insta-life

linking up at silver lining, jenny from the blog, and just love.ly

Sponsor Swap Swenson Love in August

i have two medium spots open and one small space open.

his name is Mick

and he sings and dances. do you wanna' see?

{HERE}

it's not the greatest video or sound quality but you will definitely get to see some quality dance moves!
skip to about a minute into the video. my mick is the hottie in the white suite. 

hey you guys,

nothing too crazy, just have to update a few of my pages and stuff. AND i totally am teaching myself how to use photoshop which is pretty awesome! i am loving it!

on being the matron of honor

my cute sister asked my to be her matron (doesn't that sound so old.) of honor for her wedding in august. isn't that so nice! it is truly an honor too! i definitely wasn't expecting such a request. 


one of the duties as matron of honor is to plan a bridal shower. i LOVE planning parties. love it. do you want to see what i have come up with so far?

(via)

i would love to do a pretty garden party with yummy food, herbal teas, pretty pink hues and splashes of mint. dresses, gloves, and hats are a must. and of course i plan on this being a diy party! i am pretty dang excited!

so this one time...

...i dyed my own hair because i'm too cheap to have it done professionally. and guess what. i like it! i was attempting to do that ombre look but then got a little carried away. i love being a bit edgy with my hair color. mick always talks about the time i dyed it purple. haha! anyways, do you like my awkward phone pics. ((sigh)). 

i just wanted to thank all of you who commented on my last post! you guys are so so nice!

Dancing Through Life...

last night i experienced one of the best dates of my life!

mick and i dropped kenny off at his parents, had dinner at the cheesecake factory, and then went to see Wicked. i am pretty sure i had goose bumps for a full 3 hours. i was nervous i wouldn't love it because it wasn't the original cast. i have only listened to the cd a million times. the cast that was there did so amazing though! i was not disappointed in the least! brought to tears even. the story line was so different than what i thought. so different. so much better! i really didn't want the show to end...

can i just say that i am the luckiest girl ever!

i did however forget to put my sd card back in my camera and so i only have a few phone pictures.

p.s. a very big thank you to mick's parents for the christmas gift(wicked tickets) and for watching kenny! we are so grateful!!

Swenson Family Reunion 2012: Lake Tahoe (The Instagram Files)

i know i said i would post all about my trip yesterday. but i have been so busy getting caught up on unpacking, laundry, the bachelorette, emails, and etsy orders that i didn't have a whole lot of time. so here are just a few moments of our trip via instagram. 

i will add more "real" photos as the day goes on. 

xoxo

sponsor swenson love in august!

we're back! lake tahoe was incredible! i will be posting our trip tomorrow.

 for now...i just wanted to let you all know that august in around the corner. yeah, i know. CRAZY!

i have seriously loved getting to know so many cool bloggers in july and look forward to getting to know more of you in august!

i am offering 3 large ads *all reserved for August*, 5 medium ads *2 more available*, & 5 small ads *4 more available*.

go {here} to reserve your spot!

(don't forget to use the code swensonswap to get your spot for free!)
**NOTE** it is to your advantage (and mine) if you have the same blogging style as my own. for example; i mostly blog about being a mama & wife, sometimes about crafting/tutorials, recipes, & style/fashion. basically, i am a lifestyle blogger. if you blog about these things then the readers that i have will probably like your blog as well and are more likely to follow you. check out this post on sponsoring/advertising on blogs!
at this point in my blog growing stage i won't turn down any bloggers hoping to swap ad buttons but just keep this in mind! thank you thank you thank you!

if button swapping isn't your thing but are hoping to get a little more traffic, email me about doing a post swap (you post on my blog and i on yours) or a giveaway! i am open for just about anything!

AND...you really need to go check out Chasing Sunshine's blog. she is doing an amazing group giveaway that i am participating in! $50 store credit to my shop!!

