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Our Favorite Outdoor Toddler Items (And what I wear while I’m chasing them around)
We buy ALL the things as parents; some are a hit and some are a miss. These are our biggest hits and the things that we truly use multiple times a day anytime it isn’t pouring rain outside: Bounce House – My mom told me I was insane when we bought this for Joey for his 3rd birthday but I think it’s been our best parent purchase ever. We use it both indoors and outdoors so the kids can get all their crazy energy out rain or shine! Scooter – We take a scooter ride every. single. day. Joey recently upgraded to the razor scooter but started on a 3…
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Camping With Kids
This past weekend we took Sam & Emma camping with some close family friends at Birch Bay State Park just outside of Bellingham, Washington. When I mentioned my weekend plans to an office colleague, her response was “You are going camping? In a tent? I took you as more of a five star resort sort of gal.” Truth be told, yes, given the choice of vacations, I would rather be lounging poolside, cocktail-in-hand than camping in a state park with mosquitoes and no running water. Sam and Emma, however, absolutely love to camp and we do our absolute best to make our meals campfire gourmet. So with the tips below…
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Girlfriend Goodie Bags
Happy Friday! I’m spending the weekend with girlfriends (and children) in Chelan and made little goodie bags for us to enjoy while we are here. All of the necessities for a weekend of fun in the sun. Whether you’re planning a girls weekend, bachelorette party or a birthday celebration hopefully this provides some inspiration! Also… my friends’ husbands will be there and mine will not (he’s going to my brother’s bachelor party) and I am slightly terrified to have the boys on a mini vacay solo so wish me luck! Here are all my goodie bag necessities: Retro Sunglasses Tie Dye Tees (homemade – directions here) My favorite Pink Bubbly…
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Baked Tacos with Three Fresh Salsas
Have you ever baked your tacos? I just started because Chris requested tacos for dinner a few weeks ago and it’s a game changer! Tacos taste THAT must better after they are toasted in the oven. The cheese melts which helps keep the meat and beans in place and the taco shells gets nice and crispy. They are a great way to feed a crowd because you can have them all ready at the same time so people can just grab their own taco and load it up with what they want. I served baked tacos for dinner one night in Lake Chelan over the Fourth of July and Megan…
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Magical Cold Brew
We have a fantastic cold brew coffee recipe for you today! Ryan does not even like coffee (unless it has chocolate in it!) and he mainlined this magical cold brew. A recipe born out of necessity because, unfortunately, COVID-19 has closed our favorite Lake Chelan coffee stand for the summer. Which, while at the lake, we typically walk or kayak to everyday for an iced coffee. And, despite this closure, our kids still wake up at the crack of dawn ready to play on the lake. So we started experimenting with cold brew recipes… Below is the magical recipe we are now making over and over again. INGREDIENTS 2/3 cup…
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Chocolate Banana Pops
Looking for a fun kitchen activity with kids this summer? We recommend making chocolate banana pops! An easy, fun to make, tasty and entertaining idea that the whole family will enjoy. Let the kids explore the pantry to pick out toppings. We promise there will be lots of smiles, giggles and chocolate everywhere! Here’s what you need: 1 cup chocolate chips (we used both white and dark chocolate) 2 tablespoons coconut oil Firmer bananas Popsicle Sticks Sprinkles, mini M&Ms, mini chocolate chips, graham cracker crumbs, chopped peanuts, butterfinger, coconut – and whatever else you want! Directions: Cut firm banana in half crosswise and put on a popsicle stick Put on…
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My Favorite Wedding Details
Chris and I celebrated our 6th anniversary yesterday and I thought it would be fun to share a few of my favorite things from our wedding… there are aspects I would change, things that were fine but these are the things I loved so much and hope they can provide a little inspiration in your own wedding planning process! On that same note, I am SO sorry for everyone who had their wedding planned and had to reschedule or cancel because of Covid – the wedding planning process is difficult enough without the stress of a PANDEMIC – I can’t even imagine. Intimate Rehearsal Dinner We kicked off our destination wedding…
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Happy Anniversary Mallory & Chris
Today is Mallory and Chris’ 6th wedding anniversary. And this post is a complete surprise to both of them. Mallory previews and QCs all of our posts before they go live – I might lose my password privileges after this… Six years ago I had the honor of being Mallory’s matron of honor and giving a speech during her and Chris’ wedding reception. A couple weeks ago I found my handwritten speech on four pieces of legal notepad paper while searching for something else in my home office (which is really a closet but more about that in another post). I decided it would be a fun anniversary surprise to…
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Three Ways to Serve Watermelon
Hello Sunshine! Watermelon season is here and we can now officially say its summer. If we’re not eating watermelon in the traditional sliced triangle, here are our three favorite ways to serve it. How do you like your watermelon? Watermelon Arugula and Feta Salad All the ingredients of this fresh summer salad compliment each other so well and it’s pretty to look at too! It is delicious, easy to throw together and perfect to serve with anything you are grilling. INGREDIENTS 3 cups seedless watermelon, cubed and chilled 1/2 cup crumbled feta (plus more to sprinkle on top) 7 oz arugula 1/4 small red onion, sliced very thin 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil salt and pepper Balsamic glaze…
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Patriotic Pasta Salad
Still looking for a festive dish to to serve for the Fourth of July? We have a fun, easy!, and celebratory red, white and blue pasta salad recipe for you today. The perfect thing to bring to a Fourth of July barbecue or potluck (do such things still even exist?!?). A takeoff from Freutcake’s beautiful Blueberry Tomato Pasta Salad, I simply added penne noodles and diced chicken breast to take this recipe from a side dish to the main event. How to Cut Mozzarella into Stars Cutting mozzarella into stars is not nearly as hard as it looks and because the rest of this recipe comes together so quickly, it’s…
