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Made this for dinner last night and it was better than a restaurant....YUM-O! And, it is a lighter version to boot. Enjoy!

I'm a giver. I love giving gifts to people. I love making gifts for people even more. This year I made some ball jars filled with candy and then I wrapped them up pretty with ribbon, paper and handmade tags. I gave them out to teachers and bus drivers, etc. I hope they have as much fun eating them as much as I enjoyed making them. :)

Every year at this time our local volunteer firemen do a candy cane run. They come to the neighborhood in their fire truck and honk their horn delivering candy canes and stopping to talk to the kiddos and even pose for a few photos. Such a FUN tradition!!!!! Ho Ho Ho Merry Christmas!!!!

My little drama queen has been attending an after school class called Rising Stars. She loves it. They sing and dance and actually had to learn a part in a play, The Little Engine that Could. Natalie had to play the part of the clown...how fitting. She is my silly little goose. :) We were invited to come see them perform at the last class a couple of weeks ago. It was adorable. The instructor did a fabulous job getting the kids to learn their lines and really act their parts. And, at the end she even presented them with their own Oscars!!!! Natalie wanted to know why she got a statue of a naked man???? Oh, she kills me. ;) I'm so grateful for these little after school programs. :)

Every year about this time we and our really good friends, the Nemeceks, go up into the mountains and chop down our Christmas tree. We eat dinner or lunch and make a day out of it. Good times! And, there is always a story to tell. Always a great memory made. One year Phil decided to pull his tree from behind instead of pushing it in front like the rest of the people. Well, almost all the way down the hill Dylan says to Phil..."where's your tree?" LOL!!!! Here he was bragging and boasting how brilliant he was because pulling it from behind was so easy. Sure, it was easy when you are not pulling a huge Christmas tree. LOL!!! This year did not disappoint. Just as we were getting ready to leave the tree farm, our trees all secured on top of the cars, their car wouldn't start. After a jump start from us all was well but we couldn't stop laughing because it's always an adventure. Good Times for sure!

Last week the girl scouts went to Westmoreland Sanctuary to earn a try it badge for candlemaking. This place is great. The woman who runs the programs is so knowledgable and wonderful with the kiddos. I've seen her do a thing on maple syrup. :) Anyhoo, the girls LOVED it. They got to choose the color candle they wanted to make and then they hand dipped wick tied on a hanger into hot wax. They were so into it and counted just like they were told. I think it took 50 dips to make a taper candle. Natty decided to make a green one and she's going to give it to my Mom for her birthday this Saturday....so CUTE!

For all those in a dinner rut, I've got some recipes for you. If you are short on time but want big flavor, try these out. It's a week's worth of recipes. Monday: Grilled Fish with Orange-Fennel Salsa 5 tablespoons olive oil 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro 5 teaspoons soy sauce 2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger 2 teaspoons sugar 3 oranges 1 medium fennel bulb, trimmed, cut into matchstick-size strips 1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced 4 (6 ounce) fillets rockfish or sea bass Whisk 2 tablespoons oil, vinegar, cilantro, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, ginger and sugar in medium bowl. Cut peel and white pith from oranges; discard. Holding oranges over bowl to catch juices, cut between membranes to release segments into bowl. Add fennel and onion; toss gently. Season with salt and pepper. (Salsa can be made 3 hours ahead. Cover; chill.) Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Mix 3 tablespoons oil, 1 tablespoon soy...

So, I am a big Rachael Ray fan. I was super excited to watch her new daytime talk show when it debuted a couple of months ago. And then...whoa!!! She was outta control...yelling and talking nonstop. I love her but I just couldn't watch it. Oh well. Fast forward to today. I was ironing. I love to iron. :) But, I digress. And when I iron I always watch mindless tv, ya know, Y&R, The Golden Girls, The View, etc. That way I don't feel so guilty. I was so into ironing that I found myself at 10 am and still wanting to go strong. So, I said let's give Rach another chance. And, boy am I glad I did. She made this chicken and dumpling stoup that looked TDF. I finished up and ran out to the store to get the ingredients. It was so worth it. It smelled and tasted soooooo good!!!! I used chopped meat instead of ground chicken cause I had that in the fridge. I bought a loaf of Italian bread and made my famous zucchini pie to go with. YUM-O!!! You need to make this.....

