Domestic Fashionista

Apple Picking In Snohomish | Bailey Farm

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Urke | Domestic Fashionista) — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000

In the fall we went apple picking for the first time at Bailey Farm. It made for a lovely fall outing with the family.

We went to Bailey Farm, the same farm that we went strawberry picking at. It was so magical and fun that I promised the kids we could come back to apple pick in the fall. Unfortunately due to my rookie mistake, I let the kids go crazy picking apples. Brent tried to warn me but I didn't listen. Let's just say, this was one expensive apple picking outing. The check out girl was uncomfortable telling us how much our apples were going to cost us! Lesson learned - strawberries weigh much less than apples!

Besides the uncomfortable cost of our apples and a bit of an emotional meltdown I had over it - we had a lovely morning apple picking. It was all my family apple picking dreams come true.

Bailey Farm is perfectly sweet. If you get there early it is quiet and not crowded which allows for plenty of pictures and free for all apple picking! (Are you laughing at me yet!?)

The apples were big, beautiful, and delicious! We had plenty to eat, share with friends, make an apple pie, and apple juice! I didn't buy apples for weeks!!! ;)

The kids had so much fun and it was so sweet to experience with them.

I gave each kid their own bag! What was I thinking!?

We brought our wagon! Fill it up kids!!!

But my sweet girls in their matching denim and bows. I mean...worth every penny!?

And apple picking family photos...at least cheaper than paying for a photoshoot!

I mean...look at these precious children.

Then we went to Historic Downtown Snohomish for lunch and my favorite Snohomish Pie Co. for treats. Girl liked her cinnamon roll!

I love the pie shakes.

It was a lovely fall family day. But I think we will stick to strawberries next time!

Love Grows Best

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Urke | Domestic Fashionista) — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Love grows best in little houses,
With fewer walls to separate.
Where you eat and sleep so close together,
You can’t help but communicate.
And if we had more room between us,
Think of all we'd miss.
Love grows best in houses just like this.

Spring Children's Books | Easter + Saint Patrick's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Urke | Domestic Fashionista) — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000

As we turn the page on another season, that means a new basket of seasonal books for my little ones. They love pouring into our fun collection. And, spring, we are definitely ready for you!

Here are our favorite Easter and Saint Patrick's Day books.

Easter Books:

The Tale of Peter Rabbit - a classic in a board book

You're My Little Honey Bunny - love this whole series of seasonal books

A Little Chick - sweet chick shaped board book

Peter Rabbit: P is for Peter - the simple illustrations in this one are lovely

Bunnies for Tea - adorable tea cup shaped book

A Little Bunny - the cutest bunny shaped book

God Gave Us Easter - a great series of books on faith for kids

Mrs. Peanuckle's Flower Alphabet - beautiful illustrations and facts about flowers

Little Blue Truck's Springtime - for the Little Blue Truck fans!

The Berenstain Bears' Easter Blessings - a sweet story about Easter traditions

Curious George and the Bunny - my boys have always loved these simple Curious George board books

The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes - definitely one of our favorites with gorgeous vintage illustrations and a moving story

Spot's Easter Surprise - my kids love the different animals and eggs to hunt for

The Story of Easter (new version is called The Easter Story) - a simple and straightforward story of Jesus' death and resurrection in a board book

Home for a Bunny - a nostalgic Little Golden Book story

The Garden, the Curtain, and the Cross - a beautiful book telling the story of creation through Jesus' death and resurrection (great for my school age children to better understand the story of Easter or read on their own)

Saint Patrick's Day Books:

I'm A Leprechaun - Little Golden Book that introduces the story of leprechauns

The Berenstain Bears' St. Patrick's Day - goes more in depth to the history of Saint Patrick's Day

You're My Little Lucky Charm - cute seasonal rhyming book for little ones

Arts + Crafts Birthday Party

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Urke | Domestic Fashionista) — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 11:00:00 +0000

For our daughter's birthday this year we hosted her first friend birthday party. This was a big deal, both for her and for me, on many levels. We have yet to throw a party inside our home since we moved here six years ago, which seems wild since we entertained so much in year's past. But this was the bandaid I needed to rip off to open up our home to more than just a few people. Add in our own four kids and it alreay feels like a lot. And with a rainy and wet February birthday, going outside usually is not an option.

But with some thoughtful activities and a sweet little group of first grade girls, it ended up being lovely. I was literally trying to time out how long each craft would take and divide it by the amount of time the party would last. I was very nervous about keeping everyone entertained but we had more than enough activities to keep everyone busy.

There are so many insecurities I could use as an excuse to not open up our home. But The Nester always reminds me that the size of your house does not dictate the size of your hospitality.

For this party we put the focus on the crafts so we reused a lot of things we already had to create a whimsical and artsy environment. I planned a bunch of different crafts and then we had the kids all decorate their own cupcakes for the cake portion of the party.

My daughter was also excited to help out. She made these paper chains that we hung up with her seven balloon decoration. It was the perfect handmade detail for an arts and crafts theme.

We reused the paper lanterns (pink ones) I had gotten for our other daughter's farmer's market birthday party.

I used white paper gift bags with each child's name and a star tag as their take home bag. They could decorate the bag if they wanted and then it provided a place for them to put their finished crafts in to take home.

We put together really simple goody bags that included stickers, a rainbow coloring pencil, and washi tape.

I wanted to spread out the crafts into stations so that the guests could move around to whatever project they wanted to and to spend as much time as they needed. So I moved part or our couch to the other side of the living room to extend out our dining table. Then I put out our train table to add another space for crafting. It worked out really well and gave everyone plenty of space to move around or sit.

At the dining table I used more paper lanterns and hung a bunch of ribbons and star garland from the chandelier. I loved how it created such a whimsical focal point.

I spread out a variety of craft projects, each with an example of the finished project. We stocked up on extra scissors and glue so that there would be plenty at each station.

We made flower bouquets using printed paper flowers. I used paper grocery bags to cut and fold paper wrapping for the bouquets.

Then there were cardboard rainbows to decorate. I cut out a bunch of cardboard rainbows from thin cardboard from food and snack boxes. They could then use a mix of materials to glue or stick on. I cut tissue paper into squares, provided foam shape stickers, washi tape, and pom poms. It all was neatly organized in this round serving tray.

There was a beading station equipped with beads, pipe cleaners, and string.

There were also bookmarks to make. I precut some white cardstock into book markers that they could then decorate and add ribbon if they wanted.

This silicone muffin tray worked well for organizing materials. I also put out extra construction paper.

My daughter came up with an ice cream craft station all on her own. She cut out all the cones, ice cream, whipped cream, and toppings. It was really cute and impressively excecuted.

I used my favorite seagrass scalloped trays (round ones) to organize some of the materials along with our Valentine bowls and these white organizing trays I use for everything.

All the crafts were so much fun. It was helpful to have examples for them to follow but also giving them the creative expression to make it their own. It is always fun to see their own interpretation - some like to follow the example exactly while others are a little more free spirited with their own ideas.

