Ivy Van Dusen

This year was our first year getting our family photos taken in Arizona! I really try to get family photos done every year, which can be tricky! Photos are NOT Kody's thing at all but he is always such a good sport about it and I appreciate that so, so much. Jack is amazing at photos and usually always has no problem with them. We got them taken by my friend, Kerby (you can check her out here, she is absolutely incredible and if you're in Arizona, I highly recommend her).

Just me and my handsome husband :) Kody is the perfect height...he isn't ridiculously taller than me but I can wear heels and still be quite a bit shorter and fit my head on his shoulder. <3

Jack's pose....I mean COME ON!

Jack & his ultra serious face.

I love you I love you I love you.

Now I just need to get a few Christmas cards made!!!

11/30/2019 No sweet note{s}

I am so happy that it's fall right now! It is finally starting to cool down here in Arizona and in the evenings the weather just could NOT be more perfect.

The other night we did a little family night at a cute place by our house called Vertuccio Farms. I don't know how I grew up in Mesa without ever going to it! It was the CUTEST place and we had so much fun.

Jack is at the age where holidays, birthdays, and fun activities like these get super, duper fun and I am here for it! He loved looking at the animals, going down the slides, riding on the little tractor "train" ride, picking up pumpkins, jumping on the inflatable things, and running through the corn maze. It was such a fun night and we will have to go again soon! :)

10/17/2019 No sweet note{s}

Lately I have been really trying to implement more natural and toxin-free products into our home and our routines. I have been trying to feed my family healthier, more natural foods, clean with less toxic chemicals and I have REALLY been trying to pay attention to what I put ON my face and skin.

100% Pure (a.k.a the cutest beauty company ever) recently sent me a package of some of their most popular products for me to try and I have to say- I have been SO pleasantly surprised by how much I absolutely love, love, love them! They are a cruelty-free brand with no synthetic ingredients (something I use waaay to much of in my other makeup products). They also will donate 1 bowl of dog food or plant 1 tree each time someone makes a purchase. So, so cool!

The packaging of everything they sent was so cute and convenient. My mom visited and saw them and couldn't talk enough about how beautiful she thought everything was!

I truly looooved every single item in the package and I thought I'd go over my top three favorites...

1. Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream-

Smells AMAZING, goes on smoothly and helps reduce any puffiness around my eyes. I have used it every morning since I got it and hope it never, ever runs out.

2. Lip Caramel in Red Velvet

If you saw my IG stories the other day, you know that I am a huge lipstick hoarder and have tried sooooo many. This is hands down the BEST RED lipstick/lipgloss I have ever tried. It is so pigmented and smooth and juicy and is just the absolute perfect shade of red. If I were going to re-name it, I'd call it "Date Night Red" because I plan to wear it on every future date night ever.

3. BB Cream

I don't want to over-hype this brand but honestly their products are worth all the hype I'm giving....this BB Cream is the best I have ever tried! It is so smooth and so beautiful. It isn't as cakey as an actual foundation but still has some amazing coverage. So great for everyday wear.

Overall I can't get enough of the items from 100% Pure. I definitely plan to order more of the Lip Caramel in different colors. I'd also like to try out more of their shower gel items. They are a new favorite of mine and I will keep posting about how I use and like each thing on my IG stories, so be sure to keep an eye out :)

9/06/2019 No sweet note{s}

It has been a minute since I shared any recipes here and I thought now would be a great time! We have had a lot going on with moving and all, and now that we are settled in and everything is all organized in our new house, I am on such a baking-kick!

Since we moved to Arizona we have been obsessed with a place near us called Crumbl. They have these giant, soft, warm, yummy chocolate chip cookies and they are AMAZING! We have been getting them delivered waaaay too often and I decided it would be a good time to try and experiment with some chocolate chip cookies of my own.

In Utah, the good place to order chocolate chip cookies from was called Chip. They also had the huge chocolate chip cookies that melted in your mouth and were so good. So in my efforts to find a good recipe, I tried to imitate the cookies from both of these places and add little spins of my own to try and get them to be perfect!

Let me start by letting you know that these aren't like your typical chocolate chip cookies- they are HUGE! Like...so big. The first time I made them for my mom and grandma they were a little bit confused by how big they were! But that's just the way they are and it's amazing.

I used foil to cook these on, although I think parchment paper might even work better. Do what works for you and use whichever you have on-hand.

I also went back and forth between using semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips but ultimately decided with the milk chocolate. They are just too good! I also personally prefer sea salt over regular, but again, do what you like best. They can be used interchangeably in this recipe. Warning in advance that if you eat the dough you may have a verrrrry difficult time stopping. That stuff is good.

I have read over dozens of different recipes online and have made a lot of batches of my own cookies, trying to get them right and I feel like this recipe is the closest I could possibly get to imitating these giant, trendy cookies that are out right now! So, if you don't live close enough to order from one of these places (or you just don't feel like forking out the *dough*), give this recipe a try!

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Ingredients:

4 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
4 tsp corn starch
1 1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 tsp vanilla
2-3 cups milk chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or foil (if using foil, be sure and use some cooking spray).

In one bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt.

In another bowl (preferably a very large one), combine butter, brown sugar, and sugar. Mix until everything is combined and there are no longer butter chunks. Add eggs one at a time and mix well.

Slowly add flour mix into butter mix and mix well. Add chocolate chips.

Use about 1/2 c of dough for each cookie and place them in balls on the cookie sheet. Cookies will be very large and you will likely only be able to fit 3-4 cookies on the sheet at a time.

Cook for 15-20 minutes (I have found that 17 minutes is exactly perfect in my oven). You'll want the outsides to be barely golden when you take them out. The inside of the cookies will be super soft and doughy but will be completely cooked.

Eat them warm and gooey or cover and put in fridge (like my husband does). They taste amazing warm or cold!

Recipe yields about 12 cookies.

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Hopefully this recipe works for you and will cure any sweet tooth/chocolate-chip craving you have! Let me know how you like it! :)

Recipe adapted by those shared by Modern Honey, Burnt Apple, Brittney Long, and my mom :)

xo

Go-to baking supplies used:

8/13/2019 2 sweet note{s}

We found a house, moved allll our stuff down here from Utah and now are officially settled in here in Arizona :) It is just a great feeling!!!

It is hot here and I mean HOT! But, even in this heat we are having the best summer!!!

Getting ready to see Lion King!

Jack LOOOOVES his little bike he got from aunt Kati!

Trying on Uncle Gunnar's new boots

One day me, my mom and Jack went to downtown Mesa to look at antiques and it was such a nice afternoon. Jack was so good and got some ice cream.

One of my favorite times of the day- when everything slows down and I have a clean, comfy, happy baby.

Jack's new little book wall in his room

My two guys at the movies

the before picture- Jack's first professionally-done haircut at Great clips :)

Jack and my grandpa hanging out at Organ Stop pizza!

Our sweet little porch! Wish there was more room to add a plant or something but it is so teeny-tiny!

My cute mom holding Jack and pretending he is a newborn, haha!

Little man looooves the fishies at wal mart

The other day Kody came home from work with these and it made me so happy! When you are in the middle of moving, are trying to figure out frustrating finances and have a lot going on, getting flowers is a BIG deal. I love Kody so, so much.