I was slightly hesitant when my sister's post went live and it was all about embracing the capsule wardrobe for the month of May.  Minimalist May, we are calling it. I certainly do not have a TON of clothes but I fill a small closet nicely. Living in a country without a Target, Marshall's or even a store that sells pants in "American" sizes, really helps with the constant shopping trips and being pulled to the clearance rack but there is always online shopping.  We got rid of A LOT when we moved to Japan back in October, 2016. It helped that I was also very large and ..read more

So it turns out picking items for a capsule wardrobe is a lot harder than I thought! Same for you? I follow a couple of minimalists on Instagram and they’ve never mentioned how hard it is to narrow down your wardrobe. It’s hard to pick staple pieces that will function in multiple capacities. For example, I love a good grey tee shirt but can I wear it to a brunch? Church?A meeting? The park? Maybe. Probably. But that requires a lot of thought into what I pair it with. Is that making sense? Instead of grabbing and going, I have ..read more

You know the feeling…you’re standing in your closet full of clothes and you realize you have nothing to wear. There are so many clothes, so many colors and yet you see nothing you want. Has this happened to you? I know it has! It happens to me almost weekly. And so, I’m going to try an experiment. A minimalist May capsule wardrobe! Read on to find out what that means, how I’m going to do it and the details if you want to join me! What is a capsule wardrobe? It’s a wardrobe that consists of a certain amount of clothing that you wear for a certain amount of time. Some people do capsules for ..read more

Dear Cecilia, My sweet, sweet girl. Your entry into this world was shadowed by the fact that we had just moved across the country and were adjusting to life in Japan but you still came into the world with a BIG bang. The doctor smiled and said to me, “Looks like you have a red head!” It gave me the last UMPH I needed during those 3 hours of pushing. A red head, how lucky we are!! You are also what they call a Christmas Baby and while we are already seeing some of the side effects of that, I think I will never tire of knowing that December will be filled with so much love because of you! Ou ..read more

The month of pumpkin has been so much fun to host throughout October! My love for pumpkin is severe, but it is well deserved. Pumpkin adds flavor, nutrients and should be used as often as possible, in my opinion!  My last recipe for the month of October  (I am in no way saying this is my last pumpkin recipe for Fall) is Pumpkin Ale Chicken Chili. It is spicy and earthy, and the perfect addition to a cold Fall night! I know I am bias, but this dinner was pretty darn good. Make sure to read all the way to the bottom for my beer bread recipe! Pumpkin Ale Chicken Chili  Ingr ..read more

Growing up I was somewhat of a tomboy, sure I had my pink stage and my shiny red shoes that my mom used as leverage on more than one occasion, but for the most part I enjoyed comfort over frills and bows. Fast forward quite a few years later to us welcoming Cecilia and discovering that it really is fun to dress miniature females, bows and all. The endless rows of girl clothes can overwhelming compared to the tiny boy's section next-door, not to mention the plethora of accessories that are offered for the girls, but so far she is rather loving her new closet. Living in Okinawa, you wo ..read more

Hello! Oh, how I have missed you all! Thank you so much for those of you who are still pinning, clicking and commenting on my older blog posts. It means the world to me that you are all hanging around during this whole "hiatus" season. Since moving to Okinawa and welcoming our second child, I have been trying to decide where to take the blog and what sort of content I want to bring to all of you. I have some exciting things in the works and hope to be up and running in the next month or two, with lots of  new posts. Until then be on the look out for a few giveaways and special posts here ..read more

WiFi and 4G service is spotty at best when you live in a building made predominately from concrete. It can be quite frustrating when I am in bed trying to download my next RomCom or when we send Luke to his room for some alone time with the iPad (no judgement, our apartment is tiny ya'll). But you know what? I'm happy I don't get service in my daughters new nursery.  This is my last baby I will nurse through the night. The last time little cries will wake me up, needing me. The last time that I will be the sole provider of what my baby needs to survive. Someday within the next year wi ..read more

I had so many books on my, "I will be nursing 24/7, so let's read a bunch" list. Isn't it funny how much less reading happens with your second child compared to your first? One can only multi task so much. So, I am doing a Winter Book Review this time around and includes a little bit of everything.  Time period reads, beach reads for these dreary pre-spring days and even a YA thrown in there. Let me know what you are reading these days and if you have read any of these books, let me know what you thought. Along the Infinite Sea - Beatriz Williams This book is a must read. It was bea ..read more

Cooking is so important to me. Not only do I like to feed my family meals that I have prepared, but I also truly enjoy following a good recipe or creating my own one of a kind dish. Getting back in the kitchen was important to me after we welcomed our second baby, Cecilia. Not only because I love cooking but I am also living in a new country, filled with endless new ideas to add to my recipe book. If I'm being honest, it took me about a month until I really had the energy to spend grocery shopping and cooking a solid meal,  but once I got back into the swing of things it felt so good to ..read more