RECIPE // Pizza Bombs (4 different ways)

(img via Pillsbury)

I recently posted about one of my family's favorite meals, Mini Pizza Bombs, and everyone on Facebook requested the recipe. The kind of tricky part is there are a few options for making these Pizza Bombs so I was struggling to think of the best way to share it.  So, a blog post was in order!  

Someday I will updsate this with lovely, step-by-step photos and highly-styled finished recipe photos, but for now here's the recipe on its own.

MINI PIZZA BOMBS

Recipe by Emilie Ahern

Makes: 48 bite-sized pizza bombs

Prepared dough (see options below)
8 oz mozzarella cheese, cut into 48 cubes
48 slices pepperoni (3 oz), stacked and cut into 4 pieces each
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup jarred marinara sauce, heated
1/2 cup pesto

Press out each dough ball/rectangle with hands to form 12x8-inch rectangle. Cut each rectangle into 24 squares.

Top each square with cheese cube and pepperoni slice. Wrap dough around filling to completely cover; firmly press edges to seal. Place seam side down with sides touching in sprayed pie pans/on parchment.

In small bowl, combine oil and Italian seasoning; mix well. Drizzle over filled dough in pans. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake using directions below.

DOUGH OPTION 1 (EASY)

2 cans (13.8 oz each) refrigerated pizza crust

DOUGH OPTION 2 (HOME MADE)

3 to 3 1/2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons instant dry yeast
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons olive oil

Combine the bread flour, sugar, yeast and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and combine.

While the mixer is running, add the water and 2 tablespoons of the oil and beat until the dough forms into a ball. If the dough is sticky, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together in a solid ball. If the dough is too dry, add additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead into a smooth, firm ball.

Grease a large bowl with the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil, add the dough, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in a warm area to let it double in size, about 1 hour.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Cover each with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let them rest for 10 minutes.

COOKING OPTION 1 (SHEET PAN)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray two 9-inch pie pans or one 13x9-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Bake at 400°F. for 16 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm pizza bites with warm pizza sauce.

COOKING OPTION 2 (PIZZA STONE)

Preheat oven with a pzza stone on very bottom rack. Heat for one hour at highest oven temp (ours goes to 500* F).

Prepare pizza bombs on a piece of parchment paper on a pizza peel OR a rimless baking sheet (you can also just turn a rimmed baking sheet upside down). You may have to do two seperate batches, depending on teh size of your pizza stone.

Slide parchment with pizza bombs onto the stone and bake for 10-12 minutes until tops are golden brown. Carefully grab edge of parchment closest to you and slide it back onto the pizza peel/baking sheet.  Repreat with second batch.

TO SERVE
Serve warm or at room temperature with heated marinara and/or pesto for dipping.

1

Conversation between a Helpful Husband and a Cranky Wife

Matt: I’m running to the store. I know you’re sick. Do you need me to pick up anything for you?

Me: Yes. I want a super-crappy, white, hamburger bun. The kind that is oversized and costs like nothing because it offers no nutrition and tastes like nothing. 

Matt: We have these white rolls from Sam’s Club. 

Me: Too classy. 

Matt: We also have pulled pork and coleslaw. 

Me: WAY. TOO. CLASSY. 

Matt: There’s also some pumpkin pie. 

Me: Now you’re just trying to hurt me. Your food suggestions get nicer and nicer when all I WANT IS CRAP!

(clipart src)

0

How to Throw a Pumpkin Carving Party + a FREE Printable Invite!

Every year that my husband and I have been married we have thrown a PUMPKIN CARVING PARTY. It's something I look forward to every October. I am one of those adults who still lives for reaching my hand into a pumpkin and pulling out the slimy guts. Then sketching out a face and watching a jack-o-lantern come to life.

Over the years this Pumpkin Carving Party has taken on many forms. Here are some ideas to get you started on hosting your own Pumpkin Carving Party.

ADULT and TEEN PARTIES - When we were newly married and without kids, we invited other young couples and we ate marinated fresh mozzarella balls with olives place on each one to resemble an eyeball. One of those first years I made this Double Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake and it was amazing

We would carve our pumpkins while watching either the gloriously campy original version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Beetlejuice, Young Frankenstein, or my favorite Hitchcock film Rope.  Both films are suitable for all adults, which is nice because I am someone who cannot handle and real scariness or gore in films.  If you and your friends do, go for it with a scary film you love.

