Baking time! We've got a mostly beige lineup this time, and the brownies are pretty close, ha ha! Most of them were winners or winners with some tweaks, so I will be making them again at some point. Not shown in this roundup is the two Whipped Cream Dream Cakes I made last month. I made one for a friend who just had a baby and one for Christian and I because he was jealous, ha ha. Watch me make one in this Reel!

 

Strawberry Jam Sugar Cookies (using raspberry)

I've made these a couple times before and they're always tasty! I just haven't figured out how to store them without them getting sticky yet. I used raspberry preserves instead of strawberry this time, because that was the catalyst for making them - using up the preserves! I imagine they'd work with just about any type of preserve because the base is a simple sugar cookie. Delicious! 

 

Almond Croissant Cinnamon Rolls

I don't remember how I found this recipe, but it is from a creator I had not seen before. They sounded and looked great so I decided to give them a go! The recipe took me a couple days because I started on Friday and formed them into rolls before bed so I could bake them first thing in the morning Saturday. I took them out of the fridge before we went to the grocery store and baked them when we got home. It did take about double the baking time because they were probably still cold from the fridge, so next time I'll leave them out a little longer before baking.  Christian and I looooved the frangipane filling, and Christian went as far to say these are his second favorite "rolls" after my maple sticky buns! I also gave one to my mom and she said it was delicious! Will definitely be remaking these.

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Wild Blueberry Crumble Bars

These were my contribution to Easter dessert. I had saved this recipe last year and finally got around to making it. It's super easy and not many ingredients! We keep frozen wild blueberries on hand for Christian's breakfast and if I want to make blueberry muffins so we had everything in the house already! Before we left my Dad stole a bunch to have for breakfasts. When Dad takes something for breakfast, that's a success! Ha ha.

 

Quaker's Best Oatmeal Muffins 

We bought quick oats on sale a while ago because I needed some for a recipe and they were buy 2 for $3 so we got 2 containers. Christian figured he would use them for his morning oats but then decided he didn't like the texture of them. So I hunted for a few recipes so I could use them for my own breakfasts. These muffins were the first one I tried! They baked up beautifully so I was excited to try them! They were pretty good, but I think next time I will add some cinnamon to add a bit more flavor. Overall, a great quick breakfast option!

Lazy Daisy Oatmeal Cake

This one is a little more like dessert than breakfast, but still tasty thanks to the coconut topping! The texture of the cake was a little off for me, but that is to be expected when using oats. I probably wouldn't make this one again because it's not healthy for breakfast, but maybe I'll use the topping on some muffins!

Easy Fudge Brownies

With the price of chocolate not going down I'm always happy to find a recipe that uses less of it. Jenna formulated these brownies to be made with cocoa powder instead of melting chocolate but still uses chocolate chips in the brownies for added texture. They were really rich and fudgy, yum!! In the future I may try it without adding the chips to really make it without those expensive nuggets of deliciousness, but we'll see.

I got a few basics this month with two $10 J.Crew coupons that were floating about. I was going to get a purple tee and the blue v-neck but then I ended up getting a second blue tee to see if either would match one of my favorite tees from Everlane that I had to get rid of last year. One is also a men's tee, why do they get nicer shades sometimes? The men's color is closer to what I was going for, but still a little darker.

We also went to the last opening day for the Eddie Bauer outlet at the Westbrook Outlets by chance after a cars and coffee event we went to where everything was at least 80% off. Christian had discovered he loved their tees so we wondered if they might have some left. They did not, but he got a couple fleecey long sleeves for $30 total (this one and this one.) I ended up finding some things for myself too for camping/workouts. There were mostly just super small and very large items left on a couple racks but I managed to squeeze into a pair of fleece-lined pants, leggings and got a large tank that will be nice and loose for Summer, ha ha, all for $40.

