Kale & Black Bean Salad

This past weekend I was trying to figure out what to bring to a cookout using ingredients that I had in my fridge... and I came up with this. I was pretty pleased with the way it turned out! The kale doesn't get soggy and I liked that it was a bean salad that was packed with veggies. I have the feeling I'll be making some version of this a lot this summer! Later I thought if I had a red onion that might have been a good addition, or maybe a red bell pepper, or substitute feta for the parmesan. You could even add quinoa to bulk it up. I think you could use a number of ingredients and it would turn out great as long as you've got a good base dressing. My favorites are homemade dressings, or the Good Seasons packets, which are basically homemade just easier. Homemade is so much better than store bought!

Favorites lately

This is a post of some random products I've been loving lately. I'm not getting paid by any of these brands, just wanted to share because I always love hearing what others are using and really love. A personal recommendation is always better!

1. Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque - I am in love with this mask. Lately I feel like my pores have expanded to the size of pepperonis. Not sure if it's my age or what, but I feel like my face never looks smooth anymore. I can truly feel this mask going deep into my skin, and when I wash it off my face feels really cleansed and fresh looking. It makes a big difference! I use it a couple times a week, much to my husband's chagrin (apparently face masks are scary!).

When life doesn't go as planned

I've been putting off sharing this for a long time, because I wasn't ready to talk about it. Maybe I wasn't ready to acknowledge it. I've been in a rough spot for a long time, and it's been difficult to process through my emotions. I finally feel like I'm in a place where I can and want to talk about it, so here goes.

Michael and I have been trying to start a family for over a year, and it hasn't happened for us yet.

I never, ever thought we'd be here. When we didn't get pregnant in the first couple months, after doing some research online the statistics brought reassurance and I was sure we'd be pregnant within six months of trying. Six months came and went, and so did seven, eight, nine... and before I knew it, I was looking back at one whole year of trying and failing to get pregnant.