Denim Daisies

 Hello! Thank you to Shay from  Mix and Match Mama  and Sheaffer from  Sheaffer Told Me To  for hosting this link party celebrating real and authentic life.  Here is a little of what I’ve been up to this past month. I’ll cover food, clothes, books, TV, and some of our activities. 🙂 What I’m Eating:  I’m always interested in being vegetarian, lately I got that last bit of motivation I needed to make it happen. Hopefully it’ll stick this time! 🙂 That said we’re eating a lot of plant based protein and I really enjoy chickpea bowls, vegan chorizo from Trader Joe’s, and impossible ground beef for burgers to round out our meals. Also all the compliments to whomever created soy bacon. It actually tastes pretty authentic as long as you like crispier bacon! 🥰 What I’m wearing. I’ve slowly transitioned to a more casual wardrobe than I used to wear and so more hiking-style and work clothes have become staples for me. I’m comfortable in this and it’s fun to fin...

 Hello, Teddy got a special surprise yesterday when we finally completed the last section of the yard that needed a privacy fence. This allows for him to go outside whenever he likes. Before it was a little challenging because we had to make sure none of the neighbors were out since he would get scared and bark which is a little intimidating from an 80lb guy.  We are really excited that our Tedders can hang out outside with us whenever he likes from now on. It’s also nice to be able to feel a little more secure in the backyard for the kids, though we will very much miss the easier playtime with our backyard neighbors. We’ll have to make more of an effort now for dedicated playtime with our neighbors daughter Riley as she has been such an amazing friend to both boys. Have a wonderful day! 💛Jessie

 Hello, We had a very fun and productive, but also restful weekend. It was exactly what we needed. So Sunday afternoon when we’d finished our family gardening and pulling out all our summer treasures from the garage, Sulev floated bringing the boys to the creek and it was the best decision we could have made.  There were several families already at the creek and so we got to play, share beach toys, and learn how to catch crawdads. It was the perfect moment and I’m so grateful that we are spending time prioritizing togetherness and not just jumping to the next thing or only truly enjoying “vacation time” and instead savoring every moment. 💛Jessie

 Hello, It’s a beautiful morning in Cincinnati with a tiny bit of chill in the air and a lot of sunshine brewing. There are so many things to feel gratitude towards this week, but the top is my youngest son, Arnis, and his new habit of hugging me and insisting that he tell me that he hugs me because he loves me. It’s the sweetest thing and makes me grab him up every time and never want the moment to end. (Though it is funny that he also insists on hugging the cashier at Trader Joe’s every week as well. 😅🤔) I’m so grateful that he is such a loving and sweet guy who is so open to love and wearing his heart on his sleeve. 🥰 💛Jessie

 Hello! It has warmed up so nicely this week and Sulev is home this weekend so I’m in a great mood and ready for some backyard time, grilling, and just everything that makes me happy. As usual, I’m linking up with  Andrea from  Momfessionals  and Erika from  A Little Bit of Everything  to share some favorites and gratitude from this week! 🥰 Here are some favorites from this past week: 1. Date Night! Sulev and I had the opportunity to go out for a happy hour drink and appetizer last Friday which was amazing. We even got to walk to and from the restaurant which made me so happy as we haven’t been able to take advantage of living in such a walkable community as much as I’d like lately. 2. Jamie’s Birthday! I did a birthday post for my sweet guy  here  and it was so much fun to celebrate my big guy turning 7!!!! 3. Kid selfies He makes me laugh so much! 🤣🥰 4. Easter 🐣  Jamie ruptured an ear drum over the weekend so he and Sulev stayed home wh...

