On loving where you're at right now.

So we went on a trip.
A really fun & nostalgic trip back to my alma mater (is that how you spell that? Looks super weird).

Anyway, it was homecoming weekend and I haven't back to good 'ol Missouri State University since I graduated in May of 2008. 

Man oh man, how life can change in 4 short years.

(Travis is in the marching band & we got to see him at the parade & football game... which we won. Go Bears!)

On this trip I got to:

• Visit with 2 of my best best friends/roomies who also made the trip.
• Hang with all three of my brothers (2 of whom are current students at MSU).
• Walk around the campus that was my home for 4 very formative years of my life.
• Reminisce about college classes and sorority parties with my parents and husband, while we chased around our daughter. 

Weird.

It's was such an odd feeling to think that the last time I walked that campus I was a free woman. 

No husband. No babe. No job. No real plans (except to marry my love and run away to Denver).

It stirred up the strangest emotions that I'm still honestly trying to figure out. 

I love this life I'm blessed with. 

I'm in love with a wonderful man, we're blessed with a beautiful baby and we have loving supportive families. We're not what you would call "rich" ;) Ok we're not even what you would call comfortable probably, but we're definitely making it!

But you know what? 

There's still this aching in my chest when I think back to the innocence of that younger me. I guess I just wish I could give 21-year-old me a call and say,

"Soak this up! Enjoy every single second of it. Life is going to get really good, but it's also going to require sacrifices. And those loves you're entrusted with come with a price. A gnawing fear of loss. A heavy responsibility of guardianship. All things you will gladly choose, but things that will change you none-the-less. Be excited for what's to come, but don't be in such a hurry to graduate, to grow up. Please take a moment to be thankful for your $200 rent and your house full of best friend roommates. I promise you'll miss sharing your closet and your secrets with women who understand you so fully. Relish this brief moment in time when you are old enough to be on your own but young enough to still be fearless. Oh and by the way, can you slow down on the beer-runs? That student loan money sucks to pay back and that freshman 15 sucks to run off."

(Thanks dad, for the iphone pictures. I didn't take a single one all weekend!)

So, I guess I'll be taking my own advise & trying harder to enjoy every second of where I am right now.
Because you know what? I'll probably look back at this time in 4 more years & long for this moment.
Reflection is hard. But it's so good.
I have a tendency to love change and to dive in without truly saying goodbye to the places I'm leaving behind.
Right now I love that Lily is still an only child & I can soak up this time with just her. I love that I'm blessed with a job that is flexible and convenient so that I can have the most amount of family time possible.
Life is crazy. Enjoy every single second.

((I'm linking up with Carina today because I'm honestly thankful for where I'm at.)) 

New look.

Happy Monday! How was your weekend?

Mine was BUSY, fun, wonderful & exhausting.

 

My mama came to visit, I made cakes galore, sold at The Horseshoe Market for the first time (and sold out! Yay!) & gave the blog a makeover.

What do you think?

I think I'm in love :)

Lots of pictures of pretty cakes and beautiful people to come... but for now I'm going to sleep.

{Life really is sweet, isn't it?}

PS: I know the tabs on the side don't work yet. Hopefully tomorrow!

Happy Birthday Hunter!

Just popping in to say Happy Friday!

I'm baking birthday cake... and nap time is dangerously close to ending.

I just wanted to do a quick shout out:

Happy Happy Birthday to my love (tomorrow)!

I couldn't have asked for a better best friend, partner, husband, baby daddy.

At the risk of sounding really sappy:

Being married to this man makes me excited (not sad) to celebrate getting older, because I get to do it with him by my side.

So here's to you Hunter!

Here's to being 27 four whole months ahead of me ;)

Source: yellowfeatherphotography.com via Ashley on Pinterest

And here's to butterscotch cake!

Several years ago I made Hunter a butterscotch cake and he fell in love... with the cake... he already loved me... but I guess it probably didn't hurt huh? hmmm :)

Anyway, back then it was a $0.79 white box cake mix with Always Save butterscotch chips.

