saying goodbye to friends

^^^ we were all treated to pizza for our help! where naturally we had to watch 

one or two youtube videos. impossible to escape with those boys. ^^^

mark & i are so sad to see some of our best friends move out of provo. maryclaire, nate, mark and myself were all friends before we ever got married, so needless to say these two have been our favorite little married couple to hang out with for the past 9 months. i don't think there was a single week that we didn't see the cooks at least once, and sometimes it was more like 3 or 4 nights a week. from cooking fun meals together and watching episodes of madmen to sports games galore and trips to color me mine, this couple has made this past year so much fun for us. but as much as we will miss living 5 minutes away, we are thrilled for them to move back to arizona and start a whole new chapter of their lives.

i always joke about never wanting to visit arizona again (i can't do that kind of heat), but if it means i get to see these two i guess i can make a trip out there once or twice. ;) (uhoh, what did i just promise?????)

we love you guys!!!!! and miss you already!

playing a little catch up

gosh where have i been lately? i'm not sure i even know. things have been hectic but sort of slow at the same time...does that make sense? probably not. but i have been working hard at work and coming home just exhausted which leaves little time to blog. i have been doing some fun photography sessions lately though. i would love it if you would check out my latest work & let me know what you think!!

^^^ a couple in love ^^^

^^^ a girl who loves to dance ^^^

^^^ a wedding ^^^

^^^ a fun afternoon with a party dress & some cake^^^

come check out all of these sessions at jenna bechtholt photography!!

taking care of your skin

i don't know about you guys but i am always on the look out for ways to keep my skin looking youthful & healthy. i have combination skin but i am definitely more on the dry side, so finding products that deliver enough moisture without leaving too much oil on my face has been a struggle for me. i have lived in utah for 4 years now & ever since i have moved here it has felt like i just couldn't get on top of the break outs on my face. it has been driving me nuts! in high school i would get that random zit here or there but nothing extreme. i thought maybe it was hormones from birth control or my age that was causing these new acne patterns, but the more i have experimented with things the more i have realized it is the climate here that has really taken it's toll on my skin.

i've tried different face washes, gotten facials, purchased a clearasonic, done face masks, bought different lotions & i'm even guilty of falling into the trap of expensive department store products. nothing really seemed to fix what was going on, though!

a few months ago i started researching more natural products that help with dry skin and even acne. i decided to pick up a few products and try them out. why not, right? i have been beyond pleased with the results so far!

COCONUT OIL >>
this oil is so versatile. you can use it for cooking, as a hair mask, body & face moisturizer, make up remover and a face cleanser. i know the term "oil" is scary when considering applying it to your face, but i'm telling you there is nothing to be nervous about! this product works on any skin type {most youtube tutorials on this product are women who have really oily skin} and helps deliver & lock in moisture. most lotions have a lot of water in them which make you feel like you are hydrating your face, but once the water is absorbed you are left with your skin feeling dry again. coconut oil also helps draw out dirt & dead skin from your pores and also plumps up your skin leaving your face with less fine lines & wrinkles. i'm telling you, coconut oil will help you keep or get back a youthful glow to your skin. sounding too good to be true??? do some research of your own & you'll find out for yourself!

you can use coconut oil daily on your skin but right now i am using it as a face wash a few times a week if my face is feeling really dry....i am still experimenting with my routine! i also like to use it as a chap stick before bed!

// if you want to try out this product make sure you get extra virgin, organic, raw coconut oil preferably in a glass jar! you can pick this up at local health food stores like whole foods.

JOJOBA OIL >>
i honestly think this oil may be my miracle worker. jojoba oil isn't actually an oil, it is technically a wax ester from the jojoba tree. it is also the closest thing to human skin oil. so what i like to do is cleanse my face at night with my face wash or coconut oil and then put a dime size amount of face lotion in my hand with 4 or 5 drops of jojoba oil and spread it all over my face and neck. the jojoba oil will "trick" your skin into thinking it already has enough oil on it so it won't over produce the oil on your face. i think my skin may work extra hard to produce oil on my face to make up for my dryness, but applying lotion with some jojoba oil helps my skin not to freak out on me while still delivering enough moisture to my face. {i honestly probably don't need to use lotion with it, again i'm still experimenting}

// if you want to try this product make sure you get organic jojoba oil. be sure not to use too much at a time because if you have tons of excess oil on your face it can more easily attract & trap bacteria which won't be helping your skin at all. so just remember, a little goes a long way! if you feel like you may have put too much on then lightly pat your face with a clean towel.

ah i love these products!!!
do you guys have any products that are a must for you???

life lately (iphone edition)

lots of smiles, food, adventures & fun this past month. 

happy monday! it's a new week, anything could happen! :)

follow along with instagram: @jennanicole

friday's letters 04

^^^hey awkward hand.^^^

>> dear DVR, what would i do without you? i love being able to hang out and relax with a few of my favorites anytime i want with the added bonus of zero commercials. i currently have 4 episodes of revenge, 3 grey's anatomy and maybe a few more waiting for me on my day off today :) >> dear april, you have made quite the enterance this year. after the worst winter of my life, these warmer temps are much appreciated. i am beyond okay with a few showers here and there as long as it means we are done with snow & moving towards warmer days. >> dear running shoes, it is so nice to finally see you guys again. i wear my work out clothes far too often considering i'm never heading to the gym, but i only wear my nikes if i'm actually working out...which i finally did a few times last week! i think i have decided to start going back to the gym more regularly, but we will see how long it lasts. i'm hoping a while. >> dear girl's night, you are fabulous & necessary. i would just like to tell my lovely ladies that i love getting together with you girls on a weekly basis. spending time with my friends helps keep me balanced. i need girl time. i especially love it when we get together at the best restaurants in town & get to indulge in amazing food together :):)

hoping you all enjoy your weekend!

i am also featured on my friend amber's blog today! have you heard of barefoot blonde??? 

if not, you're welcome & this is sure to become your newest must read blog. 

check it out here

& if you want the chance at being featured on amber's blog follow these instructions >>

-instagram YOUR fav look, hair, beauty, fitness tip, travel destination, whatever!

