Month: March 2022

Kendall: Preparing for Guests

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From May of 2021 to January of 2022, we hosted 16 people in total at our home (one of those 16 visited twice totaling about 2.5 months). As a hostess, I have nailed down the art of preparing for people. With warmer months fast approaching and the lifting of pandemic restrictions, I expect many of you will be together for the first time in a long while. I also expect that you may feel a bit rusty on what to prep for. Luckily, my OCD tendencies have your back. Here is a list of things I run through when preparing for guests in my home.

Food:
– First, determine if any visitors have food allergies or sensitives. This may impact your budget.
– Set a budget (take in to consideration the length of visit, number of people, dietary restrictions, and how many meals per day you will be responsible for) and review it with your partner or roommate.
– Meal plan. Once you know the meals you will need to provide, plan them out! This helps with not only staying in budget but giving you a fairly definitive grocery list. Don’t forget to write your meals down so that you don’t forget why you put a particular item on your grocery list.
– Make a grocery list. Consider your meal plan, snacks, and a few contingencies.
– Split up your grocery list. Don’t shop for everything in one place. I know it’s really easy to just try and get everything from Costco… and you might be right! But what I have found is that even with large parties of people, products from Costco can be wasted or under utilized. I like to buy certain items from Costco, Trader Joe’s, and the local Hannaford or Shaw’s Supermarket. It’s a lot of shopping but honestly is worth it because I know I am making the most financially sound decisions. This can get quickly out of hand if you try and stick to one stop shopping. While the idea of one stop shopping is sexy, it’s also a marketing tactic.
– If shopping in advance, freeze certain products like meat. Find a way to label it all so that you don’t forget what you have/ can’t recognize an item through the haze of freezer things.

House:
Welp, if you know me you know that I have an unnatural compulsion to have a clean home. And, it is… it’s always clean; always ready to house people or entertain. But if you aren’t me (which hopefully you are not), you need to clean your house. I don’t care if you live in an apartment, condo, or sprawling estate. Make sure your home is ready to welcome people. It might take some extra prep to sit down and clean up but just do it. No one likes walking into a mess. For me, I make a list (surprise, surprise) of things that need to get done. Do guest bed sheets need to be washed? Guest towels? Inflatable mattresses blown up? Once your friends or family have arrived, I highly suggest maintaining the cleanliness of their bathrooms or any shared bathrooms. There are a lot of germs floating around these days and bathrooms house a lot. Look for daily cleaners that you can just spray and leave. Staying on top of it makes everything a lot less work for you when you are cleaning up after your guests depart.

Activities:
Skiing? Hiking? Lounging? Make sure to mention to your guests things that they should bring to make any activities you have planned possible. For example, if your guests want to ski, make sure they know to bring warm clothes. Find rental spots in advance so that you know where they can call to reserve equipment/make a rental appointment for said equipment. Trying to find that stuff out on the fly can waste a lot of time. And then, what’s the point? As we head into warmer days, our pool will be opening so I make sure to tell all summer guests to bring a swim suit. I then prep all of the swim towels (cheap at Costco and Target). Headed to the beach? Make sure you have a beach bag and a cooler prepped and ready. Have sunscreen for all to share in case your guests forgot!

General Entertaining:
This is my gas and booze spiel. Considering the state of gas prices and the predictions for the foreseeable future, budget OR plan for gas to cost more. Don’t overlook this. To fill up my car is now about $70-$85 dollars. I have no tips for you here but want to encourage you to THINK about it. And now, for booze. Booze can be an expensive part of entertaining. Some ways I have found to keep it simple is to have main staple alcohols like vodka or rum. From there, some tonic and citrus, of course. If you have a summer guest, have a themed cocktail or two that is easy to whip up and doesn’t require any speciality ingredients or liqueurs… that can add up- trust me. Or just have some beer in the fridge. Keep things simple. If your guests want something, head to the store together so that they can purchase what they want. And while you are out, fill up the car… just in case.

