erica danielle

Last day of November-- WHAT?!? I've actually been kind of a crab today. It doesn't feel like Friday to me, and I think I am over tired, as I was just not a present parent this morning. We're over half way through the last day of November, so I still have time to turn my day around! Thankful today for this month. It was such an awesome reminder to me to look at my days differently and reflect on all of the good things around me. It was never hard to think of something that I was thankful for, and that really puts into perspective how beautiful of a life I have. Now, we flip the calendar to December, and focus on ALLLLL the exciting things that Christmastime brings. I can't wait to fully embrace this season with Lucy and Olle and to enjoy all the magic it brings. xo. edc.

Two days left of thankfulness!  I’m up by myself this morning, and can’t stop thinking about how thankful I am for Lucy and Olle. For their health, for the way they love life, for the ways they love each other and for their ability to make my life more full of every good thing. I know this time goes fast and I am choosing to be grateful that we are still in the trenches, dealing with the meltdowns, taking the time to teach the things. There’s so much joy surrounding kids and I’m thankful I get a front seat.  xo.edc. 

I missed posting yesterday, but Sten and I officially celebrated 10 years!! I thought we’d be in Napa sipping wine and overlooking vineyards, but instead we were on the floor of our living room sitting next to the fire drinking sparkling water. Isn’t that life?! 10 years have gone by so fast, and yet, when I think allllllll the way back to our wedding day I can barely remember the girl I was. So young, with rose colored glasses on of what my life would look like. I’m thankful that through all of life’s ups and downs Sten has been a constant source of comfort and fun for me. I am one of the lucky ones, and I’m very aware of that on a daily basis.  Cheers to the next 70 years together 😉 and the million of adventures that are waiting for us!  xo. edc. 

I'm thankful today for goals and how satisfying it feels when I get to check one off :)  I made my 2018 shutterfly book yesterday and it was so rewarding knowing that was something I really wanted to do this year. I've been pretty good at my 18 in 2018 goals. I have a few left to do.... they may get done, they may not...??  Here's my progress: Complete WHOLE30 ✔️ Create margin in my life so I’m less in a hurry and can do things I want to do. ✓ Be my family’s biggest cheerleader. ✓ Reserve drinking for special occasions/ celebrations (not sure how well I did on this? and it feels like I've been pregnant for.ev.er, so....) Send out 2 snail mails a month (✔️so far) Make a 2018 Shutterfly book ✓ Start a dinner club ✓ De clutter 1 box per month(✔️so far) Run one 5k and one 1/2 marathon ( I did a 1/2 and a full, so I'm going to count this one! ✓) Paint the spots in our bathroom Schedule family dental appointments by the end of February ✓ Schedule eye appt f...

Today I’m thankful for my sister who I met bright and early this morning at the East Side YMCA. We walked the track together and then did some weights. Sten always laughs at me when I get up even earlier  to drive to a Y further away from me. But I see this as intentional time I get to spend with one of my favorite people in the world!  Jessica makes my days brighter and my mood lighter. I know I’m the luckiest that I scored her for a sister.  Here’s to starting Monday off with a great workout and special time with J. ♥️ xo. edc. 

It’s Sunday morning at 7:15am and the kids are still sleeping. Our transition to them sharing a room was alarmingly easy and they sleep better-- I would have done that a lot longer ago had I known :)  Last night after we got the kids tucked in, Sten and I played Skip-Bo. I’m thankful that he’s willing to play games with me and that we have fun together. I hope we always have fun together. 💕 xo. edc. 

Missed a day yesterday! I was laying in bed last night thinking about it, but it didn’t seem important enough to lose sleep over 😉 Today I’m thankful for the dedication of our kids team to make Midcurrent Kids a fun environment to be a part of. I spent all day over at Cami’s house today where we cut, ironed, sewed and grommet-ed, 7 panels for our new kids space downstairs. What I didn’t do was: shop for the fabric, shop for the PVC pipe, shop for the cement, cut the PVC pipes, fill them with cement and assemble them. This was done by other members of the kids team! Seriously, rockstars. So grateful that God put the perfect people in place to make our kids team strong and great.  Bonus was that while I was there from 10-3 today my kids were playing with Camis kids who are beyond creative and ultra fun and when we were all done sewing we got a showing of the movie they had made while we were working! It was adorable!  Love that these are the memories my kids will have about chu...

