Craft Room Sneak Peek

The nice thing about kids leaving the nest is that it leaves a lot more room for the people still at home. Since India and York flew the coop, we’ve had a lot of shuffling and redecorating of rooms. Let’s just say I find myself at Home Depot just about… Read More

October 22, 2015February 17, 2016

Getting my Halloween On

Did you know there are all these people out there who think Halloween is really wicked? That it’s evil? Or something? I don’t know what’s so awful about skeletons (we all have one!), or bats (there is nothing cooler than watching all the bats fly out from under the Congress… Read More

October 5, 2015February 2, 2016

The Hateful World of Fundraisers

School has finally gotten underway for everyone, so we should all be in the same boat: fundraisers! I have yet to find a fundraiser that appeals to me. Some are dumber than others (a discount card for 10% off oil changes? Thanks but no). In our elementary school we get… Read More

September 19, 2015February 17, 2016

10 Tips For Making a Perfect Gallery Wall

Gallery walls are all the rage right now. Actually, they’ve always been used in the decorating world but people are finally starting to see just how fantastic they can be. If you’ve wanted to know how to make the perfect gallery wall for your house, I have some excellent tips… Read More

September 17, 2015

Texas Tuesday: The Texas State Cemetery

My son Finn is a huge Navy Seal fan so you can imagine how excited he was to find that Chris Kyle–the ultimate Navy Seal–was buried here in Austin at the Texas State Cemetery. We’d heard lots of people say that visiting the cemetery is a cool thing to do.… Read More

September 15, 2015

India and York Head Off Into the Sunset

Last Tuesday we said our final goodbyes to India and York as they head off to be missionaries in São Paulo, Brazil. It’s been surreal. Super surreal. I’ve felt like I need to spend every second with them even though they would much rather hang out with friends, not their… Read More

August 26, 2015April 25, 2016

Flunking Back-To-School

Isn’t it so exciting to get ready for the kids to go back to school? Normally I start out super organized and ready for the school year. All the kids’ lockers and lunch boxes are cleaned out and ready to go–normally. But this year it didn’t really happen like… Read More

August 17, 2015

The Best Broccoli You’ve Ever Eaten

I know what you’re thinking: the best broccoli? That’s like saying the friendliest wasp or the the funnest SAT test. It doesn’t exist. But it does, mes amis, and it is delicious. And super easy to make. I won’t touch steamed broccoli with a ten foot pole anymore. It’s roasted… Read More

August 13, 2015

Texas Tuesday: Newman’s Castle

I haven’t been writing much about our Texas Tuesdays this summer. Shame on me! I’ve got a whole pile of things to tell you about. One of our most favorite place we went was called Newman’s Castle. This is quite a drive from Austin–about an hour and a half (it’s just… Read More

July 25, 2015

York, the Sommelier

The other day I stopped at World Market to pick up hagelslag*, otherwise known as chocolate sprinkles. They’re not crappy chocolate sprinkles like you get at the grocery store, they’re real European chocolate sprinkles and that’s what my kids like to put on their toast and bagels. While we were… Read More

July 16, 2015April 25, 2016

Are You A Night Person or Morning Person?

I grew up surrounded by Night Owls. Everyone in my family stayed up late all the time, particularly on weekends. This was mostly due to the fact that my mother has always been a chronic napper. We all knew that every afternoon was quiet time and there was no reason… Read More