erica danielle

I’ve missed quite a few days here….  I’m thankful for: 1. Getting to make wreaths, porch pots and swags at Leverty Traditional Trees.  2. The face Sigge gives me when I say he can’t have more pop.  3. Flourless chocolate torte.  4. Friendsgiving.  5. Reese’s Peanut Butter pie that I made for the first time this year. Carrying on traditions is high on the list of things that make me happy.  6. A SMALL hair trim for Lucy.  7. Friends.   8. Puzzles.  9. Skip Bo 10.  The best experience Christmas decorating with kids we’ve ever had.  11.  Midcurrent Church.  12. Sigge drinking my celery juice and eating avocado toast for breakfast.  It’s been a good month. 1more day! xo. edc. 

 Yesterday was our 13 year anniversary. I can’t believe it’s been 13 years and then I also can’t believe it’s ONLY been 13 years.  I say it every year but I really am the luckiest girl in the world. Sten loves me so much. I feel it deep down to my core and I never question it. I love him equally (if not more) and I can’t wait for the next 13 years.  We celebrated last weekend with a stay at Hotel Crosby, dinner at Matchstick, drinks at the Velveteen, a hike at Taylor’s Falls, wood fire pizza at Rustic Roots, and binge-watching The Morning Show.  Last night  we opened a bottle of Robert Young from our trip to Napa last year, and sat around the island talking about all our past anniversaries and looking at our wedding scrapbook.  11.28.2008 ♥️! xo. edc. 

Thankful for school and that it teaches my kids how to read and write— because I for sure don’t have the patience for that!  Olle’s thankful list (with a little help sounding it out): School Friends Family Cousins Grandparents   And Lucy came home the other day with a paper that said: I am thankful for my mom and dad because they love me so much. I am also thankful that I have everything I need.  I feel so fortunate the kids have had the absolute BEST teachers and have learned SOOOO much and love school.  xo. edc. 

Thankful for my mom today. Who stopped over this morning for a cup of coffee and to sit on the floor with me and Sigge while he played.  As I get older I realize more and more how much my mom did for our family. How much she sacrificed, how many times she put us first and how much she poured into us. She always had clean clothes for us to wear, dinner on the table at 5:30, a cupboard full of crafts for us to be creative with, limited screen time so we were forced to play, patience to teach us how to bake and cook, an open invitation to read with her at any moment and abundant love.  xo. edc. 

Today at church I got to hold tiny baby Valerie and it was such a joy. She ended up falling asleep on my shoulder which made every care in the world melt away. I love babies so much. They make me so happy I can’t even believe it.  I couldn’t help but look at Sigge and realize how big he is :( I miss his tiny fat body and how he’d sleep on me and my entire arm would be so dead asleep but I didn’t ever move.  I wouldn’t trade a second of who he is now, but I’m thankful for pictures that can transport me back into when I had babies and I’m thankful for friends who have babies and let me hold them.  xo. edc.   

 Thankful on November 20th for sten and my getaway to celebrate our 13th anniversary. We had such a good time doing all our favorite things. We were gifted a night at Hotel Crosby which was beautiful and so fun to be right downtown Stillwater.  On Saturday we slept until 8am! Then we grabbed breakfast at the co-op and hit up the roof top hot tub one more time before heading north and hiking Taylor’s falls. We stopped at rustic roots on our back home.  It was the best 24 hours!!  xo! edc.  My hot date Friday night! View from the hike The Stillwater stairs— I am SO soar today after running these stairs Saturday morning.  Hiking is my fav.  Rustic Roots!

Thankful on November 19th for my sister who took our kids for TWO nights so sten and I could celebrate our anniversary a week early :)  My sister is amazing for a million reasons but 1 of the reasons is how much fun she is and how much she loves my kids which makes leaving for a weekend so much fun and relaxing and easy.  xo. edc.   

Today I feel thankful that I could stay home and bake bread.  xo. edc.

