Monday, July 29, 2019

Crushin' It At The Demolition Derby

Hello everyone!
Last week we had a holiday here in Utah.
It was Pioneer Day, also known as the 24th of July.
It honors the day the pioneers first entered Utah.
To celebrate Erik and I spent a few nights at my family's cabin and went to the Demolition Derby in town.



We attended it for the first time a few years ago and had so much fun.
The food, the atmosphere, watching cars ram into each other.
We loved it!
We try to go whenever we can and we were so stoked that we were able to pull it off this year.




We got to the grounds about an hour before it started to avoid the crowds and get a chance to check out the local vendors.
Then we headed to our seats. 
We settled in and people watched until it began.
We watched and cheered as the cars raced and hit each other until only one was left standing.



After the first heat, we decided to grab some food.
Erik got a Hawaiian plate and I opted for a cheeseburger and fries.


The lines were a little long so we missed the second heat but, made it back just in time for the third.
Erik went back for some Deep Fried Oreos.
We had never tried them before and figured this was as good a place as any.
We enjoyed our food while watching the show.


Towards the end, the sun started to set behind the stadium and it was absolutely gorgeous!


After the Demolition Derby, they have a firework show.
They turn off all the lights in the stadium and shoot the fireworks just south so you don't have to move an inch.
I am always so impressed by how good it is for such a small town!



It was such a fun night and I am crossing my fingers and toes that we can make it back next year.
Have you ever been to a Demolition Derby?


All my love,
Autumn


P.S. Head over to my Instagram for a giveaway!
I am giving away TWO pairs of earrings from Ivy Jo Boutique!

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Monday, July 22, 2019

Our Wild Weekend | 26 For 26

Hello everyone!
Last Friday Erik and I went to see the new Lion King.
The Lion King has been my favorite Disney movie since I was a kid.
After seeing the trailers I was trying not to get my hopes up because I was afraid it wouldn't meet my expectations.
After telling Erik my concerns, he told me to get excited and that we were going to make a big deal out of it because he knew how much I loved the original. 
We bought tickets the day they were available and decided to splurge and see it in IMAX.
We made sure to have a ton of snacks on hand and wore our lion king best.


And I really enjoyed it. 
They stayed closer to the original story than any of the other remakes I have seen and the visuals were insane.
The opening Circle of Life scene matched the original shot for shot.
I wasn't sure how it would be to see " real lions" sing but I really didn't think about it.
I was just watching the Lion King.


On Saturday we decided to make a weekend out of it.
We headed to the zoo to feed the giraffes!




I have always wanted to feed giraffes and included it on my 26 for 26 list.
We arrived at the zoo Saturday morning and bought our tickets first thing.


We only had a short time before the giraffe feeding so we stayed close to their encounter.
We waited not so patiently in line and then it was our turn!
We were each given a few leafs of lettuce and instructed to feed them one leaf at a time.
Erik went first and I went second.
We got to feed Pogo with her almost one-year-old daughter Georgetta right by her side.
It. Was. Amazing.
I have always loved animals and jump at any chance I have to be near them
I legit sobbed afterward because I was so happy!
It was all over in a matter of minutes but I would do it again in a heartbeat.
If you ever have the opportunity to feed a giraffe do it and please take me with you.






We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around and looking at the other animals.
The zoo recently added meerkats and warthogs so the whole lion king gang was there.
I loved the meerkats.
They were little babies and had a lot of energy.
The warthogs were a little more elusive but I saw them running around a few times and boy are they fast.






All in all, it was a great weekend. 
What is your favorite animal?


All my love,
Autumn
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Wednesday, July 17, 2019

God Bless America! | Fourth Of July 2019!

Thursday, July 4th


We basically spent the entire day eating and watching Stanger Things 3.
Needless to say, it was the perfect Fourth of July.
How did you spend the Fourth?

All my love,
Autumn
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Monday, July 15, 2019

Into The Woods

Hello everyone!
Over the weekend Erik and I stayed at my family's cabin.
We love to spend time in the great outdoors.
What with the late winter and very wet spring, it took a little longer than we would have liked but we are glad that we were finally able to make it in.


My family built my grandparent's cabin about 30 years ago.
I have a lot of memories there and love the ones I now get to create with Erik.



Saturday happened to be the HOA's annual luncheon.
I had never attended before. 
Since my family could not make it up we decided to stop by and represent.
They had all sorts of delicious food and it was held right by the gorgeous lake.


They held a raffle and we ended up winning the biggest prize there.
A solar-powered blue tooth speaker!
I am so excited to have it at the cabin for all of us to use. 


Everywhere was simply breathtaking.
We tried to spend as much time outside as we could.
We went for walks, read on the porch and drove around the canyon.






Erik practiced skipping rocks on the lake and rivers.
He was actually getting pretty good near the end. 



We saw a TON of wildlife.
Birds, pot guts and dozens of deer!



My favorite part though was the sunsets.
Seeing the forest slowly turn gold was stunning.




Our time there went by way too fast but I am so excited that we will be heading back there next week.
What is your favorite part of the great outdoors?


All my love,
Autumn

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Sunday, July 14, 2019

Delicious Watermelon Cake

Hello everyone!
One of my favorite things about summertime is watermelon.
It's so delicious!
Each time Erik and I cut one up, there is a good chance we will eat it all then and there.
I have seen lots of fun watermelon cakes around but, I had not seen any that were round like an actual watermelon.
I thought it would be fun to create a cake that not only looked like a watermelon but, tasted like one too!


You will need:
2 Cups Of Flour
2 Teaspoons of Baking Powder
1/8 a Teaspoon of Salt
1 Stick of Salted Butter, Room Temperature
1/4 a Cup of Vegetable Shortening
1 and 1/2 Cups of Sugar
2 Teaspoons of Vanilla
1/4 a Teaspoon of Almond Extract
5 Egg Whites
3/4 a Cup of Whole Milk
1 Packet of Watermelon Gelatin
1/2 A Cup of Mini Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
White Buttercream Frosting
Light Green, Dark Green and Red Food Dye


Preheat oven to 350o.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and watermelon gelatin mix.
Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and shortening until soft.
Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts.
Add the egg whites one at a time beating well after each addition.
Alternate adding in your dry mixture and milk to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and mixing until just combined after each addition.
Add a few drops of red dye to the batter and mix until well incorporated.
Gently fold the chocolate chips into the batter until just incorporated.


Grease both sides of a six-inch ball baking pan with shortening.
Fill each baking pan evenly with the batter.
Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Move to a wire rack and let cool.
Prepare your frosting.
Dye 1/3 of the frosting dark green, 1/3 light green, and 1/3 red.
Once the cakes are cool, flip them upside down and level the bottoms so that they will lay flat.
On your serving tray, apply two small dots of the buttercream frosting where you would like to place your cakes.
Set the cake bottoms on the dots.
Alternate applying stripes of light green and dark green frosting around the sides of the cakes.
Carefully smooth the frosting lightly blending the green colors into one another to reflect the look of a watermelon rind.


Frost the top of the cakes with the red buttercream frosting.
Apply a few of the mini chocolate chips flat side up on top of the red frosting to look like seeds.
Enjoy!


I love how this cake turned out!
A round cake is not something you see every day especially one that looks like a watermelon.
But the best part is that is tastes like it too!


I could NOT stop eating this cake.
One tiny taste would turn into a slice, that would turn into another slice and so on.
You have been warned!
What is your favorite food to enjoy in the summertime?


All my love,
Autumn

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