I SMILE Wednesday

I SMILE often...

But on Wednesday's, I share my SMILES on my blog!

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SMILING that my man is freaking awesome and cleans out our

/disgusting/ oven with out me even asking him too!

It looks FABULOUS!

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SMILING that every time my adorable hubby has one of our favorite treats:

Skinny Cow Mint w/ Fudge Cones

He gives his "butt" of the cone to me!

{Ya know, the last 2 bites, that's filled with all the ice cream & cone goodness?!}

Because he knows it's my favorite part of the entire thing!

Seriously, that's how much that guy loves me!

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This absolutely handsome face always makes me SMILE!

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The fact that our fabulous friends,

The Steele's are going to be our neighbors AGAIN

Totally and completely makes us both SMILE!!

We were next door neighbors for 2 years when we lived in our condo,

And became very close friends..

Then they moved 2,300 miles away to North Carolina for Noah to go to school...

They were gone 3 years, we went to visit twice, but missed them SO much!

They have moved back to Utah and have been looking for a place to live...

and without even knowing it was in our neighborhood,

they found the absolute PERFECT place to live, literally 2 streets away!!!

We are SO meant to be neighbors!!

Can't wait to have them living so close after being so far away for so long!

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And finally, what would a SMILE post be with out some sort of food?!

My new FAVE dessert??

The Cheesecake Factory's...

Ultimate Red Velvet Cake Cheesecake

Oh.my.Hannah - this stuff is AMAZING!!

Makes my mouth AND belly SMILE!!

{Movie Reviews}

Time for another round of Movie Reviews!

My sister Kathrin is a Teacher,

As a part of a Social Studies group she is in for the History program,

She got 2 free tickets to see Red Tails AND

2 free tickets to see War Horse last weekend!

I was lucky enough to be her guest to both!

{THANKS again Kat!}

*RED TAILS*

Red Tails is about a crew of African American pilots in the Tuskegee training program during World War II. It's their amazing story of facing crazy discrimination AND segregation. They show incredible bravery and courage to become true war heroes! This movie was really good, and very entertaining. I will say it was a tiny bit cheesy... but still a pretty dang good movie!  My favorite part? All the beautiful people! HA!

*WAR HORSE*

I really loved War Horse! It's about just that, the story of a horse that is sold into cavalry. Before he is sold, the boy who trains him, builds an amazing friendship with this horse and is devastated when his father has to sell him to keep their farm. It's an incredible story of the journey the horse takes, and the many lives he touches on his way. This movie was seriously so dang good! I cried, I laughed but mostly I just really loved it! I would absolutely recommend this film!

*WARRIOR*

 OH.MY.HANNAH. I don't know if I can even express to you how much I loved this movie! Warrior is about the journey of two brother's who are competing for the biggest winner-takes-all event in mixed Martial Arts history. Honestly, I really had no desire to see this movie when I saw the preview, I don't love fighting/wrestling movies... but I had seen all over FB how good it was! And seriously, it did not disappoint. This movie literally had me sobbing. It's definitely not a "Feel-good" type of flick, but just such a good story - and it's not all about the fighting! I really think you should ALL definitely see this movie! 

*THE GIRL with the DRAGON TATTOO*

 Now, I know that I said I wouldn't see this... I read all of the books {and loved them}. And I watched the Swedish version, which was pretty dang disturbing! BUT, I had heard that this was much better than the Swedish version, and I will most definitely agree! Michael had expressed the desire to see this movie, so that made me want to go even more! We went on a double date with Jenna and Kevin - and all 4 of us LOVED it! Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara were absolutely perfect in their roles {MUCH better than the actors in the Swedish version}. There were still the disturbing parts... but that's just part of the storyline. Just like the books, I don't think I would recommend this movie, but I will say that it was one of the better movies I've seen - we didn't even notice that it was almost 3 hours long! We were seriously entertained the entire movie!

