Thursday, October 19, 2017
Ghoulish Chocolate Tart
Chocolate screams halloween for us and when I came across this recipe for a dark chocolate ganache tart I just couldn’t resist making it. Ganache is incredibly rich and creamy, melting in your mouth with every little bite. I love making ganache for cakes and it’s what my mom always uses to make her favorite chocolate sheet cake that gets baked up for almost every family gathering. I love the decadence of it and it’s beautiful sheen once set.
Ganache can seem intimidating, but it’s incredibly easy to make. It’s basically hot cream poured over chocolate chips. This recipe in particular is simple and versatile, allowing anyone to make it uniquely their own with simple add ins (vanilla, mint or orange) and fun decorations. I used a basic powdered sugar + heavy cream frosting, mixing until I reached my desired consistency. I really want to perfect my piping abilities to make better decorations for desserts and this was a fun little way to practice. Add a pinch of salt on top before serving for a little something extra to cut through all the sweetness!
Recipe for Dark Chocolate Ganache Tart from Live for Cake.
Ganache can seem intimidating, but it’s incredibly easy to make. It’s basically hot cream poured over chocolate chips. This recipe in particular is simple and versatile, allowing anyone to make it uniquely their own with simple add ins (vanilla, mint or orange) and fun decorations. I used a basic powdered sugar + heavy cream frosting, mixing until I reached my desired consistency. I really want to perfect my piping abilities to make better decorations for desserts and this was a fun little way to practice. Add a pinch of salt on top before serving for a little something extra to cut through all the sweetness!
Recipe for Dark Chocolate Ganache Tart from Live for Cake.
Wednesday, October 18, 2017
Festive Fall
Ah, I m so in love with this season and everything that comes with it. I’m pumpkins obsessed, sprinkling them throughout the house and I can’t get enough of our cooler nights that feel so crisp after a hot summer. I’ve learned I need to pace myself in this season of life especially when we have so much going on. I very much dislike feeling rushed, but when fall rolls around it can feel like the perfect date you’ve been waiting for all week. The days leading up to it seem to feel a lifetime away, but when it finally arrives it slips through your fingers quicker than you can remember getting picked up. That’s how fall is for me. My favorite season of the year. I’ve been waiting and now it’s here and I feel rushed, trying to cram everything I can into these short blissful months.
This October alone was quickly filled with birthday invites, church happenings and Halloween festivities. However, something is different about this year than our previous years. We decided to prioritize our family. Even though we may have a lot going on, it also means slowing down. We consciously decided back in the summer to fully enjoy more at home and less out and stop consuming ourselves with a bunch of stuff to make the season fun. We focus on spur of the moment fun like heading to the park with gorgeous weather that calls for hot cocoa afterwards. Having dinner picnic style on the living room floor while watching one of our favorite halloween movies, making apple cider donuts and having a sugar fight, or going on a scavenger hunt at the pumpkin patch and making a picture from the items we find. It doesn’t need to be extravagant, just enjoyable and most importantly, memorable.
Which brings me to one of my favorite quotes...
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
This is how I want to live my life, I want it to be full of these types of moments (that take my breath away) rather than panting, trying to catch my breath because I’m constantly being rushed. How awesome is it that we get to choose how we live. We can slow down, we can speed up, we can stay still.
This week was evident of us slowing down and it felt so good! We had a cold front move through that was enough for the furnace to kick on, flannel sheets were needed and all the cozy blankets were pulled out of the closets. Somehow we all managed to snuggle into our bed and having all our babies wiggle under the covers (without squishing for of the others) was so sweet and cozy! All the kids were also able to dress in sweatshirts and sweatpants and tights (oh my!) and embraced all the warm layers. We headed to the park and I just love these little swing shots I was able to capture from our slow + fun park & hot cocoa adventure.
This October alone was quickly filled with birthday invites, church happenings and Halloween festivities. However, something is different about this year than our previous years. We decided to prioritize our family. Even though we may have a lot going on, it also means slowing down. We consciously decided back in the summer to fully enjoy more at home and less out and stop consuming ourselves with a bunch of stuff to make the season fun. We focus on spur of the moment fun like heading to the park with gorgeous weather that calls for hot cocoa afterwards. Having dinner picnic style on the living room floor while watching one of our favorite halloween movies, making apple cider donuts and having a sugar fight, or going on a scavenger hunt at the pumpkin patch and making a picture from the items we find. It doesn’t need to be extravagant, just enjoyable and most importantly, memorable.
