I recently had surgery and while I thought I was going to walk out of the hospital feeling fine and dandy, reality hit, and I truly needed time to recover.  It is hard to slow down when you enjoy moving but this surgery made me do just that.  My family has gone over the top to take care of me.  Nate especially had t…

I am really not one to rave about cakes. For the most part, I think all cake is created equal and all of them are good but nothing to write home about.  However, this cake is the best cake ever created.  All the flavors just make it over the top delicious.  It is like the cool cousin of carrot cake and it unforgetta…

The end of summer is coming and we are feeling it in a very large way.  After having the kids home for so long it will be so strange to have them go back to school.  We know it may be temporary but we are already starting to feel the loss of all this amazing family time we have been given over the last year.  To ma…

While the kids haven't been in school since last March we have used the school grounds more than ever as a family.  The school playground, fields, and trails provide us a place to get away and spend family time while still being safe.  Every time we go we seem to find something new to play or do and we a…

Try and fail, but don't fail to try.  We have found that goals have helped up stay motivated during this strange time and thanks to a more open schedule our goals can be literally anything we want.  We have encouraged the kids and ourselves to have some goal each day that they can work towards and it has bee…

HOT CHEESY BACON JALAPENO DIP We doubled this recipe this time and Nate said we should every time from here on out.   Doubled it fits best in a 13x9 pan.  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees 2. In a large bowl mix together – 1 8oz softened package of cream cheese – 1/3 cup mayo – 1/3 sour cr…

We recently had a young bat get into our house and after an evening that was fit for any sitcom, we finally found a way to get it back outside. The next night we thought it was important to watch as the bats came out for the evening and make sure that none were roosting in our attic.  While we sat and watched…

We celebrated Dylan's birthday in typical fashion with tons of flavorful food and a fun day at home.  Dylan who puts good thought into his day always has a ton of good food on the menu. This year's menu included: Breakfast - Homemade chocolate and cinnamon and sugar donuts Lunch - Fried chicken strips a…