In the upcoming month we have one visitor here for two weeks and potentially another here for three weeks. I am actually doing ALL of the above to make sure I don’t miss anything. We often have visitors because our families don’t live nearby! They hail from Seattle or Houston and with a toddler and being pregnant, it’s just easier if people come to us. Sometimes though, it can also be tough. If you missed the news: I am pregnant with baby #2. I am now in my third trimester. I am big. I am tired. I am swollen. Planning ahead IS THE way to keep things simple not just on me from a planning standpoint but from a physical one as well. I am limited in how long I am on my feet. Some days, I am good. Some days, my feet are so swollen and my pelvis is so achey that I am off my feet by 5:30 pm. I am planning for all of this so that everything goes smoothly. Normally, my husband would jump in to help and takeover beautifully BUT right now he is not only working but doing grad school in the evenings. We just have a lot on our plates. So we plan for it together. You need to think the same way. What’s going on with work? Are you going to be home? Can you take time off? Do you have someone to help and split all the things up with? Or are you solo? Be realistic. I know lots of people want to visit us after our new baby is born. I’ve said no for the first month and half after. It’s not because I don’t love people or want them to meet the baby. It’s because we will have a whole new dynamic to adjust to. It’s because I want to be able to breastfeed freely without covering up. I want my husband to be able to be on paternity leave and finish his final grad school class so that after we can freely entertain together. I want to focus on myself, my body, and my family- selfish? Probably. Needed? Very. Postpartum is tough and I learned the first time that I have to take care of myself before I start worrying about others or else I can’t be a decent mom. I get distracted. It’s my own failing but it’s one I recognize I have. It’s also why sticking to the above lists and considerations are so important! I don’t want to let any guests down because we didn’t plan for it. I always want a guest to leave feeling refreshed and happy!

As we emerge from our homes and into the world, I want to say welcome back! I hope this is the start of not being limited or afraid of the pandemic. I hope this sticks. When you are hosting or visiting your loved ones in the coming months, don’t take it for granted. Who really cares what you eat or do? Sometimes it’s just being together that counts. I think that’s something we can all agree on. Stay safe.

Next week? Tips on being a great house guest!

Photo by Vie Studio on Pexels.com

Shari: Babymoon Plans

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If you know me, you know that I am a planner. My life usually consists of getting overly excited for the next trip or outing. There are so many reasons I love traveling that it could be a whole blog post on it’s own but I will spare you those gushy-details for another day. Today, I want to focus on the term that people like to use for the “last big trip you take before a baby arrives.” This trip is referred to as The Babymoon. Similar to a “honeymoon,” the babymoon is suppose to be special and time for the future parents to connect, relax, and unwind a bit before the baby arrives.

My husband and I went back and forth on whether or not we were going to plan an official babymoon. We talked about a trip to Alaska to admire nature and stay in a cute and cozy VRBO, we discussed revisiting our cancelled honeymoon plans in sunny Kauai since travel there is easier now (in less covid times), and we talked about a local, cost-effective, and relaxing weekend getaway (we love simple trips too). None of those ideas actualized and we started to give up on the idea because time is ticking and we both have work travel planned. More on the work travel in my next post. Anyway, we both want to go somewhere warm and between baby showers, maternity pictures, and every-other-weekend time with the kids… our options to get-out-of-town looked pretty slim.

Then we realized our kids are going to Hawaii with their mom the first week in May and it would be the perfect time to get out of town too (while I am still allowed to travel). I personally don’t want to travel past 32 weeks but I am allowed to travel until 36 weeks. That first week in May hits the 31 week mark for me and our last opportunity to get out of town and hopefully enjoy some sunshine! So we booked our trip to visit some friends in Arizona where we plan on doing a whole lot of… nothing. I foresee a large amount of time spent in the pool or lounging by the pool in my very pregnant future… eeek we cannot wait! Babymoon to Arizona here we come!!!

