Thanksgiving 2021

I'm about a month late in posting about Thanksgiving. This year we were in El Dorado with the Hale family. We rolled into town and went to the square to check out the ice skating rink and playscape! 

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Girls Weekend to Anastasia

We had such a fun time last weekend during our "Girls day!" And the little girls called it. Kate loves her little friends Nora Grace and Annie and I love hanging with their mamas! 

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Halloween Treats

Kate and Emily gifted their friends these adorable little rice krispy treats for hallowen this year. I really love how they turned out! I enlisted a coworker to make them (check her out @thedevilletable) and they turned out perfect! I added a sweet tag that I bought on ETSY and sent them on their way. I love them! 

 

Fall Fun Week + Halloween

There is really so much going on in this post and I don't know why I can't get the pictures to load in the order I click on them. We had such a fun fall fun week/Halloween that I have SO MANY PICTURES to share. 

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Oreo + Chocolate Double Doozie

I posted a similar recipe a couple months ago.. and they were fantastic. We decided to take another stab but as oreo + chocolate cookies with the same yummy homemade icing as last time. These were a hit, a homerun, a solid 10+. You should really try them! 

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Korean Chicken Bowl

This was actually leftovers that I recreated to make into a totally new dish! We've always loved the Skinnytaste Korean Chicken, it's seriously so good. We planned to eat it as leftovers the next night but ran out of our veggies for the side. 

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Dinner at Heirloom + Fall Fun

We had a fantastic, wonderful weekend in NWA with the Lar family a few weeks ago. We were actually suppose to go and have dinner at Heirloom the weekend the world shut down for COVID. They canceled the morning of, which we expected. It was so worth the wait! 

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2021 Family Fall Pics

This year we took our pictures early! I learned my lesson that one year we waited until it was so cold that Emmy's baby little mouth was chattering and then we mailed our super late cards on Dec 23! It happens.. but not this year! 

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Fabulous Fall Weekend

I love fall! I love fall weekends even more! A couple weekends ago we had the perfect little one. Complete with a trip to the zoo, lunch at Lost 40, a fire with smores!, family pictures, and a birthday party. It was packed and lovely. 

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Oven Roasted Veggies

We've been on a real HOME CHEF kick lately! Last week we one of the taco meals but knew we needed a little something extra. I wanted something easy so Brian grabbed zucchini. We had no idea what to do with it. 

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Another Weekend in NWA

We had another fun weekend in NWA with the Johnston cousins. This time we went for Kai's 4th birthday party! It was a super quick trip but so fun. 

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Simply Because They Are Perfect

I mentioned on the way to drop the girls the other morning that they looked so sweet and I wanted to take their picture. I guess they were listening. 

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The Most Fantastic Wardrobe

So excited to share this fun little project. It was actually Kate's birthday gift last month. This sweet little dress-up wardrobe that has kept our girls so entertained! And was fun for me to work on, too :) 

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Food Prep: Korean Beef Bowls

 Last week I put together these lunches for a quick work-week meal prep. I really had no idea how they would turn out but I was pleasantly surprised! The quick pickle on the cucumber and carrots was fantastic! Don't skip that step! 

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Kate's FOURTH Birthday Party!

Can't believe my biggest, little girl is FOUR! We had such a great time celebrating Kate last weekend. I love putting together parties and I'm so excited we finally got to have one for these sweet girls. 

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Tangled Birthday Party Favors

 I've had so much fun prepping for Kate's 4th birthday party this weekend! We loosely had a Tangled theme last year but we only invited family due to the pandemic. This year she was torn between Merida/Brave and Tangled/Rapunzel. I pushed Rapunzel since I knew it would be much easier to decorate. And the colors are so much better! 

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Fabulous (Almost) Fall Weekend!

We had such a fun weekend in NWA with family last weekend. The girls had a blast playing with our cousin, Kai and staring at baby Camden! It was a blast and makes me so ready for fall! 

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Thai Food Prep

This was fantastic! And kind of a happy surprise that I know I will end up making again. A couple weeks ago I grabbed some extra ground turkey to make lunches for us to take to work. I planned to go Mexican theme-ish. But then I didn't get around to it... typical kind of crazy week. 

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Jumpin Jumpin

We got a bounce house a couple weeks ago and it's been a HUGE hit! I swear we jumped the entire weekend. The girls love it and have such a great time. And exert alllllll the energy!!! So of course we love it too. 

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Old Fashioned Iced Fudge Brownie

 

These brownies were FANTASTIC. They were so good-- semi-borderline-rich but with the ice cream, just right. The homemade icing was probably my very favorite part. I will be making these again! And just like that... am I turning into a good-ish baker?! 

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Sisters and Friends

This is another one of those short and sweet, just because posts. Love these sweet sisters and friends! And their love for switching princess dresses every five seconds :) 

 

Art Wall

I had this idea one afternoon to start a gallery wall with the kiddos art from school. The next week I took a trip to At Home, grabbed some frames and BAM! Done. 

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Just Because They Are Cute

I have nothing really to say on this post. Just that I snapped these pictures of the girls last weekend during lunch at Faded Rose. They are so precious. XOXO

 

Teacher Gift: Button People Print

I saw something really similar to this one day while scanning the internet and loved it! I really thought I could make them myself so I did just that... and I LOVE how they turned out! I think they are so sweet and fun little reminder of their year. 

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Summer at the Racquet Club

We've had so much fun this year going to the Racquet Club with the girls. It's the best way to burn some energy and keep cool! The girls have really enjoyed going and are getting more comfortable with the water each time. They have the perfect little kiddo pool! 