Before I scrapbooked, I stamped cards. I still love to make cards but now I mostly use my scraps from a layout to make them. I used to go to friends' houses to get new ideas. I would almost pass out from the excitement of the new SU catty. But, then it slowly started to fade. Scrapbooking consumed me. And what better way to put scraps to use than to make cards with them. But lately I've been itching to simply make a card...design it, stamp it, create it all from scratch. So, last night, I made a stamped card, my first one in a really long time. I think I need to spend more time making these types of cards....:)

on Scrapjazz that is. :) This month my product spotlight was the fabulous Scenic Route. The gallery is full of fabulous layouts showcasing this amazing product. Here are my contributions.

I think not. But, the skeleton cupcakes I made for Dylan's Halloween party were quite the hit. Even his teacher thought they were cool. :) I got the idea from Family Fun magazine. Month after month it is full of great ideas for the family. And the best is that they are doable unlike some other ideas where you literally have to be Martha or they don't come out right. LOL! Hope your Halloween was fun and safe and full of treats! :) Mo

It is so easy to take for granted all the good things in life when so much is filled with day to day busy-ness. We need to stop and be thankful. For me to be more positive, I need to think more positively. Writing down all that's good in my life will help me. I am sure of that! So, I started a Gratitude Journal and I got some lovely ladies over at DML to join me. You can too. We just started so it's not too late. Every other day, I post a prompt, hopefully, helping us become more grateful in our lives. Come check it out in the Challenge section at www.downmemorylaneco.com This is my front and inside cover....

Today was Dominique's much anticipated Build a Bear birthday party. Natalie has been asking how much longer til the day of the party since we got the invitation. LOL! She's so CUTE. She picked a sweet looking bear and named her Caramel Heart. Of course we just had to buy the leopard print reversable jean jacket, skirt, matching purse and black shoes to go with! ;) Since we were in Danbury already for the party, we took a quick trip to Blue Jay Orchards to pick some pumpkins. We even convinced my sister and her family to meet us there. It was a fabulous day...warm and sunny! And, we came home with 4 pumkins. One for each member of the family. :) Dylan took his pumpkin picking seriously and would not pick just any pumpkin. So after much consideration, this is the one he chose... And.....my favorite photo. My sweet niece. She was quite uncooperative for her Mama but I sure got thee shot of the day. HeeHeeHee! ;)

I can remember when I first starting looking at online galleries and I noticed everyone used this bazzill cardstock. Well, of course I never heard of it and thought what's so special about it. Ha! I'll tell you what's so special about it...it's rich colors and amazing textures! I will now not use any other cardstock (with the exception of The Paper Company's white cardstock) on my layouts and cards. :) So, you can imagine how excited I was to learn that my Scrapjazz spotlight this month was none other than Bazzill Basics! I went a little nuts and created 3 layouts and 4 cards.... And, here is my new addiction....making cards with the Bazzill Chip Toppers!!!!

I've been tagged by the Goober herself to list 7 songs that I'm into right now. It's gonna be hard since I tend to listen to the same 2 songs over and over again. But here goes nothing... 1. Over My Head, The Fray (How To Save a Life) 2. Far Away, Nickelback (All the Right Reasons) 3. Crazy, Gnarls Barkley (St Elsewhere) 4. London Bridge, Fergie (Fergie) 5. Dani California, Chili Peppers (Stadium Arcadium) 6. Move Along, All American Rejects (Move Along) 7. Black Horse & The Cherry Tree, KT Tunstall (Eye to the Telescope) Didn't think I could do it...;) Now I tag: -Reenie Roo -Lindsay Teague -CP -Karen Bukovan -Slammie -Jenny -Susan :)

My little man officially became a Bear Scout on Friday. He received his new Bear hat, neckerchief and slide. :) We had a little ceremony with the rest of the Den before our weekly activities. This year a few of Dylan's friends dropped out of Scouts. I was so proud of him for wanting to do it even tho his good buddies were not. :) I don't know if we'll make it to Eagle Scout, but we are well on our way. Congrats Dylan!!!!!