For cake I made some unfrosted cupcakes. The kids then each got their own plate with frosting and candy toppings. It was a favorite activity and so easy! I used cupcake liners to scoop frosting into and everyone got a plastic knife.

The birthday girl happily posed for a photo with all the projects. We also got her a new party dress for the special day.

Our precious girl! I can't believe she is seven!

Since it was a morning party we offered cake, snacks, juice boxes, and sparkling water. Basically a kid friendly charcuterie board that was super easy. I made a cupcake tower for the cake decorated with candles, a seven candle, and star picks. It was also fun to pull out my ampersand board again that I had received from Uncommon Goods years ago.

Since her birthday is in February we used Valentine candies for the cupcake toppings. Cupcake liners made for easy disposable bowls to hold the sprinkles and frosting. I used a round scoop to make perfect frosting rounds. These scalloped plates had a sweet detail while still being versatile.

And here is the invitation I created. I just made it in Canva and then texted it out to the guest's parents with the details. So simple and corresponding one on one made for smooth communication.

I love a thoughtful themed party but I also chose to keep the non-essential parts easy. I focused on the fun parts that I enjoy doing and tried to sreamline everything else. It made for a really special and doable party for my sweet girl. Becasue most importantly - she loved it!

Shop all the sources here:

Paper Airplane Birthday Party

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Urke | Domestic Fashionista) — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Over the summer we celebrated our son's ninth birthday with a paper airplane theme. It was a really fun party to put together for our paper airplane building expert! He is constantly making airplanes so this was the perfect theme for him.

We planned to have a paper airplane flying contest so we included some race type details as well.

For our living room, I made a balloon arch in colors to reflect the sky. I tucked in some paper airplanes amongst the balloons and used poster board to make the giant paper airplanes. Then a large beige number nine balloon to finish it all off.

The giant posterboard airplanes were the perfect large size decor. They were heavy though so I used string and packing tape to hold them up, depending on where they were hanging. A simple airplane banner got hung across the mantel.

I filled some baskets with paper for paper airplane making along with a basket of airplanes that were made by our son for the party.

I hung a few paper airplanes from balloons but they were hard to keep afloat. Only a few lasted. I think it would have needed some bigger balloons to hold more helium for the weight (or smaller paper airplanes).

Extra airplanes got tucked around the house and on gifts.

I found this fun paper plane toss game banner years ago and have been saving it to buy when the opportunity arose. It was my original inspiration and such a fun detail. The first thing the kids did when they came downstairs was try to fly their planes through the holes to score points.

Outside we set up a paper airplane contest. We ran black and white checkered flags to mark the contest area.

Then we hung hula hoops from the tree to try to throw the paper airplanes through.

For the table I continued the black and white checkered theme with plates for contrast (and gold happy birthday ones). I found and saved these notebook paper napkins that came out during the end of the school year. Then everyone got a paper airplane to finish it all off.

I loved how these giant hanging paper airplanes turned out. I usually have some sort of inspiration or plan but it always comes together in it's own way when I actually set it up.

For the cake and donuts I printed some stripes and matching colors on cardstock for the paper airplane topper. Having a variety of sizes gave it some depth.

We kept the cake simple with a gold number nine candle.

Balloons and paper airplanes! Such fun!

I found this really cute/cool paper airplane shirt both mom and son approved!

We then headed outside for our paper airplane throwing contest.

Then we enjoyed a version of our family favorite ice cream cake recipe.

The sweetest and happiest nine year old I have ever seen! I can't believe he will be double digits soon!

Shop all party sources here:

How To Steam Dumplings And Potstickers

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Urke | Domestic Fashionista) — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Living in the greater Seattle area we have access to so many delicious dumpling restaurants. It has been fun to be more frequent dumpling connoisseurs and it has inspired me to make better dumplings at home. I love to make them homemade but they are a bit time consuming. So most often you will find me preparing some frozen ones from the store instead.

I wanted to find a way that I could make them without them sticking to the pan or frying. So I learned to steam them and they turn out perfect every time without any use of oil.

I use my stainless steel pots and steamer inserts. One steamer insert came with my pot set and I accidentally purchased a second one! So now I have two which ends up cutting my cooking time in half. I use them often so it has been handy to have them both. I love how pretty and shiny they are. They make me feel very fancy. ;)

I have used a variety of brands of frozen dumplings and potstickers. Both steam very well and come off the pot cleanly without any oil.

Only two of my four kids like dumplings so I also serve this with my super easy green onion noodle recipe and some vegetables.

How To Steam Dumplings And Potstickers

- Using a stainless steel pot and insert, fill pot with a few inches of water. Place steamer insert and bring water to a simmer at medium-low heat.

- Once water starts to heat, fill steamer insert with frozen dumplings or potstickers. You can fill the steaming pan pretty full just make sure none are on top of each other.

- Cover with lid and cook for 10 minutes or until the dumplings or potstickers are easy to pick up.

- I use tongs to carefully pull up on the dumplings. If they are sticking at all, they are not fully cooked. Cover with the lid and let steam for a few more minutes. You will know they are done when they are easy to pick up.

- You can also immediately put the dumplings or potstickers in the steamer even if the water isn't simmering yet. It just might take a little longer for them to cook. I usually get the pot of water going and then open up the bag of dumplings.

February Picture Books: Valentine's Day, Lunar New Year, MLK Day, and Black History Month

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Urke | Domestic Fashionista) — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 11:00:00 +0000

We pulled out our February themed picture books this past week as we quickly approach some of the upcoming holidays. It is always so fun to have a slow morning or quiet afternoon to put these out for the first time and let my kids get lost in the stories. I love our little collection that we have made over the years, including a few favorites from my own childhood.

For the month of February I like to include books for Valentine's Day, Lunar New Year, Martin Luther King Jr. Day (end of January) and Black History Month.

Fortune Cookie Fortunes

Daisy Comes Home

My First Heroes: Black History

Tikki Tikki Tembo

Angelina and the Valentine's Day Surprise

You're My Little Cuddle Bug

Tokyo: A Book of Senses

Good Night Martin Luther King Jr.

Happy Valentine's Day, Mouse!

Bringing In The New Year

How Spider Saved Valentine's Day

Eyes That Kiss In The Corners

I also just ordered National Geographic Kids Martin Luther King Jr. from my kid's Scholastic Book order. I think this will be a great more in depth book for my older kids.

Happy reading!

Boy And Girl Shared Bedrooms

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Urke | Domestic Fashionista) — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 11:00:00 +0000

At the end of this summer we transitioned our kids into boys and girls shared rooms. I waited until about two weeks before school started to make the transition so that we had plenty of time before school started but also took advantage of as many days as possible that our youngest was staying in her crib late into the morning.

Previously my three oldest were sharing a room and our youngest was in the nursery in her crib. We had purchased a set of bunk beds that could also be used as single beds. We made this transition with intentions that they would eventually be split up two and two. You can see how the three kid shared room was set up here.