THE (modified) RULES

1. Be mindful of purchases 
2. Quality over quantity
3. Basics are best

MY PROGRESS

 

Clothes:

1. None yet

Basics:

1. *NEW!* J.Crew vintage relaxed v-neck in Evening Shadow ($9.50, retail $34.50, used ad money)
2. *NEW!* J.Crew broken-in t-shirt in Bellport Blue ($9.50, retail $36.50, used ad money) 

Shoes:

1. None yet

Handbags:

1. None yet

Accessories:

1. None
   

Activewear/Swimwear:

1. Eddie Bauer Polar Fleece-Lined Pants in Black - similar ($18, retail $90)
   
2. Eddie Bauer Tank Top  in Grey ($5, retail $25)
3. Eddie Bauer Trail Tight High Rise Legging in Grey - similar ($19.80, retail $99)

Gifted from Brands:

• Aurate x Marilyn Monroe: Lab Grown Red Marquise Earring Threader c/o Aurate
•  Pearl Drop Necklace c/o Aurate

Spent in April: $42.80

Spent in 2026: $42.80

Spent in 2026 - counting ad money: $61.80

This month went by pretty quickly, didn't it? I wasn't really in a shopping (or window shopping) mood this month so I didn't add anything to my closet. 

I took a bit of a baking break before and after our cruise but now we're back in the game! In this roundup I was able to use my Le Creuset tarte dish and classic pie dish, items I don't use often because I'm not a huge fan of pies or tarts, haha! 

 

Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart 

I have had this recipe saved for quite a while to make and just never got around to it. Finally decided to make it for a somewhat last minute "big game" get together. I don't really care about football but I go for the food, ha ha. This was fairly easy to make, but I had some difficulty with the crust at first because Christian and I are used to making pie crust, not tart crust, so when the recipe said to keep pulsing the dough in the food processor until it came into a ball it seemed like it wasn't working and not coming together. But we just had to leave it going for a whiiiiile. This was my first real time making caramel, so that was fun. And ganache is old news at this point, so easy to make (and so good!) This one came out a little thin, but I went with it. 

 

Life Changing Chocolate Pie

This was our Valentine's Day dessert. It was super easy to make, no baking involved, but very expensive becasue of the price of chocolate these days. Worth it for a special occasion though! I needed to make the whipped cream a little stiffer and the filling was a little loose overall but it was delicious! We still have one slice left each as of writing this paragraph...yum!! 

Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Yogurt Muffins

These popped up on Instagram and Christian always has Greek yogurt on hand for breakfast so I decided to whip these up. I DO NOT like yogurt, but luckily you can't really taste it in this recipe. I could tell something was a little different but it didn't gross me out too much so I call that a win, ha ha! The recipe uses maple syrup and extra virgin olive oil as well, very interesting! I will definitely be keeping these in the rotation, super easy and "healthy."

Whipped Cream Dream Cake

 

Date Night Chocolate Fudge Cake for 2

Made this to use a little bit more of the leftover heavy cream from the other bakes! They were easy and pretty tasty. I still prefer chocohotopots because they are even easier and I love the texture of them more. These got a little too cakey for me, which is what they're supposed to be so nothing wrong with the recipe, just my preference.

 

Madeleines

I got myself a madeleine pan just after Christmas and have been trying to find the perfect combo of recipe and method to get the perfect bake with tall humps. I trolled reddit for tips and even watched a youtube video where someone tried a ton of recipes. I decided to do orange zest instead of lemon for all my attempts. So far I have tried recipes from Daniel Boloud and Sally's Baking. I have been starting them at 450 and then lowering the temp to 350 after they start to puff up a bit.

My first attempt was Daniel's and I overfilled them so I think that contributed to them not having humps; a few of them had small ones. The first time I tried Sally's recipe exactly as written they didn't get humps and were very light in color. The next time I followed tips I had found for cooking the batter in the fridge, filling the molds and then freezing the pan before baking. When I did that method her batter was too crumbly after refrigerating BUT the did have humps! My next attempt will be Daniel Boloud again and I will fill them less and freeze for longer before baking. 

