Baby Clown & Anemone

Today I went into Ocala for a few things, and came home with a baby clown and seabae/bubble tip anenome. (too small for the store staff to clearly id as either / or.) So we will wait to see what he grows up to be...heeheehee. These have been placed into my 14 gallon Oceanic Biocube- which is temporarily housing a baby Purple Tang. When the tang gets a bit bigger he will be moved into the main tank -- 180 gallons currently a mixed reef. I will be posting a few pics after I add some more rock/coral to the biocube. Have a great evening everyone!

Sunday.....a New Beginning.....

Well, Sunday is here.... a beginning to a new week. Will hit the trail today, get a jumpstart on getting back into shape, after eating all that food this past couple of days! Would like to reach my targeted goal by Christmas. So I had better get motivated! Making a big pot of 'skinny soup'. YUM!
And hubby should be coming home tomorrow, or Tuesday- so getting the Christmas lights ready to be hung on the house, have a Blessed Day! ~'Chelle

Whew! Just got in from shopping...........Black Friday! Wow the stores are crazy! Getting up at the crack of dawn, to try and get to all the super sales advertised, only to find out you are just short of them selling out of what you want before getting there. Frustrating. But I am not going to get up earlier than 5am to grab and go. Think next year we will just sleep in. Ahhh........ turkey sandwich here I come!

Oh the PAIN....the AGONY.....the FULL TUMMY.....

Wow - you would think that after saying "I'm too full" oh, like half a dozen times would have made me NOT go for seconds, thirds, lost count after the pie. I am SO FULL that I can't even breathe! Let alone blog here - but I wanted to jump online and wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving and be safe and pig out on your most favorite dish! (mine: sweet potatoes) mmmmmmmmmmmmm....... well, I know what I'm having for breakfast! (can't wait for hubby to try the pie..... actually turned out pretty delish-  a new recipe called for red wine to be mixed in with the sugar- I didn't have any....so I used 1/2 a bottle of those itty bitty bottles (you know - the ones at ABC) - MANGO RUM. Really does add a good flavor to the apples. mmmmm......pie is calling - my tummy can't resist...oh what the heck-  the holidays DO NOT count as diet days, right?! lol - Night to all, getting up early to hit the Black Friday sales.

A-Brining We Will Go...

Well.....the turkey and turkey breasts are in the fridge, sitting in a nice brining bath. Soaking up the buttery, sugary, salty goodness that is mixed in with the spices. On to getting everything else in motion for the big day. (this is actually my first year of doing EVERYTHING as hubby usually always cooks the meal and I do the baking. So in addition to my apple pie, caramel apple crumb cheesecake, and traditional pumpkin rolls- I will also be doing the turkey, potatoes, stuffing, etc.etc.etc....
Hubby will be home this weekend from being OTR, so we will have a later celebration than normal.
I probably won't be on for the next two days....unless I post inbetween baking cookies and making cheesecake- so to everyone: Happy Thanksgiving! Be Blessed! ~'Chelle

Sooooooooooooo Exhausted.....

Woke up this morning feeling as though I hadn't slept since Friday!
We spent the entire day Saturday in Springstead for my son's wrestling tournament - I am beat!
Our team - The Citrus Hurricanes - did AWESOME!!! Our guys worked so hard - as a 'team' we came in 2nd out of the schools that attended....and as 'individuals' my son, Michael, placed 3rd in his weight class-
************** Go 'Canes!!!! *****************
We are getting ready for tomorrow to roll around...as morning practice begins at 5:30am. I still have some shopping to do for this week's worth of cooking/baking/etc.... so I will be posting inbetween my outtings and kitchen time.
'Nite all!

Turkey Day is on it's way!!!!

