Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival

In the three years we've lived here, we hadn't made it out to the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival. To be honest, I didn't even hear about it until this year! (Or if I did, I completely forgot when the festival came around each year). So when an email came across my inbox with an article about the festival, I forwarded it to Tim and said we had to go. And boy was it worth it! The beauty was beyond words.

The day was such a blast... from walking the 40 acres of beautiful tulip fields to wine tasting (yes, really!) to wooden shoe train rides and a classic Dutch-style windmill, it was so much fun spending quality time with the hubby out in good ol' Woodburn, OR.

The festival offered tons of entertainment for children, from bounce houses to mini carnival rides. There was even pony rides (the line was insane)! They also hosted various local vendors and, me being the natural candle-loving person I am, we definitely supported one of them ;) And let's not forget about the delicious kettle corn we consumed... definitely worth the $5!

It was such a beautiful way to spend our Sunday!

Recipe // Tater Tot Breakfast Strata

When Tim and I were in Sacramento earlier this year, our last morning was spent eating a late brunch with family and relaxing until we had to head to the airport for our flight. My mom suggested we make a tater tot breakfast strata recipe she recently found. She can't remember where she found it, but because it's a strata, it's so easy and very customizable to your taste!

To make the breakfast strata pictured, you will need:

• 1/2 a red and 1/2 a yellow bell pepper

• 1/2 a red onion

• 4 oz mushrooms

• A few slices of Canadian bacon (or meat of your choice!)

• Frozen tater tots

• 12 eggs

• 1 1/2 cups milk

• 2 cups shredded cheese

Directions:

1. Spray the bottom of your pan with cooking spray

2. Spread one layer of frozen tater tots across the bottom of your serving dish and bake them at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes until golden brown

3. Smash the tater tots to create a layer for the bottom of the strata

4. Chop all of the veggies and sautee them together to your taste. Place them in a bowl when done

5. Cook the Canadian bacon on the stovetop and slice it into quarter-sized pieces

6. In a separate bowl, whisk the 12 eggs with milk and shredded cheese

7. Mix the veggies and Canadian bacon into the egg bowl and then spread on top of the tater tots

8. Bake at 425 degrees for about 15-25 minutes or until it's done

9. Enjoy with good friends and family! :)

Because it's a strata, you can really add anything or remove anything you want. We were talking over breakfast and were thinking using chorizo and topping it with sour cream and salsa would be an absolutely delicious take on this recipe! How would you customize it?

Family is Where the Heart Is

Tim and I took a trip earlier this year to see my mom in Sacramento-area. We jetted off for a long weekend (4 days, which never turns out to be long enough) to spend some quality time with my side of the family (minus my sister and her husband, unfortunately!). It was a perfect, relaxing 75-degree weekend in sunny California.

As you can tell, our first trip was to Wise Villa Winery and, I mean, can you ever go wrong with wine tasting? I think not. It was a wonderful afternoon and we topped it off with the best happy hour at Ruth's Chris: $20 for a great glass of full-bodied red wine and an absolutely delicious steak sandwich. Tim and I decided we need to hit up its happy hour more often!

The next day, my mom took Tim and I to Downtown Sacramento. My entire mom's side of the family is from Northern California so I grew up visiting the area, but it's always fun going back and seeing new, touristy attractions. And my mom makes for the best tour guide <3

After we visited the rose garden, we toured the Capitol Building in all its ornate beauty. It's definitely on the top of our list as one of our favorite extraordinary examples of intricate architecture. These pictures definitely don't do it justice, but just look at the detail:

And if you thought the capitol was beautiful, check out the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, just across the street from the Capitol Building. It's truly breathtaking:

Below is a few other random photographs from around town. Fun fact: the two photos directly below this are of Stanford Mansion - the home (now museum) of the family who founded Stanford University!

After we finished walking around the center of downtown, the rest of the afternoon was well-spent at the Crocker Art Museum. One of the exhibitions on display when we visited was Andy Warhol's Portraits. Amazing is an understatement. They wouldn't allow photography, otherwise this entire blog post would probably have been filled with his work! It was beautiful.

The next couple of days were spent mostly relaxing, eating great food, and going out for drinks with my mom, brother Shawn, and brother-in-law Manny. We visited La Provence for the best and most affordable French brunch in the area and Knee Deep Brewing for some tasty beer and food cart snacks. The best part of the brewery was its laid-back feel; we spent the majority of our time playing Jenga. And let me tell you: the game was intense!

Overall, the trip was absolutely perfect (other than family time never seems to last long enough). Thank you, mom, Shawn, and Manny for being such wonderful hosts and tour guides! We had such a blast.