my summer is

so far my summer has been many things. baking fruit desserts, being a nanny for the most adorable children, tailgating, concerts and of course the fair. here is just a quick look at what it has been like so far.

lots of peaches and blueberries

jimmy buffet concert

beach day with babycakes

he loves him some coffee

naptime at the fair

spiced peach butter!

quote of the week

"summer is when girls go barefoot and their hearts are as bare as their toes"

a perfect night

one night last week i went to the house of the dad i babysit for and made smores and played on the trampoline. the kids had the best time ever and the two year old boy finnian even agreed to our marriage proposal. in essence it was one of those nights that make you want summer to last forever, one you will remember for a long time to come.

what im up to lately

just some pictures from my phone of who i spend my days with these days. we play dress up and watch bernstein bears and paula deen and its lots of fun. its crazy to think i get paid to play with these adorable kids all day long.

the time i made 4 dozen cookies and they were gone in 10 minutes

i've been doing a disservice to you guys by not sharing this recipe with you. the first time i made them i made 2 dozen and they actually made it in the cookie jar for a total of 15 minutes before they were gone, the next day i made them again and they didnt even make it into the cookie jar.

the best part is that it takes like no time to put the batter together. after we tried them my mom and i both agreed they were the best cookie we've had in a long time. they were cakey and biscuit like at the same time. they have just enough sugar and with the added combination of the sweetness of the strawberries they have made it to the pile of recipes that i will keep and make over and over again.

the recipe comes from martha stewart so you know its a good one and i found it on one of my new favorite baking blogs always with butter. make sure to check it out.

strawberry shortcake cookies
ingredients:
12 oz strawberries hulled and diced
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup & 1 tbsp sugar
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp butter, cold & cubed
2/3 cup heavy cream


preheat oven to 375 degrees.
mix strawberries, lemon juice and 2 tbsp sugar, set aside. whisk flour, baking powder, salt and remaining sugar. cut in butter (i used a pastry cutter) until coarse crumbs. stir in cream then strawberry mix. scoop out onto a parchment lined baking sheet. bake 25 minutes.
**notes: the recipe says bake for 25 minutes however my cookies took about 10 to bake so just watch to see when they are done.

quote of the week

“If a June night could talk, it would probably boast it invented romance.”
– Bern Williams

playing catch up

so much has happened these last couple of days and i havent had the time to blog, so heres the quick summary,cut all my hairs off, i went strawberry picking, made jam twice, burnt my hand making jam, went to the memorial day parade, made 4 dozen strawberry shortcake cookies and went to a concert saturday.

a summer reading list

im going to confess a secret to all of you, i've gone to the library almost twice a week since i've been home and i've loved every second i've spent there. although i already started a summer reading list i find a new book i want to read and add to the list everyday so i wanted to know if you readers had any recommendations??

when i grow up i want to be jennifer nettles

saturday afternoon was spent tailgating in the rain waiting to see this lovely duo seriously one of the best parts of the night besides this song (those arent videos from me i just found them on youtube.)