Tag: new blogger

Peanut Butter and Coconut Cream Easter Eggs Recipe

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If you know me and have been following my blog, you know I love traditions. I think there is something so special about family traditions for holidays and making memories with your friends and family each year that last a lifetime. While some may say that traditions don’t change year after year, I disagree. You add newcomers to the story. You remember past relatives. As time goes on, you create new memories and family stories that are passed on to new generations. I don’t care what anyone says, but everyone has a tradition or memory connected to each holiday that brings you happiness.

I have many fond Easter memories, from egg hunts at home when I was a kid to even dressing up as the Easter Bunny for the local nursing home as a pre-teen. Easter was always a special time for me because it meant my grandmother and aunt would come out to visit and bring along a family tradition of our own: homemade chocolate peanut butter and coconut cream Easter eggs.

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Tips for Decorating a Small Entryway

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From the moment we walked into our townhouse, I loved ALMOST everything about it. Nick will tell you that he was sold immediately. I remember he wanted to sign the lease the moment we got back in the car. I was hesitant on the size and space, and am now thankful that we pulled the trigger because we ended up getting an amazing deal for this area! All of that aside, there’s still a few things that I don’t love: the color of our cabinets, the folds in the upstairs carpet and our awkward little entryway.

In most townhomes, I don’t think there’s ever anything grand about an entryway. No flowing staircase or intricate light fixture. For us, it was narrow hallways and a small landing area right where you walk in. Not to mention an awkward ledge/bench area that really just takes away from open space. I wasn’t sure how I was going to decorate the space and make it feel welcoming, and it was the last room in our house that I put my “mark” on. But with a few small touches, I turned our entry way from blah and beige to welcoming with a classic Kate touch. Check out my tips for decorating your own small entryway and a few snapshots of our own entryway!

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Friday Favorites

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Where did this week go? Does anyone else feel like the week just flew by!? With my travel plans last weekend plus a few after work events this week, I don’t think I had the chance to sit down and catch my breath. No Law & Order SVU was watched and grocery shopping was skipped. That’s how you know it was a busy week! I’m not complaining though because this weekend starts my birthday celebration in Florida with my grandma and family!

This is my favorite picture of grandma and I from one of our last Florida dance weekends at the Polish Club

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15 Recipes to Master by 25

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It’s no secret I love spending time in our kitchen. Ever since I was a little girl, I was always fascinated by cooking. Like many children, I started with my play kitchen complete with frying pan and stocked plastic fridge and eventually moved on to the real deal, experimenting with recipes in the microwave, stovetop, oven – you name it!

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Friday Favorites

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Today’s ‘Friday Favorites’ are coming at you live at the airport! While my trip was off to a rainy start, I’m beyond excited to head to Charlotte for the weekend to see my best friend, Sarah, after 2 LONG years of being apart! I don’t know about you, but a majority of my friends are scattered across the US, making it difficult to get together as often as we would like for vacations, girls nights and even just the casual wine, face mask and Say Yes To The Dress TV Show binge night. But I’m fortunate that my friends and I have this bond where we can go months or years not seeing each other and still pick up right where we left off.

I’m going to share a Charlotte weekend recap on the blog once I’m back, but as a teaser to our weekend, it will be filled with brunch, booze, and basketball. For anyone else sitting at the airport or looking for a few fun weekend reads, here are my favorites from this week!

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Decorating our Half Bathroom with Command Strips

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This past weekend, Nick and I celebrated one year living together in our townhouse! Over the last 365 days, we have had fun finding and curating pieces of furniture and decor to make our house a home, but like other millennial renters, we faced our share of challenges.

As renters, it’s great to have a landlord and handy man at your beckoned call to fix issues such as broken garbage disposals, running toilets and garage doors. In return though, we lose the creative freedom to decorate and transform the space how we may truly want to. With three years of renting under my belt plus four years of college housing decorating hacks, I’ve learned a few tricks of the trade on how to make your rented space a home.