FAMILIES and KIDS - Since we have had kids our Pumpkin Carving Parties have changes to hearty Beef Stew in a Pumpkin (come back here on Friday for that recipe!), store-bought bread, and a collection of fun treats that are playful and not too gross-looking.

We have had ghosty pinatas, treat bag decoration contests, relay races, and other easy games.  When my kids were really small we played "duck, duck, goose" as "ghost, ghost, BOO!"

Make sure if you plan on playing a video that it's not scary. When I was a child I was completely freaked out by Disney's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow as well as Hocus Pocus.  Don't assume that because your kids aren't scared by a film that other people's kids won't be.  Consider It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, Pixar's Toy Story of Terror , Casper, or Hotel Transylvania.

PARTY PREP - 

• Make sure you have plenty of large, black, sturdy, garbage bags for people to scoop their pumpkin guts into.  I always cover my tables with inexpensive, black, vinyl, tablecloths (you can get these at Dollar Tree or Walmart for $1). I usually double them up for added protection. 

• Decorations and table-scapes are easy to find at the Dollar Tree!  

• Keep lots of paper towels handy!

• This Pumpkin Gutter tool will be the best $12 you ever spent. I promise. It attaches to a drill and makes cleaning out pumpkins for carving a 2 minute process. It's a Halloween game changer!

• Have extra scooping and carving tools on hand for those who forget.  I also get 1-2 extra pumpkins for the same reason. 

• Have paints and paint brushes for guests who don't want to carve a pumpkin.  We always have 1 or 2 who don't want to!

• Plan your party well in advance. In my experience October is the beginning of the holiday season.  This is when most people's Saturdays get jam packed with hayrides and pumpkin patch visits, corn mazes, and parties!

Here are some free Pumpkin Carving Party invites! They are sized at 5x7" and you can add your own info in Photoshop, Word, or hand-write it in!

Don't forget to visit on Friday for the recipe for BEEF STEW in a PUMPKIN! You will love this recipe!!

0

Dear Matt // Day 04 (You Were Delayed, You Were Way-laid)

I can't even remember how this morning started. Is that bad? 

Somehow, I assume, all the kids got sent off to school.  

Your dad dropped by at around 10:30am and dropped off a letter for you that went to their house and a Halloween package for the kids.  We didn't even get a chance to open it yet,  but I'll try and remember tomorrow.  

I glanced at Jude and he was looking like a 70's television motorcycle cop with his too-long hair so I took him into the bathroom and trimmed the sides.  This started by me having to ravage through the cupboards to find the clippers and guards. How did they all get separated from the handy little case it all stores in? 

I put the toddlers in the bath and they splashed the hell out of the bathroom.  Classic.  But at least they emerged clean.

I got them dried and dressed, except I couldn't find pants for Jude.  I think he currently has 2 pairs of jeans that fit properly so I made a mental note that he need more pants.  They watched some Blaze and the Monster Machines and I made them PB&J's for lunch.  Jude had a meltdown because I cut his diagonally instead of down the middle.  Apparently, I am a monster.

I had called the Insurance company this morning about the car accident and right at lunch the Insurance Agent called back.  I gave her all the information about the accident while our toddlers, quietly eating up to this point, acted like wild animals.  Classic, part II.  The Agent asked if I tried opening all of the doors after the crash and I said I had.  She declared that those parameters meant they would fix the car, not send it to salvage. I was so relieved!

I let the Agent know that I needed to get your work badge from the car so we set it up to be towed from Brigham City to a local shop in this area and she said they would call me back when it arrived so I could arrange to get the rest of our stuff out.  The Agent died laughing when I told her about me and the huge stuffed dog in the back of the partitioned police car.

It was an early out day for the Elementary School so the middle kids got home right after my phone call ended.  I headed over to Katrina's for my promised visit.  She is recovering from her heart surgery slowly, but it seems her spirits took the biggest hit, honestly. I can totally understand that.  It's been a really hard and lonely recovery for her.  I had a really nice time visiting her and will make some time to drop in again early next week.  

On the walk home I stopped to admire all of the yellow leaves.  I love Autumn.  The burning bush plant at our front door is completely fiery red and it reminded me of a row of burning bush plants we had outside of our white house while I was growing up. I always loved those bushes.  Someday, when we own a house of our own again I am going to plant some.

