11/14/2018
I’ll never forget holidays at my Grandma Thompson’s house. From the moment I woke up to the moment I went to bed, my grandmother would be busy in the kitchen. I kid you not, she would make everyone’s favorite dessert–cake, pies, cookies, you name it she baked it. She had 5 children, all married with kids. There were a lot of people and a lot of favorites, but she managed to please us all. Looking back, I can see where I get my love of hosting and cooking from. My grandmother cooked much like I do, throwing ingredients together without a recipe. For years no one knew how she made many of her recipes because they were all in her head. Luckily my Aunt had the good sense to follow her around and write down my grandmother’s now famous (to us) recipes. For me it’s … 
(This content is sponsored by Olay. All thoughts and opinions are my own.) I was six months pregnant with Parker when my skin totally changed. I noticed that my normally oily skin was completely parched and started on a never ending journey of beginning to take care of my skin in a way I hadn’t before. It was my first real skincare routine that wasn’t just targeted at breakouts. Fast forward five years, two children, and a new business later and I’m more focused on looking fresh faced after nights that are often times lacking in … 
(Thanks to Signature by Levi Strauss and Co. for sponsoring this post.) My mom, sisters, and I have an ongoing group text. At any given time, you’ll find us chatting about everything from politics and the local news to the latest décor item that my mom spotted in a model home and wants our opinion on. Last week we were lining up our December calendars—cookie exchange on the 12th, holiday bazaar on the 15th, Santa party for the kids on the 19th, and Christmas Eve tamales that we host at our house, of course on the 24th. Traditions, all of … 
There’s more to Thanksgiving dinner than that moment when everyone is finally convened around platters and platefuls of savory eats. Thanksgiving dinner starts now with the plotting and planning. What will be the main course? What side dishes go best? Do you go with the classics like mashed potatoes and green bean casserole or put a modern twist on the meal by serving Coq au Vin or Pumpkin Risotto? Do you go full indulgence with an amount of butter that would make Julia Child proud or follow your health and wellness forefathers towards … 
If you don’t read anything else on the blog this week, make sure you read this! It was such a delight to chat with Katherine Lott about her newest endeavor, Wildflower Remedies. I could listen to her talk for hours as she shares her wisdom on everything from tonics and tinctures to plant therapies and bringing your body back to its natural state of rest and calm. What she shares resonates with me so much. I do truly believe that the foods that we eat and products that we use do have such a profound effect on our health and happiness. … 
