Sharing a lil recap from the year and what I’m working towards in 2025. 

Hi friends! Happy NYE! Any plans tonight? We’re eating Indian food and setting off fireworks in our pajamas. No crazy plans and I’m so glad lol. I’m excited to call it an early night and head out on a family hike in the am!

It’s funny because I thought the last year of the Pilot’s military career would be the LONGEST year of my life. I thought it would be a painfully slow drag to the finish line. The reality is that this year flew.by. I can’t believe that he’s wrapping things up, he changed command, and we’re getting ready for his retirement ceremony at the end of the month. Lots of huge changes ahead.

This year was a year of glorious travel, fun moments with the kids (who are growing up way too dang quickly. Liv will be 13 next week!!!), friend time, events, family time at home, time in nature, and a huge year for my healing journey. I celebrated one year symptom-free last year from eye issues and auotimmune symptoms and feel so thankful to have had a year where I really dialed in my routine and have felt the absolute best I have in years (decades???). I created a free ebook here about my auotimmune journey and things that helped me if you’d like to check it out!

Looking back on 2024 and my goals for 2025

Here’s a recap of some of the big moments from the year:

Personal and travel:

We went to the annual Fighter Wing awards banquet

to San Diego for Jeremy’s 50th!

I finished the CBO protocol!

to Vegas for a blast with friends

dance competition season with Liv,

singing with the symphony

back to San Diego and Disneyland with the fam

Read more

Hi friends! Happy Friday! How’s your week going? Friends who are celebrating this week: how have your holidays been?

Before we head into today’s post, a HUGE congrats to the winner of this year’s Favorite Things giveaway: Mary Anne C. Stay tuned for more giveaways coming up in the new year!

It’s been an amazing week. We spent a couple of nights at the Scottsdale Princess, which is one of our favorite winter traditions. They have so many gorgeous light displays, Santa, ice skating, rides, and the atmosphere is so festive and fun.

(They also have a ridiculous hot cocoa cocktail called the Nutcracker that is SO good.) We met up with friends and enjoyed all of the activities on property, and also had dinner at the new Toca Madera.

We were blown away by the food and the service. Everything was cooked perfectly – we shared guacamole, chips, oysters, and the Pilot and I enjoyed margaritas. For entrees, the kids got truffle mac and cheese and a chopped salad with chicken, while the Pilot and I enjoyed steaks and sides. We ordered three desserts (we want to try everything when we go out to eat lol) and the presentation was so unique – everything was on a board adorned with a lit sparkler.

While we were in Scottsdale we also saw the Ballet Arizona Nutcracker; one of my all-time faves!

Easy Ham Dipping Sauces [+Video]

Elevate your next ham dinner with these easy and delicious dipping sauces. From a sweet honey mustard sauce to a tangy pina colada sauce, these sauces will take your ham to the next level.

These are the best easy ham sauce recipes that I’ve ever had.

Oh, Christmas Ham, Oh Christmas Ham, and delicious ham dipping sauces… Who needs a song about a tree when you’ve got the world’s best brown sugar ham?!

My family has this funny way of eating ham, we eat it with applesauce. It is truly delicious. I mean, apples and pork are meant to be together and while many may not do actual applesauce they really should. We always use my mom’s homemade applesauce which is 10x better than any ol’ can. Or we did, until we found these ham dipping sauces.

My cousin, Robyn works as the manager for the LDS Church’s Catering and she is the one that introduced me to these easy ham dipping sauces.

I don’t know what it is about ham, but I just have to have a little sauce to dip it in.

Ingredients for Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

This honey mustard recipe is my personal favorite, which is funny because I’m not a lover of mustard. I tell you what though, it is wonderful with the ham. DELIGHTFUL. You only need 3 simple ingredients:

• Mayonnaise: Duke’s is our favorite brand of mayo, but you can use whatever brand is your favorite.
• Honey: adds natural sweetness
  • PRO TIP: If you want to add a little heat to your sauce, use hot honey!
• Mustard: Just regular yellow mustard is our preference, but you change up the flavor to your liking with dijon mustard, stone ground mustard, etc.

If you end up with extra sauce, this would make a bomb diggity sandwich the next day. The measurements needed are listed in the recipe card below.