On the walk home I got a call from the Auto Shop that the car had arrived so I went home and picked up Eva so we could go together to visit the car.  I snapped a few more pictures of the damage since the Insurance Agent had asked me to. Sorry, car. My bad.

Evangeline and I stopped by the store to buy a present for her friend's birthday party tomorrow.  Her friend is "very girly" so we ended up hitting up the cosmetics area and getting her a cute little tween gift pack with lip glosses and hand lotion, et al.  We supplemented with two bags of fruity candy.  We also had a bit of cash from a return so I got Eves a winter jacket.  Ella's from last year still fits, so now we just have Jude to buy for before it gets really cold.  I got Jude some grey pants, which I tried on him at home and were WAY too big. Back to the store they go this week! Eves and I had a nice time together and I was glad to grab some alone time with her, no matter how brief.

She and I got went home and I picked up Ella so we could grab some Little Caesars and she could have a break from watching the kids.  We talked and laughed and she asked me why listening to NPR is fun for me. She made sure to tell me this was a serious question and not one meant to mock me.  Ha!  I told her that because we live in America it's important to keep up with what's happening in the news and government (they happened to be playing a piece about Donald Trump firing and replacing certain positions that traditionally span multiple US presidencies, in this case Janet Yellen, whom I love). Stay away from Janet, Donald!

We got home and tore through the pizza.  Then we sat down with spoons and polished off the leftover Black Forest Cake from last night's class I taught.  Bianca ate so much of the cake I thought she might be ill later!  The toddlers headed to bed and I asked the remaining kiddos to give me 15 minutes to tidy the front room, which they did.  We got it cleaned and vacuumed and then watched Survivor.  Our kids are hooked!  We were talking strategy at Tribal Council and the kids were mesmerized that a player admitted to camera that he was lying. What kind of world is this where lying is cool? They loved it.

After Bianca and Eves went to bed I ran to WalMart to get more Ibuprofen.  My back and neck are just barely still sore enough to bother me and we had run out. I got the cutest little Advil Minis. I know, it's ridiculous, BUT when our redheads need to take one periodically the regular ones are hard for them to swallow. I also grabbed a Redbox I didn't think you would care about watching, The House. 

After everyone was in bed I broke out my dvd rental. I should have checked Rotton Tomatoes because The House got a whopping 16% score. Oh man, it was not funny at all. How are Amy Poehler and Will Ferrell not funny? It defies logic!

When I told the kids your flight was delayed and we would have to pick you up tomorrow Bianca literally burst into tears.  We need our Daddy/Matt home!

Now I am headed to bed to read more of my book and have a final all-night ass-kicking by our toddler.  She IS sleeping through the night though.....so.....winning?....kind of?

0

Dear Matt // Day 03 (Cooking, Cooking, Cooking...Done!)

I slept like crap last night. My stupid heating pad is broken and I'm pretty bitter about it.  I got up when the alarm went off anyway to wake up Ella and found she was already awake so I slugged back to bed for 30 minutes and it was Heaven.  I found clothes for the other kids and braided Evangeline's hair into two braids like Anne of Green Gables and it made me swoon with her red hair.  

Once I got Bianca and Evangeline off to school I decided to let the TO DO list go and I sat and watched Hotel Transylvania with Jude and Cecilia.  They loved it!  

I hopped in the shower, put the dog out, and finished up my handouts for tonight.  I then finished up the cooking.  I baked another cake, toasted almonds and walnuts, whipped a quart of whipping cream, made 5 loaves of garlic bread, sauteed sausage, onions and peppers, and kielbasa.  Ella got home from school just as I started to scramble 3 dozen eggs, but ran out so I had to go to WalMart for more (eeeeechhhh....that sound was a bit of my soul dying). Damn that WalMart for being the closest grocery store and inexpensive.

When I got back the other kids were home and it was time to drive Eva to Theater Class.  I arranged for her to get a ride home with Char since I knew I would be at the church already to set up.  I ran home and started packing everything up and it was INSANE.  So much stuff.  Ali was at the church just as I drove up and we started unpacking and setting everything up.  We broke a rule and cooked the spaghetti in the church kitchen.  So, you know, I'll be burning in Mormon hell for eternity, but we got everybody fed so fair trade.  It really was so much work to prepare dinner to 30-40 women AND teach and I'm pretty sure it was my idea. We dished up dinner first so the ladies could eat while I spoke.  

