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EARLIER THIS YEAR A FRIEND SENT A "FORWARD"-- YOU KNOW THE TYPE~ SLIDESHOW OF PRETTY SCENES, CHILDREN AND FUZZY LITTLE BABY CRITTERS, SENTIMENTAL MUSIC AND MOVING MESSAGES. AT FIRST, MY INNER PUNK REBELLED AGAINST THE SUGARY SWEETNESS OF THE PACKAGE. I SQUIRMED. I WAS IRRITATED. APPARENTLY I HAVE A LOW THRESHOLD FOR MOVING VISUAL IMAGERY COMBINED WITH SHOW-TUNES PLAYED ON A HARP, BUT STILL I WATCHED THROUGH TO THE END. MY FRIEND HAD TRULY SHARED SOMETHING GREAT AND I ALMOST POO-POOED IT IN TO MY TRASH BIN (FOR SHAME!). THE MESSAGES WERE SIMPLE, YET PROFOUND. I COULDN'T EVEN BRING MYSELF TO DELETE THE FILE AFTER I READ IT. I FELT AN URGE TO SHARE IT, BUT HOW? SO FOR ANYONE WHO STILL HARBORS SOME TEENAGE ANGST THAT PREVENTS THEM FROM FALLING UNDER THE SPELL OF HALLMARKIAN SENTIMENTALITY, HERE IS THE SUGAR-FREE VERSION. ENJOY! · Take a 10-30 minute walk every day and while you walk, smile · Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes a day · When you wake up in the morning, compl

EVERY YEAR MY GIRLS AND I PREPARE A BATCH OF CARAMEL APPLES TO HAND OUT TO TEACHERS AND STAFF ON THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL. WE'VE BEEN EXPERIMENTING WITH VARIOUS RECIPES, BUT THIS YEAR WE FINALLY FOUND A KEEPER, COMPLIMENTS OF OUR FRIENDS AT DIVINEDINNERPARTY.COM (CHECK THEM OUT). THE BEST THING ABOUT THIS RECIPE IS THAT THE CARAMEL CAN ALSO BE PUT IN TO A MASON JAR AND SAVED IN THE REFRIGERATOR TO REHEAT FOR SENSATIONAL ICE-CREAM TOPPING. AFTER REMOVING FROM HEAT, YOU CAN STIR IN SOME DARK RUM FOR A KNOCK-YOUR-SOCKS-OFF CARAMEL RUM SAUCE ~ YOU HAVEN'T HAD APPLE PIE 'TIL YOU'VE HAD APPLE PIE WITH CARAMEL RUM SAUCE! CARAMEL APPLES  WITH REAL HOMEMADE CARAMEL adapted from divinedinnerparty.com This caramel apple recipe makes enough caramel for about 8 to 10 medium sized apples. I  recommend Fuji apples for the perfect combo of tart and sweet and lovely color. Ingredients 1 cup unsalted butter  2 cups dark brown sugar, packed  1 cup light corn syrup  1 14oz. ca

OUR FRIENDS AT BIT OF WHIMSY DOLLS HAVE DONE IT AGAIN, INTRODUCING THREE NEW ADORABLE PATTERNS JUST IN TIME TO ANSWER THE QUESTION, "HOW AM I GOING TO KEEP MY KIDS BUSY THIS SUMMER?" FOR THE BEGINNING SEWER, CHECK OUT THE "MY FRIEND DOLLS". THEY ARE FIRST IN A SERIES OF EASY-TO-SEW PROJECTS FROM THEIR "SEWING WITH ABBY" LINE. ABOUT THIS LINE, BIT OF WHIMSY DOLLS SAYS, "THE GOAL ...IS TO INSPIRE CHILDREN AND PROVIDE AN EASY PATTERN WITH A QUICK REWARD FOR SHORT ATTENTION SPANS." THEY'VE ALSO CREATED A FULL START-TO-FINISH SERIES OF VIDEOS AVAILABLE AS A SUPPLEMENT TO THE INSTRUCTIONS, SO EVEN IF YOU'RE A BEGINNING SEWER TOO, YOU AND YOUR CHILD CAN HAVE FUN LEARNING TOGETHER. The doll pattern, plus instructions come to only about $5, so why wait? You can find the "My Friend Dolls" and many other charming projects at http://www.bitofwhimsydolls.com/ . Be sure to check out their "PAY IT FORWARD" feature! We love i

