To all the moms+grandmas+godmoms out there.

To the mothers and grandmothers of the brides and grooms I’ve had the pleasure of meeting.

To all my brides who have become mothers.

And especially to my mom and soon-to-be mother-in-law.

Hugs and a picture of a pretty flower to you all!! :-)

Who’s excited about all these extra hours of daylight? This girl!! Now begins the time of year for evening walks and beautiful engagement sessions! :-) Other than all this extra daylight time, here are a few things I’ve been enjoying this month!

1. Words With Friends – I finally upgraded my free slider phone for an iPhone (yay!) and now I can play all sorts of fun games (double yay!) However, I do still prefer Bananagrams over Words With Friends.. because I can use pirate language whenever I want. :-)

2. My BFF – Jill was here for a couple days and we had so much fun eating ice cream and drinking coffee. It’s what we do.

3. “Oh Darling” by Plug In Stereo – I heard it on my Ingrid Michaelson Pandora station the other day and I couldn’t get enough!! Video bonus: they both have amazing hair.

4. Homemade Vanilla Extract – vanilla beans + vodka = yummy vanilla extract!! It takes a few weeks to ‘process’ but after that, it just keeps getting better! Or so I’ve heard. I haven’t used mine yet because I know once I start using it, I’ll never want to use the bottle of store-bought vanilla extract still in my cupboard!

For the past five years, we’ve been alternating holidays between my parents and his parents. But this Easter we were tired of traveling and decided to spend our first holiday alone… together…

But not going to our parents’ meant I had to cook a ham.

I almost changed our plans last-minute so I wouldn’t have to.

And then I discovered hams are pre-cooked… I figured I could handle that.

We found the tiniest ham we could, prepared a chocolate pudding pie, and made a family-size dish of cheesy potatoes (we love cheesy potatoes!!!). But it wasn’t officially Easter without Easter bread mailed from my mom and a basket full of goodies from his mom. Thankfully they both arrived in time.

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!!

With all the sunshiney days in March, the month seemed to fly by just as summers tend to do. Along with enjoying the beautiful weather, here are a few other things I’ve been enjoying this past month!!

1. Rice Krispies Treats – In this month alone, I made three pans of these bars. For the first pan, I thought to myself “I forgot how easy these are to make and how tasty they are!!” So I made another pan. And then another. Because they were just SO yummy. (Honestly, I don’t ask for much in life – just Rice Krispies, marshmallows, and butter.) But don’t worry, I didn’t eat three pans all by myself… I shared. :-)

2. Crafting parties – Projects are so much more fun when friends, grown-up drinks, and girlie movies are involved.

3. Coffee dates – Before Zack + Betsy’s Tuesday wedding in Sioux Falls, I spent the entire weekend just chillin’ with my bff (Hi, Jill!!). Typically when I come to town, I’m only around for an afternoon or evening, so it was nice to have the entire weekend to just hang out. No rush of needing to be anywhere. Just lots of fun!

4. I Don’t Know How She Does It – It’s true. I only read books that are going to be movies. Because then I’ll know they’ll be good.

This past month has been full of love, relaxation, and crafty projects!!

1. Lover’s Leap Trail in Custer State Park – This February marked Lance’s and my FIFTH year of being together. We celebrated by hiking up Lover’s Leap Trail where Lance proposed just a few short months ago. :-)

2. Homemade Power Bars –  I’m always afraid to try energy bars because I have this fear that they’ll taste like cardboard. Or something way worse. So when I got my latest BCBS magazine with a recipe for homemade bars with peanut butter as the main ingredient, I had to try them. And I just made my third batch of them today.

3. Anniversary flowers. Who doesn’t love a fun, zebra-print vase?

4. Girl Scout Cookies – mmmmm Thin Mints…..

5. Teal vases – if you come visit me between now and September, we WILL have a painting party. You have been warned. And invited. :-)