Anxiety.

After playing an hour of angry birds and watching 101 Dalmations on the apple TV,  I've come to realize that I wont be falling asleep anytime soon.  Yes, I can only breathe out of my left nostril if thats what you were wondering.  And yes, I'm having cramps in my right leg for some strange reason. I've got a lot on my mind. So to "relax" I came out into the living room, plugged in the lights to the Christmas tree, and started organizing my boards on Pinterest. Can I even recall what life was like before I had a Pinterest account? Nope. It keeps me busy though, I'm always working on something so I can check it off my "to-do" board. I'm stressed. Robbie has interviews for a good position with Verizon this week in their business department.  Fingers crossed. While I am beyond grateful that he works two jobs and 65+ hours a week so that I can stay home with our kiddo, I miss him.  We don't really get to see each other much and I hate that. School starts back up for me in less than 3 weeks and I'm pretty worried about that. I've got a math class (silly, silly me for putting off my math classes as long as I could) a black/white photography class, a drawing class (YIKES!..not my forte) and 2D/typography class. I know it doesn't sound like much, but dang.. art classes take up so much time with all the projects you've got going on. I'm a little worried about how my time will be spent. I don't want to miss out on being with my Brynnie boo.  I still don't have a babysitting schedule worked out yet either...better get on that...and I still want to be able to see my husband whenever possible.  Leave it to me to be a worry-wart.  Its my calling in life. To worry about dumb stuff. Dumb stuff that will never happen. And overanalyzing everything thats going on. Like how I'm worried about school for example. Somebody write me a prescription for Effexor please. In other news, I've made two adorable Christmas shirts for Brynn and crocheted a cowl for myself. But I don't have buttons for it yet, darn. I really want to crochet these ridiculously cute pear coasters next. But those might have to hold off for a while seeing as how I'm going to be a busy mama in a couple weeks. Super excited to visit my family in Casper for a few days over Christmas. I loveeee Christmas. We just got the Muppets Christmas Carol and Im super stoked to watch that asap. We also bought the Alvin and the Chipmunks compilation of Christmas episodes that have been on air since the beginning of time. This post is pointless so I'm signing off now. Au revoir. 

Blog posting failures

I think about updating my blog almost everyday, but I never seem to do it.  I feel like life is speeding at 300 mph and I can't get it to slow down.  When go to write a blog post, I honestly don't know where to start and when I start to think about everything, I get overwhelmed and a bit depressed about how my baby is growing up so fast.  This then results in no blog post.  Brynn turned 9 months old on Tuesday.  On Monday, I was well aware that it was the last day of my "8 month Brynn" and I cried. A lot. I may or may not have cried most of the day. Tuesday was rough, too.  I went through her closet and dresser and folded many outfits that I obviously wasn't ready to let go of yet...because I cried. A lot.  I don't want it to sound like all I focus on is how fast she's growing and that I am sad about it 24 hours a day, because I'm not.  We are constantly playing and learning and laughing all day everyday.  Our apartment looks like a tornado passed through.  Chairs turned sideways on the floor forming blockades, a dozen pillows sprawled throughout the place blocking cords (her favorite thing to chew on), CLEAN kleenexes are thrown throughout the room and picked back up to be put into a big white fluffy pile on the desk, and toys everywhere.  (The kleenex thing is mainly my fault...I always forget to put it out of reach.) Today, she tore a page out of Robbie's Bible while my back was turned for literally a split second.  She is everywhere. By the end of the day I feel like I have shin splints, my knees ache, and my back is so sore that only a hot bath can give me any sort of relief. (No, I'm not a sissy, I have a bad back) I love every second of it! She is a hoot. She is full of laughter, tears, ear splitting shrieks, kisses, and hugs.  Her first words besides "mom" are "ohhhh boyyy!" It really doesn't get any cuter than that.  I love watching her grow and learn, but I hate watching her grow at the same time.  

Halloween was so great.  Brynn was the cutest little witch you'll ever see.  I made her onesie, headband, and tutu.  I am so glad I didn't spend more than a few dollars on her costume. She was a doll. 

Autumn is upon us! I am a person who could survive on two seasons alone.  Fall and winter.  I'm not one who enjoys each season and I don't think I ever will be.  To each their own though, right? I'm loving the cool/cold weather and the fact that I use my crockpot almost every single day! In fact, I'm wanting a second crock pot for Christmas. *hint hint*. Speaking of Christmas, if any of you family members (or special friends who love me lots) are at a loss of what to buy me for Christmas, click here.  I shall keep it updated as the season progresses. 

Toodles. 

I'm on Etsy!