The bunk beds worked out really well and though it sometimes got a little crazy in there, we have seen over and over the value a shared room can be for sibling relationships. I would say my only complaint was having to climb up to make the top bunk or to change the sheets. It is not fun and hard to do when you are short! I was counting down the days to finally be free of trying to keep bunk beds look neat and tidy!

So when the time came to change up the rooms, Brent took apart the bunk beds and got them set up as single beds. We got down our other twin bed out of the shed that we had when we had two in a shared room and reassembled that. Once we got the furniture all squared away, Brent took the kids out for a couple of hours so I could get to the decorating fun!

I knew that we would be keeping the decor mostly the same but it still took time to get it right in their new configurations. I felt like I was on a design show watching the clock! My goal was to have the rooms mostly finished by the time everyone got back home to give an official reveal. I was sweating and working like a crazy woman. But it was so fun and I was so happy with how it all turned out. The kids were ecstatic to see their new rooms making it even more special.

Here is the boys' room:

Such sweet and happy brothers! They were very pumped for a boys room!

And the girls' room:

And these cuties were just as excited to get to share a room together for the first time!

We lived with the rooms for a couple of weeks. I was really excited about having just a girls room to decorate so I was surprised to find I actually liked how the boys' room looked and felt better. After analyzing and trying a few different things out, I realized that I liked the boys' room better because it felt more cozy. The girls' room felt too open. I didn't want to add anything to the room that would be unnecessary so I decided to try moving things around to make the room feel a little more warm.

I decided to let one of the beds fill the middle space and it ended up being just what I was looking for. They lost a little floor space but they still have plenty of room to play.

Here is the updated room:

The window in the corner has always been restrictive. I also found it didn't allow me to have a decorative focal point behind the bed. Moving the bed to the other wall opened up some different decorating opportunities and I am so pleased with how it came out.

I was also on the hunt for some art to hang in the boys' room. I settled on an old rocket print we had and this fun Be Strong and Courageous banner. I was also storing their wood tool bench in the closet for years, hoping to have the room to use it when we had a boy's room. It ended up fitting perfectly next to the book shelf and they love having it out to play with again.

Many of the decorations, bedding, and toys have all been collected over time. I love that items place us at certain times in our life or seasons of parenting or where we lived.

The thing I have learned with having boys and girls and lots of kids is that I have never regretted going with neutral statement pieces. The simple classic beds, the minimalist bookshelves, and the white, metal, or wicker bins. They have been able to be used interchangeably over the past ten years without looking outdated.

I rounded up as many sources as I could for their rooms which you can find here:

The Best Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Urke | Domestic Fashionista) — Mon, 05 Jan 2026 11:00:00 +0000

My sweet friend hosted us for a play date over the summer, providing food for the kiddos, and a delicious chicken salad for us mamas. The chicken was so moist and flavorful - I had to know how she made it. She told me she made it in her Instant Pot and that it was just garlic and salt. Mind blown.

So that afternoon I went on to research what kind of Instant Pot I would want because I must make this chicken! Then after getting overwhelmed and deciding I wasn't quite ready to jump on the instant pot train, I thought, surely there is a slow cooker recipe out there that could possibly make something similar. And that is when I found and came up with this amazing slow cooker shredded chicken recipe. It is moist. It is flavorful. It sort of resembles rotisserie. I now make it every few weeks so that I always have chicken for my lunch salads.

Obviously you can use this chicken however you want. It is a great base for just a simple delicious chicken that you can combine into any recipe.

The Best Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken

3 lbs or about 4 large chicken breasts

1 cup of water + 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon (or 1 cup chicken broth)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

Place chicken in slow cooker and top with remaining ingredients. Cook on high for 3 hours.

Remove chicken and shred. Reserve some liquid to add to the chicken if you'd like. Add small amounts of reserved liquid to your liking. I find that this gives it just a little more flavor and keeps it moist.

I divide my chicken up into small bags to keep in the freezer. I portion out what I think would be a couple of days amount at a time so that I use the chicken up before it goes bad.

Merry Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Urke | Domestic Fashionista) — Thu, 25 Dec 2025 11:00:00 +0000

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Thank you always for your kindness and support. It truly means so much to me.

xo Ashley

Easiest Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Urke | Domestic Fashionista) — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 11:00:00 +0000

These are the easiest ice cream sandwiches ever and were a huge hit with my family. Technically you use whipped cream instead of ice cream, but I am telling you, it tastes just like ice cream. This is the easiest, wow your kids recipe, when you don't have the bandwidth or time for something fancier. Plus a really easy one to let the kids help as well.

Easiest Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches

- Chips Ahoy or similar size cookies (they are the perfect size to fit in a muffin tin)

- whipped cream

- jumbo silicone muffin tin (this makes it easier to peel out the frozen whipped cream)

Place one cookie, top side down, in muffin tin. Top with a swirl of whipped cream. Place another cookie on top. Freeze. Store in an airtight container in the freezer.

Thanksgiving Day Parade New York City Tablescape

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Urke | Domestic Fashionista) — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 11:00:00 +0000

For Thanksgiving morning, I put together a fun Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade tablescape for my kids to sit and enjoy their cinnamon rolls and watch the parade. I used cardboard boxes, our road toys, and a collection of character balloons to create the scene. It was so fun to make and my kids were so excited for this special morning surprise.

I originally saw the idea last year, from Occasions By Shakira, using a purchased skyscraper scene. I loved it so much I have been thinking about it all year! After our son's fire engine birthday party, I knew the cardboard city buildings I made would work perfectly for this. So I saved those boxes hidden in the closet for seven months! But it was well worth it to have it set and ready to go.

I also brought out the same tracks that we used for the birthday party. Our car loving boy already had a few taxis and I added in our Christmas plates and their homemade snow globes we put out during the holidays. All I needed was the balloons for the parade.

I ended up finding mini character themed balloons from Balloons Online under their "minishape" balloons. These were really hard to find anywhere for a reasonable price. After some research I confirmed that the site was reputable, I just had to pay extra shipping as they come from Canada. It ended up costing me $19 for the balloons (and less than $2 a balloon) which I didn't think was bad considering I had everything else on hand. We will also likely set this up again next year.

What I didn't expect was that they wouldn't come with sticks but I was able to find some on Amazon.

I set it all up on our train table in the living room and the kids got to wake up to this festive Thanksgiving Day parade scene. It made for an especially sweet and memorable morning.

The girls also had some turkey hats that they had made! Too cute!

Shop tablescape sources here:

Christmas In Leavenworth, Washington

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Urke | Domestic Fashionista) — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 11:00:00 +0000

After we moved to Washington State everyone kept telling us, "you have to go to Leavenworth at Christmas time!" We finally went two years ago and it surprisingly lived up to the hype.

Leavenworth is a Bavarian-style village that gets lit up with lights and decked out come Christmas time. The town is full of German themed charm all year around, but I found going around the holidays made it especially magical. I'd even say it was Disney-esque. It feels like you are in another world and we soaked up a whole day of fun just exploring the downtown area.

