Resting, relaxing and remembering this weekend. See you next week!

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I was featured at

Senior Salon@Esme Salon

Mereki Party@Doodlebuddies.

Over The Moon@Marlyn’s Treat

It was a beautiful day for our annual strawberry picking Saturday. I’m now in possession of 7 pounds of juicy, succulent berries. Some we freeze immediately, some are refrigerated for easy snacking and some are used in baking adventures…like this Strawberry sheet cake. It is super yummy.

The Usual Cast Of Characters

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1⅔ cups sugar
• 1 (3-ounce) box strawberry gelatin
• 3 large eggs
• 2½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup whole buttermilk
• ½ cup finely chopped fresh strawberries

The Steps To Glory

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Spray a 13×9-inch baking pan with baking spray with flour.
2. In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, and gelatin with a mixer at medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape sides of bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition. Stir in strawberries. Spread batter into prepared pan.
2. Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
3. Top with fresh whipped cream and strawberry purée.

Strawberry picking… a family tradition since 2015!

Inspire me Monday. Inspire me Tuesday . Metamorphosis. You’re the Star. Tuesday with a twist. Wonderful Wednesday. Keep in touch. Beautifully made. Party in your pjs. Wednesday blog hop. Your whim. Share your style. Home and garden. Waste not. Grandma’s House DIY. Vintage charm.Friendship Friday. Funtastic Friday. Grace at Home Thursday favorites. BFF open house. Morning Cup Of Joe. Home matters.Create bake grow. Snickerdoodle. Happiness is homemade. Silver pennies. Create with joy. Over the Moon Creatively crafty Senior salon. Turn about Tuesday celebrate your story Little cottage Saturday Sparks Farmhouse Friday All About Home Flaunt it Friday Pink Saturday encouraging hearts and home fresh farm Tuesday. Wednesday Centerpiece. Dare to share. Doodle buddies heart and souls simple sunday Sunday stars silverado. The Fabulous Party. Charming homes and gardens homestead blog hop traffic jam artsy mama

Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:

Jerri at Simply Sweet Home – Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

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Amy at A Day of Small Things – Pin

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Jennifer at Busy Being Jennifer – Twitter | FB | Pin | Inst

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The first thing people see when they walk through our front door is our gallery wall. It just draws people in. I must admit I’m pretty proud of it. It didn’t happen overnight and I can’t say for sure that it is done, but for now I’m satisfied. I’ve gathered some photos and handy tips in case you also want to create a gallery wall of your own.

1. Establish your gallery wall in a prominent place in your hall and make it a focal point. It will naturally draw an eye and there is no need to distract that attention. Gallery walls are a showstopper on stairways, I love to see it every time I step into our foyer.

2. Stick to single theme. Make it broad enough to allow a varied approach to the collection but simple enough to make it a cohesive grouping. Our basic theme is Asian scenes. Originally I planned on a Geisha theme. It was too narrow so I added Art that I feel complimented the collection and helped my Geisha collection shine.

3. Mix your mediums. It’s fun to go beyond the usual prints and paintings. Add porcelain plates, framed antique cards. It adds a touch of whimsy to include the unexpected.

4. Fill the wall space with memories. Our time in Japan was so special to us and of course China filled our hearts and arm full of the Princess. Our gallery wall reflects this. The trick is to find what makes you happy!

A sassy girl on a Sunday!

Inspire me Monday. Inspire me Tuesday . Metamorphosis. You’re the Star. Tuesday with a twist. Wonderful Wednesday. Keep in touch. Beautifully made. Party in your pjs. Wednesday blog hop. Your whim. Share your style. Waste not. Grandma’s House DIY. Vintage charm.Friendship Friday. Funtastic Friday. Grace at Home Thursday favorites. BFF open house. Morning Cup Of Joe. Home matters. Create bake grow. Snickerdoodle. Happiness is homemade. Silver pennies. Create with joy. Creatively crafty Senior salon. Turn about Tuesday celebrate your story Little cottage Saturday Sparks Farmhouse Friday All About Home Flaunt it Friday Pink Saturday encouraging hearts and home fresh farm Tuesday. Wednesday Centerpiece. Dare to share. Doodle buddies heart and souls simple sunday Sunday stars silverado. The Fabulous Party. Charming homes and gardens homestead blog hop. Traffic Jam Artsy mama

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Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:

Jerri at Simply Sweet Home – Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Lisa at Condo Blues – Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Amy at A Day of Small Things – Pin

Penny at Penny’s Passion – Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Jennifer at Busy Being Jennifer – Twitter | FB | Pin | Inst

If you are featured this week, be sure and grab a featured button for your blog!

<a href=”http://www.simplysweethome.com/category/friday%20favorites/&#8221; target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”><img src=”http://www.simplysweethome.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Friday-Favorites-Button.jpg&#8221; border=”0″ /></a>

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Inventive recipes from Food Network can be fun, but sometimes you just need to revisit the classics. If it was good enough for Grandma, it’s good enough for me. This is, by the way, the only time a boxed cake mix will make an appearance in my kitchen. It is described as essential and who am I to argue with the tried and true. Bring some good old fashioned deliciousness to your next gathering and I guarantee you will be bringing home an empty plate.

The usual Cast of Characters

Cake

• 1 pkg yellow cake mix

• 2 eggs, room temperature

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• 1 stick butter (1/2 cup, 113g), melted

Filling

• 1 eight ounce (8 ounce) package cream cheese or Neufchâtel cheese, room temperature

• 2 eggs

• 1 tsp. vanilla

• 1 stick butter (1/2 cup), melted

• 4 c powdered sugar

The Steps to Glory

1 Heat oven to 350 degrees.

2 In a bowl, combine cake mix, 2 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla and melted butter. Mash together with a fork until all ingredients are fully incorporated.

3 Spray 9-inch by 3-inch round cake pan or a 9×13 pan with baking spray or use a piece of parchment in the bottom of the pan.

4 Press cake mixture into bottom of prepared pan and get as flat as possible.

5 Place cream cheese, remaining eggs, vanilla and melted butter in stand mixer and beat on medium speed until creamy.

6 Add in powdered sugar 1 cup at a time (and on low speed) until all sugar has been added.

7 Pour cream cheese mixture over cake mixture.

8 Bake for 35-45 minutes. I moved mine from the oven when the edges were brown, but the center was still a bit jiggly. You do not want to over cook.

9 Allow to cool before serving.

The perfect way to celebrate the exclusive show by an up and coming artist…who needs a haircut.

Inspire me Monday. Inspire me Tuesday . Metamorphosis. You’re the Star. Tuesday with a twist. Wonderful Wednesday. Keep in touch. Beautifully made. Party in your pjs. Wednesday blog hop. Your whim. Share your style. Home and garden. Waste not. Grandma’s House DIY. Vintage charm.Friendship Friday. Funtastic Friday. Grace at Home Thursday favorites. BFF open house. Morning Cup Of Joe. Home matters.Create bake grow. Snickerdoodle. Happiness is homemade. Silver pennies. Create with joy. Over the Moon Creatively crafty Senior salon. Turn about Tuesday celebrate your story Little cottage Saturday Sparks Farmhouse Friday All About Home Flaunt it Friday Pink Saturday encouraging hearts and home fresh farm Tuesday. Wednesday Centerpiece. Dare to share. Doodle buddies heart and souls simple sunday Sunday stars silverado. The Fabulous Party. Charming homes and gardens homestead blog hop. Traffic Jam. Artsy mama. Simple homestead. What’s for dinner