erica danielle

Last day of my thankful posts. I’m sure the 3 people that read my blog will be glad this month is over 😜. Things I’m thankful for today: 1// my sister and bro-in-law who had our kids the last 2 nights. I am so glad my kids have somewhere fun and safe to be when Sten and I need a break. 2// yesterday! Sten and I watched shows, went to see Downton Abbey, went to a brewery, and had the absolute best and most relaxing day celebrating year 11. So thankful that we still love being together, so thankful he still makes me laugh, and so thankful we have each other! 3// I DID IT! I got a sub 20 5K yesterday on the treadmill!! Whoop whoop! Check that off my 2019 list!! 4// a quiet morning— kids are gone and Sten is still sleeping, we got snow last night so everything is cozy and white and I have a couple hours to myself. Gearing up for December, ready for it! xo. edc.

Here I am sitting in an empty house, pumping, listening to Christmas music. It’s easy to turn the page to the next thing. But what if I lingered in November a little longer? What if I stayed grateful for the littlest things in my life? Like my washer and dryer? My oven? My electrical toothbrush? Modern conveniences that are over looked every single day. How would life look different? As I watched my girl run into the woods yesterday with her girl cousins I couldn’t help but look at the  cyclical nature of the whole thing. We mom cousins standing in a circle watching our daughters play the EXACT same way we did. No worries in the world, complete abandon, eating snow and completely drenched from being in the snow for HOURS. I want to freeze the camera roll, and not move into the season of wanting, wishing, greed, disappointment, envy, and fatigue. I’d like to stay in this season of gratefulness and contentment for a little longer. I know there will be opportunities to be grateful as...

So many things to be thankful for today I’ll most likely have to report back tomorrow, but today I am thankful that Sten has been by my side for 11 years. He is the one who makes me feel the most special, loved, cared for and appreciated. He is without a doubt my biggest fan and my loudest cheerleader. I know I hit the jackpot with him as my husband. I’m also thankful that there’s an entire day dedicated to being grateful and eating food. 2 of my favorite things! We are heading to Chippewa Falls to spend thanksgiving at the farm and I couldn’t be more excited about it. I’m heading out now to run my own turkey trot with Hannah on the Y treadmills (free and I don’t have to worry about ice!) 😂 Happy Thanksgiving 🍽🦃🍁 Happy Anniversary ♥️ xo. edc.

Thankful for full days like today. I think I squeezed every last minute out! Tenly spent the night and just like I expected they went right outside and played in the snow until she was picked up. Then we packed up and headed to the Y in Woodbury to meet Jessica and the cousins, J and I did a circuit, then picked up the kids and drove to moms. There the kids put back on their snow stuff and did some sledding in the backyard, then had some hot cocoa. Came home, had dinner then Sten and I put the kids to bed and finished up the sweet potatoes to bring to thanksgiving tomorrow! Not a spare minute, but all fun and good things! Can’t wait for tomorrow! xo. edc

Thankful today for the anticipation of a big snow storm tonight. I’m not really a winter person, but I can always get excited about the first big dump of snow. I’m excited for Lucy and Olle to wake up tomorrow and see tons of snow and to get all snow-geared up and head outside! I might be making this more magical than it will turn out to be IRL, but I’m here for it nevertheless :) xo. edc

5 days left of November??!! What?!?! I'm destined to make it great. Thankful today for: - boot camp at the YMCA, we did a lot of drills today, and I literally came in last at almost every drill-- until we did sprints, and then I came in 1st! whoop whoop! ....might need to work on my high knee skills :) - banana/egg pancakes with protein powder that my kids ate this morning . - a short school week as I am ready to have fun with the fam this week - book club tonight! - The sun that's currently shining - Sigge who is currently napping - Olle who is currently doing a quiet activity - Lucy who is so excited to be a part of book club after school today - Sten who worked so hard yesterday and attacked the day this morning - A rare moment of snuggles between my 3 yahoo's after breakfast It is going to be a good day. xo. edc

Sunday’s are full of church for us! We get there a little after 8, and walk famished through the door home at 12:30 or later. I love the idea of a lazy Sunday. This was my childhood, golf on tv and everyone laying on the floor of the living room resting. These days I often run errands on Sunday afternoon, as it’s a rare treat for me to not bring kids along on my errands, but when I get to see my family resting my heart is thankful and full. I came home from the grocery store to these two snuggled under a blanket watching a show on the iPad. So so sweet ♥️ xo. edc