We went mid December on a Monday so it wasn't terribly crowded. It took us about two hours to drive there so we left first thing in the morning to make the most of our day trip. It got busier as the day passed on and I imagine it is crazy on the weekends and the closer you get to Christmas. So we really enjoyed being able to experience it all and navigate our kids on a less crowded day.

We ate lunch on the outdoor patio at Rhein Haus for a cozy atmosphere, traditional German plates, and views of downtown.

The fire at the table and dressed in our warm coats made dining outside in December quite enjoyable!

The kids loved the giant pretzels and kid friendly menu.

After lunch we did some more strolling. I'll do anything for a magical family picture so we set up our camera on the stroller in the middle of the street to capture the moment. I am so thankful we did!

After a yummy lunch we enjoyed leisurely browsing all the stores and our children joined in with all the kids playing on this giant plowed pile of snow!

The stores are all so charming and decked out in holiday swag.

I can't believe how little all the kids look! It is crazy what a difference two years can make.

We loved spotting pretzels hanging in the tree!

Incredible views of the Cascade Mountains are the backdrop of this charming little town.

We ate dinner at Coned Bros. for a more casual meal. They serve unique pizza concoctions served in the form of a cone. Everything we tried was very tasty.

Then we ended the day enjoying all the lights come to life after sunset.

The kids each picked out a souvenir, I got a Leavenworth sticker for my travel sticker collection, and we all enjoyed a magical family day of browsing, playing, and eating. If you ever get a chance to visit Leavenworth at Christmas time, I highly recommend it!

What We Did This Summer | 2025

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Urke | Domestic Fashionista) — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 11:00:00 +0000

We had a lovely low key and adventurous summer. I took the kids to do so many fun things together - which was new for me. We are in a new era, no longer having babies or dealing with pregnancies. It's been almost a decade of building our family. My youngest turned two and can keep up with the big kids now. It is a big step in to a new season of my life.

I loved getting to know my kids in new ways this summer. My big kids are so conversational and fun to be around. I was surprised they didn't play outside in our yard as much as they have in year's past. But they were knee deep in what they called "Lego World" which was so sweet to watch them play. They would build together and pretend making up all sorts of scenarios. They entertained each other day after day and it was so special for me to be able to sit back and watch.

Our baby girl slept in and was totally content to roll around in her crib into the late morning. So we let her have her chill time, knowing it would all come to an end once school started. So there were plenty of slow mornings which I so appreciated.

I kept thinking to myself, oh once summer is here, I will have time to work on my little projects. And then I don't! Of course, I get a few things done here and there. But truthfully, I just keep learning to let go more and more each year. Each year my kids get another year older and the realization of how quickly they are growing up becauses more apparent. So instead of stressing out about my to do list I have traded it for major emotions that each day and season slips by so quickly. I better enjoy it.

So this summer - that is what I did - I enjoyed it.

Around Memorial Day we start to scatter our American flags around the house plants. It is always such a fun and simple nod to summer.

Flowers picked and arranged by littles.

This was the first summer that we got to use our picnic table (that everyone made for my birthday last year) for the entire season. It was wonderful.

I must have more energy these days because my table settings are becoming more pretty (or like how I used to do things pre-kids). It is refreshing to my creative spirit.

All the camping vibes right in our backyard.

I continued my bike routine throughout the summer. Instead of doing two short workouts (one in the morning and one at naptime) I did one longer workout in the morning since we didn't have to be anywhere. It freed up naptime for myself which was nice. And I got some wrist/ankle weights to add just a little extra resistance.

Lots of splashpad time, kiddie pools, and popsicles!

I shared in my spring post that we had to get a new splashpad because this adorable one did not last more than a month. These pictures were before I knew the truth and I was still reveling in it's beauty!!

Bubbles also help everything feel a little more magical.

My elementary school kids were still in school until almost the end of June so we had a few little kid summer play opportunities. The simplicity of setting up the water table and lounging on the patio is pure bliss.

I also shared in my spring post that I have been hacking my bags to make them into purses that work for me. This little Kate Spade pouch I got as a souvenier from New York City I have never used. I used an o ring and a chain to make it into a crossbody. I love it!

A pollinator event we went to at a local farm. The cutest little bees I have ever seen.

Some more pictures from Mother's Day at Flower World.

On 4th of July we got more flags out to play with and take with us to the 4th of July parade.

Racing with a flag attached is apparently very fun!

This little pool/ball pit has come in handy for our sensory bins. We got it for our daughter's first birthday party and I finally found a practical use for it!

Picnics on the porch are always a delight.

Stenciling fun!

We had extra flagstone from the path we put in our front garden. So I have been working on using up what we have by creating little paths around our yard.

I also did a lot of transplanting this summer. I redid our garden by the front steps and transplanted the old plants around the yard. It is slowly all coming together.

Our four year old is acting more like the older kids each day. Perhaps it is because he is an older kid now! I just can't get over it. He still feels like my baby.

A major steal on rhodendendrons that already bloomed. I grabbed as much as I thought could fit into my car!

That's me - just the crazy lady with small children trying to pile in giant plants wherever I could!

Good thing the drive home wasn't far!

Off to walk to the bus stop with my weighted vest. This has been a great way for me to step up our daily walks to pick up the kids.

Looking so cute in her socks and bow.

For Father's Day we made some crafts for Brent and the grandpas. Hand print from the littlest one.

And some silly grandpa photos with questions for the kids to answer. They always have such sweet and funny comments!

I even got to sit and read my Kindle a couple of times while the kids played happily in the yard.

I love these simple days at home with my littles.

After I caught my clothes on a cabinet pull and broke it, we decided it was time to just update our kitchen hardware! We had long pulls that constantly got caught on my clothes so switching to someting that didn't have edges sticking out was the goal! I am so happy with the gold. It matches the accents on our dishwahser and happily mixes with our stainless steel appliances. It was a long awaited update that made me very happy! We got these knobs and these handles.

A little garden bouquet for my daughter's kindergarten musical performance. She thought it was really special that I brought her flowers.

My mosaic stepping stone is holding up well. We decided to add our painted rock collection to the mix and it is such a happy corner of our garden.

Moving things around the garden and creating little seating areas made for a cute moment.

I added some new roses to our one sunny spot in the back.

We had incredible roses in our yard when we lived in Sacramento. My hope is to get this spot growing better so I can have my own little rose garden again.

I stole the benches from this table to put in the yard and added in these black chairs instead. Just my own reminder to mix and match and make things work for our specific home.

The kids ate a lot of lunches out here this summer. It was nice to send them all outside to be silly and loud while I hid inside for a moment. It never lasted long because it was so sweet that I had to go out and join them.

The stars aligned and Brent had the day off on the day of the kindergarten field trip to the Seattle Public Library. And because I never am able to be in the classroom, her sweet teacher gave me priority for being picked to go. It was so special to do this with my my daughter.