I finally did it...I've been contemplating it for months now.  I opened up an Etsy shop.  It's easy to get swallowed up in all the awesome stuff on there, but I'm excited to be doing it!  I might not be the most successful person on there, but who knows... maybe I'll end up selling more stuff than I think.  I did sell 3 items today and it felt great!  Check it out here.  Little Buns Boutique is up and runnin'.

If you're feeling festive, check out the cool halloween stuff I've made. For example, this onesie and headband I made.














Or if you just want something that will match just about everything, check out this white rosette and matching stretchy lace headband.

I've got quite a few listings up, so go take a looksie! littlebunsboutique.etsy.com

First time: Family pictures

In August, we had our first family photos taken.  I had done a lot of research online trying to find the perfect photographer for it.  I wanted them to be perfect. (I'm a picky picky picky photo person) After hours and hours of looking, I wanted to just give up.  A lot of the photographers that take beautiful photos charge outrageous amounts of money for them.  Some photographers would charge $300+ for an hour's sitting fee, and that didn't even include your photos. If you wanted a cd with your pictures on it, that would cost around an extra $150.  That just seemed silly to me. Other photographers I found online took crappy photos and still charged way too much. I was just about to give up, and decided to log onto facebook for a minute.  Thats when I remembered an old friend who used to live in Casper, but now lives in Provo.  Leslie McCleery. And her photos are amazing! She doesn't charge an arm and a leg for them either.  I was so excited to have found our photographer and the photos turned out so beautiful.  I will definitely be calling her again! Anyway, after my rant, here are a few of my favorites.

7/12

Brynn,

7 months today. My my how time flies. I love you little buns. You are my world and I treasure every second I have with you. Thank you for teaching me the meaning of what true love is and a better understanding of the love Heavenly Father has for each one of us. You are a light in a world of darkness and I thank the Lord every day for allowing me to have you as a daughter. I adore your gummy grins and the happy squeal you make when I blow raspberries on your tummy.

Love,
Mommy

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Its official...

I am going to back to school to finish my degree at Weber State University starting in January. I never started school again once Robbie and I got married....mainly because I just didn't feel like it was the right thing for me at the time.  (Which makes perfect sense...I got pregnant. And not only was I pregnant, I was barfing the whole nine months. There would have been no way I could have handled school with all that.)  So now, I feel like its the right time to start back up.  Brynn will be almost a year old and I feel confident that I will be able to leave her for a few hours each day to do what I need to do.  I am getting my degree in photography and I could not be more excited! Photography has always just been a little side hobby for me but I enjoy it so much. I have always wanted to start my own little photography business, but I just didn't want to without a degree in it. There are so many things to learn about photography and I can't wait to learn all the things I need to know to be a professional photographer! Boy, am I thankful I did a year at LDS Business College to get a bunch of generals out of the way.  The only generals left that I need for my BFA are two math classes, a life science, and two more classes in the humanities department. (Like a language or something...Robbie wants me to take Spanish) So the fact that I dont have to do a bunch of core classes makes me all the more excited.  Each semester I will basically have 3 art classes and one gen. ed. class. Rock on! 

  

Brynn wants to say something:

Brynn is constantly trying to type when I have the laptop out...so I let her have a go finally. Heres what she has to say:

I ;C  PMNF ./ I BIV
,N  GHZ6O/DS W XXYUIV R AscWASU SEE1EDDDD3E3DDHNDSFVGVB BC       45  FRVT55 OI\
YT N

2 years.

I have been meaning to post since earlier this month, but the pictures I want are on our hard drive and I can't get it to work. So here is my post without pics.  Sad panda.

Robbie and I celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary on August 6th.  It was probably one of the best dates he and I have ever had! We started off by dropping Brynn off at my mother-in-law's house. Then we headed into Salt Lake City.  First stop: The Grand America Hotel...can I just say how amazing that place is inside? Someday when we have more money, I want to spend a weekend there! Anyways, I wanted to go into the bakery they have there for some authentic French macaroons.  They were DELICIOUS! I will definitely be going back.  The bakery there is probably the cutest things I have ever seen. It's something you would normally only see in a dream.