My favorite day of the year is here!!!! Growing up Thanksgiving was the time I got to spend a whole weekend with all my cousins, we’d pack our house full of sleeping bags and blow up mattress’s and sometimes even spill into our neighbors house (if they were out of town). My moms side of the family would come for thanksgiving lunch and stay through until Saturday night or Sunday. My cousins and I would play downstairs nonstop, making up commercials, playing house, making up dances, doing whatever! I remember having very limited adult supervision because all of the adults were having just as much fun upstairs. Although Thanksgiving looks different now because no one spends the night, and the cousins are all starting to have their own kids and getting married, I’m still grateful for the gathering we do have. I know someday this tradition will most likely look different and so each year there is a shred of tradition still alive I just love it all the more.  Happy Thanksgiving 🦃🍁🍽!...

When I think about what makes me thankful I can’t help but think about the places I love and the memories those destinations hold. I’m lucky to have so many favorite places. I can’t pick just one!  Yesterday in the car I asked the kids if you could go anywhere right now where would you go?  Lucy- "Grammy’s house, and we could watch a movie on the drive to her house!" Olle- "BAY LAKE!" Me- "Mexico! Warm sand, big waves, bright sun!" By the end of the conversation I had convinced them both that they would choose Mexico too, but I loved hearing the places they love and I’m certain it’s because of the people that make those places special.  So here are the spots I’m most thankful for: My parents cabin on Big C. I love that we live so close and spend SO much time here in the summer. It’s only been 2 years and I already feel like this will forever hold the most special place in my heart.  Bay Lake. Just like Olle, I love Bay Lake! this place holds some of our fa...

We celebrated thanksgiving yesterday at Lucy’s school. It was super sweet and really fun to see all the kids come in with their little pilgrim hats on 💕 Lucy’s teacher snapped this pic of our little fam. I love how Lucy’s hand is looped around Olle’s waist. Why do they grow so fast?! Thankful for this family of mine.  xo. edc. 

Snapped a picture yesterday while downstairs with the kids at church. The big kids always make a tunnel for the little kids to come over when it’s time to sing. It’s just the sweetest little tradition and one of those things I just wanted to document. Being downstairs each weekend has given me a whole new appreciation for what teachers do and what a hard job it is. We have amazing kids at Midcurrent church, and I still have a hard time making the lesson relatable and making sure to connect with the kids. THANKFUL FOR TEACHERS!  It’s Thanksgiving week! Yahoo! Going into the week feeling refreshed and ready to tackle allllll that’s coming- this time of year always goes way too fast and I don’t want to miss any of the joy it brings. I’m entering this week with a goal to treat my body right and give myself permission to sleep in and enjoy life even if the house is messy.  xo. edc

I missed a day! Ahhh! For good reason-- Sten and I were celebrating year 10 with a stay-cation. Doing things we never get to do. Like go out to eat in the city, binge-watch an entire season of a show, go out for lunch, see a movie and do a cooking class!  So as I reflect over my weekend I’m thankful for Sten, and that he chooses me everyday. He is my biggest cheerleader, and always takes my side. He’s grateful for what I do for our family, and he is the first one to point out my positive traits. 10 years married (in 10 days) and so many to come!  Also thankful for my sister and bro in law, for taking the kids all weekend!! xo. edc. 

I know I’ve posted about Willow River a ton already, but I completed 11/12 of my State Park goal for the year and each season of this park is just so pretty, I’m thankful that it’s basically in my backyard.  Best part was Grandma joined us, making the trip even more fun. I enticed the kids with m&ms so the walk back up the hill would be slightly more enjoyable. Someday there will be no whining :) I love this special spot and yesterday was just another reminder to me that nature makes me feel good.  xo. edc. 

