Giveaway Link-Up 7 and Life Lately

first vacation meal had to be five guys / first day on the beach and logan had a blast throwing sand into the ocean...goofin off a little and finally got to wear my new favorite shirt - in love / could have watched these two for weeks, so much love for and between the two of them it makes my heart hurt sometimesfirst (of too many) baseball game of the season for us. at least this one was all for pleasure / best ice cream ever. trust me! almond joy at two scoops on anna maria islandthe only family picture of the entire trip with a screaming child in the stroller and papa checking his phone. i'll take it / airport stuff. like waiting and chasing and sitting cute for about 2 seconds.we get bored and take pictures of ourselves at least once a day / look mama, we're right there!a lot of this sort of behavior is going on around these parts lately, this one wasn't connected to screaming and tears though / a little bit of lightening up the hair was done recently as well. at home, by me for the cost of a box of bleach :) #imcheapkisses for the most annoying, happy birthday singing, stuffed toy to ever exist / a little bedroom painting project leek and kale tart that tastes oh so yum but will give you the ferocious fumes. you were warned! / SNOW again. pretty? yes but we are sooo over it!Now onto the weekly biz...

Giveaway Link-Up 7

- Please only link up giveaways, you may link up giveaways that are not yours because you think they are just so rad and need to be shared!

- Link up as many as you'd like from the current week.

- Come back next Friday to link up again.

- Please, please, please link back to me from your giveaway post or sidebar, or share in some other way.

Enter a few giveaways :)

Thank you!  

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by the lake

Today is kind of random. Really the last few weeks have been a big blurry jumble of things and blogging has kind of been placed on the back burner. This is just always the weirdest time of year for our family, with all of the changes going on. 

So really I'm just sharing a few pictures from an afternoon we spent at lake Monrepos while we were in Germany in December. I've been wanting to post them but for one reason or another, it just never happened. So here you go, today is the day. 

Jason and I had some of our wedding pictures taken here almost 8 years ago. (8 years!! holy cow)

It's such a lovely and calming place to be and it makes my longing for Spring weather (and Germany) even greater.

Can you believe we woke up to snow again this morning? and 28 degrees!! What is up with that Spring?? 

In my frustration I stayed up until 2 am!! the other night and ordered myself some new clothes, because what else can you really do? When Jason came upstairs to go to bed (at a much earlier time, mind you) he just said: Uh oh, you have your wallet by the computer. That is never a good sign...

So yeah Spring, anytime you'd like to show up now is fine with us. Our bank account will thank you. 

PS: I did some Spring cleaning to my wardrobe as well. Check out my Instagram shop account @theforgeshop for some great deals :) 

recipe: potato&leek cream soup

With Spring not really wanting to make an appearance around these parts yet, I've been cooking a lot of soups and stews lately. We love ourselves a good Chili and I have the most amazing recipe for a sausage and bean stew that has been a favorite for me growing up. Have I mentioned my Dad is a mean cook? Anyway, this time I thought I'd change it up with something on the lighter (color) side. 

This recipe is quite simple and quickly made. It only requires a few basic ingredients and for once will give you a reason to buy leeks at the store ;) I love onions so I basically adore leeks and I always like to put them into a quiche or tart as well.

Ingredients you'll need:

1 32 oz carton of (organic) vegetable stock

4 large potatoes

2 leek stalks (I use all of the white part and also some of the lighter green)

1 tbsp butter

1 cup of half&half 

1 pkg. cream cheese (i use neufchatel because it's lighter)

1/2 cup grated parmesan

salt+pepper to taste

water, in case you want your soup less creamy

optional: brown some ground beef and add into the soup

Add the box of vegetable stock to a large pot and bring to a boil.

Peel and cut up your potatoes. Add them to the vegetable stock and let cook. 

Meanwhile clean and cut up your leeks. Make sure to wash them because dirt will get in between some of the outer layers sometimes. 

Add a tablespoon of butter to a large skillet an add the leeks. Let cook until leeks start to get tender. 

Add the cream cheese, let melt and stir frequently. 

Now add in the half&half, parmesan and salt and pepper. 

Let everything cook until the leeks are nice and soft but don't forget to stir. 

Add the skillet mixture into your pot with the vegetable stock and cooked potatoes. Stir and remove from heat. Use a stick blender to blend the ingredients. I usually make sure to get all of the potatoes but leave some of the leeks whole. If you don't have a stick you can also use a regular blender just be very careful since the soup will be hot. 

Optional:

• Add as much water as you like to make the soup your preferred consistency.
• Brown some ground beef and add some meat to this meal. 

Enjoy! 

