Last hurrah at the lake for labor day! Emmy was so sad driving home saying that it was the last lake weekend until next year. She went out with a bang. I've never seen someone jump in and out of the water as much as she did. She slept amazing!
Hamilton in LR
09 September 2026
We love Hamilton! Brian and I saw it in NYC during one of our trips. When we came back, I started listening to the soundtrack in the car so the girls got very into it. We finally watched on Disney and they were hooked. I don't know how many times they have watched or how many times they have sang the Schuyler Sisters. I know they have received Alexander Hamilton and Eliza Hamilton little golden books. We are true, true fans!
Josh's Birthday at Benihana
08 September 2026
Year three for joining the Hall's for Josh's birthday hibachi dinner. We went back to Benihana this year and everyone had a blast! Emily asked our chef to start a big fire no less than 10 times... and he never did!! It was so wild. But we got the beating heart and alllllll the butter.
Quick and Delicious Cinnamon Rolls
01 September 2026
Ya'll. This is the best cinnamon roll. I still love fully homemade but for a quick and easy cinnamon roll. This is heavenly. The icing is so delish. You just have to grab a pack of tiny king Hawaiian rolls and the rest is easy peasy.
Fun Times With the Huffmans
31 August 2026
Our friends Stephen and Laura moved back to Conway from Texas and we were so happy to see them and the girls to play with Lillian! I can't believe she's this old and we just met her for the first time. I am so happy they are back and we get to spend time together again!!
The Very Best Chicken Salad Recipe
30 August 2026
Love this chicken salad so much!! It's so delish and fresh and tasty and good on crackers or bread or just by the spoonful. I also love the crunch from celery so it fits perfect here. You don't have too cook a whole chicken and you don't have to soak your onions. It's delish with any variation you go with. Try it!
DIY Cork Board
29 August 2026
If you've been on instagram at all you've likely seen all the covered cork boards with fabric, etc. And these aren't new. I remember making one when I was in high school and again in college. They are so fun and easy to make. I had been loosely looking for a super big one for the girls room. As they collect all these things they HAVE TO KEEP, they need somewhere to display them.
Back 2 School 2026
28 August 2026
Back to school 2026! These cuties were not ready to go back but were ready to see their friends. Love how they love each other. I hate uniforms but love how sweet they look in them :)
Baby Laura!
27 August 2026
We have baby fever! This sweet little baby has Emily and Kate going gaga over her! I didn't remember that babies could be so small.. her head! Maybe it's because my kids didn't have little heads :) haha. But my goodness. I could smell her all day. She's precious.
Honey Garlic Chicken with Bok Choy
26 August 2026
This was surprisingly delicious. I was kind of expecting it to suck, which I don't really know why I chose to cook it. But it turned out really fantastic and super quick for a weeknight meal. Brian also loved it.. win!
Backpack Kits for Littles
25 August 2026
I put together these little back to school kits for Emily and Kate of some essentials they might need during the day. Was also looking to scale back on the amount of times they go and visit the nurse :)
Yes Day Before Back 2 School
24 August 2026
I always take off the Friday before back to school to take the girls shopping for school supplies and tennis shoes. Since they wear uniforms, it's not really fun to shop for clothes so these have been our go-tos. We did school supplies a few weeks ago when we were at target so what started as a quest for tennis shoes ended up being a YES DAY for my two favorite girls.
Quick Blanket Dumplings = Delish
23 August 2026
Oh yum! I found this recipe on an instagram reel and then my algorithm was nothing but this recipe! This was incredibly easy, quick and really freaking delish. I'll be making them again really soon. Plus-- Emmy loved the filling, Kate loved the wrapper :)
Disposable Camera :)
22 August 2026
I bought Kate and Nora Grace disposable cameras for them to take to camp and it was hilarious to get them developed to see what they took pictures of. It was hard to get the kids to grasp a camera that you look through but can't see the picture immediately. There were SO many pictures of the ground, trees, their food, etc. The one above was my attempt to show them how to work it!
Lake with the Gattins
21 August 2026
We had the very best weekend with the Gattin Family at their amazing, lovely and welcoming home on Lake Hamilton. I'm so glad we finally got the trip together because everyone had fun-- bigs and littles!
Hand-Drawn Name
20 August 2026
I've had a lot of fun playing with these. I saw an instagram of this girl drawing names this way with watercolor and colored pencils. So I knew I had to try it. My first attempt was wonderful. And then I messed it up trying to put texture on top. My second attempt was good but then I messed it up with adding the address. So I digitized it with ChatGPT into a watercolor and removed the address. I do love it! Click to see the original.
Picture Frame Mats From ANYTHING!
