Me

Murph did not tell me that he had the camera and caught me in my daily night swim haha.

I need these now!

I need these curtains and that is all I am going to say. You can find a better picture at http://www.carrierandcompany.com/portfolio/forge_river_guest.php

My new favorite summer scents

This sun and sand is the ultimate summer candle. It smells like sun tan lotion and will remind you of being at the beach and covered in Coppertone suntan lotion.

Beach walk is so good I have this in my kitchen and I love the smell. It has a very clean smell to it.

Midnight cove is my new favorite favorite! It smells so refreshing and I have this in my bedroom and in my car. It makes me think of a summer night in a beach cottage with the windows open.

The Pact

I read this book over the last two days. I thought it was a good read just like most of Jodi Picoult's books. She keeps the stories very interesting and does very good research for her books. I recommend it. Here is the summary.

Chris and Emily, teenagers from two neighbored and very close families, have been as close as siblings since birth, but as teenagers their relationship develops into a romance. When they are seniors in high school, however, both families are called to the hospital: Emily is dead at seventeen from a gunshot to the head, and Chris says the two had intended to carry out a suicide pact.
Every other chapter is a flashback to Emily and Chris's childhood life, leading up to the night of Emily's death. Some scenes include flashbacks on Emily and Chris's life while they were young (best friends) through their teenage years as lovers. It is revealed that, as a result of dare made by Chris to go into a men's restroom, Emily is molested as a child. It is also discovered that she was impregnated by Chris, but she never revealed it to him. It is also revealed in flashbacks that Emily's feeling for Chris were more sisterly, yet she felt pressured to be with him in a romantic way due to the closeness of their families. She also felt uncomfortable having sex or being touched due to the molestation. It was all of these things that made her suicidal.

If we buy a vacation home

It will have stairs that look like this. I absolutely love them and I want them now. These stairs were featured in the Absolutely beautiful things blog. I just think these are so different and would make a beach house pop and it is different from the normal blues and whites you see in a beach house! love it

Raspberry Squares

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1 1/4 cups good-quality raspberry jam

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mix the butter and sugar, then add the egg yolk and mix well. Add the flour and walnuts and blend well, but keep the mixture a bit crumbly.

Put half the mixture into a greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes, and then remove the pan from the oven. Spread the jam evenly over the top, leaving about 1/4-inch from the sides. Crumble the remaining dough evenly over the jam and pat lightly. Bake for another 20 minutes. Do not cut until the dish is cooled. Serve after cooling.

Wagon Wheel Pasta

I needed something different for my July 4th party. I was sick of the same old pasta salad with Mayo. This was really easy to make and I made it the night before. It has alot of cheese in it which I love! It was a big hit and everyone loved it. Don't mind the picture I put it in tupperware the night before.

Wagon Wheel Pasta Salad
(Cara's Craving)
1lb wagon wheel pasta
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 10oz package frozen corn ( I used 2)
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
8oz shredded Mexican-blend cheese
1 1/2 cups salsa
1/2 cup olive oil
3-4 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp cumin
1-2 tsp chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
freshly ground salt & pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 avocado, diced

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.

In a large bowl, combine the black beans, corn, tomatoes, salsa, and cheese. Add the cooled pasta and mix well.

In another bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, garlic, cumin and chili powder. Pour over the pasta salad, add the cilantro, and mix well. Season to taste with salt & pepper.

I cooked mine the night before so I added the avocado the next morning.