what’s on | my bucket list

Today’s the next installment of the “What’s On” series: My Bucket List.
I’ve never made a bucket list, so it took quite a bit of thought, and I’m sure I’m still forgetting a few.
Let me just say, I’m extremely blessed to have some of my biggest dreams already crossed off.
In all seriousness, being married with two babies is all I could ever ask for in this life.
I’m not a huge risk taker, so there’s no interest in sky-diving or mountain climbing or swimming with sharks.
But these are still pretty good ;)

Here is my list,
in no particular order:

Visit all 50 states. (Right now, I’m at 28. California is my top destination!)

Buy our first house.

Sing a duet in public with Steve.

Attend high school and college reunions, and find some closure to lost friendships.

Read the whole Bible.

Plant a tree. Hopefully like an apple tree or a peach tree.

Go on a cruise to some Caribbean island like St. Lucia.

Try blonde.

Learn how to sail.

Have coffee with someone famous.
I’m thinking Amy Grant, Candace Cameron Bure, or Lauren Graham.

Eat a delicious pizza in Italy.

Swim under a waterfall.

Get something published.

See the hospital where Steve was born in Alaska.

Take a pottery class with my mom.

Shop at IKEA in Stockholm.

Eat my weight in chocolate.

Take my boys to a certain theme park in Orlando.

Do everything for these boys.

What’s on your bucket list?

Linking up with Andrea.

what’s on . . . my feet

  This month’s post for the“What’s On” series is all about shoes!

This weekend, I went to a friend’s wedding out-of-state, and I only packed sandals. Of course, the high ended up being only 48, and my feet were frozen the entire time! I’m now ready to put the sandals away for the winter, and I dug out all of my colder-weather staples. :)

Up until recently, I was never a shoe person. When I was a kid, I grew shoe sizes FAST. I passed up both my mom’s and sister’s sizes (7 and 8), and kept going up until I hit 11. I realized that shoes stores don’t carry many 11s, so I never found my size in the shoes I liked.

In the past few years, I’ve discovered internet shoe shopping. SO much easier to find my size. There are unlimited options on style. And I’m gradually building a collection for each season.

Comfort trumps aesthetics for me with shoes. I am not a strappy-heels girl, but I do think they’re cute! I gravitate more towards boots, booties, and shoes with a bright color or unique flair.

I bought these MIA boots on sale last fall, and I am so excited to pull them out of my closet again! They work so perfectly with skinny jeans or leggings.

These Lands’ End moccs called my name a few years ago, and I love the pop of color they add to any outfit.

 
My new favorites! TOMS Desert Wedges in “brown herringbone”. They are amazing and beautiful.

Converse classics in “radiant orchid”. Love!


These shoes have lasted me forever. We’re going on 13 years together. They’re Swedish clogs—handmade with real wood and beautiful leather that is nailed instead of stapled. Though it may sound uncomfortable to wear wooden soles—it’s quite the opposite since the instep is formed for the foot. Troentorp recently gifted me the white ones below, and they’re even MORE comfortable than my brown ones.

I love wearing a piece of my Swedish heritage :)

My black Steve Madden boots are easy to slip on and add a fancy heel to a dress or pants.

 
I bought these from Kohl’s when I was student teaching years ago, but honestly they don’t have much support for my feet. They really are cute, though!

And little Mossimo heels I bought in college. I rarely wear them, but you’ve got to have one classic pair of black heels in your closet!

So these are the kicks that you’ll be seeing me wear in the WIWW posts this fall and winter—though I tend to wear my favorites over and over :)

Linking up with Andrea.

What’s your favorite fall/winter shoe??

our project list

Steve and I seem to always have a long list of projects that need to be done around the house. He has learned so much about remodeling, woodwork, electricity, and even plumbing in recent years, so when I come up with some kind of idea or dream, he responds by “I can do that!” So we’re definitely the couple that starts a million projects, and we get overwhelmed after a while because we can’t always finish them quickly :)

A year ago for my birthday, Steve ordered me a copy of “Young House Love,” but it got lost in the mail :( We got over it after a while and I forgot about it. But yesterday I unwrapped this copy (thanks, Steve!) and I’m super excited because I’m sure it will inspire many upcoming projects!