Which brings me to one of my favorite quotes...
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
This is how I want to live my life, I want it to be full of these types of moments (that take my breath away) rather than panting, trying to catch my breath because I’m constantly being rushed. How awesome is it that we get to choose how we live. We can slow down, we can speed up, we can stay still.
This week was evident of us slowing down and it felt so good! We had a cold front move through that was enough for the furnace to kick on, flannel sheets were needed and all the cozy blankets were pulled out of the closets. Somehow we all managed to snuggle into our bed and having all our babies wiggle under the covers (without squishing for of the others) was so sweet and cozy! All the kids were also able to dress in sweatshirts and sweatpants and tights (oh my!) and embraced all the warm layers. We headed to the park and I just love these little swing shots I was able to capture from our slow + fun park & hot cocoa adventure.
Friday, October 13, 2017
Friday Favorites // Halloween
HAPPY FRIDAY THE THIRTEENTH!!! I love Friday the 13th and even more so that it’s October for all the extra creepy! We’re all dressed festively today and this morning Kensi asked why days like today are spooky. Instead of freaking her out with crazy superstitions, I shared why I love it. 13 is my favorite number, my lucky number and my birthday (November). It just so happened I also had my 13th birthday on Friday the 13th. It’s always been a day filled with fun and a little extra spunk and today is no different! We’re kicking it off by sharing a few or our favorite Halloween finds...
I ordered these Spooky Finger Puppets for the kiddos after seeing them on Instagram from a couple of my favorite accounts and they’re so stinkin’ cute! Made by one of our favorite plush toy makers, BlaBla. They also make an impressionist set, a jungle set, a farm set and a super hero set that may just find their way into a couple stockings later this year.
I’m a sucker for festive apparel and a few of my favorites this year include the cutest kitty cat onesie I found for Olivia, and my Boo shirt from Ily. I’m also smitten by Hen & Co.’s crazy adorable and fun clothing items she just released within the last week.
We’ve been baking quite a bit because #fall. Earlier this week we made an apple strudel cake that we were all really excited about and it was so disappointing. The whole thing was super dry and not very good. The kids and I had to make a comeback and made pumpkin spice scones. They’re best warm and so tasty with coffee, hot cocoa or hot apple cider!
I actually found fun monster and pumpkin melting kits in the Target bins last month. We have the Original Melting Snowman and knew the Halloween themed ones would be a total hit. Kensi and Finn love building little characters out of these and often switch and mix up all the pieces. It’s hilarious to see what they come up with. I’m not confident these will still be available, but here is the link for the Original Melting Witch.
Finn is really into puzzles right now and I found this fun (and free) printable pumpkin shape puzzle and this cute candy corn match through Pinterest earlier this week. He loves putting it together and it keeps him entertained.
Wishing you all the best Friday the 13th!!!!
I ordered these Spooky Finger Puppets for the kiddos after seeing them on Instagram from a couple of my favorite accounts and they’re so stinkin’ cute! Made by one of our favorite plush toy makers, BlaBla. They also make an impressionist set, a jungle set, a farm set and a super hero set that may just find their way into a couple stockings later this year.
I’m a sucker for festive apparel and a few of my favorites this year include the cutest kitty cat onesie I found for Olivia, and my Boo shirt from Ily. I’m also smitten by Hen & Co.’s crazy adorable and fun clothing items she just released within the last week.
We’ve been baking quite a bit because #fall. Earlier this week we made an apple strudel cake that we were all really excited about and it was so disappointing. The whole thing was super dry and not very good. The kids and I had to make a comeback and made pumpkin spice scones. They’re best warm and so tasty with coffee, hot cocoa or hot apple cider!
I actually found fun monster and pumpkin melting kits in the Target bins last month. We have the Original Melting Snowman and knew the Halloween themed ones would be a total hit. Kensi and Finn love building little characters out of these and often switch and mix up all the pieces. It’s hilarious to see what they come up with. I’m not confident these will still be available, but here is the link for the Original Melting Witch.