After the bakery, we headed over to the Melting Pot.  Funny story....So we wanted to try somewhere new, and had heard great things about this restaurant.  As soon as we ordered our drinks, we looked at the menu and OW WA WEE WA that food is over the top expensive! We didn't want to just leave, so we just laughed and decided we would order. (Which even though its not really in our budget, the memories from this place are worth the cash)  But just let me tell you...that place is amazing. We ordered one of the "cheaper" options on the menu, which is a four course meal for two.  We started off with some cheese fondue that words really can't describe.  They gave us a variety of dippers to dip into the cheese.  Delicious.  2nd course was a reallllly good salad.  Third course was our meal.  Since there is a burner on every table, they make and keep the fondues and broth right there on your table.  They brought out a variety of assorted meats and then we cook it ourself in the fondue pot full of broth.  It was soo yummy.  And let me just say, the presentation of the food was impeccable.  So beautiful.  It was fun to be fancy for an evening.  The fourth course, and probably worth the money we spent all by itself, was a delicious chocolate fondue.  Robbie and I have never tasted something so good.  We had dippers like strawberries, bananas, coconut covered marshmallows, cookie covered marshmallows, cheesecake, brownies, pound cake, etc.  It was the most delicious dessert I've ever had.  We decided we would be coming back in the future, either just for dessert (The dessert a la cart  is $18) or if we find a 50% off coupon in citideals.com.  It's just too expensive.  But definitely delicious.  We decided one dessert wasn't enough, so we went to Red Mango afterwards.  Red Mango froyo is my favorite!  It's hun-cal, naturally sweetend frozen yogurt and is full of probiotics. We shared a white peach (best flavor) with fresh strawberries to top it off and it was so delicious.  Food makes me happy.  A little too happy.  We laughed and had such a good time together.  It felt like we were in that dating stage again.

I love my hubby.  The past two years have been so great.  We didn't waste any time in the baby department and I wouldn't have it any other way.  He is such a great father to Brynn and a wonderful husband to me.  I couldn't ask for more.  He takes care of me, and I can see the love he has for me in his eyes every time he looks at me.  He puts up with my moods and gets up to help with Brynn in the night with no complaint.  He changes poopy diapers without whining about it and cleans my car for me (I dont know why, but I hate cleaning cars).  I can't wait for more years to come with him.  Love you Robs!

RIP Monkey PJs.

Everytime Robbie would get Brynn ready for bed, she would come out wearing the monkey PJs. I don't know why he loved them so much, he just did.  After a while though,  he for some reason decided that she wanted him to save the monkey PJs for the weekend...a special occasion.  So every Friday and Saturday Robbie would put the monkey PJs on her.  He would seriously get excited for the weekend so she would wear the monkey PJs. Monkey PJs are for hard partyin' apparently.  I thought it was adorable.  She did outgrow them recently though and he was a little depressed about it.  I completely understand where he's coming from though.  I get depressed everytime she grows out of something.  So I went to Kohls and found a pair of the same monkey PJs in an 18 month size.  He will be pleasantly surprised in about a year.  

Something funny about this post is that my best friend, Lacey, had a near identical blog post about some ugly Eeyore pajamas that Mark fell in love with.  I just love how hilarious that is.  Mark and Robbie had the same weird pajama complex I guess.  Heres a couple pictures in loving memory of the monkey PJs. 

 

July

July was a busy busy month! We had a ton of family come into town for the 4th, lots of activities, and we were able to spend time with Robbie's sisters and all their kids. It was a blast! *Jackson calls Brynn "BrynnBrown" everytime he says her name.  Its all one word. So cute. *We lit fireworks and turns out Brynn is a pyro.  We thought the loud noise would scare her, but she couldn't get enough of it! That girl could sit around and light ground blooms and saturn missels with us for hours. *We went on a vacation with my family to Alcova Lake and Casper.  Brynn loved the boat and she was such a good girl while we were there.  It was so nice to be able to spend time with family.  My dad beat everyone at Farkle every single time we played. I loved being able to spend quality time with Robbie..he is always working these days since he's doing two jobs right now.  * We had a blast taking Brynnlee on her first trip to the zoo. She couldn't take her eyes off of this bright pink stuffed gorilla in the gift shop...I was a softy and bought it for her. I better work on that before it gets even harder :)   *My sister in law, Kirsten, was in town and stayed with us for a couple of nights and she was able to meet Brynn for the first time.  Brynn fell in love with Kirsten.  It was adorable. I loved getting to spend the day with Kirsten and just shop and talk.  I'm so grateful my brother found such a wonderful woman.  (I'm not just saying that because I know you read this Kirsten ha ha)  *Brynn  got her first black eye...poor gal.  

kisses for mama

pathfinder spillway

Grandma and Brynn in their matching pink hats :)

Brynn riding Porter

twinsies

Kelli just had to roll in the red dirt...

my messy girl

5 months

love my sweetie

Hogle Zoo

Buns sleeping on the boat

Robbie being inappropriate with our shadows.

