Tag Archives: 4th of July

Frayed Denim Pencil Skirts + Red Clogs | 4th of July 2017 take 2!

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 We had a little break between the morning activities I posted about on Friday.

Maya went over to my parent’s house to make a berry crisp with my mom, and then we stopped by a blog party on our way back home.  There was a LOT of chalk involved, and therefore…an outfit change was needed 🙂  I was just too hot in jeans and a long sleeve top, so…I changed too!

Again, we didn’t set off our usual fireworks this year, sadly.  We are thinking about going somewhere next year where we can freely blast things off, but are undecided… Kind of a bummer all around.

However, I’m always excited to wear red, white, and blue!  It’s such a classic combo, and the pop of a red shoe is always a fun idea!!

Maya off to the side doing who knows what…as per usual 🙂 Love the back of this top! Oh, and this skirt?  I thrifted it for $3.50 at Value Village when they had their pre 4th of July sale on Sunday (retailed for $88!)!  I wouldn’t normally pick a denim pencil skirt, but it caught my eye, and I’ve worn it twice since then-ha! 🙂 OMG, her face!!! Loooooooove! Charlie had been out walking Max and came up behind us to photo bomb.

LOVE this next one!  Even Max looks good!  Only missing the Huz inside… Loooooove this one!

On me…

Top- Marc Jacobs (eBay)
Jean Skirt- J Crew “Frayed Denim Pencil Skirt” (thrifted for $3.50!, sold out similar here , and here)
On Maya…
Dress- Kiccoly (thrifted)
Sandals- Saltwater Sandals (thrifted)
Keeping it Real…
hahaha  Her face! And…BOTH of our faces ha! Oh, and I can say this is total artistic shot, BUT…no, it’s Maya putting her wand RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE LENS!
In all seriousness….note to self! 😉
(all pictures taken with a shutter release and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

dit-elle-Lauren

4th of July 2017

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 Every year they do a West Seattle Parade, and it starts about 3 blocks awaw from us.  SUPER convenient, and fun for Maya.  Although, I’m not sure how many more years she’ll think it’s cool. The parade ends at a park/viewpoint, and they have vendor sites set up all over that have fun things for kids to do.   They had super fun burlap sack races, but Maya didn’t want to do it, and then quickly got bored.

So…we walked back home. Yup, this is the best family pic we got.  hahaha.

I let her have the sucker that they gave out, and it was all over after that. Meme (my mom) managed to get a little smile from her though! Back at home…sucker all gone. Tried to get one of just us…In all years past, we’ve lit fireworks in front of our house.  To be noted, they are illegal in Seattle.  BUT…we always went around and told our neighbors, and lots even came to watch!

Until last year.  We got a very upset neighbor that yelled at us, and it put a stop to our fun…

Oddly, I can’t find last year’s post? 😦  I know I took pictures, but… Might be due to grumpy dude…

Might be due to grumpy dude… boo hiss!

2015 Can be seen here.  Oddly, I can’t find last year?

2014 only a few shots here.

On me…

Hat- Thrifted
Top- J Crew
On Maya…
Shoes-Saltwater Sandals (thrifted)
Keeping it Real…
Her face…and our crumbling last step… ;(
(all pictures taken with a self timer/shutter release and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

dit-elle-Lauren

4th of July Almond Zucchini Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

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Happy 4th of July, happy Independence Day! Hope you have a wonderful and safe holiday!

Need a festive dessert for the holiday? Make these cupcakes and decorate with berries – a beautiful and great cooking project for kids to help with (especially the decorating part)! 🙂

And.. the secret ingredient? Zucchini! This makes them moist and delicious, and who can say no to some extra healthiness? 🙂

zucchini cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting blog (2) zucchini cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting blog (1)

Ingredients

  • 1/2 stick butter
  • 1 1/2 cups almond flour (spooned and leveled)
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons potato starch (or corn starch is fine)
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
  • dash sea salt
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1/3 cup coconut sugar (or other sugar, white/brown)
  • 2 tsps pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup finely grated zucchini (from 1 medium zucchini), squeezed of excess liquid

Frosting

  • 16 oz cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 3 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/4-1/2 tsp lemon zest
  • Berries for garnish (I used raspberries and blueberries)
  • Shredded coconut for garnish

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cupcake tin with paper forms.
  2. Whisk together almond flour, potato starch, baking powder, and salt.
  3. Set a large heatproof bowl over (not in) a pot with 1 inch barely simmering water. Add eggs and whisk until foamy, about 1 minute. Whisk in sugar and continue to whisk until mixture is fluffy and sugar is dissolved, 3 minutes. Remove bowl from pot and, using a mixer, whisk on high until mixture is thick and pale, 7 to 10 minutes (I did this in my food processor with the standard chopper blade).
  4. With a rubber spatula, gently fold in melted butter, flour mixture, vanilla, and zucchini. Pour into tin and bake until cupcakes are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cupcakes cool.
  5. For frosting, with mixer (or again I used the food processor here) beat together room-temperature butter, cream cheese, lemon juice and zest until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar and beat until combined. Spread on top of cupcakes and decorate with berries and shredded coconut.

 

I originally made this recipe as a cake inspired by the queen herself (Martha Stewart’s Zucchini Almond Cake).

Enjoy!

dit-elle-Esther

Red, White and Blueberry Popsicles

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These popsicles were inspired by our favorite summer ingredients – strawberries, blueberries, coconut milk! This is a great project for kids to help with. Getting molds ready, selecting ingredients, sampling the flavors! Have fun! 🙂

Blog red white blue popsicles-1 Blog red white blue popsicles-2

Ingredients

Red

  • 1 cup strawberries
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • add some water if too thick

White

  • 1/2 cup coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup vanilla ice cream

Blue

  • 1 cup blueberries
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk
  • add some water if too thick

Directions

  • Blend individual popsicle batches and pour into molds in layers. And yes, layers may bleed a little (but this is the quickest way to do this!) and hey, give a pretty marbled effect! 🙂

There is another version using berries/water/honey on Elana’s Pantry that is worth checking out also! http://elanaspantry.com/red-white-and-blueberry-popsicles/

dit-elle-Esther

Red, White, and Blue Salad | Happy 4th of July!

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So, I’m not recreating the wheel by any means with this salad, but for those of you that need inspiration for a 4th of July dinner/picnic…done 🙂  All of these items are from Trader Joe’s 🙂Blog Red White Blue 4th of July Salad-1 Ingredients

  • Mixed Greens
  • Kale Broccoli Mix
  • Blueberries
  • Beets
  • Raspberries
  • Goat Cheese
  • Cranberry Walnut VinagretteBlog Red White Blue 4th of July Salad-2 Blog Red White Blue 4th of July Salad-3What to do
  • Dice up the beets, and toss it all together-DONE!Blog Red White Blue 4th of July Salad-4 Blog Red White Blue 4th of July Salad-5 Blog Red White Blue 4th of July Salad-6Enjoy and Happy 4th of July!dit-elle-Lauren