homemade alfredo sauce

I wanted to start a new dinner tradition for Christmas Eve. I love fettucine alfredo but rarely eat it, and had never made it. I found this recipe on Pinterest and it definitely deserves 5 stars!! It was so delicious and easy. I served it with breaded parmesan chicken and garlic green beans. It was such a hit, the kids begged me to make it again last week. 

Hope you enjoy!!

 

 

 

Christmas Eve dinner

A new addition: party animal plates from Amazon (Mustard brand)

The kids LOVED them!!

 



♥2019♥ {its been a while}

Hello! It has been so long since I have posted on my blog, and I think that needs to change :)
I have realized over the past year that my kids love to hop on here and take a trip down memory lane, and that melts my heart. So, even if no one else takes a peek, I know that this is something they treasure. (I love you, kiddos!)
A lot has happened since I last posted. My "babies" are growing way too darn fast for my liking. (one will be driving soon, gulp!) The older I get the more I value the little things in life. As cliché as that sounds, I feel it with everything in me. 2018 was a great year for me (us) and I am thankful for that. Of course there were the highs and lows of any marriage, parenting & life but we are healthy and that is no small thing.
The year was filled with amazing memories as a family. Our biggest news was the addition of this guy. This is Gus. He is a petite Goldendoodle and we love him to pieces!!!

 

 

 

Because we added Gus, we didn't travel much this past year. It was a family effort in earning money for him, so the training was a family effort too! :) The kids have been awesome helpers with Gus!! We did squeeze in some family getaways to Duluth, Valley Fair, fishing trips along with gymnastics, football & some very treasured girl time for mama! (Stillwater and Austin, TX!)

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The other VERY exciting news is that my dear friend and I partnered in opening a new shop in Osceola, WI!! It's called Oak and Ivory.  It was bittersweet to close Sweet Home in White Bear Lake, but this new chapter has been a great one. The community has been so supportive and welcoming and we are having a blast doing it! Being creative is my passion and I truly feel humbled that people like my products enough to add them to their lives and homes!! THANK YOU for your support. My dear husband and kids have been so amazing through this journey.<3

 

 

 

 

 

 

And of course, running is still a huge part of my life. I get lost in the beauty, the music & God's creation. I am SO grateful my body lets me do this. In 2019 I challenged myself (and started a group of 8 other amazing mamas!) to a 365 day run challenge. It may be 1 mile or 10...intervals or stair running, but I am DETERMINED to run DAILY!

 

 

 

 Above it all, I am grateful for God's blessings in the people I call mine. We are not perfect. We have challenges with our kids. They can cause us stress and sleepless nights and tears. Our marriage has been hard. We have been in counseling off and on for years. Despite all of that, love wins. We choose to forgive and love and help and laugh and play and stay. These 5 people teach me to love and be a better person. I am so thankful for the trials because it makes us stronger. I love them fiercely. We are perfectly imperfect. This is us.



 

 



Don't forget the teachers! (aka: heros)

Hey all! I can't believe we are already coming to an end of the school year! This month has been pure crazy for us as we moved back to our Hugo home, and squeezed in 3 trips! I am so grateful to be settled and enjoying this beautiful weather. As I think about summer approaching I can't help but think about teachers and the much deserved break they get. Teachers, you rock. You are amazing every day and we are just so darn grateful. THANK YOU!!!
I love coming up with small little tokens of gratitude for our teachers throughout the year. This one turned out so cute.
all you need:
shredded gift bag paper
ribbon
paper (which I stamped "thank you" or teacher's names would be cute!)
Starbucks cup, lid and longer straw
Starbucks gift card
a treat...I used Annie B's caramels which are AMAZING!

