Thanksgiving 2016

On one hand, it is hard to believe almost a week has gone by since Thanksgiving already but on the other, we have been knee deep in Christmas mode the last few days (Christmas music, lights, and evergreen garland everywhere you go in our house right now!) so it definitely looks more like Santa will be visiting soon than a turkey. ;) I can't forget the memories we made together on this special holiday though.

I made brunch on Thanksgiving morning and my mother-in-law joined us! We had chocolate chip pumpkin waffles (my first time making them and they turned out AMAZING, definitely a new holiday favorite) with scrambled eggs and fruit.

For some reason, Liam was being super shy at first around his Grandma but one bite of that syrup and peanut butter covered chocolate chip waffle and you would have thought he was Buddy the Elf. "Buddy, do you like sugar?" "Is there sugar in syrup?? Then YESSSS!" He was quite the sticky mess. haha

He started showing off for everyone about 2 1/2 minutes after the sugar rush kicked in to overdrive and he was dumping out baskets of toys and climbing in them ...

Turkey hat and ALL! ;)

Cutest pilgrim and turkey!

Grandma brought Liam some belated birthday gifts and one of them was this talking dinosaur from Doc McStuffins, which he loves! We are so thankful for all of Liam's sweet Grandma's and Grandpa's in his life who make him feel loved and special!

After brunch Liam went down for his nap and Nic and I jumped into a couple of projects for a bit. He hung Christmas lights on our house for as far as the clips would take him. We ended up with only half our house in lights because we ran out but that sweet man worked in the snow and dark on Monday night to finish them. I puttied holes on Liam's big boy bed (which is sooo close to being done and turned out adorable!).

When Liam woke up we drove to my father-in-law's house to celebrate with his side of the family! I wish we would have all gotten a picture together while we were there. I felt so incredibly grateful all evening for how much work they put in to making an amazing Thanksgiving dinner for us! Despite my efforts, they wouldn't let me lift a finger.

The turkey my father-in-law made...

It tasted even better than it looks!

As we suspected, Liam wouldn't eat very much of the meal (he's a picky eater) but he did try his very first olives off of his chubby little fingers and a helping of sweet potatoes (must have been all of those marshmallows that drew him in)! I tried just about everything and even had seconds! haha It was so yummy!

Liam entertained us for most of the night of course! He also colored that adorable turkey picture. It says, "I am thankful for pumpkin spice marshmallows (he is obsessed) and egg nog!"

Trying his very first drink of egg nog with daddy ...

He loved it!

The very next morning we got up bright and early and drove to Boise to see my family for the rest of the weekend. Lots more pictures and stories to come from that adventure. :)

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with those you love. I know we did! We are so thankful for our families and all that they do for us. I am also thankful for my two boys and the joy they bring to my life every day. I can't imagine my life without them. 

Thanksgiving Favorites

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!! Hope you are having a festive week so far! Liam came down with a cold and I am nursing a bit of a sore throat so we are trying our best to lay low so we can enjoy the holiday with family tomorrow. I can hardly wait for a big bite of mashed potatoes and gravy. ;) Until then, a few favorite finds all about Thanksgiving ...

Thanksgiving dinners can be long for kiddos to sit through but this adorable coloring page is coming to the rescue at my house!

I am hosting a Thanksgiving brunch in the morning and am making these pumpkin chocolate chip waffles. Sounds amazing right?! Can't wait to try them.

If I wasn't trying the waffle recipe, this pumpkin french toast bake would be it.

Liam loves crafts so I think we just might have to spend part of our morning making one of these turkey, Indian, or Pilgrim crowns to wear.

Last but not least, one of my favorite quotes that could not be more true, "There is always something to be thankful for."

Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with the ones you love! XO

weekend happenings

Happy Monday & Thanksgiving Week! Today feels a little bit like a Friday (minus all of the house cleaning & laundry I spent all morning doing) because after today, Nic has the rest of the week off with us!! It made the weekend blowing by in a fury a little less painful because man it went fast.

