S'mores Cupcakes

Carl and I made these delicious cupcakes today!  I must say these were my favorite creation thus far. 
They are a chocolate cupcake that has a graham cracker crust on the bottom, with chocolate chips and mini marshmallows in the middle, topped with a marshmallow buttercream frosting.  We were wanting to make a perfect summertime cupcake, and whats more summery then S'mores! 

P.S.  Can I just say I've made all these treats without a  a Kitchenaid.... So if anyone wants to purchase one for me, it would be greatly appreciated! 

P.P.S  I just realized I never took a picture of my fresh strawberry buttercream frosting with white cake cupcakes I made two weeks ago.  My favorite part was the frosting... it was AMAZING! 

Made a Cake

I attempted to make a homemade yellow cake with chocolate frosting!  I was worried it wouldn't rise because the batter seemed really thick, but rise it did!  I was tried to frost it, but i ran out of frosting.  Here are my spoils!

Easter Weekend

I haven't posted anything in a while.  Been pretty busy.  The husband graduated last Friday, it was pretty exciting, proud of him.  Then Saturday we had a gymnastics meet in Logan, the Level 4's took first, super proud of them as well.  Then Sunday was of course Easter we had the traditional Easter Egg hung at grandmas.  I finally had a little time off to myself today and made this cute necklace/earrings combo!  Here's a few pictures!

New Hobby

So I've decided that I like making Jewelry.  I've been told by the husband, that snapped a secret pic of it that I make a funny face when I'm concentrating and making these, which I won't be showing  it.  Lets just say it wasn't the most flattering picture.  Here are a few pictures of the pieces I've made recently.  I don't think I'm up for or have the time to start selling jewelery to the masses.  However, if anyone sees anything they like or finds a picture of something I think I'm getting good enough that I could make a good replica for cheap.  So let me know!

Cupcakes round two

So I got two new icing tips this weekend and thought i would put them to use.  These cupcakes are a devils food cake, with a new vanilla buttercream frosting I found which I think I like better then the last, topped with Oreo crumbs.... yummmm......!  I think I'm getting better at frosting them, although you can't see with the crumbs. 

Trying my hand at Sweets.

Dry dough

Left:  Dry crumbly cookie.  Right: Buttery galore cookie!

So those who know me may know that I am not the world's best cook.  In our family Carl does most of the cooking.  Not that I don't enjoy it, but most the time I'm at work,so he has it ready for when i get home.  I do however love treats!  So I have no problem spending my time making those.  Today though reminded me as to why I tend to not cook very often.  I ALWAYS MESS SOMETHING UP.  ALWAYS.   I thought it would be a great idea to make Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Somehow I feel that they are healthier then regular, but I know they aren't.  I went about my business making the dough, but for some reason it was just so dry.  I tried to form in into balls but it just wouldn't stay.  I baked the first batch the best I could and called my mom for help.  I double and tripled checked the recipe but to no avail.  When i talked to my mom she asked if I had put enough butter, I said it called for one stick.  She thought that was weird because most recipe's apparently call for two.  Well long story short I miss read the instructions.    It wasn't one stick it was one cup.... which equals two sticks.  So the first batch came out way to dry.  The second and third batches I added more butter, and wow were they way too buttery and moist!  This my friends is why Tara does not cook.  I always mess something up!  In the end the cookies really weren't to bad, but I have a feeling they would have been a lot better if I had read the recipe correct. 

On another baking adventure yesterday I attempted to make cupcakes.  I wanted to try out using the icing tips and decorate them all cute.  Well seeing as how I'd never used them they didn't look so cute.  I was practicing different designs here and there not making and rhyme or reason to them, and by the time i was done I had used up all the cupcakes!  So next time there will be a plan of action and they will be cute unlike these sad sad cupcakes! 

First popped tire on the freeway!