Thankful for some margin in life that allowed today to be whatever we wanted. We went into the weekend with no plans, so today I woke up and ran 10 miles with Kate, went on a day date with Sten, and then went to a new park with the family. We are ending the night with homemade deep dish pizza, and a glass of wine. The whole day felt like a “choose your own adventure”, not really knowing what was next until it arrived. I can say that I will sleep good tonight, having had a full day surrounded by all people and things I love, and much time in nature.  xo. edc

Some of my favorites this week:honestly my mind is blanking! It was a a good week, but nothing significant sticks out, besides my time in Rochester yesterday with Lucy. She had a great appointment and although we are going to continue patching, and her pressures rose a little bit, her doctor said she is in the top 20% of congenital cataract patients. So I feel like this is a win!  We went for a special date to Panera afterward, and I’ve just realized that Lucy is someone I enjoy spending time with, so an early morning with my girl felt like a treat rather than a chore. I was remembering those earlier appointments when she was 2 and they’d dialate her eyes and then expect us to sit in the waiting room... those were the tough appointments, now we play hangman to pass the time and chat about school. I’m one lucky mom. Thankful for special time with my girl. We’ve got nothing planned for the weekend which of course makes me excited!  xo. edc. 

Up early this morning in preparation for Lucy’s eye appointment at Mayo. This one feels significant for some reason, because it’s been a while since her last appointment. I remember when we saw the dr. very regularly after her surgery she was around 6weeks old and he said we’d be patching until she’s 6 years old. It was like someone knocked the wind out of me... SIX YEARS? It felt like an eternity. And yet, here we are. Lucy is 6, and I have no idea where the years went. 1 billion patches later, today *might* be the day he tells us she’s done. I find myself praying about it constantly. Knowing ultimately that God has been in control of this situation from the start, I can say without a doubt that I am truly trusting His will. I’ve been trying to get the kids thinking about thankfulness, so each day they have to tell 2 different people 3 new things they’re grateful for, and you know what Lucy said yesterday? “I’m thankful for my vision.” All I could say or I knew I’d burst in to tears:...

I’ve got 10 days to reach one of my 2019 goals which is: run a 5k under 20 mins. I’ve been doing so many treadmill speed workouts this month to try to reach my goal and yesterday I did 2.1 miles at a 6:18 pace sandwiched between a 2 mile w/u and 2 mile c/d. It was hard, but I finished and I felt so thankful that even though I may not reach this goal in November, I WILL soon. I’m not too far off. I can feel myself getting stronger and faster and I’m forever grateful that I have something (running) that i love that gives me so much joy! xo. edc

Today I’m thankful that our whole house slept until 7am. I had one of those nutty days yesterday and it felt so good to restore last night. I woke up this morning ready for a new day! I went to a scripture circle last night and we studied Psalm 23. In unpacking more about verse 2 "He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me besides still waters" I was struck by the fact that the next verse says: "he restores my soul"... It is imperative that we REST before our soul restores. I am continually working on this,  the question that popped into my head was: What if I don't let myself rest in the luxuriousness of the green pasture that Christ offers me? What will I miss if my soul is never restored? What is so important that I can't rest.... answer- NOTHING. What a reminder that rest is vital, and sleeping in this morning felt like the ultimate gift-- something to truly be thankful for. xo edc. 

Today I woke up grateful for Midcurrent. I could say a million things about it, but over the last week while spending time with many women, I feel that the sense of community and belonging it has provided is really something very special. I have found deep friendships, my kids are giddy when it’s Sunday morning and our people are awesome. Yesterday the kids made this sign for Sten at Midcurrent Kids downstairs and it was just such a reminder to me that we are doing it! We’ve started a church and people come! God is good! Also, how cute is this girl???? xo. edc.