Last week, I mentioned that we stopped by a 1900 mansion that is being torn down soon. We had the option to buy some inexpensive, beautiful oak flooring for our kitchen and nearby bathroom—so we wanted to find out if there was hardwood underneath the red linoleum before we went out and purchased wood. We were really excited to find some nice wood underneath the bathroom and hallway area! Yay! Unfortunately, we are pretty certain there is no hardwood underneath the kitchen :(

 
Steve pulled up the linoleum (there ended up being three layers of old flooring to pull up) and scraped/sanded down the old glue mess.

There’s a lot of floor left to sand and then refinish. Since the toilet has leaked and caused water damage to the floor, he’s going to pull it out and fix the issue. The sink will eventually be replaced for a smaller size or corner sink so that everything fits better into the tiny bathroom. Lastly, we’ll update the paint and mirror/vanity.

 

This is the red floor of the kitchen that we would eventually replace with new wood.


This is our front entryway. I took down an old, dusty lace curtain from the middle window with the promise that I would make a new, more modern curtain. I hope to replace the two side curtains as well. The floor pattern is a bit outdated (as well as peeling in places) and there is (most likely) wood underneath to sand and refinish, of course :)

  
Another project on our list is to repaint my dresser in our bedroom. It was once my grandma and grandpa’s when they were young, and has been painted many colors in the past. Right now it’s a dark purple that I chose when I was in high school. I’d like it to be something lighter, that would match our bedroom better. :)  PS My dad wrote the “I Love You” for my mom.
 
A couple of months ago, we started work on updating the attic. Steve and Josh painted it a nice gray color with white trim (it still needs some paint touchups). Steve is also planning on replacing all the door and window trim with “proper” trim—what is there now is hastily cut pieces of wooden paneling. Then we’ll decide how best to use the space!


It’s been a huge goal of mine to organize my craft desk. It is a mess and I can’t wait for some morning when I have a couple of hours to dedicate to the job. I inherited a lot of fabrics recently that will be really fun to sew with someday. :)


Our main bathroom has been under construction since we moved in thirteen months ago. We were able to do a lot of initial work refinishing the floors, tearing out horrible lighting, putting up drywall, painting, etc. Steve recently made and installed most of the trim and base moulding to match the rest of the house. As you can see, there is still some work to be done, and I need to sew a new curtain because it’s just a bath towel hanging in the window right now, haha.


My grandma and grandpa gave me this print a few weeks ago and I can’t wait to get it framed and hung up in our bedroom. Steve knows how to matte paintings and build frames, so we’ll wait until he has time to do it. He bought me a lot of little prints by the same artist for my birthday yesterday and we’ll have to find a place for those because they are wonderful!

Usually I just show you when a room is finished, so I hope you enjoyed this little peek into all that still undone! You’ll find Steve and me praying for more time between work and childcare so we can finish what we’ve started. :)

Linking up with Andrea for her “What’s On” series.

august pinspired & what’s on my wishlist

I am all about color in my wardrobe, so my Pinterest boards reflect that love of color. This month I focused mostly on my colorful shorts and making them work with neutral colored tops. Take a look :)
 
August is my birthday month, so this is the perfect time for me to participate in the “What’s On . . . My Wishlist” link up with Andrea.

I have been frequenting J Crew Factory’s website to find a good deal on my favorite shorts. Even though it’s August already, I can save them to wear next summer. They are finally on sale right now, but unfortunately I only have the choice between black or white—and I’m looking for that color!   :)

So they are item #1 on my wishlist:

 
J Crew Factory 4 inch Chinos

Wishlist #2:

We’re invited to four weddings this fall, which is a great excuse for a new dress. EShakti always has quality dresses for good deals—you can even get $25 off of your  first purchase.