-tag #bfbdailyfav and @amberfillerup. (must be in original first caption of photo)

easter festivities with friends

we started our easter off with church & a baby blessing for one of mark's friends which was then followed by brunch. then we headed back home & took a much needed nap after waking up early & then stuffing our faces with food. in the afternoon i baked off some fresh bread that MC had made & we headed up to our friend's cabin for dinner!

^^^such a gorgeous & perfect spring//easter table!^^^

 ^^^how many boys does it take to turn on a grill? 5.^^^

 ^^^it was important to document these boys cooking because it is such a rarity!^^^ 

^^^our besties, the cooks!^^^

the night included a light & fresh dinner, trampoline bouncing, races of many sorts, a photoshoot with everyone :), egg dying & dessert!

if you can't be with family on holidays, good friends are definitely the next best thing!

to stay up to date with five foot seven follow along at bloglovin!

eva's bakery & a day in the city

when you live somewhere for long enough you get into routines. you work in the same place, eat at the same restaurants, drive the same routes...it's nice to purposely mix things up every now and then. so in honor of this idea, a few friends & i spent friday afternoon out & about in salt lake!

after a trip to the new & beautiful traverse outlets, maryclaire, madi & i headed up to salt lake to pick up a few things at the city creek mall & visit our friend lauren at work. it was such a nice day out that we sat in the sun next to some fountains & chatted for a few minutes while she was on her break. it really was a treat to see lauren two days in one week! i miss my old roomie.

to end our little outing we stopped by eva's bakery. it was the cutest little french bakery that i probably would have never noticed on my own. i tried an apple croissant & grabbed an almond one to take back for mark. i love finding new treasures like this in the city! getting to know the area you live in can really make a new place feel more like home.

Easter Sunday

we had such a fun Easter this year. 

stay tuned for pictures from our fun filled day...here's one just to tide you over! ;)

Happy Easter!

adventures in sewing

as i have mentioned a few times, learning to sew is pretty high on my bucket list. 

so when my friend ashley offered to teach me some basic about sewing, i jumped at the opportunity!

ashley & her husband are southern california natives and have such a cute apartment with a beachy feel to it. ashley decided that she wanted to cover her brown & green decorative pillows to match a little better. she found a really straight forward tutorial for making pillow covers via pinterest & bought some simple star fish fabric from amazon. what a cheap & easy option for covering pillows!

^^^ashley even let me give it a try!^^^

& the finished product!!! isn't that the cutest pillow cover? and it only took like 20 minutes. 

next we are going to try to tackle making maxi & pencil skirts with jersey fabric!

thanks for a fun morning, ash!

recipes {ratatouille}

i have to admit, ever since watching ratatouille as a kid, i have been so curious to know what this dish would taste like. i know it is a bunch of veggies, but in the movie, & yes i know it is a cartoon, it just looks so good! so to keep with the french theme of mark's birthday back in february, i made this side dish!

i had a lot of fun making this dish. i used a mandolin to slice all of the vegetables & it took about 5 minutes to go through an eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash and red pepper. hello, FAST! you can use a really sharp knife instead of a mandolin, but if you use a knife you most likely won't get a consistent thickness. once all of your veggies are sliced you can really be creative & layer everything however you'd like. it did take a while to layer all of the thinly sliced vegetables but it came out looking so pretty! this is definitely a dish to make if you want to impress your guests & get a few compliments :)

what you'll need >>
recipe adapted from smitten kitchen
2 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 cup crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1/2 egg plant
1/2 zuchinni
1/2 yellow squash
1/2 red pepper
a few sprigs of thyme
salt & pepper

directions >>
1. preheat oven to 375.

2. using a round baking dish, about 9 inches, pour tomato puree in the bottom of the pan. add onions, garlic & 1 tbsp of olive oil. salt and pepper generously & mix gently to combine.

3. trim the ends off the eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash. trim the ends off of the red pepper & remove the core, leaving the edges intact, like a tube.

4. using a mandoline, or a very sharp knife, cut the veggies into very thin slices, approximately 1/16-inch thick.

5. on top of the tomato puree, arrange slices of veggies from the outer edge to the inside of the baking dish, overlapping so just a smidgen of each flat surface is visible, alternating vegetables. you may have a handful leftover that do not fit.

6. drizzle remaining tablespoon of olive oil on top of the veggies and season generously with salt and pepper. remove the leaves from the thyme sprigs and roughly chop them. then sprinkle over the veggies.

7. bake for about 45-55 minutes until veggies are cooked but not totally limp. the tomato sauce will be bubbling up around the edges.

8. serve on top of a grain with a dollop of goat cheese or as a side dish with a yummy protein!

happy friday, y'all!