diy: a leafy lamp

Are you enjoying this beautiful autumn as much as I am?? I love all the gorgeous leafy trees outside!  Here is a simple way to bring that magic into your home.  

 Gather a handful of leaves in a variety of shapes and colors.

Grab some clear scotch tape and tape away! (to the inside of the shade)

Voila!  An easy and free craft to add a little fall into your home.  :)

halloween recap

Last year - our first Halloween - we didn't do much.  We had only been home from our honeymoon cruise a few days and were getting settled into our new married life.  We were so high on being newlyweds, we didn't really care - we didn't even think about costumes!  We hung out at Dustin's parents' house and carved some pumpkins, and then watched "The Ring".  (That was my first time ever seeing it!)

This year we went over to my parents' house.  We had tons of fun Halloween food, and the witch's brew of course.  My mom was excited because this year she bought full-size candy bars for the trick-or-treaters.  She said she wanted our house to be the "cool house" to come to!  Haha.  My aunt and uncle brought their three little boys over and we took them trick-or-treating!  The husb and I dressed up as Hawaiian people and Dustin had fun playing his ukulele when we were walking.  It made me excited for when we have little Harpers of our own to take trick-or-treating!  Also - a comment about the weather - it was perfect.

Bubba wasn't too fond of his witch hat.  He would take it off and then try to attack it.

Aloha!  I want to go to there!

Hulk Hogan & Thor

The Rocker

halloween party

I think that the older I get, the more I love fall and Halloween.  I love decorating my home, baking fall goodies, enjoying the beautiful changing leaves, and partyin it up gangnam Halloween style! Here are a few fun pics from the party last weekend:

little red & the big bad wolf

pumpkin doughnut muffins

Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins!  I love fall baking and I love pumpkin so I was super excited to try this new recipe (from martha stewart).  It was a success!  The husband and all the coworkers raved about them.  Martha's description is the best: These muffins capture the essence of doughnuts with their cakelike interior and sugar-coated exterior. Flavored with pumpkin puree, they take on the feel of fall. So here you go:

Ingredients

• For The Batter

  • 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/3 cup buttermilk
  • 1 1/4 cups pure pumpkin puree (from a 15-ounce can)
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs

• For The Sugar Coating

  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 12 standard muffin cups. Make batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and allspice. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down bowl as needed. With mixer on low, add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with two additions pumpkin mixture, and beat to combine.
2. Spoon 1/3 cup batter into each muffin cup and bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean, 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine granulated sugar and cinnamon. Let muffins cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Working with one at a time, remove muffins from pan, brush all over with butter, then toss to coat in sugar mixture. Let muffins cool completely on a wire rack.

happy anniversary

Last week we celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary!  I can't believe it's been a year already, and yet at the same time it just feels like we've been married forever.  We are so happy and so in love!

Our anniversary was last Thursday - 10/11/12!  Dustin was on fall break so he didn't have school and I had to work but got off at 1:30.  (Normally on Thursday afternoons I leave work early to go play at the Grand, but I requested that day off from the Grand - I just didn't mention it to my boss. ;) )  My sweet husband brought me lunch and flowers at work!  

That afternoon, we went and did a session at the Draper Temple - where we were sealed.  That is my favorite temple!   It was touching being there and remembering our amazing sealing a year ago.  

Then Dustin surprised me and took me to the Roof restaurant in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.  We had the best table in there with a perfect view of the temple.  And of course - that night we ate the rest of our frozen wedding cake!  And it was still moist and delicious!  We had the best cake at our wedding.  Seriously.  A little old lady from Murray made our cake - she is mostly retired, but she made our cake because we met with her and she liked us.  

Such a lovely anniversary!  I'm ridiculously lucky to be married to such a wonderful man who treats me so well and loves me so much.  Happy wedding anniversary to us! 

our temple

my husband spoils me with flowers and i love it

10 reasons why i love october:

1. Our wedding anniversary!  Just a little over a week away!

2. Halloween decorations, candy, parties, etc

3. Breast cancer awareness month (my mom & grandma both survived it) yay for pink!

4. Looking forward to bringing out the scarves, cords, boots, and sweaters

5. Fall break!  Ok so I already graduated but it means Dustin doesn't have to worry about homework at night and we can play.

6. Football games

7. Gorgeous mountains

8. Pumpkin desserts

9. General conference

10. Park Stickney's jazz harp concert - October 14. Let me know if you want free tickets!

Hey Stephen

I finally got to meet my only brother-in-law!  Stephen came home from his mission in Zambia, Africa on Friday night.  We picked him up from the airport around 6:30pm, then came home and ate pizza and he showed us all the cool things he brought home from Africa!  He was released at 11pm that night.  It was a really neat experience being there with Dustin's family & the stake president, and hearing Stephen talk about his mission and bear his testimony about it.

Saturday we hung out with all the family that came up from California for the homecoming.  There were many Cataan games played haha.  The Harpers love Settlers of Cataan!

Sunday was the homecoming.  I ended up doing the musical number (the yw were supposed to sing, but backed out the day before).  I played a medley of three hymns:  I know that my redeemer lives, Our savior's love, and I believe in Christ.  Stephen gave a fantastic talk!  I loved hearing about his experiences in Africa and the people he met.  He bore a strong testimony of the gospel and the spirit was strong.  And at the end, he bore his testimony in this crazy African "click" language.  LEGIT!  After, everyone came over to the Harpers' house and we had homemade Cafe Rio!

It's been so fun getting to know Stephen!  I can definitely tell he is Dustin's brother.  They're similar in a lot of ways - the dark hair, big smile, charismatic sense of humor, and use of sarcasm.  But Stephen still talks like an African.  It was a fun-filled weekend and I'm looking forward to getting to know him better.