What?!? Half way through November?? I can’t say I’m bummed, we’re that much closer to anniversary weekend, thanksgiving, Christmas, and.... BABY!   thankful for:  my friend Patti who made us soup and biscuits and I didn’t have to cook dinner last night we ended last night with our fireplace on while we watch This is Us after the kids went to bed MOST thankful tho, for Lucy’s preschool. Bethel Highlands. We had her conferences last night, and it was just a complete joy to sit there and hear her teacher gush about her. About her confidence, her love of learning, her willingness to participate in song and rhymes, her kindness, and her listening skills. Sten and I are SO proud of this girl.  Lucy absolutely adores school and I couldn’t be happier about it. So grateful for Mrs. Mollie and for this little community we’ve come to love!  xo. edc. 

I’m thankful today that my friend Hailley let my kids practice being big siblings on her brand new newborn baby. Levi is only 1 week old and he’s just about the sweetest little guy you’ll ever see.  They’re soooo cute!! Olle loved holding Levi and I think he could have sat there all day.  I’m so excited for February!! xo. edc. 

I had a visitor to my quiet time this morning. Lucy never  is the first one up, but this morning she ambled downstairs and came to where I was sitting and snuggled right in. We were talking about our day and what I do during these dark, cozy, chilly mornings downstairs. I didn’t want our conversation to end so I said: what are you most looking forward to right now? She responded with: ‘The baby in your tummy to come out.’ I thought for sure she’d say school or Christmas or something, but this girl is so excited for her little brother. I was telling her I’d probably need her help quite a bit and she turned to me and said:  "I’m kinda like a teenager, but not"  Ahhhh!!! Stop growing up! 😉 Thanks for the morning snuggles Lucy girl. You make my world a much better place.  xo. edc. 

Didn’t get to posting until later today. If I would have posted first thing this morning I think I would have said I was thankful for all of the things I did yesterday-- church, home, IF: table. But now that it’s after noon, I have to say, I'm thankful for Monday’s. For the return to structure and for the mundane rhythm that comes with routine.   I got the breakfast dishes cleaned up, put in a load of laundry, played with the kids, lunch is done and now we’re all just relaxing before bringing Lucy to school. It feels good to have a boring day after the weekend we had. I’m thankful that Monday looks like this for me right now.  xo. edc. 

As I look back over my day yesterday, I am thankful for many things. An early morning, 9 degree, 6 mile run with Kate, a rare morning of getting ready with the house all to myself, an awesome marriage workshop at Midcurrent, and then a drive to Minneapolis for my uncle Bruce’s funeral. That last one seems like something I shouldn’t be thankful for. It was really sad for me to think about Bruce leaving behind his kids, my aunt, and his grandkids, and not being able to experience retirement life on his hobby farm, which he would have loved. I couldn’t contain my tears thinking about heaven, with it’s bountiful gardens to tend to, apple trees to taste from, and the millions of people that Bruce will get to love there. I’m thankful for the time Sten and I spent with my aunt and uncle, when they so lovingly opened their home to us numerous times throughout college and seminary, and fed us, with really good food.  All in all, I went to bed last night super grateful for this life I get to...

Today I woke up thankful for dinner club. Our group meets together once a month, and it is so special. Something I look forward to immensely. It was our turn to host and we decided on a Swedish theme, since we’re so close to Christmas, and Swedish Meatballs on snowy November evenings just sounded right. We bought Bond-ost cheese, and potatis korv and I made Nancy’s rye bread, cucumber dill salad and Swedish toast, and Kladdkaka for dessert. The food turned out great, but our conversation around the table was better. I can’t wait for December’s dinner club :)  xo. edc 

We woke up to snow!  The first snow is always the best and at 7:30am Lucy asked if I could get her snow pants from the basement so her and Olle could play outside. We fended them off until 8:05, and they headed out. Sten and I joined them a little later and it was actually really refreshing to be outside.  I’m thankful today for a fresh coat of snow, that will *hopefully* melt! Haha  xo!  edc. 

