Five on Friday!

Happy Easter weekend, friends! Easter is one of my favorite holidays so I couldn’t be more excited for this weekend! Our Easter bunny made his first stop last night in Charlotte! Thank you all for your amazing Easter egg filler ideas!! Last night Matt and I stuffed eggs with random things — mini cars I recycled from the play room floor, Lucky Charms and Cheerios from the pantry, stickers, hair ties, quarters, fruit snacks, band-aids (best suggestion ever) and candy. After our hunt we are heading to the airport for Floridaaaaaa so let’s get down to it!

one. In bittersweet news, we have officially cleared out 50 square feet of attic space that was formerly occupied by baby gear and clothes! Apparently I was really terrible about neatly packing away our clothes as the kids outgrew them. So I had bags, and bags and baaaaaags of random sized clothes and shoes for both kids and it took me 3 days to sort through piles of clothes. And I kept none of it. Am I a bad mom? Well, I did keep their baptism outfits and their hospital coming home outfits, but that’s it. I am not a saver — completely opposite of Matt (he would save every last sock of Caroline’s if I let him). Anyway, I sold all my maternity clothes, allllll the baby gear and all the 0-12 month clothes in a local mommy Facebook group. And then realized in hindsight it was way more work than it was worth (10 pairs of pajamas for $3!). So when I get to 12 mo – 3T piles, they are going straight to the consignment store or Goodwill. #MarcellinoFamilyComplete!

two. My friend Brooke raved about these microfiber facial washcloths to me a few weekends ago. She is a model and has the most perfect skin of all time, so anytime she has a recommendation I take it! So after I left her house I primed these suckers immediately and have been using them every night in lieu of my hands to wash my face. The difference is absolutely incredible. These suuuuper soft cloths are made for removing makeup, grease, oil and dead skin cells and exfoliate the skin! I’m obsessed…and also grossed out by the amount of makeup I was clearly not removing before.

three. I highly recommend that everyone make this Strawberry Yogurt Bundt Cake to devour on Easter. It will seriously blow your mind.

Strawberry Yogurt Bundt Cake

From A Spicy Perspective

Ingredients:

•1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
•2 cups granulated sugar
•3 large eggs
•3 tablespoons lemon juice, divided
•Zest of 1 lemon
•2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
•1/2 teaspoon baking soda
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•8 ounces plain or vanilla, Greek yogurt
•12 ounces fresh strawberries, diced
•1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan (10-15 cup pan.) Sift together the 2 1/4 cups of flour, baking soda and salt. Mix in the lemon zest and set aside.
2.With an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Alternate beating in the flour mixture and the yogurt, mixing just until incorporated.
3.Toss the strawberries with the remaining ¼ cup of flour. Gently mix them into the batter.
4.Pour the batter into the Bundt pan. Place in the oven and reduce the temperature to 325 degrees F. Bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
5.Allow to cool at least 20 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. Once cooled whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and the powdered sugar. Drizzle over the top of the cake.

Original recipe note: The consistency of the yogurt and the juiciness of the berries, greatly determined the consistency of the batter. Thick (dryer) yogurt will produce a thicker batter, in which the berries won’t sink to the bottom (top) of the cake as seen in the photos. Either way, it is a great cake–don’t worry about the thickness of the batter.

four. I recently received a pair of coral tassel earrings and a bracelet from Lyla Taylor Boutique and love them! I have already received several compliments on the bracelet and am excited to wear this fun combo all summer long!

five. Saved the best for last. I have the best news ever to share…HE IS RISEN! I hope you have a blessed Easter. And if you are lucky enough to spend it with your family, give them an extra tight hug and don’t take this time for granted!