Happy Ollieday!

I still cannot believe our little guy turned ONE this past Saturday! To be quite honest, I was initially tempted to skip the fuss of throwing a birthday bash. However, I eventually realized that surviving the first year is a pretty major milestone, and we certainly didn't make it through alone. Festivities were in order! We ended up having a super low-key brunch party, and it was such a memorable gathering. I'm so glad we had this time to celebrate. After all, who couldn't use a little funfetti in their life? :)

Although it was Oliver's party, this day was also a celebration of our family and friends, near and far. You know who you are :) Chris and I want you to know that your love, generosity, and encouragement have sustained us through some of the craziest highs and lows over this past year. It hasn't always been easy, but your companionship has made this journey much more fruitful and rewarding. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.

I've been told it just gets crazier, but also a lot more fun. There's lots to look forward to, and it's important that we exercise gratitude and remember to savor each step, big and small. We ask that you continue to pray for us, and to keep us accountable along the way. 

Words cannot describe how tremendously blessed we are to have you as our village! This little boy is so incredibly loved, and we are deeply grateful to be able to share him with you. 

Wonka's Birthday Biscuits

We're back from vacation, and our trip was incredible! I definitely promise to give you guys a lovely recap as soon as I get a chance to sort through all my thoughts and photos.

One of my favorite parts of our cruise experience was making wonderful friends from all over the world. A very popular topic of discussion was how much we all missed our puppies back at home. Everyone was obsessed and going insane over their little ones, and we could not get enough of swapping photos, videos, and anecdotes with each other.

Despite all the fun we were having, you can probably imagine how happy I was to get home to Wonka. A very special THANK YOU goes to our friends and family, who teamed up and took such great care of him while we were away! We arrived home just in time for Wonka's 5th birthday, so I decided to bake him some biscuit treats to celebrate!

I've researched many recipes for dog biscuits and have found that many call for ingredients and additives that may not be the healthiest for our pups. Since we keep Wonka on a pretty strict diet, I adapted a few of the healthier formulas and came up with this simple recipe.

Peanut Butter Banana Crunch Biscuits

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup smooth reduced salt peanut butter
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
3 tbsp ground flaxseed meal
1/2 tbsp honey
1/2 tbsp light brown sugar
1/4 banana, diced

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together flour, oats, and flaxseed meal.

Next, add in your banana, peanut butter, chicken broth, honey, and brown sugar (feel free to omit the sugar if you'd like, but a tiny amount won't do any harm to your pup).

Stir this mixture together until it is evenly combined, and fold into a ball of dough.

On a lightly floured surface, start kneading out the dough until it is soft, then roll or pat out until the dough is spread 1/3" thick all around. With a floured cutter, cut out your biscuits and transfer onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake for approximately 10-15 min until golden brown, then let cool to room temp before sharing with your furball. This recipe produces approximately 70 small biscuits. These treats will stay fresh for about a week in an airtight container.

Wonka gobbled his birthday biscuits right up! Honestly, he'd eat anything you give him, but I'd like to think that they were a big hit :)

Best. Birthday. Ever.

As I celebrate three amazing decades of life today, Chris and I are also raising our glasses to some very exciting news - We have a new home!

A while back, we came across a spectacular apartment. Private balcony, French doors, huuugge bathroom with a walk-in shower and room for a clawfoot tub! We put down an offer on the spot, and I immediately began daydreaming and decorating in my head.

Cue viscous bidding war. We went back and forth with another relentless buyer for days. The whole thing spiraled out of control, and we had to walk away. I was devastated, but our wonderful agents promised they had something truly special in store for us.

I started feeling weak in the knees the moment we stepped into Hampton Court. The courtyard's towering trees and gorgeous landscaping completely stole my heart, and the stunning pre-war buildings surrounding us took my breath away. The apartment was spacious, in excellent condition, and had fantastic potential. What really sealed the deal wasn't the wine fridge in the kitchen - it was the ridiculous 538-acre park we'd have as a backyard. This was it. It was meant to be. We made an offer, and several rounds of negotiations/panic attacks later, we got it!

Well, it wasn't exactly ours yet at that point, because then came board apps and interviews. For what felt like an eternity, we were so focused on wrangling paperwork that I actually started to forget what the apartment even looked like. It has been a crazy, and at times, terrifying few months. The more time, energy, emotion, and money we invested into this process, the more anxiety I had to battle. But all the insanity paid off... we've just received board approval, and we're going to be homeowners! Looking back, I can say with certainty that this has been an unforgettable lesson in faith, patience, and teamwork.

The icing on my cake is the fact that Chris is granting me carte blanche over all our renovations! I will be sharing peeks and snippets along the way as I explore the ups, downs, ins and outs of designing our new place. If you have any wisdom or advice to impart, I'd love to hear from you.

What a splendid way to kick off this new chapter in my life. This is going to be so much fun :)