Sunday night we hosted a Christmas open house! It wasn’t anything big or elaborate, but I’m incredibly thankful that my momma, the woman with an eye for design and entertaining, made the trip up to help prepare for our party. I can always manage on the food front, but I’ll be honest, I always feel much more relaxed when my mom is around to help with decorating and setting things up in just the right way. Also! We brought Pippa … Read More
Marshmallow Creme Thumbprint Cookies
This weekend the weather finally warmed up a bit! Okay, so when I say it warmed up, I mean the high was in the 20’s instead of -2, but you would be amazed at how warm 20 degrees feels after a week of weather in the negatives! The warmer weather meant that I wanted to get out and about rather than hibernate in my house, so Joe and I decided to bring cookies to our neighbors, along with a Christmas … Read More
Christmas Cards on a Budget
If you’re anything like me, chances are you love Christmas cards. I think sending Christmas cards is one of my favorite traditions this time of year, along with receiving cards from friends and loved ones. It’s always so fun to check the mail during the month of December! Since Joe and I have been married, I’ve used various card services (like Pinhole Press, Tiny Prints and Minted) to create our Christmas cards. It’s easy and the cards are beautiful, so … Read More
Food Blogger Cookie Swap: Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing (plus a chocolate version!)
Happy Cookie Day! Once again I took part in the Food Blogger Cookie Swap with a bunch of other amazing bloggers. The funds raised from the cookie swap goes toward kids cancer research. Cookies and a great cause? I’m in! If you want to participate in next year’s swap, you can sign up for updates here. I’ve actually been really behind on baking cookies and desserts this year. Christmas just came up way too fast this year! We’re having a … Read More
Blogger Clothing Swap: Post #2
A few weeks ago I told you about a clothing swap I did with a few of my favorite bloggers turned real-life friends, Justine and Kayla. Well, the items they sent my way arrived and I’ve taken note of my first impressions below. Next week I’ll be sharing the final installment in this series, where I share how I styled each item. But for now, you’ll have to settle for a sneak peak! What I Thought of Justine’s Items Item … Read More
Breakfast Oat Bran
Can you believe your eyes? A recipe to share today? It’s been too long! I have been meaning to get a post up sooner, but winter has already impacted my blogging schedule with the lack of light and lack of time around the holiday season. We had our first big snowfall this week and I’m already looking forward to summer! I’ve been meaning to share about oat bran for quite a while. Six or seven months ago I started swapping … Read More
Developing a Mail Organization System
A few weeks ago I read a great post by Emily about the system she created for controlling paper and keeping her home neat and organized. Since we moved into our house I’ve been searching for a way to organize our mail but haven’t found anything that really worked for more than a couple days. After a week, I was back to square one with a giant pile of paper sitting on my office desk once again. Ideally, I would sort through … Read More
Thanksgiving Day 2013
Happy Thanksgiving, dear friends! Joe and I have had the most wonderful time celebrating with my family in Idaho this year. Most every year I can remember, I’ve celebrated Thanksgiving in Iowa with my mom’s side of the family. This year is the first that I’ve celebrated in Idaho with my dad, step-mom, Andrea, aunt Gwen, Joe and little sister, Taylor. It’s been strange not being in Iowa for the holiday, but it’s been so much fun spending time with … Read More
Last Minute Recipes for Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is right around the corner! Although it is a week later than usual, I feel like this year Thanksgiving kind of snuck up on me out of nowhere. Usually I stick to a very strict policy that there are no Christmas decorations up until after turkey day, and absolutely no listening to Christmas music, either. But this year I’ve broken with convention and have our house fully decorated for Christmas. We even listened to Christmas music while putting up … Read More
Blogger Clothing Swap: Husband Survey
A few weeks ago I took part in a clothing swap with two of the sweetest and most fashionable ladies I know, Justine and Kayla. Over the past couple years I’ve become blog friends and then real friends with these two women. Isn’t it great how blogging works like that? Each of us selected three items to send to the other two women in the swap. All in all, I got rid of six items from my closet and received six … Read More
Life Lately
It’s been a while since I’ve done a life update. As I mentioned before, things have been crazy busy. I’ve talked with so many other people who say they feel the same way. With Thanksgiving being so late this year, it seems to make the sprint to the end of the year and the holiday season even more hectic than usual. Anyone else feel the same way? I have been obsessing over brightly-colored winter coats lately. Strange coming from someone … Read More
5 Tried and True Tips for Traveling Light
Over the past few weeks I have been doing a lot of flying and traveling for work. First, it was the Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest in Las Vegas for five days. Then, five days later it was back on the plane for a quick 28 hour trip to New York for a satellite media tour with Pillsbury. Next week, we’ll be off again, this time for Thanksgiving with family in Idaho. Truth be told, travel isn’t my favorite thing in … Read More