Garden Update

We survived three nights below freezing and two thunderstorms. Now we have to survive the summer heat! Our garden is coming along great. I think we are going to have brussel sprouts and broccoli coming out of our ears but so far we have some fresh veggies making progress. I even have three small tomatoes starting out! 

Sprinkles Cupcakes

I am obsessed with making cupcakes and am inspired by the simplicity of Sprinkles cupcakes. Sprinkles first opened their oven to our hearts in Beverly Hills. They coined the terminology of the first Cupcake Boutique Store. They have a variety of options and the options in their case changes daily. What is great about Sprinkles, is that they just have their own signature frosted look and it is modern and chic.

 You can bring the Sprinkles bakery to your own home by purchasing a Sprinkles cupcake mix. They come in red velvet, dark chocolate, vanilla, lemon, banana, pumpkin, spice and chocolate peppermint and make 12 cupcakes per mix. The kit comes with instructions on how to mix and bake just like your typical store bought mix. It also includes the signature Sprinkles Modern Dot to adorn on the top of your cupcakes. 

I chose to mix up the vanilla cupcake mix but I added a little flavor by adding a fresh homemade strawberry puree. That way I could take advantage of some of the local produce in town. I frosted using a vanilla butter cream frosting and covered with fondant to give it a smooth texture. They turned out really cute and delicious. My co-workers enjoyed them! But, they always enjoy my delectable creations!

Home Garden

My husband built us a raised garden for us this past weekend. He knows I have no green thumb but he wanted us to have an outside project to do together. Which is cute so I couldn't complain and if I get a tan while wedding or something I won't be upset! He stapled chicken wire around the perimeter to keep the bunnies and deer out. We planted carrots, green beans, peas, lettuce, brussel sprouts, peppers, tomato and cucumbers. I'll keep you posted as it grows!

Honeymoonin'

My husband and I honeymooned in the beautiful ski village of Breckenridge, Colorado. Normally I'm not an outdoors person who would go out of my way to hike or bike but I do occasionally enjoy participating in these activities. Kyle's cousin owns a cabin and offered for us to stay there during our trip. It was such an amazing time and I would recommend it to anyone for an off season visit. It was so relaxing and fun. We did a bike excursion and went zip lining. The colors were just beginning to turn and the air was crisp and clean. I saw my first snow of the season, got a sunburn and wore sweaters the whole time.
As a special treat, we stayed one night at The Broadmoor Inn in Colorado Springs. Our dinner was way too fancy but it was fun to spoil ourselves just once. We even had turn down service! what is that even!? But I loved every minute of it And it was so memorable and fun.

Bridal Shower

My mom, little sister and I hosted a bridal shower for our future and favorite sister-in-law. We decided the theme would be based on the classic musical, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Gingham fabric, Quilt blocks, milk tins, wild flowers. If you have ever seen the movie, the Seven Brides dance around in their bloomers and sing about being a "June Bride" and since Samantha will be June Bride we thought it was a fitting theme. I made some simple star quilt blocks using coordinating gingham and flower fabric for centerpieces. We topped those with tin milk buckets and places small flower bouquets and pictures on the table. I made a rosette cake and mom and I made cream cheese wedding mints. It was a really great time and we are so blessed to have a new sister in less than50 days!

June Bride

Star Quilt Block

Hostesses with the Mostest!

#100bySUMMER

If you haven't checked out the ToneItUp ladies it's about time to pay attention! They post daily fitness tips and goals to keep fit and have fun with life. Right now they started the Bikini Series, where the main goal is to get bikini ready for the first day of summer on June 21st. Check out some of their other posts on ToneItUp.com. 

I am going to accomplish their #100bySUMMER plan! 100 miles of cardio by June 21st. It isn't just running miles. Biking, dancing, swimming and any intense cardio counts! As a general rule 10 minutes of intense cardio counts as 1 mile. Biking 1 mile=1/3mile. Other rules can be found here. 

If you want to follow along with me! To meet the goal, you need to get about 1.7 miles in daily. Totally doable! And don't forget to spice it up with some toning and ab exercises. 

Rosette Cake

It seems like everytime I visit my hometown of Pierre, South Dakota, I have some occasion to celebrate with cake. I mean, there is always a reason for cake. This month, I made a cute rosette ombre cake for my future sister-in-law's bridal shower. The theme was "Yellow" and "June Bride" so everything was inspired by her favorite color and movie, Seven Brides For Seven Brothers (one of my favorite movies too!).

Anyways, to make the cake I made a 2 layer white cake and a butter cream frosting. I dirty iced the 2 layers to seal in any cake crumbs. Make sure to put your dirty iced layer in the fridge for at least 10 minutes to make it easier to ice. Then to make the rosettes, I used a Wilton 2D tip and in a circular motion (almost like you are frosting a cupcake) you work from the top middle out and down. I started with the natural white on top and then the light color around the edge and then finally the darker yellow on the sides.

It turned out really cute and really pulled the bridal shower theme together. Plus, it was yummy!