Speaking of great actors and actresses in this movie, I thought it was AMAZING the make-over they did on Rooney for the part of Lisbeth Salander! Just look at how feminine and beautiful she was before:

 And to play the part of Lisbeth Salander... complete transformation right?! LOVE it!

Did you see these movies? What did you think of them?

 Do you agree with my reviews??

*Pinterest Recreation Party OR What I Wore Wednesday*

Oh yes, it is Wednesday! Halfway through the week! WHOOT WHOOT!

If you're a regular, I bet you're looking for my SMILES...

BUT - I've seen many blogs that do What I Wore Wednesday Posts

{One of the best WIWW Blog: The Pleated Poppy}
OR Pinterest Recreation Party on Wednesday

{Another one of my fave blogs does it perfectly: All Things Lovely}

And I want play too!!

So I've decided I'm going to switch it up a bit and do SMILES one week and

What I wear/ Pinterest Recreation every other!

Remember THIS post about my 2012 Goal??

Well, I've been using my life-size Pinterest board on almost a daily basis!

LOVE IT!!

Outfit #1:

I definitely had to go out of my comfort zone for this outfit...

But I'm so glad I did!

 {Red Pants: F21/ Wedges: Nine West/ Chambray Top: American Eagle/ Blazer: Nordy's Rack}

 Outfit #2:
Now this is what I'm comfortable with and LOVE...

BLACK ON BLACK Baby!

{Top: H&M/ Necklace: 80's Purple/ Jeggings: Nordy's/ Heels: Nine West}

Outfit #3:

I love the cute yet casual look of this outfit!

Lauren is definitely one of my faves for fashion inspiration!



{Top: F21/ Jeans: Nordy's/ Ballet Flats: H&M}

The best part, I had every single one of these items in my wardrobe already!

I'm completely loving the shopping from my closet game!

Especially with the help of Pinterest for outfit ideas!

Character Look-A-Likes??

It seems like whenever Michael and I watch a cartoon together,

He says something like "LOOK! It's YOU!" or

"Why are you in every cartoon!??"

So I've decided I'm going to take a poll -

What do you think?! Do I look like a character??

The ones that he says I look most like is:

Susan Murphy from Monsters vs. Aliens?

Or he also says Rapunzel from Tangled:

Someday my hair will be long... but for now, to help you compare -

Here is a picture from when Flynn Rider {Eugene :)} Cut her hair:

Michael says the similarities are mainly "The button nose, big eyes and small lips" HA!

So... what do you think? Am I a Character Look-A-Like??

My very FIRST sewing project!

As I said in my SMILE post... I completed my VERY fist sewing project this week!

My FANTASTIC Momma asked if I had a night that she could come

Help me get my sewing machine all set up and help me start my project,

I was SO excited!

I went and bought all my supplies, and tried to get a head start before she arrived,

Yeah I got as far as laying out the fabric and opening the pattern,

after that I was LOST!

Then my amazing mom showed up and just like that, we were on a roll!

She showed me how to read the pattern, and how to lay it out on the fabric to be most effective!

She showed me how to get the thread on my bobbin, thread my machine and

walked me through the next steps of sewing my project...

I was so excited, and totally pumped for my project!

She had to leave after a couple of hours, but not with out first giving me some

pointers and direction on what to do next...

On Sunday, I thought I could just whip it out in a couple hours and be done with it...

Yeah, total wishful thinking! HA!

 After a few issues, sewing, unpicking, and improvising on a few things -

5 hours later I was done!!

So what was I making?? Here is the super -cute skirt pattern that I found...

And the finished product.... TA DA!!!!

I am very pleased with the way it turned out, especially for my first sewing project!

Although, I probably wont let anyone ever look too close  :)

I couldn't have done it with out all the help from

my wonderful and VERY talented Momma! THANK YOU!

I'm pretty excited now that I've got my machine up and running!!

I already have my next project in mind with my left over Zebra fabric!

{SMILING Wednesday}

I SMILE every single day... But on Wednesdays, I share my SMILES on my blog :)

 I SMILE when my Momma comes over for a super fun

AND very productive sewing date!!

