I love cookbooks. I don't always cook, but I love to flip through cookbooks and drool over all the fabulous meals I could make. Hmm... Maybe I actually only like the idea of cookbooks and all the possibilities. 

Anyway, I recently subscribed to Taste of Home magazine. Some of their desserts for 4th of July look divine. We're going to visit my mom for the weekend and go to a party at a high school friends' house. It's potluck and I want to take my famous beans and a dessert (to go along with the red, white, and blue jello shots).

I thought I'd share some of the easy dessert recipes I found in case you need ideas for something to take to your party this weekend. I think I'm going with the pretzel rods and the shortcake squares. How about you? What are your plans? Are you making anything special?

Red, White and Blue Dessert

Stars and Stripes Forever

Lemon Nut Star Cookies

Shortcake Squares

Patriotic Cupcakes

Pretzel Sparklers

Berries 'N' Creme Torte

Patriotic Trifle

*I got my subscription from She Speaks. Neither they or Taste of Home asked me to write about this. And I hate that I have to qualify that to appease the masses. Being helpful shouldn't require a disclaimer.

Remembering Michael Jackson

(August 5, 1984)

One of, if not THE, greatest entertainer of my generation has left the earth before his time. Michael Jackson, The King Of Pop, is gone. Him music is legendary. His fans are zealous. His life is a bit of mystery wrapped in controversy and a meteoric rise to fame. But his accomplishments are indisputable:

*Favorite Male Artist (Pop/Rock and R&B/Soul) 1984 American Music Awards
*Favorite Album (Pop/Rock and R&B/Soul) 1984 American Music Awards
*Favorite video (Pop/Rock and R&B/Soul) 1984 American Music Awards
*Pop Artist of the Year 1983 Billboard
*Black Artist of the Year 1983 Billboard
*Entertainer of the Decade 1990 American Cinema Awards
*Artist of the Century 2002 American Music Awards
*Pop Artist of the Millennium 2002 Bambi Awards
*Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (TWICE)
*Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002

All told, Michael Jackson won almost 200 major awards in his lifetime including 13 Guinness World Records. He made millions of dollars in charitable donations. I think it's safe to say there will never be another performer of his caliber, with his star power.

At best, Michael Jackson was troubled, at worst he was disturbed. There will be plenty of time for dissection, unauthorized biographies and criticism. But today, while his children, family and fans mourn his passing, let's remember and celebrate his contribution to music, pop culture and Black History.

Go 'head, Michael. Rock on with your bad self.

Breast Cancer 3-Day: Quick Tip for iPhone and iPod Touch Users {+video}

I went walking last night after Tyler and I got home from the park. When I left the house, I wasn't really thinking about the time or how long it would be before it would get dark outside. I decided to go for a straight, easy walk at the beach rather walk the hills around my house.

Halfway through I tuned in to the fact that it was going to be dark before I got back to my car. Almost the whole way back had sidewalk access and streetlights, but the last leg did not. Naturally I'd not thought to bring my LED light.

My workout clothes were light gray with white striping and my shoes have reflective striping but I was still a little concerned about cars being able to see me. At one point I noticed someone walking toward me. I couldn't see them, but they were on their cell and the glow from the keyboard caught my attention. That's when I remembered the free Flashlight app I downloaded a few months ago for my iPod Touch (watch the video for a short demo).



I used the app for the last half mile. Sure, I had to hold my iPod in my hand but it was a minor and temporary inconvenience. The Flashlight app is no substitute for proper reflective gear and safety lights, but it came through in a pinch and definitely made me feel better.

Wordless Wednesday: A New Take on Tetherball- BootyBall

For more Wordless Wednesday visit 5 Minutes for Mom, Mom Dot, What's That Smell

Summer Learning: What Are You Doing with Your Kids?

Not too long before school ended I was talking with Tyler's teacher and she said nine of the sweetest and scariest words a parent can hear before summer vacation,

"I'm running out of things to challenge him with."

On the one hand we're so proud because it means he's doing really well in school but on the other it means I have to keep up the momentum over the summer and make sure he doesn't lose interest or forget what he's learned so far.

My mom used to make me read pages from the dictionary and encyclopedia over summer. I hated it, but can definitely see the value now. I bought Tyler a second grade workbook, we're participating in the summer reading challenges from Borders and Barnes & Noble, and Jump Start sent a learning game and gave me a membership to their online virtual world for kids (review coming soon).

