Dear October,

Dear October,

I am so excited for you to come. There are so many things I am looking forward to this month. Here are a few things I absolutely cannot wait for.

 

#1- Nike Women's Half Marathon in San Fransisco. GIRLS TRIP!!

 

#2- The Vampire Diaries Season 4 Premiere. CANNOT WAIT. Premiere party - yes please!

#3- Making and Canning home-made Applesauce. Last year I had 21 quarts and hoping to make more this year because it was delicious.

#4- Pedicure with the girls.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#5- Fall Weather and Days at the Park.

 

 

#6- General Conference

 

#7- Of course Halloween festivities such as: Gardner Village, pumpkin decorating, trick-or-treatin and making Halloween Crafts!

Honest Thoughts

As I sit down to write my blog post for the day I think about all the things I could blog about. Like how I finally had a success with making French Macarons, how I made 80 cupcakes on Wednesday for our Cub Scout pack meeting or how I got my hair done today FINALLY. Or I could blog about how I am finally catching up on season 3 of The Vampire Diaries and how amazing it is or how it is Friday and I am so glad it is the weekend. While all of those are true and would be great topics for a blog post I just feel like writing what is on my heart. You know, the real true thoughts and feelings that make you feel vulnerable and question whether you should really write it down for anyone else to read. Before I change my mind I just have to write and click the "publish" button. Maybe someone can relate and needs to hear what I have to say or maybe I am just selfish and need to get my thoughts out there - somewhere - into cyber space to be read by someone.  So, If you decide to skip over this post I won't be offended.

Trials.

We all face them in our life. I truly believe that we are here on this earth to learn and grow. Trials do that to us. They humble us when we need to be humbled. Some of us will face trials that are harder than others. I think that we are given certain trials to make us better people and to help those around us who may be going through similar situations. And even though I truly believe this I can't help but wonder "why"? Why do I have to struggle with infertility? Why do small children have to deal with cancer? Why does my big brother have to fight addiction?

I don't know the answer. But I do know that whatever the trial may be, you are not the only one.There are others out there who have been in your shoes, walked where you have walked and cried the same tears. And sometimes when you aren't sure how to get through it or how to help your loved one that you can always do two things: Love them, and pray for them. Pray often, pray hard, pray, pray, pray. Because I know that God has a plan for all of us and that He loves us, and He is listening to our prayers. He understands, He has suffered all affliction.

God gives us trials but he also blesses us. I am blessed beyond comprehension. I have an amazing husband & baby girl that are my world. I am blessed with amazing family, friends, a home, hubby with a secure job, and everything I need. 

 

Trials make us stronger. They shape and mold who we are.  They remind us of what is truly important and of our blessings in life. 

 

Here are some quotes that inspired me today:

 

XOXO,
Whitney

 

National Sister Day

 

Happy National Sister Day!
I dreamed of having just one sister my whole life, and now I have two. I could not have asked for better sisters than Whitney & Jenna!

nicole

Wonderful Wednesday (Link Up With Us)

Happy Wednesday Everyone. We are so very excited to be co-hosting this amazing link party with some other amazing bloggers this week.

 

Welcome to Wonderful Wednesday. This link party is here to aid you in finding not only new awesome blogging friends but followers as well. Share the love, follow the rules, and meet new people!This link-party can be found here every Wednesday.

1- FOLLOW YOUR HOSTS VIA GOOGLE FRIEND CONNECT

(the first links in link-up, marked host!)

2-LINK UP USING YOUR BLOGS URL

(please do not use a specific post)

3-FOLLOW OTHER BLOGGERS & COMMENT

(meet new people, make new friends)

4-GRAB THE BUTTON, ADD IT TO YOUR BLOG

(share the linky love, and button up below)

5-SHARE THE WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY NEWS

(tweet, facebook,  instagram & etc about link party)

      <a href="http://www.littlepetrie.com/search/label/wonderfulwednesday"> <img src="http://i45.tinypic.com/2cwpkk9.jpg" border="0" /></a>

Peach Sorbetto

Aw yes a box of peaches, nothing makes me happier.....

 

That is until you give me this book.... The Ciao Bella Book of Gelato & Sorbetta 

And then you make Peach Sorbetta. Too good.

 

 

Peach Sorbetto

Ingredients:

 

2 1/2 pounds ( 5 large) peaches

2 teaspoons lemon juice

Simple Syrup

 

Recipe:

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Using the tip of a paring knife, cut a small x into the bottom of the peaches. Immerse the peaches in the boiling water and blanch for about 1 minute to loosen the skins. Remove peaches, immediately put peaches in a bowl filled with ice water, and let them sit until cool enough to handle.. about 1 minute. Peel the peaches using a paring knife, then remove the pit and roughly chop the flesh.