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Just Another Thai Basil

It's possible that I've posted about four different versions of thai basil chicken. This one was fantastic and super quick! Planning to make it again this week and I'm thinking I'll toss in more thai basil (because I grew my own this year and it's THRIVING!), some cut green beans and possibly throw on a fried egg. It's really the best meal.. like ever! 

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Back to School 2021

The girls went "back to school" last week. Which in the daycare world means, the school closes for three days to reset and then we return on a Monday :) 

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ECEP End of Year Party 2021

The end of the year was so different for the girls this year. The Sunday before their last week, there was a fire in the church part of the building. They ended up shutting down the school for a week and the girls missed their last week in their 2020-2021 classes. I was so sad they weren't going to get to finish the last couple of days AND have their end of the year party. 

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Jalapeño Cheddar Stuffed Chicken with Creamed Corn

I feel the need to say, yet again, that I'm not a good photographer. And my food pictures never really show how excellent anything is. But this recipe was FANTASTIC even though this picture leaves much to be desired. 

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Rum Cocktails: Volume 3

Who knew I would be back with VOLUME 3 of rum cocktail recipes. But here I am-- rum summer and back with more! The one pictured above is my vary favorite drink when it comes to rum. It's pretty, tasty and I really love the glass. 

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Double Doozie MONSTER Cookies

These cookies were a huge HIT around our house!  Brian has asked a few times about double doozie cookies. I don't think we have a Great American Cookie in LR anymore so we haven't seen any in forever. I ran across this recipe a few weeks ago, text it to him and got "I WANT" as the response. 

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Fourth of July 2021

We had such a great July 4th weekend, I couldn't include it all in one post! We left Little Rock after the kiddos SCHOOL PARADE and went to NWA to see family and friends. Brian's brother David and his wife Amanda had a baby last month so we were super excited about this visit! 

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Baby You're a Firework!

I'm separating Fourth of July posts into two separate ones because the long weekend was so packed and so fun! Starting with a post about the girls precious little July 4th parade at school. This is an ECEP tradition that we missed last year due to COVID. I'm so happy it was back! The girls had so much fun and looked adorable doing it. 

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Asparagus and Mustard Sauce

I'm back with another yogurt sauce. Feel free to deem this the summer of yogurt sauces from the Johnston family. Because we're all in! And if we keep finding terrific recipes, we're not going to stop! 

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Father's Day Weekend 2021

We took a quick trip to the lake for Father's Day weekend last month and packed a lot in a solid day. Brian, as seen above, cooked two meals on the Blackstone grill we got my dad last Father's Day. Both were fantastic and we left with him asking for a Blackstone ….

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Sauce: Yogurt Sauce + Charred Carrots

OK-- get ready for some serious sauce recipes. We are hooked and I don't know that we will ever return! This season on Top Chef, one of the contestants was known for her yogurt sauces. So of course we were interested and started searching for recipes. 

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Cocktail: Rum Edition v.2

 

Hey! Back with more cocktails and since it's summer.. it's rum time! Brian put together a few delicious options last weekend and he did not disappoint. They were terrific. Again, they came from our fancy, go-to BAR BOOK. 

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Rainy Days and Cute Kids

Those smiles are so perfectly my little kiddos! Emily with a big cheese, showing allll her teeth and Kate with a more subtle, smile with the eyes kind of smile. And matching dresses. How did I get so lucky?!

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Memorial Day Weekend 2021

Happy belated Memorial Day! We had a fun time at the lake and hanging out a home-- hello splash pad. It's going to be a long, hot summer! 

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Grilled Swordfish, Sicilian Salmoriglio Style

We're officially declared this meal our summer seafood staple! We've already made it twice and I see if happening many more times! It's terrific. The entire thing. The fish, the radicchio, the asparagus, the wine! Fantastic! 

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Emily is 2!!!

My little baby girl is TWO! Do I have baby girls anymore?! They are looking so grown up these days. And this is the only picture I got of Emily looking at me alllll day on her birthday. She doesn't look particularly happy and she slept with her hair in braids the night before so hellllo fro. 

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Lemon Chicken Skewers with Creamy Feta Sauce

I have followed the Half Baked Harvest blog for a while now. Everything looks really fantastic and she makes a ton of pasta.. so you know I'm a far. I can't believe it's taken me this long to actually make my first recipe. 

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Weekend in Tontitown

We spent the first weekend in May, also known as my birthday, in Tontitown with the Penzo family. We haven't seen my grandparents in so long and the rest of the family in even longer! It was so nice to see everyone and to all be together again. My grandparents decided this weekend that they are ready to downsize and move so I'm so glad we got one last hurrah in this home that means so much to me! 

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Memphis Style Slaw

I talked about our new smoker in my last post and I think mentioned that I've been making non-stop coleslaw ever since! Brian loves Memphis style slaw with mustard and vinegar. So I've practiced and I think I've finally perfected the slaw. 

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Daddy Got a New Smoker!

I swear that Brian has talked about buying a smoker on and off since we started dating. He finally broke down and bought one-- after lots of research, of course! It's been a hit so far and we've cooked a few pork butts, racks of ribs, chickens and some sausage. All has been fantastic and, he says, easy! 

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Kate's BIGger Big Girl Room

Is it obvious to anyone that I can't leave rooms alone? That I'm constantly redesigning and reconfiguring everything?! Kate's room has now changed three times in her three years. And I actually really love it! 

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Easter 2021

I took so many pictures during Easter weekend! These girls had so much fun and looked so precious that I caught myself snapping constantly. So prepare yourself for a long post filled with tons of pictures!! 

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My BEST Girls

It's no secret that I'm literally obsessed with these cute faces. This morning I snapped some adorable little pictures of our girls and I just have to share as part of my virtual memory book. 

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