Odds & Ends

1. Friday Night Meatballs: How to Change Your Life with Pasta. I absolutely love this idea about creating community through regular, stress-free entertainment. We currently open up our home for a weekly community group through our church, but I love the idea of also doing something like this...maybe sometime in the near(ish) future?!?

2. If you follow me on Instagram then you've already seen this, but if not, let me introduce you to THE best baby giggle in the world! My SIL Kate captured Brecken's giggle on video last week and we have watched this probably 100 times already. B is generous with her smiles but makes us work for her laugh so it was all the more special to film this. We've fake sneezed over and over and over again since then and she apparently no longer finds it funny...little stinker! 

(image source)

3. If you're a working mom, or plan to someday be a working mom, do yourself a favor and read Maxed Out: American Moms on the Brink. I liked it so much better than Lean In or any other similar book I've read. Part memoir, part research-based, it's a quick read and will hopefully inspire you to change America's culture as it relates to working moms. 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

4. Are you diving straight into pumpkin season? Whether you started yesterday or are holding off for a few more weeks, put these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies on your must-bake list. They're one of our favorite--if not our all-time favorites--cookies and when September hits at least a few cans of pumpkin go toward making these. I dare you to find a pumpkin cookie with a better texture!

One Year Ago: Sloppy Joes
Two Years Ago: Banana Mascarpone Muffins with Chocolate Chips
Three Years Ago: Baked Black Beans with Chorizo
Four Years Ago: Okra, Zucchini, and Tomato Saute
Five Years Ago: Pear and Blue Cheese Spinach Salad