Summmer Read: Silver Girl

If your looking for something new to read I recommend Silver Girl, by Elin Hilderbrand.  This book came out in June and it should definitely be a must have on your reading list!

The story focuses around Meredith, who just lost everything in her life, due to her husbands'  shady business dealings in the form of a Ponzi scheme.  Luckily, Meredith receives a call from her lifelong, but now estranged friend Connie who helps her by taking her to Nantucket to lay low while she awaits the results of a pending federal investigation.  While in Nantucket, both women deal with their past and present, while slowly allowing the the power of love, frienship and forgiveness to work on them.

The characters are well developed and you get a sense of who they are and where they come from.  Most importantly, once you start reading you won't want to let the book down!


Disclaimer: I recieved this book from Hachette Book Group for review purposes and was not financially compensated for this post.  All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

CLUE: Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Edition

As you all may know today,  July 15th,  marks the general premiere of the last Harry Potter movie: Harry Potter and  The Deathly Hallows part 2!  I for one happen to be a fan of the franchise and am a tad bit sad that this will be the last time we see Harry, Hermione and Ron on the big screen.
Don't worry, if you happen to be a fan, there's still a way to keep enjoying the teenage wizards' adventures with...CLUE: Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Edition!  This board game is a new version of a Hasbro classic, which will most definitely delight both Potter fans and CLUE fans alike.

" a bewitching mystery that has players exploring the halls of Hogwarts, the Forbidden Forest, the Ministry of Magic and beyond. A Hogwarts student has gone missing and it’s your job to uncover the mystery – Where did the attack occur? Who did it? Which weapon or spell did they use? Players take on the identity of their favorite “Harry Potter” character and then race to decipher clues, uncover secrets and solve the mystery of the missing student!"

Believe it or not I'm a CLUE newbie and I was quite thrilled with the game!  Playing this game was a great way to entertain ourselves and enjoy some fun family time in the quiet and comfort of our home.

CLUE: HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS EDITION is available at major retailers.

Are you a fan of the Harry Potter movies? Have you played this game yet

Disclaimer: I recieved the featured product at no cost for review purposes only. All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way. I was not financially compensated for this post.

Seventh Generation Free & Clear Diapers Review & Giveaway {CLOSED}

I was recently introduced to Seventh Generation Free & Clear diapers!

 I was impressed with the overall product! They are very absorbent and not bulky at all; but most importantly they did not give my son a rash!

 These diapers do not have  added pigments, chlorine, fragrances, latex or petroleum based lotions which is a good thing because the less additives something has the better it is for my son.   Because Seventh Generation diapers don't have any of these components you get a simple beige colored diaper that is manufactured with the main focus of just helping keep a baby dry and help the environment.

The diapers have a nice elastic stretch in the back as well as to the sides where the tapes are, so my son seemed comfortable everytime he wore the diapers.  I know several other people who purchase Seventh Generation diapers for there children and are more than happy with them.

FACTS

• In an effort to contribute less overall landfill waste and continue to ensure a premium standard of absorbency, the new Free & Clear diapers have been redesigned with a lighter-weight core.
• With processed chlorine-free wood pulp in Free & Clear diapers, Seventh Generation also makes certain that no chlorine is released into the environment during the totally chlorine-free (TCF) whitening process of the diapers and training pants.
• Seventh Generation has also reduced the size of the diapers´ plastic packaging, meaning that each pack now contributes even less overall landfill waste than before.
• Seventh Generation Free & Clear diaper packaging can now be recycled at local supermarkets where plastic bag recycling collection boxes are available.

GET A COUPON

 Visit http://bit.ly/seventhgendcoupon to download a printable coupon for $2.00 OFF any ONE Seventh Generation Baby Product (Diapers, Training Pants, or Wipes)!

GIVEAWAY!

[1] reader will receive a package of Seventh Geration Clean & Clear diapers.

{Open to U.S.only}

RULES:

• Leave 1 comment per entry (If it says +2, then leave 2 comments)
• Leave your e-mail address with each entry.
• Leave your GFC name, facebook name, twitter ID {according to the network you leave a comment for}

ENTRIES:

• Follow Always Around Boys publicly via GFC  {mandatory}
• What do you love about eco-conscious baby products? +2
• Follow AAB on Facebook
• Follow Seventh Generation on Facebook
• Follow AAB on Twitter
• Follow Seventh Generation on Twitter
• Tweet the following:
• Win a package of @SeventhGen diapers @AABmommyBlogger U.S. only ends 07-27-2011 #myblogspark http://alwaysaroundboys.blogspot.com 
• Can be done daily
• Leave link
• Write a post about this giveaway on your blog or blog related facebook page & make sure to link back here. You can do both if you wish. Let me know where to find it +2 each

This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. Ends(07/027/2011) at 12:00 NOON Eastern Time. The winner will be selected by using random.org. I will post the winner on my blog and e-mail them. The winner will have 24 hours to respond or another winner will be selected. Afterward the winner's info will be passed on to the company rep.