Would love it if you pinned it :)

uniform

Skinny Cords: JCrew, Jacket: F21, Scarf: Target, Shoes: Converse One Star from Target

How is your Monday going so far? We came back from Florida on Friday afternoon and ever since then I feel like we've been going at 250 mph. The mountain of laundry was (and still is) out of control.
Instead of getting caught up on my blogging I decided to get started with Spring cleaning (then I woke up to snow again this morning, will it ever end?) and finally trying to redo our master bedroom. I'll be posting some pictures of that once I get around to it.
We ended up inheriting an old dresser that belonged to Jason's grandma and grandpa which I will attempt to make-over at some point as well.

Pretty much what is happening is what happens every year around this time: Jason goes back to working and traveling starting with opening day (April 1st) and I am trying to cram as much as I can into those last few days that we have together.

So today we are off to Lowes and some other fun places like that.
I promise to carve out some time to answer all your emails, return comments and definitely set up some posts for the rest of the week :)

Winner of the Petunia Pickle Bottom prize pack is Ashveen. Congrats and you have been contacted :)

comfy casual

i'm wearing: sweater: fruit of the loom w/shoulder patches by me, shirt: american eagle, jeans: loft, shoes: converse one star, hat: f21

Who else is ready for less coats and more sunshine? I know i am repeating myself but come on Spring, we've been waiting long enough... We've all come down with a serious case of the cabin fever over here so it feels good when the sun does come out and we get to cuddle up in the window seat with the puppies and sunbathe for a little while. 

I get the worst winter depression every year and once March rolls around and I am looking forward to Jason going back to working 12-14 hour days, pretty much every day for the next 6 months, well, I am also walking that very thin line between losing my mind or regaining control. It's all up to you Spring, it's all up to you!             

Petunia Pickle Bottom Giveaway

image sources: here, here and here

Today I have a special treat for you guys. Let me introduce you to those two cuties down there, Candice and James. I met Candice through Instagram and since our little boys are the same age and she is such a sweetheart we hit it off right away :) It really is such a shame that I meet all these amazing ladies and they live so terribly far away. In this case Candice and James live out in sunny California where they make me quite envious with their lovely weather and frequent trips to Disneyland ;)

Candice recently started a little blog called DAILY JAMES where she documents life with James and especially all of his cute outfits. If you need some inspiration for dressing your own little guy, make sure to take a look :)

Candice is a total Petunia Pickle Bottom fanatic. Just ask her and she will attest to it. That woman has more Petunia in her closet than anyone I've ever met.

Because she is such a sweetheart, Candice is giving away a Petunia prize pack valued at just over $50 today. You definitely don't have to be a mom to be able to put these goodies to use.

Included are the following:

Powder room case in Misted Marseille

I belong to tag in Evening in Innsbruck 

Shopper Tote in Sunlight Stokholm

To enter simply do the following:

Follow DAILY JAMES via GFC (Google Friend Connect)

Follow The Forge via GFC 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway ends 3/18 at 12 am EST. Giveaway open to US residents 18 years or older. Winner will be announced on this post and contacted via email. Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or another winner will be drawn. Check you spam folders!! Good Luck!

giveaway link-up 6 and life lately

obsessed with nemo / precious moments that are all too rare lately / best buds / still an avid reader / soup on cold and dreary winter days / obsession no.2: nugget / saying our last goodbyes to a great grandfather who will be painfully missed / wearing comfy layers / giving in to "the white one"who can say no to those eyes? 

out to buy his very first potty / smile / no luck yet! / comfortable ankle boots / waiting in the car with a sleeping babe / mixing some patterns / shopping / "just because" flowers from my man / two in hats

after a nap / detecting pee in the bath, j/k / my favorite weenie ;) / peeking / favorite outfits / new to us chairs for the dining room / never ending snow and coffee / progress on the instagram wall front / sharing the bed with his girlfriend ;) 

Happy Friday everyone! Time to link up all of your fabulous giveaways :)

Thanks for linking up, have fun and make sure to enter a few as well. 

Giveaway Link-Up 5

- Please only link up giveaways, you may link up giveaways that are not yours because you think they are just so rad and need to be shared!

- Link up as many as you'd like from the current week.

- Come back next Friday to link up again.

- Please, please, please link back to me from your giveaway post or sidebar, or share in some other way.

Enter a few giveaways :)

Thank you!  

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<div align="center"><a href="http://theforgestyle.blogspot.com" title="The Forge"><img src="http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa388/babesandsages/200x200button-1_zpsddaa30ad.jpg" alt="The Forge" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Disclaimer: The Forge is not responsible for content linked in this widget or prize distribution. This link-up is simply a collection of third party giveaways which are not in any way affiliated with or sponsored by The Forge.