Let me brag on my husband for a quick second, will you? On Monday I returned from five days away with my mom in NYC. My mom took me as her plus one on a fun work-related trip, so our schedule was predetermined, and I was a little nervous about leaving for five whole days. I’ve gone on weekends away, even four days, but five days away from Ainsley (and five days of solo parenting duty for Joe) was a … Read More
Cut-Out Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Frosting
First, I need to say a big thank you to everyone who hung with me these last few weeks. I know that service on Espresso and Cream has been very spotty and the site completely crashed in the days leading up to Thanksgiving. But I’m happy to report that the site is now up and running on a brand new server that should be large enough to accommodate Espresso and Cream readers for a long time to come. Whew! One … Read More
Christmas Cards 2016
Growing up one of my favorite memories around the holidays was getting Christmas cards in the mail throughout the months of November and December. I’ll admit that I wasn’t always the most willing participant in being a part of our own family Christmas cards, but I do remember it always being a big deal. What outfits would be worn? Where would we take them to make the photo unique? Would we get them taken before the freezing temps and cold … Read More
Pie of the Week #6 // Apple-Cran-Raspberry Pie
This week’s pie of the week might not be for everyone. Whew. Okay, I feel like I just needed to get that out there before waxing poetic about how much I love this pie, because it’s true. It’s not a pie that everyone will love, but I certainly love it and will be making it more than once this holiday season. Inspired by homemade cranberry sauce – the stuff you make with real, whole cranberries, not the stuff in a … Read More
Family Fitness + First Trimester Workouts
It’s crazy for me to think that at 14 weeks pregnant, I am now officially out of the first trimester. Everyone’s favorite question to ask a pregnant woman is, “How are you feeling?” Truth is, I’ve been feeling less than stellar with non-stop morning (err evening) sickness and falling asleep on the couch every evening around 8:30 pm. Staying committed and focused on fitness has been a challenge, but I’ve been determined to stick to a consistent fitness routine with … Read More
Pie of the Week #6 // S’Mores Pie
Today’s pie of the week is a good one, my friends! Okay, if you’re my husband then you probably disagree – the man has a serious dislike of “fluffy” things including pudding and whipped cream, which is why I decided to gift this pie to my mom’s co-workers rather than keeping it in our house. That said, if I was left with this pie in the house it wouldn’t be long before I would eat the entire thing on my … Read More
Pie of the Week #5 // Pumpkin Cream
I’m a serious fan of pumpkin pie. It’s always the pie that I gravitate toward at the dessert table on Thanksgiving and the first pie I think of making when the calendar turns over to fall. So naturally, I’ve already made a handful of pies this fall, including a pumpkin pie of the more classic variety, but when I saw a recipe in Food & Wine for Pumpkin Cream Pie, I knew it had to be made and shared as … Read More
Fall Favorites: Beauty
It’s been a while since I did a good product round-up, hasn’t it? I’ve added so many new beauty and personal care products to my list of favorites and have been really behind on sharing them with you all, so what better day than Friday to talk about something as fun and makeup and beauty products? 1. Beautycounter’s New Makeup Palettes (above) These palettes just launched as part of the Holiday 2016 collection and they’re beautiful! Previously, my eye shadow, … Read More
Weeknight Dinner // Pepperoni Pizza Boats
I’ve been thinking a lot (and I mean a LOT) about what I want Espresso and Cream to look like in the next couple of years. As I mentioned a while back, I was feeling seriously lack for inspiration and guidance on what I wanted this space to be. When you’ve had a blog for over seven years it morphs and changes over time and I was left feeling that my site had become less cohesive than ever before. A … Read More
Double Peanut Butter Snack Bites
I’ve gotten a fair number of questions over the last year about feeding Ainsley, and toddlers in general, and limiting their consumption of sugary snacks. Sadly, I am probably not the best person to ask. Because there’s the parent I thought I would be in my head and the parent I actually am in real life, and that parent is one who probably lets her child have one too many sugary treats on more than a few occasions. It’s become so … Read More
Oh, baby!
Because I know not all of you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, I should start by saying that yesterday we made it internet official and announced that we are cautiously, hopefully anticipating the arrival of another little one in May. It’s been an incredibly fearful first trimester, complete will tearful calls to the doctor, late night worrying and lots and lots of prayers. Maybe pleading would be a better way to describe my prayers? Lord, please deal kindly with … Read More
Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month
October is my birthday month, and it has always been one of my favorite months of the year. It’s also Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, a fact I was blissfully unaware of until a few years ago when I was struggling with my own feelings of loss and grief over miscarrying our first child the month prior. I’ve been so grateful to have connected with so many of you over the years who have resonated with my posts about … Read More