Hey, Friends,

It's Giving Tuesday.

While I haven’t been posting much creative stuff lately, I have been spending my free time helping with something festive and fun; a Winter Craft Fair. When my darling, little children’s school was looking for a volunteer to help lead the Winter Craft Fair, I raised my hand.

After all, helping kids create cool, giftable stuff is super fun.

It's also a great way to make the holidays the most creative yet!

And giving time back to a community that gives so much is a great gift for all.

Speaking of communities, to give back to you, over the next few weeks, I will be sharing with you similar winter craft ideas for kids of all ages.

So, get your salad spinner ready, go rummage through the closet for the glitter, and fire up a hot glue gun because winter inspired crafts, that are going knock your mittens off, are coming your way.

Let’s start with something simple, one beautiful snowflake. Remember cutting these out when we were kids? The perfect little one-of-a-kind darlings are sure to make anyone feel special.

Simple Snowflake

• 1 white 8” coffee flitter

• Scissors

Step 1: Fold the coffee filter in half, and then keep folding 4 more times.

Step 2: While the coffee filter is folded, cut into and cut out small shapes from the coffee filter.

Step 3: Unfold and admire your one-of-a-kind snowflake. Use it to decorate the top of a gift. Maybe make a few more and create some festive garland to hang on the mantle? The possibilities are more endless than the effort needed to see a polar bear in a snowstorm!

My now 20-year-old nephew's snowflake popsicle ornament still hangs from the tree. He was just four or five years old when he gifted it to me wrapped in soft little green tissue paper and sprinkled white faux snow.

There is just something so special about snowflakes. They are so simple, so complicated and give so much over time.

Until tomorrow friends!

Halloween is long over, but we are still haunted by one thing.

The massive bag of delicious, delectable, sugary, sweet Halloween candy sitting in our pantry. The giant lump of gooey goodness sings it’s siren song from the back of our kitchen every afternoon and calls us to beat our afternoon energy slump by hypnotizing us to gobbling up a few pieces or ten.

There needs to be a better use for all those mini sized candy bars!

And there is.

Let’s exorcize that sweetness right out of our pantry and pass on these little demons to Halloween’s sister holiday; Thanksgiving. We can use some of that chocolate goodness to make irresistible Perfectly Pumpkin Pie Bars. This recipe is so sinful and delicious it will make even the fanciest pumpkin pie jealous.

Perfectly Pumpkin Pie Bars

Crust:

• 2-3 cups fun sized Twix candy bars

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Filling:

• 8 oz cream cheese

• 8 oz sour cream

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1 cup pumpkin puree

• 3 large eggs; at room temperature

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 3 tablespoon all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line an 8” x 8” pan with parchment paper. Finely grind the Twix bars in a blender or food processor. Pour the butter and salt in the blender or food processor. Blend to combine. Drop the Twix mixture into the pan and evenly press the crust into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 8-12 minutes or until the crust bubbles slightly. Remove from oven.

Step 2: Make the filling by whipping the cream cheese in a stand-up mixer for 3 minutes. Add the sour cream, sugar, and pumpkin. Combine until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time and combine with the batter. Add the vanilla, flour, pie spice, and salt and mix until smooth.

Step 3: Pour the filling on top of the crust. Bake for 45 minutes or until the middle is set, but the filling jiggles a bit. Let cool 20 minutes and place the bars in the refrigerator for 3 hours to cool completely.

Slice up these delicious bars, add a dollop of whip cream and move the pumpkin pie recipe to the back of the recipe box. This one is a classic!

Until tomorrow friends.

“Somewhere inside of all of us is the power to change the world.”

-Roald Dahl

What’s more accurate and useful than a crystal ball?

Voting.

Today, let’s step up to the ballot box and cast our vote.

It gives us magic to predict the future and the power to change the world.

Get out there and vote Great American Friends!

Halloween is tomorrow. Are we trying to find time to add a few final stitches to a costume?

Hopefully.

