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Well, folks, the new year is almost here and it's resolution time. I've got quite a few and I plan on sticking to 'em. I thought that maybe if I typed them up here one of you would hold me accountable. Anyone up to the challenge? Hehehe! 1. Go to the gym! 2. Eat less cookies! 3. Take care of my health! 4. Make more time for scrapbooking! 5. Meet with the girls more often! 6. Finish my knitting projects! 7. Complete my 9 on 9 album! 8. Think more positively! I think that's enough for this year. And to start off the new year right here are 2 new layouts using mostly American Crafts product. :) TFL!

As part of a Try It, Natalie and a few of her fellow Brownies took part in a TKD demonstration. To say that she was in her element is an understatement. She loved it and we found out that she is equally as strong with her left foot as with her right. So, now she wants to take TKD lessons. I feel bad for her brother. LOL!!! Here's a shot of the girls in the troop that attended the event. :) Learning a proper stance. Getting ready to attack! LOL! Breaking the board on her first try. I need to get a photo of her holding the two pieces!!

Doesn't this look delish? Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray. I think I may make this next week. :) FOUR SERVINGS Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: 40 min 1 1/2 pounds baby red potatoes, cut into small chunks 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil 3 scallions, white parts only, thinly sliced 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves Grated peel and juice of 3 lemons Salt 5 tablespoons butter 1/2 cup flour 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds total), halved and pounded thin 1. Preheat the oven to 400°. In a roasting pan, toss the potatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, the scallions, rosemary, and peel and juice of 2 lemons; season liberally with salt. Roast until golden and tender, about 40 minutes. 2. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil with 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Place the flour in a shallow bowl; season with salt. Dredge 2 chicken breasts in the flour, shaking off any excess. Fry until just cooked through, about...

Every year since Natalie was a baby we've gone with our friends The Nemeceks to chop down our Christmas Tree. We usually go to a place up in Rhinebeck, NY called Battenfelds. But last year our friends could not make it and we found this new place much closer and we actually liked it much better. And, Five Guys is on the way there so it's really a no brainer when you think about it. ;) We had a fabulous time that day and I love that we are creating fun family memories. Ones that I hope the kiddos will remember forever. :) Our Family Photo. :) A couple of pix of the kiddos....Dylan, Natalie, Emily and Charlotte. :) Some fun shots of the stuff around us. :) Nat P. with the sun setting behind her. I just did catch it. :) Stew with saw in hand ready to chop down our Chritsmas Tree. :) A view of the farm as we were walking back to our cars.

Natalie and a couple of her friends took part in a library program about the American Girl Samantha and learned how it was to live during her time. They learned about the invention of the Teddy Bear and they also got to embroider a square. Here they are posing for me right outside the library. :) Natty with hers. She finished it that same night. She was so excited. :) Silly little girlies. ;)

Got this from my friend Karen. :D 1. Do you like blue cheese? Sure do! 2. Have you ever smoked heroin? Absolutely NOT! 3. Do you own a gun? Nope. 4. Wax or Shave your body parts? Wax my lip and brows, shave everything else. 5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? Yes. 6 Real or fake nails? Real. 7. Favourite Christmas song? Jingle Bells. 8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Coffee! 9. Can you do push ups? Yes, but not many. I think once I hit 10 I start to shake. :O 10. What's your favourite piece of jewelry? My rolling ring. 11. Favourite hobby? Scrapbooking, shopping, reading, knitting. 12. Do you have A.D.D.? No, but I like to multi-task. 13. What's one trait that you hate about yourself? I hate that I procrastinate. 14. Middle Name? Teresa. 15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment? I need to clean my bedroom, my neck hurts, and I wonder what I'm going to make for dinner tonight. 16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink? Coffee, wa...

We've been busy making gifts for the people on our holiday list. There is still tons to do but here is the first sampling...earrings. Natty designed this pair. We think we are going to give them to my aunt. :) I made these for my sister. :) These are my personal favorite. I made them for my co-worker Barbara. I was her Secret Santa. I made an extra pair just for me. :)

Being a part of the Blue Crew at Scrapjazz has its perks. Last month the company Imaginisce sent us all a box of free goodies to use. I got the Snowy Jo collection and these are the some of things I created with it so far. :) A Happy Holidays card. A paper ball ornament. A Merry Christmas card using brads.

I just finished this book last night. It was so good. So funny. So witty. I actually snorted out loud at one point. I think every Mom should read this. Seriously. Without giving too much away, it is about a Mom of 3 kids who is just trying to stay afloat. She hides credit card bills and parking fines from her husband. She cannot control the laundry pile. She contemplates an affair with a stay at home Dad whose kids go to the same school as do hers. Her car is a dump. And she always gets herself in and luckily out of the most precarious situations. I think there is a little bit of her in all of us Moms. Great read!

