I’ve been feeling really stressed lately. With two little ones, a part-time job, and a husband who works late every night, I often wish I had three extra hours every day just to get things done around the house (oh, and it would be lovely if I had even 30 minutes for myself!). Life can […]

Today started out kinda crummy. Evie, Mack and I were supposed to meet my husband in South Bend to cheer on our alma mater Notre Dame, but due to the rain and clouds and chilly temperatures we opted to stay in the city at the last minute. That left me with two energetic little ones […]

Last Saturday was a stunningly beautiful day – crisp blue sky, gentle sunshine, and a Caribbean blue lake. So, my little family of four hopped on bikes to take a tour of our pretty city and savor the summer weather. We rented the bikes for four hours, assuming we’d return them in two. It was […]

Little Evelyn is a total chocoholic. Just like her grandma, she needs at least a little bite of it every day in order to maintain sanity. So, when my friend Sarah over at PersonalFaves.com blogged about chocolate cookies she recently baked I knew I had to try out the recipe. Evie refused to nap this […]

This afternoon while Mack snoozed Evelyn worked on her first thank you notes. My parents recently treated her to a new winter coat and my husband’s parents bought her some new outfits. So, this was the perfect opportunity to teach her about gratitude and how to show it. Although I had to write the actual […]

We just returned from a long weekend away from the city. We took a three hour drive to Galena, a small town near the Mississippi River where Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin meet. Rolling farmland, lush bluffs, and wide open skies greeted us as we left behind the everyday stresses that tend to weigh us down. […]

My family and I recently gathered to celebrate my dad’s 51st birthday. It was a perfect summer day spent in the sunshine. I only recently realized that a lot of my homemade approach to life comes from the example my dad set while I was growing up. He spent summers tending to a very large […]

My little girl turned 2 this week. I have to wonder how two years have passed since she joined our family. I can’t imagine life without her now. She is so full of joy and happiness and curiosity. I am truly blessed to have such a lovely BIG girl for a daughter. To celebrate her […]

With our gorgeous city as a backdrop, I had some professional pictures taken of my little family earlier this month. We were so fortunate to have photographer Lauren Wakefield spend an afternoon with us. She is in the process of starting her own photography business, but based on her professionalism and talent it would be […]

As I write this post I am receiving the world’s best Mother’s Day present: my husband is cleaning the bathrooms! I was about to tackle this task, but he offered to give me a break this week. The only problem? He doesn’t know how to clean a bathroom! The solution? My blog post on cleaning […]