 

2 months into the new year already, wow... No new clothing items purchased this month, but I may be going to Roundabout tomorrow after an appointment so that might change and I'll update, haha! I did do a sponsored post that resulted in a couple new pieces! A pair of gorgeous Marilyn Monroe inspired earrings as well as a pearl necklace that hasn't arrived yet (made to order)

Christian and I don't usually go crazy for Valentine's Day, especially on the actual day. Normally I just make one of our favorite dinners and a fun dessert and then we might go out for a fancier than normal dinner on the weekend. Since Valentine's Day was on Saturday this year we went out for a lunch date in Mystic. 

Before we get to the activities of the day, let's talk about my outfit! I decided to pile on some of my favorite jewelry from Aurate. They have everything from dainty diamond necklaces and gold rings to pearls, gemstones and more! There's something in every price range and style. My favorites are their earrings. 90% of the time I'm wearing a pair of Aurate earrings, I wear them in the shower, to sleep, everything! 

For those of you that are new to Aurate, here's a quick intro. Their mission is to offer sustainable, ethical handmade jewelry at affordable prices. They use recycled gold, ethically-sourced diamonds, and sustainably harvested pearls. The pieces are handmade by artisans, not a machine churning out hundreds a day. I've been a fan since 2018 so I have amassed quite the collection and gifted pieces to family members as well!  

It's still very cold around here so my coat was the major part of my outfit, ha ha. I wore my Burberry coat since it is bright red, perfect for Valentine's Day (and Christmas.) Normally I'll wear some form of red as part of my outfit to be festive but this year I just wore a comfy sweater, jeans and loafers since my coat took care of the red. I got these shoes for Christmas and haven't really had a chance to wear them because of all the snow and slush.

On our day date we headed to Mystic, one of the cutest towns in Connecticut. We decided to try a new restaurant this time and headed to The Port of Call. But before lunch we took a stroll around Old Mistick Village, there are so many cute shops we love to stop in - especially the olive oil & honey store, Sticky Situations. We made it out without spending any money in that store but we did walk away with donuts from Deviant Donuts. 

Sweater: Rachel Zoe (Marshalls) 

Jeans: FRAME 'Le Skinny de Jeanne' (Shopbop)

Bag: Chanel Classic 2.55 Double Flap (Madison Avenue Couture)  

Shoes: Sam Edelman Kyana Loafer in Plum Wine Suede (DSW)

Coat: Burberry Brit Wool Minstead Duffle Coat In Military Red via Marijane Boutique 

Jewelry c/o Aurate: Crossover Ring, Pearl & Gold Bar Stud Earring, Pearl Stud Earring, Simple Pearl Bracelet, Medium Paperclip Chain Bracelet, Toi et Moi Gemstone Mini Heirloom Ring with Citrine & Amethyst, and Pearl Lariat Necklace (no longer available)

Shop the outfit:

A look at the rest of our day: 

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*This post was made in partnership with Responsival.*

The end of the month sure snuck up on me! I didn't make any new clothing purchases this month, but I did pick up some new undergarments from Soma and Victoria's Secret during sales. Always nice to start the new year fresh, ha ha. I almost bought a couple pairs of pants (jeans + cargo pants) from The Outnet earlier in the month but when I went to actually make the purchase later in the day the price of both items jumped up in my cart but not on the product page, very annoying! Chat was of no help so I stood my ground and resisted because they weren't necessities. At the extra sale price they would have been worth it.

I had my eye on a few pieces to add to my wardrobe last year, but this year I don't really think there's anything specific I want. I may get a couple new bathing suits, because all of mine are years old, and Summer dresses/tops, but otherwise I think I'm pretty set. Of course there will probably be a few random things that catch my eye. It's hard for me to say no to a really cute sweater.  

Last September after I went to the zoo with my best friend and her daughter I upgraded my ticket to an annual pass for Christian and I! We've always talked about getting a pass for this zoo because it's close to home and the perfect place for a morning walk on the weekends. We went the weekend after New Years to get some steps and fresh air. 

