My Favorite Days

I love summer.  I can’t get enough of it.  The sunlight, the flowers, the swimming, the late evenings, I love it all.

This summer, however, has been particularly crazy.  Did I mention I have teenagers?  I guess I forgot how crazy busy I was as a kid.  Either that or it’s busier for my kids than it was for me.  Both those explanations are 100% plausible.

I thought I would share a few of the things that have been happening in my life, since I have not had any time to bake for you this week.  Please forgive me.

First, the flowers in my yard are blooming.  Robb decided that the flower garden would be the Hippie Chick’s summer project.  Which basically means, she helped pick out and plant a bunch of flowers, and has done next to nothing since then.

The osteospermum have grown quite nicely, despite the neglect.  We take turns dead-heading every now and then, and these cute pink flowers continue to bloom and bloom.  They might be my favorite thing in my yard this year.  And, even though Robb had to cut the clematis way way back, they have continued to grow and climb and bloom these beautiful purple blossoms.

{Sidebar, these photos were shared on Instagram.  I heart Instagram.}

Also, we went camping.

Sort of.

We have this family friend with a little farm, and since the farm house is quite tiny, we camp on the property.  It’s our favorite place to camp… no fees, no restrictions, and there are flush toilets and showers!  Plus, did I mention?, Robb loves the country.  He is a farm boy, and is absolutely in his element when he has plenty of space and privacy.  There are horses on this property, and lots of antique tractors.  It’s pretty cool.

Also, I was asked to contribute to a new blog.  Erin Kennedy, the grand master behind My Thirty Spot, has started up a couple new sites, namely My Crafty Spot and My Cooking Spot.  The latter will feature yours truly, and my first contribution is today.  I’m excited to be working with Erin and the others.  So excited, in fact, I think I should give you a little preview of what I created for My Cooking Spot this month.

Yeah, you heard me.  Kentucky Derby Pie.  This stuff is crazy delicious, and I honestly can’t believe I’ve never posted about it before.  It’s basically a chocolate chip cookie in a pie crust.

Lawdy, this stuff is good.

Last but not least, I think you should know that I have created a new page that is all about my most pinned posts.  These are the posts that have at least 1000 pins on Pinterest, and you might be interested to know what’s in there.  Here are just a few recent favorites:

The Strawberry Lemonade Cookies have been extra popular, with more than 9000 pins.  They deserve it.  They are super-duper yummy.

And for good measure, you might want to check out what my friends have been doing, too.

I’m dying over these cute as crap Lemon Blackberry Sandwich Cookies from Pineapple and Coconut.
I needed a napkin to wipe the drool off my face when I saw these gorgeous Caramel Brownies from That Skinny Chick Can Bake.
I can practically taste the berries in this Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream from Gotta Get Baked.

Have a good summer, my friends.  I’ll be back in a few days with more recipes, and more news!