So, this is my favorite marinade. It comes from the Southern Living Cookbook, and is intended for lamb chops, also delicious, and works just as well on beef. Here I use it with New York Strips. I marinate them overnight, and then baste them with the marinade as they cook. These are delicious broiled or on the grill. Enjoy! Ingredients 2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1/2 cup Soy Sauce or Coconut Aminos 4 tablespoons ketchup 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 teaspoon ground gi

Bare Baked Crunchy Apple Chips are an alternative snack that we all love instead of potato chips and crackers. These are hard to keep in the house, both my four year old and nineteen month old request these. Fortunately, they like to share with me. We like the Cinnamon and Fuji & Reds baked chips. This snack keeps it simple with only two ingredients: apples, cinnamon. If you're looking for a new yummy snack for the family, we recommend these. #apple #chips #chip #applech

All Through My Town is written by Jean Reidy and illustrated by Leo Timmers. This fun book is full of beautifully detailed drawings and a fun rhyming rhythm. After we read through the story, we like to go back and look at details on each page, like the neat rows of bread, the scene in the cafe, or the water from a hydrant filling up a car. Each time we read, we find something new to talk about. This is a board book, so, it holds up against rough handling by small people.

Creative Snacks' Almond Clusters with Cashews, Pumpkin Seeds, and Sunflower Seeds are a snack my family and I love. These little bites are a favorite of my four year old and nineteen month old, and they don't survive long after we return from the grocery store. Here are the ingredients: almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sugar, water, brown rice syrup, and sea salt. So, if you are looking a for a yummy snack for your family, give these a try. Let me know wh

Book time! Here is another one of our favorite books. Who Is Driving is written and illustrated by one of our favorite artists, Leo Timmers. We got this book for our eighteen month old son, but my four year old loves it too. Each vehicle has a number of possible drivers, and older kids will quickly memorize who drives what, but what we love about Leo Timmers is his attention to detail. Parents and kids can look at which clothes each driver is wearing, and guess who is be

Schmidt's Natural Lavender + Sage Deodorant is my new favorite deodorant. I wanted something that did not have aluminum, but also was an effective deodorant. I have not been disappointed by this product. It works better than the deodorant with the aluminum. It comes in a small glass jar with a little spatula to scrape out the deodorant. Let me walk you through application. I scrape out a pea size amount. Then, I press it between my thumb and index finger to heat it up s

I want to say to anyone who is a new mom or new dad that your are doing a great job. Most new parents have a really tough time adjusting to the newest member of the family. Becoming a new parent is the hard part. Our culture, our families, our friends seem to not want to share this information with expecting parents. No one describes the magnitude of how difficult being a new parent is. My doctor and nurses never mentioned or discussed the difficulty of the days after ba

We took our soon to be four year old to pick out something for his birthday, and this is what he picked out, the Mario Kart RC Racer. This remote control car is easy enough for him to steer and control, and he has enjoyed playing with it ever since we brought it home. We have to put it up at night, so, he doesn't play with it when he should be sleeping. So, if you are looking for a new toy for the toddler in your life, this is a good one. #mario #kart #remote #control #car

This pico de gallo is good with fajitas, chips, salad greens, or on its own. Let me know what you think. I hope you enjoy! Ingredients 1 pint grape tomatoes cut into quarters lengthwise 1/3 cup onion, finely diced 1 jalapeno, seeds removed, finely diced juice of 1/2 a lime a handful of fresh cilantro leaves 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin 1/8 teaspoon pepper pinch of salt Instructions Combine ingredients and refrigerate. Allow to marinate 20 minutes before serving. Enjoy! #pico

I needed some new leggings and decided to check out Fabletics. I am not sponsored or advertising for Fabletics; I just wanted to share some leggings I love, and a way to get two pairs for $24. Fabletics.com has a deal where if you join, and become a VIP member, you can choose any two pairs of leggings for $24. As a VIP member, you will be automatically charged $49.95 each month, this is a credit to purchase whatever you want from the site if you do not skip the month during