Junebug

In June I was able to go visit Wyoming and see my family and friends for about two weeks. It was greatly needed and so relaxing! There's nothing like home, thats for sure.  Casper was so beautiful and it was great to get away from the hustle and bustle of Utah.  My parents backyard is seriously an oasis. The annual garden is full of different plants and flowers that my mom takes really good care of.  There are trees and the greenest grass you'll ever see.  Theres a covered porch with a table, chairs, and even a tv. Its the best backyard in the world.  And as if it could get any better, one of our neighbors put a waterfall in their backyard so we get to enjoy the sound of rushing water now as well!  Ok...enough with the backyard.  I was able to see my grandparents (and by "see" I mean completely destroy my grandma at Pinochle) spend some time with my best friend Lacey,  go to the lake with my parents, play scrabble with my mom, go golfing with my dad, have a bbq with Lacey, Mark, Matts, and Jess, and go to lunch with my dear friend Catherine.   Here are some pictures of my visit to good ol' Casper.

The next generation of best friends. All 4 months apart!

Yesterday's trouble has recently given life to tomorrow's trouble...yikes!  By the way, we have pillows under our shirts. We aren't THAT fat.

It happened again.

Ughhh I hate it when I do this! I started a blog post like three weeks ago to try and catch up, then realized the computer I was typing on didn't have the pictures I needed so I was going to go to finish up on our other computer....yeah needless to say that never happened.  I do have lots of updates to do! June and July have been so fun and action packed I don't even know where to begin.  But I will have to do a few different posts to get through it all.  Its really late right now. 2 a.m.  I have this overwhelming feeling of just wanting to uproot and move somewhere random where nobody knows Robbie and me.  Like i want to just bust out the suitcases and leave tomorrow.  No, I'm not upset and no, I'm not in a bad mood. I'm just fine.  I just really want an adventure.  As much as I love family, I kind of just want to be in a place where our family doesn't live 10 minutes away.  Somewhere we only have ourselves to depend on and somewhere where we have to cook our own Sunday dinner each week.  Anyways, on that note.  I'll try and post up on our lives tomorrow if I have time.  Until then, I'm a happy girl, I love my family, and the church is true.  Ciao! 

Getting to know me

        
A book I highly recommend is:The Harry Potter series. I know....Cliche, but such good books!
A movie I watch over and over is:Despicable Me or Dumb and Dumber
A T.V. show I watch regularly is:Parks and Recreation. Soooo funny!
I love to collect:Pictures, antiques
My favorite thing to buy is:Clothes! For me or for other people. I love shopping :)
A smell that makes me pause is:Lilacs. They get me every time.  
My favorite sport to watch is:Volleyball or NBA Basketball
My favorite restaurant is:The Blue Iguana in SLC is amazing! Or Red Mango...FroYo counts right?
A moment when I achieved absolute happiness was:When I held my baby girl for the first time.  Words really can't express the feelings you have.
The music I listen to most is:Alternative? I dont know what you call it. I also love classic rock.
My earliest memory is:When I was about 2 (maybe younger) and we were at a family reunion in Yellowstone. My cousin Shellie told me there were bears in the play house and I believed her.  
My favorite flower is:peonies and roses. 
A game I like to play is:Pinochle. Some of my fondest memories come from playing with my mom and grandma.  I also love to play Scrabble.
My favorite hobby is:Anything that lets me express creativity.  I love to sing, play the piano, write music, poetry, and make things with my hands. I also LOVE to bake and cook and I love fashion.
A singer or band I currently listen to the most is:Ace Enders, Weezer, Led Zeppelin.
My favorite quote is:It changes frequently, but recently it is this: "I fall in love with you more and more everyday. Well....not everyday.  Yesterday you were pretty annoying" - describes my marriage perfectly
I drive a:Toyota Avalon. 
If my house was burning down and I could only rescue three things, they would be:pictures, my patriarchal blessing, and Brynn's stuffed penguin that she just can't live without.  
The city I would most like to visit is:Its not a city, but I've always wanted to go to New Zealand soooo bad!
My favorite meal is:I love a good burger.  I also love mexican food!
Someone or something that made me laugh this week was:The voice that Robbie does to translate what Brynn is saying.  It sounds so funny. I guess you would just have to hear it. It's hilarious.
My first paying job was:working at Mountain Sports. I loved that job.
The memory that still makes me laugh is:Dallas teaching me to be a ninja.  Also, when I caught Dallas singing "Bad to the Bone" in the bathtub when we were little.  He just kept repeating the part that goes "ba ba ba ba baddd bad to the bone ba ba ba ba baddddd".  He thought he was so cool. What a loser! :)
My best birthday was:When I turned like 6 or 7..I'm not sure which one.  My dad made me an elaborate Aladdin cake (he used to decorate all my cakes...he is amazing) and I had a sleepover. It was so much fun. 
A smell that reminds me of my childhood is:The smell of lilacs after rain.  When we would go visit my great aunt B in Thermopolis she lived on a couple acres and they had a bunch of lilac bushes on the side of their house.  I used to explore the area around their house because they lived in the middle of nowhere. 
The story behind my name is:I think it was a last minute thing.  I was originally going to be a Jackie i think. Or an Alex.
My favorite color to wear is:Olive green or navy blue.  
My strangest possession is:This dinky thing that Robbie bought in the Dominican Republic.  Its a man wearing a barrel and when you take the barrel off, his penis bounces up and surprises you. I know, it sounds perverted but thats just how their culture is. Its hilarious and I love tricking people with it!
My favorite dessert is:Chocolate chip cookies, Red Mango Froyo, s'mores, cupcakes, pie....just about anything! I love sweets!
When I exercise, I like to:Yoga, taking Brynn on walks.
My favorite thing to do on a date is:Go somewhere pretty and just talk, eat and relax. Like a park or the mountain.  When we feel like staying in for our date I love snuggling up with my hubby and watching a movie.
The best vacation I ever had was:

