Hold on Tight

The journaling reads, " Hold on tight...to what you know is right...to true friends and family...to who you are."

I adore this photo that Ryan took of Zoe. 

Although I'm standing in the background and have my hands ready to catch her, 

she is holding on all by herself.

I have a tons of photos from this weekend that I'm dying to scrapbook, so you may see a large influx of scrapbook pages here on the blog. 

I used the paper pack that I had bought to make small scrapbooks for the service auction, however, my package got incorrectly routed to Stockton, so I didn't get it in time and had to use other products.

I'm secretly a little happy, because I'm adoring this paper pack :)

School starts soon, and our summer is winding down, thank goodness.

We've had such a great summer, but we're ready for more down time and cold weather.

I can't wait to take some fall photos of Zoe. I got the cutest little ruffled striped sweater for her to wear.

Maybe this year we'll actually send Christmas cards......mmm, I wouldn't bet on it, but I'll try.

XOXO,

Holly & Co

Panda Bear

Aww...look at my little panda bear.

I got these jammies on major clearance and I heart them.

They make me smile.



This is a totally random mushy love stuff post, but the other night as I was trying to fall asleep I started thinking about all my memories of when Ryan and I were dating.

Our relationship kind of melded together and didn't really have an official start date. Although, I count July 4th, 2005 as that's the first day I met him, and I knew I liked  him right then and there.

While I was trying to fall asleep, I was thinking about our first kiss. I remembered It was on my couch in my roman gardens apt. in the middle of the day,and that we had been dating almost 2 weeks and I was starting to think he didn't like me, but for the life of me I couldn't remember what Ryan said to me before he kissed me. I had a mini freak out about it. I mean we've been together 5 years and I can't remember all the details about our first kiss, what's wrong with me?!? What am I going to tell me children? I fell asleep worrying about it.

Ryan helped me sort out the memory last night, and here's what he said,

" So are you going to kiss me?"

and I quickly retorted," You first." and then he kissed me!

Romantic huh? Lol. It was....until about .2 seconds later when my roommate Erin came flying in the door. She turned bright red and ran into her room. (She knew it was our first kiss and felt terrible for interrupting) She then ran back out the front door as quickly as she had come in. Ryan and I busted up laughing in embarrassment. Sigh, good times.

Now if I ever forget, I can come back to this blog post and remind myself.



XOXO,

Holly & Co.

coming out of the fog...

I'm finally starting to feel a little better.



My dear friend Annalee and her adorable daughter Lilly came over to play on Wed.

Lilly made me laugh so hard, every time I tried to take her picture, this was the face I got. 

I won a spot in this class:

I've been slow at scrapping lately and I have tons of pictures so I'm hoping this class will help a little bit.

Look at my 2 favorite people, aren't they adorable.

I'll be back later with a more interesting update.

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

Stalled

I've been absent this week. I apologize.

I even have things to blog about, but I've been busy and now I'm sick, and the only thing I want to do when I get home, is lay on the couch or go to bed.



I will be back soon. I promise...with pictures to boot!



XOXO,

Holly & Co.

Trend: Yogurt Bar

We've visited a few of these type places before, but I think we've found our favorite. We discovered it while on a dessert run the other night with the Stauffer family.





Tonight our concoctions were as follows:

Peach Mango Tart yogurt + fresh mango + fresh strawberries + granola = Ryan



Red Velvet Cake yogurt + Vanilla yogurt + fresh strawberries + Cap'n Crunch = Holly



Vanilla + Reese's Pieces + chocolate sprinkles = Zoe





Yes, I did let Zoe pick out her own. I was surprised she didn't pick more toppings. I think she was just so excited to get her very own bowl....small bowl...but still all hers.

You can see how happy she is here.

Ryan loves having his picture taken, especially while he's eating.

{Yes, that is a Perry the Platypus t-shirt}



Here's to welcoming the weekend.



XOXO,

Holly & Co.

I wanna go to the beach

simply so I have a reason to buy this scrapbooking paper...

and these cards...

I hear waves in our future.

As a kid, my parents used to take us on what we called, "Adventures." We would drive to small moutain towns and go exploring. Sometimes we would go on hikes, or visit the gift shops, or get ice cream.

We'd sing folk songs on the drive, and play the alphabet game. These are some of my most cherished memories

After our jaunt to Tahoe a few weeks ago, I think Ryan and I both agreed we had tons of fun and will be adding more mini vacations into our schedule.

Next on our list is Redding/Mt. Shasta and then, Santa Cruz.

Any suggestions for either of these places? I've never been to either and Ryan has never been to Santa Cruz, so we could use some recommendations.

I am now in the market for a giant floppy sun hat. :)

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

An important letter & a date night

Last night, we all gathered at the Humbert's house anxiously awaiting for Brok, Ryan's brother to open his mission call.

Brok has been called to the Mexico Hermosillo mission, he reports to the MTC, in the late fall. We're so proud of Brok and not so secretly happy that we'll have a few more months with him here.









After the family gathering, Grandma Julie, graciously kept Zoe overnight so Ryan and I could go out on a date. We headed to Folsom to go to Fat's Asian Bistro.



