Happy Anniversary!

Happy Anniversary, Kev!

Kevin and I celebrated our anniversary yesterday with work, dentist appointments, errands, running kids around, meetings and a delicious dinner and dessert at home.  That sounds about right for year 21.  Kevin was slightly devastated to hear of Hulk Hogan's passing yesterday.  He was his childhood hero so that was a sad moment for him.

We've had an awesome summer full of travel and time at home.  None of us are super eager to get back to school in August, but we know we have packed in the very best times into our days home together.

We are excited for a new year navigating junior high, new schedules and routines, kindergarten for me and for Leo, new work opportunities for Kevin and Fletcher is working hard to build strong friendships at school.  It'll be another big year for all of us and we can't wait!

I'm not a fancy cake baker, but I can make a family recipe that's been passed down three generations.  I added our wedding cake topper for fun.  I had to dust it first, but it made me smile to use it again.

Cheers to 21 years!

Fletcher helped me make our anniversary cake.

He loves to cook!

We dusted off our wedding cake topper to use.  It wasn't all that popular when we got married to do a traditional couple cake topper, but I have always loved it!  I made Kevin's favorirte cake - a family recipe for Buttermilk cake.  It's not a gorgeous cake.  It just a delicious one that his family has been making for years.

Kevin's grocery store bouquet :)

See you back here next week!

Delicious Wisconsin Restaurants

We ate some really delicious food whiel we were in Wisconsin.  We tried several new restaurants and loved most of them!  If we didn't love it, we had something different in mind to order the next time we visited.  Kevin often orders fish and the rest of us look and see what sounds best on the menus.

Kyoto Hibachi & Sushi - we love this place!  We have been coming for years.  Be sure to make a reservation.  Fletcher was the only one at our table to catch his egg bit in the air.  Their fried rice, noodles, soup, salad, veggies and meats are so good.  We also love their dipping sauces.

Driftless Glen Distillery in Baraboo, WI - Kevin went to a tasting and tour here and loved it.  We did some shopping and adventuring around Baraboo after we dropped him off.  He said everything was really good and the property was neat to see.

Hot Rocks.  Kevin took full advantage of our coupon book and found us some new places to try.  Hot Rocks was so cool!  You order things to grill on a lava rock in front of you.  There are items to grill and items you can have prepared in the kitchen for you.  We all loved this place.  We agreed that it was probably best to get steak vs fish to grill.  My steak was huge.  The kids were careful grillers and we'd definitely go back.

Because all the restaurants have cheese curds.

The Log Cabin is a local staple in Baraboo - just 15 minutes from The Dells.  It was yummy!  Kevin says to get a burger instead of shrimp.  WE all loved our salads, corn dogs, breads and pies.

The entrees came with cranberry orange bread.  It was kind of like cornbread.

Dill pickle cheese curds were good.

Their homemade pies were STUNNING.  They were both so good.

We ate the breakfast buffet at Camp Social at Wilderness Resort.  It was so good!

We bought several local cheeses and made cheese boards for lunch or snacks.

The River's Edge Grill was good!  Everyone loved their local fish, pasta, cheese curds and I would not recommend getting their award winning burger.  It wasn't delish.  Everything else was good!  It's a local spot right along the river.  Give yourself some time to walk around and play on the playground nearby.

Wisconsin Nachos from a food truck!  Yum!

Pizza Ranch was so good.  We went on Tuesday night when you pay the age of your kids instead of the regular price.  11 and above counts as an adult.

We loved the hibachi so much that we went tehre again on our last night.  Leo was thrilled to discover a Leo Roll on the sushi list.  He proceeded to order white rice and lemonade.  haha.  We all got a mix of Teriyaki Chicken, steak and loved it.

You'll have to give some of these spots a try if you find yourself in The Dells!

Devil's Lake State Park 25

We're back to reality after a wonderful week away in Wisconsin!

