One of the topics I’m most passionate about and have enjoyed writing most on Espresso and Cream has been body image. It’s been a while since I talked about anything related to body image, mainly because I find myself in a funny place lately in terms of my body. Joe often says that the things we struggle with the most are the areas in our life that God uses in the biggest ways to help others and connect with those … Read More
Life (on Instagram) Lately
1. My two loves spending time together Sunday morning before church. For some reason, Nutmeg insists on using our neighbor’s yard as her own. 2. I chopped my hair! I was clinging desperately to my longer hair, even though the ends were incredibly unhealthy and looked horrible. I desperately want long hair, but I think it’s time to accept that it might not be in the cards for me. I’m learning to deal with the idea. 😉 3. We are … Read More
What I’m Saying Yes To Lately…
To say I’ve been having technology issues lately would be an understatement. You remember those cookies I mentioned last week? The ones I snapped photos of a while back that got lost in cyberspace? I made them again when our friends Mike and Laura came over for dinner, snapped photos (again) and then realized my memory card was corrupted because I removed it incorrectly from my computer. I finally got things figured out on the memory card front, but that … Read More
Slow Cooker Rootbeer Barbecue Beef Sandwiches
Hello, friends! I can’t believe it’s already Wednesday. I had really good intentions of getting a post up earlier this week, but my card reader magically corrupted all the files I was trying to download (photos of some really yummy cookies I was planning on sharing) so you’re getting a post about barbecue beef sandwiches. And I guess I’ll be making those cookies again this weekend. They are too good not to share! If this week is any indication of … Read More
Our Trip to Italy: Rome
I’m back today with the second installment about our trip to Italy! As you already know from my last post, Joe and I flew into and out of Rome. We found the best prices on flights from Minneapolis to Rome, with few stops and reasonable layovers, which guided our decision. When I was researching hotels in Rome and Florence, the two large cities visited, I had a tough time finding a place for us to stay. Joe was all about … Read More
Tuscan Kale Salad with Feta
Let’s take a little break from talking about all things travel and talk a bit about food. Since, you know, this is supposed to be a food blog. I think I mentioned that I was heavily influenced by the food we enjoyed while in Tuscany, right? Well in case you missed that tidbit, I was totally enamored with the food we ate in this amazing region of Italy. Actually, I was really surprised at how different the food was as … Read More
Traveling Italy: Siena
Settle in, friends, and get ready for a bunch of posts about all things Italy and travel. Before I get to the specifics of our day in Siena, let’s talk a little bit about our trip in general. Joe and I have been thinking about taking a trip to Italy since we got married two years ago. Italy was the natural choice. I mean, what’s not to love? Amazing food, beautiful countryside, tons of history and super friendly people. Count … Read More
My Stitch Fix Story
It’s no surprise I love Stitch Fix, is it? I know, I sound like a broken record. But I’ve had so much fun with the service, so when the Stitch Fix team asked me if I wanted to be featured on their blog with four other of their favorite bloggers I jumped at the chance! Of course, we all know that I’m not a fashion blogger, and sometimes I tend to fall into a bit of a rut with my … Read More
End of Summer Salad
We have been swimming in produce over here! This weekend my mom brought us a basket full of peppers, tomatoes, eggplant and other veggies that were absolutely beautiful! And then there is the abundance of produce we have at our house: cherry tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, basil. Oh, and did I mention we’re also members of a CSA, so we get a box of produce every week? Yeah, like I said, we have a lot of produce at our house. … Read More
Classic, No-Fuss Banana Bread
A couple weeks ago I shared with you a recipe from Joe’s great grandma Jacobs. Maybe I was a bit early with sharing a recipe for pumpkin bread in August, but it was so delicious that I’m sure anyone who bakes up a loaf would quickly forgive me for sharing something not quite seasonal. I was so inspired by the pumpkin bread recipe. It was so perfect, exactly how I remember perfect pumpkin bread tasting, and, more importantly, the texture … Read More
My Favorite Things: August 2013 Edition
 This past weekend I had so much fun putting together a box of some of my current favorite things for last week’s giveaway winner, Julia. Since it’s been a while since I shared what I’ve been loving in beauty, health and fitness, I figured I would snap a few photos of what I put in Julia’s giveaway box. It’s pretty hard to go shopping for your favorite things knowing you are going to give them all away. I wanted … Read More
Owning Your Journey
Thank you for all the sweet words regarding the giveaway! The winner of the giveaway is Julia! I’ll be sending you an e-mail today so I can get your “birthday gift” in the mail asap! Over the past year I’ve spent time reading the book Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. It’s a short and concise daily devotional that takes just a couple minutes to read each morning, but I’m always surprised at the deep and profound nature of each devotion. … Read More