We had never been to this library in downtown Seattle. It was huge and very cool. Great views of the city and my daughter and her sweet friends loved wandering around and exploring. I'll admit I was pretty exhausted by the end but I was so grateful that I was able to go. Also riding a school bus through downtown Seattle - terrifying! Our poor bus driver - bless his heart!

Firepit and hot tub night in my friend's beautiful yard.

Father's Day treats for Brent. I fill his little candy tackle box every holiday now and he always loves it. What an EASY and fun way to make him feel special.

This year I went for a whole weekend celebration. Brent is so simple and just wants to relax at home. So I bought or made some of our favorite treats and snacks. For Father's Day morning we had a bagel and muffin spread.

I made his favorite ice cream cake that I usually only make for his birthday. I figured twice a year wasn't that much extra work. Here it is before it was frosted. Love all those yummy layers.

Soccer Saturdays. We love our giant blanket and would pack the kids with their restaurant backpacks.

Sweet girl wanted to show off her dollhouse display. The ikea dollhouse makeover and cute dollhouse furniture set have proven to be a well loved toy.

Father's Day movie and McDonald's - Brent's request!

It is always so sweet to see them help him open his gifts.

My whole heart.

The finshed ice cream cake!

Kindergarten picnic at school - yes, we are the fun parents who brought our kid McDonald's!

There's that blanket again! :)

This kid ran one hundred miles this year at school! We were so impressed!

Kindergarten picnic selfie. It was also jersey day at school - girl in mama's dirt biking jersey!

A pretty light moment that stopped me in my tracks. We are hoping to finish our kitchen remodel over Christmas break. Even in the midst of the unfinished, having this open wall and extra lighting has added so much to our living space. I am so grateful.

The laudry room was so tidy for once! I had to take a picture.

We brought back our after nap/quiet time tea time. Such a fun little tradition.

Flowers for teachers on the last day of school.

We got our summer reading program check off lists from the library. They get very into it and try to finish it as fast as they can.

And a fun library event to kick it all off.

Amazing roses in my friend's yard.

Pizza picnic at the playground. Love these sunny days.

My go to gift for preschool through early elementary school are these sticker by letter or number books. I love a practical but fun gift.

Every week when we would go pick up our groceries we would hit up a different and often new park to us. This castle one was especially fun.

Summer art display.

A pretty dinner hosted by my MomCo coordinator.

Found a really great lightweight blazer.

All ready for a dance studio birthday party! I don't get a lot of one on one time with my kids very often so even just taking them to a birthday party by myself is a good opportuity for us to connect.

We enjoyed Tipsy Cow for lunch afterwards!

My four year old decided to pick my one lone peace lily for me! I had waited years for it to bloom again. So we at least had to preserve it in a vase as long as it would stay alive!

Patriotic walk - someone must have wanted to bring a flag with us!

Capturing proof of a quiet moment to myself. Love my new Kindle I got for Mother's Day.

The cutest little handmade sail boats.

Helping the littles check off their summer reading lists! How cute it was to see them reading to their siblings!

Watching bread rise in the bread maker.

Her and her flowers after her school performance.

This romper and that bow!

7-11 free slurpee day is a much anticipated event in our house!

A sunny outing downtown.

Our oldest got a chess/checkers set for his birthday. It has been a big hit. I have been suprised how well they have been playing this together.

A yummy drink in the midst of summer chaos - toys everywhere!

These slow days of summer are the best.

Our new splash pad! Right out of the box I could tell it was made of much thicker material. It lasted us the rest of the summer. I was very happy with it and it was the best I could find that was aesthetically pleasing enough for me!

Another fun birthday gift was this table tennis set that we put on our outdoor table. It has been an especially fun game that I can play with my oldest. We may have quite a few ping pong balls stuck in our gutters though!

Setting up a flower shop!

Grandma always brings lots of flowers from her flower shop when she comes to visit.

We went to a fun kid's event at Lowe's. How funny is this bucket photo op!? Too hillarious!

Video game pals. They get to play the Wii when grandma and grandpa come to visit and Brent and I leave for a date or night away.

Yummy boba at the mall. My first time trying Happy Lemon and it was tasty.

We hit up the mall to try to find a dress for my sister in law's wedding. We didn't have much luck but it was a fun day date.

Had the most incredible nachos at Castilla in Downtown Bellevue.

And then I settled on this dress I found at TJ-Maxx instead. A good reminder to stick to what has always worked.

Lunch salad game going strong. I love me some hard boiled egg.

Another playground grocery outing.

We rode the link from Redmond to Bellevue to do some errands. This was their first time on the lightrail since it opened and they were quite ecstatic.

Little miss was nervous. I didn't mind the cuddles.

This new Shake Shack is so pretty and so convenient for our family. Our new go to in Bellevue.

Hard to believe I didn't like Shake Shack the first time I tried it on the east coast. It grew on me and is a favorite now.

I love pretending we our city people!

My favorite summer blooms.

Brent found us a free basketball hoop. I played basketball growing up so this has been especially fun for me as well.

Cardboard car creation.

Pulled out my Christmas/winter wreath for a short flag moment.

Making our favorite smores ice cream sandwiches.

More work transplanting things in the yard. I moved some of our big evergreen plants to our front walkway to make it feel more full and green all year long.

A fun 4th of July breakfast!

I love these simple bento boxes that I use for when I pack us lunches on the go. I got the genius idea to put the kids' name labels on each one so I would know whose is whose (these labels I put on everything and they are machine washable so you can stick them on the inside of clothes!). Because when you are dealing with crust, no crust, no crust big square, no crust small squares...knowing what box belongs to each child is so helpful! ;)

More salad chronicles.

On the 4th of July we attended a fun local firehouse breakfast and 4th of July parade.

Soaking up that she will sit in my lap during the parade still. She is quickly turning into one of the big kids so I enjoy every one of these baby moments I have left.

I cry about everything these days. But seeing my kids wave at parades always makes me tear up. Something about seeing them experience something so magical (a real fire firefighter and a real fire truck so close up!) is so tender and sweet.

Our little wagon came in handy!

Our 4th of July meal on the back patio.

My blue stripped runner continues to be the centerpiece of all our festive meals.

Our s'mores ice cream sandwiches for dessert.

A pretty garden moment.

A weekend ice cream treat at our favorite Snoqualmie Ice Cream.

Garden hydrangaes on display.

Family bike ride!

Everyone ready for their first day of VBS! I can't believe all three got to go this year. Growing up quickly!

While they were busy all week, me and my little hit up the thrift store. Look at this shoe spread I got! Nike, Adidas, Natives...oh my!

I started folding under my tank tops to make them more crop and it is now my go to with atleisure. I love that I made tops I already have work for the current trend. Also a blazer with leggings. Yes, please. This whole mix of casual and dressed up is comfortable and fun. I also pulled out a very old crossbody bag that I thought I got rid of. We are down to one diaper and a small bags of wipes in my purse. Such freedom to carry such a small bag!

I couldn't pass on these clearance hydrangaes. They were at their peak bloom but I planned to plant them in the ground for many more years of beauty to come.

