Oatmeal Cookies with Cranberries

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp milk
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups oatmeal
1 cup white chocolate chips or 1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries

Sift together dry ingredients, stir in oatmeal and set aside. In large bowl, cream butter and sugars, then add eggs, vanilla and milk. Stir to combine. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture and mix thoroughly. Fold in white chocolate chips (or pecans) and cranberries. Scoop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 375° F for about 10 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Our Summer Alphabet

A - adventures
B - bicycle bells
C - cucumbers
D - daydreaming
E - eating fresh veggies
F - freckles
G - gardening
H - humidity
I - ice cream (homemade!)
J - July Fourth fireworks
K - keeping the garden as organic as possible
L - lightning bugs
M - morning glories
N - night owls
O - orange daylilies
P - peeping frogs
Q - quilting
R - rain, rain go away!
S - strawberries
T - turkeys and chicks in our yard
U - umbrellas and rainboots
V - vacation in Maine
W - water fun in the sprinkler
X - extra long days
Y - yard work
Z - zinnias

Potential

"Focus on your potential instead of your limitations." ~ Alan Loy McGinnis

Recent Reads

I've read over two dozen books this year. Some of the more interesting titles include:

• The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
• The Color of Water by James McBride
• Red River by Lalita Tademy
• Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson
• My Antonia by Willa Cather
• Remember Me: Women and Their Friendship Quilts by Linda Otto Lipsett
• The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
• Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
• Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
• 1984 by George Orwell
  
  

Little Things

The sun finally appeared this week and gave us three gorgeous summer days. We squeezed a lot of little things into that time, including:

• Simple Pleasures: Lying on the lawn with the kids, stargazing and talking about planets and satellites.
  
• Red, White and Boom: We had a bonfire and a few fireworks, plus sparklers, for the Fourth.
• Eating: Dinner outside and my favorite Rainier cherries.
• Bliss: Waking up with the warmth of the sun on my face; squeezing my eyes shut for a few more minutes to feel it, rather than seeing it.
• Gardening: Catching slugs with beer and relishing the sight of my first two morning glory blossoms.
• Extended Family: We visited my in-laws on Sunday. The little ones had a blast playing with their cousins and they got a tractor ride.
  
• Quiet Time: At least half of Sunday's drive home was spent chatting with my husband while all four children slept.
• Detours: Thanks to some bad directions from Google Maps, we took a detour through Willimantic, Connecticut. I have never seen anything like "The Frog Bridge": the 476-foot-long bridge has four giant frogs sitting atop huge thread spools. Next time, I'm going to stop and take pictures.
  

Please share your "Little Things" in the comments or on your blog! I enjoy reading them.

Sparkle and Shine

Friday Love

waking up to sunshine - working outside - alanis - daddy long legs - imaginative children - clematis - dinner outside -
art night - roman candles - stars