Key Lime Cookies

A family tradition of my family while we are all up at the lake house in Upstate New York is Lobster Fest. My uncle who lives in Boston brings up a ton of lobsters and we invite some family friends over to cook them outside and to eat them. Every year, I make a fun recipe for dessert and this year, I made Key Lime Cookies. My family loves Key Lime Pie and when I came across the pin on Pinterest (follow me here), I knew it would be perfect since it is a easy-to-serve version of the classic pie. And y'all these cookies did not disappoint and are so yummy!

Ingredients:

all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, butter, sugar, brown sugar, an egg, vanilla, 3 limes, lime juice, white chocolate chips, powdered sugar

Cookies

1. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl

2. Cream the butter and sugars

3. Beat in the egg, vanilla, lime zest, and lime juice until smooth

4. Add white chocolate chips and mix with a spoon

5. Drop rounded spoonfuls onto a parchment or silicone mat lined baking sheet

6. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes or until golden brown on the edges

7. Cool on cookie sheets for a few minutes

8. Transfer onto a rack to cool completely

9. Place a sheet of parchment paper under the rack (to catch any drips from the glaze)

Glaze

1. Combine powdered sugar and lime zest in a bowl

2. Add lime juice until desired consistency

3. Spoon glaze over the cookies and let dry

4. Store cookies in an airtight container 

Ingredients
Cookies
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- zest and juice of 1 lime (about 1 teaspoon zest and 3 tablespoons lime juice)
- 1 cup white chocolate chips

Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 1.5 to 3 tablespoons lime juice (depending on thickness, I used around 3 tablespoons)

Instructions
Cookies
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

2. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl

3. Cream the butter and sugars

4. Beat in the egg, vanilla, lime zest, and lime juice until smooth

5. Add white chocolate chips and mix with a spoon

6. Drop rounded spoonfuls onto a parchment or silicone mat lined baking sheet

7. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes or until golden brown on the edges

8. Cool on cookie sheets for a few minutes

9. Transfer onto a rack to cool completely

10. Place a sheet of parchment paper under the rack (to catch any drips from the glaze)

Glaze

1. Combine powdered sugar and lime zest in a bowl

2. Add lime juice until desired consistency

3. Spoon glaze over the cookies and let dry

4. Store cookies in an airtight container

Do you like Key Lime? Let me know in the comments!

Samba + White Pants

Oh my gosh y'all! Guess what I'm wearing in this post? PANTS! Okay, yes I have been wearing shorts and skirts all summer but it is way too hot at home to wear pants. That's why all of my outfit posts from this summer don't include white jeans, I like to post outfits that I have worn recently so I don't really wear things that don't agree with the temperature (kudos to the bloggers who are styling fall clothes on their blogs right now, I would not be able to do it!). But at night in New York, it was cool enough to wear these white pants without getting heat stroke!

I paired my white pants with a fun bright strapless top from Lilly. This top isn't currently on the Lilly website since it was in the After Party Sale earlier this week!

Top- Lilly Pulitzer (similar) White Pants- Vineyard Vines (similar) Sandals- Tory Burch Watch- Kate Spade Bracelet- David Yurman (similar)

Happy Wednesday Y'all!

A High School Junior's Advice for Incoming Freshmen

Tomorrow is my First Day of School but I can't help but think that it was only two years ago that I started high school (now I'm halfway through! How did that happen?). I remember the drive to school that morning: sitting in the passenger seat of my dad's car dressed in my new uniform and full of nerves. High School was a big jump for me. I attended the same school from third to eighth grade, with mainly the same people. My high school grade is composed of most of my middle school class but still! New place, new teachers, and a whole lot of nerves of what is to come on the new four years!

So for all of my incoming high school freshmen, I gathered some of my advice for y'all (that I wished I knew when I was in your shoes!) for starting high school!

Don't Be Scared of the Older Kids

I think T.V. shows and movies have a lot to do with the stereotype that all of the other grades are out to get the freshmen (you know and shove them into a locker?). Okay, there may be a few upperclassmen who behave like that but I promise you that you shouldn't be scared of them! As the school year goes on, you'll probably have classes with upperclassmen or be in the same clubs/teams as them! Upperclassmen can also be a great study source/essay editor since they have been through those classes!

Get Involved

Maybe you have the idea of joining the soccer team or Choir? Maybe you have no clue what you want to get involved in? Or a mix of both? Check your school's club day to see what interests you and join! Joining clubs/teams/committees is also a great way to meet more people!

Establish Good Study Habits Now

I think how you study freshmen year definitely sets the foundation for study habits for the rest of your high school career! Everyone studies different (I love Quizlet!) but it's important to start off a good foot in terms of studying!

Try Your Hardest

Freshmen year is definitely the time to adjust from middle school to high school but grades still matter this year! Freshmen year has a reputation of not mattering when it comes to applying to college but it does! Try your hardest and study!

Get Plenty of Sleep

Personally, not getting a lot of sleep definitely affects me and my attitude (the later I stay up, the more cranky I am in the morning). During the school year, I make sure to go to bed the earliest I can (so on busy nights, when I finish my homework) so that way I am well rested for a busy day of class!

