that one time my husband played soccer

I secretly can't wait to be a soccer mom, so pretending to be a soccer mom to my husband for a day was really fun. I did the whole bring a blanket thing, grab hot cider, and take lots of pictures with my obnoxiously huge camera like any soccer mom would do thing. It was a blast. It made me really excited to have little Kidd's running around chasing a ball. But don't worry, no little Kidd's are coming, and they won't be for a while.

Anyways, enough about me living vicariously through my soccer mom dreams, Brad played in the staff vs. Varsity girls soccer game. It was a riot. For one, none of the teachers had shin guards, and half of them were in regular tennis shoes. If I was one of those girls on the team, I would have kicked the teachers in the shins, but none of the girls played dirty {I was a little disappointed}. Brad did surprisingly well {I say that, because the only time we've played soccer he ended up on the ground multiple times}. He even had an assist! And those headers... Watch out! As a former soccer player, I was very proud. The staff won the game 3-1, only because the staff had a 300 pound player that would knock girls over anytime they tried to score. Since the staff got a victory, we celebrated with In-N-Out. Next year, I'm playing... Watch out Payson girls soccer... I'ma getchya.

easy baked apple cobbler

This is my absolute favorite fall treat! One of my favorite gluten-free bloggers, With Style & Grace, recently posted a recipe for these amazing individual gluten-free baked apple cobblers. As soon as I saw her post these babies, I had to try them for myself. Brad loved them, I loved them, and my mouth was singing praises to the gluten-free taste bud heavens. They are so delicious.

Easy Baked Apple Cobbler Recipe {adapted from With Style & Grace}

{serves 4}

//Ingredients//

-2 apples

-7 tablespoons of gluten-free oats

-3 tablespoons of maple syrup

-3 tablespoons of brown sugar

-1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

-vanilla ice cream {optional}

//Instructions//

-Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

-Cut each apple in half, and scoop out the core.

-Combine all of the other ingredients in a bowl, and divide the mixture between the four apple halves.

-Put the apples in a pan, and bake for 35-45 minutes.

-Enjoy with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

fall is officially here

Candy corn, apples, pumpkins, skulls, pumpkin spice and everything nice...

Fall has officially arrived, and it's made it's way to the Kidd nest.

a saturday full of football and fall foods

Don't be alarmed, Brad is fine, he's just in a football coma. 

Saturday was spent watching lots of football and eating lots of yummy fall foods. {I will share the apple cobbler EASY recipe with you this week, shown in the photo above where I'm licking my finger off because I couldn't get enough of the stuff}. It's a little strange not being at the Beaver football games every Saturday or watching the game with a group of friends when the game was away. I miss that season of life already. Watching the OSU Beavers play from our living room in Utah just isn't the same, but it'll suffice. We'll always be die-hard Beaver Believers. Even if that means we're the only people in Utah who are screaming at the top of our lungs when the Beavers are on tv and they score a touchdown. Saturday felt a little bit that way... Our poor neighbors. I think we woke up our neighbors baby a time or two. Sorry, neighbors! I didn't take many pictures, because I was either A. in the kitchen cooking up something with the bazillion apples we picked up earlier that day from our favorite local fruit stand or B. pacing back and forth behind our couch because the game was so close. But, my Beavers came out on top, beating UCLA! What! What! Sorry, you guys are probably so bored, not even caring about football... But, little known fact, I really love football. I could spend my entire Saturday at a football stadium, or on my couch with a cup of hot apple cider watching a game. It must be in my families blood, because all Nelson children are the same way. We're all kind of nerdy about it actually. Aren't you proud, Dad?

diy elbow patch

happy crafting!

gluten-free pumpkin cream cheese cookie bars

Lately, all I've wanted is pumpkin.

These cookie bars are by far one of my favorite fall treats. I try to substitute as much "healthy" ingredients as I can, but sometimes, you just need the good stuff.

Ingredients

//Cookie//

-a box of Betty Crocker gluten-free chocolate chip cookie mix

-1 egg

-1/2 cup applesauce /or 1/2 cup butter {I used applesauce}

-1 teaspoon of vanilla

//Pumpkin Cream Cheese Filling//

-1/2 cup of pumpkin puree

-8 oz fat free cream cheese

-1 egg

-3 tablespoons of agave syrup/ sugar {I used agave}

-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Grease bottom only of 9-inch square pan with shortening or cooking spray. In small bowl, beat all filling ingredients with electric mixer on low speed until smooth. Set aside.

