Smart Snacking ~ Chocolate Dipped Apricots

Unlike many people, I do not enjoy cooking.  It is not relaxing to me.  As a matter of fact, I only cook because I like to eat.  Well, that and the fact that I would otherwise probably be kicked out of my family.  That being said, I like simple food.  If a recipe is long and elaborate I won't even give it any consideration. 

I also like to eat healthy.  It just makes me feel better.  Simple as that.  So I thought I would share with you what has become my easy staple snack this summer.  Chocolate dipped dried apricots. 

Dipping apricots in chocolate would have never crossed my mind, but my dad used to be a mail carrier and one of his customers sent some of these home with him one time.  The process is so simple that a kid could do it, but the results are fantastically yummy. 

First, you melt your chocolate in a microwavable bowl in the microwave (of course).  The thought of melting chocolate was always sort of scary to me.  I thought you had to do the whole double-boiler thing and be all careful.  But I'm not that fancy.  The microwave works just fine. 
I prefer Lindt chocolate (70% dark).  It only takes three squares to dip an entire 6 ounce bag of dried apricots.  (I use Sunsweet)  I throw those three squares of Lindt chocolate in my bowl and stick it in the microwave for one minute.  Don't let your chocolate get fully melted in the microwave.  It works best to still have some solid chunks and then just stir it until its all smooth.  That way you don't risk burning it. 

You will need a non-stick surface to put your dipped apricots on.  (I use tin foil.)  Now all you do is swipe those golden nuggets of natural goodness into the chocolate and stick them in the fridge to set. 

Voila!  Now you have a naturally sweet snack waiting in your fridge.  And healthy, too!  Apricots are a good source of Vitamin A and Potassium.  They also aid in digestion and have been reported to help maintain eyesight.  (at least, that's what I've read about them.  I'm not a nutritionist.)  And I don't have to tell you the good news about dark chocolate, right? 

Let me know if you try this snack yourself.  I hope you like them as much as I do. 

Mostly Rainy

Sunshine seems to be a very rare thing to see around here this summer.  As a matter of fact, it started raining again five minutes after I took these pics.  We broke a weather record.  It's officially the rainiest summer for our area since 1905.  It's raining as I type.  And it flooded again last night.  (third time, so far)  Everything smells musty and wet.  There are sinkholes all over the place.  Trees uprooting everywhere.  It's a mess. 

On the upside, my clematis vine is blooming like crazy and I got to chill in my hammock for a full five minutes the other day.  Awesome. 

The View From My Ten Dollar Hammock

This has been a really great week. 

I had a night out with my best friend.  My brother got some really great news.  We had a dinner at my grandmother's house to celebrate said news.  I have been cleaning out and making changes around the house.  Things seem to be clicking along just fine. 

A few moments were spent basking in the late summer sun in my hammock.  I've been smiling a lot this week.  As a matter of fact, I was smiling when I took this picture of the clematis vine that drapes my porch railing. 

Everything is going to be just fine.  God's blessings are plentiful. 
I hope you are all having a great weekend. 

xoxo ~Jo~

Best $10 Ever Spent

I have always wanted a hammock.  But, gees Louise, those things cost a lot of money!  So when I ran across a cloth hammock at the local Roses store, I automatically wanted to buy it.  {for those who don't know what a Roses store is; let's just say that it's nicer than a dollar store, but not nearly as nice as a Wal-Mart.  Yeah, really.}  Anyway......of course I didn't buy it.  I figured it was too cheap to waste my money on, and where the heck would I hang it? 

A few weeks went by and I kept mentioning the $10 hammock that I didn't buy and my husband kept rolling his eyes at me.  Then we went back to Roses to buy the pupper a kiddie pool.  {yes, I'm serious.  It's hot and we have no AC.}  And I said "Hey!  Let's go see if there are any of those hammocks left!". 
Guess what?  I have a $10 hammock hanging on my back porch. 

Let me tell ya, this thing is awesome.  Nevermind the fact that it hangs only a foot off of the porch when occupied.  It still rocks gently and wraps me up like a cocoon.  It's perfect for taking a nap.  And there's something very calming about it; like being rocked in someones arms.  I can confidently say that it was $10 well spent. 

