foodie friday: BBQ sauce

when chasin mason and i started planning today's collab post, we tossed around a few ideas and landed on recipes with BBQ sauce. i love BBQ sauce, and like most other things, i'm kind of a brand snob. sweet baby ray's is the only way to go. i wish they were paying me to say that, but they're not. it's my 100% honest opinion.

my 2 favorite recipes with BBQ sauce are very similar

recipe #1-easy pulled pork sandwiches 1. line bottom of slow cooker with slow cooker liners. if you don't use them, start NOW! 2. lightly cover the bottom of slow cooker with chopped red onion and 1 glove chopped garlic 3. place pork roast (i used pork loin) on top of onions/garlic 4. sprinkle about 1-2 teaspoons of dried minced onion and garlic powder on roast to season 5. add a few more chopped onions 6. cover roast with BBQ sauce (about 2/3 of the bottle) 7. cook on low 8-10 hours 8. shred meat and add rest of BBQ sauce 9. serve on buns with more red onion, cabbage slaw, or toppings of your choice
recipe #2-shredded BBQ chicken 1. line slow cooker with slow cooker liner 2. add desired number of fresh boneless, skinless chicken breasts 3. sprinkle with 1-2 teaspoons of dried minced onion and garlic powder 4. cover with 2/3 bottle of BBQ sauce 5. cook on low 6-8 hours

6. shred chicken and add remaining BBQ sauce

i love trying new recipes especially when i know someone else loves them. i'm so excited to try this recipe. i'm going to have to get over my fear of the grill first or maybe convince someone else to cook it for me #whyineedahusband

head on over to chasin mason to get the recipe and learn more about this cute mama. come back next week for a getting to know you interview with elizabeth.

what's your favorite BBQ sauce recipe? do you make your own BBQ sauce or buy it at the store?

unbloged bloggable..confetti night

a few weeks ago i shared my outfit for confetti night, but i never posted about the event itself. when i met mitzi earlier this year and heard about confetti night, an event to celebrate and party with women, i knew i had to go.

 it did not disappoint. it was a fun filled evening catching up with some of my faves.

some of my blogging faves-jen, jacque, kaylynn

jacque and i met in the bathroom at another event last summer and instantly became friends. we took a few pics in the bathroom to document our friendship. the bathroom obviously isn't the ideal place for photos, but it's so funny we had to.

eleisha and i were roommates in college. i was so excited when she told me she was coming from out of town for the event. it was so fun seeing her.

 i didn't make it to most of the classes, but they had a great line up of presentations as well as a photo booth full of confetti.

i don't get to see these people nearly as often as i would like. i loved every second of this night and can't wait for next year.

wear it wednesday...shoes

let's talk about shoes. i generally have a beauty is pain motto. my other motto is fashion over function. comfort isn't even something i consider when buying shoes. most of my shoes are actually kind of uncomfortable. i love heels, cute flip flops and sandals, and stylish boots. when converse starting getting really trendy, i didn't even really consider buying them. people make them look totally cute, but i don't know if they're really me...until i found these. gold polka dots..yes please! this whole time i assumed they are comfortable, but i heard on the radio yesterday that they're awful-so stylish but uncomfortable. i feel a little disappointed. i expected a little more comfort. do you wear converse? are the radio DJs telling the truth?

how do you feel about my beauty is pain motto?

blogging the bach 11.11

it's finally here! i feel like i've been waiting for the finale since week 3.