Finn is really into puzzles right now and I found this fun (and free) printable pumpkin shape puzzle and this cute candy corn match through Pinterest earlier this week. He loves putting it together and it keeps him entertained.
Wishing you all the best Friday the 13th!!!!
Tuesday, October 10, 2017
Morning Routines
This week has been a whirlwind by getting hit with a stomach bug, cleaning the house and trying to decorate for halloween, but we’re falling into our new routine for this season and I’m feeling like a super mom when everything goes smoothly for the day. I’ve added a few things to our mornings to help make things a little less bumpy and a little more exciting as we bounce out the door in the morning.
I start our days off by getting all the kids ready and each of them helping make beds. Nothing starts a day off better than making the bed. It’s the one little habit that can make a huge difference for the day. It sounds so silly, but I feel I accomplish more when this happens. As they finish brushing their teeth and grabbing their little tidbits to take downstairs, I throw in a load of laundry and make sure what was in the dryer gets sorted into their individual baskets.
When we make our way downstairs I turn on our diffuser and add in a few oils to supply what we need for the day. Sometimes I add peppermint + orange to help promote energy and motivation, thieves + orange for an added immune boost and support, or if we’re feeling really frazzled I’ll use stress away to calm our nerves. With this I love turning on one of the AppleMusic radio stations or playlists that are kid friendly. The kids have been so excited about Halloween next month and we’ve been listening to the spooky tunes at home and in the car.
The kids munch on their breakfast while I double check Kensi’s backpack and grab sweatshirts for the morning. Usually at this time the kids have a little time before we need to leave and they’ll either venture into the playroom or enjoy an episode of Magic School Bus or another favorite show.
Before heading out the door, I roll our Thieves oil on the bottles of each set of feet for added support throughout the day, especially while at school and being exposed to extra handfuls of germs. The kids all climb into the car and we set off while listening to some morning car jams.
Since Kensi started school our mornings seem to go quicker than before. I can usually get a bathroom or two cleaned, unload and begin reloading the dishwasher or swap the load of laundry around while playing with Finn and Livie. It’s funny how simple little tasks can not only keep order in the house, but the routine itself keeps everyone on track and more calm throughout the day!
I start our days off by getting all the kids ready and each of them helping make beds. Nothing starts a day off better than making the bed. It’s the one little habit that can make a huge difference for the day. It sounds so silly, but I feel I accomplish more when this happens. As they finish brushing their teeth and grabbing their little tidbits to take downstairs, I throw in a load of laundry and make sure what was in the dryer gets sorted into their individual baskets.
When we make our way downstairs I turn on our diffuser and add in a few oils to supply what we need for the day. Sometimes I add peppermint + orange to help promote energy and motivation, thieves + orange for an added immune boost and support, or if we’re feeling really frazzled I’ll use stress away to calm our nerves. With this I love turning on one of the AppleMusic radio stations or playlists that are kid friendly. The kids have been so excited about Halloween next month and we’ve been listening to the spooky tunes at home and in the car.
The kids munch on their breakfast while I double check Kensi’s backpack and grab sweatshirts for the morning. Usually at this time the kids have a little time before we need to leave and they’ll either venture into the playroom or enjoy an episode of Magic School Bus or another favorite show.
Before heading out the door, I roll our Thieves oil on the bottles of each set of feet for added support throughout the day, especially while at school and being exposed to extra handfuls of germs. The kids all climb into the car and we set off while listening to some morning car jams.
Since Kensi started school our mornings seem to go quicker than before. I can usually get a bathroom or two cleaned, unload and begin reloading the dishwasher or swap the load of laundry around while playing with Finn and Livie. It’s funny how simple little tasks can not only keep order in the house, but the routine itself keeps everyone on track and more calm throughout the day!
Friday, October 6, 2017
Halloween Favorites // Books
The fall books have been out and we’ve read them multiple, multiple times. It’s been a few years since I’ve shared a few of our favorite halloween themed books and we’ve definitely added a few more to our shelves. The last couple weeks Kensi and Finn have pulled out all the jack-o-laterns and spider decor and have happily been playing pumpkin patch and dressing up likes ghosts using our plethora of blankets. They have been so excited to read their favorite books for this season and we realized we have a lot of books about ghosts, hence why playing ‘ghosts’ comes easily.
