Another weekend... another wedding...

We attended another wedding this weekend. It was a beautiful wedding and little Em was a flower girl. 

She sure felt special today, in fact she told me that "it was the best day ever" and "she felt like a princess". 

Aww, that gave me a warm fuzzy feeling inside, I am glad she felt like a princess, because she deserves to feel like one everyday of her life.

Weddings are tough with our little guy, he is so excited to explore and is always on the move. He will not sit still for one moment unless I strap him into the stroller. I keep telling myself, that this shall pass, and then I will miss seeing him so small and cute. 

This little man did great, he brought his toys and played quietly.

He missed his sister, in fact he kept hugging her when he saw her, which Em didn't enjoy very much. 

Em-- mom, he is squishing me

Me-- stop squishing your sister 

Nico-- but mom! I want to hug her!

Well, I don't blame him, I love hugs just as much as he does. 

Can we just take a moment and reflect how big my kids have gotten!! 

How!? When!? 

We can't stop the time, we can't slow it down, we can only enjoy everyday that we have together .

Thanks of visiting, 

Wedding time!

My cousins got married! I know its weird saying it like that, but cousin Katie from my Dads side of the family got married to my cousin Mat from my Mom's side of that family! 

So this wedding was almost like a family reunion for both sides of the family! Especially since the groom is from Germany and his whole family flew in. I haven't seen most of them in 16 years! (back when we were still little kids)

The wedding was absolutely beautiful. The bride was stunning. But I am not surprised, Katie is absolutely beautiful inside and out. She is such a kind and warm person. I am so happy for both of them, May the Lord abundantly bless them. 

Here are a few pictures from the special day. 

Thanks for visiting, 

Fall Home Tour 2015

Fall is here!!

It is one of my favorite seasons, well I think I actually love all 4 seasons equally. 

I live the the NW, which gets 4 very beautiful seasons. Just when I think that I could never tire of one season, I get that feeling of excitement of the next season just around the corner. It doesn't get old, there is always that feeling of anticipation in my heart. As the seasons change, I can not help but be reminded of how wonderful our God is. He made all of this around us. 

I do not do a lot of decorating for fall, but I do like to bring in fall colors to warm up the house and get the cozy feeling.  In the living room I changed my curtains and pillow covers. These curtains are a few years old, I am glad I kept them, I knew they would come in handy one day :) I put away my bright floral arrangements and decor and brought some neutral floral arrangements, fall decor and candles.

During these colder evenings,  our fireplace is warming the house and the candles are flickering, I can not help but get a warm feeling in my heart. I am so thankful for our cozy little house and my family to snuggle up with :)

Thanks for visiting, 

Pie Making....

I can not believe that today is October 1st!  I blinked and September passed by.  

I have been craving a homemade apple pie, and even bought  bunch of  apples on our trip to the farm a few days ago, however----our family eats a lot of apples and most were gone. I don't blame them, they were darn good. There is something about fresh farm apples. 

So we headed to a local farm which sells fresh picked apples and we bought a few different varieties.

How beautiful are these gala apples?!

We started on the pie as soon as we got home

A few little hands snuck some cinnamon covered apples while I went to throw some laundry in, I quickly covered it and stuck it in the oven. My house smelled heavenly. My neighbor stopped by for a visit and asked what I was baking... 

Gosh, what is it about apples, cinnamon and sugar..... YUMMY!!!!

Emily volunteered to take a picture of me.... AWKWARD

And the finished product: (the recipe for my pie is here)

Thanks for visiting and I hope your October is filled with apple pies, cinnamon and crunchy leaves....

Pumpkin Patch 2015

Fall has arrived, which is such a beautiful season. 

After a hot and busy summer, I am looking forward to cooler, slower days of autumn and winter.

During the summers we go to the farm for berries, and now to start off the fall season we took our annual trip to our local pumpkin patch.

 This was our 5th year going there, and it did not disappoint, we all had a blast. 

Just to clarify, we do not celebrate halloween, but that doesn't mean I don't love autumn. It is a beautiful season where the leaves are changing and the last crops are ready for the picking.

The reason I love this pumpkin patch, is because it is not halloween themed. This farm has so many activities to do, we were busy for a few hours. They had a kids bale maze, a corn pit, pony rides, farm animals to pet and feed, pumpkin slingshot, and a huge corn maze, live music, cider, and so much more. 

My favorite part was the tractor pulled hay ride out to the pumpkin fields, it was so beautiful out there, It made me want a farm house, with a few farm animals. sigh.... maybe one day. 

Thanks for visiting, 

Strawberry & Raspberry Muffins

I had a craving for some fresh baked muffins and decided to try this new recipe. 

 I found the recipe on Sally's Baking and we all loved them.

I changed up a few things including adding raspberries in addition to the strawberries, and I substituted the sour cream for the yogurt. 

STREUSEL

• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup  unsalted butter, cold

MUFFINS

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cup  granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 and 3/4 flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup of chopped strawberries
• 1 cup of raspberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425F degrees.  Line a cupcake sheet with cupcake liners 
2. Make the streusel: In a small bowl, toss together the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter in very small pieces using a pastry knife or mix with a fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
3. Make the muffins: In a medium bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the granulated and brown sugars and beat on high until creamed, about 2 full minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute, then turn up to high speed until the mixture is combined and uniform in texture. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
4. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and slowly mix until combined and little lumps remain. Fold in the berries with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. 
5. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups 3/4 full. Sprinkle each muffin evenly with streusel topping.
6. Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425F degrees. Keeping the muffins in the oven, lower the temperature down to 350F and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Click HERE for printable version