My question for you (maybe my teacher friends can weigh in): Is that enough? Is there something more I should be doing? I don't want to over schedule study time or make it a chore, but I won't let him sit in front of the TV all day either. What are you doing to further your kids' education this summer? Desk photo from here

Bossy's Excellent Reader Submitted Summer Beach Reads {+ Giveaway}

*Giveaway is closed* Affiliate links used

I've probably mentioned a few times that I love to read. My pile of 'to be read' books is getting so big I'm afraid it's going to topple over. But, if I find a book on the clearance rack or in my library book store, I have no problem adding it on.

When I went into my Google Reader this past Tuesday night and saw that Bossy's theme for Ten Word Tuesday was summer reading I think I drooled a little.

Several of the comments mentioned wanting to see all the suggestions compiled into a list. I, being a total book whore, offered to put it together. I apologize if I messed up or forgot to link anyone's blog. I haven't read many of these titles. I'm excited to add some to my list.

Win It!
Have you read anything on this list? Did you love it? Hate it? Have any really good suggestions to add? Leave a relevant comment and win a $10 Amazon gift card! (rules at the bottom of the post)

Suggested summer reading submitted by fans of I Am Bossy 
to Ten Word Tuesday

Have the T-shirt said: The Spellman Files (and the two follow up books) by Lisa Lutz
Michele P said: The Given Day by Dennis Lehane
dgm said: Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
Marjorie of Connecticut said :Still Life by Louise Penny (1st in a series of 5 thus far)
Chookooloonks said: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
SueBoo said: Hold Tight by Hal Coben

leslie said: The Pact by Jodi Picoult
Marjorie of Connecticut said: Folly by Laurie R. King
Leslie said: The Pleasure of My Company Steve Martin
Meg at the Members Lounge said: The Historian, Elizabeth Kostova
KM said: Katherine by Anya Seton or The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

Amy and Ellie said: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewskij
Lora said: She's Come Undone, by Wally Lamb
Jamie said:
-The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, by Junot Diaz
-Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Annie Dillard
Jenny said: When You Are Engulfed in Flames, by David Sedaris or On Chesil Beach, Ian McEwen

Amber Star said: The Berrybender Narratives series by Larry McMurty
hollygee said: Welcome to Temptation, Jennifer Crusie
Jamie said: Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon (this was suggested many times and I agree, it's one of my favorites, I've read it at least 6 times)
confused said: Middlesexby Jeffrey Eugenides

Owengirl79 said:The Noticer by Andy Andrews
heather said: The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
Jamie said: The Chris Farley Show: A Biography in Three Acts, by Tom Farley Jr and Tanner Colby
vuboq said: Deep Economy by Bill McKibben
Meredith said: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (this was also suggested many times and I agree, it's excellent)

Rae said: Freddy and Fredericka, by Mark Helprin
Elizabeth said: Gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson (very, very good; she's becoming one of my favorite authors)
Heide said: Michael Chabon, The Yiddish Policemen's Union
Lauren said: The Road, Cormac McCarthy
Stephanie said: When the Wind Blows and The Lake House by James Patterson

Leslie B said: The Tender Bar by JR Moehringer
Michelle and Skeller said: The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
The Domestic Goddess said: [anything by]
-Jane Austin
-The Bronte Sisters
-Thomas Hardy
-Edith Wharton

Leslie B said: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
Maryjo said: Audrey Niffenegger, The Time Traveler's Wife(suggested multiple times, a must read!!!)
Debbie said: An American Childhoodby Annie Dillard
Marnie said: Wildflower: An Extraordinary Life and Untimely Death in Africa, by Mark Seal

Kate said: American Wife - Curtis Sittenfeld
Lance said: Infidel - Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Renee in Seattle and Dr. Liz said: The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet
David said: One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish - Dr. Seuss
Jean said: Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris (True Blood fans, this is part of the Sookie Stackhouse series)

Caro said: My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult (movie coming out soon)
POD said: The Survivors Club: The Secrets and Science that Could Save Your Life by Ben Sherwood
Fiona Picklebottom said: Beach Music by Pat Conroy (loved it!)
Tammy said: The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
Dharmamama said: Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust by Immaculée Ilibagiza

