erica danielle

This weekend Sten's mom came to see our new place! It was so fun to show her around and explore our new town together. If there is one thing I know about Meredith it is that she loves anything almond-y. In fact, the Christmas Almond cookies I made are her specialty and I owe her all the credit for those Christmas cookie staples. I googled "Almond Coffee Cake" and came across a few different recipes. I really wanted to make it in a cake pan instead of a bundt and so I kind of improvised and made my own version adapted from this blog as the cake base. It turned out great! the cake part was very moist and flavorful- I would totally make this again. Here is the recipe I used: 1 C Butter 1 C Sugar 3 Eggs 2 1/2 C Flour 2 tsp Baking powder 1 tsp Baking soda 1 tsp Salt 1 C Sour Cream 1 tsp Almond extract ____ Cinnamon Sugar/ Brown Sugar ____ Topping: 1/4 C Butter 1/2 C Brown Sugar 1/2 C Slivered almonds 1 tsp Almond Extract 1 tsp Cinnamon Preheat oven...

Can't believe it's Monday and Sten's at work... We had a great weekend! Highlights included: - lots of yard work - deck time - bonfire with the neighbors - getting ready for my mom's party - Sten preaching at church - celebrating my mom's 60th Birthday with family! Jessica and I had lots of fun planning the menu and came up with a Mexican BBQ theme. Our menu included: Apps : Summer Corn and Cheese Dip (recipe below!) Chips and Salsa Veggies and dip Main : Chipotle Sliders Mexican Rice Black beans with queso fresco PW corn/pepper salsa Guacamole Dessert : Sopapilla Cheesecake Chocolate Amaretto Cake The party (which was supposed to be a surprise) was a blast! I think my mom was somewhat surprised??!! haha I got a few blurry pics (photo credit: Sten) I found the corn dip recipe on Iowa Girl Eats "Friday Favorites " and thought that would be PERFECT for this party- and it was! The recipe is from Minimalist Baker, and...

On Monday I drove to Chicago for a baby shower that Kate threw for me. It was girly and wonderful and so good to see friends again. We ate delicious food, decorated baby headbands, opened adorable gifts and ended the night on the roof overlooking the city.     Kate thought of every girly touch- TONS of pink :) Food spread Dessert bar. Decorating baby headbands. OPI "It's a Girl" Nail Polish favors. Rooftop lounging. Thank you for the amazing shower Kate!! LOVE YOU and baby J. I don't know if I will make it back to the city before the baby's born so it was so nice to spend some time there visiting and catching up. Now I am back in Menomonie and ready to tackle some more home projects! Today Sten and I walked to a little coffee shop by us for breakfast, then spruced up the yard and planted flowers. Next up: Nursery! I am nearly through my July list of things to do! We've been busy! I think the remainder of th...

July 1, 2013! What a great month this is- sunny, hot and filled with BBQs and bonfires. Sten and I had a great weekend- we worked on our backyard and daydreamed about fall nights around a hopeful, someday firepit. The previous owner was an avid gardener and planted TONS of perennials- however, since neither Sten nor I have a green thumb we are in WAY over our heads. We made a plan that will be much more managable and will make better use of the backyard. Here are some before pics:  Everything is so overgrown... We are so overwhelmed :)  We started pulling up the bricks, so that we can power wash them and re-lay them with an even foundation. Here is a drawing of what we are hoping to do. Low maintenance, and more usable space! This weekend we also went to Jake's Supper Club to check out the live music from someone in Cedarbrooks band. It was so fun, we got to meet a lot people and check out this view: The concert was awesome and it felt good to g...

This is my sister. She's beautiful inside and out, the true heart of a woman who loves without ceasing. We haven't lived in the same state consistently since she went away to college over 10 years ago (I guess technically we still don't live in the same state). In the past couple weeks I've been able to see her a lot and it makes me so grateful that God gave me a sister. And really, not just any sister, but Jessica in particular. I think He knew I needed someone like her to keep me whole, and loving and to teach me to be less about me and more about others. I love watching the way her son adores her and her husband dotes on her. The world is a better place because she's in it. xo. Erica

We moved! It's true that according to Smithsodian.com Menomonie WI made it in the 20 best small towns in America - #15 to be exact. We are settling well to our new home and couldn't be more excited to see new adventures unfold. Updates: - We have been here for 13 days... In that time we have painted 3 rooms and unpacked the majority of our boxes. - We live in the most welcoming town in America. We've received cinnamon rolls, banana bread, cookies and milk, wine, gift cards and dinner invitations. - We love our church and look forward to making friends. - We have 3 decks that we spend the majority of our time on (when we're not painting). I told Sten the day we moved in the front deck is worth the price of the whole house. Please come over for a glass of wine, or some lemonade :) - Our little baby girl is 27 wks and 2 days today. We cannot wait to meet her. The nursery is our next project. - It is so fun to be close to my family. We are about 1 hour to my paren...