the cookie jar

Found a fabulous cookie jar at Target the other day.

Target is like my second home.

I was on a special 'cookie jar' mission yesterday because the children and I have been baking cookies often around here.

I wanted something that could be left on the counter and this was much more attractive than a Ziploc baggie or a Tupperware container.

(i don't do either one of those...martha taught me otherwise)

So here you have the new house for our cookies.

She has the greatest seal so the goodies stay fresh and the mouth on this jar is generous...plenty of room for two little hands at one time...in case there are doublefisted cookie snatchers in our home.

(landon)

All that for under $16.

In our cookie jar this week...

.....

Classic Chocolate Chip

I have tried probably 15 different chocolate chip recipes and this is by far the best.

Mr C can't be trusted around these.

Honestly, he has no self discipline when cookies are involved.

He should be ashamed of himself.

(maybe i'm being a little too hard on the guy)

Alright...enough of running my Mr C under the bus...jot this recipe down for the next time you decide to bake...it's easy peasy:

Ingredients

.....

1 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in 3 tablespoons water

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

12 ounce package chocolate chips

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Preheat oven to 350

Cream together shortening, sugars, eggs and vanilla.

Add soda dissolved in water.

Blend in flour, baking powder and salt.

Add chocolate chips.

Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

(i swear by using a Silpat Baking Mat on your cookie sheet...it keeps the cookies from burning or sticking to the cookie sheet)

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All that is left to do is pour a big glass of milk and start dunkin' these guys.

Oh...you might want to head to Target first and pick up a fab cookie jar too!

They go great with your morning cup of coffee as well.

Trust me.

I also like them crumbled on top of vanilla ice cream...or vanilla ice cream smooshed in between two cookies is nice.

(maybe it's me that has no self discipline around the cookie jar)

No matter...homemade cookies make everything okay.

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See you next time my friends!!

Anyone out there have any to die for cookie recipes that I should try?

snipets from landon's room

Hi there.

Been a busy busy summer so far.

That makes it hard for blog regularity.

(that sounds like bad tummy problems...blog regularity)

Just thought I would post a few images of Landon's room.

You remember Landon, don't you?

He's the best.

He's the cutest kid.

Says he wants to marry me and live with me forever.

I had to break the news and let him down gently.

No marrying your mommy....

but you can live with me forever...that's okay by me.

(i want another one just like this guy...the boy...not the turtle)

hee hee

For Landon's room...

...he has the Boat Bed that I'm sure all of you have seen at PotteryBarn Kids.

I wanted to avoid too much of a fishy or nautical theme.

I'm not into overly doing a child's room by plastering gunk everywhere.

I tried to use a few elements that would work with the bed and its blue and white stripe on it...but I really tried to steer clear of doing too much.

We added some dark cork boards hung at the little guys level so that he could display his own artwork and change it around as he wants.

His bedding is also PotteryBarn Kids and has blue fish all over. I have quilts from PBK in all 3 children's room and I love them. Landon's has a green and white gingham on one side and is so great and easy on the eyes.

(that is landon's 'doggy' and boy has he been through it all)

We were thrifting at Goodwill last month and Landon insisted on this blue suitcase for his room.

We just stacked it on his night table and it comes down when he pretends to pack for his vacation.

I love to have their artwork framed and then hung in their rooms.
This is a self-portrait that Landon made last year in preschool at The Evergreen Cottage.

It is seriously one of my most favorite things in our home.

A simple yellow chair from PotteryBarn Kids with a powdery blue chair cushion on top.

I found the chair cushion last week at Homegoods for $10.

This sailboat and buoy are also from Homegoods.

The bot was $11 and the buoy was clearanced for $3.

I found this flag board at Michael's crafts last year for about $30.

I just like the hint of red it adds to the room.

This oar is a new favorite...I found it at TJ Maxx last week for $16.

I think I might head back to see if they have any left.

I love the chippy paint on it and the 5.