When my family and I went to Hawaii to visit my grandma and grandpa Perkins while they were on their mission.  I made so many lifelong memories.  
The best thing about being married is:Never being alone.  You always have someone to hang out with and make you laugh.  Snuggling up to someone in the middle of the night when I have a nightmare and need comfort (it happens quite often). Being able to start a family and enjoy your children together. 

The thing I am most passionate about is:	Being a good mom and definitely singing and cooking.  I dont know... its hard to pick what I'm passionate about because I'm passionate about everything I love.

     

I just cant get enough

I found a new recipe about a month ago that I cant seem to get enough of! I have made it 3 times since I found it.  Robbie loves it, I love it, and it is healthy (always a plus). Now, I've modified this recipe each time I've made it, and I think I've found perfection in this meal. It is so scrumdillyuptious! Here is the recipe. My modifications will be in parentheses. 

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups chicken stock (I used boullion cubes, made it three cups/three cubes)
• 2 tablespoons butter ( i didnt use the butter...just adds more fat)
• 1 1/2 cups Jasmine or other white rice 
• Peanut or vegetable oil, for stir-frying (I used some peanut SAUCE and less oil than they called for. I also added a dash of some pre-made stir fry sauce that we had in the fridge)
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast or thigh meat, chopped into bite-size pieces
• Finely ground white or black pepper
• 1/4 pineapple, trimmed and sliced into thin, bite-size pieces (1 cup) (I just used a can of chunked pineapple, drained...way easier)
• 1 bell pepper-seeded, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 1 red Fresno (milder) or Thai (hotter) chili pepper, seeded and thinly sliced or finely chopped ( didnt use a chili pepper. Instead, I did a few splashes of tobasco and added about 2 tsp of crushed red pepper)
• 1 piece (1 1/2 inches) fresh ginger, grated or minced
• 3 to 4 large cloves garlic, chopped (grating is easier and doesnt get your fingers smelly)
• About 2 tablespoons kecap manis (an Indonesian condiment), orsubstitute 2 tablespoons Tamari and 1 teaspoon sugar (i omitted this all together)
• 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons fish sauce (i omitted this as well)
• 1 cup basil leaves (about 20 to 24), torn (i used finely chopped basil from my spice cabinet...I didnt want to eat leaves of basil)
• 1 lime, 1/2 juiced and 1/2 cut into wedges, plus 1 teaspoon zest
• 1 1/2 cups Jasmine or other white rice
• Yields: 4

Preparation

In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken stock and butter to a boil, then stir in the rice and return to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer until tender, 16-18 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

When the rice is about ready, heat a thin layer of oil, about 1 1/2 tablespoons, in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Pat the chicken dry and season with pepper. Add the meat to the pan in a single layer and do not touch for 2 minutes; stir-fry until golden, about 3 minutes more. Transfer to a plate. (cook about 1/2 way done so that chicken doesnt get tough)

Add a little more oil to the skillet and heat up, then add the pineapple, bell pepper, chile pepper, ginger and garlic, stir-fry until crisp-tender and the pineapple pieces are light golden at the edges, about 3 minutes. Stir in the kecap manis (or tamari and sugar) and fish sauce. Add chicken and toss to coat.

Turn off the heat and add half the basil leaves to wilt. Stir in the lime juice and zest and toss again to combine. Serve the rice and garnish with the lime wedges and remaining basil.