For now they were on display in my seasonal pots on the front patio. They still looked amazing all the way to Halloween. I definitely got my money's worth and beyond!

I printed a polaroid of my sister in law and her fiance for her bridal shower card. It came out so cute and she loved it. Proof that you can buy a jumbo box of floral cards and use them for anything.

This little miss telling me all about it. She cracks us up. I love this age.

A fun summer themed treat - brownie bites, frosting, blue sprinkles, peach rings, and teddy grahams. Everyone LOVED them.

Having salads all summer really upped my salad game. I love strawberry and avocado combo.

I caught up on everyone's baby books. I officially have two completed (all the way up to their first day of school! Cue the tears). Two more to go.

I always set up my ironing board as a working station so I can keep it out but it is too high for little hands.

I love my Vitamix and have been using it daily for over a decade. We upgraded to the stainless steel container after our plastic container was having issues. Vitamix always has such great customer service and gave us a discount code for it.

We transistioned our kids to boys and girls shared room at the end of the summer before school started. Which meant no more nursery! I can't believe we are finally here. We gave my in laws the love seat that we had used and that I nursed three of our babies on. It was sad to see it go but exciting for this next chapter. I took a picture of our gallery wall so I would remember where everything went as we had to take it all down to get the couch downstairs.

These two were so cute playing together during quiet time.

Anther summer time treat - for movie night! This silicone cupcake pan I recently got for snacks and crafts and is just too cute.

Everyone got to make their own festive bowl of popcorn.

Matching jammy dresses! We love these simple pajama dresses so much. So sweet to see our littlest wear her big sister's old clothes.

Them - enjoying our extra love seat while it waited to be delivered to my in law's in a few days. Me - letting go of any sadness after all the climbing, jumping, and fighting over this thing. I was ready to get it out of the house!

I found an incredible recipe for some easy slow cooker chicken that I am using on my salads lately. Salad game changer. I will share the recipe soon.

Practicing our hair for the wedding!

So handsome!

Summer patio life - the double umbrellas feel so fancy.

After nap tea time - we did this last summer and I decided it would continue on as a summer tradition. After everyone comes out of nap or quiet time we enjoy a special drink and treat together. We talk and try to act polite. It is a cute and special time. Sparkling lemonade and cookies was a consistent favorite.

Brent put on a big event at work this summer and it made it to the front page of The Seattle Times! I was so proud. And we were even able to attend the event together. A special memory for me and the kids to be a part of Brent's work. The next mission to the moon is coming next year and we are very excited to be a part of this.

Trying to be sneaky with the camera to catch this sweet moment.

My sweet neighbor brought us a pie from my favorite Snohomish Pie Co! It was apple berry crumb and is now my all time favorite. I had a little slice every day during nap! ;)

Looking for worms under the stepping stones. It drives me crazy when I see these all overturned but I try to remind myself these are core childhood memories.

One of my favorite places - the waterfront in Downtown Kirkland. We came here almost weekly during the pandemic. I try to at least get here once now each summer. So many special memories when I just had the two.

Our church hosted a foam party for the kids! It was epic!!!

McDonald's ice cream cone on the way home. Those are some happy kids!

More mommy adventure day outings - this time to a fun park that has walking paths over the water.

Wild berry picking is a very popular activity where we live! They grow all over the place. It is pretty funny to see adults standing on the side of the road eating berries!

I have been working on figuring out how to cozy up our bedroom more. This beautiful blanket to throw over the top was the final ingredient to my put together bed. I love it!

Packing their bags for back to school. I just order everything online and let them pick out their colors. Then when we have a moment it is fun to leisurely have them look through it all and pack up their backpacks. Another one of those emotional turning points for me!

Our final mommy adventure day - I laid you their swimsuits and water shoes. They were so excited! "Where are we going!!!???"

I was in the market for some new cutting boards. After much thought I decided to try out some stainless steel ones. I have a few wood ones but I don't like that I can't put them in the dishwasher. I didn't want plastic or glass. And there are so many trendy anti-plastic things out there that are great but I wanted something that I knew would last the test of time. I am finding stainless steel is my new go to and months later I can confidently say that I love these. The edges aren't sharp (my one concern from reading some of the reviews). And I found that wiping up my mess that spills off the board isn't really that big of a deal.

We took the kids to the skate park with their bikes and scooters. They had the best time and I was a nervous wreck! This is one of those outings where Brent is in charge and I nervously watch and take pictures from afar! No one got hurt and they all had a great time.

Another bike outing - always a spectacle and taking up the whole pathway!

My rose of sharon bush, that I thought was a tree, is thriving quite well after I cut it back. A beautiful late summer bloom.

This girl is too cute! She loves all the girly things thanks to her fun big sister.

Last day of summer ice cream treat! I can't believe that flew by.

Then we caught a hot air balloon landing while driving through Downtown Woodinville! What a sight!

It landed in the soccer field! So funny to see people on foot and in their cars trying to chase it!

A surprise tea time upstairs. I felt like I was delivering room service!

They loved the surprise!

When they all want a cart at Trader Joe's. Shoppers either think we are adorable or they hate me.

Last playground and grocery run day to a favorite park with a cardboard hill to slide down.

This summer was a treasure. I am so grateful for these long and open days together.

To a new season with it's own joys. But summer, you will forever hold a special place in my heart.

Leftover Bread Garlic Bread Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Urke | Domestic Fashionista) — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 11:00:00 +0000

Whenever I have leftover bread, I love to make this easy garlic bread. It is so good and ridiculously easy. It kind of reminds me of Texas toast.

Any bread works great from sandwich bread to hot dog and hamburger buns. It is an easy go to - all you need is butter, salt, and garlic powder.

My kids gobble it up and I equally enjoy it just as much. It is great as a side to dinner meals and makes use of a few extra pieces of bread that would otherwise go to waste.

The hot dog and hamburger bun versions are actually really good as they are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. So don't waste those one or two leftover buns (I just put mine into the freezer until I am ready to make this recipe or have collected enough to feed our family)! Bring them to life with this easy recipe.

Leftover Bread Garlic Bread

- leftover bread or buns

- butter

- salt

- garlic bread

Butter the bread and then sprinkle with garlic powder and salt.

Then cook in the oven until lightly browned - I'd say check every few minutes at 350 degrees.

I try to not overcook it as it can get overly crispy quick. If you want, slice into smaller pieces for serving.

How I Started Reading More Books

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Urke | Domestic Fashionista) — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 11:00:00 +0000

In the past five years I have read more books consistently than I have ever in my life. Growing up I wasn't a big reader and so through my adult life I always struggled with sitting down to read. All these years later I am happy to share I have found my own reading rhythm that I am proud of. Today I wanted to share a little about that.

I know it can be particularly challenging to read in the early years of motherhood but somehow it has been this season of being surrounded by littles that I have made reading a regular habit. With a few good habits, I found that reading can be intertwined in these busy years of mothering.

