Many times I sit down to write and blog post without really thinking about what exactly I’m writing about. The words flow easily about the recipe I’m going to share with you, the flavor or texture or usefulness of the recipe at hand. It’s easy to fall into a lull of writing about food without really writing about anything at all. Does anyone really need me to wax poetic for four paragraphs about chocolate chip cookies? Lately I’ve felt a … Read More
Emily Ley Simplified Planner Giveaway
Happy Monday, friends! Today I’m so excited to share a giveaway with you that I have a feeling a lot of you will be excited about. My friend, Emily Ley, is one talented designer and is the creator of the Simplified Planner, also known as one of the best day planners around and my lifeblood to organization and order in the day-to-day. Emily and I first connected over e-mail while we were both struggling with infertility; Emily and her hubby … Read More
2015 Words of the Year
After last year’s “words of the year” ended up being so prophetic (hello, discipline and patience!) I was a little scared to pick words of the year for 2015. Understandable, right? I took my time praying about my words of the year, chewing on them for a while to see how they sat with my soul before writing them in pen and sharing them with the world. This year I’ve settled on a couple words to guide my year, since … Read More
Readers are Leaders Printable
One of the things I enjoyed doing most when creating our nursery was creating printable art for our little one’s book shelves and walls. I’m certainly not a designer by trade, but I do find a lot of joy in the creative process and have just enough knowledge and experience with InDesign and Photoshop to be dangerous and waste a lot of time! My little sister Ashley is going to be a teacher when she graduates in May, and one … Read More
A Baby Shower for Baby H
It was so wonderful to head home last weekend and spend a little time celebrating Baby Hofmeyer at our first baby shower! My mom’s amazing friends hosted the shower at my mom’s house and a handful of my good friends from high school were also there to celebrate. I can’t believe that we’re past the 32 week mark and that little one will be here so soon. To be surrounded by so many people who have prayed for our baby … Read More
Baby Hofmeyer’s Gender-Neutral Nursery Reveal
Happy New Year, friends! I’m kicking off 2015 with a tour of my new favorite room in our house, Baby Hofmeyer’s nursery! It’s been so fun to put together this nursery piece by piece, and seeing it finally come together just 8 weeks shy of baby’s arrival makes the whole thing even more real. I’m finding it hard to believe that we’re really going to be a family of 3 pretty soon. I’ve never been great at taking photos of … Read More
I’m ready for 2015.
I probably could have alternately titled this post, “Thank heavens 2014 is in the books! I’m glad to see it go.” But I’ve decided that it’s best to look forward to the year ahead rather than focus on the year that is now (almost) behind us. I’ve mentioned this before but last January I felt God saying to me that 2014 was going to be the year of waiting. I had no idea what he meant by that but I’ll … Read More
Nutella Blossoms
This year I’m entirely behind my baking game. By this point in the month on most typical years I’ve already managed to bake through my standard rotation of Christmas goodies, but this year I’ve just started baking a few days before Christmas. I’m finding this to be a very smart way to get around my lack of willpower. At least I only have a few days to indulge rather than an entire month! My family from Idaho is coming … Read More
What I wish I would have known about the first trimester…
I spent a lot of time reading (okay, obsessing and worrying) about what was normal vs. not normal during the first trimester. After two miscarriages I was extremely worried that my symptoms weren’t normal or our baby wasn’t healthy. Understandable, yes, but healthy? Absolutely not! Since a lot of my symptoms weren’t textbook “normal” I thought perhaps some other moms-to-be could use a little reminder that what the books and websites say don’t necessarily hold true all the time. They’re … Read More
The Best Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix
One of the things I love most about the holiday season is the predictable nature of the food and goodies that are served. There is something so comforting about going back home and having that same favorite cookie recipe your mom makes or drinking a cup of hot cocoa that tastes exactly like childhood. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve never been a huge fan of hot cocoa, and growing up it was something that I professed I … Read More
Shopping with Golden Tote
A few weeks ago the Golden Tote team contacted me asking if I would be interested in trying out their personal shopping service. I had seen posts about Golden Tote on a few different blogs that I love, so I jumped at the chance to try it out myself. For those of your unfamiliar with the service, here’s how it works: 1. Fill out a style profile on their website outlining your likes, dislikes and sizes. 2. Decide on the … Read More
Recipes from Around the Web
I realize that I haven’t shared many new recipes on Espresso and Cream lately, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been creating new recipes like crazy at work! Most of the content I’ve created recently has been holiday-temed. In case you’re looking for a little Christmas baking inspiration, I thought I would share with you some of my favorite recipes I’ve developed lately around the web: 1. Christmas Tree Cookie Pops (pictured above) 2. Giant Gingerbread House Cookie (so … Read More