For his birthday this year I'm trying to reinvent the fabulous butterscotch cake to fit into our new lifestyle and baking beliefs.

Attempt number one looked beautiful:

I thought about just showing you pictures and making you think I'm awesome...

But I love honesty and transparency and blogs that show real life not just the gorgeous side :)

So in the name of all those things: it was sick.

Such a bummer, but I'm at it again!

I've got a great feeling about round 2.

I'll keep you posted!

Some fun things.

I have a love/hate relationship with routine.

I wish I was organized and I do try. Honestly.

For example I've tried having scheduled posts on the blog.

Mondays are usually recipe days, Fridays are party days, etc.

But schedules and routines, they kind of bore me.

As soon as I get into the swing of things I start itching for spontaneity.

(I believe that's a major reason it took us 6 months to get Lily on a nap schedule.)

So I learned that lesson and we don't stray far from the sleep schedule.

But that means when I'm feeling rebellious I'll be taking it out on the blog.

Sorry for those of you who prefer order.

Today, I'll be talking about a little of everything so here it goes.

(See? Total random-ness & chaos :) I love this picture of Milo though! It's from our Friday afternoon sunshine basking party. Ahh... spring!)

First off I'm offering a cupcake class on April 17!

This is SO EXCITING to me so you might be hearing a lot about it.

Hope you're excited too :)

It's $40 and you get to come hang out with me for 2 1/2 hours.

Snacks are included of course. ( I don't really believe in getting together with out snacks.)

All supplies and ingredients are included.

We'll mix, bake AND decorate beautiful cupcakes and you get to take home a dozen (which is a $36 value all by itself.)

I'll also send you home with the recipe and let's be honest there will probably be prizes.

Soooooo if you live in or near Denver, please sign up!

I would love to party with you :)

I have a second piece of exciting news today.

I am now baking from a certified gluten free kitchen!!

Deby's gluten free bakery is a wonderful and well known shop in Denver,

and I am now renting space from them!

Monica, the owner, has been nothing but wonderful & I am so excited about working with her :)

Plus, it means there is no chance of anything being cross contaminated so even the most gluten sensitive can rest assured.

(Here I am on my first day headed in to "work" at the commercial space... and feeling like a dork :) Hunter insisted that I document the moment for my blog.)

Coming soon...
My very first scone recipe!
These got enthusiastic thumbs ups around here,
but we're far from scone experts :)
So I sent out the recipe for a test run.
A sweet reader actually requested a scone recipe so she is testing them out and letting me know.
The recipe will post as soon as I get the go ahead from Kate!


Final piece of important news for the day:
I went to Canvas & Cocktails with my friend Sarah last week.
And now I have new art :)
I'm not much of a painter but my chandelier makes me proud.

Have a wonderful & blessed Monday!

Today.

I'm going to be real honest with you for a second.

Yesterday sucked.

Tuesday was even worse.

And Monday was pretty terrible too!

See, I've got a precious 7 month old who has somehow learned NOT to sleep.

She would get all cranky & fussy and not nap which led to more crankiness & fussiness etc.

Also we took an idealistic approach to parenting that we've recently begun to reconsider.

But I won't get into that because it could be controversial and today I'm not in the mood for that.

Nope. Not today.

Because today is a good good day.

The kind of day that makes you forget that you cried yourself to sleep last night (at 8 o'clock) while your husband comforted the screaming baby while wearing noise canceling headphones.

(Not a joke.)

Yes today the sun is shining, and I have a sassy new haircut.

I'm enjoying an iced coffee & a vegan, fair trade peanut butter cup.

Oh yeah, and today I baked for an hour and half uninterrupted!

Glory, hallelujah. The girl slept!

Before becoming a mama I had no idea how refreshing 90 minutes alone in the kitchen could be.

I'm making a cake and hoping it turns out as pretty as this one.

Source: sprinklebakes.com via Ashley on Pinterest

I'm like a new woman.

And today. Today is a good GOOD day.