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June 29, 2016

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins


It's been awhile since I shared a recipe on here and a long while since I actually pulled out my good camera and used it.  The natural lighting was terrible in our rental, so I didn't even attempt to photograph anything in there.  While Preston was a camp yesterday, Lyla and I baked these muffins and they were so, so good!  I love lemon flavored treats and this recipe is a keeper!



Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Ingredients For Muffins
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature)
  • 3/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
Ingredients For Lemon Icing
  • 1 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon buttermilk

Method For Muffins
  1. Preheat oven to 375.  Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. In a large bowl, add flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Mix well and set aside.
  3. In another large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add eggs.  And then add Greek yogurt, lemon juice, lemon zest, poppy seeds and vanilla.  Mix until well combined.
  4. With mixer on low or mix by hand, add dry ingredients followed by buttermilk.  Try to not overmix the batter.
  5. Divide batter evenly into prepared muffin tins, filling about 2/3 full.  Bake about 15 minutes or until tops are lightly golden brown.  Allow muffins to cool about 10 minutes, then drizzle with lemon icing recipe below.
Method For Icing
  1. Combine confectioners' sugar, lemon juice and buttermilk in small bowl until completely smooth.  Drizzle over cooled muffins.
  2. Tip - original recipe did not call for buttermilk, but I added to mine so adjust as needed according to taste.
*original recipe from here


Enjoy!




June 22, 2016

July 4th Style

Hi there!  I'm really excited that we are heading into the July Fourth weekend in a couple of days.  There are a few things about the Fourth of July that I just love including...

Patriotic grandeur. 
Stars and stripes. 
Parades and picnics. 
Buzzing cicadas and backyard barbeques. 
Fireflies and fireworks. 
And the beautiful patriotic palette of red, white & blue.

Even though it's usually sizzling hot, this summertime holiday is one that I never tire of.  Here are a few cute outfit pieces to wear while celebrating America.  You can click the smaller pictures below for direct shopping links.

Outfit One:



Outfit Two:


Shop this look:


Also love these pieces for the fourth as well:



Do you have plans for the holiday?  We are heading to our hometown on Friday for a couple of days and then off to the beach for a few days.  It will be our first mini vacation of the summer and I am so ready!

P.S  A lot of these pieces are J. Crew Factory and they are having 50% right now.


June 14, 2016

Cute Afforable Kids' Bedding and Decor


It's funny how over the last 6 months while we were renting I did not step one foot in Homegoods or even walk past the home décor aisles in Target.  Both usually regular visits for me, but because I wasn't sure what or where we would buy, months went by without me shopping any home décor stores.  Well, I quickly made up for those neglected stops recently :)  And I loved what I found in the kids' home décor section in Target.  Neither of my kids need new bedding, since we plan to use the same that they had in our last home, but I thought I would share in case any of you are in the market for redoing your little one's space.






Cute, right?  And reasonably priced.  These were a few of my favorites.  You can shop the room collections by clicking the links below each picture.  Or for a look at all the collections you can go here.  Enjoy!



June 7, 2016

Summer Sale Favorites



Hi there!  I've finally had a little time to actually sit down and peek online at some of my favorite stores.  J.Crew Factory is definitely one of my most favorites and here's why: 

1.  Everything Fits.  I know my sizes there and they are usually right every time.  LOVE that!! 
2.  Good Prices.  Lots of sales and even their regular priced items are EASY on the wallet.
3.  Close By.  We have a store less then 10 minutes away and I can ALWAYS find something.

Lots of these pieces above are on sale.  You can click the image for prices and a direct link to the store.  I'll take one of everything please :)

June 6, 2016

June Style


Thank you for all the very thoughtful comments on my last post about our new house.  I truly appreciate all your sweet words and it makes me feel even better about our decision!  Each day we are getting things put away and feeling a little more settled.  Today is our first Monday of summer.  My kids finished school on Thursday and we are officially on summer break!  It was soooo wonderful to not have to wake up at 6 am and make lunches :) 

Now lets talk about today's post.  We have a few fun beach trips planned for the summer and everything in this picture above are perfect for the beach.  The floppy hat and straw tote are great beach accessories.  Love the one-shoulder look of this one-piece suit and of course the navy and white stripes are always a favorite of mine for the summer.  It's a little more then I would normally spend, but the reviews are good and I always have a hard time finding a good one-piece that's cute, so I'm thinking about purchasing it.  Finish this look off with this eyelet coverup and darling espadrilles.  Hope you find something for your summer wardrobe too!