1: Graphic Embellished Babydoll Dress in White
2: Draped-front Melange Knit Dress in Heather Gray
3: Chelsea Dress in Whisper Pink


Wishlist #3:

I am new to GroopDealz.com, but I can already see how addicting it can be—especially since you can see the huge percentage off you’re getting! These are a couple of the deals I love that are on sale in the next few days:

Watercolor Crochet Maxi Dress ($18.99)

Embroidery Linen Shorts ($15.99)


Two-Tone Maxi Dress  ($13.99)

 Crystal Feather Necklace ($8.99)

 Gold Cuff Bracelets with Stones ($9.95)

Wishlist #4: Tastefully-done Graphic Tees :)

Be Still Floral Tank inspired by Exodus 14:14 "The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still." and Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God."

Proverbs 31 Wifey Tee

Wishlist #5: Sweet, end-of-summer pieces

Fancy Free Lace Shorts

  
Fancy Free Aztec Print Summer Tank


Wishlist #6: Leather Jewelry

Leather Wrap Cuff
Coral Leather Earrings 

Were you paying attention Steve? ;) I can only hope the husband finds his way onto this post!

Linking up with Mel, Shay, and Sheaffer!

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*This post may contain affiliate links. All opinions are my own.

what’s on my menu

I’m always curious about what other people eat, so I’m excited to participate in the “What’s on your Menu” linkup with Andrea today!

Starting out with breakfast, we love a big slice of Banana Bread  (or as my son calls it, “Go-nana Cake!”) with a cup of Folger’s Hazelnut Coffee :)


My normal breakfast is a Clif Bar in the wee hours of the morning, followed later by a bowl of Quaker Granola with raisins. Another favorite is Quaker Oatmeal Squares with slices of banana mixed in. I drink a cup of Bolthouse’s strawberry banana smoothie for added vitamin C—it’s amazing! Steve’s breakfast is usually a big bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios and black coffee. Nolan is a grazer :)

For any of the following recipes, click on either the photo or the link below it:

Oatmeal Bread
 

On Saturdays, and other low-key mornings, we gravitate towards chocolate chip pancakes or Cake Mix Waffles.

We don’t make a big deal about lunch at our house. Typically it could be a bowl of cereal or a ham and cheese bagel sandwich. But here are some other options:


Kid Lunch 


Penguin Sandwiches


Puzzle Sandwiches


We like this Chef Salad on summer days for a low calorie but filling meal. All it needs is lettuce, a hard-boiled egg, strips of ham, chopped up tomato, some crushed saltine crackers, and Kraft Light Raspberry Vinaigrette dressing (or whatever your favorite dressing is). 

Olive Garden Pasta Salad

This Pistachio Jello Salad is great for picnics and potlucks!

I haven’t been the greatest at getting dinner on the table since Ephraim was born. We do simple meals like spaghetti as well as the following staples:

Crock Pot Macaroni & Cheese. This takes only a couple minutes to prepare!


French Onion Soup (Applebee’s recipe).


These Chicken Fingers are easy, extremely delicious, and kids LOVE them!

1lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into half-inch strips
2/3 cup Bisquick mix
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1 egg, slightly beaten
3 Tablespoons butter, melted

Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray it with cooking spray. Mix Bisquick, parmesan cheese, and salt in a 1 gallon plastic bag. Dip the chicken strips the egg, one at a time, then put them in the bag of Bisquick mixture. Seal the bag and shake it. Then put the chicken on the cookie sheet. Repeat with all of the chicken. Drizzle butter over all of the strips on the tray. Bake about twelve minutes, turning them halfway through.

 
Cranberry Chicken


Spinach Parmesan Sliders—the perfect summer burger!

We are HUGE dessert people. Chocolate in the house is a must! Other than ice cream and hot chocolate, here are some of Steve’s and my favorites:

Caramel and Chocolate Chip Cookies


Oreo Cream Cheese Pudding


Candy Bar Brownie Bites
 
Caramel Puffs

 Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars


Oven S’Mores

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Fudge


Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
 
Ritz Cracker Thin Mints

Thank you so much for taking a look at our favorite foods! See more of my recipes by scrolling down my Pinterest page :)

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