Are we swooping down to a store to search for one last spooky Halloween trick?

Probably.

Are we trying to hypnotize ourselves into forgetting about the giant overflowing candy caldron sitting in our office?

Yes! Absolutely. Without a doubt. No question.

Because who can resist a ridiculously delicious, saccharine-saturated, gigantic bowl of FREE candy.

No one.

Unless there is a better option.

Like these Scary Good Tarantula Cookies. Thanks to my lovely friend Sashi, who is always looking for better-for-you eating options, she created the recipe base for these cookies. They are chocked full of amazingly healthy ingredients that will make you and your kiddos forget all about the hauntingly sweet Tootsie Pops and Snicker Bars sitting in that giant Halloween candy bowl.

In two big bites, these cookies will give all goblins the best energy to keep the Halloween fun crawling with no sugar crash!

Scary Good Tarantula Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 cups old-fashioned oats

• 1 cup sunflower seeds

• 1/4 cup cacao powder

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

• 1/2 cup raw & unfiltered honey

• 1/2 cup sun butter or nut butter

• 1 egg

• cacao nibs, chocolate chips and candy eyes (optional)

• About 30 stick pretzels cut in half

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment. Place the oats, sunflower seeds, cacao powder, salt, and cranberries in a blender or a food processor. Pulse to combine.

Step 2: In a large bowl, combine the oat mixture, honey, sun butter or nut butter and egg. With your hands or a cookie scoop, create approximately 2-inch balls of cookie dough. Place each ball on the cookie sheet. If desired, top each with cacao nibs, chocolate chips, and candy eyes.

Step 3: Place the cookie sheet in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes. After removing the pan from the oven, for each cookie, immediately push four pretzels into the side of the cookie. Repeat on the other side, so each spider cookie has eight legs. Let cool completely.

These cookies are so good, they might just creepy crawl away faster than a cat in a room full of rocking chairs.

Until tomorrow Healthy Halloween Friends!

This post contains affiliate links.

Don’t panic. Halloween is just two days away. Is there a little critter that still needs an epic Halloween costume?

Oh, yeah!

Quick, run to the store and grab a little pre-fab costume wonder.

No, way! That would be like cooking hot dogs in the microwave; too simple.

Let’s drive ourselves batty and stitch-up the furriest and most lovable Halloween howler since the original Teenwolf {affiliate link} movie! Warning for all you DIY divas who are interested in creating this little pile of fluff, you will need one skill; how to whip stitch. If quick stitching is in your wheelhouse, this is a 2-hour project guaranteed to make everyone howl with delight.

Husky Pup Costume

• 1/4 yard fashion faux fox fur fabric sliver

• 1/8 yard fashion faux fur Eskimo cream brown

• 1 spool grey Madeira thread

• 1 pair dress maker scissors {affiliate link}

• 1 sewing needle

• 10 large safety pins

Step 1 (husky hood): Cut 2 - 16” rectangular pieces of the fox fur. Safety pin together one long side and one short side of the rectangles with the fur on the inside. Confirm the direction of the fur is pointing to the opening where the face will appear. Now sew together the two (2) sides with the safety pins. Remove the safety pins and turn the rectangles, so the fur is now on the outside. You now should have the beginning of a husky hood.

Step 2 (ears): Cut two (2) large triangles from the fox fur. Each triangle should be approximately 6” tall and 5” at the base. Cut two (2) of the same sized triangles from the Eskimo fur. Using the safety pins, pin together one (1) triangle of the fox fur and one (1) triangle of the Eskimo fur with the fur on the inside. Sew the two (2) 6-inch sides together. Repeat for the 2nd ear. Turn the fur so it is on the outside.

Step 3: Using the safety pins, pin each ear to the hood. This is an important step as the positioning is critical in making the hood look like a canine. Make sure to use a model to place the ears in the right position. Once the ears are in place, sew the ears to the hood. The husky hood is complete.

