Merry Monkey Christmas!

It started with some yummy, buttery Monkey bread.

Then the Monkey Rag Quilt that I sewed for Steven.

Here is my poor sick little Monkey wrapped up in his new blanket.

Interesting that he felt better after eating a couple of bananas!

And here are the two Monkeys with a little Monkey craft kit.

They both have pink eye and Steven also has the flu. What a first Christmas for them, but at least they have each other....

and how can you not smile with some monkey fun!

Halloweenies!

It was pointed out to me this past weekend that I haven't blogged since June! I guess I'm too busy reading other peoples blogs, LOL!

Anyway... I'll start with these photos of Zoey & Zack from Halloween... aren't they so cute!

4 things I'm looking forward to...

I just got back from a fun weekend at Janelle's house.

The next 4 fun things to do on my list...

1. Card Swap Night at Kshrum's house

2. 4th of July

3. Idol Tour in Indy

4. Brickyard Pole Day & Nationwide Race at IRP

4 Recipes to try this Summer

Here are 4 recipes I'm anxious to try.

Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies	20 Ratings 16 Reviews
Craving chocolate and sweet peanut butter all wrapped up into one indulgent bar? Start with a no-fail brownie mix, then add layers of peanut butter and melted chocolate chips. Yum.
Prep Time:20 min Start to Finish:2 hr 30 min Makes:36 brownies Brownie Base 1 box (1 lb 6.5 oz) Betty Crocker® Original Supreme brownie mix Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on brownie mix box Filling 1/2 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter 2 cups powdered sugar 2 teaspoons milk Topping 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 1/4 cup butter 1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray or shortening. (For easier cutting, line pan with foil, then grease foil on bottom only of pan.) 2. In medium bowl, stir brownie mix, pouch of chocolate syrup, water, oil and eggs until well blended. Spread in pan. Bake 28 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from side of pan comes out almost clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour. 3. In medium bowl, beat filling ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Spread mixture evenly over brownie base. 4. In small microwavable bowl, microwave topping ingredients uncovered on High 30 to 60 seconds; stir until smooth. Cool 10 minutes; spread over filling. Refrigerate about 30 minutes or until set. For brownies, cut into 9 rows by 4 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.

Grands!® Pepperoni Pizza Bake
	You won't believe how quickly this pan pizza goes together! Prep Time: 10 Min Total Time: 40 Min Makes: 6 servings User Rating:
INGREDIENTS: 1 can (16.3 oz) Pillsbury® Grands!® Homestyle refrigerated original biscuits 1 can (8 oz) pizza sauce 2 cups finely shredded mozzarella cheese (8 oz) 16 slices pepperoni (1 1/2 inch) DIRECTIONS: 1. CUT each biscuit into 8 pieces; toss with pizza sauce and 1 cup of the cheese. 2. SPREAD in sprayed 8-inch square (2-quart) glass baking dish. Top with pepperoni and remaining 1 cup cheese. 3. BAKE at 375°F 22 to 28 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Bake 28 to 34 minutes.

Hurry-Up Potato Salad	7 Ratings 5 Reviews
Using frozen hash browns takes most of the work out of this classic summer salad.
Prep Time:10 min Start to Finish:1 hr 25 min Makes:12 servings 8 cups frozen diced hash brown potatoes with onions and peppers 1 cup shredded carrot 1 cup sour cream 1/2 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing 1 teaspoon curry powder, if desired 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard 1. Heat 1 inch water (salted if desired) to boiling in 4-quart saucepan. Add potatoes. Cover and heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer 6 to 8 minutes or until potatoes are tender; drain. 2. Mix remaining ingredients in large glass or plastic bowl. Fold in potatoes. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Easy Italian Pasta
	Twenty minutes is all it takes to serve up a pasta dinner that rivals a restaurant meal. Prep Time: 20 Min Total Time: 20 Min Makes: 4 servings (1 1/2 cups each) User Rating:
INGREDIENTS: 2 1/2 cups uncooked cavatappi pasta (8 oz) 1/2 lb bulk spicy Italian pork sausage 6 to 7 medium plum (Roma) tomatoes, seeded, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups) 1 cup whipping (heavy) cream 1/2 cup shredded fresh Parmesan cheese (2 oz) DIRECTIONS: 1. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package. 2. Meanwhile, in large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat, stirring frequently, until browned. Drain; return to skillet. 3. Add tomatoes, cream and drained pasta to sausage; stir gently to mix. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until thoroughly heated. (Do not boil.) Sprinkle with cheese.

4 New Layouts

2008 MS Walk

I've updated my MS Walk page and I'm taking donations now for 2008!

Jeanne's Miles for Smiles Page

Thanks!

ABC's of ME :-)

A- Attached or single: Attached
B- Best Friend: Rick
C- Cake or Pie: Pie
D- Day of Choice: Nascar Sundays
E- Essential Item (s): Coffee & the internet
F- Flavor of ice cream: Vanilla
G- Gummy Bears or Worms: Bears
H- Hometown: Hebron, IN
I- Indulgence(s): Buying cut flowers
J- January or July: July
K- Kids: 1 son, Steven who is 20.
L- Last movie seen in theaters/DVD: I watch movies almost every night. Last theater was The Bucket List
M- Marriage Date: July 18th
N- Number of Siblings: 1 brother (sister died in 2002)
O- Oranges or Apples: Gala Apple
P- Phobias or Fears: Bridges and Ladders
Q- Quote(s): Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we're here we should dance....
R- Reason To Smile: Having great friends :-)
S- Season: all except Spring
T- Tag Four: Janelle, Kim, JudyQ....
U- Unknown Fact About Me: Nope... not telling any secrets ;-)
V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: I *heart* meat!
W- Worst Habit: hmmm... hard to answer because I'm so perfect!
X- X-Rays or Ultrasounds: I've had both
Y- Your Favorite Food: Cream cheese
Z- Zociac: Leo

Old Photos

My cousin John emailed me this photo this morning. I was so excited to get it because now it's the only photo I have of my entire family on my mom's side.... except for me. I was a late surprise for my parents. It's kind of sad that the only people still alive in this photo are my 4 cousins and my brother. My sister is the blond one front and center. I still miss her. My brother is the youngest one... isn't he a cutie? The couple on the left are my aunt and uncle who raised me during my middle school years and those are my parents on the right side. In the very middle is my Aunt Jean. This photo was taken the night before she left for Germany to work in the service as a nurse for several years. My grandma is to the left. She was 95 when she passed in 1990. This photo will get a special place on my wall of family photos because even though I'm not part of it, it holds lots of warm memories.

Newburgh Retreat Center

I'm back from a fabulous scrapping weekend at Jodie's house. She and her husband were wonderful hosts! They really did spoil us! Most of these layouts are for my friend Linda. I love scrapping her girls... I get to use a lot of PINK!