Gilded Living

Take my money! Give me all the red velvet cupcakes! Pretty please with sugar on top!

...one is silver, and the other gold! What's better than meeting up a girlfriend of 30+ years who also loves beer? Not a whole heLL (those are hockey sticks) of a lot! My friend Brenda and I met playing tennis though our south side town's parks and rec department in grade school, and then finally got to spend our days together in junior high. She was a staple in my life for years: we built a tree house, logged countless hours playing tennis and watching MTV (back when it played music videos), rode the city bus 15 miles to the book store every month or so to buy the new Babysitter's Club books (and then discussed them all at length, long before either of us knew what a book club was), and ate a lot of toast spread with cream cheese, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar! Those times were great, and so are our recent get-togethers...still talking books and tennis, but now with beer!

Uh oh! I've been caught white-tongued! 😋 Did y'all take advantage of Dairy Queen's free cone day yesterday? Our family swung by for a little dessert before dinner...it was a great way to kick off Spring! 🍦 Thanks, Dairy Queen ! 🍦

It's more than a Waffle House . It's a Waffle home. Always living my best life when roadtripping! Must have items include a satisfied belly full of waffles and hashbrowns, a to-go cup of Cherry Coke  in my hand, and a smile on my face!

Jumping for joy for the weekend...one with big plans! My family and I are in Chicago for all things St. Patrick's Day, once again eating and drinking our way through the city! I love that we're here so often the kids know their way around, have favorite neighborhoods, must-eat treats, and silly traditions...and yet always have a reason to look forward to coming back next time, next month! Make no little plans, friends! Go big or go home! (Unless you need a break, then make big Netflix plans at home!) PS, the full Daniel Burnham quote , which I LOVE, goes like this: "Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men`s blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will never die, but long after we are gone will be a living thing, asserting itself with ever- growing insistency. Remember that our sons and grandsons are going to do things that would stagger us....

Cheers to the weekend! My husband is working from home today and the only thing my homeschool girls have left for the week is an incredible read-aloud * book. If all goes according to plan, the day should be full of snuggles, coffee refills, and last night's dinner leftovers for lunch (I made that spicy ramen again...IT'S SO GOOD). It's gonna be a good day! * - We're currently reading Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry . It has inspired so many thoughtful and sensitive conversations in our house about equality, civil rights, segregation, slavery, humankind, education, and empathy. I strongly suggest it for your family's next read-aloud book! And if you're not a read-aloud family, I strongly suggest you become one! Even my high-schooler and I have a read-aloud going at all times...it's magical! ** - Photo taken at Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis after the factory tour. This Milwaukee girl (translation: home of Miller) was impressed! That's saying a whole...

Dutch, Dutch baby! 🎶 (Na na na na na na na na!) Alright stop, collaborate and listen! Time changes are an old school invention... And springing forward this morning was rough, and will continue to be so all week as we set our alarms for school and work. To start the new schedule off on the right foot, I baked a couple of Dutch babies for my family to enjoy for breakfast this morning; both dusted with powdered sugar, one topped with berries, one plain to later top with lingonberry jam. Both were gone in record time! How are you faring this morning? Any tips on adapting to the time change when waking kids up for school? Please share! (My kids have been homeschooled until this year when my oldest said he wanted to give high school a try...let's just say mornings have been and adjustment.) Wanna try my awesome Dutch baby recipe? It's from the NY Times cooking section ...it's incredible and pretty simple and fool-proof...and pretty! INGREDIENTS 3  eggs ½  cup flou...

Cheers to my husband, who was promoted to Executive Vice President at work this week! We had an awesome time celebrating at At Random in our old stomping grounds in Bay View, followed by The Best pizza at Anodyne ! So proud of this guy!

I wish my blog had smellovision, because the coffee beans roasting right behind these double doors smell SO GOOD! ☕ Happy Friday, everyone! * - Photo taken at AM Coffee Roastery in Grafton, Wisconsin.

I have been a rosé drinker for many years, long before " rosé all day " and " brosé " because common terms. I remember when the wine exploded in popularity because friends from every corner of my life shared clothing, candy, home goods, and other peachy/pink-hued items via text or Facebook saying "This made me think of you!" But it wasn't until this past February, on a trip to Florida to visit my aunt and cousin, that I tried frosé. Sure, the recipes I saw floating around online looked tempting; if I had been at a party and it was offered to me, I definitely would't have turned it down. But the frozen strawberries and grenadine I saw in the videos and recipes turned me off. I pictured them distracting from the rosé taste, and why would I want that? And so, in February, as I sat on a patio, water-side, across from two of my favorite people, freshly off the plane I took to escape our brutal Wisconsin winter, my eyes caught sight of a fros...