who's watching: amanda, megan, alexis. celsey, and tiffany
intro what i saw everyone packing up and getting ready for this thing to wrap up what i heard utah? why are they in utah?--megan they probably had to hurry this season along because she's probably going to be pregnant soon--tiff momma got her eyelashes done--alexis i'm glad she has her fancy dress on for the middle of the day. is she going dancing later?--tiff what i thought where are they? california?
nick meets the family what i saw stepmom-who knew she was even there what i heard ugh! cory mathews get out of here--cel it's like cory matthews and backstreet boys had a baby--tiff why is sister sitting by stepdad and he's rubbing her arm--cel #familydynamics --tiff what is he sitting on that he looks like a frog?--cel i'm glad he rocked the friendship bracelets all season long--tiff why is he sobbing?--cel he probably punched himself in the balls to make himself cry--tiff he's a good actor--amanda he's got to be sensitive in front of the mom and manly in front of the dad--alexis so he's manipulative?--cel what i thought she still really likes nick, but i wonder if it's just the edit
shawn meets the family what i saw the family really likes shawn. what i heard stepdad pimped out mom--cel her dress looks like the sound of music--tiff how would you handle it lady? it sucks--cel his mouth looks like a cat's butt hole--tiff i do want to marry her. i'll send you a bill--cel what i thought the sister is team shawn and it seems pretty obvious that she's picking shawn
final date with nick what i saw nick gets the boat date what i heard some of her clothes look like stuff i bought at wet seal--alexis she probably hit up wet seal when they were in utah--tiff no, he fit into your bed honey--tiff your hair looks like a chia pet--megan of course it's in your bedroom--cel at least he didn't put their names so he can re-gift--tiff it's like something your kid writes for you so you put it up on the fridge because it's your kid but then you take it down because it's weird--megan what i thought if she picks shawn, it's going to be bad. if she picks nick, it will also be bad.

final date with shawn

what i saw so much awkwardness who knew they were at a winery? what i heard she borrowed that sweater from ben h--cel ok she's wearing a duster..from 7th grade--cel that leg looks really small. like it might be hers--tiff i just realized he's a meat head--tiff i was blinded by his good looks--tiff i'm so emotionally invested in this--megan what i thought shawn kind of got the bad edit on the day date which usually means he's the one nick wrote a dumb poem. shawn made a jar full of memories so...
the morning/neil lane what i saw kaitlyn "woke up" with her full face. we made a few jokes and i commented that i would definitely sleep in makeup if i was on this show. what i heard she sleeps in a cardigan. are we surprised?--tiff about me after the convo about makeup (cel made me write this) nick has on the same white t shirt he's had on all week--tiff why is she always wearing ice skater dresses?--megan what i thought she's going to make them both propose i'm pretty sure
proposals what i saw kaitlyn is super nervous when nick walks up. they don't kiss. it all seems awkward. things are much more natural with shawn. she seems happy and excited. what i heard why are they back at the mansion?--megan poor megan was so nervous she was pacing around the house and then hiding in the pantry everyone is dying-cel if she's going to cut him off, when?--alexis she's not even using her grown up voice--tiff this is so classic nick--megan
stop my beating heart. he's adorable--megan this is adorable--megan i have chills--amanda what i thought i don't blame nick for being upset, but he was kind of his usual creepy self kaitlyn should have given him the news and let him go.
word tally-i stopped counting after the proposal journey..2 love...42 connection,,,13 lucky,,,0 amazing,,,8 husband/wife,,,4
after the final rose chris harrison was a bit of a bully. we all know nick and shawn don't like each other. what's the point of rehashing that.again?!? even the nick and kaitlyn part was pretty awful. we all decided nick had some serious coaching so as to not make a complete fool of himself. he handled himself pretty well. shawn and kaitlyn seem super happy. i really like them together and hope they last-even though they live in different countries and have no plans besides going to starbucks.

celebrating pioneer day

last week i talked a little about pioneer day. it's a very meaningful day to me. along with spending time reflecting on the significance of the day, i also had a really fun day.
7 peaks with kristie and tiffany followed by shakes at freddy's

dinner at salt city burger with laurann, kim, and tiffany before the soccer game

REAL soccer game with kim, laurann, and tiffany

the game was pretty exciting and REAL won!

fireworks after the game

the day was completely full of fun with friends. when i think about my life, i realize how truly lucky and blessed i am which is a big part of pioneer day.

churchy: pioneer day

i was traveling the first sunday of the month and completely failed to write my churchy post. it actually works out ok though because today is a good day for a churchy post.