The kiddie pool, however?  Gus thinks it's just a huge water bowl.  He will get in and wade around a bit while catching the floating bugs, but he hasn't thought to flop down in the water to cool off like he does in the creek.  Oh, well.  I guess every $10 spent can't be as good as a hammock. 

Friday Fantasy

Today's fantasy is a tiny little sampling of beauty from my new favorite tumblr, Turquoise Coconut. It's like an endless summer up in that place! Chock full of beautiful landscapes, yummy looking foods, adorably cool surfer girls and massively cute guys. I could stay there all day, just dreaming away.
If you need a shot of summer loving, go check it out.

I hope you have a great weekend. Oh! And I did happen to post two days in a row (unbelievable, right?), so don't miss yesterdays post below.

Hugs and Sunshine to you guys.
~Jo~

Happy Weekend!

Just a little something to dream about this weekend.

I have been spending some quality time in the river. But, let me tell you. I would trade it in for this pool any day of the week. It's like a human aquarium!

I have some more pools saved up for you, too. So tune in again soon, okay.

*from glo

In the place...

So, you know how I'm always saying that I wish I had pictures of such and such to show you? But I tend to forget my camera. And photos are a pain in the hiney to upload and resize. But guess what? I love you guys enough that I remembered my camera this time when we went to the river, and I took the time to resize the photos and upload them for you! Excited? Sure you are.


So here it is. My new favorite swimming hole. All shady and secluded. Quiet and clean. The water is so clear, as you can tell. That hole there beneath the big rock? Looks like you could wade out in it, right? Yeah. That hole is about 7-8 feet deep. For real. I dive off of the rock on the left all the time. The boys like jumping off the big rock on the right the best.

The shade got a little chilly after swimming, so we headed down stream to the sunshine for a while and the boys dug for crawdads. That's my hubby in the red and white shorts and our friend and his two kids.

I'm not brave enough to grab a crawdad. The guys found several, from teeny tiny to scary looking. I'm not sticking my fingers in there.

See why I love Sunday afternoons at the river? Hopefully there will be several more before the weather turns too cool. Of course, I'm thinking a little fall photo shoot in this location would be beautiful. Don't you think?

The Hotness

The weather continues to be sweltering. Temperatures in the high nineties have left every known swimming hole slam packed with people. Friday evening and Saturday were spent at racetracks, drinking water non-stop and hoping for a breeze. But Sunday, oh sweet Sunday, was spent at the river. And what a glorious day it was. I would love to share some pics, but in my excitement to go swimming, I forgot my camera. Maybe next time.


Clicking through my photo file, these three images called my name. You can almost feel the heavy late summer heat coming off of them. How about that outdoor shower? Not a necessity, but definitely awesome. That little patio is one of my favorites. Perfect for some chit-chat and a big glass of sweet tea. And the pool.... well, it needs no explanation. Let's just say that I am very jealous.

So, what do you do when it gets too hot outside?


*1 & 2 from Sunset. 3 from Haute Design.

Bright and Beachy Thoughts

First of all, I would like to say thanks for all the great comments on my Mean Girls post. When you don't get quick feedback on a subject like that, you start to wonder if you offended someone. But you ladies came through with such beautiful thoughts on the matter. Of course, just another reason to love this blogging community so much. :)

Now, on to something sunny for your Friday musing. This cheery bright beach house is the 2009 Southern Living Idea House located in Texas. For those of us in the dead of winter right now, this house is fodder for many a mid afternoon daydream.

Notice the backsplash in this kitchen. It's made of antiqued mirror. It has a great reflective quality without being too perfect. Don't you think? Love it!

I have always adored the idea of a bunk room. There are lots of kids in my family and I guarantee that they would LOVE having a big open bunk room to play and sleep in together at the beach. (I also like how this one is open to the room below, so that you can keep an eye and an ear on those little boogers.)

How's this for a happy color? A bright goldenrod yellow in just the right dose. I'm loving everything about this place. I would be a very happy girl to be basking in the warm summer sun in a place like this. Ahhh. Summer. How I miss you.

Happy weekend darlings. I hope it's a good one.

~Jo~