Step 4 (tail): Using the remaining fox fur, roll up the fabric in a tight tube. Cut to the tube to the length of the tail desired (about 16”). Sew along the seam.

Step 5 (tail tip): Cut a 6-inch by 4-inch rectangle from the Eskimo fur. Sew together the two shorter ends (4-inch) and then one longer end (6-inch) so there is a cup-like shape.

Step 6 (whole tail): Place the Eskimo fur tip on one end of the fox fur roll and sew in place. Add a safety pin to the opposite end.

Use any remaining scraps to make fur paws and fur trim for the legs.

Until tomorrow husky pack!

This post contains affiliate links.

Halloween is just a few short days away. We might be busy baking up some fabulously, spooky Skull Pies or whip stitching up a last minute furry costume alteration. We may find we don’t have anymore BeatleJuice (don’t say it three times!) in our Halloween spirit gas tank to make anything more magical.

Oh, but we do.

Because here is a simple but astonishing Haunted House Halloween trick that will spook even the grumpiest of ghosts. After all, the magic of Halloween sits in making the dead rise, so let’s resurrect our Halloween spirit with one more light-up-the-night Halloween trick.

Levitating Candles

12 - LED Window Candles {affiliate link}

12 - AAA Batteries {affiliate link}

Clear Fishing Line (8lb) {affiliate link}

Step 1: Place one battery in each LED window candle.

Step 2: Cut various lengths of fishing line. Tie one end of the line to the flame part of each LED window candle. Tie the other end to a curtain rod. Space out each candle using various lengths of fishing line. (Make sure to keep all LED candles and fishing lines out of the reach of all children & critters.)

Step 3: When it is dark, turn off the lights, use the remote provided with the LED window candles, cast a little spell, and watch in amazement as the candles mysteriously float right into Halloween.

Until tomorrow spellbinders and wizards of the world.

It’s Friday and October, which means we might be gearing up for a weekend full of chilly soccer games, exciting pumpkin patches, and magical Halloween party planning.

However, this also a great time to realize it is Breast Cancer awareness month.

Here is an alarming statistic: “About 1 in 8 U.S. women (about 12.4%) will develop invasive breast cancer throughout her lifetime.”

That’s is terrifying.

It also means, chances are, each of us knows someone affected by breast cancer.

So, let’s think pink today.

Find some time before October ends. Do a self-breast exam or encourage a loved one do a self-check.

After all, sometimes it’s the small things that can create health and happiness in our lives.

Until tomorrow friends.

This post contains an affiliate link.

Halloween is big over here at our house. My entire family loves to create all kinds of ghoulish goodies for the big October 31st holiday. There is pumpkin carving (my son's personal favorite), costume planning (right up my daughter’s dark alley), frightful exterior decorating (my husband’s frightful forte) and spooky food prep which is the skeleton key to my haunted heart.

However, some friends question our love for Halloween and ask “Why does your family love Halloween SO much?”

Is one of us secretly married to a candy corn baron?

Does our family tree include a branch from Transylvania?

Is our family in a secret society of suburban walking dead?

Nope.

We just like to party.

Yes, party!

And make stuff.

All Hallows’ Eve provides an excellent time for both.

In the spirit of everything ghoulish and fun, let’s vamp up for the night of spooks and sparkles and celebrate Halloween with dessert so deliciously scary even Dracula would give up his day job.

These hideous hand pies are boo-ti-full and hands down the best-haunted dessert ever created! Bursting with sweet, tart, tangy raspberries and flaky buttery crust, these will be the devilish darling at any Halloween shindig.

For this recipe, a cakelet pan is need. It can be found here: Nordic Ware Haunted Skull Cakelet Pan {affiliate link}

Skull Pie

Pie Ingredients

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter; melted

• 3 pre-made pie crust; thawed

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 12oz bag of frozen raspberries

Icing Ingredients

• 1 & 1/2 cups powdered sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 3-4 tablespoons milk

• 2 tablespoons melted butter

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. For the pie, melt the butter and lightly brush each skull tin with a pastry brush. Roll out the pie crusts to be 1/4 inch thick. Cut the dough into 2.5-inch strips with a total number of strips being about 12. Place one strip in each skull tin and press until the entire cavity is filled. Repeat for the remaining tins for a total of 6 strips used.

Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, combine the raspberries, sugar, salt, melted butter, and flour. Stir to combine.

Step 3: Scoop approximately 1/4 cup of raspberry filling into each skull tin and evenly distribute the filling across the 6 tins. Layer and stretch the remaining 6 strips of dough on top of each tin and pinch the bottom dough and top dough together to create a seal.

Step 4: Place the pan in the oven and bake for 28-32 minutes or until the tops/back of the skulls turn toasted golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Step 5: While the pies are cooling, whisk together the icing by placing the powdered sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Add the vanilla, milk, and butter and whisk to combine. The icing should be thick but runny.

Step 6: When the pies are cooled, flip them onto a wire rack with a jelly roll pan placed underneath. Pour the icing over each pie and let dry.

Now dig in! Let the sugar rush of Halloween begin and watch as this recipe becomes the finest Trick-O-Treat since Finger Hot Dogs!

Until tomorrow ghost and goblins.

© 2018 Andra Weber Creative LLC

Happy Birthday Libras of the world! Thank you for traveling with us on one more adventure around the sun. You are cooperative, gracious and gentle. Life would be hard without your diplomacy and generosity.

© 2018 Andra Weber Creative LLC

Speaking of birthdays, how do we find a perfect birthday gift for that special Libra or another fabulous person in our life?

It’s easy.

Buy them a houseplant.

Yes, a houseplant.

Did you know that houseplants make everyone feel better by reducing stress, absorbing carbon dioxide, soaking up toxins, improving concentration and boosting our mood?

Plus, plants make terrific sketch models.

© 2018 Andra Weber Creative LLC

Picking the perfect houseplant just got easy with this ProFlowers handy houseplant Zodiac chart. It makes finding a gift for birthdays or a special green office companion for ourselves as simple as stargazing!

---

Image Provided By ProFlowers

ProFlowers

“Your Perfect Plant According to Your Zodiac Sign”

Plants are always wonderful additions if you’re looking to add a natural touch to any room. You can make  unique gardens or simple plant stands to display them. Large palms are great for adding a tropical feel while tiny succulents are your go-to plant if you don’t have a green thumb. Some trial-and-error can help you find the best houseplant for you based on your own traits and the characteristics of your house, but what if your perfect pair was actually written in the stars?

Astrology, is  a way lots of people make different decisions in their lives. These range from what they’ll grab for breakfast in the morning to the way they’ll decorate their house. ProFlowers has a guide to your perfect plant according to your zodiac sign. Whether you believe in astrology or not, this fun guide is a great way to get different ideas for the types of plants you can welcome into your home. Take a look at their guide and see how you and your perfect plant pair match up!

Image Provided By ProFlowers

Image Provided By ProFlowers

Image Provided By ProFlowers

Image Provided By ProFlowers

Image Provided By ProFlowers

Image Provided By ProFlowers

Image Provided By ProFlowers

Image Provided By ProFlowers

Image Provided By ProFlowers

Image Provided By ProFlowers

Image Provided By ProFlowers

Image Provided By ProFlowers

---

Well, Libras Happy Birthday and may your next trip around the sun be filled with harmony, fresh air and something green to brighten your home!

Until tomorrow friends!

Creating is tough on the ego. Just the idea of starting a project can stop us from ever getting started. Our critical inner dialog might go like this:

“You are going to fail.”

“Why would anyone take you seriously?”

“It’s a waste of time, don’t bother.”

“How old are you?”

“You need a special degree for that.”

“Everyone will laugh at you.”

To turn off our inner voice, we need to throw self-doubt and the idea of success in a very dark place and realize it takes gobs of courage to put the darkness aside and, own it.

