Full Plate Thursday@Miz Helen’s Country cottage

All About Home@Common Ground

Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop@Eclectic Red Barn

It is time to put away the bright, patriotic decor of early summer and embrace the muted colors of August. I love faded hydrangeas and summer roses against a white background. I love the sight and sound of the birds outside my window and I love the fresh produce so readily available. Simple and beautiful is the world in August…and a little humid. It was a great day to spend inside adding some touches to my home while the temperatures were blazing outside. How is your summer going? Are you loving it or looking forward to the crisp fall temperatures?

Metamorphosis Inspire me Monday. Inspire me Tuesday . You’re the Star. Tuesday with a twist. Wonderful Wednesday. Keep in touch. Beautifully made. Wednesday blog hop. Share your style. 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. Happiness is homemade. Create with joy. Creatively crafty Senior salon. Turn about Tuesday Saturday Sparks Farmhouse Friday All About Home Flaunt it Friday Pink Saturday encouraging hearts and home Wednesday Centerpiece. Dare to share. heart and souls simple sunday silverado. The Fabulous Party. homestead blog hop traffic jam busy Monday. Love your creativity inspiration party share the wealth Karen’s kottage. Crafty creations sunshine Sunday potpourri

Silverado Sunday@The House on Silverado

What’s for Dinner@The Lazy Gastronome

Potpourri@My Bijou Life

Sunday Sunshine@Ridge Haven Homestead

Crafty Creations@Life as a Leo Wife

Happiness is Handmade@Southern Sunflower

Love Your Creativity@Life and Linda

July is National Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness Month

Sometime, in the early stages of our adoption journey, my husband and I had to make the difficult decision as to what special need child files we would be open to review. With the average wait of 6 years and climbing for  “healthy” girls from China, the special needs program offered a shorter wait and often included very minor or correctable needs.

After much prayer we listed the needs we felt we could manage and waited for God to put his plan into action. Flash forward about 6 months and we received that highly anticipated phone call and email file! As I gazed at that beautiful face I noticed her big brown eyes and smooth skin, her adorable ears and her gentle hands…I did not even notice her unrepaired unilateral complete cleft…it just did not matter, she was our baby.

Our Princess was 20 months old and living in the remote mountains of Northern China.

There are many risk factors that can increase the likelihood of birth defects. While some causes are still unknown, genetics and family history, pre-existing medical conditions, poor nutrition and exposure to harmful environmental substances can affect the healthy development of a baby. As a result, these factors could also be the cause of a baby born with a cleft lip or cleft palate. We will never know why it happened, but we will never know where her outstanding fine motor skills and dimples came from either…and that’s OK.

But what is a cleft palate/lip?  A cleft is a gap in the mouth that didn’t close during the early stages of pregnancy, and this kind of birth defect happens more often than you may realize. It is estimated that, worldwide, a child is born every 3 minutes with a cleft — about one in 500-750 births. Sometimes a cleft condition can be easy to see because it’s an opening in the lip. Sometimes it’s harder to tell if someone has a cleft because it’s an opening in the roof of their mouth (called the palate.)

Our Princess after we met her in China, already charming her Mama and Baba

Cleft lip and cleft palate can be repaired through a series of surgeries and orthondontics. While it can be corrected, it really is not an “easy fix”…despite what you may see in Operation Smile advertising. Our brave girl has had 3 major surgeries and some pretty extensive speech therapy with quite a few more surgeries in her future and orthodontic procedures continuing into her young adulthood.

Her first surgery at Johns Hopkins

Our Princess is spunky and sweet. She is tremendously brave and the joy of our home. We can’t imagine life without her.

Metamorphosis Inspire me Monday. Inspire me Tuesday .You’re the Star. Tuesday with a twist. Wonderful Wednesday. Keep in touch. Beautifully made. Wednesday blog hop. Share your style. 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. Happiness is homemade. Create with joy‘. Creatively crafty Senior salon. Turn about Tuesday Saturday Sparks Farmhouse Friday All About Home Flaunt it Friday Pink Saturday encouraging hearts and home Wednesday Centerpiece. Dare to share. heart and souls simple sunday silverado. The Fabulous Party. homestead blog hop traffic jam busy Monday. Love your creativityk inspiration party share the wealth Karen’s kottage. Crafty creations sunshine Sunday potpourri

Peanut butter cookies are a definite comfort food for me. We needed a little comfort this week…maybe a lot of comfort. Anyway, peanut butter cookies for my people were the first order of business today. The Princess and I even tested out a cookie press I found in my drawer for the first HUGE cookies. They smell divine and are already half gone!