Our weekend was the perfect mix of productive and fun! We spent most of the day on Saturday working on the bed frame we are building for Liam's big boy room. Nic did all of the cutting and began the assembly process while I did all of the sanding. Five hours later and I could feel muscles on fire in my forearms and shoulders that I never even knew I had! haha Can't wait to share more pictures when it is all finished but here is a sneak peak for now ...

Liam happily played in the sandbox all bundled up while we worked. If he had it his way, no season would be inappropriate for playing in a sandbox, he loves it so much!

Saturday evening we took Liam to Lava Hot Springs for the first time. At his two year wellness visit a few weeks ago our pediatrician told us it was okay for him to try hot tubbing so we felt like with these brisk evenings we've been having, it would be the perfect time. Not only did the hot springs feel incredible on those sore muscles I mentioned earlier but it was so much fun watching Liam's face light up as we dipped his toes in the warm water for the first time! When he wasn't begging to be held on his stomach while he practiced swimming, he was waving his arms around and splashing the water everywhere. The bottom of the hot springs pools were covered in pebble gravel and I would scoop up handfuls for him and he would try to squeeze every last pebble in his palm before throwing them in the air like confetti! No pictures from our time there (it was too dark and we left my camera and Nic's phone in the car) but those memories we made together are some that I will never forget. 

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend! XO

tales of a toddler

I think toddlers might be the most hilarious little people in the world! They just have so much personality and are learning new things every day so they do some of the most comical things ever. Here are just a few tales from our toddler lately ...

Looks for mom, discovers she's not in the room. Looks for dad, discovers he's not in the room either. Begins hollering at the top of his lungs "DEEEEEEE DEEEEEEE DEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" (code for: hello?! Where you at??) By the way, "DEEEE" has officially replaced the names mama and dada. I have no idea!

Walks in the bathroom, immediately goes straight for the roll of toilet paper and begins unwinding half the roll, decides a mile is finally an adequate enough length and tears it off. He blows in it once, coughs in it for good measure, and then rolls it all into a ball and throws it in the garbage can. Ready for round TWO!

ME: "Oh Liam, look! Look at all of those tractors out the window!"

We pass said tractors rather quickly ...

LIAM: He launches into, "MO, MO, MO, MO, MO, MO, MO!" (more)

As if we can make a tractor appear again for him out of thin air. haha

Wakes up, immediately goes for the toy basket, and insists the entire thing be dumped out. Meanwhile, I begin cooking breakfast for the two (sometimes three of us). Liam ever so quietly hauls every single toy from the basket to be stacked one at a time around the rim of the kitchen table, I turn around and he eyes me ever so carefully with this cheeky grin on his face, sees that I notice all 168 toys ready to join us for breakfast. I take even one small step toward the table and he shrieks "NOO!" Every day people, every day.

And not a day goes by when he is not covered from head to toe in stickers!! haha

So glad my world revolves around a two year old every day because it's comedy central 24/7. ;)

friYAY & a few favs

I don't think there has ever been a more perfect time to use the acronym TGIF than at the end of this particular week! Between the craziness of the election, the destroyer that was daylight savings time to schedules (hello early morning wake up times from a certain little boy and some of the loooooongest days ever!), and some personal trials, I couldn't be more ready to welcome the weekend. We have been blessed with some incredible weather for this time of year so I think we'll take advantage of it and get our Christmas lights hung before it decides to take a bipolar turn toward nordic temperatures. Before I sign off for the weekend, a few favorites this week (most from around the web) ...

These copper lace lanterns I found in the T.J.Maxx clearance aisle that look like they came straight from the shelves of one of my favorite stores! Speaking of Anthropologie, everything in their Holiday section is just SO good!

THIS rug for Liam's big boy room we have in the works. Can't wait to share more soon!

A mash-up of pure talent by two of my favorite artists!

Two out of three pairs of my Toms have holes in the toes (I'm starting to think I might need to make this a trend, ya know like holes in jeans?!) but maybe these adorable sneakers hold up better?

I got our family pictures back this week that my sweet friend took and I love them! Can't wait to put together our Christmas card this year! A sneak peek of the cutest one who stole the show ;) ...