Place the peach flesh and lemon juice in a food processor and puree until smooth. Pour through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl, pressing down the solids to extract all liquid. discard solids. Cover and refrigerate until cold.

Whick the simple syrup into the peach puree, then pour the mixture into the container of an ice cream machine and churn accordingly to manufacturers instructions.

 

Simple Syrup

Ingredients:

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

In medium saucepan, combine the water and sugar. Place over medium high heat and bring to a boil, whisking often to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat to meduim low and simmer for 4 minutes, while continuing to whisk until all sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool, then transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour.

 

nicole





Sunday Social

 

1.         What is something you have wanted to do but are afraid of? I would absolutely love to open up a bakery. I am obsessed with baking & cupcakes. Maybe someday when I have more time and $$ and do something I would also love to do: Attend culinary/pastry school. Oh, and finish school. I have my associate’s degree but would love to finish my bachelor’s degree. It may sound weird but I love school. I just am afraid of taking the time away from my baby girl.

 

 

2.         Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Just as happy as I am now but hopefully with another baby in the family. OH- and no big deal but I will be 30. YIKES!!

 

3.         What are you looking forward to before the end of 2012? Nike Women’s Half Marathon in San Francisco, Girls Trip, Weekend at the Cabin with friends, Thanksgiving, puppies, Christmas, snow.

 

 

4.        What are your hopes for your blog? I would love for it to continue to grow. I hope to keep meeting new blog friends. It is so great to make new friends in the blog world and I am having so much fun with it. Also, I would hope that my blog is enjoyable for people to read and that people keep coming back to read it!

 

5.         Do you always see yourself living in your current town/city? Maybe not always in this exact city but hopefully close by. I love the area that I live in and it is close to family. It could be possible to move out of state but I don’t want to move away from family. They are my best friends!

 

6.        What is your morning routine?

Wake up – Take Thyroid Pill

Clean house, read blogs, eat breakfast, wait for Mia to wake up

Feed, bathe, & dress Mia

Brush teeth

Go to the gym or go running outside with the jogging stroller

 

Come home and let Mia play while I get in the shower

Get ready, do hair & makeup

Time for lunch

Run errands and play with Mia!

 

Happy Sunday everyone! Can't wait to relax and enjoy my day with Mia!

 

XO,

Whitney

Also linking up with this amazing blog hop:

 

 

Sup-Urbs + {WINNER, WINNER!}

As Nicole mentioned we spent the day yesterday celebrating our cousin and his beautiful bride's wedding day.  The Bride looked stunning in her lace 3/4 sleeve dress and her beautiful hair piece.  The weather was absolutely perfect. They were married in the Salt Lake LDS Temple, which is breathtaking. If you are not from Utah and you ever come visit you definitely need to take a tour of the temple grounds. So gorgeous. After the ceremony we headed over to City Creek for some lunch, then home so Mia could take a nap before the wedding reception later that night.

 Oh and Nicole took this "Super Urban" aka Sup-Urbs picture of my little family yesterday at the temple. She's pretty much pro-fessional!

Oh and remember that Shabby Apple giveaway we had going on?? Oh ya! That one for $50 towards Shabby Apple. Well we have  a WINNER WINNER!

True Random Number Generator

Min:Max:

Result:29

Powered by RANDOM.ORG

 

Comment #29 was by: Whitney

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

I will send you an email and you have 48 hours to claim your prize until another winner is chosen. So Jealous of you girl! Can't wait to see what you get with your giftcard!

 

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend. I can't wait to spend mine with my cute little family. Let's just say I am soaking up all my time with my baby girl and my Mr. now that he is back from hunting!

 

XOXO,
Whitney

Throwback Thursday

 

Just a little Throwback Thursday love via the blog today.

We had a wedding today, made me realize it's now just me and this girl. Which one of us is next Meg? Woah, big gulps, huh? Lets not get married and eat rootbeer floats the rest of our lives.

 

nicole

DIY Maxi Dress

Mia's favorite thing to do right now is build towers with lego blocks. When she puts them together she is so proud of herself and starts dancing and singing "I did it, I did it, I did it." Pretty much the cutest thing in the world. Right now I feel like doing the "I did it!" dance. Why? Because I pinned something and I actually made it. How often does that happen? I have been wanting to make a maxi dress and a few months ago I pinned this tutorial to my sewing board. It seemed pretty easy for a newbie seamstress, plus I would be able to re-purpose and old shirt. In the tutorial it has you use elastic thread. My friends, I tried EVERYTHING to get my sewing machine to shir. I read tutorials after tutorials to get it to work without success. So instead I just decided to use a small elastic band for the waist. Here is what I used:

Tutorial from A Small Snippet
Thread
1 1/2 yd fabric for skirt
Old shirt
1/4" elastic for waist
Fabric for a sash (if you wish)

If you aren't able to shir with your machine I would suggest just using an elastic for the waist. I just made a quick casing for the elastic, wasn't hard at all.

