erica danielle

And by home stretch I mean not tomorrow, but the NEXT day :) can.not.believe.it.can.not.wait. Although I wasn't very diligent about taking pictures of my bump along the way, I have a few and think this cheesy fad will be a fun reminder for years to come. I remember the exact feeling after taking that test. So much excitement that I was having trouble breathing. I literally couldn't catch my breath. I just kept thinking- no way. Now, 39 weeks later, I still feel like that.   after our first dr. appt. we decided we needed to celebrate hearing a heartbeat, so we went to Garcia's.  ha. not sure, when this was, I think maybe 12 weeks, which means it was really me just getting fat from eating crackers non-stop to keep from feeling nauseous.  maybe 18 wks?  20 weeks! found out, its a girl and celebrated with cupcakes and our small group.  Door County, 25 weeks.  moved into a new house! 28 weeks.  35 weeks.  38 wee...

Sten and I have been busy these last couple weeks. Sten with Fall kick off at church and me with getting everything ready for baby. I have been trying new and easy recipes lately and have been trying to post the good ones so I remember to make them again when sleep is at a minimum. This recipe I found on one of my favorite blogs Always Seeking Balance. I don't know where Sue got the recipe from originally, but it is a winner and a keeper for sure! Sten and I LOVED this. Sten always jokes when he likes a recipe he snaps and points his finger in the air and says- "add it to the rotation!". Then we laugh. Needless to say, I will definitely be "adding this to the rotation" because it was probably the easiest thing I've ever made. Salsa Verde Crock pot Chicken 1 jar Salsa Verde 1 can (4oz) chopped green chiles 1/2 onion- sliced in rings 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken ___ Grease Crock pot Pour a thin layer of salsa on the bottom of crock pot, add chi...

While unpacking boxes back in June we had quite a few things that hadn't been used for the 3 years we lived in Chicago. My thought was, if we went without it for 3 years, do we really need it now? One of those things was a waffle maker. My mom said in her sweet little voice- "oh, I think you'll want to keep it, don't you think you'll use it?" and Sten said- "ya- Saturday morning waffles!" So glad I listened to them, because it is totally worth the space it takes up in the pantry. I found a great recipe on All Recipes and just LOVE it. One great thing about this waffle recipe is it makes enough for 6. The remainder you can freeze and pop in the toaster for a "Saturday morning" on a random Wednesday! I hope you enjoy them as much as we did. I think in the fall I may add a little pumpkin... Saturday Morning Waffles 2 Eggs 2 C. Flour (you can use white or wheat) 1 3/4 C Milk 1/2 C Oil 1 Tbls Sugar 4 tsp. Baking Powder 1...

The other night I made this pinterest recipe. It was very easy and extremely delicious. I really haven't been finding new recipes lately because we have just been grilling so much this summer, so it was nice to get into the kitchen and chop, dice and assemble a meal! We loved how it turned out and there were leftovers, which is always the best part :) In the past week I have been trying to set the table and have dinner ready when Sten gets home. I appreciated this growing up, and hope to continue to make dinner time a really special time to be together as a family. Yesterday I even used our cloth napkins- I thought to myself- why not??  The ingredients  I didn't buy low carb tortillas because I already had these... so I guess, I can't call this recipe Low Carb :)  Chicken Mixture  Corn and Black Bean layer. REPEAT  Top with tortillas and cheese  And- Bake!  Added some fresh salsa and sour cream on top. Dinner is ser...

Labor Day is over and it feels so much like fall around here, despite the 90 degree temperatures! We spent Labor Day at Sten's favorite place-- Bay Lake, MN. His Grandparents bought a cabin there when he was young and watching him walk inside, take in the smell and all the memories and treasures is like a kid in a candy store. I love how places can mean so much to us. It's obviously not the cabin, but rather the people that make Bay Lake special for Sten...however, Bay Lake is pretty great too.  :) We drove up after church on Sunday and my sister, Mike, and Amos joined us for a night of games, pizza and even a cold boat ride. Miraculously after Jess and Mike left on Monday the sun came out and Sten and I went for a picnic dinner cruise on the Pontoon. It was such a great evening and so great to be together for one last hurrah before the baby is here. At one point I looked at Sten and said: "I think I am going to miss it just being me and you a little"... Can't b...

I have been waiting for this month since January. I can't believe it's finally here! I love September. I love how it's the perfect temperature- pants and a tank, or shorts and a long sleeve. I love how when you walk into a Target you can smell the school supplies. I love the new schedule, and how life just automatically starts to fall into a more rhythmic pattern. I love when everything pumpkin starts popping up all over the place, and it's cool enough to bake tasty treats. I love how the nights come a little quicker and that means you can bonfire earlier. I am so excited to welcome our daughter into the world this month. I can't wait to hold her and show her all the things Sten and I love about Fall. Happy September. xo, Erica

I've had my heart set on baking bread since we moved and even though its 100 degrees outside, I thought this would be my week. I am happy with how easy it was and how it turned out, especially for one of my first bread endeavors. I'd like to try using wheat flour next time. But wanted to stick with the actual recipe on the first go-around. ready to rise-- and it did! Split into thirds rolled out. ready to rise for the last time. doubled! baked! SO good! I found this recipe on Pinterest. The original is found here with better pictures and the recipe. This was so simple, I hope to never buy bread again. Sten loves it! There are only a few ingredients: Water, Yeast, Flour, Oil, Honey. It made 3 loaves, one of them I made into cinnamon bread, which turned out excellent as well. I hope you'll try this bread! In other news- it's been a great week. Sten and I finished Scraping, Sanding, Spackling and Painting the spare room and I ca...