And two favorite quotes ... "In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer." & "In a world where you can be anything, be kind."

Choosing to find joy in my soul and to spread kindness because love always wins. 

Happy Weekend! XO

a dress

When it comes to sewing, I set my mind on creating something pretty extravagant with very little practice and expect perfection. Oh who am I kidding, that is pretty much me with any of my hobbies! haha A few days before leaving on our trip to California back in April (I meant to share this post sooner, but somehow it got lost within the draft archives), I was finishing up packing and really wanting to bring a floral maxi dress with me. With too little time to ship something I found online and no luck searching the limited options we have in this small town, I decided I'd sew a floral dress myself. I used this tutorial, minus the pockets on the front of the dress, and cut my own pattern out of parchment paper. I hacked out the dress two nights before leaving and sewed it the night before our very very early morning flight the next morning. haha Don't look too closely because the sleeves are a little tight and the neckline has two small spots where the fabric bunched but other than that, I was pretty pleased. I think my grandma would be proud! :)

five favorite soups for fall

One of my favorite things about fall is adding soups and chili's into our dinner menu rotation! In fact, we tried this new homemade chili recipe just last week! I don't know about you, but I am always looking for new recipes to try with my family because even after trying to make it a goal to try one new thing each week, the chances of everyone loving it and it becoming a new favorite isn't always the case. I just end up reverting back to the same 5 meals I always make. haha These recipes are ones we have made time and time again and they are definitely a favorite around here! My husband doesn't like onions so the ingredient list for most of these recipes has been slightly adapted from the original but I've linked back to most of their original sources in case you might be missing those onions. ;)

Seafood Chowder

image & recipe source

My mom got this soup recipe from a Pampered Chef cookbook and made it a ton while I was growing up. If you love thick soup and are a fan of seafood, you've got to try it! We also love to add red pepper flakes to make it spicy. ;)

2 cans minced clams

1 T butter

4 - 5 red potatoes chopped into 1 in. cubes

1 cup sliced carrots

1 cup sliced celery 

1 cup diced red pepper

4 cups chicken broth

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

3/4 cup flour

2 cups half and half

1 lb. frozen thawed shrimp with tails removed

Directions // Melt butter in pot over medium heat. Add clam juice only (reserving the clams for later), potatoes, carrots, celery, red bell pepper, chicken broth, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil and cover. Reduce heat, simmering everything for 3-4 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Measure flour into mixing bowl and whisk in half and half until smooth. Add clams and shrimp to pot, whisking in flour mixture as well. Return to a boil and cook 2 minutes until thickened. 

Creamy Tomato Basil Tortellini Soup

image & recipe source

This soup is seriously incredible!!! Not the healthiest option out there so we usually save it for special occasions but oh my goodness tortellini and tomato soup together?! YUM! Not to mention super simple.

1 tsp. olive oil

2 cloves minced garlic

2 cans condensed tomato soup

1 1/2 cups milk

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. basil

1 package cheese tortellini 

Directions // Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, tomato soup, milk, chicken broth, salt, pepper, and basil. Bring to boil. Add tortellini and cook according to package directions (7-10 minutes).

Lasagna Soup

image & recipe source

2 tsp. olive oil

1 lb. Italian sausage with casing removed

3 cloves garlic

1 (32 oz.) container chicken broth

1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 (14.5 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper

4 broken whole wheat lasagna noodles

1/2 cup fresh basil

3 T grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese

Directions // Heat olive oil over medium heat in soup pot. Add sausage and garlic, cooking over medium-high heat until sausage crumbles and browns (8-10 minutes). Add broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, salt, and crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Add noodles and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 10-12 minutes until soup thickens and noodles are tender. Remove from heat and stir in mozzarella, basil, and parmesan. 

