Your New Favorite Oven Fries

We LOVE fries at our house.

In fact, we probably eat them about 3-4 times a week.

Thankfully, we bake our fries in olive oil, avoiding the extra fat and calories of a traditional fry. Don't get me wrong, there's not a lot that's tastier than a deep fried french fry, but there's no way we'd be able to eat those as frequently as we eat my version!

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

What began as a few days away quickly snowballed into a nearly two month blogging hiatus!

I've honestly just been enjoying my summer, spending as much of this monsoon season outdoors with the kids...

We've gone boating and tubing, taken a class on honeybees at a local farm, thrown a super-memorable joint birthday party, made great strides at the pool (no more water wings, woohoo!) visited a million and one parks and taken the girls to their very first Cubs game. Throw in some fun visits with friends, a trip up to Chicago to see our sweet new niece and two short summer camps, and we've been busy bees. Whew!

I'm excited to be back and am hoping to start posting a little more regularly as summer winds down and we get back into our school routine. To start back, I want to share one of my summer faves: sun-dried tomato pesto. 

DIY- Summer Tabletop Decor

I've been on a kick lately to spruce up our deck!

One of my very favorite things about our not-so-new-anymore house is the backyard, so we tend to spend a lot of our time on the deck during the warm months. Last week, I made a few simple additions to our deck decor to make the space feel more like an extension of the house and less like a separate space.

I got so excited about the changes that I totally neglected to take a "before" picture!

I started by adding this fun patterned rug from Target to give a pop of color and define the lower part of the deck.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Pecans, Cranberries and Bleu

Oh. My. Goodness.

If you are a fan of Brussels sprouts, then this recipe is a must-try!

I have somehow never in my life cooked these yummy little veggies, but they are likely going to become a staple...

Even my sprout-despising husband said "hmm, not bad!"

This is a super simple recipe that is foolproof and only requires a handful of ingredients- try in and let me know what you think!

Trash to Treasure: DIY Plant Stand

It's been a whirlwind few weeks filled with birthdays, school/preschool activities, gardening, boating and play dates. Because we've been busy with all sorts of family adventures, my blog has been pretty neglected. By the time I've stolen a moment to myself, I'm usually either trying to squeeze in some yoga practice or just lying on my bed trying not to fall asleep for days. 

I've completed a bunch of projects around the house, and I wanted to share one of my very favorites. I love a good trash to treasure story, so when my sweet neighbor, J., stopped over with a decrepit plant stand she rescued while walking her dog, I knew this was a perfect opportunity to flex my developing DIY skills.

I Survived the Lilly Pulitzer for Target Launch!

So this weekend marked the launch of the Lilly Pulitzer for Target line.

 Since this:

 I thought I'd go check it out. 

I talked to the barista at my local Target Starbucks who told me that when the Neiman Marcus line launched, you could pretty much hear crickets.

A Peek at my Early Spring Garden

 I am sad to report that nap time is now a thing of the past...

This girl is very lucky she's so stinking cute.

 She loves our neighbor's garden, and looks like a little gnome sitting on these adorable benches...