Happy Sunday, friends! How have your weekends gone thus far? Besides watching my March Madness bracket get torn to shreds, our weekend has been pretty relaxing and blissful. I’m gearing up for a pretty crazy week, which I’ll fill you in about later. So before things get busy, let’s finish the weekend up with cupcakes, shall we? Most of the time I avoid doing any serious baking unless I know that I’ll have a place to bring the baked goods … Read More
Inside My Fridge
Good morning and happy Friday, everyone! Do any of you have fun plans for this weekend? One of my favorite parts of the weekend is grocery shopping. Call me strange, but I could spend forever at the grocery store, browsing the isles and checking out the new and quirky products. I also love seeing inside the fridges of strangers. Maybe it’s a bit nosy on my part, but I can’t help but love it! Today, I’m spreading the fridge-peaking love … Read More
Maple Glazed Grilled Chicken
Before Joe and I got married, one of my greatest stressors was what we were going to do career-wise. I was working (very happily I might add) in my current job in Des Moines and Joe was searching for a job back in Iowa (he was working in Illinois at the time). Knowing how much we both loved our jobs, I was worried about one of us having to sacrifice a career we loved. Thankfully, Joe’s company ended up giving … Read More
No Fat Talk Tuesday: Amanda’s Story
Today’s No Fat Talk Tuesday post comes to us from Amanda of the ever-informative food and fashion blog, Slow Like Honey. I’ve been following Amanda’s blog for over a year now and am constantly amazed with how she manages to blog while working her full-time job in fashion. This girl is superwoman or something. Thanks, Amanda, for being willing to share your story! -Madison Looking back, I can pinpoint the minute I started fixating on my weight and it was … Read More
Tamale Casserole
Being someone who loves to cook, I didn’t anticipate the stress that would come from having to prepare a meal for our little family every night. Before Joey and I got married, dinner used to be the meal I used to round out my day. If I had eaten a lot of fruit for breakfast and lunch, I would choose whole grains and veggies for dinner. And if I was low on protein earlier in the day, dinner would … Read More
{Cupcakes from our pastor’s wife, Karen. They were amazing!} {Our nephew, Baylen, hanging out with Nutmeg.} {Nutmeg went on a lot of long, muddy walks, meaning she also took a lot of baths.} {Dedicated dog washer: Joe!} {Self-portrait, camera-style.} Although our weekend was, undoubtedly, a sad occasion, we did have some wonderful time with family over the past four days. We took countless walks with Nutmeg and my mom around the golf course, ate a lot of wonderful meals with … Read More
Broccoli Beef
Before I say anything else, I want to thank all of you for your kindness and support during this bittersweet time for our family. Although I knew the community found though blogging was supportive, I can’t begin to describe how supported I felt by the community created on this site. Through Tweets, Facebook messages, e-mails and blog comments, you made your support known. Thank you! Funerals and visitations aren’t really picture-taking affairs, so I only have a couple photos from … Read More
Saying Goodbye
On Monday morning after almost 91 years of life, my Grandma Dorothy passed away after suffering a stroke the week before. To say she was an amazing woman would be an understatement. An educated woman and teacher by trade, my grandma devoted much of her life to being a wife, raising her five children and managing life on the farm – which from what I’ve been told was packed with hard, physical work. Dorothy’s greatest joy was, without a doubt, … Read More
No Fat Talk Tuesday: Laura’s Story
{The day I felt the most beautiful I ever have in my entire life. Although I must confess, I had one flair up where secretly I was grateful wedding dresses are traditionally long. Doh!} I have been looking forward to sharing Laura’s story with you ever since she offered be a part of No Fat Talk Tuesday. Laura was a dear friend of mine in college, and when I first met her I was blown away by her joyful spirit … Read More
Broccoli-Avocado Sandwich
Sometimes I hesitate to give you a recipe for a sandwich. I mean, who really needs a recipe for two slices of bread filled with whatever you have on hand in your pantry, right? Then again, everyone loves Joey and I were eating lunch yesterday after cleaning the house for two hours(!!) (that man is a master at cleaning bathrooms) and the sandwich I was eating had Joe scratching his head. Broccoli? On a sandwich? I say why not! The … Read More
Walking Down Memory Lane
This morning I caught myself walking down memory lane by sifting through old pictures on Facebook. Man, there’s really no better way to feel like time is flying by than to look at old pictures, is there? I feel like just yesterday I was beginning sorority recruitment at Iowa State. Time sure does fly! Here are a few (very old) pictures for a little Friday fun. {Senior year school play. I don’t remember much about the plot, other than I … Read More
Healthier Whole Wheat Pizookie
Are you in the ‘I need something sweet after dinner’ club with me? Even if it’s nothing big, just a piece of chocolate or a mug of diet hot chocolate, I have to have a little something for dinner to feel complete. Other times, I crave something more substantial, like a cookie or ice cream. Or, in this case, a pizookie. I was first introduced to the concept of a pizookie by Fitnessista, who has an undying love for … Read More