Summer's Here!

School is finally out!
FINALLY!!!
I know, the rest of the country has been out for ages,  but our boys just had their last day a week ago.

On the last day of school, Ethan came home, opened up his backpack, 

and filled the recycle bin to overflowing with homework, study guides and tests.

His homework agenda/calendar was thrown on top with a little extra flair.

I think he would have started a bonfire if he could.

Somehow, it started a trend and since then our house has been turned upside down.

The boys decided to stop sharing a room...

Which means Jack moved to the top bunk and Ethan moved into the playroom...

Which means the closets were turned inside out and clothes reassigned to proper areas...

And then furniture was moved around, swapped out and shimmied into place...

Which meant every single book we own had to come out of the shelves 

so the bookcases would budge...

And the Salvation Army has just been scheduled for its third pick-up...

And now there are paint swatches all over the floor of Ethan's new room while designs his new teenage living space.

Sheesh.

It's pretty much one of my favorite things to do in all the world.

Getting rid of the old to bring in the new.

Re-organizing their spaces and donating what we don't need any longer.

Re-thinking how we can use the spaces and furniture we have in a new, more functional way.

(not to mention the dust and ick that gets removed in the process...woo-hoo!)

Have a Happy Fourth of July everyone!!!

Fourth of July Cookies!

I have been waiting and waiting to show you these cookies.
WAITING!!!! (I'm not good at waiting) (not even a little)
But I finally said....That's it!!! I'm not waiting anymore!

YAY!!!!!!
Here they are!!!
Happy Summer!!!
Right before Memorial Day I spotted these fabulous printables  by Amy at Living Locurto.

Aren't they Beautiful!

She made them especially for members of her site.

As soon as I saw them I couldn't start mixing colors fast enough.

I was happy and smiling the whole time I made these.

The colors are perfect.

The touch of pale green makes the red even redder.

Love the font.

...and the cute little flowers.

I added a little blue bird of happiness...

'cause they made me happy. (I don't think Amy will mind...)
I hope you like them too!

YAY!!!
(oh my goodness, I'm so happy I don't have to wait anymore...whew!)
Here are some more fun summer cookies to peek at!
Cherry Pie Cookie tutorial
Summer Owl Cookies
Surfboard Cookies
Tennis Cookies

Cherry Pie Cookies.....and a Tutorial Too!!

Would you like some pie?

Best thing about a pie cookie is that you can eat the WHOLE thing! (You don't have to share!!)
I've always loved cookies that look like food.
Ever since I first saw Ali Bee's pie cookies, I've wanted to make these myself!
I've done chocolate cream and pumpkin, but I hadn't yet tackled fruit pies.

Want to make your own?

Tutorial Time!

Bake round cookies using your favorite recipe and mix a batch of royal icing.
Thin some of your icing to a 20-second consistency and color it a 'fruit' color. I used dark red for this cherry pie, but you could make blueberry or apple too!
(I almost always refer to Sugarbelle's color chart when I mix a custom color!)

Pipe a circle about 3/8 of an inch inside the edge of your cookie.
The space you leave will be how thick your 'outer crust' will be.

Make some cherry shaped blobs with some space between them. (highly technical, I know)
These are all different sizes and shapes. Some the size of peas...all the way up to the size of a dime.
Set that cookie aside and let it dry about 20 minutes or so.

Then....do the same thing all over again.

Make some cherry shaped dots, let dry, repeat until full.

Let those dry!

Now the Crust!!!

The top and side crust are both made with piping consistency ivory icing.

I used a 301 tip for the lattice strips.

Its a small flat tip, kind of like a basket weave without the grooves.

I've seen it called a 'calligraphy' tip, but I've never actually tried it for writing.

First one direction...

....then the other.

Easy-peasy.

I liked that the lines are all bumpy like a real pie!

Now, how you feel the edges of a pie should look really depends on your family.

Some people just fold it over on itself, others make a little ruffle.

My grandmother used a fork to crimp the edges of her pies, 

so that's what I wanted to re-create.

This is a 101s petal tip.

I held the cookie in one hand and made a smooshed ruffle,

making sure that the crust met the filling.

Then set it down veeeeeeerrrrrrrry carefully.

Let it dry really well.

