Tea Party

My mom and two sister's and I have been trying to get out more and do more "girl nights" before my husband graduates and we move away. It's been so nice to have them close by! This weekend we decided to have a "tea party." It was absolutely delightful.

My younger sister and her adorable six-month-old baby were the hostesses for the event.

My mother on the left, my older sister in the middle and my younger sister on the right.

And me :)

On the menu: Raspberry lemonade

scrumptious chicken salad on a croissant

Freshly sliced strawberries and strawberry spinach salad (not pictured)

And for dessert, tasty brownie bites.

Cute hair I need to copy! :)

Our little hostess. Just look at that chubb!

It was a fun afternoon and we hope to be able to do this again sometime soon. It's always nice to spend time with loved ones.

Allergy-free Cinnamon Pretzels

I've seen a lot of delicious looking cinnamon pretzel recipes around blog land and I had to try them out. I wanted to make something that we could eat as a family including my son, who has allergies.

So using this recipe and Glutino Pretzel sticks I quickly made up a batch. It's a very easy recipe.

The kids loved them and gobbled them right up. I will definitely be making this again!

Flip Flop Wearing Weather

Yesterday we had spring-like weather. It was wonderful! It was really nice to go outside and soak up some sun, something that we have been really missing all winter long. The boys evan ran around in their flip flops! I'll try not to get my hopes up, but we are ready for warmer days around here.



Headed to France...

...no, not me, just some hand knitted goodies from the shop. Only wish I could hand deliver these! :)



Allergy Friendly Kids Meal

Dinner:
Slightly crunched Fritos
Taco meat mixed with black beans and corn
Chopped romaine lettuce

I love this meal because it is super easy to fix and the whole family loves it. This works perfect for my son just the way it's pictured above. I like to add a drizzle of Ranch dressing on mine.

Find more allergy friendly recipes here.

Getting Through

It's been a very emotional week for us after hearing about the death of a good friend. My husband especially has had a very difficult time. He feels as though he has lost a brother.

This weekend we had the opportunity to travel to the funeral. We loved hearing memories shared by those close to him and we had the chance to talk to many friends and family. Lots of love and hugs help to heal. It has been helpful to rely on our faith in God and his plan.

After the weekend away we are now feeling refreshed and ready to move forward.

Trying to live in the moment and super thankful for these sweeties.

P.S. Thank you for your kind comments, they mean a lot.

Yesterday we found out that a friend of the family and classmate of my husband passed away a couple of days ago. My heart goes out to his sweet wife and unborn baby.

My husband came home from work early. We were shocked and devastated and sat together on the couch quietly. The children were around the table eating lunch. They were being their usual selves, talking loudly, laughing, singing.  Normally, I would tell them to quiet down and focus on eating. But today was different. We just stared at them and a feeling of gratitude and peace came over us. It made me realize that I really need to appreciate all that I have in my life.

After hearing the devastating news I decided that I need to change the way I interact with people. Our life on this earth is so short and I need to embrace it and cherish it. I want to be able to treat everyone with charity and love. I'm thankful for the people in my life. I'm also thankful for my knowledge of the gospel and life after death. With this knowledge I can have peace.