I made the desserts in front of them with the frozen cakes and it was awesome.  The Black Forrest Cake was to die for.  We talked about having a well-stocked freezer. Then I discussed meal planning and meal prep.  I had taken our Chef's Knife and sharpener and demonstrated the correct way to dice an onion and a woman actually said, "Everything I have ever known is a LIE".  So, yeah, it went well.

After an hour of just me talking it gets hard to read the room and even I get annoyed at my own voice, but I think it went well.

I came home at 9:00 pm to utter chaos.  Everyone was still awake, Cici had a bare little bum-bum, Bianca was crying and the redheads were yelling.  Ugh.  You had just called and we spent some time on Facetime, which helped calm the masses.  

After we hung up I switched into full bedtime mode and got everyone taken care of and tucked in to bed.  Ella was up past her bedtime working on homework and worrying that she doesn't know what she wants to do for a career. Don't worry, I let her know that we both think it's ridiculous to ask a 7th grader to career plan right now and that she can go ahead and figure that out later.

Ella heard today that she didn't get chosen for the school musical.  Some of her friends made it and I felt terrible, but I told her I will sign her up for Alice In Wonderland at Pitched Perfectly and we talked about what a good learning experience the audition was.

After she went to bed I watched some hockey.  Oh man, I love hockey.  Late Night was all re-runs so I came downstairs to write this and then I am heading up to bed.  I have been reading the sequel to a book I loved (and read earlier this year...or was it late last year?) and I am excited to lay in bed and read a chapter or two to unwind.  

We sure miss you.  Cecilia has asked where you are a few times each day and everyone is excited to have you come home tomorrow, especially me.  Not just because I am freaking tired and need you to help me deal with regular life, but because I miss you.

P.S. Sorry about all the dirty dishes waiting for you....sucker.

0

Dear Matt // Day 02 (So Many Meatballs)

I woke up at the crack of dawn (and by crack of dawn I mean 6:45 am) which is torture for me.  I woke Ella up to get ready for school and was totally planning on slipping back into bed and sleeping some more.  So delusional.  The other kids heard the minor movements we made and were awake and demanding breakfast and juice and fresh diapers (so high maintenance) and attention. 

Evangeline declared that she was "too sick to go to school".  When asked, she said she had a headache and a stomach ache.  It was almost time for Bianca and her to head to school, so instead I drove Bianca and dropped her off.  Taking kids to the drop-off line at school shows you a glimpse at the very worst in humanity.  I mean, how important can it be to get in that car line first? Because parents act like it's life-threatening. 

After I dropped her off I headed to WalMart and grabbed some children's Pepto Bismal and some soda crackers.  When I got home I gave Eva the crackers, 2 Pepto chewable tablets, and an Ibuprofen and informed her she had one hour to let those things start to heal her and then she was headed to school.  We had the following exchange...

So, she totally could have lied and claimed she threw up while I was at the store and I never would have known, but she missed her opportunity and just sighed and admitted I was right. Sucker. An hour later I shooed her out the door to school and excused her tardiness with the school.

I started prep for my Meals Made Easy class that I am teaching tomorrow.  I am going to be providing the dinner for the women attending (there will be about 30-40).  Nancy dropped off the supplies for the dinner and dessert and I started chopping, mixing, scooping, and freezing. As I worked I listened to 2 episodes of This American Life that blew my mind (one about racism and one about immigration).  I made 200 mini meatballs.  I forgot how easy it is to make delicious homemade meatballs and how delicious they are! Full disclosure: I ate two off the pan while they were still warm.

I took a break to make the toddlers lunch and to check Facebook, which made me question the sanity of human beings.  Once the meatballs were all made, cooked, and bagged, I got a jump on chopping veggies for the freezer breakfast burritos the students get to make and take home with them.  Tonight I am going to bake four chocolate cakes and garlic bread spread.

Once the older kids got home from school I ran to the store for more Parmesan (you know...emergencies) and that's when you called and we got to chat for a bit.  I am so jealous that you are by the beach! 

When I got home I got the kids started on their homework. I helped Ella with her Math homework and then helped Bianca read her book and played a math game with her.  The little toddlers helped with the game and loved it, although we are raising cheaters.