today is july 24/pioneer day. in utah (religious or not), that means a day off work for some. utah based companies, state employees, and a few other lucky ones get the day off. today is about so much more than working or having the day off, the rodeos and fireworks and BBQs. it's a day for remembering the history of the state of utah-both the establishment of the state as well as the religious history. it's a day to celebrate and remember the pioneers who gave up everything they had-their homes, possessions, friends, and sometimes families in the name of religion. they sacrificed literally everything to do what they thought was right.

we sing a song with the kids at church that says "you don't need to push a handcart, leave your family dear, or walk a thousand miles or more to be a pioneer. you do have to have great courage, faith to conquer fear, and work with might for a cause that's right to be a pioneer." those words are exactly what we celebrate today-great courage, faith, and hard work for what's right. 

summer break in cali

i love my job for a lot of reasons. i love the work i do. i also love the time off from work. every year we get a summer break around the 4th of july. it's the perfect time for a vacation. i stayed in town for the first few days of the break to get some things done and spent the rest of the week in california.

the view from the plane window

we took the kids swimming. kenzie was supposed to be asleep, but since she wasn't we brought her in for a few minutes.

photos of kenzie in her new olive the things shorties and the golden polka dot headband

karlee wanted to try some braids she saw on instagram

when my parents were in town, they took the kids to a jump center. they loved it and couldn't wait to go back.

they obviously had fun

we played tennis. i haven't played at all this summer. i need to get out and play more.

karlee's patriotic nails

we celebrated the 4th with a parade, fun at the park, BBQ, poppers, and fireworks.

the break was really fun and went by way too fast. lucky for me i actually have today and tomorrow off to celebrate pioneer day.

wear it wednesday...modesty

i've heard the word MODESTY my whole life. growing up we talked about dressing modestly. as an adult i try to dress modestly, but i haven't necessarily thought a lot about it. what exactly does that mean? i did a quick search

• behavior, manner, or appearance intended to avoid impropriety or indecency.

  plural noun: modesties

  "modesty forbade her to undress in front of so many people"

  synonyms:

  unpretentiousness, simplicity, plainness

i mostly agree with the definition-maybe not the simplicity and plainness part:), but the rest matches my thoughts on modesty. i also think of modesty in dress as respecting my body enough to cover it up. for me that means wearing clothing that has covers my shoulders and comes down to my knees (i.e. no short shorts and tank tops). jana did a stellar job explaining my personal and religious beliefs about modesty. while jana and i both agree on what modesty means to us, everyone has a right to their own opinion. i don't think i am right and someone else is wrong. i would love your thoughts on modesty and what it means to you. please share in the comments. 

when i got hired at my job and asked about the dress code, my boss told me it's fairly relaxed "probably just no tube tops". i sit on the floor with kids in their homes all day. due to the dress code/lack of dress code, i have a lot of options. i want to appear professional yet comfortable/functional enough to sit on the floor. 

summer is tricky. utah is hot! i am in and out of my hot car all day long-every hour. i would love to wear to skirt and dresses everyday, but sitting on the floor working/playing with toddlers in a skirt/dress doesn't work very well. jeans are way too hot when it's 100+degrees. 

 here are a few tips for modesty in a casual workplace.

1. longer shorts with patterns. the patterns make the outfit look a little nicer while still maintaining comfort to be on the floor. these are from old navy, and i have 5 pair of them (basically my uniform for the summer).

2. bright/bold colors-not everyone loves bright colors, but for me color adds a lot of style without adding a lot of hot layers.

3. layer-i LOVE cardigans! it usually gets to a point in the summer (right now) when it's too hot for that added layer of a cardigan, but when it's not extremely hot, cardigans finish the look. even when it's really hot, i sometimes start the day with a cardigan, and take it off later in the day. it's a good way to make my outfit a little cooler while still maintaining modesty.

along with sitting on the floor all day, i take my shoes on and off every hour. i tend to wear a little dressier flip flop most days. while a cuter sandal or wedge would really complete the look, it doesn't work for my job.

target cardi|target v neck tee|old navy shorts|gap sandals|jewelry from rocksbox (use code aubreyzarubaxoxo to try a month for free

photos-bonnie

i firmly believe in getting up everyday and getting ready for the day-whatever that means for you. jana has some tips for modest fashion for the stay at home mom. make sure to check it out. she manages to stay a little cooler, feel modest in her dress, and be totally fashionable-my idol.

