i love the NW

some trip highlights:
(some things are accompanied by pictures, some are not..oops)

-watched my little brother shoot big guns at targets.
i was just looking through the "eye thing".. i'm too big of a weanie to actually shoot it.


-had a delicious potluck with friends and family on the fourth. with a bon fire and tons of cool fireworks that night.


-went through some old photo albums with my grandma.
the stories that went along with some of the pictures were the best part.
first picture is of my grandma, what a babe. i love her dearly!
and the second is of her parents, i would've loved to have known them
at the time the picture was taken.



-had dinner at my aunt and uncles. but just us girls made it in the picture.

-watched a spider spin a web. (its a miracle i got this close)

-photographed a few friends' adorable babies




-made a french macaron video tutorial (which i'll be showing in the near future)


-played soccer in the sand with my brother-in-law. (more pictures coming soon, action shots are always funny)


-made silly faces at the beach


unphotographed:
-went to trader joes three times. i miss that place too much.
-went on a (late fathers day) starbucks date. just dad and i.
-saw eclipse with my sisters (guilty pleasure)
-satisfied my froyo craving at yocream
-enjoyed every second of the amazing weather.

its always a blast when i get to visit. :)

colorful and pretty

photos from my parents front porch.



the beautiful sky on the fourth.


and the farmers market in downtown vancouver.

Black raspberry thumbprint cookies

We had an amazing visit to the pacific northwest to start off our February. Just about everyone in my immediate and extended family, as well as many friends live in Washington and Oregon. So our (much-too-short) 10 days were jammed packed with plenty of laughs and good times. (And good food.)

I'll share a couple posts about our visit, but I wanted to start out with these cookies.



I woke up the morning after getting into town and my mom was baking these. A classic staple to the many teas I grew up around. (I'll be going into more details about those teas this week)



They are simple, and stunning and delicious. If you're hosting/attending a tea in the near future, I would urge you to make these.




Black raspberry thumbprint cookies

1 Cup Butter
1/2 Cup Powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla

2 Cups Flour
1/4 teaspoon Salt

Black raspberry jelly (or jelly of choice)

Powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Cream butter, powdered sugar and vanilla. Add flour and salt.
Roll into small 3/4 inch balls and use your thumb to press down center.
Use a small spoon (We found using a baby spoon works great) to fill center with the jelly.

Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, until just SLIGHTLY darker than the raw dough. Once thoroughly cooled, dust with powdered sugar.