Kensi’s current favorites are How to Make Friends with a Ghost which is definitely age appropriate for her. This book is super sweet and the illustrations are seriously to die for, but it is long and Finn doesn’t quite have the attention span for it yet. Kensi also loves Gilbert the Ghost and The Scariest Book Ever is quite hilarious, especially to a five year old.
Finn loves all the ghost books, but he also thoroughly enjoys The Monsters’ Monster and BabyLit Frankinstein. He’s become quite the little identifier with all the body parts and tries to request donuts after we read The Monsters’ Monster almost every time! We also just picked up Super Bat from our Scholastic book order. It’s about a bat who gets bored hanging around a decides to become Super Bat, but fails on having any unique super powers the other bats don’t already have. It shares fun facts about bats and can really be read all year round.
For Olivia we love to read her Duck and Goose Find a Pumpkin, Little Owl Lost and Ollie’s Halloween. They’re short, simple and have adorable illustrations that all our kids have loved.
Kensi’s current favorites are How to Make Friends with a Ghost which is definitely age appropriate for her. This book is super sweet and the illustrations are seriously to die for, but it is long and Finn doesn’t quite have the attention span for it yet. Kensi also loves Gilbert the Ghost and The Scariest Book Ever is quite hilarious, especially to a five year old.
Finn loves all the ghost books, but he also thoroughly enjoys The Monsters’ Monster and BabyLit Frankinstein. He’s become quite the little identifier with all the body parts and tries to request donuts after we read The Monsters’ Monster almost every time! We also just picked up Super Bat from our Scholastic book order. It’s about a bat who gets bored hanging around a decides to become Super Bat, but fails on having any unique super powers the other bats don’t already have. It shares fun facts about bats and can really be read all year round.
For Olivia we love to read her Duck and Goose Find a Pumpkin, Little Owl Lost and Ollie’s Halloween. They’re short, simple and have adorable illustrations that all our kids have loved.
// Book List //
Wednesday, October 4, 2017
Family Friendly Halloween Flicks
As teenagers and in our 20’s, Mike and I always looked forward to the 13 Nights of Halloween lineup. I’ve always loved Hocus Pocus and Practical Magic. Horror films excited me and Mike would often take on the challenge of introducing me to something new that would scare me. But now that we’re parents I can’t handle scary movies for anything and we’re looking for more family friendly halloween movies because some on the 13 Nights list are just too scary for our littles. This year we decided to make our own list for everyone who may find themselves in a similar situation: trying to celebrate all that is festive, but family appropriate. So we’re sharing our favorites! I feel we keep Room on the Broom and It’s a Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown on repeat. Finn is also in love with Curious George, while Kensi and I love Night of the Living Carrots from Dreamworks Spooky Stories. So cozy up on the couch with a big bowl of popcorn and a soft blanket and enjoy all the spookiness this month with your littles, without the nightmares!
Sunday, October 1, 2017
Halloween Feels // Diffuser Blends
Happy October first! We are well into costume making, party planning and all things Halloween! The kids have been nonstop with our pumpkin tic-tac-toe, pretending trick or treat through our doors upstairs and making all the pumpkin crafts. We’ve also been filling our home with lots of fall diffuser blends using our essential oils, but we had to switch gears into Halloween for this month. Frankincense is used in almost all the diffuser blends I’m sharing today as it’s so universal for fall and pairs well with all the warm cozy scents, along with touches of floral and citrus. I think our favorite of all four is the Trick-or-Treat as it holds everything we absolutely love about this spooky, festive holiday!
Candycorn
Candycorn
3 drops Clove + 3 drops Ginger + 1 drop Joy
Frankenstein
4 drops Grapefruit + 2 drops Frankincense
Hocus Pocus
4 drops Pine + 2 drops Frankincense + 1 drop Patchouli + 1 drop Lavender
Trick or Treat
4 drops Orange + 4 drops Cinnamon Bark + 1 drops Frankincense
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