Cait's Famous Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are seriously the best. They are 100% our families favorite. If you don't know, my nephew Liam has extreme food allergies (it's so awful). One thing he is very allergic to eggs..so since he was officially diagnosed, my sister has researched a TON of recipes that will suit her little guy....all eggless...and all absolutely delicious. I actually prefer all of the dessert recipes she's made that are without eggs. You'd never even be able to tell the difference (except for the fact they're even tastier)! Make them for yourself...you will not be disappointed. They are super easy to make & will for sure be a hit at any get together (hint: 4th of July!). If you do make them, snap a picture & tag us on IG @caitlinm.thompson & @eksteigerwalt! Hope you love them as much as we do!

(they love helping me bake!!)

(parkers face!! LOL)

Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup of butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 tablespoons water

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 cups chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Beat butter with white & brown sugar for 1-2 minutes until creamy.
3. Add in flour & baking soda. Mix.
4. Add water, oil, & vanilla. Mix. (if dry, add more water by the tablespoon & mix with hands. I usually add in 3-4)
5. Fold in chocolate chips.
6. Drop by 1-2 tablespoons (I prefer 2 tablespoons) on a greased cookie sheet or parchment paper.
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are slightly browned.
8. Enjoy!!! (makes about 24)

xoxo, 

Erin

Fourth of July Finds

does anyone else LOVE the fourth of July like I do?! This is one of my favorite holidays to celebrate (besides Christmas, of course). We usually go to my parents house, spend the day lounging by the pool & end with a cookout loaded with all of our favorite summer foods. When our town held fireworks, everyone would come to our house & watch from the street, but since they no longer do, Matt goes all out & buys a bunch for us to do together. He already went out & stocked up on a ton of fireworks for the kids, so after dinner we will head outside & light up the sky. I love watching the kids get excited over it. It's such a fun family holiday!! And you know I love any excuse to wear red, white & blue!! Almost everything I am sharing, I own myself, with the exception of a few things that are no longer in stock, so I found some other options for those :)  some of my must haves:

Link for shorts HERE

these shorts are so cute. they fit true to size (I am wearing a size 4).

Link for top HERE 

I got this shirt a few years ago & its my go to 4th top!! & it's still in stock! (size M)

Link for jacket HERE 

everyone who sees me in this jacket, LOVES it. it's so adorable, especially with white jeans or shorts! (size S)

link for beach towels HERE 

I bought 3 of these towels for the boys! They love all things USA, so I got these to match their American Flag swim suits.

bikini top link HERE

bottoms linked HERE

I actually have the suit below, but it's no longer in stock! anything seersucker, is for me. (size M in top, S on bottom)

sunnies linked HERE

I actually bought these on a whim online. I usually like to try them on in store, but with cover, I haven't gone anywhere, let alone shopping. I am obsessed with these!!

koozies linked HERE

we are huge koozie fans here. anytime I find cute ones (target sucker spot!!) I snag a few. I thought these were cute to have if you are planning a big 4th party for your guests to use/keep! You can even get them personalized... so cute!

link for similar wreath HERE

my mom got me the cutest wreath from Pier 1. They're actually closing down, so I wasn't able to get a direct link to the one I have, but this one is pretty close & so adorable!

link for American flag blanket HERE

if you know me, you know I love blankets & you know I love America. My brother & SIL actually got me this for my birthday & I love it! It's so soft!!! I'll be bringing this along where ever we go at night to light fireworks!

I hope everyone has a happy & safe fourth!!! xo

Birthday & Our Weekend

Matt was away on business for my actual birthday on Tuesday, so my parents came over & bought lunch for us and the kids, it was so nice! We got tasty cakes & they sang happy birthday to me. The kids and I spent the rest of the day hanging out until about 5:00 when my aunt called to have me come outside... I should have known. Birthday parade with all of my family. It was so funny... they are the cutest. After that, the boys and I went inside and made personal pizzas. They love making their own, so whenever Matt goes away, we always make little pizzas just for something fun to do for dinner. Arie enjoyed a trayful of leftover cheese. That boy would eat anything if I let him! Matt got home around 8, and we all just hung out on the couch until bed time. It was a perfect day.

This weekend was so much fun too! Friday we celebrated my birthday at my parents house with my sister & her family & my brother & his family. We went over a little earlier to swim & just hang out until supper. My mom is the best cook. She made buffalo chicken pizza & for dessert my absolute favorite peanut butter cookie pie (I don't know the real name), but it is AMAZING. She has been making that as my "birthday cake" ever since I can remember... I'm not a huge cake person, so this is my go to! I'll have to get the exact recipe from her so I can make it & share it with you guys :) Such a fun night with my favorite people!!

Saturday, we woke up & I made breakfast for the family. I made an apple cinnamon roll bake.... it was pretty good & super easy, so win/win. After we finished up breakfast, we met my brother, SIL & our nephew at the park! The kids had so much fun running around & playing. We headed out around noon & went to our local ice cream shop to get ice cream for lunch... the boys favorite!! Brendan and Sarah had a party to go to later that day so they headed home & Matt and I decided to take the kids for a long drive! That's one of our favorite things to do. All of the kids fell asleep, so we just drove until they woke up. We came home, ordered out at our favorite restaurant MYST, & ended the night playing cards on the front porch. It was a perfect day.

Sunday we packed up lunch & went to Boulder Field! It's a huge field with huge boulders (obviously....lol). The boys loved it & just hopped from rock to rock. I basically stood on one rock because there were a ton of spiders & all I could think about were snakes. HA! They kids enjoyed it though!! We ate our lunch out of the trunk & eventually headed back home to relax for the rest of the day. I made really good ground chicken burgers for supper with sweet potato fries! Definitely going to be a family favorite from now on! We watched a movie up ( The Healer on Netflix) in bed with all of the kids & all passed out by 10. 

It was a great weekend..I feel like not one minute was wasted... those are the best kinds of weekends. I hope you all enjoyed yours too!! xoxo

-Erin

PHOTO DROP

Sorry I have been MIA the last month or so. Lot's going on here from trips, hikes, to birthdays & parties. Life is starting to get back to "normal" here. Speaking of birthdays.... we celebrated my moms, the twins, my dads, my nephew Liam's, mine yesterday & today my niece Abbey! It has been a month FILLED with celebration. AND my brother, SIL & nephew Oliver came home from AZ & are staying for a few weeks! It's been great!! Anyway, I will be back to posting regularly!! Let me know what you would like to see :)

Here's some of what we have been up to over the last month or so!