I’m going on a month and a half of no sugar. It’s forced me to be more inventive in the kitchen. I’ve always loved to cook but now that I can taste food better, i‘m really into experimenting with flavors. This recipe resulted from me prepping tons of spaghetti squash one Sunday and I didn’t know what to do with it all! It’s so easy and so delicious. If you make it please let me know what you thought! Enjoy!
I had already meal prepped my spaghetti squash but just in case you’re making it as you go I’ll give you my tried and true recipe for baking it in the oven. Step 1: cut your spaghetti squash in half (not lengthwise). I know a lot of people do lengthwise but I personally think it makes for a longer “noodle” when it’s halved horizontally. Step 2: hallow out the inside and rid of the “guts”. Step 3. Add a little grape seed or avocado oil, salt, and pepper. Step 3: did you notice I didn’t say preheat oven? Yeah, I don’t. Place your pan of halved squash in the oven and set it to 460 degrees for 40 minutes. *if the squash is overly large you may need longer* That’s it! It comes out so tender and with a delicious naturally carmelized flavor.
Scramble eggs in coconut oil. I like to slow cook mine on low-medium so they turn out nice and fluffy! Salt and pepper to tast!
While your eggs are cooking, combine a tablespoon of avocado oil with diced white onions and your chicken sausage (sliced into coins). Cook to your liking. I like mine a tiny bit blackened. I add salt, pepper, and garlic and herb seasoning to taste.
Add some of your favorite hot sauce for a kick! My favorite right now is anything Siete makes or good ol cholula!
You all really loved our Halloween Faves post so we’re back to share our Thanksgiving and Autumn inspired faves! We read a book to Ever every single night along with her daily devotional so we keep the bookshelves in her freshly stocked with relevant books. The thought behind that is so that we can educate her on the current and upcoming holiday or event. I also like to pull books from her library that coordinate with the colors and overall vibe of the collection. These will be up until the day after Thanksgiving. Do you have any favorites that we’re missing? Comment below so we can grow our collection too!
Bad weather is on the way and the autumn stores are still not gathered in! Quickly, all the mice of Brambly Hedge set to work to finish the harvesting before the rain begins. Primrose, Lord Woodmouse's daughter, meant to help, but somehow she daydreamed her way over the cornfield and into the Chestnut Woods, and before she knew it, she was lost. The sun went down, the wind rose and it began to rain. Primrose was all alone in the dark and she was frightened. Poor Primrose, would she find her way home again?
Words are powerful. They can hurt or they can heal. It's time to tell a special tale that will warm the hearts of readers of all ages. Seeds and Trees revels in the power of words. It explores their effects on feelings and emotions. And it does so though the journey of two different seeds.
​Every year a family and their friends gather in the woods to celebrate Thanksgiving among the trees. Everyone brings something to share and the day becomes a long celebration of family, faith, and friendship. Told in a gentle, lyrical style, this picture book includes warm illustrations of people gathered around bonfires and long tables adorned with candles and food, singing songs and sharing laughter.
Every year around this time, some special happens in the forest. When the leaves begin to change color, the animals come together to celebrate. Join in on the fun and find out what happens on this very special time of year.
Lauren Stringer celebrates the coming of autumn in this exuberant, joyful ode to that magical time when the leaves are changing color and the animals are preparing for winter. Children and animals alike excitedly anticipate yellow time, when the trees release their colorful leaves to blanket the earth, crows raise their voices joyfully from the bare branches, and squirrels busy themselves preparing their nests for winter. This lyrical celebration of the beauty and fun of autumn is sure to become a perennial fall favorite.
As trees sway in the cool breeze, blue jays head south, and leaves change their colors, everyone knows--autumn is on its way! Join a young girl as she takes a walk through forest and town, greeting all the signs of the coming season. In a series of conversations with every flower and creature and gust of wind, she says good-bye to summer and welcomes autumn.
-Cotton Candy (I like to order mine from the Splurge Works App! This one is pumpkin flavor!
Step 1: Mix 2 ounces of vodka with 1 1/2 tablespoons (or 3/4 ounces) of fresh lemon juice. Shake shake shake!
Halloween is dare I say my favorite holiday to decorate for. It allows for such whimsical decor and the color palette possibilities are endless.
I typically decorate with things I paint myself and this year Ever got to paint too! I try and aim for making Halloween more cute than spooky. And I like to use things Ever likes so she thinks I’m a cool mom.
I’ve linked and listed as many sources as I could find!
Pillows Homegoods finds and man was that a good day! Haha!
Happy Halloween from the Hummels!
The first time we did a reading list of our favorite books was for Father's Day. It was so much fun and so well received that I thought we would do it year round for every season and holiday! Around here books become part of the decor. Halloween is a favorite in our house and the books are no exception. We've rounded up our favorites (obviously Coco and Minnie Mouse made the cut) and are excited to share with you! Enjoy!
A warm-hearted best seller. Gilbert goes to ghost school like all the other ghosts, but he's a special ghost: he doesn't like to screech in a scary way, he doesn't want to haunt and was always polite. What will happen to Gilbert when he's sent by the principal of school to the Abandoned Tower?