Exams Aren't as Scary as You Think

Two dreaded words: Exam Week. I remember being so scared walking into my first exam during Midterms my freshmen year since I had no idea what to expect and it is a chunk of your semester grade! Yes, they are important and some are hard but it is just like any other test! Study and do your best (and try not to stress too much)! 

Drama Will Happen, but trust me some day (sooner than you think!) it will not matter at all!

I definitely wish I knew this walking into high school! I'm not saying that your drama will be Gossip Girl level drama, but it will definitely be there! Freshmen year is a big adjustment and unfortunately some new friendships grow and some old ones fall apart. Friends get into fights and people sometimes get left out, say mean things, or get upset! I know that sometimes it feels the drama will never end, but eventually not being invited to so and so's house for whatever will not matter (trust me on this one!).

Try the Harder Class

This is something that I did freshmen year and I would say it definitely payed off! I moved up a level in English and was nervous about doing so but quickly learned that it was the right class for me and had a lot of fun in English Second Semester!

Have Fun!

Yes, it is high school and all but take a time out from the worries of school and enjoy it! Enjoy going to school basketball games (or football games!), dances, spending time with friends, and just enjoying the moment (which may seem hard to do when you have several tests on a Friday but trust me high school can be a lot of fun!)!

Use a Planner

My favorite organizational tool! Perfect for keeping track of assignments, tests, football games, hanging out with friends, babysitting, trips, the list goes on and on! I have used a Lilly Pulitzer Agenda since my freshmen year and LOVE it (and probably couldn't survive without it!). I personally like to use the daily pages for writing down all my homework and events and the monthly calendar for due dates, test dates, and events!

Don't Wish Your High School Days Away

I definitely need to work on this sometimes! It is so easy to want to be in college like right now! But high school has a lot of memories you don't want to miss and it will go by faster than you can imagine!

For all my sophomore, junior, senior, college aged girls, what is your advice for Incoming Freshmen? Let me know in the comments!

Peek into my Desk {Bloggers Go Back to School Linkup}

Happy Monday y'all! It's my last Monday of summer (insert super sad face here) but to make up for that I have a super fun post as part of the Bloggers Go Back to School Linkup! For all of you who don't know about the linkup, Cathleen of Classy Cathleen and Nicole of Empire Styles put together a fun back to school themed linkup for the whole month of August! Each week has a different theme and this week's is Desks (check out my posts from the past weeks: fashion and organization).

First of all, a little background info on my desk and where it is in my room! I have a loft bed (a bunk bed without a second bed underneath) so under my bed is my desk and my bookshelf pictured! All of my furniture is old so otherwise I would have linked it but it is old (my desk has been in my room forever).

The side view of my desk

 My bookcase- I like to keep the top clear so I can use it as extra space while doing homework!

 The view of my top shelf of my bookcase!

Another view of my top shelf, I love the box my Kate Spade watch came in!

 On my bottom shelf, I keep a bunch of old binders with some knick knacks!

 Another view of my desk! I have a few favorite quotes written on note cards on my wipe board (both are from Gossip Girl!)

 A Peek into my large drawer where I keep most of my stuff (including plenty of notebook paper!)

 My top drawer where I keep some office supplies (I took no pictures of my other two drawers because one is just folders and then other is my junk drawer!).

The side of my desk where I keep my stapler, lamp, a jar with all of my Lilly Pulitzer tags, a few knick knacks, Lilly Pulitzer post-its, and a gold box full of pens and pencils! 

 And then at the corner of my desk, I keep of box of tissues and my agendas (Day Designer, Lilly Pulitzer)

On another note, today is the first day of the Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale (read my posts about it here and here) and I'm super excited about it!

How do you keep your desk organized? Are you shopping the Lilly Pulitzer sale? What have you bought so far? Let me know in the comments!

Lilly Pulitzer Sale Official Announcement

The sale is official y'all. The sale is official! Lilly officially confirmed the After Party Sale a few hours ago with a few new guidelines!

This year, you will placed in a virtual line once you arrive at the website that will basically have you wait "outside" the sale until you are at the front of the line when you will let in! As always, you shop but once you put an item in your cart it is not guaranteed until you finish checking out. It sounds like now when you want to check out, you will placed in another virtual line to do so. While waiting to be in the front of the line, your items are not guaranteed. I recommend shopping as quickly as possible to ensure you get the items that you want. In past years, Lilly recommended checking out quickly and often but I am unsure if that is the case this year!

For more tips, check out last Thursday's post!

Will you be shopping the sale? Let me know in the comments!

My Chic Week August 7-13

Hip hip hooray! It's Friday! I'm super excited for this weekend as two of my best friends are having their Sweet Sixteen tomorrow night! Sadly this is also my last week of summer (no! how did that happen?) but I am excited to share with y'all what I have been up to lately!