Oh Hey Lake Tahoe!

i had some down time so i thought i would take a minute to say hi! 

i don't usually post photos of myself in a swimsuit these days but i had to share this one with you. 

isn't that lake incredible!! 

we are all in love!

we are having so much fun and i cannot wait to share the details with ya!

i just want to thank my amazing guest post writers (Elizabeth & Laura) and to my awesome feature sponsor (Yesenia) for filling in for me this week!! its pretty awesome having such cool blogging/real life buddies!

xoxo

Guest Post: A Brunette Duet-Chocolate Chip Recipe

Hello Everyone!  I'm Laura from A Brunette Duet and I want to thank Jess for the opportunity to invade her blogging space for the day! I hope you are having a great vacation Jess!! So onto more tastier items, I have only met one person in my entire life who admitted to not liking chocolate! Can you believe that? There are actually people out there that don't like it?! I still don't know if I fully believe them.... Anyways, today I am going to share with you one of my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe ever! It's a Nestle Toll House recipe so it's guaranteed delish! Chunky Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies Ingredients: 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. salt 3/4 cup (or 1 1/2 sticks) softened butter 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter 1 large egg 1 tsp. vanilla extract 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips 1/2 cup of one of the following: peanuts, M&Ms, white chocolate morsels, etc (your pick) Directions:

1. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in small bowl and set aside. In large bowl, combine butter, sugars, and peanut butter till smooth. Add egg and vanilla and mix till creamy. 2. Gradually blend flour mixture into large bowl. 3. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (or whatever you choose to substitute for it-I personally like white chocolate or chocolate chunks) 4. Spoon batter onto ungreased cookie sheet. I use an ice cream scoop so they all come out fairly close to the same size. 5. Bake at 375 for 7-10 minutes. I like mine somewhat undercooked so I pull mine out when they still look a tad "doughy" in the middle. 6. Scrape the bowl till you've got every last ounce of dough and eat it! (Some may not agree with this practice, I choose to listen to my mom who always let me enjoy this little ritual)

THANK YOU sooooooooo much Laura!! I do have a confession...I HATE chocolate. When I make my family chocolate chip cookies I always take a small part of the dough and make a few cookies with out the chocolate chips. HAHA! I hope we can still be friends.

Guest Post: La Vita e Bella-Summer Romance

I’m Elisabeth from La Vita e Bella. I blog about love and life, which to me are pretty much one and the same. I'm so excited to be posting on Jessica's blog today! I got to meet her in real life a few weeks ago, and often stalk her on instagram so this is a real treat :) Today I wanted to share some tips to heat up a summer romance: 

Everyone loves a summer romance right? Or, if you already have a man, here are some ways to strengthen that relationship. I know I have great plans for me and Ben after doing a little bit of this research!

Love and attraction may be something that we romanticize over in movies, literature, and daydreams, but science is actually starting to explain a lot of it. The chemistry behind relationships focuses around hormones. They key to successful relationships, is the release of bonding hormones. So, looking for a summer romance? Here are some activities that release oxytocin and vasopressin, chemicals that cause bonding between a couple. 

Do something new:

-find a new recipe and cook together

-visit a new museum/local spot

-learn a new sport (tennis, golf, frisbee, volleyball), take up knitting, or enroll in a ballroom class together
-go camping (even if its only in a backyard)
-build a fort

Do something scary/exhilarating:

-go skydiving

-go on a roller coaster or to a water park
-raft down some rapids
-test drive a sports car 

-watch a scary movie
-go on night hike (maybe I'm a wimp that I think these are spooky)
-take up rock climbing!

(yes, this is a shameless plug for our favorite thing to do together - but given that its probably something new and definitely something exhilarating when you're 20 feet up that wall, I think its a fabulous idea! Plus, it really focuses on trust and support - be sure to let me know if you try it!)

These are pictures from our last few months of dating and first few months of marriage :) 

Do you have other ideas for strengthening relationships? I'd love to hear them!

Have a romantic and fun summer all! 

Love,

Elisabeth 

P.S. For more of our fun dates and relationship ideas, come check out La Vita e Bella

Elizabeth, you are amazing!! I love this post and am so happy I get to share it on my blog today! Thank you so very much!

Feature Sponsor: Then There Was Us

Today I get to introduce you to one of my favorite blogger friends! This girl is amazing! She has the cutest family and blog. Go show her some love!!

{Then There Was Us}

1. We love summertime! However we always try to do more than we can accomplish.  Visiting family in SoCal is always a priority, and now that we have a little boy, we are trying to create new memories, which we hope always include a large body of water!

2. When perusing other sites I love seeing the differences in blog design. It says a lot about the editor's aesthetic and interest and let’s me know right away if we may have things in common. But it’s definitely the photography and stories behind it that sucks me in.

3.  My favorite blogs at the moment are Bleubird, La La Lovely and The Rockstar Diaries. I love lifestyle blogs with a rooted flair of personal style.