Yes, own it.

Own the courage.

Own the work.

When we OWN it, we give ourselves permission to OWE it to ourselves and say, “That’s mine, and it is important to me.”

When we OWN it, we put our fear aside and do things that make us whole, real and unstoppable.

With our creative courage, we can paint a better today. Tomorrow, we can become happier parents. Next week, we can help a struggling community. Next month, we can ignite a new enterprise. Next year, we can build our unattainable dream.

Or we can use it to cook a better chicken pot pie.

Whatever we decide to do with our creativity, let’s own it.

Until tomorrow friends.

Finding a style that tells the world our story is a great way to be creative every day. However, as a mom, I find buying clothes that fit my life and still maintain a sense of style, challenging. I’m not saying moms can’t wear whatever they want. Moms of the world, please dress in whatever manner makes you feel great! However, I would like to take this opportunity to shout out to all moms who wear red-bottomed stilettos and three-hundred dollar white silk shirts.

You are one of the great wonders of the world.

Because my kids use me as a napkin, a tissue, and a garbage can on a daily basis.

To wear anything expensive or delicate is just as ridiculous as dressing a cat in a sailor costume.

For the rest of the moms out there who want to buy something tailored, while wearable but can’t afford the Gwyneth Paltrow Goop inspired lifestyle;

Flannel is back.

Did ever leave?

It did.

But now it’s back, and it’s cool again.

Moms of the world rejoice!

Here is a perfect one for every mom. It’s affordable, comfortable, washable and works excellent as a backup napkin.

//American Eagle Ahhmazingly Soft Boyfriend Plaid Shirt//

Did I mention it buttons in just the right spots?

Until tomorrow mom friends.

Finding time to be creative can be challenging. Between a hectic daily commute, crazy kid drop-offs, client meetings, social media checks, meal preparation, homework pauses, and general daily duties of trying to stay alive, who has time to be creative?

We do.

Yes, we do!

Sometimes, I forget that being creative can expand our minds and add a sense of happiness and well being to our day. Take today as an example; I am in such a rush. However, I pushed pause for just 3 minutes and did this exercise. Try it and let me know if it gets your creative juices flowing.

The 3 Minute Drawing

Grab an object. Anything interesting will do. I picked an apple.

Now select a piece of paper, scrap paper or a sticky note.

Find a pen, crayon or any writing tool.

Now, start drawing the object’s outline in one continuous line while you study the object intently. Don’t pick up the pen! Just keep drawing until the whole object appears.

Stand back, look at your drawing, and giggle a bit. Are our creative juices are flowing?

Yes!

Until tomorrow friends.

Fall is almost here. It’s a season full of earthly colored leaves and brisk cozy days. However, for all it’s delightfully warm accessories, fall can make us feel a bit empty. It’s the shift from long, hot summer moments that leave us needing something warm, filling, and comfortable to usher in the new season.

With the desire for something more, we sometimes overdo the festive, fall spirit. We can find ourselves with 25 pounds of perfectly, just picked, orchard apples cooling in a box on our porch.

That’s when we have to use our creativity to celebrate our seasonal exuberance and make fall amazing.

And I have created one way to fill up the empty that fall delivers.

Last week Jen from Jen Reviews, gave us a great recipe for Chocolate Babka With Nuts. It was an easy and delicious sweet dough mixture that left us wanting more. You can find more here on this post “Here Is How To Bake Easy Happiness Into Your Weekend.”

With fall upon us and apples coming out of our ears; I spent last week creating a perfect recipe for you. With elbow grease, bread research, perseverance, and a whole bunch of freshly picked apples, I present you with Fried Apple Babka inspired by the Chocolate Babka With Nuts recipe from Jen Reviews.