Whole 30 club

Hey friends! By now, you may have heard a thing or two about the (dreaded?) Whole 30 eating plan. It's basically signing yourself up for misery....at first. NO cream in my coffee, no dairy at all. No grains (no Skinny pop!), alcohol or added sugars of any kind...even artificial sweeteners are out. Meat and veggies/fruits are in. My husband wanted to do this. Me? Not so much. I sort of pride myself on eating healthy and taking care of my body. He ordered the book, and it didn't take long for me to be intrigued. But this would OBVIOUSLY be easier to do together. I conceded....I DO kinda love a challenge. The truth is we both needed a little extra motivation. So, I'm here to tell you how we made it out alive...and HAPPY.  We learned SOOO much about food...sugar is in EVERYTHING! It's truly eye-opening. Although this was hard at first to adapt to this way of eating, we both started seeing and feeling some amazing things. We felt lighter, (we did lose weight) and had more energy and positivity, we just feel GOOD. If this is something you have been considering, I definitely recommend. The idea is to slowly add some foods back in to see what foods may trigger various issues to your body. We did not do this, as it was our anniversary the day after we finished the thirty days. DO NOT do what we did. We indulged in sushi, (free) cake, and ice cream....14 years of marriage felt treat-worthy ;) WE WERE SICK. Our bodies were not happy about all that sugar. We didn't sleep. Gross.
So, the things we have learned going forward are simple, yet profound. We CAN pass on treats, because we know we will feel ill. We have developed the mentality that fueling our bodies with healthy foods, will just feel amazing in the long run. We CAN do this and you can too. It's not to say we won't enjoy a treat on the weekend or a glass of wine or beer on date nights, but feeling good about what we put into our bodies is more than important. We are achieving goals, and that's important to share with each other too.
Here are some random tricks and tips that worked for us:

EGGS! lots of eggs...make them in many forms.
eating olives helped my desire for a piece of chocolate..who knew?!
vary your salad ingredients so you don't get tired of them
raspberries make a great night time snack
The recipe for the perfect burger:
https://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Whole30-Burger-Recipe-38071359

ENCOURAGE each other!!
These sauces SAVED me...so DELICIOUS! (Whole Foods or Fresh Thyme):

 POTATOES!! olive oil + salt + pepper

Eating healthy doesn't mean eating less.

I'm all for doing things that are kind to our bodies. Our earthly bodies should be cared for daily. It doesn't mean perfect eating days every day. It means choosing foods you love that will fuel you to be your best self. It means loving yourself every day. It means balance. It means believing you CAN. Don't do it alone. Find your people who will encourage you on your journey, and maybe do it with you. You are worthy.

♥ Day-of-love snack ♥

Happy Valentine's Day! Each year I try and find a new lil snack/treat to give to the kids after school. This year, I'm hoping I don't eat it all before they get home! It's so simple and I think you will love it too! :)

 

How to Hygge

So this is a concept I first heard about last winter. I remember seeing an article on Facebook about Hygee, (pronounced hue-gah) and I though it lovely. The idea originated from the Danish. It is the concept of staying cozy and content through the long winter days. I realized a lot of these concepts are already in place in my life, but I wanted to have this idea in the forefront of my mind heading into winter this year. It is a perspective that I can honestly say has changed me. I actually DO love winter. I love the changing of seasons, running outside, freshly fallen snow... but it sure can get long sometimes.  This idea is simply "creating cozy" with the ones you love. It comes in many forms (wherever you are!), and I hope this might help you through these long months as well. These are some things that I find to be the sweetest, simple, cozy treasures of life: candles, cozy lighting, fuzzy blankets, warm soups and chili, hot-out-of-the-oven cornbread, more candles, tea & coffee, mouth-watering treats, and reading a great book fire-side. (and more candles! I'm obsessed--especially with Volcano Capri Blue!) As I get older, I realize more and more that these simple gifts are what I look forward to. Happy Cozy-ing up with your loved ones & friends :) And remember, spring, in all it's glory, will be here soon!
*Check out Pinterest for more tips and ticks on creating cozy!

 

 

Advent "calendar"

 

 

Last year our beloved little slippers-on- a-string Christmas countdown broke. I was on the hunt for just the right thing this year. At Sweet Home (where I sell my creations) one of the gals was selling this old 7up crate, and I thought it would make the sweetest little countdown, and also not take up a lot of wall space! You can find these crates at my shop or also antique stores. The other materials were all purchased at Target. I bought these little drawstring bags for each day of the month and filled them with things like: candy canes, Christmas chocolates, love notes, coins, gum and stickers etc. I rolled them up as small as I could and shoved them in the boxes ;) The number stickers were in the dollar section and I just put them on a gift tag and taped them to the box with washi tape. Easy peasy! (I've also seen cute countdown stickers at Hobby Lobby!) I decided that the 25th bag will be hiding in the tree on Christmas morning :) Hope this inspires you to start a new tradition as well. Merriest Christmas, friends. Enjoy this most wonderful time of the year ♥