Overnight would be best.

Look....it's a pie!!!

But....hmmmm.

It still looks a bit....raw.

When my grandmother baked a pie it was all shiny and golden.

They never looked pale like this!

Nothing a little painting can't fix!

I can never remember if she used milk or an egg-wash,

so I used Vodka!!!!

(heh-heh)

Mix a bit of vodka (or water, or vanilla extract) with a bit of warm brown food coloring...

...and paint it on just like you would before you would bake a pie.

No need to be careful.

Just get your brush wet and brush over all the crust!

That's better!!!!

But now comes the real debate.

Do you prefer whipped cream or ice cream on your pie?

Or both?!

Lady Liberty Cookies

....A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. 

From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she

With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

from The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus.

Hoping you all have a very Happy Independence Day.
To all that came before us and fought with words and arms for our independence and freedoms....
We are forever thankful.

4th of July Cookies!

Last year Miss Callye of Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle  asked me to be a part of her star cookie project.
This has been one of my very favorite projects so I thought I'd repost it today.
Enjoy! There's lots of links on the bottom to all kinds of fabulous cookies!

One of the first pretty food pictures I can remember seeing

was Martha Stewart's berry tart.  

It was a long rectangular tart with red and blue berries and white filling, 

arranged to look just like the American Flag.

I distinctly remember seeing it on the cover of her magazine, thinking....someday.

Not someday as in....'Oh I really want to eat that!!!'

(I have strong feelings about fruit showing up in my dessert...)

But someday as in...'hmmm, I wonder....'

I wonder...'could I make something that gorgeous?'

I wonder...'could I take a picture like that?'

I wonder....

Almost two years ago I found a blog that would inspire me the same way.

It's The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle,

 full of the most amazing cookies with perfect instructions and tutorials, AND

written by such a lovely lady, Miss Callye.

I started having those moments again...

I wonder....

About ten days ago I got an email...

from Miss Callye, Sugarbelle, herself.

(While I had emailed back and forth with her before, 

I still do a little happy dance when I see her name in my inbox.)

It was an invitation to sit with the cool girls at lunch.

(AAAAHHHHHHH!)

Callye was working on a post involving her favorite bloggers 

(again....AAAHHHH) 

showing all the different ways we could use a simple star cookie cutter,

for the 4th of July.....

I wonder.....

I could say that I took days to decide what to make, but I didn't.

I knew immediately.

It had to be an arrangement of cookies that looked like the American Flag.

"I pledge allegiance to the flag...

of the United States of America...

and to the Republic for which it stands...

one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thanks Miss Callye, for the invitation to sit at the cool kids table,

and thanks as well to all the other bakers invited to the party.

You've all inspired me to be a better decorator and writer.

So....would you like to see everyone's work???

Thought you would!!!!

Here's a list of links to visit these lovely ladies!!!!!

1. Strawberry Shortcake on a Stick, The Decorated Cookie
2. Patriotic Lace Cookies , My Little Bakery
3. Independence Day Parade Cookies, Jill FCS
4. Old Fashioned 4^th of July, Vicki’s Sweet Treats
5. Light up the Fourth Cookies, The Partiologist
6. Declaration of Independence Cookie, Vanilla Bean Baker
7. Badge of Liberty Cookies, Lila Loa
8. Red, White & Blue Star Cookie Towers, Bake at 350
9. 4th of July Firecracker Cookies, Klickitat Street
10. Star Cut-out Cookies, Glorious Treats
11. Cookie "Pledge", Lizy B Bakes
12. Star-Shaped Krispie Treats, Cookies and Cups
13. Easy Star Cupcake Toppers, Confessions of a Cookbook Queen
14. Rustic 4th of July Galletes, Haniela's
15. Patriotic Cookie Wreath, Sweetopia
16. Patriotic River Rafter, Ali-Bee's Bake Shop
17. Funny Fox Cookies, The Bearfoot Baker
18. Quilted Cookie Stars, Cookie Crazie
19. Gimme Your John Hancock Stars, Life's a Batch
20. Patriotic Cookie Stir Sticks, The Cookie Artisan
21. Patriotic Floral Stars, SweetSugarBelle

I hope you'll go pay everyone a visit!

Happy 4th of July!