19 August 2026
Ya'll.. I'm on a kick and I'm making mats out of anything and everything!! Any picture with a white or boring mat in my house is not safe! I'm going crazy and using anything as the cover as well. But geez, it's so fun!
Blackberry Gin Spritz
18 August 2026
Hello! And here we are with another delish cocktail recipe. I found this one on Instagram and knew it was right up my alley. I made a couple small tweaks and have enjoyed it this summer :)
Back to School Shopping
17 August 2026
The girls always love back to school shopping! We went early this year because we always wait until the end and everything is gone. So this year, we started with lunch at Olive Garden! Emmy has been begging to go since she saw the endless pasta commercial :)
BSB at the Sphere!
16 August 2026
Woo hoo! Went to see the Backstreet Boys in Vegas last month! It was so much fun! They put on a wonderful show and it made my little millennial heart so happy.
Still Stitchin'
15 August 2026
Still stitching from time to time. Love this new one that I made for a neighbors birthday. The colors are so pretty! The perfect little bag :) XOXO
Chermoula Chicken Kebabs With Zucchini Salad
14 August 2026
Love summer meals like this. A fresh veg, herby protein, a little red wine. It's so perfect!! This one was easy and packed with flavor! Another win from the New York Times.
Pesce all'Acqua Pazza
13 August 2026
We've been making a lot of fish lately and I absolutely love it! Emily has started liking more as well and I learned if I add pasta, everyone will eat it! This one was so delish, so light and so perfect as a summer dish!
Week at Ferncliff!
12 August 2026
The girls had the best week at Ferncliff this summer! My friend Mandy text me about trying out the day camp with the optional last night sleepover. Emmy was in! Then Kate decided she needed to go too... just in case Emmy got scared. It was so fun hearing all about the week and the things they learned.. independence!
Perfect Glasses for Backstreet Boys!
08 August 2026
Sesame Crusted Tuna
18 July 2026
This one just happened! We had ordered the ahi tuna salad from Zaza's a few nights prior, Emily (like Emily does) took it from our plates and killed the tuna! She asked to have it again. So I grabbed some ahi at the store and let her help me decide how we were going to cook it. We typed in ahi tuna in instagram and watched some videos...
4th of July 2026
17 July 2026
We had the very best 4th of July this year! It was laid back, chill, and literally got chilly one night! We went to the lake for the weekend. My parents and her sister, my aunt Toni and uncle Dennis joined us. We cooked good food and took it easy. The fireworks were so good this year!
DIY: Patriotic Hats
16 July 2026
I made these fun and adorable hats for the girls to wear for the 4th. I went to Hobby Lobby and actually wasn't in the market for any of this but stumbled on these adorable iron-on decals. I almost bought the shirt ones. Now I'm super interested in that!
Green Goddess Chicken
15 July 2026
Green Goddess Chicken.. as I'm calling it, was so fantastic! I'm adding this to the rotation forever because it was so quick and so easy! And GOOD! And I think healthy. Had to be healthy.
Cake Batter Blondies :)
14 July 2026
I saw these blondies on an Instagram reel and I knew immediately that Brian would love them! So I made them for the 4th of July. And while he was eating one, he said, "I don't want anymore brownies!" Which he does after he's had a 3rd or 4th serving of a dessert. I looked up and said Brian, I thought you liked them and wanted them! He said, "If you would let me finish, I don't want anymore brownies. I only want these!!!"
Mini Camp for Kate
13 July 2026
There are some parenting milestones you expect to feel emotional. I feel like I usually keep it together for these. I don’t generally get over emotional on birthdays or first days of school, etc. I definitely did not have “three-day mini camp” on my list, but apparently that is where I found out I am not nearly as cool about independence as I imagined. For me! Kate was cool as a cucumber.
Chicago with Kids
12 July 2026
We just took a super fun family vacation to Chicago with our girls (7 and 8), and I had a few people ask me about things we did with the kids. So I’m writing it all down and sharing all my thoughts about Chicago with kids.
DIY: Painted Camp Trunk
11 July 2026
This was fun! You know I'd like to say this was all for Kate to enjoy and appreciate and yada yada.. but this was all for me! I love this kind of thing! I love painting and making things pretty and just being creative. I stayed up late in my craft room, painting, and listing to music. It was lovely!
Chicago: Last day!
10 July 2026
Last day! And there isn't a whole lot to write. Brian went and grabbed us all breakfast and brought it back to the room. We packed up our things and took it slow then headed for the airport. The traffic was insane!!! And an uber said it was going to be around $120! We figured it would take forever and the girls had asked about the L... so we figured, might as well take it!
