New Stuff

You might have noticed my Etsy shop is looking pretty bare. I've noticed it too and am feeling the push to fill it up! If only there were more hours in the day.

I'll be adding a couple of Stacked bags this week ~ the original version. I felt the urge to go back to the basics, before the extra strap and zipper pocket. Back to it's original design, and I remembered how much I love this simpler version. I'm hoping you do too! The first bags posted will feature the brown/blue bird print and the sunglow geometric print.

I'm also hoping to stock up on new fabrics soon so keep checking back. You just might find your new favorite bag!

A Little Inspiration for Monday

"The grand essentials of happiness are:

~ something to do

~ something to love

~ something to hope for"

by Alexander Chalmers

No More Training Wheels at This House

We now have another "Official Bike Rider" over at our house! Jonas has given up his training wheels and now rides his bike. Don't you just love the shin guards? He says it's okay if he falls because they'll protect him. If only life were that easy, right?

This milestone has been very bittersweet for me. While I was super excited for him and the confidence he has gained over the last week, it's been hard to acknowledge that both of our kids are no longer babies, no longer toddlers for that matter. They are growing up right before my eyes. We always kid with them that we are going to shrink them down. But inside, I sometimes truly wish I could do just that and hold onto these moments a little bit longer. I don't want them to pass so quickly, so soon to be forgotten.

Now we've moved onto family bike rides and creating this new moment together. This has become our family ritual after dinner. The kids love it and can't wait to see which direction we're headed to. And in my head I'm thinking, "Can't we just stop time and not go in any direction? I vote for that."

Summer is Here!

Summer officially began at our house about 9 days ago. That's when the kiddos finished school and our routine went out the window. I was enjoying it for the first couple of days. Now I understand why some parents sign their kids up for a gazillion activities during the Summer!

But we decided long ago that our approach would be different. I used to feel a spirit of jealousy and competitiveness when other moms would tell me of all the activities their kids were participating in. "We're in soccer, t-ball, swimming, dance, and gymnastics." I used to think we were depriving our kids of learning new skills. But then I realized that we aren't in this "parenting and family" thing to see how many skills our kids can learn. And not to mention all the driving around to/from practices and the stress and overload put on the kids. We're in this "parenting and family" thing to teach love and character. To us, these are lifelong skills that are so much more important.

So our Summer is not filled with tons of scheduled activities. I believe our kids need to learn to entertain themselves through imaginative play. They need to have friends over to learn social skills, and they need to just have fun. Yes, I do have days when I'm lacking in the patience department and wish a camp would suddenly show up at my door and whisk the kids away for an hour or two. But I have to stop looking at the short-term and remember the long-term.

To fill our days so far we've been:

~ garage saleing (is this a word?). The kids love it and go prepared with their own zipper pouch of money. They're learning the different coins (dime, nickel, etc.) and their worth. They're learning to interact with others and the process of paying for your items.

~ running through the sprinkler and swimming.

~ gardening. The kids have loved planting our vegetables, watering them and watching them grow. We're enjoying our strawberries right now.

~ reading. We're joining our library's book club this week as well. This is great because they offer all kinds of weekly prizes for meeting your reading goal.

~ crafting. The kids are really into making cards for people. We use everything from ribbon to paint to candy on them.

~ playing at different parks. We have tons and tons of parks all within a half hour of us. I'm trying to pick a new park for us every week. It's free, fun and even better when we pack a picnic lunch!

~ bike riding. More on this to come in my next post!!!

I would love to hear other people's ideas for creative Summer activities. Please leave me a comment with your suggestions.

A Special Holiday

Just wanted to take a minute and wish everyone a great Memorial Day. I hope you get a chance to spend time with loved ones over this special holiday.

10 years later. . .

My husband and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary this week. We've had a lot of family medical stuff going on that has really taken its toll. Now that everyone is doing well and healthy, we couldn't have picked a better time to celebrate. A time for us to reflect and share a special moment together.


So we headed to Door County, Wisconsin for two days. Our first weekend away from our kids (a big thanks to Grammy and Pop Pop). Our first real getaway in six years. We were so ready!


It was beautiful, and our timing couldn't have been more perfect. While we weren't there at the peak season for cherries or apples, we avoided all the crowds and simply enjoyed the peace. We took a 9-mile hike through one of their State Parks, ate at a fish boil (a super touristy thing), stayed in a gorgeous cottage right on Lake Michigan, and did lots of sight-seeing. It felt like we were dating all over again.

Can't wait to see what's in store for the next ten years!

Yummy Snacks

I love food. Don't we all???? But I tend to get stuck in a rut, especially when things are really busy. Then I find we keep eating the same stuff all the time.

So I'm constantly on the lookout for new healthy snacks for us to enjoy. I came across two new recipes that I can't wait to try.

This one is for roasted garbanzo beans. Hummus is one of my favorite foods so I'm hoping this is yummy too!

And this recipe is for homemade granola. Sounds super easy (right up my alley!). We go through a ton of yogurt and granola at our house so I'm excited to make this. I just bought the oatmeal and am gonna give it a whirl tonight.

Happy Cooking!