enough, I had a batch of Chili's for lunch, and then went home and tasted mine, and like it better.  Granted, that Chili's batch was way too salty that day.  When you make it right, this salsa will have a really good blend of sweet, spicy, salty, and tinge of citrus.  Mmmm, if I had any chips left I'd go finish off the last batch I made!

Hit me up in the comments if you have any questions.

Enjoy!

-ADAM

It's been a while

We've been crazy busy this past month.  Adam and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary in Cancun (away from the kids!!), Hallie started school, I've been working on cakes and WhipperBerry, and Adam finished his third CPA exam and started another busy season (poor guy has been working all day... and it's SUNDAY... sad face).
Here's some photos of our happenings...

Cancun was awesome.  I wish I could live there forever.  The kids would love to live by the beach.

Hallie's first and second days of school.  Hallie LOVES school.  She talks about it all day, every day, probably even dreams about it.  I love it, too.  It's really helped me maintain my sanity while Adam and I have been working like crazy.

Here's a time continuum of Adam... if he were a pear.  The first was right before his CPA test, the second right after, and the third was after Cancun.

We decided to chop the pre-test Adam up to see what his insides held, and it was pretty rad.

Sadly, he tasted like crap.

(and we don't even say that word in our house)

More updates to come!  Stay tuned.

Fashion Show

Hallie was accepted into pre-school last month.  This was very exciting news to all members of the household, but I think Hallie and I are most excited (and for very different reasons).  I'm just happy to see that Hallie will have a chance to have daily interaction with other kids her age.  Heaven knows she needs it.  To celebrate our building anticipation, we went school shopping this past week.  Hallie obliged in putting on a fashion show, and I thought I would share the final product of her photo shoot.

Here we have Hallie sporting the ever-feminine butterfly-print dress.  Simple, but flirty.

 Next we have our Back-to-School staple, the denim dress.  The belt is a purple floral and the shoes a white Mary Jane.  Hallie wears it with attitude and style, just how her momma raised her.

Next in the line-up is the fantastic T-shirt dress.  This dress says comfy, casual, and oh-so-trendy.  Hallie's ready to hit the books... while the boys take a look.

Finally, we give you the black ruffle tank with sequins. Hallie wears this with white laced leggings.  Not every 3-year-old can pull this off, but Hallie's definitely got the legs for it.

*This fashion show was brought to you by H&M Las Vegas, where the majority of these clothes were purchased.

GRIPE SESSION - $120 for parking at church = sad face

So, we often go to my parents after church for a lovely Sunday meal.  And I often go to church separately and when we go to my folks, we just leave my car there.

Well, upon retrieving my car a month ago, I got a lovely little pink slip with a nasty orange sticker (uber-sticky...we're talking goo-gone) attaching it to my windshield (what ever happened to using the wipers?).

Any who, sure, I broke the law, it's a misdemeanor [criminal!], I can't say that I had ever seen the parking sign, in fact, I had to go back and look to see where it was, and especially since people have parked on that road since the beginning of time.

In my mind, 'No parking zones' are placed to increase public safety...in my case, I think the parking sign was placed for public annoyance.  I'll let you be the judge, but unless we are allowing lizards and katydids to be U.S. citizens, I doubt any of our citizens safety has been blessed by the fortuitous placement of this no parking zone which happens to be essentially in the middle of the desert far from any type of residential property or narrow roads with limited visibility (not bitter).

WhipperWhat?

All right, I've posted it all over Facebook and now I'm doing a shout-out on my personal blog about my newest adventure.  I have partnered up with my friend Heather to be a part of WhipperBerry!  Basically, the site is for all things creative.  We go a little into design, photography, cooking, dessert tables, weddings, fashion, DIY and who knows where else.  We've got Heather, who makes GREAT car seat canopies and other baby basics.  She's also an amazing photographer and put the whole site together herself.  Then there's me, the dessert table girl.  Heather is my main partner in crime on this, and things are going well in that area.  After October, I'll be done making cakes (although Adam thinks I should just keep it and jack up the prices, what do you think??) and I will just do the dessert tables.  There's also Erin, who owns a wedding/reception center and has had a pretty exciting life running that business.  She's a crack-up, and definitely adds a lot of spunk to our group.  We hope to be adding another WhipperChick or two in the near future, so stay tuned.  If you haven't already, become a fan on facebook (by clicking Like on the Left hand side) or follow our blog.  We post 5-6 times a week, and like I said before, the photography is amazing, so you won't want to miss the posts!