I put some comfortable arch support inserts from PowerStep in my favorite Winter boots. I have walked miles and miles in these boots and the inserts really help make it painless. They fit in so man of my shoes so it's nice to be able to move them to whatever pair I'm waring for the day. To make them even cozier (and warmer) I added some fur FlatSocks! 

We spent a couple hours walking around the Beardsley Zoo and saw some of our favorite animals! The American Red and Mexican wolves were enjoying a snack so they were super active and we spent a lot of time with the adorable Red Pandas! I also finally got a good view of the Brazilian Ocelot, it's always been napping out of view when I'm there. It may have been cold but the zoo does have a few indoor areas so we could warm back up while still enjoying the animals. 

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Sweater: Mīere the Label women's cotton knit sweater in terracotta

Jeans: J Brand 811 Mid Rise Skinny Leg Jean in Moral (Gilt Groupe)

Boots: Vintage Snowland Moccasin Ankle Boots (from Grandma - their first appearance)

Bag:  Loewe Mini Puzzle Bag in Pomodoro red classic calfskin

Purple Coat: Greylin Longline Shirt Jacket in purple (Anthropologie)

Sunglasses: Ray Ban 'Erika' c/o Shopbop   

Scarf: Madewell Houndstooth Patchwork Scarf

Ombre Hat: Disney World

Here's a peek at my shoe insole stack!

Happy end of December and end of 2025. Let us hope that 2026 is a better year. 

In the meantime, I got a couple new items of clothing for Christmas! A purple cardigan top and some purple loafers!

Hello!! We've got an interesting assortment of bakes for this roundup! Some holiday bakes and random "I'm in the mood for this" items.  I hope everyone had a great holiday season and is ready for New Years Eve! We will be having jukn food at home on the evening and then depending on weather will smoke some meat or make pizza on New Years Day! 

Fudgy Brown Butter Brownies

I wanted to make something quick-ish and easy and these brownies fit the bill! I don't think I had the right type of dry milk powder, because my mixture was a little chunky, but the flavor was still amazing and the texture worked itself out during baking.  

Moelleux au Chocolat 

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Apple Cider Cake

I have made this cake multiple times and it always comes out great. The first time in a loaf pan and some mini cake pans, the next few in my bundt pan. I made the glaze for the first time, normally I skip it to make it a little less sugary, ha ha.  They always came out a little short because my bundt pan is a 12-cup capacity and the recipe is for 10-cups. This time I decided to scale up the recipe to see how it would turn out. That did the trick, obviously. Now I'm going to have to scale up all my other bundt cake recipes! 

This is the bundt pan I use and, as mentioned above, its a 12-cup capacity. Note: I bought a bundt cake keeper a few years ago and it comes in really handy for storing and taking the bundt with me somewhere. I also put other baked goods in it to keep them air tight.

Gingerbread Cookies

Confession: I have never made gingerbread before. I just don't really care for the flavor or super crunchy texture. I decided to finally try Jenna's recipe because she said on Instagram that it wasn't too "spicy" and wasn't dry. I actually kind of enjoy them! Plus they were fun to decorate.

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Raspberry Frangipane Bars

I have had this recipe in my "to make" folder for a while and thought it would make a nice Christmas treat! It was fairly simple to make and I really enjoyed them! There were so many desserts at our celebration that we ended up with a bunch leftover. Fine by me! Ha ha. I didn't get a great photo of the finished bars because we were crazy with celebrations, so we'll have to go with these.

Pizza (King Arthur Baking Class recipe)

I'm going to count this as baking, because it went in an oven! But not the regular oven... my parents surprised me with an Ooni Koda 2 pizza oven for Christmas! I wish my mom caught my face on camera when I opened the box because I'm sure I looked nuts. Of course our first order of business the day after Christmas was heading to BJs to get a propane tank and fill it up so we could use the oven! 

Our first pizza was a bit of a fail because we don't have a pizza turner yet (this was a test to see what accessories we actually needed, haha!) and it was too big to turn with a small grilling spatula. So we split the next ball of dough I had made in four to make mini pizzas that were much more manageable! I can't wait to try a bigger pizza once we get our tuner!