I want to make cupcakes. I was so inspired by Trophy Cupcakes that I now have this urge to bake all kinds of cupcakes. Have you ever done a Google search for cupcakes? It is amazing! Just look here at this amazing list of pure cupcake inspiration. I have been doing some major cupcake research lately and now I am just waiting for the few hours I need to start creating. Oh, I can't wait!
I have always thought that I would love to have a bakery. I love to make breads and cookies and pastries. I love baking because it feels like such an artful and love-filled process. When I bake it is almost always with someone in mind, normally Andy or Blake, but someone that I love who I want to enjoy something that is made from scratch. I have big plans and many cupcake recipes to try out...I think I want to try a red velvet and cream cheese frosting cupcake recipe first, or maybe a dark chocolate with raspberry frosting cupcake, or even a vanilla cupcake with butterscotch frosting, or how about a coffee cupcake with caramel frosting...so many recipes so little time.

Tree Stump Series

I am always taken by how lush and green everything is in Washington. I came across all these tree stumps and I had to capture their beauty. I love how they are dead and decaying, but there is so much life in them. The life of the moss and other foliage is just so amazing to me. I love how different each stump is and how they have character all their own.

Extended Weekend in Washington

A few times each year we are able to make to trip up to Washington to visit family. We love the time we get to spend there. Washington is such a beautiful state. We got there Thursday morning and went straight away to Trophy Cupcakes. The store is in this old building that was once a high school. I had the most amazing chocolate peanut butter cupcake. Andy a beautiful (yes, the cupcake was actually beautiful) Strawberry Lemon cupcake. Andrea, Andy's mom had a vanilla vanilla cupcake, and Roy had a red velvet cupcake. Blake even had a little mini cupcake. These cupcakes range from $2.50 to over $3.00. They sell around 1,000 cupcakes a day! Can you imagine selling that many cupcakes? They were oh-so-good...if you are in Seattle, you need to visit them and enjoy a cupcake.

On Friday, my hubby turned the big 2-6. His parents had a whole bunch of people over to celebrate. The Dunn's always cook the most amazing food. They made roast beef and had clams...oh the clams are always so goo. They also made the best margarita's ever...I will post the recipe below. Andy's mom made sure he had a margarita that was worthy of a 26th birthday, Andy's sister, Katie and Amber made sure his marg didn't go empty all evening...wasn't that nice of them? We were able to connect with friends we haven't seen in months and we were able to finally meet Sam. Sam was born in January and Blake would have held him all night if he would have let her. We finished off the night with DQ ice cream cake...is there anything better?

We also went to Northwest Trek...it is kinda like a zoo, but better because all the herbivores can roam freely. We saw elk, deer, moose, big horn sheep, and bison. In the predator section of the park, we were able to see bears, cats, otters, raccoons, eagles, and owls. This was so much fun and we had beautiful weather. Blake loved being able to run all over the place and watch all the animals.

On Monday we took the ferry back to Seattle. We went to the Seattle Aquarium. I loved how Blake was able to learn about how the ocean works and the tides move. It was so cool to watch the seals and the otters. We went to Pike Place Market. I love the market. Seeing all the colors of tulips and fruit and vegetables, it is just so much fun. I also love watching all the people. I also made sure we were able to go to the original Starbucks. I love going to this Starbucks and seeing where it all started.

We had such an amazing and much needed visit. Thank you Dunn's for everything, We love you!

The Best Margs's Ever:

1 cup each:

fresh lime juice

lemon juice

powder sugar

tequila - Milagro Anejo Tequila - this is a must!

zest of two limes

zest of one lemon

Mix all the ingredients and let sit in the fridge for 4 hours...be sure to drink all the mix the day you make it otherwise it goes bitter the next day.

Enjoy!

My grandpa Tennant passed away this week. This is the first death we have had on my mom's side of the family and it was such a huge shock for all of us. I loved my grandpa so very, very much. He was always laughing and ready for a good hug. He made beautiful jewelry and I am so glad I have those pieces he made to remember him by. He was such an amazing man. He went from being homeless as a child to being an engineer, teacher, father, entrepreneur, grandfather, and so much more. He was smart and he understood what it meant to work hard. He was an amazing husband and he cherished my grandma beyond words. I love you grandpa and I will always miss you.

A new book...and a new challenge

I have been waiting for this book to come out and now I finally have it! I love Amanda Soule's blog SouleMama...you have got to visit this site if you have not visited it before. Her blog is a work of art. Her family is brimming with creativity and she seems to thoughtfully and carefully think about her decisions in parenting. I have been oh so inspired by her writings. Living creatively is something I so desire to do. I don't mean that every aspect of my life needs to be captured in paint and clay, or even glitter and crayons. Living creatively means taking joy in the little things and pausing to take in the moments of life that can so very swiftly pass us by. I want to be aware of how I raise my children and provide them with all the outlets to express their creativity.

This last weekend we went to Red Rocks with our friends Nate and Brook. It was so beautiful and such an amazing example of God's creativity when He created the earth. We were talking about how cool it is that God actually paused and said I am going to create this amazing place where artists can come and perform in the midst of giant red rocks. Our heavenly Father is brimming with creativity and we are made in His image as creative beings. Galations 6:4 from The Message Bible says, "Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don't be impressed with yourself. Don't compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life." I love that we are called to be creative in our life. The life God has planned for only us.

I so often find myself too side tracked with all the busyness that life is to stop and allow myself to recognize the little moments in life. I have really had a tugging on my heart to strive to capture the creativity that is oozing out of every pore of this life. To find the creative aspects in the mundane and normal and recognized. There are so many little moments that pass me by each day and I desire to capture them and take joy in them.

This is Blake

She is funny, sweet, spunky,

independant, cuddly, creative,

and full of it...

this picture proves my point.

Yes, I know we are in big trouble.

Slack Lining at the Dunns

I love my husband very very much. Not just because of how awesome he is and how much he makes me laugh, but because he comes up with ideas like building a slack line in the middle of our backyard. What is a slack line you might ask??? Just think of two poles with a very tight piece of webbing strung between them. Very carefully, you are supposed to walk across the webbing from one pole to another....kinda like a tight rope. The webbing is only like three feet off the ground (yes, I know you can have rather large injuries from falling from thee feet). This is just out beginners slack line...we hope to be able to do this by the end of summer:


I'm really not serious about walking on the slack line thousands of feet off the ground...I think three feet will suffice for the moment.

A daughter is a day brightener and a heart warmer. ~Author Unknown