Another month has flown by, and in this monthly wrap up post, I’m sharing about how to make Caribou Cold Press at home, my new rugs, and Memorial Day weekend… Jumping right in!

Memorial Day Weekend at the Lake

I hope you enjoyed the long holiday weekend with the people you love, and also took a moment to reflect on the true meaning of Memorial Day. I love a good sale and an extra day off as much as the next person, but I don’t ever want to forget WHY we celebrate Memorial Day… To honor the thousands of men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedom, and even the freedom of people in other countries around the world.

John 15:13 says, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” In the history of our great country, countless brave souls have served in the military, and many of them demonstrated this greatest love by giving the ultimate sacrifice. I don’t want to forget (or take for granted) what they have given up so that I can experience the freedom I enjoy today.

That freedom allows me to be a stay at home mama to my kiddos, pursue my dreams by owning two businesses, and share my thoughts in this little web space I call my blog. Freedom truly isn’t free, and I’m thankful for those who have served, enabling me to live this blessed life. A resounding thank you to the individuals who make up our great military. Your service and sacrifice does not go unappreciated!

Speaking of Memorial Weekend, no one is saying you can’t have any fun, and we definitely had our fair share! This past weekend was the best Memorial weekend lake weather I ever remember having. Minnesotans love to bond over our crazy weather, and this last month gave us a lot to talk about… Mid April we had a record breaking snowstorm, and when I published my last Monthly Miscellanea post, we still had snow on the ground. This month, in the time span of about five days, we went straight from winter weather to 80 degrees and sunny! We seriously skipped right over spring this year… Saturday at the lake was 93 degrees and sunny. Gorgeous lake weather!! This freeze baby even got on the tube and in the water, which has never happened on Memorial weekend before.

We wore those kids out!

Too much fun. 🙂

Caribou Cold Press at Home

I’ve never been a huge coffee lover, but a couple of summers ago I found myself frequenting Caribou for their Vanilla Coolers when I was out and about shopping for clients. I didn’t think much of it until I stumbled upon the nutrition facts one day… There were 600+ calories and over 100 grams of sugar in those Coolers… Definitely not something I should drink multiple times a week! Knowing my sister was a committed coffee drinker, I asked for her favorite Caribou drink, and she turned me on to their hand crafted cold press with a shot of vanilla. I added almond milk for a tiny bit of creaminess (dairy milk and my skin have a hate/hate relationship, so I try to stay away), and I fell in love.

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Since I am fairly budget conscious, I don’t visit Caribou all that often, but I started thinking there must be a way to make Caribou cold press at home, saving some serious dough. Of course I searched Pinterest, and after seeing photos of people hand straining coffee grounds with cheesecloth, I doubted it was worth the hassle. We all know I spend as little time in the kitchen as possible. 😉 But then one day when browsing the Target aisles looking at Keurigs (ours was on the fritz… I ended up purchasing this cute turquoise one from Walmart), I stumbled across this fancy little cold brew maker! It was on sale for $14.99, so I figured I didn’t have much to lose. That’s about the same price as four cold press drinks from Caribou.

I also purchased the Caribou Ground Coffee in Mahogany, which is what one blog post I read said Caribou uses (we’ve since discovered they actually use medium roast, but it turns out we like the Mahogany better).

My sister also told me that the exact same vanilla syrup Caribou uses is available on Amazon, so of course I ordered some of that up, and we always have almond milk in our fridge… Everything I need to make my favorite Caribou Cold Press at home! The cold brew maker I bought is SO easy. You fill the center filter with beans (at first I measured it out, but now I just eyeball it), slowly add water, let it steep in the fridge for 12-14 hours, remove the filter with the grounds in it, and you have essentially the same thing as Caribou Cold Press at home! For a fraction of the price. And I promise you, it is just as good. You’re welcome. 😉

Rugs, Rugs, Everywhere New Rugs

I’ve been changing out the rugs throughout my house, from my foyer, to my master bath, and even adding a few in my kitchen. Here’s a sneak peak of what’s happening, with a shot of Caribou cold press in the mix. Which room do you think this is? I’ve got lots of fun house projects planned in the coming months, so look for some reveals in the near future!

Silicone Wedding Rings

Does anyone else hate wearing their wedding rings to the beach? Or the gym? Or in the morning when your fingers are puffy? Maybe the puffiness is just me! Enso makes really cute silicone rings for women, and I’ve always wanted to try them, but then one day I stumbled across this other brand called ThunderFit selling an 8 pack for less than the price of one Enso ring. I can’t compare quality, since I’ve never had an Enso, but the ThunderFit are exactly what I needed, and I love having a variety of colors to match my mood. Or my workout gear. 🙂

On the Playlist

My Monthly Miscellanea post wouldn’t be complete without sharing what’s on my playlist this month, and I’ve got some fun new stuff for you. 😉

We’ve been having some epic dance parties to the John Gibbons remix of P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) with the original MJ vocals. The kids love this song! Although to be honest, I played it for them without totally processing what it was about… Crazy how the true meaning of lyrics doesn’t necessarily hit us until we are aware that our kids are listening. I then played them the original MJ version, and Kaden astutely said, “This sounds like the guy who sings ‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town”.” The Jackson 5 version is on our Christmas playlist, and I was so impressed that Kaden recognized Michael’s voice as a kid and matched it with his voice later in adulthood. Plus, we haven’t listened to Christmas music since December, so he has a great memory too. Just had to brag on my boy! 😉

Plested, a rising star in British songwriting, is a new artist I’ve recently discovered. He has a folky voice, but he layers it over pop infused backgrounds, and it’s a great combination. I’m slightly obsessed with his song “Habits,” a haunting ode to the addicting power of love. Another of my favorites from him is “Worth of You,” which is a bit more upbeat and peppy.

“Loved by You” by Powers is another fun, upbeat one we’ve been jamming out to this month. Always gotta have good family dance party tunes!

I hope you had a fabulous May! I’d love to hear from you about how you spent your month in the comments below!