Alright, I have hit a bump in the Bear Pillow Project. I made Prototype Number 2 and the shape is still far from where it needs to be; so, now I am going to do a deep dive on the internet, and consult all the stuffed toy/pillow experts. I'm still hopeful I can figure out a shape that will work, but my back up plan is to make a square pillow and focus more just on creating a pattern with the shapes and ink. So, I'll keep you updated. Thanks for following the process. A fe

This idea for birthdays is my new favorite. Let me back up a little and explain. Kids have brought an enormous amount of stuff into our home. This all started with baby showers before they were born, and then continued with every Christmas, birthday, and holiday in between. My oldest soon turns four, and with this knowledge comes the dread of the onslaught of gifts we will receive. Then, I read about a fiver party. This idea is the perfect solution to the overwhelming pr

Another app that I found helpful while pregnant was The Bump. This app tracks baby’s development as he or she grows while pregnant. It has a 3D model of what baby looks like at each week of development, and describes how baby is growing and changing. The Bump app also has helpful articles related to pregnancy and preparing for baby's arrival. If you are looking for a great resource covering all things baby and pregnancy, I recommend this one. #thebump #thebumpapp #bumpapp

Brussels sprouts and many other vegetables taste great when they are simply roasted in the oven with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Enjoy! Ingredients: 1 lb Brussels sprouts 2 tsp olive oil 1 pinch of salt 1 pinch of pepper Instructions: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. Wash the Brussels sprouts, trim the stems, and peel the outer leaves off and discard. Halve the Brussels sprouts and place on the foil lined pan. Toss the

I finished printing both sides of the pillow. For the second side, I taped down the fabric, so, it wouldn't move while I printed, which worked great. But where I had tape, some of the threads came apart when I removed the tape. So, I'll add fabric tabs on either side of the bears that can be cut off after printing, but can be a spot to safely secure the fabric while printing without worrying about damaging the fabric. Once, I printed both sides of the pillow and the ink dr

So, I started on the Bear Pillow which led me to realize several things.  First, I need a small funnel to fill up the small bottles with ink, because the opening is smaller than I imagined. Two, the linoleum is thinner than I expected. So, when I ink the shape I make, the ink gets on my fingers. If I attempt to stamp it, the ink would inevitably transfer from my fingers onto the fabric, because I do not have enough material to hold onto to keep my fingers out of the way. I

These small teddy bears are perfect for my boys. Our oldest received his as a gift, and it still looks great four years later after many washes. They are soft and snugly and a nice size. I got our youngest his own Kaloo bear for Valentine's Day. I like these bears, because they are small, so, they don't take up a lot of room, they are soft and tactile for little hands, they are fun for little ones to play with, they are cute, they are durable and will last for years to co

So, as a mom of two, I have changed sizes a lot, and my clothes from before kids don't fit my body after kids. I also realized the only pants that did fit, were all my maternity pants. I've earned them, I'm ready for my mom jeans. These jeans are mid rise, so, they ride just below the navel, which I like. They are stretchy, so, they are comfortable. I chose the dark blue color called mascara, and they look great. These are skinny jeans, so, they are snug, and they come i

Just wanted to share a quick fashion find. I got these two flannel shirts for my husband and they quickly became our favorites. These are a heavier weight than a regular long sleeve shirt. The flannel is a thicker, warmer fabric. We both like the bright colors, and they look great on. They run true to size, my husband is tall and usually wears a large, and the large fits him well. If you're needing some warm long sleeves for the last part of winter, I recommend these: r

So, I almost have everything I need to start making the bear pillow. I got the fabric in yesterday and it looks perfect. I was going for a natural color in an organic linen that feels good and looks good, and that's what arrived. So, I've drawn the seam allowance template onto the fabric, but my low odor permanent marker bit the dust, and I don't want to use a sharpee that has a strong odor. So, once I get the low odor markers in, I'll finish tracing the inside template t