I started reading books digitally through Kindle after having kids because it was easier to get a few minutes of reading in on the go - whether waiting somewhere or feeding a baby. My phone was always nearby and it was so much easier to read one handed when I had babies with me. I read books while we were on our two week cross country road trip to move to Washington and the books spoke to my current life situation.

In 2021 I opened up a Goodreads account and this really encouraged me to keep track of what I was reading and how many books I was getting through. There is something very satisfying about checking a book off my to read list once I finish it.

We went through a lot of changes during our early years of parenting - two cross country moves with two babies. But aligning reading with big chages in my life did something. I tend to lean towards non-fiction so I would often read books based off of what I was going through at the moment.

Even now I look back at my reading during the baby and pregnancy years. I can remember reading certain books while I was sick in bed pregnant or nursing a baby in the middle of the night. These books have become a part of my story.

I reread a lot of my favorites. These are books that help me align with the life that I want. They serve as reminders and encouragement to press on when it often feels hard to find that kind of encouragement in the day to day.

And it allows me to be lazy and productive. If I don't want to get out of bed, at least I can read. I chill on the couch with my kids and read. If I need to zone out and let my kids watch TV over dinner, I will sit with them and eat and read.

Even now as my kids are getting older, I am happily checking off more books that are helping me figure out this new season of parenthood I am in. Instead of dealing with morning sickness on the couch or feeding a baby, I now read while I am waiting in school pick up lines.

Ever since I left social media a few years ago, I now have a lot less distractions on my phone. So when I run out of things to look at (rather quickly) I am reminded I can always read.

I also love that I can check out books for my Kindle through my local library using the Libby app. Now I don't even have to buy books! It is a great way to try books before totally commiting to reading the whole thing as well. And in this fast moving digital world, I really appreciate the slow and thought out process of reading a book. It is helping me slow down and focus on the things I truly care about.

Our Favorite Christmas Books

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Urke | Domestic Fashionista) — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 11:00:00 +0000

We have accumulated quite the collection of Christmas books over the years. I love that some are old and some are new. A few from my childhood and one's my kids have picked out for us. They are treasures and bring back so many holiday memories. It is a joy to pull all these books out every holiday season.

This is our biggest seasonal book collection as I am a sucker for beautiful Christmas children's books. I especially love the vintage Little Golden books that are always a delight to find while thrifting. Most of our new holiday books were purchased through school and Scholastic Books - they are thin paperbacks and don't take up a lot of room which is nice. And the few board books are ones that I bought when I had my first baby (cue the tears). These books are treasures.

I like to put them out on display the morning I get them out. It feels so fun and librarian of me. :) I save it for a day that we have extra time at home so my kid's can dive in and enjoy uninterrupted. Plus it usually buys me some nice quiet time!

Then we store them in this beautiful big basket in our living room all season long for my kids to come back to whenever they want.

Our Favorite Christmas Books:

Jingle Bells (A Little Golden Book)

Over The River And Through The Wood

Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer (A Little Golden Book)

Little Santa's Workshop (board book)

Gingerbread Christmas *favorite - funny and enjoyable to read

Santa's Workshop And How The Animals Saved Christmas *favorite

God Gave Us Christmas

Pick A Pine Tree

If You Take A Mouse To The Movies

Jingle Bells (sound board book)

Christmas In The Manger (board book)

Don't Let The Pigeon Drive The Sleigh

The 12 Days Of Christmas (board book)

The Berenstain Bears' Christmas Tree *favorite - from my childhood, we all love this one

The Night Before Christmas (A Little Golden Book) *favorite - nostalgic

Peek-A-Bright Christmas (board book)

Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree *favorite - fun and easy to read

Where's Santa Claus (board book) *favorite to read to littles

Little Blue Truck's Christmas

The Nutcracker (board book)

Santa Mouse

Jesus Calling The Story Of Christmas *beautiful story about Jesus

Baby Jesus (board book)

The Story Of Holly And Ivy

Road Trip Activity Bags For Kids

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Urke | Domestic Fashionista) — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 11:00:00 +0000

We went on a recent family road trip and for the long drive I put together these fun road trip activity bags for my kids. They always get so excited for some new activities and it usually buys us a couple of hours of entertainment.

We have tried a variety of different activities over the years for long car trips and airplane rides. I usually bring craft supplies as they love to make things. But it always results in a huge mess in the car. Plus it requires a bit more prep on my part ahead of time.

My goal this time was to simplify things. My kids are ages 9, 6, 4, and 2. And even though we are still in the little kid years, I am learning to adjust with my kid's ages.

They each have one of these hanging bags that we keep in the car for everyday activities. For this trip, I took everything out and replaced it with new items.

This time I stuck with items from The Dollar Tree and they did not disappoint. I spent about $10 for each kid and it lasted us both the car ride there and back home.

Each kid got a new activity book, a note pad, stickers, a box of crayons and a new toy (My Little Pony for the girls and a car for the boys) - all from The Dollar Tree. I used some gold monogram stickers I had to label the crayon boxes and filled them with extra crayons we had at home. I try to keep any extra crayons we collect from restaurants or wherever in a baggie to use for these type of things.

I also picked up sticker books for each kid to save to give to them on the ride home. I also got these mini sticky lined notepads to put in their restaurant backpacks along with some road tape I had in my backstock. I also had some Wikki Stix left over from a wedding and these Asian sticker books I bought at a local store. I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't need half of this so I will save them for our next trip.

Here is how we hang the activity bags in our car - we love these sturdy car hooks that hook on to the headrests and these are the tote bags we use.

The hooks are great for hanging all sorts of things in the car. Here we use it to hang diapers and a bag of books for the car. With four kids constantly climbing in and out of the car, these hooks help me keep their things off the floor and organized!

// Related Posts:

What's In My Kids' Restaurant Backpacks

Kid's Airplane Travel Busy Bags

Shop road trip activity bags for kids here:

Fall Themed Mosaic Bean Craft

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Urke | Domestic Fashionista) — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 11:00:00 +0000

This fall themed mosaic bead craft is a fun way to celebrate the fall season using simple supplies. It is great for a wide range of ages - young and old. All you need is cardboard, a variety of beans or lentils, and glue! This would make a fun fall or Thanksgiving day activity.

Brent had a rare day off from work the same day as my oldest's harvest party at school. It allowed me to volunteer in his classroom for the first time EVER (like his entire school career - he's in third grade!). I wanted to come up with a craft that was simple, fun, and of course, cute! It ended up being a hit and I love how they came out. Even his teacher and some of the parent volunteers came over to make their own!

I prepped as much as I could ahead of time as the students would have many activity stations to choose from. Each kid took anywhere from five to ten minutes to complete depending on how intricate of a design they chose. And it was a great way to talk with the kids while the worked.

I cut out pumpkin and leaf designs using thin cardboard from food boxes (like cereal or granola bar type boxes). And then I purchased a few different bean varieties including a bean soup mix. If you want a wider range of colors (like orange), the bean soup mix is where you will find it. I then spent DAYS organizing all the different colors. But it made it so much easier and faster with the colors seperated. I also made two examples to show to the kids.