Feeling a bit bored with the daily grind lately. Ho Hum. Don't know how to mix it up tho. Ho Hum. Coffee with the girls would be nice but everyone has such hectic schedules that it just doesn't happen. Ho Hum. I'd like to sit and scrap all day but then I pay for it the next day with all the chores I neglected in order to scrap. Ho Hum. The gym is not just calling my name, it's frickin screaming....RAMONA!!! GET BACK HERE!!!!!! But, here I sit vegging in front of the puter. Ho Hum. I need a good swift kick in the rear these days to do anything. WTH? Anybody care to share some pearls of wisdom. I can't seem to figure it out??? I truly had no idea that life could be so...ho hum! :(

Saturday morning means soccer in our house. When I woke up, it was dark and dreary but by the time we got to the soccer field the sun was shining. It actually turned out to be a fantastic day. Soccer pix were a nightmare. They took so long that Natty didn't even get to play a real game. She played for 15 minutes against her own team because the opposing team was still taking their pictures. She was very disappointed. :( Then it was Dylan's turn. His pix did not go much smoother but at least they allowed them to play an entire game. And boy was it ever a good one. Dylan played the best I've ever seen. He was in on every play and even had an assist. Good schtuff! And...guess who lost her first tooth? That's right! Yesterday during Dylan's soccer game, Natalie lost her first tooth. She was so excited! She kept saying I'm gonna get alot of money from the tooth fairy because it's my first lost tooth. :) That's it for me. Enjoy!

So, last night I could not wait for the new epi of Laguna. The thing between Cameron and Tessa was so hyped. So hyped that I was apt to be disappointed. And, I was. I guess you can't fit it all in a half hour. MTV, if you are reading this, that show needs to be longer!!!!! :) But, they always get me with the coming attractions. And next week's coming attractions were killer! It looks like Tessa gets dissed and Cameron is with Jess. Now, I know lots of you people don't like Jess. But, I do. I think that poor girl has gotten the short end of the stick for too long! She needs someone to pick her for once! Go Jess! Besides, Tessa and Chase are destined to be together anyway... And, why on earth are Cameron's friends so amped to get him away from Jess. They all say she's a nice girl but you need to break loose form her. For what reason? Can you tell that I absolutely LOVE that show? I love the drama, the clothes, the scenery and their own little cute langu...

So, the first day of school went off without a hitch. Backpacks filled with new supplies, forms all filled out and sent in, pictures taken for the scrapbooks and we were ready and waiting for the bus x2. Yes, this year we are on 2 different buses with 2 different schedules. I was dreading this day. I thought it was going to be rough but I think it was actually smoother. I was able to get each one fed and ready alone. Yeah, I think I like the new schedule. :) So now the fun begins. We are very busy during the school year with homework and activities. We start today with gymnastics for Dylan. I missed Natty's first class yesterday...ooops! I was just not even thinking about it because getting ready for school was on my mind. We'll just have to make it up at some point. But, as long as I am on a schedule and make my lists and plan my meals all should be good. Ok. I'm off to go put some dinner in the crockpot. C-yas!