I had made extra meatballs by adding our own ingredients to the stuff Nancy brought so we had meatballs and gravy over egg noddles for dinner with steamed broccoli on the side.  After diner we cleaned up and I was so exhausted I thought "It must be close to the kids' bedtime...thank goodness!" and it was only 6:30 pm.  Brutal.

We decided to watch 2 episodes of the Halloween Baking Championship and I painted every body's nails, even Jude's...a very butch and masculine blue color.

Finally we got the 3 little kids into bed and I started to tidy up from the day of food prep.  This is how our kitchen table currently looks.  Ugh.

Eva took a shower and headed to bed and now I'm heading upstairs to start baking the cakes while Ella plays on her phone for 30 minutes until her bedtime.  What a long, but productive day!

Come home already.

I miss you.

And I'm a little bitter about the good food and beach access you're enjoying without me.

0

Dear Matt // Day 01 (Crafts and Mom Guilt)

This morning when you woke me up to take me to the airport I thought I was going to die.  Sorry I was so quiet in the car.  Not the best send off. Also, I totally didn't brush my teeth so our goodbye kiss was probably not the best. I'm the grossest...you deserve better.

I came home and fell right back into bed (after taking off my bra, I'm not an idiot), but I was thwarted by our kids.  It was close to 7:00 am and they were already coming out of sleep, so the squeaking front door woke them up and the toddlers were there, demanding mega-juice.  We were out so I had to drag myself out of bed and make some.  I turned on Captain Underpants and climbed back into bed.  I got to sleep unto 9:30 am, which was a miracle!

Once I finally got up I put the dog out and set up the kids with crafts and new toys. Bianca happily painted her wooden jewelry box that she received as a gift for her birthday yesterday.  SIDE NOTE: Is it bad that I am a mom who doesn't care about Thank You notes?  I know they are polite, but I just don't care enough to do the work with our kids.  And really, isn't the party favor kind of the Thank You note? Either way, I allotted some special quiet time to this morning to feel mom-guilt about it as is customary.

During crafting time, Cecilia made sure to call everyone a Butt-Face. Oh my gosh, how do we break Cici of this habit? It's so terrible.

After lunch the Littles got a bath and then I forced them outside since it's a nice day today.  I cleared off the table and Ella and I started work on her quilt. I taught her about cutting with quilting mats & rulers, sewing with a 1/4” seam, and the difference between ironing and pressing. We finished piecing 8 blocks and it was SO fun seeing the pattern come together!! This is such a nice project to work on together.  It was the first time, in a long time, that I felt she and I were able to spend quality time with no arguing and no teen-angst.

For dinner we had Korean Pot Roast, which everyone loved except those darn toddlers.  They DID end up eating quite a bit because of the cheater chopsticks I gave them. Oh, the cachet! After dinner I asked the kids to give me 15 minutes to clean the front room.  We got it completely cleared and vacuumed in 10 minutes!  It was so nice to end the day with a tidy living space.

At 6:50 pm Ella was all dressed and ready for Young Women in Excellence.  At the last minute she started to freak out because I had told her she needed to wear a dress and she thought I might be wrong and begged me to text a leader. I had spent the entire day re-asking her if I was supposed to attend with her.  She always answered an emphatic no.  When I text Ali about the dress, she said Ella and I should both wear dresses.  I had showered today, but that was it. I ran into the bathroom and threw some putty in my hair, did a full face of make-up, threw on a dress and we were only 2 minutes late. What a punk that kid is.

The program was nice and we set up a little display with her quilt squares on the table with the other girls' displays.  I talked a lot to Katrina at the program and it made me realize I have been a sucky friend to her. Her recovery from heart surgery has been really hard and she has felt very isolated and lonely.  I made plans to drop by this Tuesday since I have to go to Brigham City on Monday to clean out our towed car.  I feel terrible that she has felt so alone, because I know just how that feels.  I adore her so much, but couldn't find a way to convey that to her that I felt had meaning.  Hopefully I can start to visit her regularly and make sure she knows I love her and love spending time with her.

When we got home the kids were in bed and I sent Evangeline to bed as well.  I watched Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta for like 3 hours straight without a husband there rolling his eyes at how horrible Mothers of the Bride can be. It was lovely. I also cranked up the heat in the house (and you can't do anything about it, sucker).

