My Most Favorite Person

MR. WILKEY

Jon is my rock. He is such an amazing guy and I am so lucky to be married to him for all time and eternity. Geesh, and he is such a stud! Sometimes (who am I kidding?...that sometimes should be changed to Daily!) when we are together at our cute little apartment, I find myself checking him out and I think to myself, "how in the world did I get so lucky?" But seriously...how did I get so lucky? Jon is so loving and kind - he always know how to make me smile and laugh. And oh boy, does he make me laugh. He is the funniest, wittiest, and smartest guy that I know. I sure do love my life with him. He has such a strong testimony and he is so willing to serve and help those around him. He is the most selfless person that I know. Everyday I strive to become more like Jon. He is in no means perfect - but he is the perfect person for me. He is my best friend and I could not imagine life without him. Sorry for the sappy post, but I am so incredibly thankful to have this man by my side each and everyday.

A Good Reminder...

"Things work out, it isn't as bad as you sometimes think it is. It all works out, don't worry. I say that to myself every morning. It will all work out. If you do your best, it will all work out. Put your trust in God, and move forward with faith and confidence in the future. The Lord will not forsake us. If we will put our trust in him, if we will pray to him, if we will live worthy of his blessings, he will hear our prayers.” -Gordon b. Hinckley

This quote seems to always pop up at different places right when I need it the most. It is such a great reminder. I can get so down on life and I sometimes feel like things are not going to work out, but then I read little reminders like this and I pray to my Heavenly Father and I am always filled with the spirit and I am comforted. I know that everything will work out how it is supposed to and when it is supposed to. And I know that I have a loving Heavenly Father who knows and loves me - everything will work out according to his plan. 

I know that he wants all of his children to be happy, more importantly, I know that he wants me to be happy. Life can be so hard and discouraging. It can be so easy to worry and feel uneasy about life, but I know that when I pray to my Heavenly Father, put my trust in him, and live worthily he hears me and helps me out each and everyday. 

I don't mean to be a downer, but life can be challenging and I think this is a good reminder for everyone. If you know me, you would probably think that I am generally a very happy person, but everyone gets down every now and then! Nobody is perfect! :) 

Even though my life can be hard and challenging, I have been trying so hard to look at the positives in all things and it has blessed my life tremendously. I know that if I do my best and rely on my Heavenly Father that everything will work out!

Chicken Tikka Whatta?!

Just like green smoothies, I was very hesitant to eat Indian food. I wanted so badly to like it. & just like the green smoothies, I was so happy to find that I love it! A little while back Jon & I went to the Indian Oven here in the valley with some of our good friends & we left the place feeling so Indian happy & so stuffed! It was delicious! Soon after I was on a search for a good recipe & I definitely found a keeper. If you are an Indian food lover, you should make this. It was a crockpot recipe, so it was incredibly easy to make! So here we go....
Here's the recipe and some of my own tips down below!
You can go here to get the original. :)

Chicken Tikka Masala

Ingredients:

5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts - cut into 1.5" cubes
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp. ginger, minced
1 (29 oz.) can of tomato puree
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. Garam masala
1 tbsp. cumin
1/2 tbsp. paprika
2 tsp. salt (or to taste)
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. pepper
1-3 tsp. cayenne pepper (depending on how hot you want it)
2 bay leaves
*a handful of golden raisins (see below in my tips)
1 cup heavy cream
3 tbsp. corn starch
chopped parsley or cilantro, for topping

Instructions:
1. Place everything up to the bay leaves in a large bowl. Stir to combine everything & make sure the chicken is coated well.
2. Gently place the mixture in the crockpot & add the two bay leaves
3. Cover & cook for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high
4. When done, in a medium bowl, whisk together heavy cream & cornstarch, then pour the mixture into the crockpot & stir. Let it cook for an additional 20 minutes to thicken up. (If you want the raisins, I would add them in here as well!)
5. Serve hot over rice & enjoy!
6. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.