Thankful for the Bible App. I’ve been loving starting my day with the prayer portion about 3/4 of the way down. Mary gave me the idea… and I love it.  After my run this morning I did more grounding and vitamin c absorption  Thankful for my little job in Wednesday’s at the local preschool.  Thankful for the chance to talk to a super awesome girl Anna during Sigge’s naptime. Thankful for pausing to have dinner with my family and catch up on our days.  Thankful for my Daniel small group. Tonight was a good night, with good, honest conversation and I am enjoying getting to know everyone better.  Today was a full day beginning at 5:15 with my prayer group and finally wrapping up small group around 8:45… sometimes I have to pinch myself and remember how God has given me so many amazing people in my life.  xo edc. 

 A few things I’m thankful for today: The sunrise: This note from Lucy: Grounding in the grass after my run: This song:  Can’t believe we’re halfway through the month.  xo. edc. 

This puzzle brought me so much joy today. Why?? Idk.  Sigge and I went to goodwill to see if I could find snow pants for Lucy since hers are the most high water pants ever and I saw this puzzle and thought It’d be a great Christmas gift for our puzzle guy-Olle. I wanted to check to make sure it had all the pieces so I put it together during Sigges nap… turns out there is a piece missing. But who cares?? I can’t wait to work on this with Olle!  xo. 

Thankful for cousin time while J + M went away with some friends.  Love any chance I get to spend with Olive and Amos and so thankful that our kids think they are as special as I do!  xo. edc. 

Can’t help but be thankful for these friends who braved the elements with a snow-y bonfire so we could catch up on each others lives for 3 hours. I was chilly when I got home, and I smell like I’m inside a bonfire pit still, but there was something really special about last night.  I love these 3. And I feel so fortunate to have them in my life.  xo.edc   

 Thankful for crafts! I pulled out the stamps today and Sigge went to work. When the big kids got home they were pretty into the stamps too.  Thankful that all my kids love art.  xo. edc

 I feel very thankful for our kitchen. I love thinking about the people who have sat around our island and for how many hot wheel cars have raced along the floor.  When it’s clean I like it even better and when I can light a candle on the gloomiest of days, things feel ok for a little bit.  Stens been getting up early in the mornings and seeing his Bible open and hot coffee in hand makes this place feel like an even safer place for me.  Thankful for the crafts that have been created, drinks that have been mixed, cards that have been played, charcuterie boards shared and gingerbread competitions won in this space.  xo. edc. 

Thankful today for Olle. The house gets 100% louder when he gets home from school, but I miss him while he’s gone each day.  He is a leader and lover, he feels all the feelings and shows them on the outside as well.  He loves his family and is the one who can always make Sigge laugh.  He loves running routes with dad, playing catch, baseball, football, frisbee, pickle ball, basketball or ping pong— in fact, there’s not a sport he’s played he hasn’t loved.  He’s good at math, he’s an expert at skip Bo, uno and golf and we’re working on being a good sport.  There’s no one else I’d rather have around to help me in the kitchen and I’m grateful for his little body that still crawls into my lap.  Oh— and he’s got the best smile.   xo. edc. 

 Thankful for the YMCA. Grateful we live in a community that promotes health + families. 

Today and everyday I am thankful for my biggest cheerleader, my safe place, and the one who makes me want to be the best me-- Sten. I don't give Sten enough credit on my little blog. He used to be my main attraction before the kids were born, and in my head, he still is, I just have other subjects to take pictures of now.  We celebrate 13 years in 20 days, and I feel so lucky that he's the one by my side in each of these pictures. Grateful for all the years of memories, all the lessons learned, all the adventures (big and small) and all the bottles of wine we shared :) absolute BEST person to have at the finish line of my last marathon. BEST dad in the world BEST selfie taker BEST beach sunset companion BEST getaway partner (even when it's a less-than-24-hour kinda getaway) BEST front yard hangout partner.  V. Thankful for Sten today. xo. edc.