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How to Paint a Wood Fireplace for Under $50

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Let’s face it – as young adults, we don’t have millions (not even hundreds!) of dollars to spend on our home decor and furnishings. We’re 20-something year olds most likely in entry level positions learning how to navigate bills and budgets with our newly acquired paychecks. Thanks to the help from the three main F’s – family, friends, and Facebook Marketplace – we are able to curate a hodge podge of furniture from different generations, in different textures and colors, for our first home or apartment. While nothing matches or looks like something Joanna Gaines would have styled, it was free or cheap furniture so you can spend your hard earned cash on food (and beer and wine) instead of  on overpriced furniture.

But what if beautiful furniture didn’t have to break the bank? What if you could have the style you want at a fraction of the cost. Spoiler alert: You can!

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My Goals for 2019

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Is anyone else having a hard time believing that 2019 starts tomorrow? On one hand, I feel like I just celebrated the 2018 New Year, yet on the other, 2017 and the start of 2018 honestly seems like it was ages ago! Usually I am excited about ringing in a new year. It means more opportunities, advancements, adventures and growing older (if you haven’t learned this about me yet, I always want to be older than I am… I wonder at what age these feelings will change!) However, this year I am a bit nervous and scared to see what the new year brings. For the first time, I am not looking forward to the clock striking 12AM on January 1, 2019 because it means a new year without my mom. A full 365 days without her supporting me, pushing me, loving me, believing in me.

Before anyone messages me, I do realize that my fear is irrational. I can’t be afraid of a new year. And I have to know by now that my mom is with me in spirit every day.  She sends me so many signs that I know she’s by my side every step of the way. But a new year means more firsts without her, and that’s my fear. It means more moments I can’t share with her, more envy I feel towards friends and complete strangers who get to build relationships with their moms, and more moments of feeling lost and alone. Each day I am learning the intricacies of grief and how to move forward each day. 

The best way I move forward and push myself is through goals.

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Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

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You know what they say – Chicken Noodle Soup, it’s good for the soul! I firmly believe chicken noodle soup is one of those staple foods that everyone should learn how to make. It’s hearty, healthy, and let’s be honest, it’s the best cure for the common cold. Yet, for some reason, everyone is more willing to go grab a can of salty soup from the grocery store instead of making a pot from scratch. Why? What is so intimidating about making homemade soup? Your grandparents did it and so can you.

I’m one of those people who can eat soup all year round, but it’s not until the temperature drops below 30 degrees that I am in the “soup making” mood. This past week my friend whipped up a pot of chicken noodle soup and ever since she mentioned it, I’ve been CRAVING it. I threw my apron on and made my own this past weekend, some to freeze and some for lunch this week. Soup is one of the simplest meal prep menu items you can make for lunch or busy weeknight dinners. Paired with a side salad, you’ll get a punch of vitamins and antioxidants that will power you through the day, while boosting your immune system!

If you have a secret soup recipe passed down from grandma, grab a pot and start cooking. If you don’t have a recipe in your back pocket, follow these easy steps to make homemade chicken noodle soup even grandma would love!

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DIY Advent Calendar

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Advent calendars have always been a special part of my holiday season ever since I was a little girl. And no, I’m not referring to those chocolate advent boxes you can buy at the grocery store. I’m talking authentic, homemade advent calendar that is a true countdown to Christmas.

Growing up, my advent calendar was special to our family. It was a handmade fabric calendar my mom made in a previous, crafty life of hers that featured a Christmas tree with a decoration for each day of the month. Each day was a small wooden ornament that I was always so eager to place on the tree (and see what the surprise was that day!) I didn’t need chocolate and my favorite cartoon characters to countdown the holiday. I just needed the spirit of Christmas.

When I studied abroad in Denmark, I was fortunate to stay with an incredible family who took me in as their own daughter for the five months. My host mom was both compassionate and crafty, and gifted me my very own custom made advent calendar that she and her husband designed for me.

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