erica danielle

Phew! It has been a whirl-wind of a May. Sten graduated and I end my career (in 8 working days) at AVT with my largest group of the year- I have been so busy at work the LAST thing I want to do when I get home is sit down at the computer and type :) I am feeling especially nostalgic tonight. I'm home alone and Sten has been busy this week packing up our apartment. Our goal is have everything packed by the time I am done with work so that we can enjoy the city and squeeze in every last 'Chicago' thing we want to do. I am so going to miss this little apartment. It is the longest we have ever lived somewhere and, although the decor is not my favorite, we have made so many wonderful memories here. I am ecstatic about our house and our new city- but it is going to be hard to say goodbye. Lots of tears. I've been feeling lots of movement in my tummy lately and finally Sten got to feel a little kick. I just so happened to catch his shocked expression and my heart just soared...

So many changes happened in the past month, including: STEN GRADUATED! WE BOUGHT A HOUSE! ......and celebrated with McFlurries :) WE ARE HAVING A GIRL! ... Hannah took pictures for us and I can't wait to share them. Look how cute she is! Lots of really exciting changes, we are just so thankful. Now it's time to soak up our last month in Chicago before we move, Sten starts his job and we become 3! xo.  LOVE,  erica

This weekend Sten and I met Anne/Pete at Kate/Peters for a celebration. What were we celebrating?! 3 BABIES : Baby Carlson: coming in September Baby Anderson: coming in October Baby Johnson: coming in November I cannot believe it and I am over the moon excited to share this time with my 2 great friends! We talked about baby products, taco dip, sickness, future, bottles, bathing suits, parenting and everything else babies for 5 hours. It was a dream come true! I feel like the luckiest girl on the planet to get to share this time with them. Even though we will be living in 3 different states all our babies will grow up and graduate in the same year from NPU- Class of '35!  :) We have triple the babies to pray for now and we are SO excited!

Blueberry Bundt Cake. A couple weekends ago my great friend ANDREW ZIRK planned a brunch gathering, that him and his lovely girlfriend hosted. It was such a good time! So much good food and the best company of friends in the world. As our time in Chicago comes closer and closer to an end, I know these are the moments I will miss the most. A big gathering of friends on a bright Saturday morning crammed into a downtown Chicago apartment. I tried out a pinterest recipe and I would dub it a success! YUM! Next time I would probably double the frosting, as the cake itself is not very sweet. This blueberry breakfast cake is must try! 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 cups sugar 2 eggs 1/2 cup milk 1/8 cup vegetable oil 1 teaspoons vanilla extract 1-2 cups frozen unsweetened blueberries (depending on size of blueberries) Instructions In a large bowl combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder a...

   This past weekend the Print Family converged for a weekend in Kentucky! My Grandpa lives in a home out there and my Aunt and Uncle/ Cousins (and their kids) all live in the same city. My Uncle Dan came from PA; my mom, dad, sis and Amos came from MN; me from Chicago and we had a little reunion. It was so fun to be together and see my Grandpa. I love my Grandpa so much- he is so special to me. He makes me laugh, loves us like no other and gives the best hugs, kisses, and cheek squeezes (he's Italian). He's boisterous, and he loves to eat pasta and donuts (my kind of guy). I feel so blessed to be part of this family. To see the way my Grandpa loves us all, and to see how much we love him. He's a very special part of my life and when he passes away and gets to be with the Lord and my Grandma he is going to be missed immensely. My due date is 4 days from his 90th Birthday! When I left he patted my stomach and said "I know I probably won't ...

What a seriously great weekend! Friday: Sten and I opted for dinner out at Rockwell's and a movie in. Saturday: BRUNCH with friends in LP, walk to the fountain, tasty dinner and... Nascar (what?) Sunday: Church and family time in Geneva, treasure hunts and chalk with Elin before heading back to the city where Sten and I took another walk to the fountain (in shorts!) and then napped and watched Amazing Race. I don't know if it was the sunshine today that made it an extra special weekend or if it was quality time with those I love, but if I could re-live this weekend again I most certainly would. The other day I made this recipe and it was so delicious. We loved it. This pasta is light, packed with fresh ingredients and really hits the spot. It would be perfect for a summer night with a glass of wine out on the deck. Instead, Sten and I enjoyed it inside, at our table with water while watching the rain come down earlier this week.... Ahhh, summer come soon!! :)   Gree...

Saturday, finally! This week has seemed to tick by, and I was so thrilled to wake up this morning and not have to walk to the train in the rain... APRIL SHOWERS is definitely true this spring. It has rained everyday for the past week! Oh, well! At least we didn't get snow :) Last Saturday Kira came over for our 3rd baking day. We had so much fun! We made Snickerdoodle bars and S'mores bars. I can't believe how adorable Kira is. She talks a mile a minute and has the best stories. She's so much fun and such a great little baker!  First layer done.   second layer done. ready for the oven!  waiting for them to cool :)  Master drizzler!  Finished product!  We cleaned our plates! And our taste-tester Sten gave us 2 thumbs up!  Recipe: From Betty Crocker 2 1/3 C Flour 1 1/4 t baking powder 1/2 t salt 3/4 C Butter 1 1/4 C Sugar 1/2 C packed Brown Sugar 3 eggs 1 t Vanilla Cinnamon filling: 1 T Sugar 1T Cinnamon G...