What Should I Read Next?

If you have asked this question at any point in life, there is now a database to answer it. What Should I Read Next? is a book recommendation database that lets you type in the author or title of a book you fancy to find similar authors and books. Each entry on your results list can be purchased through Amazon by clicking on the book to the right of the name. Seems like a nice little device. Give it a try!

Recipes to Try

Seven-Layer Dips, strategically placed around my cactus.

A few weeks ago I was on the hunt for new recipes and found two that I tried and are worth sharing. The first is an appetizer that I served for the 4th of July, Individual Seven-Layer Dips. Basically, it is a taco scoop but I liked the ingredients together and also enjoyed that everyone got their own serving rather than sharing from a big pan. If you make this one, I would recommend getting more guacamole, refried beans, and sour cream than stated, especially if you want to make more than 8. And of course, more chips are necessary!

The second recipe I will most definitely be using again is the Creamy Avocado Chicken Salad. In fact, I made it two days in a row I liked it so much! The recipe instructs you to eat the salad over an avocado, which I did the first day, but the second day I opted for a sun-dried tomato wrap and mixed a cut-up avocado with the rest of the ingredients. Another idea is to scoop up extra salad with blue corn chips. This meal was delicious all three ways, is fantastic for summer, and is easy enough for me to want to make it again real soon!

Book Review: Prada and Prejudice

Mandy Hubbard's Prada and Prejudice was our July's TLC Book. Definitely a book for middle school girls and the occasional naive 9th or 10th grader, it was still an enjoyable read for an adult. Callie is your typical nerdy 15-year-old with a quick wit and potential to be popular. She ends up trying to seek acceptance of her cool peers by getting permission to travel to London on a school trip where she goes off and buys authentic Prada shoes. She can't actually walk in the heels so she almost immediately falls, hits her head, blacks out, and wakes up in a forest. Not knowing where she is or how she got there, she walks until she finds the castle of a duke. Quickly, Callie pretends to be Rebecca, a guest the duke's family was expecting from America, and realizes that she is in 1815 rather than the 21st century. From here, Callie questions the lifestyle and status of women during that time while going on a discovery of self-worth and ultimately falling for the duke, Alex. 

Admittedly, I am tired of the "Callie" character. We are seeing her in different forms all over the place - Bella from Twilight and Mia from The Princess Diaries come to mind first. But even other genres have her too - Taylor Swift's "You Belong with Me" (the song and video) embody this character. One Direction's "You don't know you're beautiful" is a song which millions of young girls feel could be sung to them. Sure, she is relatable at some level - girls feeling different, being clumsy and uncool - and she is something they strive to be - unknowingly beautiful and intelligent which is recognized by a handsome boy of higher-status. But can't we be a little more creative? It was fine at first, but now it is annoying and I am over it.

Beyond that, this an innocent romance story with time travel involved. It is interesting to see the change in etiquette from those day to now as well as the little touches of 1800's life. I did get swept away in the story of the past and read through it rather quickly. The imagery Hubbard provides of the fashions, people, landscape, and castle made it easy to imagine the setting and action. From reading, I suppose we could learn, or be reminded of, the fact that assumptions are not always right as Callie kept distance from Alex because of what she thought she knew about him. (This could be the title connection to Pride and Prejudice.) In the end, it only stopped her from what could have been a great relationship which lasted longer than a few days. We could also learn that we don't need what everyone else has to be accepted by others. One must find contentment within himself or herself and embrace qwirks instead of trying to hide them. So, if you can stand another clumsy teenage girl and want an easy, light-hearted summer read, then Prada and Prejudice is a good one to choose.

DIY Scarves

Still stuck on DIY projects, I came across a blog titled My Blessed Life and a post called 10 T-Shirt Scarf Tutorials. There are some pretty fun-looking scarves if you are interested in doing something a little different. Standouts for me are the braided scarves as they look more intricate than a regular scarf tied in a braid. This is the perfect time to get started - a few months before the weather gets chilly (at least here in Cleveland).

DIY - Visit Merrick's Art

My tote.

Last week I made a tote at a local store called Crafty Goodness. The shop sells locally made items (I bought a cool Ohio magnet) and also offers classes for all ages. I have never done anything like it before and really enjoyed learning the basics of sewing. That was a surprise to me. While I have watched multiple seasons of Project Runway and Project Catwalk (UK version of Runway) and marveled over the contestants' abilities to produce such beautiful or sometimes hideous clothing, I have never seriously thought about actually making my own. But wouldn't it be thrilling to say "I made this pencil skirt" and have it fit me perfectly? Or, rather than buying a new shirt, why not reuse an old one and make it better? Now that I am interested in trying simple projects, Pinterest users unknowingly gave me an easy way to ease into this sewing thing by posting Merrick's Art. Merrick's blog includes ways to refashion old clothes, simple sewing tutorials, outfit ideas, and links to other blogs. Take a look and maybe you will be inspired, too! Now, I need a sewing machine...

Fitness Rules to Break

Summer is the season of fitness. For most of us, it takes more than a few weeks to get a "beach body" but we sure do see a ton of health articles and posts specifically during the summer. Here is one I like: 7 Fitness Rules You Should Break posted on Yahoo Health by Lisa Collier Cool. The most interesting parts are not the subheadings so be sure to read the small print. For example, I have heard before that completing a dynamic pre-workout is better for you than just stretching (sub-heading info) but I didn't know that static stretching actually causes more injuries (small print). Enjoy.