My Tips:
- As you make this, you will think to yourself, "I sure hope I am doing this right," or "I wish this was a different color," or "holy cow this calls for a lot of spices"... these thoughts & others will probably keep popping up in your head, but endure & enjoy it. It is worth it :)

- This dish will make your home (& maybe everyone in your home) smell like Indian food for at least a day :)

- I am a wimp when it comes to spicy food so I put in the 1 tsp. of cayenne pepper & I still feel like its a little too spicy. You know... spicy enough to get your nose to run & your forehead to sweat. So just beware on how much of the cayenne pepper you put in.

- This recipe also makes a TON of food! My husband & I have tons of leftovers... so consider halfing the recipe.

- Being spicy & flavorful Indian food, make sure you make plenty of rice.

- Since we had so much leftover we had some friends over for dinner the next day. Our friends also love Indian food so it was a yummy night full of tikka masala, naan, salad & a yummy mango drink. We also added some golden raisins to the chicken tikka masala before we heated it up & it was such a yummy addition, I would recommend it!



Talk about a yummy meal that chicken tikka masala....

Summer Lovin'

I know you are probably wondering what happened to the posts answering 7-30...well I have decided to put that on hold. 

(For a little while? For a while? For forever? Who knows! )

Anyways...Here are a few of my summer favorites this year...

1. The sock bun....

It has been so hot this summer! This hairstyle has been so wonderful for me because it is so easy to do, it keeps your head nice and cool, and it is super cute! Definitely my go-to summer hair-do!

2. Maxi skirts & just plain old skirts! Gotta love em... enough said!

3. Frozen yogurt, shaved ice, smoothies...anything cold and yummy!

I have seen so many different recipes on pinterest for green smoothies, but I honestly have not had the guts to make them! (I feel so silly now, but I kept getting this feeling that if the green smoothies didn't turn out good, that I wouldn't make or drink smoothies for awhile & that made the little smoothie lover in me hesitant!) But anyways, I was talking with Jon's sister Liz & she has been making green smoothies all summer & she loves them! So I got all the details from her, I then looked on pinterest for a recipe similar to how she makes hers, I got all of the ingredients,  & then I took a leap & made my first green smoothie & I LOVED it! (& so did the hubs!)
Here is how I make my yummy green smoothies....

1.5 cups of Silk Almond Milk
1 Handful of spinach
1 Tablespoon of ground flaxeed
2 Bananas (can substitute for other fruit)
1 teaspoon of sugar (probably a no-no, but it's just a teaspoon!)
- Put all of the ingredients in the blender & blend away! Then enjoy! Yum!

4. Craft days with Mom

I have been able to spend a lot of time with my mom this summer & I have loved every minute of it. My mom is seriously superwoman...she is the best! Whenever we get together we usually go to lunch, shop a little here & there, & do cute crafts. Days with my mom are the best, whenever the day ends, I am always thinking about how much fun we will have the next time we get together! Here are some of the cute things we have made...

We got the idea to make this from pinterest (of course!) I am so happy with how it turned out! My mom made one two, but she put LOVE in big letters across all of the wood. 

We could definitely use some pillow shams... :)

Sunburst Mirror (It cost only $3 to make! We got a mirror at hobby lobby for 3 bucks, a ton of free paint sticks from home depot, & some craft glue!)
 

I am just lovin' Summer & I hope you are too!

More to come soon!

6. If you could have three wishes, what would you wish for?

1. To be done with school.

- As I typed this wish, I thought to myself I should not be thinking this because I still have a little ways to go and I just barely started my two other summer classes! But lets be real and honest... I wish I was done with school. I feel like that would solve so many questions and worries in life right now. But I know that everything will work out how it is supposed to, if I just work hard and continue on with faith. There isn't much else to do... well... besides drop out and regret it for the rest of my life. ;)

2. Two plane tickets to Florida.

- I am dying to return to the Sunshine State. It has been about 4 years since I have been there, and I miss everything. My friends... the beach... Disney World... the beach... our ward... the beautiful green palm trees... the thunderstorms... Sonny's BBQ... geesh I want to go back and visit! Someday I will take Jon there and show him around my lovely old state. (Hopefully that someday is soon!)