I’m thankful today that Sigge joined our lives 9 months ago and makes every day brighter and more fun. He’s taught me how to slow down, how to enjoy every lean in snuggle, every giggle at his siblings, each squinty nose laugh and every high pitched squeal. I knew we’d fall in love with this baby, but I think we’d all agree this guy has completely won over our hearts at another level! Sigge-boy. You are special! xo. edc

Yesterday was a dream of a day. Lazy morning playing slap jack, memory and go fish with Olle, making bread, going for a hike with sten, Olle and Sigge, Drop Olle off at school catching up on Survivor with Sten while Sigge napped, kids home from school a charcuterie board for dinner and the best chats with Sten in the kitchen. Bath time, then bed time Yesterday was just what I needed. Intentional time with the ones I love, time in nature, and ending the day around our island eating cheese and bread and drinking wine. I’m thankful for every single part of it. For the 7 games of memory to the “good for the soul” talks around the island, nothing felt insignificant. xo. edc

Happy Friday! It’s already a good day bc I woke up before my alarm and my kids and I’m enjoying a quiet morning. My favorites from the week include: 1// sten being home. 2// visiting great grandma 3// IF table 4// Tuesday nap with Sigge- while he slept I finished Small Fry and started Where the Crawdads Sing 5// yesterday’s play date 6// going out to dinner for Erins birthday last night. I really enjoyed the conversations and the company. It was fun to get ready and go out with a group of friends. We all talked about our highs from the last year and our hopes for the year to come and I felt thankful for people sharing as you can learn so much from a simple question. Hoping to hike Willow River with the boys this morning while the temperatures are in the 30’s!  ♥️ xo. edc.

A rambling of thankfulness: - walking down the stairs today after my body pump class I was behind a man with a prosthetic leg. My first thought was: I’m so grateful I have the body I have. And also felt like telling this stranger “you are amazing!” But I always fear I’ll sound condescending. So I just smiled at him. - totally took advantage of Sten being in the kitchen last night and poured out all the things that are making me feel so drained. Not sleep deprived drained, just life drained. I don’t think he knew what to do with me and sat there and listened. I’m thankful that he listened and that today he was actively trying to make life easier for me. Doing the dishes, taking Sigge, offering to take Olle to school....  although I have a little bit of regret spilling out my entire negative soul last night, I know sten doesn’t mind and just wants me to be happy - every other Thursday I have a standing play date with 3 other moms. I look forward to it with great anticipation. I’ve...

I’m finding so many things throughout my day to be thankful for... how can I pick just one?? I do so love, and am so grateful that Olle is excited to see Lucy after her day at school. Even though it’s almost dark and it’s 19 degrees outside, when we see the bus turn the corner into our neighborhood he rushes to get on his nikes and sprints to the corner where he meets Lucy who is waiting with her arms open for a hug, then they run home together. It’s really sweet. As soon as they get in the door it’s almost as if they’ve used up all their sweetness, bc unusually a fight ensues minutes later, but I’m grateful for this little sliver of kindness and love. ♥️ This is a horrible picture, but it’s them running home and me snapping a pic from the kitchen window! xo. edc.

At our last IF:Table our questions centered around gratitude. I thought to myself: (since I am the one who prints off the questions) I'm pretty good at gratitude, it comes easy to me. Little did I know some of the questions would really make me think, and as I sat today and thought about what I was most thankful for, 1 thing that is harder to be grateful for came to mind. Our floors. I seriously hate every floor in our house. Our carpet is old, stained, and has now been spit-up on so many times by Sigge that I think there's probably 3 bottles of "stain lifter" seeped forever into the deepest foundation of our home, and the linoleum in the kitchen/entryway is awful. It's coming up in some places, it's also stained, and it is just really ugly. But today, I chose to say-- we have place where people can gather, we have a soft spot to play UNO and I don't care if the kids paint in the kitchen, and get messes on the floor. I don't live in a hut, where the ...

We had a full day yesterday-- I'm not sure I am doing great at my NOvember, but these were all things I had on my "yes" list, so I guess I need to beef up my "no" list next time?!  We went to church, then came home for a quick Sigge nap, then went to GREAT GRANDMA'S! The kids have been asking to go to her house forever, and it's so much harder now that Lucy is in school. The days fly by, and it's way more fun if she can go too, because otherwise she really feels like she is missing out. I am SO grateful that my kids get to have great grandma Kay in their lives. She is amazing, and loving and they think the world of her. When I told the kids to pack a bag of toys to bring along Lucy wanted to bring the 2 books she knows how to read so she could show great grandma. There they sat on her couch reading each word. Lucy was absolutely in her element. We had pizza and Swedish toast and of course she sent them home with goodies and $1. She has a way of ma...