Thankful for the month of November. Sten and I got married in November, and I have also always had a fond love of Thanksgiving. These pictures were taken on our VERY first anniversary when we lived out in Colorado. We had so much fun exploring Colorado Springs. We've always made it a point to do something we love for anniversaries, but this one will always be my favorite. We were such babies, and even mundane travel felt like an adventure. We are celebrating early this year with a kid-free weekend in about 10 days (but who's counting?). xo. edc.

We had such a full day yesterday. On our way home at 6pm, Lucy was remembering back everything we did: "okay, so we made biscotti, then we went and got our new van (!!!!), then we went to ikea, then we went to school, then we voted, then we went to the ymca, went to the store and now we’re going home!" I’ll add in that we had small group last night at our house too. It was an exciting and full day and I could choose about a thousand things to be thankful for, but I snapped this picture in the morning while Lucy was playing: Look how she set up story time for what she calls her "little cuties"! She is seriously the best. Sten and I tell her all that time that one of our favorite things about her is her ability to imagine anything. She’s always been like this and I hope it lasts forever. I’m thankful for a child who plays and mimics the things she sees from her own little life experiences. We sure are thankful and lucky to have her as part of our family.  xo. edc. 

Thankful for quiet mornings. To get my mind on one page and set my intention for the day.  I take a look at my calendar, journal and then read until breakfast. It’s my favorite part of my day, and when I miss it, I feel a little off the rest of the day.  Ready to tackle the day!  xo. edc. 

Missed posting yesterday, but as I went through my day, I wish I would have taken a picture of the bread I made in the morning. I’m thankful for my time in the kitchen and that I’m in a stage of life where I can make bread during the day instead of sitting at a desk (although there are definitely days I wish I was sitting at a desk, working!).  Day 5✅ xo. edc. 

Thinking of this dear friend of mine. On day 4, I'm thankful for Emily. Wish more than anything we were exploring the streets of San Francisco or sipping on wine in wine country. Some friends are for life, and Emily is exactly that for me. Emily, you possess so many qualities I wish I had. You are an incredible friend, one of the most generous people I know, and the intentional way you live your life is inspiring. xo. edc. 

I’m thankful today for this trail and the bright sun on my run yesterday. There’s a lot wrapped into this picture. But when I started to think about gratitude I knew for sure this is what I was most thankful for. A body that can move and a day in November where I can run in shorts. Yahoo!  Also, haven’t touched the Halloween candy for the last 2 days.... resist the temptation!  Day 3 ✅ xo. edc. 

Yesterday was so beautiful. The sun was out in full force against bright blue skies. I thought, let’s walk around the neighborhood! And then I thought, I wonder if any little kids dropped candy out of their buckets from the night before while trick or treating.... the kids and I decided to go on a candy hunt. Lucy brought her spy glass and Olle and I were her "assistants" (she loved this) we hunted around our neighborhood for almost 45 minutes and found 7 pieces of candy!!! As if we needed anymore candy in the first place, but it was seriously fun. I couldn’t stop smiling and thinking this was the best thing we’ve ever done. Haha. I told Lucy this will have to be a new tradition.  I’m thankful for blue skies and warm sunshine during some of these late fall days. And for kids who are always up for an adventure with mom.  Day 2✅! xo edc. 

My goal this month is to be mindful of the things around me and be thankful for them. I will: Search for things throughout my day to be thankful for, take a picture and post a blog each day.  Complete the "no-sweets" challenge my mom challenged me to.  Tick a couple more boxes in my 18 for 2018.  I’ll start with this: I’m thankful for kids who make holidays so much fun. Seriously. I had the greatest time dressing these kids up as many times as I could and toting them around, showing off how adorable they are. And then the icing on the cake was that Jessica and Mike came over last night and we took the cousins out trick or treating together. It was so fun. A Halloween for the books for sure! And so much candy that I now need to stay away from! 😉 I can do it!  Day 1: ✅!  xo edc.