valentines day [2014]

hello there my sweet friends!

it's that time of year again...

HOORAY! <3

 

This "holiday" is one of my favorites.

I love sending snail mail & this is the glory day for that.

Receiving written love is really the best, too!

 

Here are some photos I snapped during this

festive, heart filled, love celebration!

Enjoy, lovies!

 

 

conversation hearts crack me up!

do people really say: SUP BABE?

who knows but I'm stealing it..XOXO

 

 

made some homemade sugar cookies with my 2 littlest kiddos

 

 

black clothing = not the best choice when using flour..

 

 

the end result <3

[not pictured: all the sprinkles everywhere else but the cookies]

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this is my second year participating in lynsdey's #handmadeval.

it's super exciting mailing mine out,

but I especially love checking the mailbox for surprises!

 

 

I totally got spoiled this year with 4 awesome partners!

 

 

 

^^ here are what I sent out! ^^

 

I found those little strawberry hair clips &

knew I wanted to incorporate them somehow..

I think they turned out rather cute (+ of course #masonjarsforlife)

 

 

Also, I sent out some extra lovins to my pen pals,

because I LOVE THEM!

[shout out to my gals]

 

 

& then...on valentines day I was showered with LOTS OF LOVE

my friends Val + Jenny sure made my day with their sweet surprises for me! <3

 

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I've been talking of making these heart leggings for ages,

so here they are & i love em! woo hoo for DIY! <3

 

 

[a few handmade gems- for bigs & littles]

 

 

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+ of course, our house needed showered with hearts too!

 

 

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here are my cuties, curled up before Adam left for the weekend.

they are perfect...

 

 

This seemed fitting for my man,

his initials <3 JAM <3

[i love him ALOT]

 

Hope you had a wonderful day with your valentine!

Just know..YOU ARE LOVED

 

I'll leave you with a throwback from

our first valentines day: 2010

 

XOXO

mystery day date: lititz

happy monday!

hope you all had a super fun & exciting weekend! :)

if you know mr. mack at all he's super fun & sometimes sneaky...

this past weekend he planned a mystery day date for me us.

(these my friends are the best!)

even though i strongly dislike surprises; day trips even that out.

we slept in past 8, he made this awesome breakfast,

we cheered on our friend, jess, who ran a race passed our house,

eventually got ready & hit the road to adventure!

but first, he had to wash the jeep...

& I naturally had to take a selfie. #howwedo

our drive was filled with lots of chit chat,

and undivided attention.

(sorry Blue if you're reading this)

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our destination was…

Adam & I have never been here together, 

and we had been talking of going for awhile.

This winter day was perfect;

it warmed up to almost 50* & it was super sunny!

our first stop was one of the most popular places:

(I may be biased but they are the best!)

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next we hit up

for a late lunch.

this place was so quaint & cozy. <3

the food was INCREDIBLE!

If you are in Lititz, you must go here! promise?

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then the rest of the afternoon we spent perusing the countless

tiny shops to find all sorts of hidden treasures.

(if you know me, you know:

for things I never new I needed until we crossed paths.)

(the curiosity shoppe was the cutest!)

(i want to live HERE!)

here are our treasures:

lace table cloth, linen tea towels, hearts hankie, wilbur buds, a canning book,

and a 1963 philadelphia paper after JFK was assassinated.

this day was SO MUCH FUN!

I recommend you plan a mystery date for you & someone you love.

It is so worth it & think of all the memories you will make.

Thankful for this fella. <3

Hope you have a great start to your week!

snow day: in the kitchen

words that are becoming all too familiar in our neck of the woods.

breakfast has become one of my favorite meals to cook.

normally I pack my breakfast & eat with my kids at work...

so these days are rare, especially for mr. mack & me to eat together.

I decided to try this sweet potato hash brown with dippy eggs

I've seen/pinned a few times on pinterest.

I can see this super easy breakfast becoming a family favorite.

[the cast iron skillet made this dish even tastier.]

love being across the table from this guy. <3

it's always a sign of a good day..

as you can see this pup would stay out all day if we'd let him.

snow days are his absolute FAVORITE! 

& as per usual he is always covered in white. 

 with the snowfall means= baking!

Am i right?

Well I'm currently doing the WHOLE30.

Essentially it's a 30 day kick start to better eating & choices

by eating clean & healthy foods.

I'm on day #9,

and today has been tough.

I really want to bake cookies & drink hot cocoa!

But my self control has surprised me! WOO HOO!

So with that being said,

I decided to bake but not for me..for Blue.

He was running low on treats.. so I found a recipe

and luckily, we had all the ingredients here!

(I don't think I could've made it to the store otherwise)

original recipe found here

                Ingredients:

• ⅔ cups Pureed Pumpkin
• 2-½ Tablespoons Vegetable Oil*
• ½ teaspoons Cinnamon
• ½ cups Instant Oatmeal
• 1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
• ½ cups Water*

               Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together pumpkin, vegetable oil, and cinnamon.
3. Slowly add in oatmeal and flour until combined. Using your hands may be required as this does get very sticky.
4. Finally add in the 1/2 cup of water.*
5. Roll dough to 1/3″ thickness and cut into doggie bone shapes or whatever is easiest for you.
6. Place on a greased pan and bake for 30 minutes.* Monitor to make sure they don’t burn. Every oven is different, so they can burn quickly if you’re not looking.
7. Brush top of treat with bacon fat.
8. Let cool on wire rack and then toss one to your faithful four legged friend

I made a few edits(*) to the recipe:

*used coconut oil instead of vegetable oil

*didn't use the water it called for..the mix was the right consistency

*only baked for 20 minutes

*AND brushed bacon fat on top for some extra flavor

[I found this heart cookie cutter thrifting with A the other day!<3]

All in all--Blue loves them

& that's what matters!

I even let him lick the spoon ;)

What a lucky dog.

Oh & then there is THIS GUY!

He's the best.

It always amazes me all the ways he cares for me..

even if it is shoveling the sidewalks & cleaning off my snowy car

for my early morning drive.

I'M A LUCKY GAL.

[chief frozen beard]

Hope those of you who also had a snow day...

had an excellent one!

P.S:

 for dinner I'm making ribs with roasted veggies! :) YUM!