New Year's Eve Babies.....

Mamma & Pappa Clown laid more eggs....  they began to hatch Dec. 30, 2010 after the lights were turned off at 10pm.....with last hatchlings coming up from the terra cotta pot at 11:51pm.
Originally there were 453 eggs... (yup... I counted them, lol).
Each new lay will bring more and more eggs. So I was curious to see where my brood pair was in their count. Not all the eggs will survive, as the parents pick them off if they are not viable eggs.
So the ones that hatched last night are doing well today, being Day #1 Post Hatch.
They are being fed rotifers and baby brine shrimp enriched with a special vitamin, phytoplankton blend and fatty acid.
The babies are on a feeding schedule of every 2-3 hours. And are swimming about very happily.



Here are the babies as of today:

To our loving and extremely loyal dog, Ceasar, that we had to put down yesterday morning due to a cancerous tumor that quickly caused his deteriorization,

we will miss you and RIP.

Merry Christmas Scraps

 Happy Holidays Everyone!Hope all is well.I have been Sooooo Busy it seems like ages since I have been on here!Hmm... where to begin? I am looking forward to the Christmas break-Have a few recipes to try that are new...and a few that are tried and true :)You know the ones, every year you just 'have' to have that special creation.Well, as one of my 'new' recipes this year- I am making apple butter -to giveaway as a gift to the Doctors and Office Staff.Mmmmm.... can't wait! Today I brought home an adorable purple tip branching frogspawn (frag)with 2 heads.... nice coloration- and great tissue - no bare spots- verythick and healthy. We had our lovely Christmas Meeting (for the Reef club- M.O.R.E) and everyone had a nice time.

Thank You to Jim and Gail Fitzpatrick for hosting the Decdember Meeting!

The January meeting will be hosted by

Finn & Gils Aquatic Retreat

(Ocala, FL)

LOOKING FORWARD TO IT!!

Have a very busy weekend coming up-

making pumpkin rolls, Christmas cookies,

gift soaps/bath baskets....

Oh the joy of the holidays!

I wish you all a Safe & Happy Holiday!

Happy Holidays!!!

 I am offering one of the wonderful goodies that Marc Weiss had given to me.
FREE to a fellow reefer. What's the catch? The winner need only to email me with feedback so that I can then forward the post on to Marc so he is aware of the reaction from others.

Go ahead and FOLLOW ME here on my blog....and you will automatically be entered into the contest.
Just send a message to me stating : "FELLOW REEFER" - this also applies to all those already following. If you know someone who has a tank- enter for them :)


1 Box Reef Bugs...............This stuff is AWESOME!!



Good Luck! I will announce the winner on December 18, 2010 - plenty of time for Christmas delivery!

Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone!
Be Blessed & Enjoy Being With Family & Friends!

Flower Scraps

More Orkut Scraps

Tonight I lost my Starry Eyed Blenney.

He was over 3 years old.

He was such a character...

He looked like an 'old man'

with his whiskers..his eyelashes...

We called him Pappa Blenney.

Tonight he passed away.

I am sad...and felt like sharing.

Good Night Pappa Blenney...



FALL IS HERE..............WHICH MEANS BAKING!!!
Today is a great day for baking...going to try to use some of my brown sugar / flour
(as I tend to buy them in bulk)... so I thought I would make something to bring to the
office for tomorrow's luncheon.

This looks like it would be very good with a nice cup of coffee :)

It is such a beautiful day outside today! Perfect for all that is going on.
Here in town, we have the Cooter Festival - filled with games, activities
and a BBQ Cook Off! Yummmm!
Be sure to stop by and visit if in the area - you are sure to enjoy yourself!

Also a great day to hit the trail (considering I will be pigging out on a couple of
Sausage, Onion & Pepper sandwiches from Joe's Deli while at the festival, lol!
So plan to walk off what I eat, - let's see how that works, haha!

Wishing everyone a great day - enjoy the Fall activities in your neighborhood!

GoodLightscraps.com  Be Safe & Have Fun On This Hallow's Eve!

A Cornucopia of Hectic Greatness
This has been such a hectic time - that's for sure....
but as busy as it's been - it's been great!
The fall is here... the anticipation of the much loved recipes are around the corner...
I love this time of year!