4. I started my blog March 2012. After having my little boy, family consistently kept requesting updates and photos of him. I found that blogging and having a main source to direct family to was much easier for everyone. However, my site quickly turned to a collection of memories with inspiration and creative finds I had been sourcing with no real place to store.

5. My husband and I are the clichéd high school sweethearts. We met as teenagers, fell in love and vowed to stay together forever. Haha, corny right? Well after six years, college and a long distance relationship, we got married.  Three years later had our baby boy, Johnny James.

6. My favorite posts have to be about my little boy. I love stalking my archives to see how much he’s changed in such a small amount of time. Second has to be about fashion. I am not a fashion blogger and don’t post outfit post, but I absolutely love following a handful of designers.

7. My style? By day it’s a mix of casual-indie. I love combining boho with a feminine silhouette. I often find great items at Sway and Anthropology but love me a classic piece from Zara or Madewell.

8. I also love to blog recipes. And desserts are my favorite. A favorite recipe is the Horchata Cupcake I recently posted about here. Try them, they are divine!

Fighting Colds and Packing!

kenny had a pretty bad head cold yesterday. it makes me sad when my boy is sick. i also wasn't feel too well but we both got a good nights sleep and are feeling loads better today. which is good new because tomorrow we make our journey to this place...

i am so so so SOOOOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED! we are going for the Swenson Family reunion! its going to be insanely fun! i was told today that mick's dad was coming to pick up kenny's and my bike! AHHH!!! i am also bringing my running shoes in hopes of a morning run around the lake! obviously not the whole lake. when i say "run" i mostly mean maybe job to the lake, watch the sun rise and then stroll back. yep. that sounds about right!

anyways. i should have prepared for this sooner but i've been really focusing on getting some orders completed and shipped. 

i am lookin' for the following:

~three guest post writers (one more spot available)

~your post to be turned in by monday at 6pm MST (i know i know...that's so soon! i have faith in you though!)

~i would prefer for guest writers to have at least 75 blog followers

i will send the first four people that i approve for this more details! 

email if you're interested at jessicahunt88 at gmail dot com

thank you thank you! i am so excited to hear from you!!

Meet My July Sponsors!!!

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Life in Instagram

i must say that i am very grateful for the life that i live. i have a husband who works hard and loves me. he is such a good daddy. he is supportive. encouraging. and just awesome. i have a son who is so good.  he is the sweetest little boy who gives the best hugs & kisses. 

i am truly so happy!

thank you so much for following along and taking part in my happiness!

((virtual hugs))

p.s. did you notice that in almost every photo of kenny this past week he's wearing the same outfit. 1 point target. 0 points mom. hahaha!

My Style Pinboard

there is something so wonderful about a classic black and white stripe. 

they are really good at being cool. funky. classy.

i need to add black and white stripes to my etsy shop.

yes. that is going to happen.

follow me on {pinterest}!

Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Ever!

i'm not exagerating. this recipe is amazing! i have made a few tweeks to the original recipe to make it more my own and even better!

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup sugar

1 1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, shredded

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 eggs

4 1/4 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1, 12 ounce bag of milk chocolate chips (or peanut butter chips, m&m's, white chocolate chips...whatever you like!) I personally use Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate.

Directions:

heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

shred the butter into a large bowl, beat sugar, brown sugar with the shredded butter until light and fluffy. 

i sometimes have to break the clumps of butter up with my fingers. add vanilla and eggs; blend well. 

add flour, baking soda and salt; mix well WITH A RUBBER SPATULA. it might be tempting to just use the mixer but this is my secret to making the best cookies ever. i'm serious. 

i often kneed in the last cup or so with my hands. you want the dough to be well mixed and not sticky. mix in chocolate chips.

put the dough in the freezer for about 5 minutes. break the dough into 2x2 inch mounds and place on cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. 

put the rest of the dough back in the freezer while a batch bakes. this is also another "secret" i've learned that makes the cookies the perfect texture. crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside. towards the end of your baking you may have to bake those cookies a little longer (just a minute or two) due to them being very cold from sitting in the freezer.

bake for 10-13 minutes or until light and golden brown.

let the cookies sit on the pan for just a minute or two then carefully move them to a cooling rack.

EAT!!!

let me know how your cookie baking goes! 

this recipe makes about 3 dozen cookies.