I have a horrible obsession with numbers on decor these days.

Do you love that chippy paint too?

Still a bit of work to do on the little guys room.

Apparently he thinks that he needs a flat screen tv...I disagree.

I tried the drop cloth curtains and am still trying to decide if I like them or not.
I saw them done on so many other blogs and I loved it in other rooms but am not sure if I love them In Landon's room. I will let you know and post a picture of what I decide on.

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Hope to get in some sort blogging routine this summer...forgive me if it takes some time.

Happy summering!!

(is summering a word?)

No matter...

HAPPY SUMMERING!!

since you asked

I had a few comments and emails asking about the recipe for the broccoli we had at Sunday Dinner last week. The recipe was introduced to me by my sister and is from Ina Garten...my absolute favorite cookbook author and #1 on my list of who I would love to cook with someday. I am certain that once you try this recipe...you will not go back to your former way of preparing broccoli. This preparation is perfect for summer when broccoli is so easy to come by. In fact, I am heading to the fruit market as soon as I finish this post to pick up some more for dinner tonight.

So grab a pen or hit print.....here it comes:

::::::::

Parmesan-Roasted Broccoli

(2008, Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics Cookbook)

Ingredients

.....

4 to 5 pounds of broccoli

4 garlic cloves, peeled an thinly sliced

good olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons julienned fresh basil leaves (about 12 leaves)

........

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees

Cut the broccoli florets from the thick end of the stalks, leaving an inch or two of stalk attached to the florets. Discard rest of stalks. Cut the larger pieces through the base of the head and pull the florets apart. Place the florets on a sheet pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Toss the garlic on the broccoli and drizzle with 5 tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 20-25 minutes, until crisp-tender and the tips of some florets are browned.

Remove the broccoli from the oven and immediately toss with the 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil, the lemon zest, lemon juice, pine nuts, parmesan and basil. Serve hot!

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If you make this...let me know what you think. I could be partial to it because I am a sucker for anything with lemon as an ingredient...and you can really taste it on the broccoli. It's lovely.

I'm off now to drag...errr...I mean take my children to the market!!

(clearly not one of their favorite errands to run)

Just a note...this side dish goes really well with a loaf of crusty french bread smothered in butter and a summer pasta.

Don't forget the lemonade!!

overdue...

Hi girls!!!

I'm still here.

Oh my gosh it's been so long.

Did anyone miss me?

I sure missed checking in with you.

I went a little M.I.A since the kids have been home from school for summer break.

Days have been busy and fun (not to mention scorching HOT here in Phoenix).

The kids and I have been able to spend a lot of time with my sister, Jessica filling up the back of my Denali with all of our finds from thrifting. Can't wait to share with you what I have found.

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We also brought back our Sunday Dinners.

We used to spend every Sunday evening cooking dinner together while the children kept busy playing with one another. Unfortunately...we all get so busy during the school year that we just kind of stopped having them. Jess and I both have mentioned that we would like to get back into habit of Sunday Dinner...so we started again last week!!

The children choose the menu while we were shopping at Trader Joes.

We prepared and served:

My (almost famous) Pesto Sauce on Flat bread with toasted Pine Nuts

Homemade Pizzas

Pepperoni and Cheese

Roasted Broccoli with lemon Basil zest

My Sister Jessica's Peanut Butter Fudgie Drizzled Cookies (yeah...amazing)

We seriously ate so much of the Pesto Flat Bread that we both ended up with a queer belly.

It is so yummy....and so worth having a queer belly for!!

Morgan's turn laying on the sauce.

Oops!

This is what Mr C was doing while we were preparing dinner...

Go back to watching the game, sweetie...

Now...back to the menu...

We used toasted pine nuts throughout the meal...I am addicted to these guys.

My sister brought over this recipe for oven roasted broccoli.

She watched Ina prepare it earlier on The Barefoot Contessa.

It is the best broccoli dish that I have ever tasted.