I  am so exhausted an it's only 10:30pm.  Am I losing my Rock Star edge?  I'm heading to bed since tomorrow is going to be very long.

Come home soon, please?
I need my wingman.

1

So Many Birthdays

My birthday is in September.

8 days later is Cecilia's birthday.

9 days after that is Jude's birthday.

5 days after that is Bianca's birthday.

This might not be a problem if I was not a manic lover of birthdays. 

But I adore them.

And I am obsessed with making the birthday girl/boy feel special and celebrated and loved. 

This year's birthday season has been a crazy one!

Among other things each of my kids has requested a non-cake birthday cake.

Cecilia wanted a donut tower.

Jude wanted a cookie as big as a pizza.

Bianca wants monkey buns.

Why are we so not normal?

Well, I mean, they are MY kids...was normal even an option?

This weekend we celebrate the last birthday for 2017 at Chuck E. Cheese's no less.

The stuff of nightmares.

Then I will happily hang up my party hat until January.

0

This & That Thursday and Idris Elba Crushes

If I were in a crash with Idris Elba I’d be like, 

“I guess we’re stuck here. We’ll have to repopulate the earth.”
(wink! wink!)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I tweeted something about the Emmys that got 

2,000+ likes and 1,000+ re-tweets.

Crazy, right?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

This coloring book is awesome

to give as a gift to your little girl.

But, actually, I bought it for myself mostly.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I hate the card game Sleeping Queens so much.

It's the worst.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Have you ever seen the movie musical Guys and Dolls?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

My tattoo itches like crazy.
It's taking a while to heal.
It's almost like some jameed a needle into my wrist repeatedly.
Ouch.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

You guys! Isn't it nice to have This & That Thursday back?

I've missed it.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

1

My 40th Birthday Weekend Recap...food, food, more food, shopping, and a tattoo.

I love my birthday and I love getting older! This weekend definately had some bumps and bruises during the planning stages and I cried more than once during that process.  In the end, these women came together and made it wonderful!  Let's racap!

ME - The Birthday Girl.

SHARON - I met Sharon through Emily Foley.  When our famnily moved from Utah to Delaware back in 2008, shortly after Sharon and her family moved into our old neighborhood in Clearfield, Utah and became friends with Emily.  I knew OF her, but we didn't meet until this past December when Sharon's family moved back to Utah after years in Alaska.  We first met in a hospital hallway and then dined on Chick-fil-A while we chatted.  Sharon was one of those women with whom you feel instant connection.  We have become fast friends on a deeper level than most. 

ANNIE - I met Annie through Lolly.  We first met in Lancaster, PA when she came to visit the East Coast with Lolly and her sister and friend.  Not guna lie, Annie and I had a rough start.  When she visited I was newly pregnant and sick as a dog and little things that shouldn't have mattered became big things.  Don't worry, I later apologized for being a crazy-person and Annie forgave me! She loves to cook, is insanely funny, and is a domestic goddess.  Annie hosted us in her home for the weekend and was a major part of saving the weekend.

LOLLY -  I mean, where do I start? One of my longest and best friends.  I met Lolly back in 2002 at work. We soon became roommates and best friends.  Over these 15 years we have had our ups and downs.  Been through divorce and tragedy and happiness and triumph.  She is someone I would call from jail to come and pick me up.  She is loyal and fun and smart.  She takes care of people and she has taken care of me more times than I can count.

Matt had arranged to take a half day at work on Friday to facilitate the partying that was about to take place. I loaded the two littles into the van and we headed to SLC to meet him and switch cars.  Lolly parked at my house and came with us for the car switch! Once we met with Matt we decided to grab lunch all together, since the kids were hungry.  We went to The Pig and the Pickle Jar and it was so amazing!

( As you can see, my children are very well-behaved in restaurants. )

Once we were stuffed with good food we left the restaurant and spotted a British import store just down the block.  We walked there together and had so much fun shopping, making fun a oatmeal-box hunks, and buying scones.

( My kids MUCH prefer Lolly to me )

( Sign me up for breakfast in Scotland! )

After lunch Lolly and I headed to Sugarhouse for some pampering.  I had found a Nail Salon who offered hot-rock massages with their pedicures (Sugarhouse Nail Co). Yes, please! I accidentally tipped my pedicurist 33%, but it was worth it!

