thank you for coming!!!

{my super adorable 30-week pregnant sister}

our final two visitors head home today, which means i am about to rejoin the blogging world!!  blakey & i had so so so so so much fun with haley & julie & my dad while they were in birmy.  we ate absurd amounts of food, did a little re-exploring of alabama, & stayed up far too late each night.  it was an absolute blast.  & i'm going to tell you all about it, beginning tomorrow.

love love,
kjp.

ok ok - put fruit in my dessert!

{ginger whoopie pies

with ginger orange frosting}

summer fruits really do make all baked goods better...

 {peach streusel coffee cake}

{my favorite brownie recipe

with blueberries & chocolate chips mixed in

& chocolate ganache

with a few extra blueberries sprinkled on top}

happy friday, friends!!  we have so many amazing things coming up this weekend & next week - blakey's birthday party extravaganza!  haley is coming to birmy!  julie + little aveer in belly are coming to birmy!  my dad is coming to birmy!  & of course all of those things will require celebrations.

so happy to see everyone.  so happy to tell you all about it.  after it's all finished :)

love love,

kjp.

thankful thursday - he sleeps.

blakey has been so incredibly awesome during our move.  he was on call for 24 hours the night before we moved, got home, & the movers arrived.  he worked & worked helping get our stuff in the truck & getting our stuff out of the truck.  then he worked & worked getting it arranged in the new home to make it livable for the day.

& then he passed out.  on the hardwood floor.  with a duffel bag as a pillow.

yesterday, i woke up to find he stayed up late unpacking all of our books onto our bookshelves & finishing up his closet of clothes.

he is so sweet.

i know i have been thankful for him a lot on thankful thursday, but there is a lot to be thankful for.

i hope you can think of something today for which you are thankful.

love love,
kjp.

our new drawers! & the chest that they go in.

a big success from our ikea trip!  & by big, i really mean gigantic.  like 8 gigantic feet of drawers.

blakey & i have a lot of clothes.  yes, not just me, but my husband too.  {which is quite funny because we both have a tendency to wear our favorite 3 outfits all of the time.  & we donated an absurd amount of clothes before the move.  but still...}  yet we do not have a lot of closet space.

so we needed drawers.  & the piece of furniture they go in.  right, julie byrd??

ikea it is!  blakey picked out these drawers all by himself.  & after seeing them in person, i really liked them too.  that means it is time to build stuff.

{step 1: separate out all of the pieces.

we actually did this.

so dorky.}

{step 2: make sure beer is part of the building process.

seriously, it makes unpacking & even building more fun.}

{step 3: use an absurd amount of furniture pads.

my dad is going to be so proud of me!}

{step 4: learn how to hammer with a 55lb dog in your lap.
i mastered this step.
he is adorable.}

we love our new drawers!  & all of the storage!  blakey actually filled all but two of those drawers.  i got two.  he's so sweet.

{ok ok.  i already have my own chest of drawers.  but it is so much smaller!}

{ok ok.  i also have the bigger closet.}

love love,

kjp.

our american feast.

{ashley's delicious wonton appetizer}

our fourth of july meal was a feast!!  it was my first time in quite awhile to be able to cook a big meal for blakey & friends, so i went all out, making some of my favorite dishes.  you've actually seen all of them, except the dessert before.  yummm...

 {my favorite fourth of july tradition:

pioneer woman's spicy dr pepper pulled pork}

 {beer bread.

i forgot how easy & delicious this bread is.}

 {my current favorite summer salad:

watermelon cucumber & feta salad.

i love watermelon in all forms.}

& i made my other favorite summer salad: roasted corn, avocado, & tomato.  if only i could get my hands on some home grown oklahoma corn!

my american dessert: blueberry cobbler, of course!  alabama grown blueberries with a little tartness & a crumbly crust.  it's best to eat it right out of the oven with a spoon, my friends.

fourth of july blueberry cobbler

adapted from: martha stewart

fruit portion:

8 cups blueberries

1/2 c sugar

2 T brown sugar

3 T cornstarch

2 lemons, zest & juice

pinch salt

dough portion:

2 c flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

4 oz butter, cold

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/4 c cream

1. stir together fruit portion ingredients.  pour into an 8 x 12 baking dish.  set aside.

2. whisk together flour, powder, & salt in a bowl.  shred in the cold butter.  use your hands to mix together slightly.  into a separate small bowl, mix together vanilla & cream.  pour cream mixture over flour mixture.  using your hands again, mush together until cream is incorporated.  do not over mix, please!

3. make little dough balls, press them into disks, & top the blueberries.  you do not need to cover the entire dish perfectly.  it is much prettier when blueberries show through!  sprinkle the top with candied ginger & a little sugar.

4. put an empty baking sheet on the bottom rack of your oven to catch any bubble-overs.  bake your cobbler at 375 for 55 to 70 minutes.  you are looking for a golden brown crust & bubbling blueberries.  cool for just long enough to not burn your tongue & enjoy!

{thank you friends for a wonderful fourth of july!!}

love love,

kjp.

happy fireworks!

happy fourth of july, friends!!!  & a happy four days off to me :)

with my four days off of work, i spent fun time with my husband, got lots of sleep & caught up on life things like changing my address with everyone & changing our rental insurance to our new home & ordering my husband's birthday gift.  oh!  & i finally sent my passport info in to get my name changed on it!  as soon as that is back, i will officially be a porter.  two years later.  go me.

the fourth of july was a wonderful celebration & kick off for my vacation!  i LOVE fireworks.  do you know this about me??  it is very important.  i love fireworks.  they make me so happy.  so the fourth of july is always a happy happy day.

we had friends over for a delicious american dinner that i will tell you all about tomorrow.  after our feast, we walked down the street to a pretty darn good view of birmy's fireworks show.  it was fun to sit on the curb with good friends & watch the sky light up.

{nAshley}

{gretchen & dr romeo}

we hope you all had a wonderful day celebrating this great country too!

love love,

kjp.