Can't even WAIT for the stuffing..... the sweet potatoes..... the apple pie goodness that awaits just right around the corner!
This year will be a bit different.... as hubby will be returning from over the road the weekend of Thanksgiving, so we will be celebrating again when he gets home. For the time being- it will be my son & I- oh the cooking and baking we have in store for us! I have decided to make a few extra pumpkin rolls and hand them out to close friends. That is ALWAYS a sweet treat!
 I have been online looking at new recipes, and came across a caramel apple pie cheescake? Seriously will need to give that one a try.  The diet has officially been tossed out the window for the next week.... will have to start from ground zero AFTER the last bit of turkey has been gobbled up. MMMM...... so craving a stuffing/turkey/mashed potato sandwich right now!

Disclosure Policy

(This is a posting of my Disclosure Policy... to be added to my site. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me)

This policy is valid from 19 November 2009

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. For questions about this blog, please contact Michelle (createdbychelle at yahoo Dot com).

In my own words......
From time to time, you will notice entries where I may give an expressed opinion of a product or service from an advertiser. I may or may not be compensated for these, whether it be monetary or simply receiving a product to test/keep, samples and such. Please keep in mind that these are MY opinions alone, and I am not influenced in any way to express how I feel.


In other words...
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The compensation received will never influence the content, topics or posts made in this blog. All advertising is in the form of advertisements generated by a third party ad network. Those advertisements will be identified as paid advertisements.

The owner(s) of this blog is compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner(s) of this blog receives compensation for our posts or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers' own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.

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And here we go.......!

I am so psyched - tonight we had our parent meeting for the wrestling team. Shirt orders...check! Food selections....check! Flower Fundraiser..... you gotta get in on this! For those of you who are not aware: the Flower Fundraiser is a coupon card you purchase for $20- You bring the card in to the Inverness floral shop (on Apopka) and EVERY month you get a free bouquet of flowers!
Roses, Tulips, Carnations, Mixed flowers - EVERY month is different, this goes on ALL YEAR ROUND! For only a (1) time donation of $20.00 you get a beautiful arrangement every month- keep it for yourself, give it as a gift, brighten someone's day with a bouquet- you can't go wrong!
 We also are getting geared up for our Tournament @ Springstead on Saturday----------------we're planning on kick'in some butt! Go 'Canes!!!
Kudos to the Coaches & parents that are helping out... you are appreciated!

Memory lane.....................

The past couple of days I have spoken with childhood friends that I haven't been in contact with since, well.... childhood.
Wow! What a blast from the past! I truly cannot remember the last time we were together, although I am pretty sure my favorite red beans & rice were on the table! (lol)
 I enjoyed hearing from them.
 (if you are reading this: Hi Cindy, Sandra..........and of course, my Sonia).
 I am glad to have gotten a moment to say Hi, and wish you and your families a Very Happy Holiday Season!
Be Blessed ~ -'Chelle

Lovely Lavender

Lavender & Oatmeal soap

(with a hint of brown sugar for exfoliation)

Mmmmm..... I LOVE the scent of lavender! It is soooo calming. I made up a fresh batch of lavender soap, to send samples to a recipient from etsy.com - and my house smells so relaxing now. Getting ready to list some more, and today..... I'm feeling the spirit of the holidays. I may experiment with holiday scents this afternoon.. we shall see.

Proud as a Peacock !!!

Just received a call from my sister-in-life ('cuz can't stand the "in law" labels) - each one of my nephews brought home OUTSTANDING report cards!!! Anthony and Mateo achieved Honor Roll ~~~~~~~~~ Austin achieved the Good Citizenship Award~~~~~~~ Wow guys! Aunt 'Chelle is so proud of you! Keep up the good work....it is definitely paying off! Love you lots! xoxoxoxo

Day 1

Well.... today is officially day #1 of being a Stay at Home Mom.... and so far: I am enjoying myself. Have gotten quite a few things accomplished so far - made some soap to list on my shop at etsy : www.createdbychelle.etsy.com as well as my ebay store: http://stores.ebay.com/CreatedByChelle I am going online to see if I can summon up someone on www.etsy.com or www.mompack.com to design some labels for me- for my soap bars and jars of salts/oils,etc. Have a great day and be blessed! ~'Chelle

Oooey Gooey Nutty Goodness

Well.... It has been more than the needed 24 hours, and I am happy to report that this batch turned out very yummy. The combination of the toasted walnuts and sweet ripened bananas, along with the brown sugar~ YUM!