3. Sleep

- This could be easily fixed by simply going to bed earlier, but that is sometimes easier said than done! I am so exhausted. I am hoping that this wish will come true after these summer classes...we shall see!  

5. What are the 5 things that make you most happy right now?

1. Having weekends off

Our weekends are considered to be our summer, so when Fridays roll around I am always jumping up and down to not have to worry about anything until Monday. I love summers in Logan, and I am so glad that Jon and I have the weekends off to enjoy it!

2. Jon

I love my husband so much. I am so very thankful to be married to such a caring, funny, HOT, hard - working, selfless, loving man. Geesh I could go on and on with that list but in short... Jon is the best and he makes me so happy each and every day.

He's such a stud!

3. Yummy leftovers

I think that's enough said... I'll be sad when our Creamy Chicken & Broccoli Over Rice is gone...

4. Family

Tyler and Michelle are going to be here in less than a month and I am so excited!
My brothers are such great guys and it has been awhile (too long!) since I have seen either of them. Although it will be a little while longer until I see Jer ( ~ 1 year and 3 months!!), I can't wait to see Tyler and his cute wife, Michelle. Tyler and I were really close growing up and I have really missed having him around! It will be so good to see them!

my brothers are so handsome!

5. Having freshly painted finger nails

Random, I know, but mine are fresh and I am happy! :)  

4. List 10 things you would tell your 16 year-old self, if you could.

Dear 16 year-old self,

1. Boys aren't everything.

2. School and grades MATTER!

3. I am pretty sure I have always known this, but your parents are seriously the best.

4. Move your bangs out of your eyes.

5. (Boys aren't everything.) You don't need to always have a boyfriend.

6. Your friends are seriously so great. Take advantage of having them close by!

7. Love and spend more time with your brothers.

8. Study and take school seriously... it just gets harder.

9. Keep up with cross country - be the best you can be.

10. Take advantage of living in Florida... you will miss it terribly someday soon!

I definitely feel ok saying that if I would have known these things, life could have been easier. But honestly, I really do not regret anything. My life has been great! Some aspects have been hard and I still struggle with things each and every day, but I have learned and continue to learn and grow from those struggles and they have only made me stronger!

16 year-old self....be your self!

3. Describe your relationship with your spouse.

I absolutely love Jon with all of my heart. I can honestly say that he is my better half, and I can't imagine life without him. Our relationship is wonderful, I get to spend everyday with my best friend by my side...what can be better than that?

Our relationship is silly, selfless, happy, romantic, Christ-centered, honest, happy, playful, serious, friendly, and many many other characteristics.

When I first met Jon, right away I noticed how happy he was and how fun he was to be around. I remember seeing him for the first time at a game night and instantly I knew that I had to get to know him and that I wanted to date him. He got my number that night and ever since then I have been so incredibly happy. 

Jon is a really silly guy, he can make anyone laugh and he is so good at making people feel comfortable. (he is definitely my other half because I am quiet and am probably not the best at making people feel comfortable...I try!) Now that we are married though, I feel like we are always laughing and I love it. 

I always try to come up with different things I can do for Jon to let him know that I care about him (especially during those times when we are both in school and hardly ever see each other!) and Jon is always doing different things to make me happy, there is never a doubt in my mind that Jon truly cares about me.

From day one of being Mr. and Mrs. Wilkey we have made sure to pray and read scriptures together every day. I think it has definitely made a difference in our relationship and in our home. When we do pray and read together, I feel like there is a different kind of peace in our home and in us as we go about our days. I think it is essential to include our Heavenly Father in everything, because of him I know that Jon and I will be together throughout all eternity!