Fried Apple Babka

Ingredients

Dough

• 1 cup milk

• ½ cube fresh yeast

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• 1/3 cup butter softened and sliced in 1” slices

• 4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2 cup of organic granulated sugar

• 1 medium egg

• pinch of salt

• 1 egg for brushing

Fried Apple Filling

• 6-8 medium sized Gravenstine apples cored and diced

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/8 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

• 1/8 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

Instructions

1. Warm the milk and 1 tablespoon of sugar in a small saucepan. The milk should not be hot as the heat will kill the yeast. To test the temperature, place a drop of milk on the inside of the wrist. If it feels hot to the touch, let the milk cool to room temperature. Crumble in the yeast. Let it sit for 10 minutes and then stir until the yeast dissolves completely.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook, add the butter, flour, 1/2 cup sugar, egg, and salt. Turn on slow to combine. Add the yeast mixture on slow until the ingredients come together to form a ball. With the mixer set to high, knead the dough for 10 minutes.

3. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise for 1 hour at room temperature.

4. In the meantime, prepare the apple filling. Core, peel, and chop the apples. Melt the butter in a large frying pan, add the apples and cook for 5-7 minutes until the apples are soft. Add the cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and sugar. Cook, frequently stirring, for 5 more minutes. Set aside.

5. Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it to remove the air. Preheat your oven to 350F* and grease a bread pan with non-stick spray and line it with parchment paper. Roll it out on a non-stick surface to a rectangle about 12 x 20 inches.
   

6. Spread the fried apple filling evenly onto the dough keeping the filling 1/2 away from one long side. From the long side with the filling, tightly roll the dough to create a long dough log.
   

7. Cut the dough lengthwise into two even pieces and braid them together with the cut facing upwards. Tuck the ends underneath.
   

8. Carefully place into a bread pan. Cover with a clean kitchen towel. Let it rise for 30 minutes.*
   

9. Brush with an egg and bake for 50 minutes. If the top starts to become too dark, cover it with aluminum foil.
   

10. Let the loaf cool for 15 minutes before attempting to remove it from the pan. 
    

*This loaf can be baked the day after it rises. After placing the dough in the pan, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise slowly overnight in the refrigerator. In the morning preheat the oven to 350 degrees, remove the plastic wrap, and bake for 50 minutes.

This bread was and instant classic and a delicious, filling way to start any fall morning.

My family finished the loaf yesterday. This morning my little ones asked “Where is the twisty bread?” It was a sad sight when I told them the bread had been gobbled up yesterday.

Enjoy the recipe! I hope it makes your fall amazing and gets your creative juices flowing.

Until tomorrow friends.

This won't come as a surprise.

Bread is delicious.

This won’t come as a surprise either.

Bread is a tricky thing to create.

With easy access to grocery store offerings and farmers market finds, making bread requires a set of skills that most of us don't need to survive daily life. We can pick up a loaf of pre-sliced bread and move on with our day. Convenience has slowed the art of making bread. 

Who, however, doesn't love a warm, chewy, and buttery piece of homemade bread?

Yes, exactly, everyone!

As pointed out above, the few times I have made yeast bread, it has been a tricky feat. My loaf always turns out tough and somewhat dry, including the last post where I made Chocolate Babka With Mixed Nuts. Let me be clear the recipe from Jen, from Jen Reviews, was a delightful and perfectly simple recipe that made our Saturday delicious.

However, my bread baking skills didn’t quite present the overall soft dough I was hoping to conquer. Yes, the inside was soft, chocolatey, and heavenly. The outside was tough as leather and dry as sand, which made me declare like the Queen of Hearts, "This year I want to make better bread!"

After a bit of research, here are the top 3 reasons bread can turn out tough and dry:

You can find more description and answers here at The Reluctant Gourmet.

If you have any tips and tricks on the art of making great bread, please send them over. There might just be a fried apple muffin recipe in it for you.

Until tomorrow friends.

This post contains an affiliate link.

Good recipes are hard to come by.

Easy recipes abound but are not always good.

Great recipes are rarer than happiness at 6:30 on a Monday morning.

Great AND easy recipes, well they don't exist.

Or do they?

