Author: Tammy Litke

Last week I got the chance to cross off another thing on my bucket list.  Stomping grapes at a winery.

As a parent taking Amber to the doctor for immunizations was never something I looked forward to.  She was full of anxiety and her drama queen persona would melt down into something worthy of the Oscars.  Promising her a special treat and a fun bandage would calm her down just long enough for the nurse to give her the shot.  Afterward Amber would proclaim “That didn’t hurt so much!”  Yet she would still hold me to my promise of the treat 😉

I think she was fully convinced that when she finished high school all that was behind her.  She was not amused in the least to find on her university admissions forms that she needed a meningitis shot.

You can give your foods a flavorful punch with a simple, yet flavorful marinade using Holland House Cooking Wines.  Veggies (especially eggplant, zucchini, asparagus and mushrooms) and meats soak up the flavor and it’s as easy as letting them marinate and then tossing them on the grill!

So way back in January of 2013, I created a dessert hack for Fiber One on my blog for Valentine’s Day.  With a Fiber One 90 Calorie Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownie at its centerpiece, I added some lite whipping cream and some strawberries as garnish for a tasty low calorie, high fiber dessert.

Fiber One found, that like me, people took their products and added a few ingredients to make them that much better.  They called them Dessert Hacks and they just recently launched a website called Dessertify to present them all.

In just 15 days I’m going to be dropping our daughter off at college.  I am SO NOT ready for this.  Emotionally and with all the stuff we need to get yet.  Oh I mean we already purchased the storage unit, linens, computer, etc., but she still needs her books, clothes and SHOES!

We’ll be heading out to do that this weekend since here in Texas, August 8-10 is Tax Free Weekend.  If you happen to be in the North Texas area, DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse at the Golden Triangle Mall in Denton is having a Back to Class in-store event on Saturday, August 9, 2014.

Featuring 50 original cocktails based on the works of famous classic and contemporary authors like Charles Dickens and Dani Shapiro, Cocktails for Book Lovers by Tessa Smith McGovern is the perfect book to enjoy with a book club…or alone.

Whether you have a love for books, cocktails, or both, Cocktails for Book Lovers pairs them together in a chic way that is fun and delicious.

I was so excited to be able to have a girls’ night out last week at Painting With A Twist in Denton, TX.

Painting with a Twist is a great place to unwind and and share some time with friends.  It’s an artist led painting class combined with a BYOB event.  Sip, Paint.  Paint, Sip.  It’s a fun night out and the Denton, TX location on the northwest corner of Denton Square is a new location for this hot franchise chain.

Boasting two levels with the upper room being able to host large crowds, the old historic building has just the right atmosphere to get you in the mood for painting.

Here in our Texas community families are counting down the days until school starts.  August 25th.  That’s just a little more than 3 weeks!  And that’s when the chaos of early mornings, afternoon pickups, dance lessons, soccer games, homework, girl & boy scout meetings….well yeah ALL of that begins again.  Time is precious but there is only so much of it in our days and sometimes it’s just easier to have things prepared for us in advance.  For healthy snacking that’s already prepped for you, Chiquita Bites have you covered.

It’s hard to believe that this happened 13 years ago.

If you’re a regular reader of my blog then you already know that I like things fast, easy and affordable. So it should come as no surprise to anyone that our family often eats at McDonald’s.

McDonald’s has been a part of our family since the very beginning…well actually even before that. See, my husband’s very first job was at McDonald’s.