I feel like I could go on and on about my lovely relationship with Jon, but that would be one LONG post! So here are some of my favorite pictures with my handsome hubs. I am so thankful and lucky to have such a wonderful husband, I love being his wife and love experiencing every moment of this life with him.     

One of our first date at the corn maze!

Four Wheeling in the Uintas

Wedding day...the best day of my life.

About a year after we got married. Gah - I LOVE HIM!

2. Describe 3 legitimate fears you have

Maybe I should change the 30 day blog topics to 30 week blog topics...life is busy!

Anyways...my 3 fears...

I can't really think of any crazy intense fears that I have. But I can think of little things that scare me, so I'll go with that!

1. Bees

- I actually have a funny bee story...in Relief Society this past Sunday we were just getting into the lesson and then we saw two bees just flying around the room. All of the girls in the class were just staring at them hoping that they wouldn't fly down and sting them. We were all distracted and soon enough several of the girls were standing up trying to swat the bees or to shoo them outside. Then one of the girls left and got the bishop. Our bishop then came in with a broom and was trying to swat them haha, it was a great Sunday lesson. One of the bees finally flew outside and then the other one we finally smashed. (It's probably not as funny reading about it as it was actually being there!)

- I swear I attract bees... jeez I do not like them...

2. Finding some stranger in my closet.

- I think I am just paranoid when it comes to this. I remember when I was growing up I always worked up the courage and checked my closet before I went to bed or else I would lay in bed worrying about it for hours. (On the rare nights that I am home alone, I still check the closets and I still have to work up the courage to do so) I am not sure what caused this fear, but wouldn't it be scary if there was some creeper hiding in your closet?!

3.  Being alone

- This is pretty sappy and I am sure tons of people share this same fear, but I am scared to be alone. And this loneliness is tied into death and just plain old simple... being home alone. I always hate talking with Jon about death and the "if something happens...". It always makes me really sad, even though I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for each of us and he would not give us any kind of challenges that he knew we could not handle, it still scares me...I can't imagine life without my other half. I sure do love Jon and am so thankful that I can be with him through out all eternity!

1. List 20 random facts about yourself.

1. I don't have a middle name.

2. I lovvee the smell of fabric softner sheets. 

3. I am a sucker for men in glasses (Jon is such a hottie!)!

4. My favorite color is turquoise. I love ANYTHING that is that pretty color!

5. In high school I had a phase when I was a rock music junkie. (Dyed my hair dark dark brown and listened to screamo)...I think I can thank my brother Tyler for that!

6. My favorite food is anything potato. YUM! Oh! and Hawaiian Haystacks! 

7. I love the Twilight books and movies. Don't hate, I'm an Edward fan!

8. I moved around quite a bit growing up. I have lived in Utah, Alabama, Washington, and Florida. But I consider myself to be a Floridian! 

9. I dream of the day that Jon and I will be able to vacation to Florida. 

10. Favorite ice cream...Ben-n-Jerry's Half Baked

11. In high school my car was close to being voted the worst car. (haha thanks to chipped paint and duct taped on head lights)

12. Jon and I love going on picnics! (I'm so glad it's summer so we can go on more!)

13. I love watching TV Shows....Vampire Diaries, The Walking Dead, Cake Boss, Parks and Recreation...!

14. I love cooking...dinner...dessert...I hope someday I can be as good of a cook as my mom!

15. Pretty random... Jon and I would love to live in Bountiful, Utah someday.

16. I am really quiet and to myself, but once you get to know me I open up! 

17. I am really self-conscious 

18. I had braces on for about 6 years!

19. This is kind of dorky but I love going bowling!

20. If I could be anywhere right now, I would be at Anna Maria Island in Florida, relaxing on the beach! (Swoon)

Here we go...

Ok here we go! I thought that since it is summer now (even though it doesn't feel like it) I would do this 30 day blog post topics! So stick with me as I do this, and maybe you can join along!!

