Baking.

Thanks to my friend Sammy, I spent a day as a faux baker, working for a catering company. Which one? I couldn't tell you. But let me tell you, I can make cake pops with the best of them. I can also cut dough pretty well too. That's all I was allowed to do.

She didn't trust me with the knife at first. JK. But seriously.

Chef jacket AND an apron. Professional!

This mixer is as big as I am. So obviously I took a picture with it. 

Happy baking everyone! Call me if you need help. I can fake it like I know what I'm doing.

Meet Ninja

We got a new Kitty a little while ago! His name is Ninja, and let me tell you, it's a fitting name. He's quiet and pounces you without a warning. Ninja-stealth indeed. He's quickly becoming everyone's best friend (even Charlie's) so it's pretty fun having him around.

Haha. Cone of Shame. 

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! I hope 2015 brings you happiness, and a little bit of adventure. 

One of my New Years Resolutions is to be consistent in my dental hygiene. Did you know that you're supposed to change your toothbrush every 3 months? Well, in the spirit of what my dentist, Carole, told me, I have recently (aka last April) decided to make an event out of changing my toothbrush on a regular basis, as well as flossing more and keeping good care of my pearly whites. I debuted this party last summer at the Ranch in order to bring a little bit of fun and of course good dental care to my friends. Every January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1 I have deemed "New Toothbrush Day". Here is what I posted for my friends to read (note: some of this is serious, but most of it is silly):

"4 out of 5 dentists recommend changing your toothbrush every three months. New toothbrush day, as the Ammons clan would call it, is a beloved tradition based around the receiving and using of a new toothbrush every said three months. Past festivities have been known to include cake, a bouncy house, and even a pony ride. Lucky you, you have been invited to the next New Toothbrush Day. Bring your best pajamas or toothbrushing out it, enough booze to go around, and of course your new toothbrush. Mine will be a Colgate Soft, color to be determined. Probably purple. I havent had a purple toothbrush in a while."

And this is what ensued:

And so, my friends, please have fun with New Toothbrush Day, and keep those teeth shiny and clean! 



Also, my other big New Years Resolution is to run this half-marathon in May... I'll keep you updated. 

Happy Holidays!

Happy Monday and Happy Holidays to everyone!

Enjoy this fun video that my mom showed me. And enjoy your week!

The behind the scenes video is pretty funny too.

Spread Some Cheer

I'm not going to lie to anyone: watching the news these days makes me sad. Every day a new horror fills my screen, either in Pakistan or Australia or even here at home. But, what the news stations don't tell you are the happy stories, the hopeful stories, the stories that warm your heart. In no way do I want to downplay the terrors that happen and my heart aches for everyone involved, but I want to flood my life with hope as well. So, below I've shared 10 things from around the web that always make me smile, and give me hope.

Student finds out about her future

#illridewithyou

These Cops

Soldiers coming home to families and pets (google it. there are a ton)

Best friends

Saving Wild Mustangs

This girl

Prank wars

She runs

And this one.


So, smile everyone. The world isn't so bad.

Books on Books on Books

I've been on a big reading kick lately. I think I've read at least 7 books in the last month- which is CRAZY. But, I figured I would share some of my favorites lately. And, if anyone has any suggestions, I'm always looking for a new one!

This is easily my favorite from this last month. The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown is the biography of the nine young men, and predominantly Joe Rantz, as they developed, competed, and eventually came to row in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. It's a gripping story, and I could not put it down!

Another biography, The Romanov Sisters is by Helen Rappaport, follows the story of the four daughters of the last Tsar of Russia from their beginnings to their untimely, brutal deaths at the hands of the Russian Revolutionaries. I've always had a fascination with the Romanov family and the downfall of their dynasty, so this was a very long, dry read that was worth it. 

I hadn't read Dan Brown's latest novel, Inferno, until dad and I went to Italy, which was great timing, since this novel takes place in both Florence AND Venice. What a coincidence! This novel follows Robert Langdon again in solving a nail-biting mystery in order to save the world. It follows the same style as DaVinci Code and Angels and Demons. 

I remember LOVING Julia Alvarez when I read her in high school, so when this book popped up in my "free books" on my iPad, I jumped.  How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents was a very easy read, but some of the underlying political, racial, and cultural insinuations were very on-point. It follows a family and their four girls as they move from the tumultuous Dominican Republic to New York City to escape the horrors that their home country was going through. It was poignant and told through a series of short stories of different perspective.

I read a few more, but these were my favorites. Anyone have any good suggestions for what to read next??