Disclaimer **before you try to tell me that it is going to be too hot or that I wont want to travel, just don’t. I’m excited for the opportunity to travel but of course I will listen to my body and do what is best for myself and the baby when the time comes.

Here are some examples of babymoon ideas both expensive and affordable (save or pin this to reference later). Babymoons don’t have to be complex or complicated, if anything I’d think you’d want to unplug and relax. Get away and enjoy your significant other (pre-baby) and take some time for yourself before finding time for yourself becomes a little more challenging.

Splurge Babymoons:

  • Spa weekend getaway (locally The Post Hotel has been on my list)
  • Go somewhere sunny but make sure there is a breeze (highly recommend San Diego)
  • Explore a coastal town (Oregon Coast is a favorite for a relaxing yet beautiful getaway)
  • International travel (Mexico, Europe, somewhere you’ve always wanted to go without a baby)
  • Vegas.. last hurrah?! (but with mocktails)

Affordable Babymoons:

  • Rent a nearby vrbo or cabin to just getaway and unplug
  • Book a hotel in a nearby city that you’ve always wanted to explore
  • Road trip somewhere close by to visit a friend or family
  • Take a much needed night of self-care and takeout
  • Staycation with a theme, if you’re going to stay home make it fun!

Shari & Kendall’s Thoughts on Baby Registries

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From Shari:

I have to admit, creating my baby registry was just about as overwhelming and time consuming as putting together my wedding registry. Tons of options, everyone’s advice is different, and only you know what products and things you already have or want to avoid. I can tell you that as a first time mom there are several registry tips that I highly recommend which include using the website Babylist.com, getting an example registry to go off of, and starting your registry early enough that you can add and delete things as you progress in your pregnancy. I know more about necessary and unnecessary baby items now at 24 weeks than I did when I created my registry at 12 weeks! Let’s dive in…

This is not an ad for Babylist, but I have to say the website was a huge saving grace when I was overwhelmed at the beginning. Babylist was an easy one-stop shop to put everything in one central place. I didn’t have to make an Amazon or Target list but I could pull items from those places and add them to my organized babylist which made everything noticeably easier for me. Babylist also gives you best seller and top listed products to give you an idea of where to start your registry. I found it super helpful since, let’s be honest, I don’t know much about baby items and there are so many options out there!

The second thing I found the most helpful was another first time mom sent me her registry as an example. I highly recommend exploring someone else’s registry. Their registry will give you an idea of how you want to set up your own. Based on her registry I quickly noticed her theme, how she tagged some items as “must-have”, and she even set up “funds” for meals and diapers which I thought was genius. I would have never thought of that without seeing her registry to know it was even possible. Definitely glad I was able to take a peek at a sample registry before creating my own.

Lastly, start the process sooner than later so you can add and delete items as you progress in your pregnancy. I added some really unnecessary items on at the beginning and as I learned more about baby products, I was able to edit and clean up my registry to the point where it is ready to be shared and viewed (I kept it private and unsearchable for a long time). Don’t stress over your registry, it will all come together. In the meantime here are a few items that were suggested repeatedly to me the past several months…

  1. The Baby Shusher – new moms have told me they love this little thing, worth every penny apparently!
  2. The Skip Hop on-to-go changing station – some mommas have said they just take this with them when they are in a hurry.
  3. The Earth Mama Nipple Butter – apparently this stuff is magic!
  4. Baby bottle variety pack – unsure about what bottle to get, this variety pack may help you decide after baby comes.
  5. Water wipes – you never know if baby may be sensitive to somethng, these water wipes are highly recommended by my mom friends.

There you go, my top five most suggested items. Happy registry planning, you got this!

From Kendall:

Well, it’s round two for me! I should be baby registry pro, right? WRONG. So, so, so wrong.

