Skippyjon Jones Giveaway!

My kids love Skippyjon Jones!  And I was so excited to hear about this giveaway from Crayons & Curls.  What an adorable outfit!!  My girls love to dress up, so this would be right up their alley.  Go HERE to enter the giveaway!!  Hurry, you must enter by Monday!

Tomato, Avocado, and Millet Salad

I have been going through a journey of sorts lately related to some health problems that I have been having. I have had to reevaluate what I eat if I want to be healthier in all areas of my life. My mom has had to go through something similar and because of her problems, is on a very strict diet that is gluten and dairy free. She had sent me some information at the end of 2010 regarding some of my problems, and I read through it, but was not serious enough to want to start anything. I couldn't wrap my head around it and frankly I was scared. Scared I was not going to be able to eat what I wanted. Scared that I was going to be on this bland diet eating nothing but salads all day, every day, and I really didn't want to. But then, with a flare-up again at the end of August, I made the decision to follow this diet to the tee. I was off of all sugars, refined and processed foods, and anything that could be broken down into sugars in my body. It was definitely hard, but I managed to lose a couple pounds. I felt wonderful; I felt healthy; I felt alive! Then, I fell off the wagon and started eating the not-sp-healthy things again. My girth increased, my slugishness returned and I was feeling rather blah. After a calorie and sugar laden holiday season, I am trying very hard to return to that point of healthy. One of the things I have discovered is this awesome salad. I love it!! It is very filling, and I love all the fresh ingredients. It is a snap to whip up and is a wonderfully, light dinner.

Tomato, Avocado, and Millet Salad
Adapted from a recipe found on the Candida diet
1 cup millet, cooked and cooled slightly
1 avocado
1 Roma tomato or 15 cherry tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBSP olive oil
Juice of 1 lime
Few sprigs of cilantro, chopped

Peel, seed and chop the avocado. Chop the tomato into bite-sized pieces or halve the cherry tomatoes. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients and toss to coat. Enjoy!

Yields 2 side-salad portions or one dinner sized portion

Checkered Fences

Checkered Fences by Alma Hudson is the story of Diane Jones-a young black girl growing up in California during the 1970s. Her life has not been easy. She is determined to never have to depend on a man for anything. After seeing her mother suffer so much at the hands of her father, Diane is determined to not make those same mistakes. When Diane meets David Shaw-the eldest son of the couple for whom she nannies-she is bothered by the fact that she feels an instant attraction for him. Not only is he a male, but he is a white male and the son of her employer. She is determined to do everything to not fall for him, however, David makes it very difficult when all of his attention is focused on her.

This story was very poignant and while it dealt with such themes as abuse and discrimination, which I have never dealt with, I was still able to relate to Diane. I was able to relate to her humble upbringing, her desire to finish college and her drive to work hard. Ms. Hudson developed characters that were believable, and showed raw emotions through small snippets of the days. I was pleased to see the transformation take place in Diane. She realizes that not all men are abusers like her father, and that David only has her best interests in mind with the attention he gives to her. She is used to being invisible, but with David she is invisible no more. This book was a delight to read, and one that I had a very hard time putting down. A short novella great for an afternoon read!

Thank you to Reader's Favorite for providing a copy of this book to me for review.