The Usual Cast of Characters

• 1 1/3 cup (188g) all-purpose flour (scoop and level to measure)
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup (105g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (110g) packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup (185g) creamy peanut butter
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 18 by 13-inch cookie sheets with silicone baking liners or parchment paper.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream together butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until combined.

Mix in peanut butter then blend in egg and vanilla. With mixer set on low speed slowly add in flour mixture and mix just until combined. 

In a medium mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Scoop dough out and shape into balls (30 grams each or nearly 2 Tbsp) then place on baking sheets spacing them 2-inches apart.

Using a long pronged fork flatten cookies slightly then turn fork going opposite direction and flatten just slightly again (it should create that criss cross pattern) or use a cookie press!

Bake cookies in preheated oven, one sheet at a time, for about 9 minutes (cookies will appear pale and slightly under-baked, they’ll continue to cook slightly as they cool). 

Let cool on baking sheet 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store cookies and an airtight container

A little snapshot of summer!

Metamorphosis Inspire me Monday. Inspire me Tuesday .You’re the Star. Tuesday with a twist. Wonderful Wednesday. Keep in touch. Beautifully made. Wednesday blog hop. Share your style. 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. Happiness is homemade. Create with joy. Creatively crafty Senior salon. Turn about Tuesday Saturday Sparks Farmhouse Friday All About Home Flaunt it Friday Pink Saturday encouraging hearts and home Wednesday Centerpiece. Dare to share. heart and souls simple sunday silverado. The Fabulous Party. homestead blog hop traffic jam busy Monday. Love your creativity inspiration party share the wealth Karen’s kottage. Crafty creations sunshine Sunday potpourri. Full plate. What’s for dinner

Isn’t summer grand? Even if you spend a day doing absolutely nothing, you still feel like you completed the perfect day. Summer is good for your soul. Sometimes you find a poem that expresses how you feel perfectly, like Summer Time by William Wilson.

Sun shines on your skin and mine
Until it sets way after nine.
Memories made with a cold drink in hand.

Moments to cherish with feet in the sand.
Everyone laughing, smiles on every face.
Remember the moments, those were the days.

Turn up the music, sing it out loud.
Indigo skies, no sign of a cloud.

Mutter the words that no one will know.
Everlasting memories; where does time go?

Metamorphosis Inspire me Monday. Inspire me Tuesday . You’re the Star. Tuesday with a twist. Wonderful Wednesday. Keep in touch. Beautifully made. Wednesday blog hop. Share your style. 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. Happiness is homemade. Create with joy. Creatively crafty Senior salon. Turn about Tuesday Saturday Sparks Farmhouse Friday All About Home Flaunt it Friday Pink Saturday encouraging hearts and home Wednesday Centerpiece. Dare to share. heart and souls simple sunday silverado. The Fabulous Party. homestead blog hop traffic jam busy Monday. Love your creativity inspiration party share the wealth Karen’s kottage. Crafty creations sunshine Sunday potpourri

And the summer fun continues from Virginia! We are enjoying a lovely week at the beach. The weather is beautiful and definitely filled with summer delights. The corn is growing, the pool is open and lazy mornings are the norm. I will be back next week with even more summer in Annapolis!

This week I ended my 35th year of teaching and the Princess finished 3rd grade. How this happened I don’t know, but I am ready for the summer. It has been a week of sleepovers, pool parties, ice cream and pool dates. It has also been a week of Red, White and Blue decorating. This house instantly looks more festive, crisp and bright as soon as I put it out and it is something I look forward to every year. Flags are plentiful, stars are abundant and there may even be an Uncle Sam or two! Is your summer shaping up to be busy or more chill this year? Are you ready for the hot weather and summer breezes? Enjoy my home ready for the 4th of July…

Metamorphosis Inspire me Monday. Inspire me Tuesday . You’re the Star. Tuesday with a twist. Wonderful Wednesday. Keep in touch. Beautifully made. Wednesday blog hop. Share your style. 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. Happiness is homemade. Create with joy. Creatively crafty Senior salon. Turn about Tuesday Saturday Sparks Farmhouse Friday All About Home Flaunt it Friday Pink Saturday encouraging hearts and home Wednesday Centerpiece. Dare to share. heart and souls simple sunday silverado. The Fabulous Party. homestead blog hop traffic jam busy Monday. Love your creativity inspiration party share the wealth Karen’s kottage. Crafty creations sunshine Sunday potpourri