When I was pregnant with my daughter, we were living abroad, not sure how long we would be staying in Spain after she was born, and totally new to understanding the baby market. Very quickly I decided that minimal was best. I didn’t want to come to rely on too many products or have Rosemary rely on them for soothing and play when there was a chance our whole lives would be packed in a crate(s) and then held in military storage in DC. Thus, I went real, real simple.

In addition to be a minimalist, I was living elsewhere in the world. Products change a bit. In Spain, click in and click outs weren’t super popular. They had them but they were far pricier than they are here in the states. Also, a lot of moms found them useless and not helpful in terms of helping a baby to adapt to going back to bed or being flexible. I know some American moms who would go to war because they love their click ins and outs so much! Who’s right? No one. It’s all a matter of preference and availability! Whereas we in the US have a plethora of brands to pick from, the brand options are a bit smaller over there. Standards of safety with certain things change with every country. It was super effing hard to navigate. I was trying to pick products that met all standards of safety in the EU and the US. That’s not as easy as you think, hence the minimalist route I took to my registry.

Shari is right- find some example registries! I loved the “essential” guides from sites like The Bump, Babylist, and Verywell Family. I exhaustively reviewed every item on my registry. It’s important to note that all moms have different definitions of essentials AND this is totally ok. What was important for me may or may not be important to Shari. Lifestyles, price points, budgets, future goals after the baby is born, and the list goes on ALL impact what you are going to want and need. As a stay at home mom who pretty much breast fed on demand, I didn’t need a lot of things for feeding. That can easily change your registry. Bottles, bibs, bottle warmers, disinfecting machines, formula, pumps, etc. can all change based on lifestyle factors. The hard part about this? How do you even know what you will need before you really start living the daily mom life? It’s a bit of a challenge.

Now, it’s time for round two. Here’s the thing, Issy and I still have a lot of things but over the years we did donate some items. During COVID, Vermont was in massive need of baby things. We decided to donate some of the bigger items because we didn’t mind buying them again and we really wanted to help our community out. Right after Christmas, we went ahead and purchased a new crib, crib mattress, swing, nursing chair, an updated carseat for Rosemary, another pack and play (we need two), and pack and play mattress. The essentials are done. The artwork is mostly done. The nursery theme for this little man is The Chronicles of Narnia. I thought we were good. THEN, I realized we do need some things. So I created a registry. It’s still pretty small and basic. New baby towels, wash cloths, burp cloths, and bedding are on the list. There are a few other big ticket items that we didn’t get the first time (but wish we had). All in all, it’s not excessive. I actually have complaints that there aren’t enough things on there… which I find hard to believe! I really don’t know what else to ask for. I really don’t expect people to send gifts again so I feel a little awkward creating one… actually, guilty is the better word. I feel guilty. I am not the greatest at receiving gifts. I am just awkward that way. I really can’t explain it more.

Okay, essentials. Here are my essentials and why they are essential to me! You may totally disagree, and that’s ok! We all “mom” differently.

  1. Find a baby monitor you love. The baby will sleep with us at night for the first 11 or 12 months of their life in a secure crib fixture. BUT, napping in their own room is essential for a little bit of rest. We are huge fans of the Angelcare monitor system.
  2. Swaddles. Once we started properly swaddling Rosemary, she began to sleep in long stretches. My favorites were from Aden and Anais. They were lightweight, great for summer activities outside (think lounging in the grass), and perfect for draping over the stroller while the baby naps.
  3. A milk catcher. If you are a mom who ends up breastfeeding, I highly recommend having this on hand. Did you know that when you start feeding, your other boob can leak? Don’t waste the precious milk. Catch it. Put it in a bottle and save up. You might not need it or always need it. I did for the first 7-8 months.
  4. Black and white baby toys/books are a must-have for me. The contrast is good for your baby! Just search “black and white baby toys” in the Amazon search bar and be amazed!
  5. Pick a stroller that’s right for you. For us, we were limited by a lot of factors. Some of the strollers I wanted wouldn’t ship from the US and some strollers in Spain had different safety standards than the US. So our pool was limited. We ended up spending the big bucks on a Bugaboo Fox. I can already hear some of you saying that’s stupid… and to you I say, BACK OFF. My Bugaboo was and IS worth every penny. It had a great suspension system for navigating the cobblestone roads of Spain, Andorra, France, and Germany. It is super sleek and easy to fold down. It has a variety of seat positions and options. It’s lightweight. I LOVE MY BUGABOO. It’s essential to me. And it’s cleaned, ready, and waiting for baby boy.