Realizing I have been busy with family...home...a new workout regimen ...
 starting a new job... basically LIFE in general.... I have not been on here in a bit.

So, to update- life is good.. all is well.. and on to some thing to consider:

Turkey Muffins - these look great - and I may even try it with ground chicken, and a smokey honey bbq sauce on the side....let me know if you try them:

1 Click.......... 1 Vote !!!

I have entered a contest... a wonderful contest - and need YOUR help!
 I need as many votes as I can get - so please click this link:
 Nature Made Sam-e Complete

Everyday Click to Vote - 1 vote is awarded daily.

Spread the word - Tweet it....email it... blog it... pass it on however you can!
You can either click the link above... or log onto my blog daily and click
 the Vote for Me button to the right!

This is such a great contest- as I am in the midst of transforming my daily routine
 into a more healthier lifestyle.

Thanks friends.... I appreciate the help!

Got Bugs?

Well.... you should if you have a reef tank. This is something that every reefer should get, as it is something that benefits everything in your tank. I was honored to receive a package from Marc Weiss  containing several boxes of Reef Bugs, SPS Coral Grow and Soft Coral Grow.
Wow... I can't even tell you how thrilled I was with this- to receive all of this plus a special packet of "Lactobacillus Rhamnosus" - which is to be fed to the rotifers, and then feed the probiotic gut-loaded rotifers to the larvae...can even add directly to the larval tank water.

Well.....I have yet to test this out- as when moving the terra cotta pot in the brood tank- the clowns have taken time off from laying... so once they are back on their regular cycle, I will begin again. In the meantime, I am feeding this probiotic to the rotifers... in hopes of 'making them chubby and multiply' haha.

As for the other foods- I will be sharing these with the Reef Club, those on Facebook and Reefkeepers here... { Reefer Contest: Submit a photo of your tank and the winner will receive a Special Treat!}

I am very happy with the reactiveness my corals exhibit when feeding the SPS Grow and the Soft Coral Grow- the frogspawn and the hammer... basically explode when feeding! And my Duncans are popping out new heads left and right... they seem to really like the particles that flow in the water column as they swell up to catch every last bit!

If you are looking for great products - contact Marc Weiss at his site to order - you will be very happy you did!

Friendship Images

More Orkut Scraps at GoodLightscraps

A Recipe to Share Among Friends:

Amish Friendship Bread
To begin the Starter:

• 3 Cups Sugar
• 3 Cups Flour
• 3 Cups Milk

Instructions: On Day 1- in a GLASS pitcher or PLASTIC bowl, combine 1 Cup Sugar, 1 Cup Flour, and 1 Cup Milk. Stir mixture with a wooden or plastic spoon. (do NOT use metal spoon or electric mixers). Pour mixture into a ziploc baggie. Keep at room temperature- do NOT refrigerate.
On Days 2, 3 and 4: Simply squish the baggie thoroughly, then open to release the air. It is normal for the batter to rise and  bubble while fermenting. Reclose baggie.
On Day 5: Add 1 Cup Sugar, 1 Cup Flour, and 1 Cup Milk. Squish baggie thoroughly. Release any air. Reclose baggie.
On Day 6, 7, 8 and 9: Simply Squish the baggie thoroughly, open to release air, reclose baggie.
On Day 10: Add 1 Cup Sugar, 1 Cup Flour, 1 Cup Milk. Squish to thoroughly mix. Remove 3 Cups of this mixture- dividing into 1 Cup portions. Give 1 Cup to 3 of your friends. Save the remaining starter for yourself.

A few variations for prepared batter:

Pre-heat oven to 325°. To the remaining batter in the bowl, add:

3 eggs

1 cup oil
½ cup milk
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. vanilla
1½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
2 cups flour (sifted if you wish)
1 large box of instant vanilla pudding

◦Grease 2 large loaf pans.
◦Mix an additional ½ cup sugar and 1½ tsp. cinnamon. Dust the greased pan with half of this mixture.
◦Pour the batter evenly into 2 pans and sprinkle the remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture over the top.
◦Bake one hour.
◦Allow the loaves to cool and Enjoy!