 My Mom is seriously BRILLIANT at sewing, so she came over to help me with my

First project on my sewing machine that I got

for Christmas in 2010 (I'm such a SLACKER!!!)

 But I have "caught the vision" and am totally excited to start sewing more!

And to have many more fun sewing dates with my adorable Mom!!

 P.s. Post on my very first sewing project coming soon!!

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Celebrating the coming of Baby #2 with a baby shower

For my adorable friend Tiffany most definitely makes me SMILE!

Baby boy will be making his grand entrance February 2nd or maybe even sooner!!

We are so excited for their super cute family!! Cannot wait to meet the little guy!!

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Saturday afternoons when it looks like this outside...

 ...And I get to be inside,

with my favorite slippers, comfy pants and cuddled up with a Fantastic Book!

Absolutely make me SMILE!! My kinda perfect afternoon!

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Getting a text with this freaking adorable picture of Ben, our youngest nephew -
Wearing the very cute OWL outfit we got him for Christmas,

Totally made me SMILE!! He is such a little cutie!

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And finally, finding a new delicious AND pretty healthy snack,

Absolutely makes me SMILE!

Not only are the quite tasty, they are also only...

 110 calories for 27 chips where normal 

Lay's Potato Chips are 160 calories for 15 Chips!! 

More food, less calories, and still just as yummy! 

Oh yeah, my mouth AND belly are SMILING!! 

{The Sour Cream & Onion are my fave!} 

I hope your week is full of SMILES too!!

Absolutely FANTASTIC read!

Have you ever read a book that you just could NOT stop thinking about??

You thought about it while driving, while trying to fall asleep or while working??

One that you didn't want to put down?

The Help, Twilight series, and the first 2 Hunger Games are just a few that are like that for me...

This weekend, I'm adding one more to that list,

Although, this one is nothing like the others and is definitely it's very own class!

The Pact by Jodi Picult

Was absolutely incredible! I didn't ever want to put it down,

and when I would {because I absolutely had to},
 I would sit and think about it for hours!

I was trying to explain the storyline to Michael one night,
and I just don't think I can do it any justice.

So, here is what the back of the book says :):

"...a riveting, timely, heartbreaking, and terrifying novel of families in anguish- and friendship ripped apart by inconceivable violence. Until the phone calls came at 3:00am on a November morning, the Golds and their neighbors, the Hartes, had been inseparable. It was no surprise to anyone when their teenage children, Chris and Emily, began showing signs that their relationship was moving beyond that of lifelong friends. But now seventeen-year-old Emily has been shot to death by her beloved and devoted Chris as part of an apparent suicide pact - leaving two devastated families stranded in the dark and dense predawn, desperate for answers about an unthinkable act and the children they never really new".

This book is seriously written so well. I loved it!

It has suspense, love, mystery and drama -

I was completely absorbed from the time I picked it up until I was finished!!

Definitely a MUST READ!!

2012 GOAL

Michael and I are on the same page when it comes to New Years Resolutions:

We don't need January 1st to make resolutions...

We should have resolution to make ourselves better all year long!

HOWEVER, with all of the changes happening in our lives this year...

 I have made a goal this year to... SHOP LESS...

{I need to shop less -SO- I will shop  less}

To help me with this goal, I decided it was time to organize my closet.

{It was seriously scary! :)}

I found things I haven't worn in over a year... {to donate}

I also found things that I adore, but just forgot were in my closet!

It was like I went shopping - but didn't have to spend any money! HA!

After I was done going through my clothes {2 hours later! I told you it was scary!}

I've decided I have a pretty good wardrobe, with a lot of solid staple pieces,

 I just need to be a little creative and step out of my comfort zone when choosing outfits!

So to help me with this...

I came up with the idea to make a LIFE SIZE Pinterest Board to hang in my closet!

Remember this post: Craft Day in 2008 {FYI - I absolutely do NOT miss my brown hair}

When Jenna and I made magnet boards??