How are we 10 days into November? I'm thankful today that Sten comes home tonight! We've all missed him, and although I love having the freedom to be on no schedule when he isn't home I WOULD MUCH RATHER ALWAYS HAVE HIM HOME AND NEVER LEAVE US AGAIN! He's in Boston right now, so I found this picture fitting since we visited the brewery while we were there for the marathon :) I'm thankful for a husband who puts in a lot of work around the house, so that when he's gone there is a major hole to fill. I'm thankful for a companion that makes nights not lonely and Saturdays more cheery. Welcome home Stenny. You were missed. xo. edc.

overall I had a fantastic day yesterday. Thankful for it all. I’m thankful today that after a full night with friends my kids slept in and got the sleep they needed to have a good day today! We went over to Hannah’s yesterday with Mary and Abby and between the 4 of us 14 kids were running around. Lucy and Olle had so much fun with their pals and I loved drinking wine and chatting with the moms. Very thankful for really awesome mom friends in my life. After the YMCA yesterday I took the boys on a date to Buddy’s Bakery before dropping Olle off at school. We decided to send a picture to dad to let him know we were enjoying a bagel and missing him. Love Olle’s excited smile! Now it’s Saturday. We just got done with a play date with Mason and Amara and now the kids are watching a movie, Sigges taking a nap and I’m going to read my book = The perfect Saturday afternoon. xo. edc.

I'm reading the book "Small Fry" right now, by Steve Jobs' daughter. It's a personal memoir of her life, growing up with Steve as a (pretty) absent father. I love memoirs, they are so fascinating to me. I love seeing how others grew up and the things about their childhood they so vividly remember. I don't remember a lot about my childhood. I know I was happy. That I played a lot of make believe, and that I always had a lot of feelings. But the detail in memoirs is ASTOUNDING to me. How does one remember that kind of stuff? Makes me want to start a memoir of my own and see if I can't start recalling more of my childhood. Today I'm thankful for books to get lost in. I'm thankful for this book in particular, for the way the author is honest about the good and the not-so-good parts of her life. I'm thankful for the inspiration to maybe write my own memoir someday???? also-- just saying. I look like Steve Jobs in this picture. On to my fav...

Yesterday was the first day I woke up to snow. Sten came home from his workout and said the roads were a little icy, so I was going to go to Y to run on the treadmill, but decided to give the icy roads a try, and I’m so glad I did! Some parts were a little slick, but I ran 8 snowy miles with a feeling of total satisfaction. So thankful for my first snowy road run. I think today will be a good day. Sten leaves for Boston this morning and I have to stay positive during weeks he’s gone otherwise things get overwhelming. Something I’ve learned in running is to “run the mile you’re in”. This totally applies to my life right now— live the hour you’re in. This helps me appreciate the moment and forces me to stay present instead of worrying about what’s to come later in the day.  Happy Thursday! xo. edc. 

Thankful today that I get to use my creativity to draw on chalkboards and get paid for it! I have been doing the chalkboard at Anytime Fitness about 1x a month over the last year and I just love it. It gets me out of the house, gives me a chance to use my right brain and gives me the confidence to know I am good at something other than housework and raising kids. We're almost 1 week into November! SLOOOOOOW down! xo. edc.

Thankful today for my quiet time. Although Daylight Saving is not kind to kids schedules, I love that I’ve been awake for over an hour enjoying my quiet time. My morning routine includes: 1. Starting the coffee 2. Looking at my calendar/ filling in miles to be recorded/ tasks to be done 3. Meditating on a verse 4. Journaling 5. Praying I don’t get to do these things each morning, but when I do, my day is dramatically different. Quiet mornings are something to be thankful for. xo. edc Of course I’m drinking coffee out of my favorite Lucy mug today. 

I remembered this morning that last November I blogged daily about things I was thankful for. I’ve missed 3 days, but as someone who believes it’s never too late to start, I’ll begin today! I am thankful today for: sweet friends for my kids. Lucy and Lyla were in 4K together and share a special bond. We love the Arlich family and time spent with them always goes by sooooo quick. November 4 ✅ xo. edc

Halloween week! Lots of excitement around what was going to happen, how much candy they’d get and how cute Sigge was going to look in his costume. Here are my favs from the week: 1// Second annual trick or treating with Amos and Olive was as fun as could be. They again got a ridiculous amount of candy. I love these 5! 2// Sigge boy has been such a snuggler this week. I’ve enjoyed every afternoon nap time as it’s so quiet and often he’s asleep in my arms and I just love it. 3// I know I post about cousins all. The. Time. But I just can’t help it. This weekend we have NOOOOO plans!!!! NOvember starts NOW! xo. edc.