I think that’s it. Just remember, pick what YOU want. It’s ok to change your mind. It’s ok to ask questions. It’s ok to love something. It’s ok to think something is stupid. It’s ok to budget here and/or splurge there. Have fun and remember none of it really matters- you make do. I did. We didn’t have most of our things for about 5 months of Rosemary’s first year of life. Trust me when I say that she didn’t care or know any better. She is thriving and well… stuff is just stuff. But love and snuggles? Ah, that’s the dream.

Photo by Dominika Roseclay on Pexels.com

Kendall: This Is 34

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This year’s birthday was the most mellow yet. Since the big day happened to fall on a Monday, we opted to celebrate over the weekend. We enjoyed my favorite take out, watched my favorite shows, and drank many a fancy mocktail. On my actual birthday, I was exhausted so I went and got my favorite latte and bagel and then crashed for a few hours on the couch with my kiddo. We ended the evening with a fancy Costco dinner of hot dogs for Issy and a chicken bake for me. It was nothing special but it was relaxing; which is exactly what I needed.

For the past few years, I have forgotten my age. Seriously, I always forget which thirty something I am. I just don’t care. Age has never been a big deal to me. Yes, I am getting older… but that doesn’t really scare me… yet! Maybe this will all change at some point but for now, my age just doesn’t really matter. I also REALLY hate attention. I don’t like public shout outs (but I do like to give them to the people I love so I have been told I am a hypocrite when it comes to this). I don’t like people paying attention to me. Perhaps it’s all the years of growing up and people telling me I must love attention that made me completely shy away from it. I never loved it and when you have people telling you do like you are some kind of crazy attention seeker, it made me run the other way. Who knew saying “Happy Birthday” to me could turn in to such a debacle?

This year is going to be a big year for me. I will be birthing my second child, my husband will be finishing up some big things, and my daughter will start preschool. Our whole way of life is going to be upended. Naturally this has me thinking about things I need to let go of, things I need to plan for, and things I need to work on. This whole year is also reminding me that I need to keep loving myself. That may sound silly but it something I struggle with and work on daily. My gut reaction to any circumstance in life is to turn inward and basically blame or hate myself. Why couldn’t I be better? Why didn’t I plan for that? And the list of unhealthy self-loathing questions goes on. This has never served me well and has even turned me into a version of myself that I really don’t like or ever want to be. So I have had to find ways to be better and not turn to that way of thinking. I need to continue to work on pushing that away and letting things go. For a long time, I was SUPER insecure. This was exploited by that negative thinking and even negative people. While I grew out of that a while ago, the trauma of living, thinking, and speaking like that has been slow to heal. Oddly enough, being a mother to my daughter has helped me to let that stuff go. It has no place in helping shape a decent human. When she looks at me or cries for me or is driving me downright crazy, I see myself in a whole new way and it’s a way that is really good for me to experience. I have to be better not just for her but for myself; I can’t expect to mother well if I carry all that baggage around. AND truthfully, it has no power or relevance in the current life I lead. What does have power is working on my patience (which is tried daily by a toddler) and kindness (also tried daily by a toddler, a world where there is so much to be afraid of, and constant worry of “what’s next”). I don’t want to be 35, 39, 42, or 50 and still trying to acknowledge this stuff. I want 34 to be the year of finally just letting go. Breathing it all in on one breath and breathing it all out right after. This is the year.

