Last Spring, which feels like a million years ago, Tupperware was running a special on this adorable Party Set for Kids!  At the time it was only $19.99!  I fell in love with it.  Look at the adorable tiny pitcher and that mini version of the classic cake taker! I purchased 3 sets to give to my 3 youngest granddaughters. 

     I gave my granddaughter Emily a set first.  She loved it and I actually decorated a mini cake so that we could have a little party with her parents and my husband.  It was so cute and fun! 

    I got to thinking that it would be a lot of work to make a real cake every time the girls wanted to play with these sets.  Wouldn't it be great if I made a play cake that they could use when a real little cake wasn't available? 
    Well, I kept thinking and thinking about that idea as Emily played with her little set, and then I gave the second set to Amelia and I still thought it would be a good idea.  Now, the time has come for me to give the final set to Sofia, and I have finally taken my idea and turned it into reality!  

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     A couple of months ago, I ordered peaches and pears to can.  That was before our household was hit with Covid.  I totally forgot about that order and I was taken aback when it arrived because now I needed to get some canning done at the same time as taking care of my husband who is still in the hospital recovering.  It has worked out alright because Maricopa County has very strict rules about how often and how long my visits can be.  So, coming home and doing an activity that I normally love doing gives me something else to think about rather than brooding over my dear husband's slow recovery.  
     If that wasn't enough for me, the produce wholesale place where I sometimes find really great deals had one of those really great deals this last week.  Crazy woman that I am, on my way to see my husband, I swung by the drive through cash and carry sale and asked for mangos and apples.  At the same time as they were loading my order, my SIL called, so I was a bit distracted, so I may have heard the attendant wrong as he read me my order.  Imagine my surprise when, after being with my husband and then returning home to unload my produce, I found that they gave me a large box of avocados instead of apples!  It was too late to go swap them out, the place was closed!  Don't get me wrong, I really like avocados, but I was looking forward to some Cinnamon Red Hot Apple Rings! 
     I found out that avocado pulp can be frozen for later use, but so far I have been handing out avocados to family and friends pretty quickly.
      I would be remiss if I didn't mention the beautiful, super large mangos that I also purchased!  They are so sweet and amazing!  And, now that I have some great mangos and wonderful fresh peaches at my house at the same time, I decided that today, I would use some of those avocados myself and make this amazingly delicious Peach Mango Salsa w/Avocados!  Not all Peach Mango Salsa recipes also have avocados in them.  But, the perfectly ripe avocado is so creamy and delicious when eaten in this salsa.  When you get a little of each ingredient on a chip, it is the perfect bite! 

    Not only is this salsa good with tortilla chips, one of my favorite ways to eat it is as a topping to grilled chicken.  I made that for dinner for my son and I tonight.  We ate it up really fast and I forgot to take a picture.  Trust me, it looked and tasted delicious!  Here is the recipe for this fabulous salsa! 

This recipe is really quick to put together and gives such a great result.  I hope you give it a try! 
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Other Salsa Recipes You Might Love:
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The Best, Easy, Fresh Salsa
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Get Your Salsa On! (Mom's Favorite)
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Shrimp Salsa

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     Now that school is back in full swing, kids need to be reading books for book reports, be exposed to  different genres and  fulfill homework assignments to read for a certain amount of time and so forth.  Sometimes it is really difficult to decide what to choose to read when kids are in those middle grades!  I asked my two oldest granddaughters to give me a hand for this post and tell me what they have been loving to read lately.  They are in grades 7 and 5 this year.  Here is what is on their favorites lists and what they have to say about these books. 

Heidi Heckelbeck by Wanda Coven:   Stories of an ordinary girl who happens to be a witch is one of Jayda's favorites!  She loved the fun and silliness of the stories and can't wait to read them all! There are 10 books in the series! 

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate: This is the story of a gorilla who has lived in captivity al of his life, told from his perspective.  Shyanne says that even though Ivan is a gorilla, readers can still compare his experiences to their own lives and learn from Ivan's challenges.  

Sixth Grade Secrets by Louis Sachar:  Shyanne says that if you like humor, this book is for you.  She says that it really did sum up what 6th grade was like for her! Sounds like a great choice for a 6th grader! 

Wings of Fire Series by Tui T. Southerland:  This series is so popular that school librarians can't keep them on the shelves!  Shyanne and her brother have both enjoyed these books immensely! This is a fantasy series where dragons are the main characters.  There is a lot of action and adventure that kids and adults love! 

Horse Diaries by Catherine Hapka: If you have a kid who loves horses like my granddaughters do, they will enjoy these books told from the horses point of view! The nice thing is that there are so many in the series, it will be a long time before they run out of something to read! 

    I love that these girls have varied tastes that run from fantasy to humor and everything in between.  Hopefully some of their ideas will appeal to your kids! 

    Here are some past reading selections that your kids may enjoy! 
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The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

​The Geronimo Stilton Series

​Treasure Island (Don't forget the Classics!)

5 Timeless Book Series for Tweens

24 Christmas Books to Read with Your Kids
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