Month: March 2013

  • Life from the iphone. and a fun link.

    You can follow me on instagram over here. 

    …and about that fun link?  I’ve been visiting this site a lot lately. 
    Be careful though, it’s addicting. Very, very addicting.

  • Skating on Ice.

    Saturday afternoon my whole big family rented out the ice rink. 
    There were thirty two and a half of us. (another new nephew on his way :)

    We celebrated five birthdays. My mom. A sister of mine. A nephew. A brother in law. My daughter.
    Having a big family is such blessing. I can’t tell you how much I love getting together with my family.

    Our baby is seven now. I fell asleep with a newborn in my arms, woke up and she turned seven.

    She’s been wanting a ukulele. (of course! her mother will buy anything that has to do with music ;)  
    She chose a local diner for her birthday dinner. She asked Auntie Caitlin to bake her cupcakes.
    She’s been dying to go ice skating.


    Yikes! Life goes fast. Enjoy every moment.
    Happy new week.

  • Homemade Granola

    This is our new favorite cereal, by far my favorite granola recipe.
    (not the healthiest one I’ve ever made, but my fave!)

    We’ve been eating it almost everyday for breakfast with milk or Greek yogurt for the past two weeks.
    It’s SO good! and your house will smell SO good while it’s cooking.

    Mix all the dry ingredients together in a great big bowl.
    Add the melted butter. Mix well.
    Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Stirring often…if you don’t, it will burn and/or be clumpy.

    Let cool. Add chocolate chips. (I use the minis)
    Store in air tight container. (or zip lock bags or mason jars or..you get the point)

    Happy granola making.

  • This picture is slightly staged.

    If you were wondering. ;)  However, we really did read these stories before bed.

    A book suggestion if you have little ones. 

    For Girls ~ The Flicka, Ricka and Dicka series by Maj Lindman
    For Boys ~ The Snip, Snap and Snur series by Maj Lindman

    Sweet, wholesome stories written in the 1950′s. There are quite a few books in each series.
    All are Fantastic!
    Happy new week to you.

  • So we’re a little off with our seasons.

    While outside has looked a lot like this the past few days….

    …we’ve been drinking this summer wonderfulness. 

    Strawberry Lemonade

    1 cup of lemon juice, freshly squeezed (about 3-4 lemons)
    1 cup of sugar
    1-2 cups of pureed strawberries 

    Mix together in a gallon pitcher.
    Fill the rest of the pitcher with water. (or half water, half crushed ice, which is what we did. it makes more of a slushy =)
    Enjoy!

    While I am looking forward to spring..
    I still love looking out my window and seeing a beautiful winter wonderland.
    God puts so much beauty in each season, we need to take the time to notice and appreciate.

  • Our second first date.

    February 1994. {Yikes that sounds like a long time ago.}
    The snow was falling very heavy that night and my parents almost didn’t let me go.

    He was late. He said I gave him bad directions to my house,
    I say he was just late…I only lived a few blocks away! 
    He drove his mom’s car, it was red. He opened the door for me. He still does.
    I was impressed and told all my friends about it Monday at school.

    He wore an American flag sweater from Structure…yeah, remember that store?
    If not then you’re too young to be reading this blog. ;)

    We ate at The Olive Garden. I ordered ravioli, he ate…I don’t remember! Ha!
    After dinner we went ice skating. It was his first time. It was my millionth.


    Last Friday night, 19 years later Jeff surprised me and recreated our very first date!
    Complete with driving past both of our old houses, which we now live an hour away from.

    We went back to the same restaurant and then went skating.
    It was so much fun to pretend to be on our first date all over again…
    (until later when he let me know that indeed we are married. ;)

    A couple things we learned.
    1.Sometime between 1994 and now, Olive Garden stopped serving bread sticks and salad for free.
    2.We’re terrible ice skaters, I mean really terrible. 
    3.We never save room for dessert.

    After nineteen years of knowing each other, we are more in love than ever.
    I’m so glad God placed this man in my life, what a gift he is.

    So that was our first date. 
    Where did you go on your first date? How long ago was it?

  • Fashion Tip Friday ~ The Ombre.

    Can you believe it’s March already? 

    When I think March, I think sunshine and tulips blooming.
    However I am sitting in Panera Bread right now with a bagel and cup of coffee.
    Outside the great big window next to me, it’s cold and snowing like crazy.

    I live in the midwest. I should know better!
    In like a lion, out like a lamb, right?

    Well, now that the love month is over, we’re back to fashion tips.
    Today’s tip inspired by my friend Thelma who started a hair coloring conversation this morning.
    Since I am “dying” to color my hair {pun intended, Ha!} Let’s talk about that.

    Not exactly sure what I want to do yet, but my stylist was trying to talk me into the ombre.
    Sounds like a dance, doesn’t it? So what exactly is the ombre you’re wondering? 

    The ombre is  a coloring technique, darker at the roots,
    getting lighter and lighter as you get to the bottom of your hair. 
    It can be subtle or very drastic.

    At first I didn’t care for it very much,
    but it’s starting to grow on me and I’m thinking about it.
    It looks really nice when done right on the right head of hair.

    A few pics I stole off the internet.

     

    {this one ^^^ is my favorite}

    I’m warming up to the idea.
    How about you? Would you do the ombre?