As a 34 year old, I still feel young. Heck I am young! I am not that old but because I have children, people automatically assume you must be more ancient than you are- which is an unfair stigma. BUT hey, so is the decision to not have children. People are just brutal to each other some times. We are especially brutal about the aging process. Do I physically look different than I did a decade ago? SURE DO. Am I healthier than I was a decade ago? SURE AM. My face has more freckles, sometimes I see a hint of a double chin, my butt has changed, my boobs are bigger, my size is bigger but I am still healthier than I have ever been. I can workout pretty well (ok, well right now my belly is in the way and it is getting hard to do my regular routine so I am down to just walking- but still), I eat healthy, and I am actually happy. I am not perfect and have lots to work on but I am just happy. I am happy to be living in Vermont, have my family, and be who I am. Sometimes, I do feel alone. Being a mom in the pandemic can be a lonesome journey and being a pregnant mom in the pandemic can be even more lonesome still. There are far more interesting people out there to hang out with but I think I am still pretty cool. And I only plan on getting cooler, so come on 34!

I used to take a lot of selfies. Maybe it was the confidence or the fact that I used to do my hair and make up every day and now I definitely don’t… BUT, this is me. This is 34.

Shari’s Tribute to the Women in Her Life

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Every month should be dedicated to celebrating women, humanity, and empowerment. However, I will settle for the beauty that comes from celebrating women’s history month in March. This week we celebrated International Women’s Day and I saw so many fun social media posts with links to various Instagram accounts and influencers but what I was looking for was the reason, the “why”? What about that specific woman made you want to post about her? What makes her stand out? Then I thought about my girlfriends, my aunts, cousins, and even my mom… all women that in one way shape or form have molded me into the person I am today.

Here is my shout out to Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day to honor the women in my life…

To my girlfriends: Thank you for being there. It’s simple. Friends are important, having someone that I can lean on, count on, and look forward to being a constant presence in my life is invaluable. I can’t imagine my life without several key friendships. You know who you are. You know that I message you or marco polo you. I take the time to invest into you because I love you and value your friendship. I admire you, I’m inspired by you, and I hope I lift you up and encourage you, too. You deserve to hear me cheer for you. I want to celebrate your successes, I want to comfort your heartaches, I want to also simply be there for you when you need me. My friends, you are intelligent, bold, beautiful, and ridiculously good at multitasking. Seriously, what some of my girlfriends manage to accomplish on-the-daily is impressive. If only you could see my face right now, beaming with pride. Yes, I am proud of you. I am proud of you for showing up for your life, yourself, your families… even on the days that challenge you the most. My friends hold so many important titles, they are impressive individuals, mothers, wives, athletes, entrepreneurs, and leaders. I am not offended if you don’t text me back. I always assume you are doing something remarkable, because you my friend are extremely remarkable and deserve to be celebrated EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

To my Aunts and Cousins: You are my family and I am so grateful for you. I carry the thought of you with me everyday and am linked to you so deeply. It’s easy to overlook the relationship with family because you are connected by blood (or name) but in reality YOU are who I wish I could spend more time with. Even when I was little my heart would burst just thinking about you… I could hardly contain my excitement to see you, hug you, and be in your presence. You have always been special to me and when we get to catch up or spend time together, I’m truly filled to the brim and I hope you are too. I am also extremely proud of you. Proud of the women and role models you have been in my life. For the constant way you’ve showed up for me and my family. I hope you have felt my support and love throughout the years. I am looking forward to more family gatherings in the future and to the next time I get to hug you and see you. I can’t wait for you to meet my little girl and for her to have so many amazing women in her life that she can also call FAMILY. I love you.

