Emily

Hi, I’m Emily and I love making things with my hands. I always have a project (or ten) in the works and love to draw, paint, cook, sew, cross stitch, and make soap. This year, I’m focusing on using what we already have and wasting less.

Peanut butter chia pudding makes for an easy breakfast treat

by

Satisfy those sweet cravings with this deliciously sweet peanut butter chia pudding. Eat it for breakfast, grab it and go for a healthy snack, or savor it for dessert. It’s sure to please whichever way you choose.

I’ve had a love hate relationship with chia pudding for years. I’ve wanted to love it but end up just hating it because of how runny and slimy it is. I would see recipes online for the thickest and most delicious looking chia pudding and wonder why mine never looked (or tasted) as good.

I went so far as to buy an electric grinder thinking it was a texture thing. When that didn’t work, I gave up and just added a tablespoon of chia seeds to smoothies or breads here and there.

That is, until a month ago when my husband came home and declared his love for chia pudding. He had been getting it at a local coffee shop and raved about how good it was. I kind of brushed it off and figured he would continue to just get it there and be content. Aaaand then he asked me how hard it was to make. Which, in theory, isn’t hard at all. It’s the turning out well part that I struggled with.

I obliged anyway and made a batch for him to try.

Read more

The 100 Day Project is officially over. Now what?

by

We have officially finished our 100 Day Project, focusing on 100 Days of Crafting with my kiddo. Read on for our recap of what we liked and what we didn’t like.

Welp. It’s official. Another 100 Day Project is in the books. Out of all the different iterations of this project I’ve done, I’d say that this has been the most fun and most difficult. Fun, because I got to spend a whole lot of quality time with my daughter doing things we both loved doing. And difficult, because I am officially 2 weeks away from giving birth to my second child.

To be fair, I knew going into it that this would be a challenge for me because I was pregnant and would be wrapping up the project about a month before my due date. I knew that my energy and motivation would hit more peaks and valleys as a result. I was glad to be able to lean on my experience from previous years and used it as a guidepost for how much planning I would need to do to sustain us for the 100 days.

Read more

For the love of brunch, make this french toast bake right now.

by

Seriously sweet and sometimes sanctimonious, this french toast bake recipe is great for entertaining or whenever you feel like a little something extra.

I’ve talked about my love of brunch before. I’ve also talked about my goal to reduce waste in our house, especially when it comes to food. Which basically makes this recipe for French Toast Bake the absolute best thing ever. Why? Because it’s French Toast for god’s sake AND because it uses up the heels of the bread that we never eat, therefor saving it from being thrown out or tossed in the compost bin.

That’s some seriously sanctimonious french toast right there.

Read more

Made food more colorful with this rainbow egg bake

by

Whether you’re having family and friends over for brunch or simply looking for an easy weeknight meal, this rainbow egg bake is all that and more. The best part? It’s easily customizable to whatever you have on hand.

I love cooking for other people. As a teenager, I would live for the days when my parents would go out of town so I could have my friends over and cook for them. I’d clip my favorite recipes from magazines like Bon Appétit and Cooking Light and imagine how to pull together a complete meal. As an adult in my first apartment, I lived for weekly potlucks with my graduate school friends.

Even now, as an adult with a family to cook for every night, I still love to have people over for a special meal. Lately, brunch has won over my heart. Any meal that offers up things like roasted potatoes, biscuits, and bagels is a winner in my book. But the best part about brunch for me is how easy it is to pull together something that a.) looks fancy, b.) tastes delicious, and c.) can cater to everyone’s food needs and preferences. All without having to spend hours standing over a hot stove or prepping food.

Read more

How to make your own Chamomile and Castile Face Wash

by

Looking to make your own skin care products? This Chamomile and Castile Face Wash is super easy to make and makes your skin feel like a dream.

I have always had a hard time finding products for my face that don’t irritate it, cause me to break out like crazy, or feel like I have ten pounds of product slathered all over it. I barely wear makeup — preferring mascara and eyeliner to everything else — because I hate the way it feels on my face.

So when the time came to actually wear make-up for my wedding, I was super nervous because I was afraid of how it would feel all day long and then how irritated my skin would feel after. When I said something to the woman who did my make-up, she had me use a chamomile toner before she applied any make-up. Holy smokes what a difference that made. My skin was happy and my make-up looked (and felt) amazing.

Read more