WINNER

comment # 10

Angie

Disclaimer: I recieved the featured product, free of charge, for product review purposes. The coupon, prize pack, information and giveaway were all provided by Seventh Generation through MyBlogSpark. All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way.

King Ranch Chicken

I recently posted about some yummy tortillas that I recieved to review. I showcased the tortillas in what I called a Southwestern style lasagna.  Beth was interested in the recipe, so here it is!

King Ranch Chicken {taken out of a magazine, I don't know when}

INGREDIENTS

• 1    green or yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2  medium white onion, chopped
• 1    {10 ounce} can diced tomatoes w/ green chilies
• 1/2  pound chicken, cooked and cubed
• 18 yellow corn tortillas {I used about 12 flour tortillas and they were cut up in square pieces}This will depend on the the sizeof your pan
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 packet ranch seasoning
• 2-4 cups of monterrey jack cheese { I used a combination of cheddar and swiss}
• in our version, we added some Mexicorn {green giant}

Procedure

• Blend the chicken broth, sour cream and ranch seasoning until smooth
• Cover the bottom of an 8 x 9 pan with tortilla slices
• Sprinkle cheese, tomatoes, peppers, corn, onions and chicken on top of the tortillas
• Keep building layers just like you would a lasagna
• When you get to the final layer topped with tortillas, pour the sour cream mixture evenly over the casserole and set aside for 3 minutes.
• Top with remaining cheese and tomatoes
• Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and starts to brown.

Giveaway Winner Announcement

Thank you so much to all the people who participated in the $20 gift card giveaway!

Here is the result:

15. Carolsue said...

I like you on Facebook
(Carolsue A.)

Carolsue was chosen by random.org, fulfilled the mandatory entry and followed up with this additional entry of following on FB.

I will be e-mailing Carolsue so she can send me her mailing info, so I know where to send the prize.

Please keep coming back to my blog for product reviews and more giveaways { children's book, summer reads, 7th generation diapers, Tiger Balm and much more}

Gerome the Giraffe

If your kid is like mine then chances are that he/she falls asleep in the car very often.  The only problem with this is that his head just bobs sideways and to the front.  This makes me very uneasy because I can never be sure if he is completely comfortable or not.  When he was younger he had a neck pillow, but outgrew it.

Luckily, Gerome the Giraffe neck rest arrived in the mail for him.  Gerome is part of a new travel-friendly product line called“Are We There Yet” from toy and gift manufacturer Aurora World Inc

As soon as I took it out of the package and held it my immediate thoughts were that it is extremely cute, soft, plush and any kid would like it.

I also happen to like it because in the case it ever gets too dirty I can just throw it in a warm wash and pass it over to the dryer, as simple as that.

As you can see, this neckpillow isn't just good for travel by car, plane or train but also for those times at home when you're just relaxing and watching some t.v.  The truth is,  I think I might borrow the neck rest for my next trip in September.

My son just so happens to think that his neck rest is also a toy that he sometimes carries around and offers to others so they can lay there heads down.

The “Are We There Yet” line also features plush toys, backpacks and “MyName Is” ID tags.  The line is based on Aurora’s monkey character Cheeky Charlie and his jungle friends.

CHECK THESE OUT

 www.auroragift.com

 http://shop.auroragift.com 

 www.facebook.com/auroraworld.

Have you tried any product from this line?

Disclaimer: I recieved the featured product at no cost for review purposes only.  All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way. I was not financially compensated for  this post.

Yummy Tortillas

I love how versatile tortillas can be;  you can use them for burritos, tacos or quesadillas. The kind I buy is already pre-cooked and the truth is they are pretty bland. 

Little did I know that Tortilla Land offers fresh flour tortillas!  I swear that prior to trying this product I had no idea that there was such a thing as a fresh tortilla.  Needless to say that they are delish!

We're staying with the in-laws for the summer so we get to enjoy my mother-in-law's cooking.  We decided to try out the tortillas, but instead of going the expected burrito way she decided to use the tortillas in a what I call a South Western inspired style lasgana.

The recipe called for corn tortilla chips, but we substituted them for flour tortillas and end result was really yummy!

Prepping everything.

Each layer calls for tortilla slices, chicken, corn, diced tomatoes and lots of other kinds of yummy savory goodness and then you put the dish in the oven.

We accompanied this entree with a green salad.

This turned out soooo goooood!

. These fresh Tortilla Land tortillas were just the thing that this dish needed to pull it all together.  Every bite was so good and you would think that the tortillas would get all soggy, but they still had a nice bite to them. I think I might never go back to using actual lasagna pasta ever again

Here are some recipes for those of you who like to experiment with new dishes using tortillas:

http://www.tortillaland.com/recipes

Sometime during next week I'm going to show you how else you can use the tortillas when you are short on time.

Disclaimer: I recieved Tortilla Land tortillas for review purposes only.  I was not compensated for this post.

4th of July

Happy 4th of July!

My family and I went to a local parade.

What are you up to today?