st. thomas- a week in paradise

About a month ago I went to St. Thomas for a destination wedding and decided to make a week long vacation out of it. 

I seriously had a blast exploring National Parks, beautiful white sand beaches, and a marine preserve deep in the mangroves. St. Thomas is an interesting place because it was once under Danish rule- so they have hints of the culture throughout the island. The oddest thing is probably that they drive on the left side of the road-like Britain-but the steering column is on the left-like the United States. It is a very strange thing to see, but the locals say it's easier because the island is so hilly and mountainous. If your steering column is on the left, but you are driving on the rleft, the driver is on the edge of the "mountain" therefore can get as close as possible and see perfectly. 

You don't need a passport to go to St. Thomas, so that 30x30 goal will have to wait until another time. There's always Canada :) I couldn't have asked for better weather. The entire week I was there I think it rained once for about 25 minutes. Very similar to Florida style storms that pass quite quickly. 

I was fortunate enough to hike in the St. John National Park-which is made up of about 85% of the entire island. I also snorkeled and kayaked  a marine preserve in St. Thomas through tons of mangroves. The mangroves are there to protect the tiny island from hurricanes and tropical storms. The government allows peoples to tie their boats to the mangrove trees before a hurricane because the roots can sometimes be buried up to 30 feet in the sand. 

Such an amazing experience with lots of old friends and some new ones. Enjoy!

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oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

These cookies are quite tasty, and relatively easy to make. I made these for Father's Day and distributed to all the fathers in my life. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon (optional)

½ tsp sea salt

1 cup butter (room temperature)

¼ cups granulated sugar

1 cup light brown sugar (packed)

2 large eggs (room temperature)

2 tsp vanilla

3 cups rolled oats

2 cups chocolate chips

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set aside

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars on med-high until pale and fluffy (approx. three minutes)

3. Add eggs one at a time, fully incorporating after each addition, and beat on high for 1 minute. Add vanilla.

4. Turn mixer to low and add flour mixture, mix until combined.

5. Add oats and chocolate chips. Mix until just combined.

6. Chill dough in fridge for an hour.

7. Preheat oven to 350° and line baking sheet with parchment or Silpat

8. Using a small cookie scoop, place cookies on baking sheet 2” apart.

9. Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned but center is still soft an unset.

10. Cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet, and then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.

currently || june

crafting || We have an old metal patio table in our basement and I think it just needs a good coat of paint to spruce it up. That is the next house project on my list this month. I have a can of navy blue spray paint and I think that will be a nice touch to our front porch and will give us somewhere to eat in the summer months-instead of our laps on the outdoor couch.

watching || I have been loving Family Feud lately. It all started when we were on vacation watching it late at night in the hotel, but now that we are home I find myself flipping to the Game Show Channel at home. We will see hoe long that lasts before I get annoyed and tired of it!

traveling || To Hershey Park!! I am excited about this quick trip to the amusement park before all the kids are out of school. We are also going to a Hershey Bears game, as they play for the Calder Cup. So excited!

reading || I just finished Miss Peregrine Home for Peculiar Children and The Nest while on vacation last month. Both were a good read, but Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children was a bit slow at times for me, and I felt like there needed to be more action in that story. The Nest was an excellent read about a some-what dysfunctional family from New York City and I would recommend that book to those who enjoy reading. 

planning || The Erin Condren 2017 planners are launched today!!! I am probably going to hold off on purchases for now, just to see the reviews on YouTube, but I will be looking and adding things to my cart today. I am loving the new Luxe planner, but I am skeptical about wear and tear on that cover, so I will be sure to check out the reviews as much as possible.