We also headed to Target since poor Lolly lives in Cache Vally, Utah where the closest Target is an hour drive. This is a tragedy we can all sympathize with.  I went a bit berzerk in Target Dollar Spot, but I mean, that's to be expected.

( This photo only serves to showcase that EVERYTHING with Lolly is more fun. )

Once we finished shopping we met up with Annie and Sharon and headed to dinner up the canyon at Ruth's Diner. Ruth was such a badass with her dog and her cigarette. Ruth is my Spirit Animal. 

Lolly had asked me before the weekend what birthday dessert I wanted and I requested a Candy Bar Pie from a cookbook I knew we both owned. It was so sinfully good!  Buy this book, pie lovers.  Just buy it now.

We went back home after dinner to lounge around on Annie's amazing over-stuffed couches and chat.  We talked bras and kids and marriage and food and happiness.  We laughed and shared and it was wonderful.  At 10:15 pm we were hanging out when we realized we needed chocolate! 🍫We jumped in the car and headed straight to one of my favorite places in earth...Hatch Family Chocolates. We sipped Diet Cokes and Iced Hot Chocolate, laughed until we felt like barfing, and bought a "Karmel Malone" for tomorrow. The owner, Steve, offered to give me a free tattoo and we chatted the night away!

When Hatch Family Chocolates closed at 11 we headed home. We snuggled under handmade quilts, in our pajamas, and talked crafts, quilts, and Etsy. Best ever!!

Lolly and I ended up staying up until 4 am talking.  So the next day we rolled out of bed at 11am, like teenagers, and headed to Brunch at Hub & Spoke. Oh my gosh you guys it was so delicious. I got Kentucky Hot Browns and my poor tummy was bursting! So much yum.  Also, this was a great place to remind ourselves just how old we are.  The Hipster factor was off the charts! Deer wallpapaer, funny stuffed raccoons, ironic mustaches....it was all there.

After brunch we headed to a cute little market accross the street to begin our afternoon of shopping! I really miss living in a "city".  The entire weekend I felt so at ease in SLC.  We really need to move.  Stat.

Our shoping adventures took us to Hip & Humble (a cool shop filled with eclectic buys) and then to Emilie Jayne (a retro shop arranged by color....swoon!).  While at Hip & Humble Sharon bought me this sweet gift of a bracelt with 40 beads on it for 40 years.  I spent and INSANE amount of birthday money in H&H and I loved every minute of it.

After being all shopped out (is that even possible?) it was tattoo time. After getting a tattoo of ONE DOT on my shoulder at 15 years old because I felt the needle and freaked out, I finally finished the job. I had my support team around me as I winced, complained, and said the occasional swearword. Oh wow, it hurt a lot. Like, a lot.

Blackbird by the Beatles has always been a very important song in my life. It helped me survive a broken childhood. And even though this stung like a b!&*h, I love my sweet blackbird on my left wrist. Reminding me even those with broken wings can learn to fly. Special thanks to Annie who let me squeeze the crap out of her hand.

( My tattoo artsit was very nice, but he had three teardriops tattooed on the corner of his eye.  Can't if that means he's a Crip, a Blood, or just murdered three people while in prison. The tattoo looks great so, whatever, you do you, bro.)

After the tattoo we had to say goodbye to Sharon. It's a shame because she missed out on my fabulous birthday dinner at Tin Angel in SLC! Why did I take photos of my food, but not my FRIENDS?!! Honestly, I didn't love the Tin Angel's food, but the company was amazing.  Also, the bread pudding rocked.

This pic shows who came and showered me with love: Hilary I knew from Pennsylvania and now she lives in Uath (YAY!), Heather, Christina, and Annette are "blogger" friends, Terri and I know eachother from my blog and Linda was my roomate with Lolly and Laura is her sister!

Overall I had a truly magical 40th birthday!  After dinner I headed home since thge Lantern Fest we had tickets for was rescheduled due to rain.  It didn't even matter because I was so exhausted by all the good times we had.

What really, truly, mattered this weekend was THESE WOMEN. These women showed up. These women laughed and ate and partied and loved. These women saved my 40th birthday. These women care enough to drop what they were doing in their own very busy lives and spend 2 days celebrating with me. I will NEVER forget these women and this weekend. Thank you Sharon, Annie, and Lolly! You gave me the best gift in the world....You.

1