1. List 20 random facts about yourself.

2. Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears.

3. Describe your relationship with your spouse.

4. List 10 things you would tell your 16 year-old self, if you could.

5. What are the 5 things that make you most happy right now?

6. If you could have three wishes, what would you wish for?

7. What is your dream job, and why?

8. What are 5 passions you have?

9. List 10 people who have influenced you and describe how.

10. Describe your most embarrassing moment.

11. Describe 10 pet peeves you have.

12. Describe a typical day in your current life.

13. What’s the hardest part of growing up?

14. Describe 5 weaknesses and strengths you have.

15. Describe when you knew your spouse was the one or how I fell in love.

16. What are your 5 greatest accomplishments?

17. What is the thing you most wish you were great at?

18. What do you think your spouse loves most about you?

19. How did you feel the moment you became a parent?

20. Describe 3 significant memories from your childhood.

21. Describe your relationship with your parents.

22. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years?

23. What’s your favorite holiday and why?

24. What’s your favorite and least favorite thing about parenthood?

25. If you could have dinner with anyone in history, who would it be and what would you eat?

26. What popular notion do you think the world has most wrong?

27. What is your favorite part of your body and why?

28. What’s your favorite quality in your spouse?

29. What are your hopes and dreams for your posterity?

30. List 10 things you would hope to be remembered for.

DIY: Refinished Barstools

A while back I bought these cute barstools off of ksl. Right away I knew that I wanted to eventually refinish them. This last week I was able to do just that! I looked on Pinterest for different ideas on how to go about painting them and I found this tutorial that I really liked. After looking through the tutorial I decided that I wanted to paint my barstools a fun color too so I did just that! I'll walk you through the steps of my barstool makeover!

So here is the before picture! You can see that one of the barstools is a little taller than the other... but that's okay, Jon and I like them! So before I started anything I just washed both of the barstools with a wet cloth and then let them dry.

After they were all dry I used a deglosser liquid to get the shine off and then sanded the barstools.

Sanding these puppies was definitely the hardest and most annoying part of this whole project. I probably should have taken more time to sand them down more, but that's okay, it all worked out!

After sanding I washed them off again to get all of the dust off. After this, I went to the store and debated on what crazy color to paint the chairs... after much time in the paint aisle, I decided to be brave and go with a pistachio green color! I bought the spray paint, went home, and put on the first coat...

And then a second coat...

And then for my favorite part...I sanded some of the edges of both barstools and stained them a little bit here and there to give them an antique look. 

And then to finish them off, I sprayed a clear matte finish on top to seal my work off! Here is the after picture of the colorful barstools in our kitchen:

I am really happy with the way they turned out! I love that pistachio color, it is pretty bright and crazy but it is so fresh and springy! If you walk into our apartment now, you will notice them right away because they are just so bright compared to the rest of our apartment! 

Now that they are finished, I have to think of something else to fix up or make! Let me know if you have made anything fun and cute lately!

Hope you are doing well!

Best Dessert EVER! :)

I absolutely loved this dessert and so did my husband and his brothers! It is delicious and is definitely worth a try! You won't regret it! 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Delight Recipe
Ingredients

• 1 tube (16-1/2 ounces) chocolate chip cookie dough
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 carton (12 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 3 cups milk
• 1 package (3.9 ounces) instant chocolate pudding mix
• 1 package (3.4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding mix
• Chopped nuts and chocolate curls (optional)

Directions

• Let cookie dough stand at room temperature for 5-10 minutes to soften. Press into an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 14-16 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
• In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Fold in 1-3/4 cups whipped topping. Spread over crust.
• In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mixes for 2 minutes. Spread over cream cheese layer. Top with remaining whipped topping. Sprinkle with nuts and chocolate curls if desired.
• Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight until firm. Makes about 15 servings.
• ENJOY! :)