Dharmamama said: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
kd said: The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, Michael Lewis
Methodpam said: Foolby Christopher Moore
Amanda said: Rhett Butler's Peopleby: Donald McCaig
Eileen said: Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill
Elle said: Conversations with God, Neale Donald Walsch

Jenna said: A Complicated Kindness, Miriam Toews
Jacquie said: The Book Thief, Markus Zusak
Donna said: Cane River by Latita Tademy
rockle said: Bloodsucking Fiends by Christopher Moore

The Great Getzby said:
-Speak, Memory by Vladimir Nabokov
-July's People by Nadine Gordimer
-The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
-Libra, Don DeLillo
-Catch-22, by Joseph Heller
-Archie Comics Double Digest
-South of the Border, West of the Sun, by Haruki Murakami
-To The Lighthouse, Viginia Woolf
-The Dead, by James Joyce, from “The Dubliners”

Amelia said: Pretty in Plaid - Jennifer Lancaster (reading now, love it!)
sara said: Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
KimA said: The Bookseller of Kabulby Asne Seierstad
Dee said: Any of the Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evonovich - One for the Money up through Finger Lickin’ Fifteen

Liz in Virginia said: The Solace of Leaving Early, by Haven Kimmel
bechtoldlifework said: The Wife, by Meg Wolitzer
deedle said: Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
Franca Bollo said: Year of Wonders, Geraldine Brooks
Surcie said: I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti(Non-fiction) Giulia Melucci

BirdBrain said: The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Sara said: A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving Debbie said: The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough
Deborah said: The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig, anything by James Lee Burke
Suburban Turmoil said: War and Peace
Sugarpie said: With Bold Knife and Fork; M. F. K. Fisher

Bossy's Mom said: Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
JC said: Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
Laurellee said: East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Cupcake Murphy said: The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen and The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami

Lianne said: The Memory of Running, by Ron McLarty or The The Sound of Butterflies, by Rachel King
Elizabeth said: James Patterson’s Women's Murder club series or Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum Series
Catherine McP said: [Any of the] 4 cookbooks by Kit Wohl
Abbey said: The Correctionsby Jonathan Franzen. Also, Jonathan Safran Foer: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Sugarpie said: Speak, Memory, To The Lighthouse, and Confederacy of Dunces, by John Kennedy Toole

Kait said: Jenna Blum’s Those Who Save Us
Suburban Kamikaze said: Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea by Charles Seife
Marinka said: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
Amanda said: The Master and Margarita, Mikhail Bulgakov
Maria said: Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade, a 1955 novel by Patrick Dennis
Carrie said: My Life in France by Julia Child
Lissa Lou said: My Life in France by Louise Erdrich
Jen said: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (The Almost Moon was really good too)

Ren said: Loving Frank by Nancy Horan
Beth said: Lolita, and [anything by] Edith Wharton and Jane Smiley, (House of Mirth, A Thousand Acres) and Housekeeping by Marilynn Robinson
ErinH said: The Flying Troutmans by Miriam Toews and A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
Cinthia said: Any of the “No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency ” books by Alexander McCall Smith and Patty Boyd’s Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Me

martha said: Glamour and Sparkles, both by Louise Bagshawe
Sven said: Anna Karenina, Tolstoy
deborah said: Any mystery by Ian Rankin (especially Resurrection Men)
judy said: Naked by David Sedaris

Guess what? You can print the entire list here.

GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED
To enter:
1. Leave a relevant comment on this post answering any of the questions above - (enter me! and I want to win! aren't gonna cut it) required.

2. I MUST have a way to get in touch with you! I will have to delete comments with no contact info.

3. Comments will close on Friday, June 26th at 11:59pm CA time.

4. I will use random.org to draw the winners and post the results/notify winners via email and in a "Winners" post.

5. The prize is in the form of an emailed gift card. International entry OK as long as Amazon is allowed where you live.

6. For two extra entries: (not required) Tweet, and/or blog about this contest and leave each of your links in a separate comment (three contest entry opportunities total). You will need a free Twitter account.

7. You do not have to follow or subscribe to this blog as a method of entry (but you're more than welcome to!). Tweet as often as you like, but only one Tweet will count as an extra entry. Leave one comment for each entry. Here is the URL to this post: http://tinyurl.com/n3wj7m