Celery & Parmesan Minestrone Soup

** I can not for the life of me find an image and a source link from the website but this recipe came from a Better Homes and Gardens Magazine! **

This is a new favorite this year that I saw in the Better Homes & Gardens Magazine! It had a relatively simple ingredient list, all of which were things my husband liked on it! It has been a great lunch option for me too to reheat throughout the week2 T extra-virgin olive oil

2 cups diced celery

1/2 cup diced carrot

1 clove minced garlic

1 tsp. celery seeds

1/2 tsp. ground pepper

6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

1/3 cup whole wheat orzo

1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes

1 3/4 cup cannellini beans rinsed and drained

1/2 cup chopped celery leaves, divided

1/4 cup parmesan cheese 

Directions // Heat olive oil in soup pot over medium heat. Add celery, carrots, garlic, celery seeds, and pepper. Cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add orzo and cook uncovered 8-10 minutes until pasta is tender. Add tomatoes, beans, half the celery leaves, and cheese. Cook over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes until steaming hot. Garnish with remaining celery leaves. 

Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup

image and recipe source

12 boneless skinless chicken tenders frozen

2 cups chicken stock

1 10oz. can red enchilada sauce

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can original hotel

1 can sweet corn

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. salt

optional garnish with shredded cheese & tortilla strips

Directions // Add all ingredients to a slow cooker and stir to combine. Cook 3-4 hours on high heat or 6-8 hours on low. 

Other recipe favorites on my Pinterest board here!

Hope you find something new to try with your family and if you have any favorites, please share in the comments below! XO

Halloween 2016

The last couple of weeks leading up to Halloween have been so go, go, go that it seemed ironic when the actual holiday finally rolled around, we had very little planned. I was very thankful though because it wasn't my best day so it was nice not to have somewhere we had to rush off to. In fact, Liam and I spent most of the day in our Halloween jammies playing tractors and watching Hotel Transylvania. 

A few photos before church on Sunday ... oh how I wish I could keep him dressed up in his Sunday best all the time because look at how adorable he looks in that bowtie!

"Daddy, you're so funny!"

Rearranging mom's pumpkins like it's his job ...

When Nic got home we had leftover chili and cornbread from Sunday night before getting Liam dressed to go trick-or-treating for his first time. In the mad dash between already answering the door  to the first wave of trick-or-treaters and trying to get Liam and I ready, I managed to forget to put on Liam's face paint for his costume. A wolf without a nose, he was for the night! Oh well. By the second house he had the whole trick-or-treating thing figured out and loved every minute of it! He would help knock on the front door, then tip his head back to smile up at the stranger who opened it from the inside. He was give them his biggest grin while we said "trick-or-treat". Sometimes they would plop a treat in his pumpkin bucket and he would check inside just to make sure it was in there before smiling back up at them again. Other times if they let him choose his pieces of candy, it was always m&m's. Taking Liam trick-or-treating for the first time was the best part of my day. There is just nothing better than seeing the excitement that holidays bring in a child's eyes. My heart was so full as we all walked hand in hand as a family up and down our street together. That was about as far as we made it before Liam spotted our house and was pointing to go home. There was no complaining coming from Nic and I because it was definitely chilly last night.

When we got back home we brought our candy bowl back inside to begin answering the door to trick-or-treaters. Liam immediately plopped down and dumped out his bucket of candy and demanded that I open a piece for him right that instant! haha He had waited long enough! In fact, I was shocked he wasn't eating every piece he got between houses. Throughout the night we all consumed waaaay more sugar than one should in their lifetime. haha That means it was a successful Halloween right?! ;) We tucked our sweet little wolf into bed with his skeleton jimmies on and it wasn't but a minute before he slipped into dream land. That or a sugar coma, it's tough to say! :)

Happy Halloween from Little Red & her favorite Wolf (and also Nic who traded me jobs and was the man behind the camera all night)!

I feel bad admitting this because Liam loved every minute of it, but I am feeling happy to be saying goodbye to Halloween today. I am looking forward to a peaceful season that November brings and the more present reminder each day to reflect on the things I am thankful for in my life. I am learning that even amidst our trials in our lives, we still have so much to be thankful for and if I spend my time focused on that, I am filled with more joy. So with that said, Happy November! I am thankful for you for reading! XO