 Hello, We planted our backyard urban garden this past weekend as one of our fun activities and I’m feeling pretty confident about this year.  You can see the pots and the blackberry bushes on the right side of this picture. Last year it got a little out of control and the pumpkins and then the tomatoes and cucumbers completely took over the yard. This year we’ve made only the blackberry bushes as our “directly in the ground and prime sunshine location” plants. Tomatoes, peas, and mint are all potted in extra large half barrel pots.  I’ve also planted some nosturium in a large pot and will use that and some chives out front. The goal is to have something that is pretty, but everything useful for food as well.  I’ll give updates throughout the summer but fingers crossed that this year works as planned!  Have a wonderful day! 💛Jessie

 Hello, Getting closer to summer with the weather warming up makes me think about all the adventures that we have taken with the boys and all the ones that we want to do. Sulev and I have talked about my taking Arnis on a weekend trip every year so we can ensure that he gets a one on one adventure and attention in a long form fashion though we make a point that each of our kids gets undivided attention from us every day. Here are some locations that I want to take Arnis to: - Chicago: dinosaur museum and Nutella cafe! - Montana: dinosaur dig  - Washington DC: aerospace and natural history museums - NYC: just a really fun city that I never truly explored despite living close by for years - San Juan: sea turtles and rain forest hikes  - Texas: ranch and seeing friends - California: LA for family and Disney, San Diego for the safari park - Alaska: … home That’s all for today! I’m sure I’ll add to this and even more sure that Arnis will as he gets older and makes his own deci...

Hello, This post is all about my favorite 7?!?!?!?!?! (How is he already 7) year old. Jamie is the sweetest guy that you'll meet and is filled with laughter, mechanical skills (seriously how did that happen???), and the kindest heart. I am so proud to get to be his mom. In honor of his 7th birthday, here are seven things about Jamie: 1. His favorite food is oranges. 2. He LOVES to swim and play tennis, especially with Coach George! 3. He's an animal lover with his favorite shows as Wild Kratts, Creature Cases, Blue Planet, and of course Baby Shark. 4. He is everyone's biggest cheerleader and every teacher at his school tries to go out of their way to see him in the morning because of his energetic and enthusiastic greetings, "Mrs. Merk!!!! I'm so happy to see you!!!!" 5. He likes fruit, though he's not really into deserts and will choose a savory snack all day. 6. He can make is own sandwiches or replace a doorknob by himself... ask how we found that out. ...

 Hello, It was quite the eventful weekend. We had a wonderful birthday for my sweet SEVEN year old boy!!! We had a beautiful Easter weekend celebrating such a perfect sacrifice. And unfortunately we had a couple of rough moments with a bad ear infection that ruptured for our birthday boy. I’ll do a post just on Jamie and how amazing he is later this week as I wanted to focus on him this weekend, but I’m so grateful for my sweet and brilliant little guy. For a simple joy, I want to highlight my amazing spouse and our friend Dustin. We’ve had a LOT of storms and them getting up the ladder to clean gutters when we had a sunny weekend is such a relief. 🥰 That’s all for today! 💛Jessie

 Hello! It’s a beautiful Friday here in Cincy and we’ve got a fun weekend of birthday and Easter celebrations ahead of us for my sweet guy, Jamie! As usual, I’m linking up with  Andrea from  Momfessionals  and Erika from  A Little Bit of Everything  to share some favorites and gratitude from this week! 🥰 1. Mini-hikes I love hiking and, while I can’t go up Mt Baldy in Alaska every week anymore… I CAN get out and get on some trails for about 30 minutes every day to build a little more stamina and enjoy nature. I also really love my jacket that is form fitting enough to make me feel good and fleece lined enough to keep me comfy! 🥰 2. New shirt/photos with Jamie Jamie is always up for anything. So when I said, “mommy is taking a picture of her outfit” of course he needed to join in! I love green everything and very earth tone looks, so this in-between outdoor/casual top makes me happy. 3. Teddy’s new seat-belt I love this because it gives me peace of mind th...

 Hello, Spring seems to have finally found it’s footing after today, at least if you trust the weather forecast. So I wanted to list out some of the things from the past month or so that have allowed us to find joy in this season. 1. Mini-hikes Since I was cleared to workout I’ve taken my time to slowly build my stamina. My favorite workout has always been going on hikes so I’ve used the trail system surrounding Ault Park to start building my endurance. At first this is just the hiking part of it, but I’ll start building in a weighted vest and even a ruck as time goes on.  2. Our Backyard After school the boys, Jamie especially, need to have a little quiet free play. Our backyard has provided the perfect setting for this lately, excepting the days that we had torrential downpours. It’s been great to just spend that time with them outside and soak in as much vitamin D as possible. 3. Afternoon Coffee Lately I’ve switched my one cup of coffee a day to the afternoons. I just get ...