I will probably never go back to steaming my little florets.

Let me know if you would like the recipe.

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The first week of summer also brought us a football training class at my High School.

(go toros)!!!!

Mikey had been waiting for this night for a month.

It was a lot of fun and I could hardly believe how may kids were there.

About 200 of them!!

I sat in the bleachers and snapped 209 photos.

I'm pretty sure Mikey is still mad at me for that.

I love that he is wearing a Toro Shirt.

I wore those back in the day.

Class of '93 makes me feel old.

This little guy can't wait until next year to join the camp.

I'm going to smuggle him in a year early.

Landon is my little buddy.

I love this kid and I want another one just like him.

What?

(no mother, i am not pregnant)

(but would not mind at all if i was)

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Look at Morgan.

My only girl.

She like big sunglasses like her mom.

This was taken today on the way to the pool.

Our first official 'pooling' of the summer.

Why oh why did I buy the only house in The Valley of the Sun without a pool?

No matter...we went to Grandma's community pool.

(even though she doesn't live there anymore and we broke in and then rigged the lock on the way out so that we can get in tomorrow after the movie)

I mentioned that we have been thrifting like crazy and have filled up the back of my Denali more than a couple of times. We seem to have the best luck when we thrift together. So who am I to stand in the way of that kind of momentum?

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This is an old table...exactly what I have been looking for to put in my family room.

I wanted something 'worn' with a chippy paint look because this is the table the children sit on and color on and eat on and do all other things on even though I ask them not to....

It was thrifted for $15.

I found another vintage suitcase at the Goodwill.

This is my oldest one yet.

Metal hardware on the feet and is a boxy and hard as can be.

It's an old Samsonite and I love it.

It was marked at $10 and I bought it on Goodwill's 50% off day...so do the math ladies...a whole $5 bucks outta my pocket...not bad.

I found this lantern at HomeGoods.

She was on clearance for $15.

I saw one almost identical to this in PotteryBarn not too long ago.

I found this side table at HomeGoods also in the clearance isle.

I plan on using it in our front as a side table.

It goes perfectly with the French Farmhouse look that I am shooting for.

On clearance for $58.

This frame was found at HomeGoods also in the clearance isle for $5.

I haven't even changed the photo inside...I kind of like the picture it came with.

Summer is off to a wonderful start with great menus and great bargains.

I can't wait to share some of the other things going on Decatur Street.

It sure is going to be a busy summer.
Alright...I am promising that I don't let another 2 weeks go by before my next post.

Have a wonderful day, friends.

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p.s...does anybody have a pool I can dip my toes into?

purple iris

Hi there friends! I just wanted to share this lovely vintage jar that my sweet sweet friend, Tara, sent to me over the weekend. She has got to be one of the sweetest gals I know. Last week, she gave me a little heads up about keeping my eyes peeled for something in the post. A box from San Clemente arrived late Saturday and when I opened...I discovered the most wonderful jar under the sweetest hand written card. (im very big fan of handwritten cards and notes)

I was delighted.

So, while out today...I stopped by the market for a couple of things and walked out with 2 bunches of purple iris and nothing else that was on my list. I think that I lost all thought when I spotted them and I knew exactly where they would be going! Into my vintage jar. I wish that you could see the blueish green color that the jar has without the water in it. It's so pretty.

(the lid is my favorite part...it has such a wonderful patina on it)

I filled the jar up with water, stuffed my iris in it and then wrapped some burlap string around the neck and dangled a little crystal drop off of the end.

Now really, how sweet is this little arrangement?

Almost as sweet as the girl who sent it!!

Thank you again, Tara!

I love my vintage gift.

She fits in perfectly in my home.

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ps...isn't this world of blogging the most wonderful way to meet and befriend other women?

I spend more time here than in my kitchen.

shhh...don't tell mr c!!

monday's treasures

Today was fun and included 2 of my favorite things.

Spending time with my sister and treasure hunting.

