You know you’re a mom when showering becomes an item on the to-do list. When diapers are a line-item in your budget. When a good night’s sleep is 5 consecutive hours. When folding laundry means catching up on an entire episode of Grey’s. When you start decorating cookies with stamps to make Heart Stamped Cookies. That’s when you really know you’re a mom. Read more
I’ve yet to second guess our decision to move to the Twin Cities. This place has become home fast, even as we live in a temporary apartment, with unpacked boxes lining the closets, 25 minutes away from our forever home (the one I’ve vowed to take my last breath in since we’re never moving again). The Be Crafty Workshop is one of those things that’s made the transition easy. It’s the prettiest craft workshop either side of the Mississippi, which runs right through this town. Amanda and Jessica make magic every time (remember the Holiday Bash?). And this time Leslye flew in to make magic too. Making the food for this event, and getting piggy back on their brilliant ideas, is a dream. On the menu: an Italian Soda Bar and Chalkboard Heart Cookies. Read more
An english professor in college, who most likely passed me with flying colors because of my Cher impression, always said, “Nothing was created in a vacuum.” At the time, he was encouraging us to read period appropriate texts in order to give context to what we were reading. Admittedly, I read just enough to get by in that class (if Spark Notes counts), and I wrote my final paper on the interaction of scenery and plot in the Harry Potter films, though I would have much preferred to write about The Sixth Sense. I was a design major, worlds away from becoming a writer (or reader for that matter). But what he said stayed with me. Read more
Over the holidays, my siblings and siblings-in-law were all in one place for a brief second. You could call it a Christmas miracle. We pounced on the opportunity to have brunch together, a fancy one. I’m a plain white tee and jeans kinda girl, but every once in a blue moon, life calls for a shiny gathering with breakable dishes and real napkins, around a table almost too pretty to sit at. Almost. Here’s how we threw a fancy, picture-worthy brunch (video and bloopers included). Read more
On the nights my mom made chili, I was in charge of mixing up that iconic blue Jiffy Cornbread box, whisking together the egg, and the milk, and the mix in the speckle green melamine bowl. Ever since, I’ve liked my cornbread sweet and served from a muffin tin. With an extra pat of butter if you really want to know. Now, on the nights I make chili, I make it from scratch, because I love to, and I make sure they taste exactly like the ones I grew up with. With that, I give you this Jiffy Cornbread copycat recipe. Read more
My mom’s from the south. My dad’s from the north. I grew up with both stuffing and cornbread dressing at holidays to appease the palettes of either pole. But come New Years Day, her southern menu was always on the table. My mom made pork, black-eyed peas, and broccoli casserole (in place of collard or turnip greens). This meal is said to bring health, luck, and prosperity. Maybe the lack of this meal has been your problem all these years? Kidding. I’m no poster child, but tradition keeps me making this menu, especially her black-eyed peas. Read more
Every year it happens. A new Christmas in a _____ is born. Though, I had to change my preposition from in to on this year. This year I give you: Christmas on a Plate. It might be the easiest and prettiest of the bunch. Read more
A couple weeks ago, I got the sheer honor to make treats for the Be Crafty Workshop, the coolest craft workshop this side of the Mississippi. Amanda and Jessica host one fine party, and I love nothing more than to make things with my hands. Basically, I had the time of my life (see picture below). Read more