Last Friday, I got up bright and early to go grab Starbucks before nannying all day! I worked until 5 ish and ran to Panera to grab dinner and then home to eat and chill out for a bit. I babysat for the family I nanny for that night too (and spent some time on Pinterest after the kids went to bed! Follow me here!).

Saturday morning, I slept in and then blogged. I ran some errands before lunch. After lunch, I went to the gym with my parents (which was much needed!). Once I got home, I showered before going to babysit!

Sunday morning, I slept in again and then we headed out on the lake! We had lunch at a favorite restaurant and then hung out for a while with our neighbors! We headed back a few hours later so I blogged then we had a yummy dinner of Barbecue Chicken before watching Big Brother!

This week, I nannyed for a family that lives in my neighborhood, which was a lot of fun! Monday night, I ran a quick errand (you know how one of my summer goals was to finish a picture frame? well I finally picked up the pictures!). Tuesday I has an orthodontist appointment and my Bean Boots arrived (lessening the blow of summer ending soon!). After work on Thursday, I ran over to my local shopping center to get some birthday gifts for a few of my friends!

This week I decided to add a few things that have been on my radar as well!

1. The biggest event of the year is almost here! The Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale is on Monday (prepare for it with my post!)!

2. I just bought this as my blogging agenda and I LOVE it!

3. Can we talk about the season finale of PLL? Totally in shock! I wouldn't say what happened for all of y'all who haven't watched it yet, but I will say it is definitely worth watching!

4. My Bean Boots came in and I'm in love! Go ahead and order yours before they are on back order till next summer!

5. I guest posted for Our Campus Media yesterday! I will guest post every two weeks on Thursdays so be sure to check those out (and read my first post here!)

And check out my blog posts from the week!
How I Stay Organized ⎮Whales & Chinos ⎮Cookie Dough Brownies ⎮Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale Tips

What have y'all been up to this week? What has been on your radar? Do you want to see what's on my radar every week? Let me know in the comments!

Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale Tips

The big day is almost here y'all! It is almost time for the Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale! Twice a year (in January and in August), Lilly Pulitzer has a giant online sale! Lilly doesn't have a sale section on their website because they pull all the deals into a few days of shopping! Lilly hasn't officially announced the sale but according to history and rumors, it is this Monday! I'll keep y'all posted on my Insta and Twitter with all the latest on this though (so be sure to follow me!).

Personally, I love the APS (After Party Sale) because who doesn't want Lilly on sale? But it can be pretty nerve racking for me since I get so excited about what I can get!

The sale starts on Monday at 8 AM Eastern Time so be sure to log onto the Lilly site then since inventory goes quick! 

Don’t Make a List

My first instinct when thinking of the sale is to make a list of all the things I want to buy. Don't! Take it from my experience, this sale last year, I walked into it saying I want a Elsa in First Impressions and Callahan Shorts in Southern Charm. Well those are 2 very popular prints and the Elsa wasn't available and the Callahans were removed from my cart and then sold out. I was disappointed and thought there is nothing left! Um, Katie? You were wrong! There is plenty of fabulous items available and trust me you will be able to buy them. Walking in with an open mind is the best way to ensure you don't have any frustration!

Calm Down

After all, it is still just a sale. Trust me, I have a hard time with this one! I get so excited that it kind of makes me nervous! If something is removed from your cart, it is okay and resist the urge to scream at your computer (I've done that one before!). It's just a sale and you will find something you love!

Make an Account Beforehand

This makes check out so much easier! That way your credit card and shipping address is already in there so you don't have to re-enter (and risk losing the items in your cart!). Make sure to say logged in  for the sale!

Check Out Multiple Times

Inventory goes very fast and even if an item is in your cart, it doesn't mean that it is locked in there! So once you add your item into your cart go very quickly to check out to avoid having items removed from your cart! And if an item is removed from your cart, don't worry (it happens to everyone) and keep on shopping!

Go Straight Over to Sections You Really Want (or that sell out fast)
If you know that you really want a certain type of clothing (for example: a scarf), I would advise to make a bee-line for the scarf section as soon as the sale starts so you can get the best choice of inventory! It helps to check out sections that sell out quick (dresses, Elsa tops, shorts, and scarves) ASAP you can buy it before it sells out!

Get on the Site Early

The sale starts Monday morning at 8 AM Eastern Time but I always make sure to get on the Lilly website 15-30 minutes before then. 

Allow for Glitches

This sale is big y'all! It only happens twice a year so often a lot of people are trying to access the site at the same time. In years past, the sale has opened 15 or so minutes late or last January it locked you out and made you wait a while before re-entering. Be prepared and don't stress!

Try on Pieces Before the Sale Begins

Whenever I am at a Lilly store, I try on every piece that I love. Why? So I know what styles look best on me and what sizes I need in preparation for the sale so that I am not questioning if this shift will be flattering or if I should have gone up or down a size. For example, I have loved certain pieces on the website but when I tried them on, I realized that they aren't the most flattering for my shape. The pieces in the sale tend to be Final Sale which means you can't return them so trying them on in store before the sale even begins helps in knowing you have the right size!

Are you shopping the sale on Monday? Let me know in the comments!