And here is how mine turned out:

I was pretty excited with how it turned out. Not bad for my first dress. What do you think?

XO,
Whitney

Linking up with Sugar & Dots and

Thus Far

Aren't my friends cute! (thanks for the picture Becca;)) We are fun, and watch football together.

We watched  Utah Utes take the win over the BYU cougars, once again! RushonRushonRush. That game was crazy! The weekend was too good to me! It may go down in my top 5 weekends ever... thus far.

Alpine Slides, Park City shopping, Wedding Reception, Football, Movies, Games, Walks, Friends, Family, and Goodbyes.

Yes it was a little jammed packed. I'm kinda playing catch up with real life now that it is over... which means I'm brain fried. Wish the weekend could have stayed forever, but it didn't so here is to this week!!! StudyonStudyonStudy. Can you tell I'm brain fried now? I'm rambling, that's a good indicator I need to be done. okay yeah.

 

nicole

Sunday Social

It is Sunday which means that I got to sleep in on this wonderful day and I get to relax before getting ready for Church. Sunday is also our Family day where we have Sunday dinner with family (mine or my in-laws). Love Sunday Dinners! Also, I am linking up today for my very first time to do the Sunday Social...thought I would give it a try!

1. 5 items you can't live without on a daily basis(water, food, shelter, and clothes dont count)

 

My Phone. Is that any surprise? I literally have a freak out if I forgot it. How else is anyone supposed to get a hold of me and how am I supposed to fill my time if I get super bored? ha ha

Chapstick Medicated. I HAVE to have Chapstick with me at all times. It is kind of pathetic but if I lose it I have to go buy some immediately. It is guarunteed that I will have Chapstick on me at all times.

DirecTV. Gotta catch my favorite shows everyday!

Family. I need them, everyday.

Exercise. I'm not a gym rat or anything but I just feel so much better when I exercise everday so I make sure to fit it into my daily routine. (Sunday is my day off)

2. All time favorite book?

I love to read so this is a hard one. Here are a few of my favorites:

The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom

Any book by Richard Paul Evans (I have ready pretty much every single book he has ever written)

The Chosen by Chaim Potok

 

3. Something you'd like to accomplish before the end of 2012

I would love to go on a little weekend getaway with my Mr. We have never been away by ourselves without Mia. Although not sure if it will happen by the end of the year...does January count? Our 5 year anniversary is in January and I am hoping we can go somewhere to celebrate.

4. If you could go back and relive any year of your life which year would it be?

I am not sure that there is a specific year that I would go back to. I am very happy and content with where I am at right now in my life, life couldn't get any better with my hubby & my baby girl by my side. :)

 

5. What do you wish people knew about you without you having to tell them?
I am pretty shy at first but I do want to get to know you and be friends and once you get to know me I can be loud, crazy, funny, silly. I am a good listener and always willing to help. Also, sometimes I am insecure about myself as a women, a mom, a wife, etc- I hate feeling insecure.


Don't forget to enter our amazing Shabby Apple giveaway going on now! Oh and fun things coming this week... I finally sewed a dress and can cross that off my summer list!

XO,Whitney

Friday letters

 

 

 

 

Dear ShabbyApple, thanks for giving us the opportunity to do an awesome giveaway for our readers, I'm wishing I was one of them right now!

 

 

Dear RubySnap, I have a Love Hate relationship with you. I hate that I love RubySnap Cookies as much as I do. I hate that I devoured your cookies before I could even snap a picture to share. I am officially an addict to your cookies. 4 in one night, say whaaaa???? Let me also say the packaging so Adorable! Good on ya RubySnap!

 

 

Dear Adams Canyon, You were such a great place to hike, the waterfall at the end makes the hike to you all worth it. I'll hopefully see you again real soon!

 

Dear Today, I am sure glad you are finally here. Dear Paranoid self, Just because someone walks behind you into the store and shows up at the same stores gas pump next to where you are filling up with gas does not mean he is stalking and going to kidnap you. So you don't need to speed away weaving through random streets. K thanks. Dear Best Friend, Congrats on your engagement, I'm so happy for you! Best friends since 7th grade, and now you are all grown up and gettin married! I approve of your decision of a California wedding I like seeing the sun in December!  

 

nicole