www.whipperberry.com

Vacate

We're back from our trip to Idaho!  We had such a wonderful time.  Between going to Jackson, going boating at Whiptail, watching fireworks from the curb while snuggling in a blanket in 40 degree weather, I started feeling a little jealous Idaho.  I came home to the HOT, brown, dirt laden land of Nevada and wished for the green fields of wheat that I had just left.  Oh well, I suppose I'm never too jealous of Idaho in the winter (although a little snow around Christmas would be nice).

I am happy to be home though.  My sister came home with me and we did what we love to do.  We went shopping at J.Crew, admired the Jean Phillipe Bakery at the Bellagio, and planned her wedding while listening to Jazz at Borders (no, Kelsey isn't even engaged, but she WILL have an amazing wedding).

We've been having fun all summer long

Here in Vegas, summer ends with June.  Then our own personal season, HOT AS HADES (all caps required) hits in July and August.  So here's to summer, we shall miss you.  We're really not looking forward to outrageous electric bills and frying eggs on our sidewalk, but I still think I'll take the heat over the cold... even if my winter clothes are cuter. 
We've been swimming at least 3 times every week, going hiking and watching plays, playing with friends and watching basketball.  Hallie just loves to GO all the time ("Where are we going today, Mommy?" are frequently the first words I hear in the morning) and Ashton just wants to eat... always.
 Here's some photos of our latest happenings.

1.  Hanging out in mom's "get ready for vacation" tanning chair  2. Dressing up at Sydney's house 3. Running at the park 4. Getting the face painted before Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.  Basically, we've been pretty spoiled with fun :) 
I've been taking a break from cake decorating and won't start up again until September so that I can update and totally re-vamp my website and just have a great time with the kiddos. I'd really LOVE to do a party inspired by these shoes...

I can just see the whole butterfly, summer colors party now.  Anyone need a birthday party planned for their little girl?? :)  It would be so amazingly CUTE.
Have a fabulous summer and drink lots of lemonade!  I'll be back after we get home from Idaho.
In the meantime, check out the new things I've added to my website, give me any input, and vote on my poll there.  Thanks!
www.whitneyscakes.com

Dessert Table for Baby-to-be!

The baby shower I mentioned in my last post happened just this past Wednesday!  We had a wonderful time, and I loved putting it all together.  I totally felt like I was in my element the whole time.  Even when we had a slight catastrophe right before the shower started, I really felt like I handled it okay and thanks to some wonderful friends who totally saved the day, we pulled it off!  Here's some pictures of the event...

My dear friend Kristin introduced me to Amy Atlas about 9 months ago, and ever since the day she introduced me, I knew I just HAD to try a dessert table.  I would tell you to go visit Amy's site, but her tables make mine look pitiful, but if you must visit, I understand :)
I was so glad that I got to do this table for such an awesome person, and I'm really really grateful for EVERYONE that helped out.  Thanks so much!!

For Your Viewing Pleasure

I know I haven't blogged in a little while, and I really don't have time to blog now, as I've been busy getting ready for my friend's baby shower.  There will be plenty of pictures of the event though, so tune in later next week!
As for now, enjoy this AMAZING time lapse video of artist James Mylne.  He does his most famous artwork in ballpoint pen alone.  I've always loved art, and it's even more amazing to me when I see people use such common household mediums to create masterpieces.

All Done!

I know I promised this post last week, but we didn't have this all finished until yesterday... which was mostly my fault.  I got lazy about painting and so it basically took all week to get me motivated enough to finish it.  But it's done!

Now I just need a little storage thing for that bare spot by the sink, kind of like this one...

They have one at Home Goods here, and the baskets are actually closed instead of open, an absolute must for anyone who has 2 small children and doesn't want to see the clutter.  Of course, the majority of our budget is still governed by necessity instead of desires, so it may be a while. 

If you have the decorating bug BAD like I do, here's some fun sites:

theletteredcottage.net

hookedonhouses.net

smallplacestyle.blogspot.com

brilliantyasylum.blogspot.com

and some of my most favoritest stores (well, besides PB)

ballarddesigns.com

my-sparrow.com 

anthropologie.com

mainecottage.com