This week has been good and busy and long and short all at once. Joe has been traveling for work (returning home today!) meaning I’ve been manning down the fort at home. I love my days at home with Ainsley, usually Thursday and Friday each week, but if I do a poor job at planning activities, outings and strategic errand running, said days can seem awfully long when they start at 6 am and don’t end until 8 pm. All … Read More
29.
Today I turn 29. I can’t believe that when this blog started, I was just 22 years old, a senior in college, without any background in blogging or the internet world. I wanted to post recipes of food that I loved. I was interning at a lifestyle magazine and working in their food section and inspired by this huge, brand-new world that was suddenly opened to me. Back then I had unlimited amounts of time and few commitments other than … Read More
Pie Week #3 // Chocolate Pumpkin Pie
You’ll have to forgive me for missing one week of my pie-per-week challenge. Already, I’m only three weeks into this thing and I’ve missed a week? #badblogger Needless to say, I think I’m going to have to develop a strategy for how we can gift these pies to friends and family throughout the challenge. Although my husband is happy to eat the pies all by himself (you should see this man eat pie) I think for the sake of health … Read More
Fall Fashion Basics
This post was sponsored by JORD Wood Watches but all opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that support Espresso and Cream. Dress: Old Navy Knit Swing Dress || Watch: JORD Wood Watch – Cora Series, Koa & Rose Gold || Shoes: Coolway Open Toe Booties Lately I’ve been pairing down my wardrobe in favor of pieces that I truly love and am happy to wear time and time again. It seems that everyone is in pursuit of a … Read More
Ultimate Chocolate Layer Cake // Joe’s 29th Birthday Cake
Every year I make my husband a birthday cake, and every year Joe asks me to bake a chocolate cake. One of Joe’s favorite recipes of all time is a recipe I developed a couple years ago when I was working for Betty Crocker. Let’s be clear when I say that yes, this cake starts with boxed cake mix, but it’s anything but ordinary. Actually, I should clarify that I have nothing against boxed cake mix in certain situations, including … Read More
Donut Wednesday
This summer Ainsley and I started a tradition called Donut Wednesday. If you follow me over on IG, chances are you’ve seen a few photos of our weekly donut dates, where I take my coffee along with me to the bakery (because the bakery has such bad coffee) and Ainsley orders a sprinkle donut and proceeds to eat all the sprinkles off the top of the donut. I’m convinced she is my child because she loves sweets just like her … Read More
Pie Week #2 // Apple
Whew. Coming in right under the gun and posting a second pie recipe before the week is over. I made this pie twice in the last week, and I’ve found that pie making is quickly becoming one of my favorite things to do. First, because it’s relaxing and second, because there is nothing like the look of delight on someone’s face when you say that yes, you brought them pie, and yes, it’s from scratch. Oh, and it’s a great … Read More
miscarriage, fertility and the value of life
This post has been mulling around in my head for weeks. I feel as if the writing on this blog has been full of fluff and low on substance, lacking the meaty content that comes in waves depending on the season of life I’m in. Truth be told, seasons of shallow writing usually mean one of two things for me: things are going really, really well or things are going very poorly. Though this time, it’s a little bit of … Read More
Favorite Early Fall Old Navy Finds
Top: Old Navy Classic Chambray Shirt // Jeans: Madewell High Riser Skinny // Shoes: Coolway Open To Booties While I love quality in my clothing for the most part, I have a fair number of pieces from Old Navy as well. Their clothes are trendy and adorable, and if you pick your pieces right, they can stand the test of time. You just need to know what you’re looking for. Over time I’ve found certain materials and styles from Old Navy just … Read More
Strawberry Pie // Week 1
Last weekend I promised to make three pies for a friend of my sister-in-law. Sure, I thought, no big deal! But my pie-making skills (specifically my crust-making skills have gotten a little rusty and I realized quickly that I needed to use it or lose it. I had certainly lost “it.” Being the stubborn one that I am, I made over 12 batches of crust (?!) and researched countless methods before landing on a recipe that that was easy, flaky, … Read More
my thoughts on work and motherhood
This past weekend I spent time with my dear friend Laura, as well as some online friends turned real-life friends, including the other half of the Risen Motherhood Podcast, Emily. If you’ve read their blogs or listen to the podcast, let me tell you that they are both as wonderful in person as they are online. I’ve been so thankful for their perspectives, encouragement and the tough questions that they ask, challenging me to think about things in a new … Read More
Fueling My Family
A couple posts back I talked about choosing the right vitamins for your family. Joe takes Vitamin Code Men from Garden of Life and we give Ainsley Vitamin Code Kids from the same company. Well, when the folks over at Garden of Life saw my blog post, they were so kind to offer to send some additional products my way as a thank-you. Let’s be clear, Garden of Life is in no way sponsoring this post, but I was so … Read More