We started off on a mission of sorts.

The goal was to find home goods for sister's abode and a few goodies to add to my collections.

We started off at Ross and here is what caught my eye:

I have actually had my eyes out for a cookbook holder that was attractive enough to leave on the counter tops...and today it was found.

I left the price tag on purposely for the photo...it was a mere $7.99

How do you leave that behind?

You don't.

You bring her home and snuggle her up with a favorite cookbook...mine happens to be one of my Barefoot Contessa cookbooks.

At the Goodwill...we both got our hands on some Reader's digest books in perfect condition.

The binding and covers on these are so attractive.

Almost looks like tapestry on the cover.

They were $2.99 each.

I also found an old Alice in Wonderland book for Morgan.

It was priced at $1.99

That will be #1 on her summer's reading list.

Next: my favorite!

Vintage suitcases.

I always have my eyes peeled for these.

(i think we all have our eyes peeled for these)

The first one is cream on the exterior and perfectly clean.

The inside has beautiful peach colored lining and I don't think it has ever been used.

This one was $4.99

The second vintage suitcase that I bought is by far my favorite find of the day.

I walked past it a couple of times just eyeing her until I picked her up, and then, really fell in love.

It's a very boxy case and again, was in excellent condition.

She was priced at $5.99 and worth every penny.

Look what I found when I opened it up.

The lining looks like vintage wallpaper and had not one scuff or mark on it.

I appreciate who ever took such great care of these.

(thank you!)

They have already found the perfect home in our entry.

I love wondering who owned these before me and where they have been.

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I have had such good luck thrifting today...I almost feel as if I should take advantage of that luck and drag my children out with me now.

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What have you found during your thrifting lately?

p.s. i love you

P.S. I Love You.

This is one of my favorite movies.

I can finally watch it without crying like overgrown sobbing baby.

I have a habit of falling in love with a movie and watching it over and over again.

But watching it for design ideas and not necessarily for the plot of the movie.

(although..a movie with hot irish men who sing is reason enough to watch over and over)

(oh...and a lot of the time, said hot irish man has no shirt...i'm just sayin')

So...back to the movie and design ideas.

I fell in love with Hillary Swank's bedding in this movie.

(have picture but is of poor quality)

You can kind of see the yummy chocolate duvet and shams in this photo.

There is also lovely matelasse on lower half of the bed.

I am a sucker for a lovely matelasse.

(that is why i have 2 of them from restoration hardware on bed)

I have fallen head over espadrilles for this bedding set and have been searching the interweb for my very own yummy chocolate linens with white accent appliques of my very own.

I found that the bedding is 'out of production'...however, I did find the link to the textile company who makes the bedding and ladies....I heard the choir of angels singing when I took first glance.

I know that I want something similar in color to what was in the film...the chocolates and creamy whites are very much in my color palette.

John Robshaw Textiles is where I discovered this bedding that I am putting on my birthday list and Christmas list and any other list that may present an opportunity for asking for a gift.

(is it acceptable to make a memorial day list?)

This is the actual textile company that produced the bedding from the movie.

The coloring on this set is perfectly me.

I would absolutely require all photographed pillows as well.

A girl can never have enough pillows, no?

If you haven't already been over to

John Robshaw's site...jump on over there now.

You will be delighted with what you see.

(photos will also urge you to jump out of your chair and remake your bed so that it is of John Robshaw photo quality...the way these beds are put together is nothing short of stunning)

(i do like to use the parenthesis quite frequently, don't i ?)

I was very excited to find out that Bungalow, over in Scottsdale, does carry some of his product line. I am just hoping that this particular set is in store...would like to give it the 'run my hands accross it' test before potential purchase.

I have a sneaking suspicion that Mr C and I might be making a trip out there sometime soon.

I'll be sure to keep you posted!!

p.s. are there any other amazing must see linen companys or shoppes that i might not know about yet?

if so...please do share.