One morning, not so long ago, an email popped up in my inbox from Jen, from the website Jen Reviews. She asked me to give her Chocolate Babka With Mixed Nuts recipe a whirl. Let me preface with I get nervous around things that rise again like zombies and sweet yeast dough. They can make me so full of anxiety; I pretend they don't exist. When I noticed Jen's recipe contained yeast for the sweet dough, I was doubtful I could bake this dreamy chocolate bread into something fabulous.

I started sweating at the prospect of having to let the dough rise. I almost emailed Jen and told her this post was a no go.

Thank goodness I didn't because we had lots of happiness baked into this weekend because of Jen.

She made this recipe super easy.

Her Chocolate Babka With Mixed Nuts recipe is an AMAZING way to create something that is delicious, rewarding and impressive for a weekend holiday or just a regular old Sunday. Jen has done a terrific job of showing step-by-step instructions, through her beautiful photography, how to make this bread perfect.

After, I made the recipe here are 3 Things to consider:

1. If your household is nut-free like mine, double the chocolate needed for the filling and omit the nuts. 

2. Line the bread pan with parchment paper. The paper will hang over the sides of the bread pan. It's an easy way to pull out the bread when the bread is cooled.

3. As Jen mentioned, using high-quality bittersweet chocolate bars in this recipe is a must. The brand that is always consistent and delicious is Guittard. Specifically, I used the Guittard 70% Bittersweet Chocolate {affiliate link} bars for this recipe and the bars are made in a peanut-free facility. 

Well, enjoy the weekend and thank you, Jen, from Jen Reviews for providing a great and easy recipe that made this weekend delightfully delicious.

See you tomorrow, friends.

Hey, friends-

I hope your summer was a good one full of belly flops and warm days brimming with long, lovely bike rides. It's been a while since you received daily creative magic from me, but after a long break and some deep thinking about creating and living the full life, it has come to my attention that some of you missed seeing the creative work. 

Here is a little secret; I missed you more. I missed hearing about the work YOU are doing, making, and creating. It is magic.

So, let's start again.

Let's forget about expectations. They are NOT a source of what to do or who to be next.

Let's let go of perfection. It steals joy and robs us of living a human life.

Let's get back to playful experimentation and shake off what is holding us back from a better tomorrow.

After all, sometimes we just need to shake it off in order to find new kind of happiness.

Let's start again to continue create the highest expression of ourselves.

And if nothing else, there is a Chocolate Babka loaf recipe in it for you.

Until tomorrow, friends.

Happy 4th of July great Americans! It's been 242 years since the Declaration of Independence was adopted. To celebrate this nation's birth, we should fire up the barbeque, spend our afternoon belly flopping in a pool, consume a truckload of hot dogs and end the day watching effervescent fireworks burst in the night sky.

Afterall that is what freedom is right? It's right to celebrate and be happy.

Or rather be happy because we are free. 

However, freedom is brilliant in that it has no constraints and offers no solution. It means different things to different people. Freedom is unparalleled in its diversity, and it gives us the luxury and personal choice to be happy today. It provides us with the option to pursue what it means to be happy.

We get to choose what it means to be free, and that is phenomenal.

Let's raise our glasses today and say "Cheers to America!" 

Until soon Great American friends.

This post contains {affilate links}.

Sometimes it's the small things that make us happy in summer. Maybe it's the languid sun's rays or the call of dripping soft serve after a long day at the beach; style and self-care come top of mind as the days become longer. Yes, some things are more important in life, like nourishing our career ambitions, raising tiny humans and getting our task list complete. However, it's the summer season that reminds us that we all need time to kick back, relax and enjoy our existence, after all, life is short. This time of year gives us permission to treat ourselves to little treasures and an excuse to mark this moment in time with something special for ourselves or for someone we love.

Here are five great accessories that will make summer special.

1. Cotton Block.

Man or woman, we all need a splash of color to wrap around our heads and block out the summer sun. A cotton bandana is an answer to style and convenience in one little swatch. 

