Hey friends! How are you? How’s your week going so far? I’m sorry I didn’t have a chance to check in as usual on Monday morning. I slept terribly (all thanks to one of those horrific mom dreams that prompts all the middle-of-the-night anxiety) and opted to sleep in rather than wake up at 5 a.m. to type up my usual Monday morning blog post. But our weekend, aside from unwelcome dreams, was a good one. Spring weather is here in full force and we filled our days with this… And a little bit of this… And a lot of this… We also took the boys to see Puppy Pals Live at a local theatre which had all ..read more

aIsn’t it wild the impact weather can have on your mood? It truly wasn’t until springtime weather rolled into our area that I realized how much JOY warmer temperatures and lots of sunshine bring to my day. We’ve been enjoying dinners outside, long walks and feeling grateful for the place we call home, especially this time of year. Keep this beautiful weather streak rolling, please! Tell me about your week! Was it a good one? Anything fun on the agenda for you this weekend? Our weekend is fairly full but it’s filled with good stuff like soccer games, tickets to a local show and a nature event w ..read more

An easy and deliciously vibrant recipe for carrot and apple slaw, this no mayo carrot slaw recipe is crisp, fresh and slightly sweet. It also pairs perfectly with a variety of different proteins, making it the the perfect simple side dish for your next meal.  You know those magical side dish recipes that blow you away so much you continue to make them again and again, despite the fear you may get sick of them… but somehow you never do? That’s this carrot and apple slaw for me right now. I began making it a few months ago when I first bought the viral cheese and veggie gater back in Septe ..read more

My Week of Weeknight Meals series is back! I began sharing one week of weeknight dinners each month on the blog a while back as a nod to the early days of this blog when I used to share my dinner plate nearly every single night. After a very unintentional break, I’m back in action and sharing what our family’s dinners looked like Monday through Friday last week. As always, photos are snapped in real-time and no fancy food photography is allowed. Dinners around here are never complicated and below you’ll see a mix of one-dish casseroles, a simple salad and an easy throw-together pasta. It ..read more

Friday is here! Hooray, hooray! How are you guys doing this morning? How was your week? Ours was fairly normal over here although my gosh I cannot tell you how incredible it feels to have warmer weather back in our lives. And the GOOD kind, not too-hot-too-sticky kind. North Carolina is my favorite place I’ve ever lived for a myriad of reasons but high up there is the mild climate and the fact that we get all four seasons with the next season rolling around right as you’re over the season you’re in. Clearly we are ready for spring! Do you guys have any fun plans on the agenda this weekend? We ..read more

My first Recent Looks post of 2025 is here! I had to laugh when I initially went to write this blog post back in early January. As I was uploading pictures of the outfits I wore back in November and December, the “MERRY” Target sweatshirt we all loved so much completely dominated my photos. Since I figured a Recent Looks post featuring the same sweatshirt in 90% of the photos wouldn’t be of interest, I held off on this post until I wasn’t living in the same sweatshirt day in and day out and had some less festive looks to share. (Not gonna lie, I miss wearing that sweatshirt on repeat.) As alwa ..read more

Hey friends! How was your weekend? For those of you living in areas where the time change took effect yesterday, how are you hanging in here? To quote Ryder this morning when he woke up, “I feel like it’s the middle of the night!” For those of you with young kids, I wish you a day filled with extra cups of coffee and a little more patience than usual! Our weekend was a good one. It was fairly low key which, after some back-to-back busier weekends, was just what we needed. I snapped a handful of pictures to share with you guys and figured I’d upload all of them along with a sentence or two desc ..read more

Good morning and Happy Friday to YOU! How are you? How was your week? I’m home with all three boys again today (it’s a teacher workday at the big kids’ school + Rhett never has school on Fridays) and they’re psyched for a three day weekend. Our weekend plans are fairly clear with the exception of a soccer game for Chase tonight and the big phase one belt test he needs to pass to work toward earning his purple belt in martial arts on Saturday. I’ll try to snap some pictures because I realize it’s been a hot second since I’ve shared a weekend recap around here! I hope you all have a wonderful we ..read more

Hey friends! Happy Wednesday! I hope you’re having a good week so far. I am popping in this morning with a photo dump post of sorts in the form of a picture an hour recap of our day yesterday! Let’s dive right in! 6 a.m. Coffee + Devotional I was up a little before 6 a.m. and began my day by letting Pepper out before making myself my usual whole milk latte. I am very sensitive to caffeine and love the organic Balance Blend by Purity Coffee, as it has 1/3 the amount of caffeine but it still gives me that cozy-comforting feel I go to bed excited to experience the next day. Maybe that sounds cra ..read more

For those who love broccoli cheddar soup, this recipe for high protein broccoli cheddar soup boasts 25 grams of protein per bowl and still manages to have the rich, creamy, deliciously cheesy flavor you’d expect from a more indulgent version of this savory soup.  If you’ve stopped by this blog within the past couple of months, you may have caught wind of the fact that I am making more of an effort when it comes to increasing the amount of protein in my meals. The catalyst for this shift occurred after a bone density test revealed I have osteopenia. I’m already doing a lot of the things r ..read more