It's apple picking time. It's the very beginning of the season but it's starting already. I've been in a funk lately with summer being alomst over and school starting again. So, my hubby has been getting me out of the house in an effort to snap me out of it. Sunday we went to a really huge outdoor flea market and ate crab cake sandwiches for lunch. And yesterday we went to one of our favorite local orchards to pick some apples. There were only two varities, jonamac and macintosh, but we managed to pick two bag fulls. I guess I'll be making an apple crisp this week and putting them in the kiddos lunch boxes. You know what they say...an apple a day, keeps the doctor away. :) C-yas! Mo

Go to www.downmemorylaneco.com and check them out. They are posted on the Scrap Talk board. Free stuff is a good thing. :) Well...what are you waiting for??? Go there now! ;) Hope you are all enjoying your holiday weekend. :) Mo

Happy September 1st!!! Summer is winding down...boo hoo. :( I am so *not* ready to see it go. But, what better way to keep it going then with some beach layouts. LOL! This month my product spotlight at Scrapjazz is the FABULOUS new Karen Foster Design. The papers, rub on and stickers are simply gawgeous! I was in Heaven getting to create with this stuff. And, it just so happens that it was chock full of summer/beach themed lines. Yay! :D And, the theme (secrets) and technique (ad inspiration) are so cool too. I absolutely love using ads as inpsiration for my layouts so the technique was right up my alley! And, the secrets theme was just plain fun to do. So there's a peek at my stuff for this month. Thanks for looking! C-yas!

If it seems like I haven't been home all summer, that's because I haven't. After spending a month in Florida, we spent a long weekend in the Poconos. Two other families and us spent 4 days in Woodloch Pines in the Poconos. It's a fun family resort, ya know the kind with planned activities, shows, meals, etc. It rained 3 out of the 4 days but we didn't let that stop us from having a blast. In fact, if it hadn't been for the rain, I would have never gotten the gang to play bingo and Stew wouldn't have won the jackpot. Ka-Ching! :D We crammed all the lake/outdoor activities in the only day it didn't rain. It also happened to be the day of the cookout and carnival. All was good. Enjoy some pix from our weekend. C-yas!!!!!

Work Out and Laguna Beach I mean. :D Over the summer, I fell in love with the show Work Out on Bravo. It's about this trainer/gym owner extraordinaire Jackie Warner. She runs this primo gym in Beverly Hills and it follows her career as well as her personal life. I got sucked in so quickly as I long to live in LA and experience California living for a few years. I loved catching glimpses of the streets of LA and such. Anyhoo, last night was the season finale and man was it a good one. Jackie has been sparring with her partner Mimi the last few epi's and it finally came to a crashing halt last night with Mimi throwing a glass at Jackie's head. Whoa!!! :O Needless to say, Mimi is a donefor and Jackie is moving onwards and upwards. I just hope there wil be a season 2. Anyone know? Riveting tv I tell ya. LOL!!!!! Now for the Beach. Laguna Beach that is. I missed the season premiere because I was on vacation and have no earthly idea what day it is when I'm on vac...

This has to be the worst part about coming home from vacation. And remember we were gone an entire month! :O Seriously, if I didn't have a nagging husband, I'd never unpack. I'd just live outta the suitcases until there was nothing in them. LOL! You think I'm joking? I kid you not. ;) So that's on my agenda for today...unpacking. I'm hoping to get rid of at least one suitcase. Anything more would be gravy. :) A trip to BJ's is in order too. We are down to our last roll of tp. I'm gonna start twitching soon. :D And the winners of my little quote contest are Shirley and Reenie Roo! Yeah!!!! Pmail me your addy's and I'll get some little goodies out to ya! :) Ok. I bid you all adieu for today. And, I leave you with a few more shots from our trip. C-yas!

Miami is nice So I'll say it twice Miami Miami That's where I've been for the past month. Soaking up the fabulous sunshine, swimming in the refreshing water, gazing at the beautiful palm trees and simply have a marvelous time. I love it!!!!!! Now it's back to reality....work, errands, chores, bills, unpacking and getting ready for school. So, I better start my day but not before I leave you with some of my favorite photos..... P.S. A RAK to anyone who can tell me where that little poem I quoted above comes from. :D C-yas!!!!!!!