Make cookie batter as directed on box. Spread the batter in pan. Spoon filling by tablespoonfuls evenly over batter.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted 1 inch from side of pan comes out almost clean. Cool completely. Cut into 4 rows by 4 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.

Enjoy with a glass of milk {or almond milk in my case}.

ten things I love about Utah

1. The weather. I will sing praises all day and night about the weather here. It's been hot, hot, hot. It's only rained twice, and both times it was a really cool thunder and lightning storm. It stays warm even after dark, and did I mention it's really hot?

2. The mountains. The mountains are literally a mile away. Enough said.

3. Our church. CenterPoint has been such an amazing community for Brad and I. I love everyone that I work with. Everyone is so centered on following Jesus. As soon as Brad and I got here, we immediately felt welcome and at home. They're our family out here.

4. The local Starbucks. Even though I really, really, really miss the coffee in Oregon, the local Starbucks already has my americano with 4 pumps pumpkin spice and extra soy milk memorized. It's amazing. And, I only go there a couple times per week {shocking, I know}.

5. The cute moms. Okay, I seriously mean it when I say cute mamas. Not only are there moms everywhere... But, they are really cute moms. Cute moms with really cute kids. I'm pretty sure there's something in the water out here.

6. Salt Lake City. This city has quickly become a close third behind Portland and Seattle. It's definitely not as wonderful as the northwest, but it's warming on me.

7. The obsession over holidays. I have never lived in a place where halloween costumes were sold out in September. Also, I have never lived in a place where people are already talking about what they're going to dress up as in August. I'm not joking... It's one of the first conversations I had with my neighbors. And yes, I have a costume idea... I'm feeling the pressure here.

8. The Targets. The Targets here are SUPER. The Target near me has groceries AND a Starbucks. Double whammy! All the more reason to browse around Target.

9. The outdoor activities. It seems like there's always something going on outside. Whether it's people running, biking, hiking, or boating... Everyone is active. It reminds me a lot of Bend, OR in that way.

10. It's a new adventure with my husband. We have never moved outside of Oregon. It's been really good for our marriage so far. I'm really learning how to depend on him and trust him in every situation. We do almost everything together, it feels like when we first started dated. Everything is fun and new.

What do you love about where you live?

hiking at sundance

Gorgeous, right? I can't believe I live here. 

Sundance is my new favorite spot in Utah. It's less than 15 minutes away from our place, so getting away from the hustle and bustle is just around the corner.

Brad and I have always loved hiking together. It's one of our favorite dates. This past year, we weren't able to get away too much, due to the fact that our lives revolved around lesson planning and creating portfolios. Since we went through that rough year, we now appreciate our weekends so much more. I can't begin to tell you how wonderful it is not worrying about homework. Brad and I are finally able to enjoy every second of our weekend, and not worry about rushing home early to finish a lesson plan or assignment. This past Saturday, we went up to Sundance for the day to explore and hike around. It's absolutely gorgeous right now. The leaves are beginning to change, but it's still warm outside. September is beautiful here. I can honestly say that it was one of the best days we've had together in a really long time. I appreciate Brad so much, and I'm so thankful that I married someone who enjoys to do the same things that I enjoy doing. The next time we go to Sundance, we plan on grabbing some coffee at the cute little cafe in Sundance and riding the ski lift all afternoon. Seriously, the view is unbelievable. You can't go up there and not realize how much God loves us. We just kept saying that over and over and over again while we were up on that ski lift... God must love us a lot.

life through instagram

... and that's all my iphone has to say.

our living room

I can't tell you how great it is to live in our own space again. Even though it's full of a bunch of "stuff", it's our stuff. This stuff is more than just "stuff", there's lots of memories that come along with the things we have displayed in our home. The books on our shelves have meaning, and most of them have been read. We like to display our books, so that when we have people over they can have access to borrowing any of them. The beautiful woman in the black and white frame is my grandmother Ruby. I admire her greatly, and hope to live a life as full as she did. Brad had that photo framed for me last Christmas, it's the only gift that made me cry this year. He's sweet like that. Our photo wall is full of family and friends, a cross that was displayed on the alter at our wedding ceremony, and framed passages from scripture that encourages and reminds Brad and I why we're here and who we're living for. This space is more than just a room to come and hang out in, there's meaning behind almost everything you see. 

...Well, maybe there's no meaning behind my sheepskin rug... I just really like it. But who can blame a girl? When cow hide rugs are hundreds of dollars, the next best thing is a twenty dollar sheepskin rug from Ikea. Right?