Feeling thankful (and full!) after a cozy Thanksgiving at our house yesterday. Little cousins ran around and played, we had a delicious spread, and the little boys had pretty good table manners! After dinner we set the little kids up with a movie and played Vertellis as a family. It was a great way to learn more about each other and ourselves! (The boys helped me make shapes for the sweet potato pie in case you can't tell. Also: recipes for sweet potato pie, chocolate cream pie, and lentil loaf wrapped in puff pastry.) Stocking up on Boogie Wipes and... Read more →

Swimming with the boys most afternoons. Temperatures have been over 110 degrees (!!!) most days and the pool is the only place to be. A few friends have invited us over to swim in their pools and I've found a local public pool that we love. As soon as I get in the water life instantly feels 100% better even if we've been having a great day. Ahhhhhhhh. Plus there's the bonus of wearing out the boys. Scrambling to read all the books that I have out from the library, eeep! I've been doing a bad job managing my holds... Read more →

With January, routine and weekly rhythms returned along with school days for the boys and work days for me. It feels really good. I've also been experiencing a deep satisfaction with our home and daily life. I think the completion of our front yard and our post-Christmas organizing/decluttering are big contributors. As I walk through the house I can sense the tidiness and organization. Even if toys are strewn about and laundry is waiting to be folded, I know everything has a home and serves a purpose. Chris reminded me that just a few months ago I said I felt... Read more →

This weekend we had an impromptu family get together and much to my delight it turnout out to be very fallish. Chris had won a pumpkin spice bundt cake at a silent auction the night before (oh my it was good!), I had some pumpkin caramel kringle in the freezer (from Trader Joe's), and we sliced honeycrisp apples and sprinkled them with cinnamon. We made French press coffee and had cascara vanilla syrup to go with it. I do love a seasonally themed spread. The house is looking festive too. On Saturday night Chris was at an event and so... Read more →

It's late summer with early fall still a few weeks away and the heat and humidity (mostly the humidity) is really putting a damper on my summer cozy optimism. It was inevitable! I chat regularly with a dear friend in Austin and we decided to just admit that August is the worst and allow ourselves a little bit of complaining. Otherwise we try very hard not to complain about the heat in our respective towns. So: August is the worst. Ahhh, that feels a little better. What I am trying to remember is that every single fall (every time!) when... Read more →