Simple Home and Happiness

I grew up cooking with my Mom and I've loved it from a young age. I didn't even realize that not eating a sit down meal at least once a day was an option. It honestly wasn't until recently when I was setting the table with all four kids underfoot and putting the baby in the highchair at noon, that I realized that this is probably why some people choose not to cook. It is work. You have to love it to do it all the time and not have it feel like a chore. I do it because I love it, and because I don't have a lot of choice. There is no way I can afford feeding a family of six eating out all the time. We don't eat fancy meals, although I love cooking up a nice meal now and again, usually I am cooking with at least two of the kids underfoot, and I am just happy to get a home cooked meal on the table. I serve my kids. At the table. From the pot. It goes on their plate. They eat it. End of story. My weeknight meals aren't going to end up in a photo spread ...

I have been writing here for over five years. Writing in this space has motivated me and changed me. It's has shaped a part of who I am.  I just wanted to say thank you. If you've been reading for awhile or just found me recently, I truly appreciate all your comments, whether online or in person.  The past two months have been slow on writing, mostly due to the fact that typing with my broken wrist was pretty much a no-go. Then life got crazy and we had several doctors trips and even another emergency room visit, so things got pushed aside. But here we are at the end of March and heading straight into Spring. The days are getting longer, and as everyone else is celebrating it, I am mourning the end of early nights around the dinner table and babies being tucked into bed before eight o'clock. But life moves forward and I am learning to accept it, because each moment is temporary. Breaking my wrist and being forced to slow down has taught me so many lessons, ...

Things have been crazy over here. Since breaking my wrist, we have been struck down with baby illnesses, stitches, respiratory issues, and minor surgery. Top it off with day to day living of six people under one roof, in late winter, in South Dakota, and I am telling you, we barely made it, but by grace, wine, and prayer, we survived. We have so much drama with four out of six of us being female. And if you think a two year old doesn't have drama, then you have never lived with a two year old girl. Seriously people, all the emotions, ALL the time. I am a big feeler of emotions. This can be a blessing and a curse. All my girls are this way as well. These days, there are so many FEELINGS. Yes, I am shouting, because oh my word. I cannot even handle it all. And I get it, I am an emotional person. And I keep preaching it to my husband, that we have to teach the girls to deal with their feelings and give them tools to cope. But man, after two months of upheaval, and schedules ...

Well it has been a week since I wrote this.  Things didn't magically fix themselves, but I did get two consecutive great nights of sleep before the baby revolted and remembered he only likes to sleep in two hour increments. So here I am looking at Monday again. I started writing this post early this morning, and now the sun is setting and I am on the fourth sentence. My Monday didn't exactly go according to plan. But it did involve an unexpected, glorious two hour nap and a surprise care package in the mailbox from a sweet friend. Never under estimate the power of gifting a friend a nap or a pampering gift that says, "You are loved." Surround yourself with good people. The kind of people you look forward to seeing light up your phone and your life. I am in that awkward phase of having small children and the opportunity to get together with friends is REALLY far and few between. But they are there, quietly going on with their own crazy lives, waiting fo...

Lets talk game day food. All rules go out the window on Super Bowl Sunday. If it's fried, soaking in sauce, buttered or just plain bad for you, I am game. Ha, see what I did there? So if you're on the lookout for game day food here are some tried and true recipes I've taken for a spin and would highly recommend for this weekend! Honey Buffalo Meatballs   *I was heavy handed with the hot sauce on this one, and it was oooooh so good. Whiskey and BBQ Meatballs *I served these at a birthday party, and they were gone very quickly! Baked Fontina *A pan full of bubbly, golden, baked cheese, need I say more? I've made this several times and you could even try this stuffed mushroom spin on it! Buffalo Wings *Tried and true wings, a classic. Also, her olive cheese bread is fantastic, I highly recommend it! ******* And just for kicks, here are a couple more links to recipes I haven't tried yet, but sound like they would be perfect fo...

I am in a moody place right now. I am in the middle of tax preparation (makes me want to scream), kids are in post-Christmas detox, baby boy still has yet to sleep through the night, and my husband is trying to help, but I mostly want to punch him in the face. My struggles are small in comparison to many but sometimes even the little struggles can feel monumental. I have cried simply because I am tired, because my back hurts from falling on the ice, because I have not gotten my way, because everyone needs something from me ALL THE TIME. I will get out of this funk. I will find the happy, and I will fight for it. Normally when I sit down to write, I try to think about what someone may need to hear to lift them up and I usually end up giving myself a pep talk in the process. But today there is no pep talk. Today there is just brutal honesty. Today I am tired, I am sad, I am frustrated. In this space, where I try encourage others, I want to let you know, that even the most ...

As I ran out the door to take a hot lunch to my seven year olds classroom today, I found myself thinking, "A better Mom would have brought a vegetable." Despite having baked four stromboli loaves from scratch, despite having been up since 4:30 a.m., despite having kept four children alive for another day, I somehow thought (however briefly) in that moment, that I wasn't good enough. Of course half way to town I shook myself out of it. I reminded myself that it wouldn't have mattered if I brought the perfect vegetable pairing or take-out pizza or casserole from a box. The only thing that mattered was that I was going to show up. I was going to bring a meal to a great group of kids, who could not care less what they were being fed. They were just happy to get food; kids are easy like that. I am sharing two posts that I wrote awhile back, because I needed the pep talk today. And maybe I am not alone, maybe you need it too. No matter who you are, no matter your ...