4th of July week situations...

S’MORE BROWNIES RECIPE

Put your Hershey bars in the refrigerator

Make a fudgy brownie mix as directed

Shave off 3 to 5 minutes baking time.

While brownies are baking, break six graham crackers into bite-size pieces and grab a bag of mini marshmallows

When brownies are just under baked, take out of the oven and top with the broken graham cracker pieces and nearly one bag of mini marshmallows.

SUPER IMPORTANT - Press down the marshmallows and graham cracker pieces into the brownie mixture so that the layers stick together

Continue baking until marshmallows are toasty

Remove from oven… Take your chilled Hershey bars and smack them on the counter.  Place broken pieces all over the top of your brownies.

Cool before cutting

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Delano may be a small town, but it’s big on celebrations. Especially when it comes to the Fourth of July. I grew up going to the parade and all the festivities, and it was honestly the highlight of every summer. The town is always buzzing with people and activities from baseball to live music… the parade to the carnival.  

me enjoying a carnival ride in the early 80's

Every year, Delano had a kiddie parade that would kick off the Fourth of July festivities. Kids would dress up and parade through town. I still can’t remember what the prizes were for the best costumes or if I ever even won… I just remember how much fun I had.

all ready to take part in the kiddie parade

1995 Delano Royalty - my first time riding on the float

As I got older, I continued to be in the parade…  dancing with the local dance school, the high school, dance team, and then as a 1995 Delano princess.  Once I got married and had a family of my own, then my kids started taking part in all the festivities - enjoying the carnival, being in the parade, and just enjoying the nostalgia of a small town Fourth of July celebration.

Jordan, my oldest, taking part in the parade with a local apple orchard

9 months pregnant with Brady, hanging at the carnival with my two boys

To this day, I have never experienced a town who puts on a better celebration than Delano… (maybe i'm a little biased) but- especially when it comes to the fireworks.  

Wherever you’re celebrating, have a happy and safe Fourth of July!

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Sharing a few of my summer favorites...

1. I love using this beach bag for all my family's situations. Easily holds everything from beach towels to snacks... even our sandals.

2. This 9x12 pan is amazing when it comes to brownies, meatloaf, and even roasting vegetables. Plus- it's so pretty.

3. Jo Malone Orange Blossom does a great job at keeping the bugs away. Bonus- also keeps you smelling good.

4. Dibs has the best shimmer stick I've found. It's the perfect amount of shimmer. Especially for the summer months.

5. My entire family love these floating saddles. They keep you buoyant in the lake or the pool and I love that they don't take up a ton of space.

6.  When it comes to cutting any kind of melon, this watermelon knife is a game changer. The 'seed' holes prevents suction making cutting into your favorite fruit effortless.

7. This Supergoop eye shadow not only has SPF, it adds the perfect amount of shimmer and gives you that summer glow no make-up look.

This week's situation..

Wish us luck!

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The main cabin before renovations

My husband had wanted a cabin for as long as I can remember. And not just any cabin… Jeff always had his eye on buying a resort. Properties with multiple cabins that were small and quaint, but could bring everybody together. Two and half years ago, my husband called me around noon on a January workday. He said he had found a cabin and was going to go look at it up on Balsam Lake, WI.  

The guest cabin before renovations

Awesome. Let me know how that goes… Two hours later Jeff called and told me he bought it.

I hadn’t seen it, but I was familiar with Balsam Lake as it was one of the areas on my radar for a future family cabin. I've known Jeff long enough to know, if Jeff says it's a cool property... it most definitely is a cool property.

In the midst of construction

The main cabin's living room - floor is gone but the deer remains!

Jeff brought me and the kids up to see our future cabin situation… A cluster of small log buildings nestled on a point on Balsam Lake. Given the current state of the buildings, I think a lot of people would have chosen to tear everything down and start over- but we saw so much potential in this charming property. The cabins came furnished with everything from couches and dishes to boardgames and books. I went through everything... I sorted and packed things away, knowing that for many of the items, we would be reusing them again... and we have!

Some of the original dishes that came with the cabin

A full renovation started over two years ago, restoring logs and wood floors, replacing windows and creating the cabin of our dreams. Construction is finally wrapping up and we can’t wait to start creating new family memories on Balsam Lake, Wisconsin.

Our family cabin situation - nearly complete!

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I've been so busy getting everything I need for our family cabin. Sharing a few of my favorites...

1. These Brooklinen Towels are AMAZING! I went with the same neutral color throughout all our bathrooms for consistency and sorting laundry easy.

2. Our sheets I found while we were vacationing in Nashville - The bed at the Bobby Hotel was so comfortable, I checked out the tag on the sheets before we left and placed an order the minute I got home!

3. If you guys don't have a watermelon knife, I highly recommend! The holes in the blade prevents suction when cutting through any melon.

4. I was first introduced to the game Fast Track at a friend's cabin and my entire family loved! It plays similar to the game Sorry, but you can customize your track depending on how many player you have.

5. I recently purched this little smoothie blender for our home and I love how convenient it is. My husband says I need to get a fleet of them for our cabin!

6. Speaking of fleet... these floating saddle seats are comfortable to float on and hold up kids and adults. We use them all the time in our pool at home and knew I needed to get some for our cabin as well. Bonus - they are super easy to store and don't require blowing up.

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This Week's Situation!

Hey you guys! Back for another weekly blog post. Here's the scoop this week...

I was invited to be a guest on Passion Pod talking about all things 'Small Town Me'. You can listen in (or watch the live stream) here! Let me know what you think :)

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Brady feeding our friend's alpaca in Colorado - 2017

In 2017, my husband and I loaded up the kids and the icehouse, then headed to Colorado for a little family road trip. Our friends that we stayed with had alpacas just hanging out in their yard. Fast-forward a couple weeks later, we were home and I couldn’t stop thinking about my fuzzy friends over in Colorado. I decided to make a call to a breeder I had met in Colorado and purchased three alpacas… Two of which were pregnant.  Why so many… Because alpacas are herd animals and so I had to do a minimum of three. I don’t make the rules you guys!

So, our new fuzzy friends made the trip from Colorado over to their new home in Minnesota. I’m just learning as I go, but I will tell you guys the joy these alpacas bring me every time I see them running around my pasture is significant - the cute factor!!

Our alpacas getting aquainted to their new home in Minnesota

Jordan hanging out with Snow the alpaca

Our baby Cria

When I originally bought them, I had every intention of having their fiber made into yarn so that I could knit and crochet all the things. That dream started with me making a dish rag and ended with me making a dish rag. I found out fast that I am not a knitter, but that’s OK.  These alpacas bring our family more joy then a hand knitted sweater ever could. I'm so grateful for this impulse buy!

1. I'm super excited for our first 4th of July at our cabin.  I've been on the hunt for the perfect outdoor decorations to make our lakeshore festive. These corrugated plastic stars are going to be perfect! They will stick right into the ground and I’ll be able to easily store them for use again next year.

2. My friends also have a cabin out on Balsam Lake, and they decorate their deck railing with these cute patriotic banners. Super festive and they show up beautifully from the lake. Plus- I love the polished feel. They are really easy to attach with zip-ties and the best part is they can also be reused year after year.

3. These pinwheels are perfect for sticking in planters and making fun and festive centerpieces. Again - any decorations that I can use year after year is a bonus!

4. Adding the smallest accessory to your outfit is an easy way to bring on the Fourth of July vibes. I'm loving these sunglasses!

5. Fun clothing does not have to be all red white and blue. Jordan's swim trunks totally fit the theme for the upcoming holiday weekend! **fish is not linked!

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