A Day to Remember! American Girl Place, Chicago
09 July 2026
It's just like it says.. a day to Remember! I can not believe how big and over-the-top this place is! The girls were so excited, I think it's a top 10 day for sure. Maybe top 2!! It was so fun watching them and witness their faces all day. It was seriously magical and I'm so happy they were able to do all of this!
Chicago: Day Four
08 July 2026
Day four. Last full day! Also the day we went to the American Girl doll store, finally! But I'm going to post about that one separately cause it was all kinds of wonderful and really deserves it's own post.
Chicago: Day Three
07 July 2026
Hello and welcome to day three! Which was so much fun! We walked through this park on the first day when we were headed back to our hotel. Just happened to stumble on it and it's so lovely! We planned to grab breakfast one morning and head back for the girls to run and play-- and for us to enjoy our espresso and a beautiful morning.
Chicago: Day Two
06 July 2026
Hello and welcome to day two! We went so hard the first day that we slept in today and took it slow. We had reservations for brunch this morning -- also Father's Day! And Kate has really been looking forward to this one. So we took the long walk to the west loop and were able to do some sightseeing on the way!
Faith Lately: Learning to Receive
28 June 2026
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I don't claim to have all the answers or always know the right thing to say. But I do know that I feel things deeply and writing about them has always seemed to help. A huge life event happened to our family in 2023, and it changed the way I think about a lot of things. It deepened my faith and, at the same time, became something that has been difficult for me to process and talk about.
I use this blog as a way to document our life. I love looking back years later and reliving trips, birthday parties, holidays, home projects, and all the little moments in between. Truthfully, I write this blog for me. It's a scrapbook of sorts, and writing has always helped me process things, learn from them, and sometimes make sense of them.
So I'm starting a new series called Faith Lately.
Chicago: Day One
27 June 2026
Helllllo Chicago! We woke up early this morning to make it to the airport for our 6:51am flight. I feel like we were always here with way too much time, so we shot to leave our house at 5:15. Brian says we cut it far too close for his liking. We waited a long time to check bags, and it took a while to make it through security. We grabbed breakfast and coffee and walked right on to board. I feel like it was perfect timing 😊 But that’s not what you’re here to talk about.. it’s our fun, family trip to Chicago!
Sylamore, Year 2
24 June 2026
Round two at the Sylamore with the Johnston Family was another success. The girls love it! We did not camp this year and they were highly disappointed but I was deeply thrilled that Brian realized we are not tent kind of people. Hello cabin from here on out.
Salmon Salad, Pantry Copycat
23 June 2026
Ya'll.. I had this dream of a salad at the work lunch the other day. I left knowing I need to try to recreate it as soon as possible and have it again. It was at the Pantry in west Little Rock. I did not add the salmon at the time but when I made it at home (more than twice now), we added and it was divine!
Memorial Day and AI :)
22 June 2026
Memorial Day at the lake consisted of playing with Boompa's ChatGPT nonstop! And the girls loved every minute of it. So funny to hear them explaining exactly what they want in their AI-generated images! :)
Oreo Icebox Pie or Cake?
20 June 2026
Brian asked for this Oreo Pie a couple weeks ago so I had to deliver. The girls "helped" me and could barely keep their little hands out of the Oreos. That's the problem with ordering those darn things, the minute they came in the grocery delivery, I had to fight everyone off so they would be left for the pie!! Also lied and told Emmy it was a cake cause she hates pie. Babies be silly.
Mahjong with Mah Babes
19 June 2026
Can we talk about how fun it is to play Mahjong with your kids? The fact that Emily will sit there and play and not dump the table over if she doesn't win is reason enough for me to love it. It's so precious. They want to play every single day. They love to cheers, they live for the bird bam and lemonade. Its so fun!
Emily's 7th Birthday!!
18 June 2026
What a fun celebration for Emmy's 7th birthday! We had her party the day before her actual birthday, which was also the last day of school. It was such a fun kick-off to summer! SO many kids, having such a fun time swimming! And these little party favors turned out precious.
Last Day of School 2026!
17 June 2026
Last day of school for these plaid wearing cuties! They were so excited to leave school behind and start the summer. Especially since usually the last day of school means you go home right after promotion ceremonies. This year, only for Kate. Emily actually chose to stay at school with her friends for the rest of the day! Doesn't hurt that she's obsessed with her teacher.
Rice in Schools @ Forest Park!!
16 June 2026
Where work and life collide! One of my very last events at the Department of Agriculture was the stop at Forest Park for the Rice in Schools program. And it included 1st and 2nd grades so I got to tag along with my kiddos and their friends for all the fun.
Greers Ferry with the Caldwells
15 June 2026
We did a weekend at the lake with the Caldwell's back in the middle of May and had so much fun! We always have fun with this family and these silly kids. Especially at the lake!
