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    3 ways to make store-bought pie look homemade

    this post is in partnership with walmart

    i love holidays, i love pie, and i really love ways to cheat and make easy store-bought things seem super fancy and not store-bought!!! so i thought with the holidays coming up, it would be super fun to show you three ways to spruce up pies you didn’t have to bake yourself! 

    i ordered all the pies and the supplies from walmart’s online grocery service, they have pickup or delivery options– and new customers can use promo code TRIPLE10 to save $10 off their first three pickup or delivery orders. ($50 min. restrictions & fees apply.)Read More

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    holiday movies and shows to watch with kids

    better late than never! i tried to finish this post a week ago but i didn’t, but just in time for christmas break anyway!! lots of fun holiday things to watch with your kids, thank you as always for your suggestions and making this post, because arlo only lets us watch the first two, haha. Read More

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    simple printable thankful card

    (reposted from 2018)

    i really dropped the ball on designing a thanksgiving printable this year, but it’s not too late! i made it a super simple one this year, neutral enough to look good on any table setting and a fun way to get everyone around the table to take a moment to think about what they’re grateful for. we love doing these in our family. PS — that’s actually how we announced we were pregnant in case you didn’t know! (definitely watch the video of my moms reaction at the end of the post — it is so so good)

    if you wanted to use them as place cards as well, you could also write your guests names on the back!

    Read More

  • izzy’s birth story

    phew what a ride it was—

    i spent all of my pregnancy planning to have a scheduled c-section and was at peace with that decision— i talked to tons and tons of women who told me the second time is a million times easier. i stocked up on c-section recovery items to help make this time better for myself than the last.

    but in the last month of my pregnancy i did start questioning a vbac a little bit. i asked my ob and she said i’d be able to if that was my choice and that i could decide in the moment. Read More

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    butternut squash, sausage and fried sage pasta

    but could there be a more autumnal sounding pasta?! i loved how this turned out so i wanted to share it with you guys. it is a perfect cozy fall/winter dinner that didn’t take me too long to make either.

    i do have some revisions on the original pasta, i thought fried sage would be way more delicious than parsley, i found it to be too sausage-heavy, and the sauce not creamy enough! 

    adapted from food & wine

    butternut squash, sausage and fried sage pasta

    a perfect cozy autumnal pasta dish! and it doesn't take too long to make!
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe

    Ingredients  

    • 4 tb extra-virgin olive oil
    • 3/4 lb peeled butternut squash cut into 1/2-inch pieces (2 cups)
    • 1 shallot diced
    • 3/4 lb sausage casings removed*
    • 1/2 cup freshly ground Pecorino Romano or parmesan
    • crème fraîche
    • 20-30 fresh sage leaves

    Instructions 

    1. in a large, deep skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. add the squash, season lightly with salt and cook over high heat, stirring, until tender and lightly browned, about 8 minutes. using a slotted spoon, transfer the squash to a plate. add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet. add the shallot and sausage and cook over high heat, breaking up the sausage with a spoon, until lightly browned and cooked through. return the squash to the skillet.
    2. in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.
    3. meanwhile, in a small saucepan, fry your sage in a tablespoon of olive oil until darkened and crispy (in batches if necessary). let cool on a plate.
    4. add al dente pasta to the skillet along with the reserved cooking water and the cheese and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until the sauce is thick and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. if the pasta needs more creaminess, add some crème fraîche (or butter or ricotta) until you reach your desired creaminess. transfer the pasta to a bowl and sprinkle with some additional cheese and the fried sage.

    Notes

    *i really recommend not using the entire package of sausage. i think recipes usually call for the whole pound because it’s easiest, but the pasta definitely came out sausage heavy. save the remaining 1/4 for breakfast! 
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    horror movies to stream

    you knowwww i love my horror movies, we pretty much exclusively rotate between watching reality tv and scary movies, yea we have very eclectic taste. so i love october because everyone else is finally interested in one of my biggest passions! i wanted to roundup some of my picks for what you can watch for free (mostly), if you don’t have the shudder app that would make sense, most people don’t, but if you are an avid horror fan i do actually recommend it. 

    ps i have seen so many over the years that its hard to keep track of what to recommend and what i’ve assumed people have already seen, so this list isn’t my favorites of all time or anything, its just the ones i found on the streaming services. also i have my own (very long list) of ones to watch so i can continue to add if there are any gems we watch soon.Read More

  • our spooky halloween dinner

    i put together a very festive spooky dinner at home and it was so much fun. as i said, i am having the best time going all out this month!!! so i set a very spooky table while arlo was at school to surprise him, and we ate black squid ink pasta by candlelight beneath the cobwebs while listening to halloween music. 

    if you are into halloween, i highly recommend doing at least one spooky dinner, i think we may do it again in a few weeks!! Read More

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    spooky halloween french toast three ways

    omg i’ve always loved halloween, but this year i am going HOG WILD because arlo is sooo into it. we’ve been doing something spooky basically every day and i’ve been keeping it exciting at breakfast too.

    honestly i LIVE for this extra mom stuff.

    i personally find making french toast way quicker than pancakes, so i decided to just do a bunch of different halloween french toasts and it’s been a fun challenge to not only come up with spooky breakfast ideas, but also actually execute them somewhat decently (there are a couple duds i didn’t even include in this post haha). these all took me a couple minutes and really all i needed was fruit and food coloring! Read More

  • my gestational diabetes

    i am no expert in diabetes, but i’ve been dealing with GD for a couple months now so i thought i’d share my experience. if you’re reading this, it might be because you just got diagnosed with it too! at first i was at a complete loss, but a few weeks in you’ll get the hang of it. 

    i’m relieved that my OB didn’t test me until later in my pregnancy because by the time i was diagnosed with it, i only had a little to go in my pregnancy. i feel for the people having to deal with this everyday, it’s a lot of work, for me anyway! Read More

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    what i’m packing in my hospital bag

    ahhh the time has come to pack my hospital bag! i’m about to be 38w and 11 days away from my scheduled c. OMG. i thought it would be fun to share everything going into my hospital bag!

    this time around, i’m way more conscious of what provides me comfort and packing accordingly. some of the things that may be provided by the hospital i’m bringing instead because i want to make my experience as pleasant for myself as possible! it’s the little things for me. and speaking of little things… Read More