Green is the new Red

Ok, I just finished off the BEST jar of salsa. I picked this up at Whole Foods on my last trip and it was Unbelievable!

The Green medium salsa caught my eye because I love avocado. Then while I was debating the price and the fact I had not really come prepared to take home refridgerated items I noticed it also had cucumber which I thought would give salsa a lovely cool twist. That sealed the deal! I put it and an insulated grocery tote (which had been on my wish list for awhile anyway) right into the cart. :)

Sure enough, Eric, my mother in law, and myself all thought it was a HUGE hit. This salsa is also gluten free and raw (if these things are important to you).

THEN, Eric noticed that this is made locally in Katy- my hometown. You can pick them up all over town at Whole Foods and select HEBs here in Houston. Statewide you can get them at Central Market. You can find out more here

Have you tried this brand? Did you think it was AWESOME or not so much? Let me know any recommendations you have as we always enjoy a good salsa.

Photo from here

Let the Sun Shine

What a PERFECT day. Welcome Summer!!!

We swam at my mom & dad's neighborhood pool. Surprisingly, we had it almost all to ourselves. They still have diving boards (totally old school right?) and BOTH kids jumped off over and over again. LOVE my two little fish. (Insert big proud beaming momma smile here)

Eric, myself, and my brother did lots of jumping off the board too. Actually, the big boys did diving and flips and stuff. Scared me to death to be honest. I just jumped high and loved sinking 10 feet to the bottom and pushing off back to the top.

This all went on for about 2 hours without a break for anyone. Bottom line- I have a feeling we old folks are gonna be PRETTY sore tomorrow. Totally worth it though!

Hope you have/are having a great holiday. Welcome summer. Disclaimer: Mosquitoes, you are not welcome at ALL! Be gone!

The Dead Space

Yesterday we were just lying around and didn't really know what to do with ourselves. Dad was already home from work but our schedule was thrown off because although school was still in session, most of our extra activities had already ended. We found ourselves with some unexpected hours to kill in the middle of the week.

I'm not sure how it all got started but we ended up in a HUGE tickle fight. Much laughing and a few minor injuries resulted from all the enthusiasm and effort that went into finding each persons MOST ticklish spots. This evolved into a game where we put the kids in a box and pretended they arrived in the mail (surprised each time when they popped out of their packaging). From here we somehow ended up playing a version of hide and seek combined with tag.

We ended our playtime by leashing up the pup and taking everyone for a walk around the block. Everyone sat happily down to dinner and then we had reading time before bed.

It was a WONDERFUL evening. No TV, no video games, no cost at all. We really had fun as a family and it still makes me smile to think about it.

Not Safe to Have in the House!

If you have not tried these cookies BEWARE! These fudge filled little gems will worm their way into your mind, mouth, and thighs! They are called Chewy Gooey Chips Ahoy.

I came upon them completely by accident when looking for a little treat at Walmart. Eric & I ate the whole box that day. The next day I was kind of obsessing over them and was unable to turn my car in the direction of home. It drove right back to Walmart. Lo and behold, the cookies were still on display. But today they had $1 off coupons taped to them (if you know me you know this would have killed ANY willpower I might have still retained). Well, heavens- it must be a sign of the apocalypse! I bought TWO boxes. I only had the double fudge cookies the first time so i tried both flavors this time.

They are both delicious but I do feel the double fudge are superior. Just in case you want to limit your intake to one box. Sadly, I must report that, again, they are all gone. Looks like I'm gonna have to take the dog on a VERY long walk to work these babies off. Better get started then- come on Shasta.

BEWARE THESE COOKIES....RUN AWAY, RUN AWAY...SAVE YOURSELVES!!

Photo from here

Nothing like it- another book review

Don't you love a good book? Well, there is ALMOST nothing I like better. My book club book this month is Still Alice by Lisa Genova and it was WONDERFUL!

I was swept away as I went on the journey of gradual memory loss from start to finish with Alice and her family. This book excited me with it's unique perspective- that of a patient experiencing the dementia first hand.

I have never had the personal experience and I hope I never do but it's something I think all of us fear and this book sheds some light on that fear in an honest and inspiring way.

I hope you pick it up. Honestly, I NEVER would have if it had not been my book club book and that, my friends, is why I stay in the book club!

What are you reading now? Good or bad!

Photo from here

Loved the Elephants and Reese and surprisingly even Rob

Water for Elephants was a very good movie!

I would almost say it was beautiful to watch. But it feels funny to say that. Because, to be honest, the content is not beautiful. In the end, I guess that was the point. It was real & gritty- the true goings on of the circus. The relationships (some) were beautiful. And how he remembered it, as an experience, that was beautiful.

Overall, read the book. It is very enjoyable and gives you are more comprehensive view of the complex relationships. If you just want the love story then go with the movie. I enjoyed both!

What did you think?
Photo from here

Ring of Endless JOY

Really enjoyed this old school book about teens, death, life, dolphins and growing up. I picked this up randomly at the library and could not have enjoyed it more. I put it down only to read my book club book for this month and then picked it right back up. A nice easy read that really put you in the mentality of the main character. I enjoyed the religious and health care aspects of the book and actually think this would make a GREAT book club book.

My book club book this month was actually 'the Help' which was also good. I think though that it was not as great as everyone said. It felt like something else, almost like I had read it before. Not sure why. However, I am looking forward to the movie. Especially since it has the girl from 'Easy A'. I thought that movie was really cute. Kind of a throwback to 'There's Something about Mary' and I found it refreshing and fun to watch.

I'm waiting for 'City of Bones' from the library. What book is next for you? What's on your nightstand?

Photo from here