My girls LOVE a good craft. I will admit that Ella has asked why we don't just buy a box of Valentines at the grocery store, but when I offer a craft as an alternative, she jumps right on board. There is nothing better that playing with paper and scissors when it's too cold to go outside. Since the girls will exchange Valentines at school and at dance, we opted for a few different designs. Ella's cards were appropriate for both groups, but for Sophie's friends, we had to make two different treats. Here is how we turned this basket of goodies into three super-cute Valentine's Day treats for our friends! For Sophie's "school" we decided to give fruit squeezes because there is a pretty wide range of ages. I bought strawberry Go-Go Squeezes and made a printable file that says "Hey, ...
Monday’s Meals | Week Three
Since Josh was traveling last week (he was working in Denver while we were battling the crazy ice storm}, I didn't expect to have any recipes to share this week. I thought for sure we'd be eating chicken nuggets all week! As it turned out, we stayed with my parents most of the week and they fed us, but I did manage to whip up two really yummy, pretty clean recipes for Josh on his birthday.First up was STUFFED PEPPERS. I've heard of peppers stuffed with rice and love corn-filled peppers, but I'd never seen a recipe like this with meatloaf stuffed peppers. You'll need 6 red or orange bell peppers to start. Lob off the tops and scoop out the seeds, then take a thin slice off the bottom so that they'll sit evenly in your roasting pan. Don't slice too much or you'll have your stuffing running ...
Today is Your Birthday
Josh took this photograph on Sunday morning. We were trying to squeeze in as many snuggles with our sweet daddy as we could before he headed to the airport. He worked in Denver all week and we hope that in a few short hours, (weather permitting) he'll be on an airplane, headed our way. He does such a great job making us feel like the three best girls on the planet, that we wanted to make sure we were the FIRST to wish him a super happy day today. We always miss him like crazy when he travels, but it was hard to be home playing in the snow this week while wishing he was here to enjoy it with us! I can't even count the number of times that Sophie asked when he was coming home. Sweet Daddy, we hope you enjoy this virtual birthday hug and that you arrive safe and sound on our door-step very ...
Snowpocalypse 2014
Let me tell you a story. Sometime during the winter last year, it snowed. There wasn't much to speak of in our sleepy little town, but there was a more significant amount at my office. I left work as soon as the girls' school announced an early dismissal and started making my way home. I couldn't get onto the expressway near my office because the on-ramp is really steep. I opted to drive across town for gas and an attempt at a different on ramp. Big mistake. It took me nearly two hours to cover twenty blocks and there was an almost-altercation at the gas station. Cell service was spotty and google maps was zero help. Josh ending up navigating me home over the phone and it was an almost 5 hour commute. I vowed that day that I would NEVER commute when there was a chance of snow, no matter ...
Monday’s Meals {week two}
We only managed to try three of the recipes on our "to-try" list last week, but the good news is -- they were all easy and very good! We'll be saving the meatloaf stuffed peppers for next week, but I'll be sure to share the recipe once we've given it a try. Monday was a school holiday, so I was at home with the girls. Josh had to work, but since his office is in our bedroom, we did at least get to hang out with him a little bit. We ignored our vow to eat clean over breakfast and continued to celebrate our working oven by cooking up another batch of pigs-in-a-blanket. Can you tell my children are obsessed? Then Ella added a request for pancakes, so I just kept on cooking. I mentioned on Instagram that I "had a turkey ready to go in the oven" and Josh was heart-broken that I was stealing ...
5 on Friday
Hey, friends -- I am super excited for the weekend! We have lots of fun things planned and I'm hoping to squeeze in a few new recipes that I want to try before Monday's meal post. Are you guys doing anything fun this weekend? ONE Yes, I know that Frozen was on my last 5 on Friday post, so I'm sorry to repeat. BUT, my children are obsessed. And by obsessed I mean that Sophie wears pink gloves around the house to keep from freezing people, she asked my mom yesterday to make her a cape like Elsa wears and pretty much every day is like living in a show-tune. Josh has forbidden us to play the soundtrack in his car, but as soon as I pick the girls up every afternoon they start yelling out requests. And I have to admit... I may have listened to it a time or two when I was in the car alone. Don't ...
In a Minute
Do you know what I say a lot? In a minute. Or other versions of that same thought, like the next time I get up, when I come in there, after I finish this chapter, when your daddy gets home, this weekend, next week, later." I don't think I realized how frequently I said those words to my children. I just know that my girls don't ever need anything from me unless I've just sat down, just pulled the covers up, just closed my eyes, read one sentence of a book or taken the first bite of a hot meal. I was laying in bed one night last week, reading a book while Josh surfed the internet. Ella was reading in her room and Sophie was playing in the playroom. It was pretty early in the evening for me to be relaxing, but the dinner dishes were put away, baths and homework were checked off the list and ...
Cleaning Up Our Plate
I know I told you last Monday that we were working to clean up our diet this month. The holidays really got me off-track and if it weren't for the flu, I'm sure I would have gained much more than the 4 extra pounds I saw on the scales last week. I'm incorporating some low-fat dairy into my daily diet and trying to eat potatoes only once a week or so. We are trying hard to cut out wheat completely, but don't be surprised if you see an occasional tortilla make the plate. Josh is being much more stringent than I am. He isn't drinking anything but water and is eating completely wheat and potato free. We're trying to incorporate recipes that fit those criteria for us, but can be modified with a few ingredients for the girls. We're working on their diets slowly and hoping that by making changes ...