To outline the shapes with white beans, I glued these on first and then filled in. A lot of the kids just spread the glue and sprinkled on beans randomly. They still came out adorable! This is a really easy project that you truly can't get wrong. My younger kids made some at home as well and there's were a huge glue mess - yet they dried beautifully.

Family Wedding Photos

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Urke | Domestic Fashionista) — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 11:00:00 +0000

We went to a family wedding in Idaho over the summer and I wanted to share a few photos. My two oldest got to be the flower girl and ring bearer and we got the younger ones matching outfits. This was the first time we have ever gotten all dressed up together and it was so special to see my sweet kids look so cute!

The wedding was beautiful and the kids had so much fun being with all their cousins. It was a special celebration full of memories we will always cherish.

You Did It Flags | Free Printable

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Urke | Domestic Fashionista) — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 11:00:00 +0000

For the last day of school I put together a simple little breakfast for my kids to celebrate their last day. I made and printed out "You Did It!" flags to make the meal extra festive.

These flags can be used for all kinds of celebrations - last day of school, a special achievement, retirement, new job, or anything else!

For breakfast I used donut holes to make the first letter of their names. They thought it was so fun!

Click on the image below to download the free flag printable:

Pirate Sibling Halloween Costume - Argh!

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Urke | Domestic Fashionista) — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Argh and shiver me timbers! My Halloween crew is all ready for Halloween! We are expecting torrential downpour but it won't stop these pirate mateys from their trick rrr treating! ;)

It was so much fun for us to put together these Halloween costumes together. For the girls, they wore their flower girl dresses from a wedding this summer. They also wore the pirate hats we used for one of our pirate birthday parties. The boys wore simple t-shirts and shorts with some new bigger pirate hats. The eye patches came with the hats the girls are wearing. Then my mom hunted down the red bandanas for them from Hobby Lobby.

It was a fun mix of what we had and adding a few more items that will be lovingly enjoyed in our dress up stash for years to come. Happy Halloween!

Shop for pirate costume pieces here:

Sharon's Poppy Seed Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Urke | Domestic Fashionista) — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0000

This poppy seed salad is a long time favorite. It is the perfect salad to feed a crowd with it's beautiful colors and flavors. And the sweet poppy seed dressing is incredible. I often will just make a batch of the dressing for my lunch salads.

I got this recipe from my friend Sharon who I knew while living in Virginia. She was the kindest woman we met at a church. She is a mom of seven and the most incredible cook. Everything she made was delicious. She even brought us a meal and coordinated ladies from the church to come over and help me unpack after meeting me once at their church. She is one of those generous and big hearted people that you will always remember. I am not sure if our paths will ever cross again, but I will forever remember her and her generosity every time I make this salad.

Sharon's Poppy Seed Salad

Dressing:

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup white vinegar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons chopped onion (I often will use 1 tablespoon of dried minced onions especially if I am just making the dressing to last me a few weeks)

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons poppy seeds (I keep this on hand just for this salad - it's worth having around if you don't already)

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salad:

Strawberries

Dried cranberries and blueberries (or just cranberries if you can't find the mix)

Purple onion

Cherry tomato

50/50 Spring mix and spinach (can buy as a mix or mix your own or just use spring mix)

Romaine

Feta cheese

Candied pecans - store bought or make your own (saute in butter, sugar, and salt)

// You can't go wrong with this salad. Use however much salad ingredients for how big of a salad you want to make. Mix the dressing. Layer salad ingredients over the lettuce. Top with dressing and toss.

Downtown Bellevue Park Adventure Day With Kids

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Urke | Domestic Fashionista) — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Our last adventure day outing for the summer was to Downtown Bellevue Park where they have a wonderful kid's playground, walking path around water, a splash pad, and is an easy walk to find some yummy treats. We had the best morning together, me and my sweet kiddos, wrapping up a really special and fun summer together. It was one for the books!

Inspiration Playground is definitely one of the biggest and most fun parks we have been to. We arrived early which made it easy for my kids to run around while still keeping an eye on them. When it is crowded, it can be hard to keep track of everyone so I was grateful we had the playground mostly to ourselves.

We had some extra time before the splash pad opened so we took a little stroll around the walking path at the park, enjoying views of the ducks swimming in the water. The park is truly stunning and is a beautiful mix of city and nature that I love. The park is very well maintained and always reminds me of Washington D.C.

The splash pad area isn't huge but it easily enterained all my kids for awhile. It is connected to the playground making it a great location to hunker down and enjoy for a couple of hours.

After we played we set up a little picnic in the grass nearby. I love our easy bento boxes and Gathre mat.

I also feel like I have a really good mom bag routine down. My Woda backpack has been perfect for summer outings as I can rinse it off (like a Bogg bag) it if gets wet or dirty from water play. Plus it fits five bento boxes (!!!) along with extra diapers, wipes, and towels! But then I use this cute and inexpensive cross body purse to hold my wallet, phone, keys, one diaper, a few wipes, and a couple other small things. That way I have all the stuff in my backpack but can access regular purse things without taking the backpack off. All remaining hands free! Plus they are cute!

I also got a crossbody phone chain that I can hang around my neck to take pictures when the moment strikes. Okay...now I am sounding like a real bag lady! ha! But I am either in a dress or leggings with no pockets. So I am really proud of all my gear! ;)

After lunch we walked across the street to Old Bellevue to get ourselves a little treat.

Sunglasses | Favorite Summer Midi Dress (I'm also wearing it on repeat this fall) | Crossbody Purse

I settled on a strawberry matcha for me! It was tasty and very strong. I don't think I have ever had legit matcha before. My heart was racing from the caffeine! But a fun experience at Matcha Magic. My friend tells me matcha is all the rage with her preteen daughters. So it was fun to find an all matcha establishment and embark on this current trend.

We headed back to the playground to play for a little while before the cookie shop, Hello Robin, opened at noon. A yummy treat for my kiddos and then we headed home.

I loved that the Downtown Bellevue Park provided us a whole morning of fun. I often get overwhelmed with driving downtown or finding parking with my kids all by myself. But getting there early to park at the playground allowed me to have a stress free morning. I know that the anxiety of the unknown while managing my children can often keep me from trying new things. So what a relief that this was so easy and fun! We will definitely plan to come back soon!

The Best Kind Of Friend

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Urke | Domestic Fashionista) — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0000

I read this in my book the other morning and it brought back so many sweet memories and heart moments. It brought to mind so many relationships that were fostered around serving together. There is something truly special about doing God's work alongside one another that bounds you for life.

I have often shared that if you want to find the best kind of friend, find someone you can do ministry with—someone who loves God and wants to make a difference in the world. In the midst of working together, praying, and serving people, you will grow together in memory making, faith, and accountability. The strings of your hearts become knit together by the Holy Spirit as you invest together in Kingdom work.
-Mom Heart Moments