//Madewell Cotton Bandana//

2. Beach Bum.

We all need a good bag to tote stuff to the beach and back. Books, towels, and the swim gear need a stylish home. Let's try this super unique tote from Society6.

//Ice Cream Tote//{affilate link}

3. Fun In The Sun

Running, swimming and playing all day is going to require us to slather on the sunscreen and this one has got us covered with all tropical scent of summer.

//Sun Bum SPF 50//{affilate link}

4. Shimmer On Summer.

For all the ladies out there that need simple glitz to accent minimal summer dressing, this set of three necklaces makes summer style easy. Each necklace can be worn separately or together and at different lengths. It's the answer being fabulous without a lot of fuss.

//Madewell Treasure Pendant Necklace Set//

5. Skin Is In.

Some of us shy away from showing off our goods when summer strikes but let's throw caution to the wind and break out the semi-naked parts. Let's shimmy into a bikini or dive into some board shorts and start living the good times of summer life.

//AE Aerie Henley Bandeau Bikini//

//Chubbies The Kooks Only 6"//

Let me know if these goodies make your summer better and more importantly happy as a slice of watermelon on a sweaty, humid day.

Until soon friends.

Endless Summer By Andra Weber Available at Society6

Summer is here folks! Let's find ourselves ready for sweaty seat weather, lazy days, backyard BBQs, long car rides, sprinkler dashes, and watching the light fade slowly over the west. Summer brings many opportunities to make great moments in our lives. However, the pressure to spend this time of year can make us feel like there is nothing we can afford to do but watch paint dry. The good news is summer brings a lot of free and affordable opportunities that make memories on minimal dollars and create endless summer fun.

1. Pick Farmville.

Imagine picking ripe, juicy berries, as birds chirp and the sun tans our bare shoulders. Just the thought of placing a tender, sweet strawberry or cherry on our lips can bring on blissful pleasure. Find a local farm, take a friend or take the whole family. Everyone will have bellies full of juicy, delightful, fruit as well as effervescent giggles that will last the entire summer through.

2. Born To Ride.

A bike isn't just a mode of transportation or a faded tool from our childhood. A bike provides a summertime freedom that parallels none else. We can enjoy the wind on our face and the warm summer sun on our legs as we cruise to the corner grocery or down the bumpy boardwalk. Dust off the rusty 10-speed, adjust the banana seat and let's pump our breaks right into summer.

3. Ice Scream! 

When is there time to make something extra special in the kitchen? Summertime! When I was a kid, I still remember the day when my grandpa made homemade vanilla ice cream. The whole process was magical from the rock salt to the machine. Pair a homemade treat with a once-a-year fruit, like rhubarb, and the memories of this summer will stay with us for years in the future. Try this recipe for "Rhubarb Sorbet" from Epicurious.

4. Prepare Wishes.

When we were little, we most likely wished on a star, caught a firefly, or puffed a dandelion to send hope out into the world. There is something about a summertime ask that can bring delight to the soul and enchantment in the air. Let's get wishing.

5. Get Paddling.

Most of us are not sailors, but when summer arrives, it's time to tap into our maritime moment. What is it about a boat in the summertime? It's like the mermaids of the universe are calling us to set sail. Grab a friend, rent a canoe, locate a waterway and spend the afternoon watching the sunlight dance over the water. Summer will never feel so splendid. 

Let's give a big cheer to summer. Drop me a line and tell me what is on your list to make summer endless!

Until soon friends.

We travel around the sun once a year and the trip ends with only one day celebrate. However, the stars in the sky say something different.

The stars say we can celebrate forever and through the Zodiac, we never need to stop celebrating what makes each of us unique. 

My birthday month is over, but these two Taurus prints from Society 6  are going up on my office wall. They will remind me that we come from the stars and we should shoot for the stars. 

Check back soon as more Zodiac prints are coming to Society 6 including two-sided Gemini!

Until soon friends and birthday buddies.