Last night I was on my way home from work and BAM! Popped tire.  Okay, lets take a few steps back.  I was driving between Springville and Orem, where there is mucho construction of course.  Dang those pot holes.  Well i'm not sure if i exactly hit one or not, because it was dark, but i'm pretty sure i did.  Then POP goes my tire, it was so loud it scared me.  Now because all the lanes are all smushed together there was no lane to pull over too, so i had to turn on my emergency lights and drive 20 mph the mile until the exit.  Once I exited my awesome husband came and changed my tire and put on the spare, which i had no idea how to do.  It was freaking freezing outside, so he let me sit in the car, like the prince he is.  This morning we got a new tire, and now all is well! End of Story! 

Crafty Handyman Carl

Hooks!

Frame with fabric

Hard at work, hammering

Knobs

Placing extra hooks

On the wall!!!

Next to our dresser!

With some jewelery on it!

Still needs the earring wire on the top.

So I have been saying that I want something decorative to place my jewelery for a while.  Then, what do ya know, Carl shows up with a frame from big lots and an idea!  We went to the store and picked out fabric, a board, hooks, knobs and other things to decorate it with.  I come home yesterday to find it almost done and ready for my help with the placement of the hooks.  About an hour later and  Voila!  Now i don't have all my jewelery up quite yet, and Carl's still got to put up the wire on the top to hold my earrings but i think it looks pretty great!  Thank you Carl!

Life after marriage at the moment.

So its Carl's last semester at BYU, he's going to be graduating in Chinese and Asian Studies.  He's preparing to go to Law School and is applying to all the best law schools.  Hopefully in March we will find out where he is accepted too, should be exciting stuff!!!  I decided to take the semester off while we figure out where we will be going for the next three years, then I will continue my education wherever we end up, if possible.  I also am trying to find a second job in the mornings before i coach in the evenings at Airtime.  So far no such luck.  So I'm quite bored in the mornings until I go to work.  Thus, what started this new blog today!  That is about everything new at the moment. I intend to keep you all(no followers at the moment)updated.  However, I tend to be flakey when it comes to things like this.  We will make it a NEW YEARS RESOLUTION.  Speaking of that.  Here are my New Years Resolutions:

1.  This blog.  It should be useful if we have to move away to law school to keep everyone up to date on us.
2.  Learn to cook!  I have like 4 cookbooks.  My goal is to learn a new recipe a week.  If it is to mine and Carl's satisfaction then it will then be transferred to my own homemade cookbook.  Maybe once i find a good recipe I'll show you all a snip-it of it.  I tend to be quite a picky eater, so those who know me well and have some recipe suggestions, please send them along. 
3.  Get back in shape.  That's very general, i know and not really a proper goal.  I have yet to specify on this goal thus far, but soon intend too. We have the Xbox Kinect and an awesome fitness game, that should come in handy with this goal.

These are the 3 I have came up with.  They are still open to change until February when they shall be finalized.
So that's us.  I'll see if i can get Carl to come and write a little this week, maybe he'll share his goals with us!

Wedding/Reception Pictures

Outside of the temple

Everyone that could bare the cold and wind.

These are all from the week later when we had to re-take our pictures because of the weather.

My side!

Carl's Side

 

 

 

Pretty Bridesmaids

 

There are a lot more pictures on facebook of the weeding/temple/reception.  Go look!

Welcome to our Blog!!!

Hello.  We are the Hollan's.  We recently got married November 23rd, 2010.  It was a wonderfully snowy day.  We got married in the bountiful Temple at 12:15.  After our session they closed down the temple because of the storm.  It was to windy to take pictures so Carl and I had to postpone our little photo sesh till a week later.  When it came time for the reception the storm was so bad that we could barely see anything.  We even pasted the entrance to the Davis Conference Center because we couldn't see through the snow.  The reception looked beautiful, sadly because of the storm we didn't have many guests in attendance.  It was nice though that all our immediate family was there having fun together.  After the reception we had planned to go to Park City for a few days.  We were worried that this wouldn't be possible with the storm, but it had passed mostly and we made it there safely.  We stayed at the Stein Erickson Lodge.  It was so pretty in the winter with all the snow.  That was our wedding day in a nut shell.  Pictures to come!