South Dakota Wedding

My little brother just got married to the best girl! I was so blessed to be apart of their special day and had a great time.  I made almost 300 cupcakes and a gorgeous simple two tier cake for the couple to indulge in, plus I got to be a bridesmaid who wears boots!

They tied the knot out on my aunt' s land in the country, right next to Plum Creek. It was such a beautiful setting and the wedding decorations were outstanding and the details were so fitting.  We had a lot of fun celebrating with them and God made his presence known through the whole day!

Kelly's Bachelorette Party

My girl Kelly is getting married this August. Kelly and I were best friends in high school and it was great to catch up with her as we went to seperate colleges and didn't get together often. To celebrate her last few months as a "Miss" her Co-Maid-of-Honors hosted a "Britney Spears" themed bachelorette party in Sioux Falls. It was so much fun and everyone looked great. We were the hit of every bar we went to. It was great to have a different theme than the typical Bride wears white and everyone else wears black.

There were so many classic Britney's to chose from but I ended up designing my outfit around her hit song "Circus". I really wanted to make something with shoulder pads so this seemed fitting. I hand stiched the fringe on the shoulder pads and added them to a crop top to give it the Britney flare. Add a pair of high waisted shorts, fish nets, top hat, whip and tall black boots and I was transformed.

Kelly put together some great side by sides of our outfits and those turned out great! I think it is safe to say we all had so much fun and that we had a great party!

Bride Kelly and myself

Barbell Club members from high school! We still got it

Britney side by sides. I think we nailed it. 

My Britney inspiration. 

Cake Pops!

I love making cake pops. They are so cute and fun to eat. Many people haven't been exposed to them so they are always a hit at any occasion. I recently made some Carrot Cake cupcakes and used the leftover cupcakes to make cake pops as an extra bonus for my friend's wedding day. 

Cake Pops by Bakerella is the Cake Popper's bible. It has the tips, tricks and ideas that you will need to make the perfect pop. My skill level is pretty basic and no where near Bakerella's but I wanted to share what I do to encourage others to try something new. 

To start off, you need to bake a cake. Any mix or homemade cake will do. I typically take leftover cupcakes (not frosted) and put them in a food processor to break them down. Take the cake crumbs out of the processor and place in a mixing bowl and add small amounts of frosting until when mixed you get a moldable "play doe" consistency. Form small round balls. I make my cake balls 1.0 oz each. Place the cake balls on a pan covered in wax paper. Place this pan in the freezer for 15 minutes for the cakes balls to set up.

In the meantime, prep your melting chocolate. You can purchase melting chocolate in any color or you can color your chocolate after it is melted using an oil based food color (I use Wilton coloring). Melt the chocolate in a deep dish so that you can dip your pops easily.

Dip the sucker stick in the chocolate and then insert in the cold cake ball. Dip the cake ball in the chocolate and make sure it is entirely covered and spin to remove excess. Set the cake pop up right in a foam block to ensure that it dries properly. Keep the cake balls chilled until ready to eat-- which is harder than you think!

Below is a step by step picture from Bakerella's book, "Cake Pops" which is really helpful in explaining the process.

Family Photo

Last weekend, we went to a friend's wedding. It was our first opportunity to get all dressed up and take a family photo with the puppy, Mozzy. 

Envelope Pillow

Our couch is in need of a throw pillow update. My husband "loves" throw pillows. I think it is the price that shocks him the most. Luckily, for him, I am crafty and can sew. I found this fabric I fell in love with at IKEA. I am a little bummed I only got one yard of the material but I hope to go back soon and purchase more for even more crafts but for now, I found solace in using it as a throw fabric.

Here is how you make a quick and easy envelope pillow covering. 

Materials needed: 

Pre-stuffed throw pillow (you can reuse and refurbish one your already have or purchase one)

Fabric to cover your pillow +some

Thread to match

Steps: 

1. Measure your throw--mine was 20"x20"

2. Measure your fabric prior to cutting. I added 6" to the length of the pillow + the 1/2" seam allowance. For width add 1/2" to each side for the seam allowance. Mine ended up being Length: 47" Width: 21"

3. Cut you fabric. 

4. Press 1" seams on the short edge of the fabric and sew using your 1/2" guide. 

5. Wrap pill with pretty sides together and pin into place. This is where you make your envelope. 

6. Remove pillow from case. (Adjust as needed)

7. Sew side seams using 1/2" guide on machine. 

8. Flip pretty sides to the outside and push the corners out. 

9. Stuff that throw in there and enjoy!

Fitness Challenge

Today I am challenging you to do Squats and Push-ups every day for one month. Sounds easy but it isn't. The challenge is to complete one squat and one push times the date on the calendar. For instance, on the 15th, complete 15 push-ups and 15 squats. You can always do more, but don't do less. If you miss a day, resume the following day or following week completing your challenge for the current day. You don't have to make up for days you miss. It is a consistency thing. I started this challenge the middle of this month. It is tougher then it seems. Find a time that is easy for your to complete these reps. I do my squats while brushing my teeth and my push ups at night before bed. What ever works for you but get those reps in! Challenge accepted?

Only in Vegas

If you don't live under a rock, you have probably heard that Britney Spears is headlining at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. What this means is I HAD to GO! I am a huge Britney fan and I couldn't imagine not attending her "Best Hits" concert. I don't even care if she lip syncs. It is the dance beats and sass that I love most.

My future sister-in-law, Samantha, also loves Britney (but honestly, who doesn't?) so we planned a weekend trip. We drug our men to Vegas so that we could dance and the guys could try their luck on the tables in the casinos. Tickets to Las Vegas are very reasonable flying through Allegient Air out of Sioux Falls, SD. We flew in on Friday night and left Sunday afternoon, so let me tell you it was quick and fast. We stayed at Planet Hollywood right on the Vegas strip so that just in case Britney wanted to hang out after her show we wouldn't have any excuse not to!

Once we landed in Vegas, there was no time to waste. Samantha and I danced the night away is several clubs until 4am Vegas time which is 6am Central. So that was very impressive for an engineer and teacher who usually go to bed at respectable times. But it is Vegas! Totally worth the dark circles to experience the club atmosphere.

After we rested well into the afternoon, we got ourselves some caffeine and walked up and down the strip doing the "tourist-y" thing. Saw the fountains at the Bellagio and the show at Ceasar's Palace. Took pictures under the Eiffel Tower replica and spent several hours in the Fashion Show Mall.

On Saturday night, we primped for the Britney concert. We got dressed up really cute and mentally prepared for the best concert of all time. The anticipation and energy at the venue was beyond exciting. Everyone there was a complete fan of the "Queen of Pop". The whole theater was a shrine to the iconic Britney. Outfits from all time favorite music videos were displayed throughout and hits blasted on the sound system.

After the anticipation felt like it could no longer be handled, Britney greeted us with her most recent "Work B*tch" which is a fan favorite. The set included over 20 all time greats from the past to present. I basically knew every word and shouted along when I wasn't in awe. I am pretty sure during all of the dance hits, Britney didn't sing live but she did perform a few ballads like "Perfume" while sets were changing up. Let me tell you, she's got it still! Oh and Lady Gaga also attended the "Piece of Me" show the same night. That was exciting!

I was sad when the encore finished but Samantha and I had so much fun. We bought enough swag to remember the concert by and it was a great bonding experience.