You know those things that just suck the life out of you? Maybe it's dirty laundry or gray days or head colds (or quarantine?). Or maybe it's that never-ending stream of paper clutter. Yep, that one is definitely at the top of my list. It seems to accumulate on every surface, and each new wave of paper needs to be dealt with somehow, whether that's filing or tossing or shredding or responding. We all make neat piles that turn into small mountains. We have good intentions that turn into an hour spent on Pinterest instead. Ugh, pesky paper. Life sucker, right? Well, here are a few ways that I am taming that unruly paper beast. Mail, Phone Keep Reading

Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream For the past few years, (in our ice cream churning prime) whenever my husband and I would arrive at a family dinner, everyone would say, "So... did you bring ice cream?" We have hauled frozen tubs of ice cream to a family cabin in the hot hills of Washington and packed our ice cream machine in between beach towels and bike helmets bound for Sunriver. Unfortunately, we have been totally slacking off in that department lately. We show up, people look past us for a cooler. Nothing. We need to pull it together because compared to homemade ice cream, we really are a disappointment. It's kind of like when you have an adorable Keep Reading

How to Can Blackberry Syrup August is prime blackberry season in the Pacific Northwest. The best part? In a land where blackberries grow like weeds, picking is absolutely free! Find a safe, easily accessible public place and go crazy. We have let blackberries take over a small section of our side yard. Well, it used to be small. They have kind of become like those house guests you invite to stay the night, and they end up spending the week. You love them, but you are ready to have your space back. How do you get them to leave?! It's hard to whack them out in June when we know they will be so sweet in August. The blackberries, not the house Keep Reading