We spent last week in The Dells and enjoyed one of our very favorite spots Devil's Lake State Park.  The weather was a little different than the July weather we have come to expect.  It was a little rainy, more humid and a little hazy.  We've never dealt with any of that before so the weather kept us on our toes a bit.  Thankfully, it didn't stop us from doing anything.  It really just made us have to be a little more spontaneous to take advantage of sunshine and fun opporunities.

We arrived at Devil's Lake one afternoon and it was busy!  The lots were full, we circled a few times and then found a great spot.  It is a popular spot and yet somehow it doesn't ever feel crowded once you get past the parking lot.

Summers here are so much fun.  Everything is running a full capacity - snow cones, ice cream shops, equipment rentals, beaches, bbq, hiking, swimming and more. 

Fletcher made the decision that he wanted to get baptized this Summer at Devil's Lake.  He made the plan months ago, told his class about it and was so excited for Kevin to baptize him there.  Just like Olive did last year.  It was a really special moment and family tradition to carry on.

We all swam.

The warmer temps meant the water was a little warmer than usual.

The kids collected cool rocks and shells.

Leo dug holes and floated around the lake.

We enjoyed the gift shop and a snow cone treat.

It was a wonderful day at Devil's Lake.

Homemade 4 Berry Jam

I have always wanted to make berry jam in the Summer.  We tried it last year with our wild blackberries, but it wasn't amazing.  I didn't love the consistency or the pectin.  I found a recipe that didn't use pectin and only had berries, lemon juice and sugar in it.  It was the perfect recipe for us.

You'll need 6-7 cups of your favorite berries (We used blackberries, strawberries, raspberries & blueberries - hence 4 berry jam on the 4th of July)

1 cup of sugar

and 1/4 cup + 1 T fresh lemon juice and zest of one lemon

I also had two small jam jars and lids to hold the jam.

Follow the directions linked above to a t.  They were perfect!  Wash berries, let dry, chop and start cooking.  I did this on a day when we were home and I could also tackle other projects while the jam cooked.

The jam turned out so pretty!

Our backyard blackberries were extra yummy this year!

The prettiest 4 berry mixture!  I made this on the 4th of July and just might have started a new family tradition.

Put all ingredients in a pot and start cooking low and slow.

Smash, mix and stir, stir, stir.

Turn up the heat and wait for it to thicken.

Cool and put in a cute jam jar.  The above recipe made two jam jars.

The perfect addition to any breakfast plate!

This was the easiest, yummiest jam recipe I have ever tried.  I will definitely make it again with yummy summer berries.  I think I'm going to try strawberry and raspberry jam next.

Only Buy What You LOVE

We have been trying something new that has been a game changer.

Only buy what you LOVE.

It is something that I started doing and then introduced it to Kevin and now the kids.

We apply it to everything - shoes, toys, home decor, thrifted items and Amazon purchases.

Think you purchase over, try it on and then only purchase it if you LOVE it.  If it's a little too tight, a little too short or the clothing doesn't fit you perfectly, then pass on it.

I adored this orange top from TJ Maxx.  I wanted to purchase it so badly, but it was pretty cropped and wasn't lined.  I was thinking of ways to layer it or alter it and no matter what adjustments I came up with, I realized that it just didn't work for me.  Now I'm inspired to be on the hunt for a similar citrus top that works for me without any changes.

I also really wanted to like the flowy pants in the background.  BUT they were both very see through and would require special underwear to make them work.  I passed on all of them even though I really liked the idea of each piece.

Kevin and I have been weeding out our closets to make sure we only hang on to things we love.  I have been consigning tons of stuff from all of our closets.

It's been great to see the kids thinking through this concept.  Do I love this toy?  Do I really love this book or this shirt?  If they do, then we will purchase it.  If it's just okay then we think about it.  They will add things to their own Amazon wish lists and think it over, read reviews and spend their money wisely.

You'll have to give this a try - only buy the things you love and then you'll be surrounded by things at home and in your closets that you LOVE.