I know it! I admit it! I own it. I am addicted to bags! And I do not care to be cured. I asked Santa for this one by name...Leah. ;)

These are on their way to some friends for whom I am very grateful to have in my life. :) I got this as a gift from Sweet Mellie who was my Secret Santa last year but didn't have enough time to make it so I made it today. Isn't it CUTE!? I plan on filling the draws with little treats for the kiddos to enjoy each day leading up to and including Christmas Day. Should be FUN. I noticed that I put holly berries in the middle of my flowers instead of regular old brads but it's too late now. Them suckers are glue dotted on. :O I think I got my Christmas card photo!!!!!! What do you think?

I am almost the BIG 4-0! Lord help me cause I am old. Farting dust as I like to say. How the heck did this happen!? Oh weeeeeellll guess it's better than the alternative. So, in light of this momentus event, I thought I'd do a little post detailing 40 things you may or may not know about me in no particular order. Here goes.... 1. I hate the cold. 2. I love baseball. 3. I prefer to sit on the first base side of the field when watching a game. 4. I will take a well pitched game over a slugfest any day of the week. 5. My favorite beer is Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. 6. I could eat pasta for breakfast, lunch and dinner 7 days a week. 7. I am a sun worshiper. 8. I love the beach. 9. My favorite baseball team is the Atlanta Braves. 10. I am a city slicker. 11. I have a thing for shoes and bags. 12. I cannot drive with a coat on. 13. I cannot drive a stick nor do I want to. 14. I love mysteries. 15. My favorite author is Sue Grafton. 16. I hate my name. 17. My all-time favorite show...

Haven't done one of these in a long time so here goes.... Holiday Season Edition What's your favorite holiday ... 1. Song? Jingle Bells. It is such a happy tune. :) 2. Movie or TV special? Frosty the Snowman. I cry every time he melts. :( 3. Memory? Going every year with our friends the Nemeceks to chop down our tree. :) 4. Baked good or desert? Rainbow Cookies. I really need to learn how to make them. :) 5. What is the one moment that lets you know it's officially the holiday season? The lighting of the Christmas Tree in Rockefeller Center. :) Happy Holidays!

On Sunday, November 9th, my nephew Marco was Baptized at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Shrub Oak by Deacon Wilson. My brother Anthony and my BIL's sister Sarah were his sponsors. The weather was wonderful and the ceremony went off without a hitch. Afterwards we celebrated at Ceola Manor catering hall. Here are some photos of the Blessed day. :) My sister and my nephew. He was such a good boy throughout the whole Baptism. He slept and hardly made a peep. :) Marco being held by his Aunt Sarah. :) The cake before a book got thrown into the side of it. I left for 5 minutes to change a diaper and my kiddos start fighting over a book, one lets go and voila book into end of the cake. :O It was repaired but not to perfection. And, the piece de resistance (said with a French accent) my chocolate cross lollipops. After I got this all arranged I stood back and thought oh my it looks like a cemetery. :O Don't worry no one else noticed. ;)

Ahhhh, the pink flamingo. Nothing screams Miami more to me than the sight of a pretty pink flamingo. I can almost hear the theme song to Miami Vice playing in the background. ;) ALL American Crafts cardstock, patterned paper, letter stickers and marker. It's about time AC made cardstock. I am in HEAVEN! :D Making Memories brad and rub ons and a Prima paper flower. I used all my favorites on this one. :) I must admit that I love this card. It is so me...neat and clean and very orderly oh and mostly cardstock. :)

I love Halloween. I love the costumes, the decorations and of course the candy. :) This year both of my kiddos were invited to Halloween birthday parties with trick-or-treating. Dylan went trick-or-treating with his party and I went with Natty's. What great fun! Dylan was a Ninja. :) Natty was a witch. The town of Katonah goes all out for halloween. One house is scarier than the next. There was one house that had a spaceship in the front yard and all the occupants of the house were dressed up like aliens. Then there was the Elvis house complete with an impersonator and Elvis music. Here are some shots I got from our trick-or-treating adventures. Natty and Olivia, the birthday girl, and friend in front of yet another scary yard. The view from Creepy Pete's yard....fabulously ghoulish. :)

A new month means a new layout for Scrapjazz. This quarter my spotlight is American Crafts. How lucky for me that it happens to be my favorite company EVER! ;) My DD with her hairwrap. TFL! :) I am in a cookie recipe swap with some lovely girls over at ScrapVillage. Here is my contribution...Carrot-Cake Cookies. YUM! I used Basic Grey patterned paper, American Crafts felt shapes, Making Memories brads and my trusty Creative Memories Corner Rounder. :)

30 seconds is all it took me to make each of these cards. And they didn't cost much to make either. The butterfly stickers are Miss Elizabeth's from the dollar store, the white cardstock is Stampin' Up! and the pink is Chatterbox cardstock. The rub ons are from a big pack of greetings from Making Memories. They go on like buttah. ;)