Every year at Christmas our family friends serve these amazing meatballs as an appetizer at their annual holiday party. It’s one of my favorite food traditions, and I was thinking about how delicious they were recently. I got the idea in my head to rethink the flavors in this tasty appetizer and give them a warm-weather spin to serve at summer parties. We’re huge fans of spicy food at my house, and drizzle hot sauce on just about anything we can get our hands on, and adding some heat to a meatball appetizer seemed like just the perfect idea.
read more
All right guys, we’re talking about something a little bit out of the ordinary here today: working out. This blog is usually a space for my latest adventures in putting donuts on things. I’m also the farthest thing from an expert in health and fitness. I do however love to share things here that are relevant to what’s going on in my life. Working out has been a new addition to my lifestyle, and I thought it would be fun to share a little bit about how I worked out before having Jane, and how I’ve found some ways to reintroduce it back into my routine post-baby.
read more
A red gingham table cloth at picnics, white hydrangeas and tulips on my cookout table, and tons of little American flags tucked everywhere from our yard to on top of cupcakes – an Americana-inspired party theme is one of my favorites for summer! The nice thing about these red white and blue party details is that they work all summer long, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, with the Fourth of July and countless barbeques in between. I thought I’d share a few of my favorite red white and blue party supplies get you inspired for summer celebrations!
read more
The temperature hit 80 degrees yesterday and I’m now summer-crazed. It might be that we were a bit cooped up this winter with a newborn? Or maybe it’s the fact that I’m working for myself this year and know I’ll have a bit more flexibility to spend time outside. Whatever it is, I’m so excited for summer. Last night Mike and I were sitting on the couch talking about how we want to host a big clambake this summer. We also pulled all of our outdoor furniture out of the shed and got our yard set up for dining al fresco. Jane even had a little quality time playing on a blanket in the grass. Summer is the best. I have a few favorite tricks I lean on for setting up an easy, casual summer party, and as we gear up for Memorial Day weekend, I thought it would be the perfect time to share a few of them!
read more
When I say hostess gift, what’s your go-to idea? I bet it’s wine! I love giving a bottle of wine when I get invited somewhere for dinner, or a bottle of bubbly for brunch. I was thinking recently about ways to jazz up this traditional hostess gift with something a bit more fun and unexpected. Warmer weather is right around the corner, and I love a glass of fruity, crisp white sangria. My DIY light bulb went off and I thought how fun it would be to make a sangria kit to bring along to parties.
read more
I’ve been thinking about starting a new weekly post series here for all of the little random thoughts I have that don’t always qualify for a full blog post. I love to share products I’m using, articles I’ve read, and recipes I’m trying out and this seems like the place to do it! I see other bloggers calling this their weekly round up, or their Friday links, but I think for me we’ll call it what it is – a download of all of the stuff in my brain that I can’t wait to tell you about! Let me know what you think of this and if you want to see more of it! Let’s give it a try: read more
I have been driving past our local nursery this week to scope out all of the gorgeous flowers that are out for Mother’s Day. Fittingly, gardens remind me of both my mom and my mother-in-law. When I was growing up my mom had a flower garden that ran alongside our house. All of my favorite flowers like snapdragons, black-eyed Susans and pansies were planted there each year. My mother-in-law has the greenest thumb of anyone I’ve ever met and when we gift her flowers for Mother’s Day she keeps them alive all summer long. I, on the other hand, struggle to keep a cactus alive. I love flowers but gardening is certainly my weakest domestic skill. You know what I’m really good at though? Mixing up cocktails. 
read more
I have a stack of my favorite cookbooks out to brainstorm my menu for Mother’s Day Brunch this weekend. I celebrated early with my own mom last weekend (with a trip to Home Goods, the cornerstone of our loving relationship). So this weekend we’re having my in-laws over for brunch. I’ve been wanting to try several recipes from Joy The Baker’s new brunch book: Over Easy, and I am digging into my own site archives to pull out a few favorites. I thought I’d share 10 of my favorite brunch ideas to get you inspired too! Any bright ideas for your own Mother’s Day brunch menu? Share them with me in the comments, I’d love to hear them! 
read more
Spring can be pretty fleeting around here, we tend to go from cold, dark rainy days right into that warm, high-70’s weather that just begs for beach days and barbeques and ice cream. I have my sights set on Memorial Day weekend to officially kick-off summer! Last summer I got to partner with Better Homes & Gardens to share some recipes in their Summer Entertaining Guide. This year I’m excited to contribute a few more ideas from their annual guide and use some of the items they sent me in their Summer Party Box to create a summer to do list!
read more
In honor of Mother’s Day (my first!) my friends at Birdies Slippers are partnering with me on a really fun giveaway over on Instagram. I can’t say enough good things about these shoes, I’ve been living in them since Jane was born. They’re perfect for slipping on when I’m working at home so that I feel polished yet comfortable. And I love that they have a sturdy rubber sole since carrying around Jane can sometimes be a bit of a balancing act. Did I mention they come in the most adorable colors and styles? I think you just may need a pair too, so hop on over to my Instagram page and enter to win some of your own! 
read more