TIRED OF OVER-PROCESSED, GENETICALLY ENGINEERED, CORPORATE-GREED MANIPULATED FOOD OPTIONS? LOOKING FOR A DIFFERENT WAY, SOME SOUND RESEARCH, A WAY TO BE INFORMED? WANT SOMETHING BETTER FOR OUR CHILDREN? THE FOLLOWING BOOKS ARE NOT ONLY GOOD-READS, BUT ARE LOADED WITH INSIGHT, RESEARCH, AND REVALATIONS ABOUT OUR NATION'S CURRENT WAY OF EATING THAT HAS LEAD TO AN EXPLOSION IN OBESITY AND OBESITY RELATED ILLNESSES. Here's the book that inspired this Post. We just finished reading The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite by David Kessler, MD. It was fascinating, illuminating, and positively life-changing. "Conditioned hypereating is a biological challenge, not a character flaw, says Kessler, former FDA commissioner under presidents Bush and Clinton). Here Kessler (A Question of Intent) describes how, since the 1980s, the food industry, in collusion with the advertising industry, and lifestyle changes have short- circuited the body's sel

LOOKING FOR SOME SENSATIONAL SWEETS FOR YOUR NEXT PARTY OR SPECIAL EVENT? IF YOU HAVE A DISCRIMINATING PALETTE AND AN EYE FOR COUTURE DESIGN, YOU'LL LOVE WHAT OUR FRIEND CONNIE IS DOING AT VELVET CUPCAKES. WE RECENTLY HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO INDULGE IN SOME OF HER DIVINE CREATIONS. The Lemon Velvet cupcake was the perfect balance of sweet and tart. The cake itself was indeed "velvety". The vanilla cupcake was speckled with real vanilla bean and brought high praise from young and old alike. But euphoria really set in when we had our first blissful bite of the Mocha Java ~ the espresso flavor was intense and married perfectly with the moist and decadent chocolate cake. Hungry yet? To find out more about Connie and her inspired little creations, visit www.velvetcupcakes.org . Her packaging is lovely and the cupcakes travel very well too.

MAGICAL BOOKS FOR BEDTIME Here are some of our favorite stories to share with our little ones at bedtime, sure to set their imaginations in motion for a magical journey to dreamland. Good Night, Fairies , by Kathleen Hague~ “Children enamored with the notion of fairies will drink up Kathleen and Michael Hague's lush picture book like nectar. When a mother is asked by her child about how fairies spend their days and nights, she embarks on a dreamy account of these mysterious, magical creatures. For starters, fairies hang the stars in the sky each evening "so every child will have a night-light." They also teach birds to sing, paint the wings of butterflies, comb mermaids' hair, and sleep "on leafy beds in secret gardens." The wondering child falls asleep to these poetic musings, welcomed to dreamland by the fairies. Lyrical colored-pencil and watercolor illustrations, filled with elaborate detail, accompany this gentle bedtime story. Readers are challe

Greek “Meatball” Pitas Trying to find clever ways to get your kids to eat their veggies? These Spanakopita inspired turkey meatballs are devoured by kids and grown-ups alike. The meatballs are also great as a warm or cold appetizer ~ just add toothpicks and a bowl of our greek yogurt dip (TZATZIKI). They pack well in lunchboxes too! 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling 1 tablespoon butter 2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely chopped 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped 1 10oz. box frozen spinach, defrosted and well drained 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1/4 pound feta cheese, finely crumbled 1 package ground turkey breast (approx. 1 – 1 1/3 pounds) 2 teaspoons salt 1 package pita or flat bread Tzatziki 1/3 cup seedless cucumber peeled, trimmed and chopped 1 garlic clove, pressed or finely chopped 1 1/2 to 2 cups Greek Yogurt 1/2 lemon, juiced 1 tsp oregano Salt and pepper to taste Toppings Chopped lettuce Chopped tomatoes Chopped cucumber Kalamata olives Thinly sliced re