To my Mom: Well what better person to acknowledge on Women’s History Month than my own mother. Strong, beautiful, and kind. You’ve been through more in your lifetime that most would even begin to imagine. With unwavering faith and grace you have been a gentle yet powerful leader in our family. You’ve taught me the ways of the world, how to show immeasurably more kindness than what people deserve, and how to stand back to let others shine. Thank you for your grace and love, you are the example of Christ that I wish the world could see and know. I never take it for granted that you are my mom and I am so lucky to call you mine. I can’t wait for my little girl to have a relationship with you. Thank you for cheering me on, showing up even when you didn’t need to, and for loving me through every season. I hope you know how proud I am to be your daughter, how much I look up to you and admire you, and I hope you know that when I think of celebrating women in my life, I always think about you FIRST. You mean the world to me.

To the women I haven’t met yet: I look forward to sharing a slice of your life. I am already thankful that I get to know you at some valuable point in my lifetime. May we be able to lift each other up and bring so much joy and positive influence to each other’s lives. You are smart, dedicated, and honorable. You are the type of person I am proud to have surrounding me. Thank you for being a genuine friend and presence. I can’t wait to spend time together and learn from each other.

This is my tribute to the women, albeit a generic shout out but one filled with gratitude for the women in my life. If you fell into one of these categories I hope you know how much I truly mean these sentiments. You are a treasure to me. Happy Women’s History Month, may we honor women in our lives today and everyday!

Shari’s Simple Egg Bake Recipe

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In an effort to think of something to blog about this week, I realized that I don’t feel super inspired by much right now. Normally I am in the beginning stages of spring cleaning fever or planning an upcoming adventure… instead I am just here, growing a baby and praising myself for making home cooked meals this week. But seriously I haven’t made a legitimate meal in quite a while and this week I have made ALL of them… I deserve a medal, thank you. 

Speaking of meal planning and meals… a recipe that I often get asked about is my favorite (and simple) egg bake. I make several versions of this but my tried and true is the ham rendition. It is high in protein and packed with flavor! It was one of my favorite clean keto breakfast go-to’s.

Shari’s Simple Egg Bake Recipe

  • 12 eggs 
  • Diced ham 
  • 2 bell peppers cut small
  • ½ onion finely chopped
  • 1 small can of diced green chilies (mild)
  • Sprinkle salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. 

Prep all the veggies and make sure the ham is diced into small cubes. Saute the bell pepper and onion together on medium heat. Once the onions start to turn translucent, add in the ham and the can of mild diced green chilies. Combine and remove from the stovetop. I tend to drain out any extra liquid at this point.

In a separate bowl, stir together the eggs and sprinkle in some salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Once your mixture is stirred, add in the other ingredients and stir until combined. 

Now take a greased pan (13X9 inch), add your mixture, and place it in the oven. I set a timer for 20 minutes and add time as necessary until the middle looks cooked.
PRO TIP: I poke it with a knife or tooth pick to make sure it comes out clean.

After the egg bake cools, I portion it out for the week in tupperware. My husband and I like to warm it up and add salt/pepper (to taste) with a side of avocado. YUM!!! This is one of our favorite breakfast dishes and we even have it for lunch sometimes.

Enjoy and let me know if you make this!

Kendall: Wordle- Worth the Hype?

by thesaltyexchangeLeave a Comment on Kendall: Wordle- Worth the Hype?

Wordle. It was all over the internets a few weeks back. A quick recap: An 80 year old woman was held hostage in her home. She always sent one of her daughters her daily Wordle score because she enjoyed the game so much! On this particular day, no text from mom went to her daughter with her new score. This was worrisome for the daughter and she contacted authorities to check on her mom. The older woman was rescued and the individual who held her hostage was apprehended. All because of a Wordle score, people. I know we sometimes wonder if we are too connected to each other because of technology… but come on… a woman’s life was saved that day. 

Then my good pal Stephyne asked me during a quick texting convo if I had tried Wordle. She sent me the link but I didn’t check it out right away. I was afraid of being disappointed. But a few days later, curiosity got the better of me. I tried Wordle. And to date- I have won every game that I have played. I don’t play every day but a few times a week. It’s a wonderful way to get that brain going. So try it. And don’t cheat. It’s so satisfying. 

Also- it could save your life.