Bump is the new Frack

Another day, another YA SciFi book to read. :) Well, I'm still waiting on something to thrill me as much as Hunger Games and this one was totally different but pretty cute.

Think Clueless meets Sweet Valley High and set it in the future. I think the most fun thing was figuring out their slang. Otherwise, it was the typical twin hi-jinx you are familiar with from every other story.

I have to say she set up some nice relationships and some interesting characters. I really liked the supporting characters the best up until near the end of the book. That's when you finally start to get a little deeper into the main character. Or I could be wrong about who the author considers the main character!

Interestingly, this might spark some discussion of religious issues. There is quite a line drawn in the sand at the beginning of the book. However, that line gets blurred during as the characters make their way thru their own situations.

Overall, I think any book that makes you think is great and if you can laugh along the way too even better!

*did you get my Battlestar reference in the title? Yeah, I'm a Battlestar nerd (new version only please!) and proud of it!

Have you read Bumped? or anything by this author? Got a recommendation for me? Love to hear it!!

Photo from here

Lime Time

Why did I wait so long to make my own ice cream? I have never EVER tried this before. But, I remembered that my mother-in-law has this awesome vintage Kitchen Aid and recently got the ice cream maker attachment.

She was totally up for letting me borrow it and give it a try. I was a little intimidated with putting it all together (especially since it was not mine) but I figured it out and was ready to go. Then I read the first instruction. "Remove ice cream freezer base from the freezer (allow a minimum of 15 hours to freeze)" Um....oops. Guess I won't be making the ice cream TODAY I thought Hahahahahaha!! I put that baby in the freezer pronto.

Skip ahead to today. Attempt #2. All put together and ready again (this time with the freezer base frozen!). It was so fun to watch that batter slowly puff up and get all creamy and thick. And, of course, I had a few taste tests...YUM. It already tastes great (I made key lime pie flavor)! I stirred in the lime zest and the graham crackers and put it in my freezer safe bowl to freeze for when hubby and his dad get home from their father's day movie and can try it officially frozen. But, already, I am gonna call this a success!

Have you made homemade ice cream? Did you think it was worth it (time, money, effort)? Have an amazing recipe to send my way?

Addicted to Google Reader

I LOVE GOOGLE READER!!!

I understand that according to Eric I am WAY behind the curve on finding, using, and loving this technology. (you have to imagine eric saying something like 'you JUST now discovered that?' and with a big eye roll).

Regardless, if you have NOT tried it please do. And I guarantee-- it will not diminish your enjoyment one iota not having found it sooner!

If you have no idea what I'm even talking about it is at the top of the page on your google homepage along with Calendar and Mail etc. maybe under the More tab (btw, calendar is awesome too!!). You just click the ADD SUBSCRIPTION button, enter the web/blog address you want to follow and BING (make your own sound effect here) you are set up! Unsubscribing from a blog is just as easy

Love, love, love it. It's more addictive than facebook. I guess if facebook is cocaine, then google reader is crack. Although, I can't actually speak from experience and I may, in fact, have that whole reference backwards. Hmmmm...Ok, if the internet is Coca-Cola, facebook is mt. dew, and google reader is Jolt. THAT one I have some experience with! :)

I feel like I have the same compulsion now as those folks who MUST read the paper with their morning coffee. I gotta get to my reader asap in the a.m.!

Use google reader? Have you also recently jumped on any bandwagons only to find out that apparently everyone else has already been there done that?

Photo from here

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