The kitchen smelled delightful while this was in progress.

As promised, here is the finished product... ready to be gobbled up on toast, over hot cereal, or even as an icecream topping.

Today I played hookie.......

Well, today I took the day off ( it's cool...Friday is my last day anyway), to spend time with our son and my husband (OTR driver) - he's home for the next few days. My son & I also went to grandma/grandpa's house to visit - and to my surprise ..... my niece was there. Who, by the way, made the best roasted pumpkin seeds from a pumpkin that she carved herself. Way to go Jaiden Rei! Mmmm. . . . Toasty! Also when we came back home I decided to try the Banana Nut Bread Spread recipe, after finding the recipe from another blogger (Thanks Cyn!) I then went online and found a step by step guide : http://localkitchen.wordpress.com/2009/02/15/canning-in-a-boiling-water-bath/ on how to do it without a hitch. Everything went perfectly smooth...right down to hearing all the little 'pings' from my lids after they were sealing themselves. What now? I have to wait 24 hours before doing anything with them. So I have them hiding in a cabinet for safe keeping. I will post pictures when they are labeled and ready to go! But let me tell you- I used the remaining mixture that didn't fit into the jars as a "taste test batch"- mmm can't wait to dig into this. I may even warm it up and spoon it over oatmeal or grapenut cereal in the morning..... YUM! Hey Jaiden Rei..... I am looking forward to walking the trail with you! I will call you to check your schedule: I know how busy you are - being an 8 year old is tough! Gotta pencil me in your schedule! Much love, hugs & kisses- Aunt 'Chelle

The Sweet Goodness of Calories

SWEEEEEEET Success !!!

Ooooooooh the lovely smell of bananas and walnuts baking! Mmmmmm. Besides the pumpkin roll - which turned out delicious as always- I played around with a variation of the recipe. Using banana instead of pumpkin, adding walnuts, peanut butter, chocolate syrup and sliced bananas...... wow- can you see how good this tastes? I made a pumpkin roll for our son, who will scarf it down in no time flat- making room for the holiday treats that are on the way! And the banana nut bread roll for my husband- who will no doubt enjoy this banana-nutty-chocolate syrupy goodness! Be Blessed! ~'Chelle

Delicious and Oh So Yummy Pumpkin Roll

Well......the cooler weather is upon us. Holidays, holiday shopping, and what else.... hmmmm? Oh yeah! Holiday baking! mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! I am setting aside my day to make several Pumpkin Rolls, perfect for this Thanksgiving - which is right around the corner. It is a special treat...filled with cream cheese goodness..chopped walnuts..and of course pumpkin! Great variation to the norm of pumpkin pie. Have a great day! Be Blessed!

A New Beginning.......

This is the beginning of a new point in my life. Sounds dramatic, I know. But really it is just me being downsized from my current job - where I have spent the past year ..... and now? Where do I go? What do I do? Hmmmmm..... well I 'could' worry about that, but I won't. My husband has pointed out : 'Why don't you just stay at home?' (hmmm.... didn't think about that..... what would I do?) Well - I have decided to do just that. I am a newbie stay at home mom now...so to all the stay at home moms out there: Hi! Glad to be a part of your circle! .... actually I think I will also continue to make my handmade soaps and bath salts - I enjoy them. And I will have TIME on my hands- to participate more in our son's wrestling fundraisers/etc - rather than rushing home in 5 o'clock traffic trying to make it on time. (sound familiar moms?) Well to everyone reading this..... nice to meet you... please do stop by more and bring a friend. Be Blessed..........................-'Chelle