Ingredients for Pina Colada Dipping Sauce

The pina colada sauce is most everyone’s favorite. It’s so fun and creamy and pairs so well with the ham! It seriously tastes just like a pina colada and I’m sure you won’t have anyone throwing a fit about a little coconut and pineapple action. Here is what you will need:

• Cream of Coconut: head to the alcohol section of your local grocery store and it will be by the margarita mixes
• Sour Cream: use full fat sour cream for maximum flavor and creaminess
• Crushed Pineapple: make sure you drain it before adding to the sauce
• Desiccated Coconut: has a more fine and powdery texture than shredded coconut and a milder flavor

Again, the measurements are listed in the recipe card at the end o

Sweet and Salty Rolo Pretzel Bites Topped with M&Ms!

These Sweet and Salty Rolo Pretzel Bites with M&Ms are the ultimate 3-ingredient holiday treat—simple, delicious, and perfect for any celebration! Their perfect combination of crispy pretzels, gooey caramel, and chocolatey goodness makes an ideal snack, dessert, or even a thoughtful holiday gift. So simple and impossible to resist, they’re a crowd-pleaser for any occasion! Plus they’re so easy! The hardest part is preheating the oven!

I tried these cute little Christmas Rolo Pretzel Bites with M&Ms years ago, and I absolutely fell in love with them. Good heavens, they taste amazing, and they are addicting!

The Best Christmas Treat for Kids to Make

This is one of those things that you must teach your kids to make. It is so simple that you don’t have to worry about messes or problems and it is a great chance for them to invite friends over or do a little service by delivering them to people that might need a pick-me-up.

Ding-Dong Ditching

Did your family ever ding-dong ditch when you were a kid? Ours did, and let me tell you—it was the best! There’s nothing quite like the thrill of sneaking up to a neighbor’s house, leaving a little surprise, and running away giggling before they catch you. It’s such a fun way to spread a little cheer!

1. Pick a favorite treat (these Rolo Pretzel Bites are perfect!) or a small gift—Redbox codes for a movie night are always a hit.
2. Package it up all cute and festive.
3. Load the kids in the car and head to your lucky recipient’s house.
4. Let the kids dash up, drop the gift on the doorstep, ring the bell, and RUN!

The laughter, the excitement, and the secret joy of doing something kind—it’s a memory-maker for sure. Plus, it’s a sneaky way to get kids thinking about others and how a simple gesture can make someone’s day!

Rolo Pretzel Ingredients

Rolo pretzels at my house look like this:

• Square pretzels (or mini regulars are fine too but squares hold up better)
• Rolos (I just love that gooey caramel!)
• M&Ms- we usually buy red and green or pink, white and red for holidays.

How to Make Rolo Pretzel Bites with M&Ms

1. Preheat the oven: Set your oven to a low temperature.
2. Prep the pretzels: Line a large cookie sheet with square pretzels. Add as many as you’d like to make.
3. Add the Rolos: Place one unwrapped Rolo on top of each pretzel, then carefully transfer the tray to the oven to avoid knocking off the chocolates.
4. Melt and top: Once the Rolos are shiny and slightly softened, remove the tray from the oven and gently press an M&M into the top of each pretzel.
5. Cool and store: Let the pretzels cool completely before storing them in an airtight container.

Creative Variations

• Switch up the chocolate: Try swapping Rolos for Hershey’s Kisses or Reese’s Peanut 

Read on for this year’s Favorite Things giveaway and how to enter to win these amazing prizes!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year….

Favorite Things is here!

Annual favorite things giveaway!

I’ve been doing this type of giveaway for years now as a way to share gratitude with you all. You make this little corner of the internet the amazing space it’s become and I’m so grateful for all of your support and connection.

I created this blog when I was feeling extremely alone. We’d just moved to Valdosta, I was a new military wife, and I hadn’t yet met any local friends. I would have never guessed that it would turn into what it is today, and this little blog has enabled me to support our family while staying home with the kids (this is huge because of the Pilot’s travel schedule and unpredictable hours), chatting with you all about wellness and health things. I feel like I *know* so many of you after all of these years! I wake up every day excited to write and connect with you all, and I hope you know that I never take it for granted.

Every click, comment, follow, product purchase, and page view directly helps our family and I am beyond thankful to you all.

Let’s celebrate with a little giveaway, shall we??

Here are the prizes that are up for grabs:

1 grand prize winner will receive the following prizes:

– A HigherDOSE red light face mask, sauna blanket, or PEMF Go Mat

– A Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis test and coaching call

– Organifi goodies

– A OneSkin holiday gift set

– A Cleary Filtered pitcher

– 30 days of Lifewave X39 patches

– A Canopy humidifier and