Our appetizer was amazing. We were less impressed with our entrees. I got Sesame Chicken, which was good, but dry and Ryan got Thai Basil chicken and lo mein, it smelled like hot dogs and it tasted like hot dogs. He liked it, and thinks I'm crazy when I say it tasted and smelled like hot dogs, but each to his own I guess. Maybe we'll try it again and go for something different, but I was not impressed. Although the decor and service were great. Side note: make sure you go in the right bathroom, Ryan made that mistake. :)



I actually got some scrapbooking done today. That's the first time in a couple weeks I've actually scrapbooked. It seems like I've been working on lots of other craft projects and I've been getting behind in my scrapbooking.



Oh! I almost forgot, in the middle of our dinner date, my sister Jenni called, she is going to be having a little girl at the end of November. Yeah! More babies! More bows to make!



Ok well enough rambling for now...I've gotta put the little one to bed and finish making pizza..mmm...



Hope you're all having a great weekend. I promise pictures with the next post :)



XOXO,

Holly & Co.

thoughts for today and a challenge

"Another year is fast approaching. Go be that starving artist you’re afraid to be. Open up that journal and get poetic finally. Volunteer. Suck it up and travel. You were not born here to work and pay taxes. You were put here to be part of a vast organism to explore and create. Stop putting it off. The world has much more to offer than what’s on 15 televisions at TGI Fridays. Take pictures. Scare people. Shake up the scene. Be the change you want to see in the world."

— Jason Mraz

 

I found this quote today and I fell in love with it. I bolded my favorite part. Sometimes I need that reminder.

Days tend to blur together sometimes, sleep,eat,work,home,play,sleep and the cycle repeats.

 

I challenge you to do something this week, that breaks from your normal routine.

It doens't have to be big, just something different.

 

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

Signs of Summer

I have a sun-kissed toddler who smells like sunscreen and chlorine on my lap

....it's officially summer.

{Zoe last summer}

We did quite the bathing suit search this year.

We finally found one for mommy (lime ricki) & two for Zoe (target).

Lime Ricki

 Target

I see lots of trips to the pool and popsicles in our future.

Thankfully, it's been relatively cool this summer.

Zoe asks practically every day to go to the pool. I wasn't going to look into swimming lessons until next year, but she's pretty fearless when it comes to swimming, so we might be starting a round or two this summer instead.

I bought some red plastic hamburger baskets from the $1 bin at target the other day. I don't know what I have in store for them yet, but they were too cute to pass up. Any Ideas or links to share?

We're getting close to 300 posts, so that means, another giveaway very, very soon!

Have a great weekend everyone!

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

In Love

with this...

{and she makes any state or country}

I lived in Oklahoma, less time than I lived anywhere else. Just 8 months.

It was a very long 8 months.

Ryan and I were almost 2,000 apart, and working with a 2 hour time difference.

It made for lonely days and nights spent falling asleep on the phone.

But it only made us stronger.

I made lifelong friends in Oklahoma.

Kindred spirits. People who have made such an impact on my life.

The summer I spent there, was one of my favorites ever.

Full of days at the pool and nightly visits to Taco Bueno.

My first visit to a Piggly-Wiggly.

Since my parents moved, I haven't been back and don't know when/if I will ever make it back there.

But I still love Oklahoma. I miss it all the time.

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

nothing too special

Ryan and I did get to go out for a bit, Friday night. Thanks to Uncle Brok for babysitting.

We finished up birthday shopping for Zoe and then went to Dinner at El Torito.

We stayed while, just talking. It was nice, we haven't been able to do that in a while.



Saturday, we worked on some stuff around the house.

Ran some errands.

Ryan worked on his talk.

and ended the day at the park.



Today we had an awesome church meeting.

Visit from our Home Teacher and the Census guy.

A nice nap.

Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

& for Ryan, the LOST finale in just a few minutes.

I don't watch LOST, so I'll have my headphones on watch some girly movie on the computer.

(the music in LOST creeps me out)



Nothing too special weekend. Looking forward to next weekend (3 day!)

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

best $2.00 ever spent

Foam swords at Target = Hours of Entertainment

Pardon the rag-a-muffin child, this is one of the few action shots I got.

Zoe loves these things. We have so much fun sword fighting. She even says, "Enguard!"

If you live close to a Target, I highly suggest in these. They are lots of fun!

Not much going on here. Just enjoying Ryan's time off from school for the next couple weeks.

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

A good day

You know it's going to be a good day when it's 8am, and this little bug is still asleep.

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

Never...

...have I been so ready for a weekend.

Today I totally woke up thinking it was Saturday, what a rude awakening.

But, I made it through my workday, and I'm celebrating with Cowboy Cookies.

{if you don't have M&M's or pecans, you can just use the chocolate chips. That's how I make them}

These are becoming my new favorite cookies.

.......................................

It's started warming up here in Nor Cal, much to my disappointment. 

Neither Ryan or I have A/C in our cars.

Yes, I know, it's crazy, but I enjoy no car payment more than I dislike no A/C.

