Really Hot Salsa

I've been buggin' a lot of the people I know for a while about how to make my salsa hotter. Well, I figured it out. When I picked up ingredients today I skipped the jalapenos and grabbed a handful of Serrano peppers. Let me say that I have used eight jalapenos and one Serrano pepper and could barely taste any heat. This time I threw about eight Serrano peppers into the food chopper... oops. Now I have burn-a-hole-in-your-stomach salsa. You can't even begin to contemplate the missing cilantro because the burn is so strong. The only thing I think will fix it is about four more pounds of tomatoes.

Does anyone know if you can freeze salsa? If I can't, I'll make a pitcher of margaritas and have everyone over to help us out.

Facebook and a Reunion

So, I've been really neglecting to blog lately. My apologies to anyone who actually checks. It all started with our 15 year high school reunion -- that is what prompted me to join Facebook. For those who might not know, Facebook is a networking site that is a little addicting. I've connected with all sorts of people from work, college, and even a girl that was my best pal in kindergarten. If you've ever had the thought "I wonder what ever happened to so-in-so," Facebook is where you can likely find out. As I write, I've already thought of two more people that I want to look up.

As for the reunion, not many people showed up. Actually, we didn't make it to the more formal dinner, just the family picnic on the following day. Here are a few pictures:



It was a warm day that involved a lot of sunscreen. Sophia had a good time. Afterwards we headed to my mom's place where Sophia took a good nap and ended up sleeping pretty decently that night.

Sophia Began Counting

On Thursday Sophia started counting out of the blue. Well, she recites numbers in order, but it really isn't counting yet. It was exciting to us all the same.

Book Obsession

This evening, after reading Goodnight Moon 123 for the hundredth time, I realized that I haven't blogged about Sophia's addiction to print. She loves books -- always has. But it wasn't until recently that she has become a little obsessive about which one or two books must be read at nap and bedtime. The girl has an over-flowing basket filled with all sorts of books that we have read over and over, but she won't look at any of them unless we read one in particular. Two weeks ago it was a book called The Smartest Giant in Town, which is a fairly long book to commit to every time we sit down. Before that it was The Gruffalo -- also a book that is just a bit too long for me to have perfectly memorized. Two weeks seems to be my limit, then the book starts getting piled under all of the rest in the basket. If she finds it, we read it. But, when she doesn't, it seems to prompt her to pick a new favorite that she can't go without. The one exception is a book called Mommies. I found it in a box of old books from my preschool teaching days. It is the last book we read before she gets into the crib and she sleeps with it. It is looking pretty worn. It is out of print, but it looks like I can get a replacement copy if I ever need to.

Independence Day Parade

Our new little neighborhood had a parade for the Fourth of July, complete with a police escort. All of the kids in the neighborhood were invited to participate, so we strapped Sophia into the bike trailer and handed her a flag. It was a cute event. Here are some highlights:


Our neighbor's have a little girl named Sofia, too. She's five and was able to drive her own car in the parade.


Franco was kind enough to ride the bike in the parade so I didn't have to do it in the skirt I wore that day.

Sofia's jeep battery was dying by the time we got near her house, so she hopped in with our little Sophia for the last leg.