photography | roses

photography | peonies & cherries

knitting | summer shrug in shades of coral

I bought this yarn from a shop in Denver a year ago... I didn't have a plan for it at the time, but I mostly bought it because I loved the variations of coral and how soft it is. I think the pattern I chose ended up being perfect for it. I have a feeling I will be wearing this shrug often over the summer. It is a cute way to cover up a bit, yet still keep cool enough on those hot summer days. I have some ideas for making more and I want to try some other shrug patterns too!

Pattern found on Ravelry...

recipe | cinnamon shortbread cookies

I always love to have shortbread cookies with hot tea in a pretty little tea cup... I can pretend that I am in England and it's afternoon tea time! I usually like to just buy the Girl Scout shortbread cookies, but this year I decided to make my own! As it turns out, these homemade shortbread cookies taste much better the Girl Scout version. And they are so easy to make, with only 4 ingredients. The cinnamon was the perfect touch to compliment my favorite tea.

Recipe: Cinnamon Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients…

1½ cups Butter, softened
1 cup Powdered Sugar

1 teaspoon Cinnamon
3 cups All-purpose Flour

Directions…

 Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter until smooth. Slowly mix in the powdered sugar and cinnamon. Then, gradually mix in the flour, until well blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as you mix.

Sprinkle a clean counter top with flour and roll out the dough to be about ¼ inch thick. Use additional flour, as needed. Use a cookie cutter to create your desired shape or just cut the dough into squares. Place the cookies on to a cookie sheet, covered with parchment paper.

 Bake for 12-15 minutes or until they are just barely golden. Place cookies on a wire rack to cool.

Pour a cup of tea and enjoy!

photography | lilac blooms, part three

By now you can see how obsessed I am with taking photos of lilacs... 

This time I cut some to bring inside!!

photography | lilac blooms, part two

This morning, I enjoyed a cup of hot tea on the deck, smelling the lilacs and taking more photos!

They are still so beautiful. I wish they would last forever.

Oh, I just never get tired of these little beauties...

photography | lilac blooms, part one

Lilacs are my favorite!! These are from my favorite lilac bush in my backyard.