what are your thoughts on modesty? what's the dress code for your life-work or otherwise?

blogging the bach 11.10

sometimes i care about men tell all, and sometimes i don't. i'm actually a little excited to see what happens this time.

who's watching..celsey shawn, amanda, megan paradise preview what i saw ashley i crying,a lot what i heard again?--cel about clare coming for love do they think we don't have lives?--amanda about it being on 2x/week what i thought i kind of forgot about ashley i.  why is this show on sunday and monday? i love this show, but that's too much 

season recap/ian/clint/nick

what i saw ian basically proposing to the boys dudes we barely even saw talking and talking and talking-like corey with an e what i heard villian's gotta vil. i've missed that--cel what did you model for? like rogaine--megan about ian where do they find the scum of the earth?--megan who is hugging him?--megan jj, who do you think--amanda he's offended that he didn't have a man crush on him?--shawn what i thought why are we wasting time on ian? does anyone care about him? jj in the hotseat what i saw jj bawling like a baby when clint left-is that real? what i heard he's just a dracula--megan about corey what i thought promo for bach in paradise-not surprised ben z in the hotseat what i saw ben z is so cute! so sad looking at his face watching the recap especially talking about his mom what i heard let's make it worse chris--amanda hilarious conversation about crying  what i thought i like ben a lot. i wish he was on a little longer so he could be the next bachelor jared in the hotseat what i saw jared looks better clean shaven what i heard his chin is so pointy he could cut glass-megan he looks like a rat--megan he is so nice--cel what i thought jared is still super classy ben h in the hotseat what i saw ben h is sad/mad/something what i heard before you say anything, let's watch your emotional journey--megan that's my goal to say too racy of things that they can't go on the blog--megan what i thought ben h is a cute little thing, but i'm definitely not surprised he didn't make it to the end. he has to be the next bachelor right?!?  katelyn what i saw wow! her dress is sheer, and super short. ian finally stopped being a weirdo what i heard why is corey talking again what i thought maybe i don't agree with katelyn's morals or choices, but i have no idea why people are so cruel especially to someone they don't know. even though he's not the most attractive on the show, jared really is a gentleman. i don't like nick.at all, but i think she did the right thing by letting nick stay. word tally-i probably messed up the count this week journey-2 love-32 connection-12 lucky-1 amazing-5 husband/wife-8 i laughed so hard tonight. i don't know what's funnier..what happened on the show or the comments everyone made. i literally laughed my head of. i'm pretty ready for this season to be over. i'm pretty sure she will choose shawn, but sometimes it seems like it might be nick. i'm excited for the season to unfold. thoughts?

weekend happs

another weekend has come and gone. i try not to waste my life away wishing for the weekends, but i really do love them. i love my job and the work i do, but sometimes it's nice to not work. 

i planned to spend friday evening getting caught up on some things. i decided to do a little shopping after work before going home to be productive. 

when converse starting getting more popular lately, i thought about buying some. i almost bought some for this post, but they didn't have my size. i kind of forgot about it a little, until i found these.

i had no idea i was holding out for the perfect shoe. i can't wait to wear them.

by the time i grabbed some dinner and got home, it was getting late. i ended up not being as productive as intended, but i did get to bed early.

i woke up early to run-as usual. it was a beautiful day, and i actually felt really strong running. my running lately has been pretty bad so i was really happy to have a good day.

i spent most of the rest of the day relaxing at the pool. it was heaven. 

we had to shove the floaties in the backseat of the car and kind of squish sage in there too.

we had dinner and did a little shopping before going back to tiffany and sage's to watch a movie and paint nails. it got late and i ended up sleeping over. the sky was beautiful so we pulled over for a few pictures.

sunday was the perfect day. i got home in time to hustle and get ready for church. i went to church and came home and relaxed.

i loved this weekend! i only work 3 days this week so technically another weekend is around the corner. how was your weekend? any exiting happs?