Which makes for a ::warm:: drive home on summer days.

I cannot wear shorts to work, and I have short legs, so I prefer not to wear capris, which pretty much leaves me with long pants, skirts, or dresses.

I'm really loving all the cute summer dresses from Down East Basics.

I'm so in love with this dress.

I think this will be my anniversary gift from Ryan.

..................................

Hope you are enjoying you're evening as much as I'm enjoying my cookies.

Back tomorrow with some finished projects.

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

Problem meet Solution!

Dilema: It's Sunday, and I'm all out of powder foundation. I can't go to the store, what's a girl to do?

Solution: Sneak into your toddler's room and borrow the baby powder!

Step 1: Apply liquid foundation as usual.

Step 2: Use big fluffy brush and apply small amounts of baby powder in place of powder foundation.

Step 3: Fool everyone! & Enjoy the baby fresh scent on your face :)

I was shocked at how similar it is to my regular powder foundation. I'm not sure of the long term effects of this or anything, but in a pinch it sure works out great.

{It's now Tuesday and I still haven't gotten new powder make-up.}

Happy Tuesday everyone!



XOXO,

Holly & Co.

Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs

I made my first batch of homemade meatballs tonight. I based my recipe off of this one. They turned out great, if I do say so myself. 

I've been working on meal planning for 2 weeks at a time. Day 1 was a success!

(If the new recipes turn out, I'll post them)

It did happen to be cloudy today. Ryan and I took Zoe to the park after daycare today.  I know I keep putting pictures of her up from the park, but there's such great lighting there, especially around 5-6pm, when we usually go.

A baby no more, that's for sure.

XOXO,

Holly & Co.

Easy Thank You Cards

I needed to send some thank-you cards, but didn't have any, so I decided to make some.



I admit, I'm a really bad card-marker. I scrapbook just fine, but when I shrink the canvas to a 3x5 inch area, I get stumped. I tend to try to add too much and it looks like a cat threw up on it. That's why I don't post many cards I make on here. So I went for a more simple technique this time.



For this project, I used Photoshop Elements 6.0, which is the program I do all my photo editing and other projects in.

I used a digital scrapbooking kit from Two Peas in a Bucket called Toy Box, by Vinnie Pearce

plus some white cardstock & a border punch....

and voila!

I actually made a bunch to keep on hand. I love getting snail mail, so I decided in order to receive I should give first. Using white cardstock, plus a little embellishment like a stamp or rub-on can make a quick, cute card for any occasion.

I didn't even need any glue :)

That's all for tonight. I will be testing out a new recipe for Cowboy Cookies later this week, so I will let you know how it goes. I'm going to use Easter colored M&M's. I hope they taste as yummy as they look.



XOXO,

Holly & Co.

Any help...would be help

So my little sister is getting married in a few weeks, and I need a dress to wear to the wedding. I'll be wearing my bridesmaids dress, but I need something to wear to the actual. I've found some that I like, but I need a little help deciding.

 

With a sweater of course.

this top with a black skirt.

thoughts anyone?

embarassing moment #296

This is a story I knew I had to write on the blog just as soon as it happened.

 {Holly in Oklahoma, 2006}

This weekend, my in-laws graciously offered to watch Zoe, as it had been a few weeks since Ryan & I had been out together. We "enjoyed" a nice dinner at Mas, I saw that in quotes because our entire dinner we were right next to the live mariachi band. Yeah, we ate and promptly left. We walked to the car, and once we got to the car, Ryan and I started kissing, leaning up against the car. :::Fast forward a couple minutes::: Ryan goes to open my door and tries the key. The smile on his face disappears and he says," This isn't our car."



Yeah, talk about embarrassing. Lucky for us it was dark and the rightful owner didn't walk to their car in those couple moments. I realize it could have been a lot worse but I haven't been that embarrassed in awhile.



Moving on...



Ryan went with the youth in our ward up to Tahoe to spend the day in the snow on Saturday. Meaning, Zoe and I didn't get dressed until 3 pm, just in time to greet Ryan. ( I did clean and catch up on my shows via Hulu.com though)



Right now I have cookies in the oven because I had an unsatisfied craving for sweets. I love the way they make the house smell.

This is why we make Zoe drink out of a sippy cup.

This is her with a blueberry-strawberry smoothie. 

Yeah, the tray was way cleaner than the wall.

 Been scrapbooking lately...You'll see lots of these pictures of Zoe in the green jacket because I love every single one Aly took. I can't just scrapbook one I love all of them.

Gotta grab the cookies out of the oven...



XOXO,

Holly & Co.

what I'd rather be wearing today...

spring 2010 by brwneyes525 featuring American Eagle Outfitters

Items in this set:

Womens AE Gingham Shirt - Orange Plaid, $40

Women's AE Skinny Denim Bermuda Short - American Eagle Outfitters, $40

Women's AE Striped U-Neck T - American Eagle Outfitters, $16

Women's - Flip Flops - American Eagle Outfitters, $30

Women's - Belts - American Eagle Outfitters, $20

I'm in LOVE with the orange gingham shirt. Call me crazy, I don't care. That shirt will be mine.