Oh, to be a ballerina! It's a challenge for any little girl, but even more so if you happen to be a vampire like Vampirina. First of all, you have to find a class that meets at night. Then you have to figure out how to perfect your form when you can't see yourself in the mirror? And then there's wearing pink (not the most flattering of colors if you happen to be undead) and that nagging urge to take a little nip out of the other dancers. And worse of all… STAGE FRIGHT!!!
What do you do when you meet a ghost? One: Provide the ghost with some of its favorite snacks, like mud tarts and earwax truffles. Two: Tell your ghost bedtime stories (ghosts love to be read to). Three: Make sure no one mistakes your ghost for whipped cream or a marshmallow when you aren't looking! If you follow these few simple steps and the rest of the essential tips in How to Make Friends with a Ghost, you'll see how a ghost friend will lovingly grow up and grow old with you. A whimsical story about ghost care, Rebecca Green's debut picture book is a perfect combination of offbeat humor, quirky and sweet illustrations, and the timeless theme of friendship.
Bonaparte is having a tough time. It’s hard for this young skeleton to just hang loose when he can’t keep hold of himself. When he plays catch, his throwing arm literally takes a flyer. Eating lunch can be a real jaw-dropping occasion. How can he start school when he has so many screws loose? Luckily, Bonaparte hit the bone-anza when it came to his friends. Franky Stein, Black Widow, and Mummicula all have some boneheaded ideas to help pull him together. But will it be enough to boost his confidence and get him ready for the first day of school?
With these words, Chiro's mother sends him off into the night for the first time alone. It's an adventure, but how will he find his way? And how will he find his way home? As the young bat discovers, navigating the world around him is easy as long as he uses his good sense. This beautiful and touching coming-of-age story, with mesmerizing artwork from New York Times bestselling illustrator Loren Long and lyrical text from Ari Berk, conveys a heartwarming and universal message: No matter how far away you go, you can always find your way home.
Black Cat—black from the tips of his ears to the tip of his tail—only ever goes out in the day. But White Cat—white from her whiskers to her four furry paws—only ever goes out at night. He picks daisies, while she gazes at the stars. When they both feel the urge to explore a world beyond their own, Black Cat and White Cat go on a journey of discovery and meet for the very first time. Vividly illustrated with bold black-and-white art, each page paves the way toward a surprise (and surprisingly colorful) ending.
When Oscar hears a blackbird singing in the meadow, Bat swoops in to talk to him about sound. A sudden thunderstorm and a visiting cow give Oscar lots of opportunities to learn about sounds that are loud or soft, near or far, deep or high.
Back matter includes an index and supplemental activities.
Boo! It's Halloween! And that means it's time for Minnie's Annual Halloween Costume Contest! Who will win the prize for Best Costume?
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays because it allows for such whimsical crafting and decorating. I like to dream up out-of-the-box color palettes for the holidays in my home decor and Halloween is so much fun to play with. I hope you enjoy this cute DIY as much as I did.
-Ghost cut-out. I got mine at Party City (2.99) Linked here.
-Yarn. Any and all. I recommend different textures as it gives your wall hanging more depth and variety. I purchased all of mine at Michael's.
-A ruler (this isn't a necessity) You'll see in my photos that my cut isn't perfect. I eye-balled it but if you are a stickler for precision, be my guest.
Cut your yarn to your desired length. What I love about this craft is that you can create it to fill a space in your home that you need filled. I was looking for something to go above Ever's kitchen and I decided why not make my own. So here we are. Cut as much as you think you'll need. Don't worry if it is not enough- you can go back and add more as needed. You can also use my photos for an approximate reference point.
Glue away. I used a glue gun but if you want to make it more of a kid friendly craft you can certainly try a different glue. I, for one, love any excuse to use my glue gun. It doesn't really matter if the strings of yarn are even where you are gluing because that part won't show! Just make sure you are gluing to the back side of the ghost. Pro Tip: glue one piece of yarn at a time or the glue will dry too fast.
Now you are ready to decorate your ghost. On the left is what the ghost looks like when you purchase it. Now, you can totally use the ghost the way it comes, but I decided to draw on my own face to keep it a little more simple. All I did was re-create the face part of it. Feel free to get creative and draw any kind of face you like- or even leave it blank. Another fun idea would be to spray paint it a fun color like gold metallic!
Please be sure and share with me on Instagram if you make one!
We have been reading to Everley since she was just a little peanut in my belly. Partly because "they" say it makes babies smart but mostly out of the pure excitement of becoming parents. For me the best part was how she responded to Kurt's voice within seconds of coming into the world.
So, we know and love our books. Ever has over one hundred and counting. I thought it would be fun to round out our top favorite dad books in honor of Father's Day!
I came up with a few options for themes for my girl’s first birthday party and had a hard time deciding but this theme always had my heart! I wanted to really play on blushes and peaches and a pop of sunny yellow. Somewhere along the line I threw in some lilac which if anyone knows me is kind of out of the norm. But I’m so glad I did! I wanted to do a more whimsical version of this theme than anyone would expect. So I had fun with suns and stars and ditched the galaxies and planets.