Well, I cleared that board of the outdated pictures,

Printed the pictures off of my "Outfit Inspiration Board" on Pinterest

And Ta-da!

It's right where I get dressed, to help me when I need a little outfit inspiration!

I made sure to choose pictures that I knew I had similar pieces- to be able to recreate the cute outfits

                                

 I tried out my first Pinterest outfit inspiration today!  

I'm feeling pretty confident on my new resolve to utilize my current wardrobe,

and be able to fight the urge to add more... I can do this!

Wish me luck!

{Mid-week SMILES}

 It's Wednesday, which means it's time for my weekly SMILES!

As always, so many things to SMILE about this week!! Like...

Celebrating New Years Eve by going to the festivities in Downtown SLC!

We rode Trax so we didn't have to mess with parking and such...

{I seriously LOVE riding Trax, it makes me feel like I live in a big city or something - HA!}

 We celebrated the New Year with this adorable couple,

Our very good friends: LaShae & Noah!

It's tradition to bring in the New Year with them -

it's our 5th year spending it with them!

This tradition definitely makes me SMILE!

Downtown was beautiful, there were so many people out and about,

So much to do and see!

How cute is he?! Seriously, makes me SMILE every.single.day!

We had such a blast! Definitely a New Years Eve to remember!!

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Also making me SMILE:

This freaking adorable mug that LaShae and Noah got me for Christmas!

When it's hot, the owls are wide awake with a bright sun...

And when it's cold, it changes to night, there is a moon, stars, and the super-cute owls are sleeping!

SO freaking cute, right?!

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I just finished the fabulous Tina Fey's Bossypants that I got for Christmas...

This book seriously had me SMILING the entire way through!

I've always loved her from SNL and 30 Rock...

But this book just made me LOVE her so much more!

She's freaking hilarious, I loved "getting to know her" better through this book!

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And finally, another Christmas present that keeps me SMILING...

Pure DKNY Verbena

This stuff seriously smells AMAZING! So fresh!

Michael and I are both SO picky about perfumes,
neither of us can stand floral scents...

For a while, I was wearing the same perfume as my Grandma, Cool Waters

{Don't judge, my Grandma has FABULOUS taste in her perfume! :)}

But it doesn't last long at all....

So, before Christmas, M and I went on the hunt for a yummy perfume...

We most definitely found it in this stuff... Simply, perfection!

There you have it, my super random SMILES for the week :)!!

{Laura's FAVE's of *2011*}

I've seen a few Best of & Favorites of 2011 blog posts and decided I needed to do my own!

FAVORITE BOOK:

I absolutely LOVED Room:

 

{See my review HERE}

BUT, I also really LOVED Matched..
I just read this book at the end of December, and it was seriously so good!
It's a trilogy, I just started the second one, Crossed... (so far so good!)
And the third one comes out this year!
I highly recommend these books if you haven't read them yet!

FAVORITE MOVIE:

Love, love, LOVE Country Strong!!

FAVORITE NEW TV SHOW:

A tie between Pan Am & Revenge!

Both shows are SOOOO dang good!!

Can't wait for them both to start up again next week!

 FAVORITE BEAUTY PRODUCT FIND:

Another tie:

This time between Li Lash - As M puts it "Rogaine for your lashes" and

Moroccan Oil, this serum is AMAZING!!

Love them both!! 

 FAVORITE TREND:

Seriously, I am just having problems narrowing them all down to just one! HA!

And a tie yet again, LOVE the leopard print trend....

 ... And of course the boot sock trend -

Why did it take till 2011 for these suckers to blow up?! So adorable!

And finally... FAVORITE PICTURE OF 2011:

This one for BEST photo-bombing EVER!

We seriously didn't even notice this guy until I posted the picture on FB and

Michael's cousin pointed it out! HAHA!

 But my honest-to-goodness favorite picture of 2011...

NYC + TIMES SQUARE + My MICHAEL= Favorite moment of 2011!!

2011 was a wonderful year for Michael & I... But now,

I'm so excited to see what fun and exciting things 2012 will bring!