I didn’t really grow up a huge football fan, but when I moved to Boston for college I began to see a lot of the appeal. The winters here are cold, and hibernating with your friends and family on the couch on a Sunday afternoon to watch the game is a pretty nice way to spend your day. Also: football snacks. Yea, it’s the snacks really sold me on the whole football thing. I’m always looking for new treat ideas to bring to family and friend’s houses when we’re over for a Sunday afternoon hang, and that’s where the idea for these football marshmallows came from. The recipe is in the new issue of Family Circle Magazine on stands now! 
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I think that post-holiday brain must be a real medical condition, because I totally have it. I’m on a constant mission to reduce food waste in our house and use up ingredients we have on hand in the fridge when I’m meal-planning. This week, we had leftover roasted chicken in the fridge and I thought about how tasty it would be with some pasta, brussels sprouts, and a squeeze of lemon juice. YUM. I started jotting the recipe idea down and got to cooking. When the meal was ready I moved it over to the window to take a few pictures so that I could share here on the blog. Then I dished it up into a few small bowls for us to eat for lunch. As I took the first tasty bite, it occurred to me: I never put the chicken in the pan! I blame it on this terrible post-holiday brain, it’s really the worst.
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I have not jumped into 2018 with the fervor and energy of years past. Is it the weather perhaps? I’m typing this while huddled underneath a big blanket with a piping hot cup of coffee nearby, and yet it’s still freezing. The first big snowstorm of the season is barreling down, and while I wish I had bounding energy to write down goals and plans for the new year, I kind of just want to snuggle up with a good book instead. Sometimes though, a good book is just the motivation I need to get started. I thought it would be fun to round up a few of my favorite reads over the past few years that have inspired me, helped me make changes and resolutions, and a few that are on my reading list right now to tackle this month!
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Well, happy, happy new year! I took a little unintentional holiday break from the blog and internet over the past two weeks, and I have to admit to you: it was blissful. The end of the year was madness as I pushed through tons of work deadlines, holiday commitments and errands, and juggled a sick baby who had ear infections, a bad cold, and was cutting her first four teeth — yikes! To say that I needed this holiday break would be the understatement of the year. We traveled to see family and celebrated Jane’s first Christmas, we took on a big house project and painted our living room (which I can’t wait to share!), and we closed out the break with a really fun New Year’s Day brunch party (and an unfortunate New Year’s Day hangover). I even got to relax a bit and read a book, a whole book!
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Is it okay to have cupcakes for breakfast? If you’re celebrating the holidays (all month long, like me), then yes, you absolutely can. I’ve had a box of Trader Joe’s pumpkin bread mix in my cabinet for the past few weeks, and the other day when I was hunting for something to indulge my holiday sweet tooth I got an idea! I decided to make the pumpkin bread batter and bake it into muffin tins. It’s a sweet and spiced bread that came out nearly cupcake-like.
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My mom asked me recently what I wanted for Christmas, and I jokingly said that as the mom of an infant, all I really want is an afternoon where I could sit on the couch in silence for a few hours. She laughed and asked if there was anything else that I wanted that might fit under the tree better. I got to thinking about it though, and it actually is the perfect gift idea – not just for me, but for any friend that would love a cozy winter day of hibernation and relaxation. I’m not cool enough to use the term Netflix and Chill, but this my friends, is definitely a Netflix and Chill kit. Here’s what I put in it in my hibernation-themed gift:
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This post was created in partnership with Keurig Green Mountain®; all opinions, images, and content are my own.
The days have gotten shorter, the wreaths and lights are going up around the neighborhood, and this week I finally broke down and pulled out our basket of hats and mittens for the cold weather; it feels like winter! In the summer we have tons of friends and family visit us — living by the beach lures them in! When we have friends and family stay for the weekend this time of year though, I find that we spend a lot more time cozied up inside our house enjoying slow mornings full of brunch and pajamas and lounging on the couch. Given that we spend a bit more time at home during these chilly holiday weekends, I’ve been brainstorming fun ways to make our mornings with houseguests a bit more special.
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My friends at Garnet Hill are hosting a wonderful campaign this holiday season to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®. To participate, Garnet Hill is asking people to post a photo of a beautifully wrapped gift with #StJudeShareAGift on Instagram (or upload directly to the landing page here) which will trigger a $10 donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, up to $15,000 total donation. In the spirit of the holidays, and participating in this great charitable campaign, I’m sharing a fresh idea here today to make your holiday gifts look beautiful with DIY faux-malachite gift tags.
I am so incredibly excited to get our Christmas tree this year. Since it’s Jane’s first Christmas, it’s like I’m experiencing the holidays for the first time too. You should have seen her eyes widen when we walked down the holiday decorations aisle at the store the other day, and she saw all of the trees and lights and giant blow-up lawn decorations. She was in complete awe. I know these moments of childhood holiday magic can be fleeting, so I’m determined to start new traditions right away and take advantage of this time when the holidays have that extra special sparkle.
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When it comes to holiday decorating, I work my way through the house and add touches of festive details wherever I can. The mantle and staircase get garlands, the dining room gets updated linens for the season, and the front porch gets adorned with wreaths and greens. My favorite place to add festive touches is a high-traffic spot during the busy holiday entertaining months: my bar cart. I thought I’d share a few of my favorite styling tricks for decking out your bar in the most festive ways for the holidays:
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I'm Kate, and I like to
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