Celebrate with Cookies!

I saw this picture on Pinterest last week of an adorable platter of sugar cookies laid out like a flag. I have a signature sugar cookie recipe I've been making since about 4th grade, so when I saw this I knew my cookies would be the perfect sweet treat to make for the fourth! 

You can't beat my sugar cookies, buuuuut I've been wanting to try Emily's recipe to see if there are as good. What I love about the recipe she uses is the cookies don't spread once baked. My recipe is a little soft and the shapes tend to get a little deformed sometimes. Her recipe for royal icing is wonderful as well. It is super easy and doesn't taste like glue!

Of course I tweaked the recipe a bit because I can't help but make something my own! A teaspoon of vanilla was added to the cookie dough and a 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract was added to the icing. Bravo Emily, your cookies are just about as good as mine! Here is the link for the cookie recipe! 

I used a fairly small cookie cutter, but I rolled the dough out thick so they are still a substantial size! These little stars are just too cute! I love holiday food!

I can't wait to share these with my friends at our cook-out today! Happy Fourth of July!

p.s. If you're lucky maybe I'll share my secret sugar cookie recipe one day!

Annie

Dressing for the 4th

I'm a huge believer in dressing for the occasion. When it comes to the fourth, I will be fully decked in holiday attire. I get a little mad when people don't participate in wearing red, white and blue. I can remember one year my family and I were headed off to our town's annual Fourth of July Parade and my mom thought it was okay to only wear navy and white stripes. Silly mom didn't have any red on! I quickly changed that by making her tie a red ribbon in her hair! I was a pesky little kid and did stuff like that...

I'm a little more subtle these days. Here is my version of the perfect Fourth of July outfit. Chambray, stars and a bright red lip!

sandal/dress/suit/lip

do you have your holiday outfit planned?

xo annie

Patriotic Pretties

There have been several patriotic outfits floating around the web recently. Here are some of my favorite red, white and blue outfits to give you a little inspiration for 4th fashion!

images in order via Sequins &Stripes (my fav), Brooklyn Blonde, Atlantic-Pacific, Classy Girls Wear Pearls, Luella and June and Hello Fashion

My 4th of July look is coming this afternoon. God Bless America!

xo annie

Bites of My Life

I'm sorry for my bites post coming a day late, but lucky for me because I had a three day weekend! After a spur of the moment girls trip to Fort Worth, I am left feeling a little sad. We had such a good time I didn't want it to end. Also June is over. Not that July may not be as great, but if you have been keeping up with the blog you know how well June treated me. Nothing amazing happened, it was just all around wonderful!

-I was so excited to make some friends a tassel garland for their new house! And howcute does it look against their light purple fireplace?

-Matching my nails to my ring with Essie's new "beach bum blu"

-How crazy is this caramel popcorn cake I had for dessert at a lunch event this week? Crazy, but delish!

-Finally used the grill last week, honestly because I didn't know how. My pesto shrimp and tomato skewers came out great! I served them with parmesan spinach orzo and a blueberry spinach salad.

-I'm on a green smoothing kick again. {My go to recipe is a handful of any frozen fruit (pineapple or bananas are my fav), 1 cup of almond milk, a big ole spoonful of greek yogurt, 1 scoop of protein powder, and 2 big handfuls of spinach}

-My people all together in Fort Worth!

-Weekend in "the Fort." Spotted this sign at an amazing brunch at Fred's.

-Last stop at Yogi's before heading home. Felt pretty girly with my pink and purple bagel. {Strawberry bagel with blueberry cream cheese} Not pictured is the incredible chocolate almond coffee I had.

June is over but I still have things to look forward to this week! Two good friends are moving to Norman for the rest of the summer, it's a holiday week, and I'm heading back up to the lake for the weekend! 

xo annie

Links for Your Weekend

Wahoo it's Friday! I have a spontaneous trip to Fort Worth planned for the weekend! I'm looking forward to lot's of girl time, laying by the pool, and good food! I'm sure my Instagram will be constantly uploaded with pictures over the weekend! For now, enjoy some links to things I'm loving around the web this week!

1. Emily's roundup of her favorite Fourth of July treats! I can't resist the sweet and salty combo of a chocolate dipped pretzel!

2. Yesterday The Everygirl showed how-to style wire shelves. If you are like me, you probably had one of these in your dorm room. Use this how-to to transform it into your current space!

3. 10 ways to style cut-offs. Cut-offs are a summer staple in my wardrobe. To my mother's despair, my favorites are an old pair high waisted ones from Goodwill! 

4. I recently subscribed to The Skimm. It is a daily email that sends you the short version of the important news headlines. They also break it down in terms that make it easy to understand!

5. 5 ways to perfect the art of a brain freeze. Call me crazy but I love brain freezes because brain freezes mean ice cream, and popsicles, and milkshakes etc!

6. Target's summer Pinterest board #summerup! All things summery in one place.

7. Ashely Brooke's newest mug design! Too legit to quit.

xo annie