 Optional Additions:
*Add 1 cup chopped pecans and / or 1/2 cup raisins.
*Use banana cream pie pudding and two mashed bananas.
*Use lemon pudding and lemon extract in place of vanilla pudding and vanilla extract. Also add 1/4 cup of poppy seeds and omit cinnamon and nuts.
*Add one cup of raisins and one small diced apple.
(healthy tip: some use 1/2 cup applesauce in place of 1/2 cup of the oil)
This is the time of year to start baking! The weather is cooling, the scents of fall are around the corner. What better time to begin a batch of Starter to share with Friends!
Happy Baking!

Tonight was such a wonderful surprise!
I found a friend on Facebook from childhood,
WOW! has been so long!
Was definitely a blast from the past!
Then spent some time chatting with another
dear friend from those days.
Such a nice way to end the night.
 I wish you all a great evening!



Best Friends Scraps

Orkut Scraps Graphics


Talk to you soon!

Have you heard of the Bryton Reusabe Pick?

This little gadget is a reusable dental pick - that can be carried anywhere with you.

Good for up to 30 days, this handy tool cleans inbetween those pearly whites, removing food that may have been left behind, plaque, and is said to also stimulate the gums to prevent gingivitis.

How cool is that? There is no reason not to take care of yourself, but in today's busy life- it helps to have some things as convenient as possible.

So easy to use, and small in size- you can use the pouch that comes with the pick, and slip it right into your wallet! Carry one in your purse, diaper bag, or even keep one in the car console....you never know when you might need something like this. Can also be used for those with braces - throw one in your child's bookbag to take to school!

Very cool idea indeed!

To visit their website, click here: BRYTONPICK 

Such a beautiful day - thought I would share some photos I snapped while walking on the trail -

There are the cutest little bunnies on the trail- but unfortunately they were camera shy, lol!

1 fish 2 fish Red fish Blue fish.......

If it were only as simple as a nursery book, lol!

Well -my third clutch of baby clownfish should be hatching around Sept.13th or 14th.
I am going to make sure I get plenty of rest next time around by doing things abit differently.
First off, I have placed a mini terra cotta pot into the tank, the same night they laid the current batch of eggs. They are still laying on the back wall - but the female has been in and out of the pot several times a day- cleaning it, pecking it, rubbing against it. So hopefully she will lay the next set of eggs in the pot... then I will be able to move the pot of eggs to the larval tank- as opposed to sitting up all night and syphoning out invisible larvae, lol!

I am very excited to get past my first week post hatch...so far I have gotten to day #6 after the little buggers first managed to squiggle their way into my world. That was as far as it has gone. I am working on getting the batches past the first week, through the metamorphosis stage- with helpful tips from the guys and gals on the MBI forum and of course on Reef Central and Captive Reefs.

I am eager to see the entire process through to the end!

For those that have been keeping tabs on my thread over at Reef Central - be sure you are following it now- there are CHANGES BEING MADE- new posts, new information- so check it out:
Reef Central : Chelle's Ocean
 And be sure you pass it on to ANYONE who is in the saltwater hobby. Whether they are selling or fragging- they need to know what's going on with this, and what the outcome will be. Many are now involved... so....... stop by for a visit.
(But I warn you.....
 grab a cup of coffee and a danish before logging on, lol, it's a long thread!)

Have a great evening everyone- and be sure to remember to click on the icon in the upper right of my screen when reading the daily posts, if you haven't already.

                                      We Need Your Support To Help Save Our Reefs!

This is truly saddening and sickening at the same time.
What is this moron trying to accomplish? He is sure to cause more conflict for our troops, putting them in harm's way - and the line of  "...where ever Americans are seen, no matter where they are in the world...they will be killed." This is not going to play out well at all.

This person should not be leading people, what kind of people follow someone like this? I do not see a pastor of a church who should be guiding and helping his flock, and others. No.... what I think of is the Jim Jones incident - who also led his followers to death!

They are already burning a likeness of him..... is he willing to put the entire congregation in jeopardy if he continues with this? What possible reaction if he not expecting? Does he think he is 'safe' just because he is sucking up all this tv coverage? I think Hilary is correct - hopefully this will not be covered and his action will not be viewed by those who can and possibly will attack those that are innocent, those that are not following this idiot, those that put their life on the line every day.

Hmmm..... Jim Jones........Terry Jones......

This pastor needs to consider his actions very carefully, and keep in mind the safety of those that are putting their lives on the line for ours....

~~~~~~~~~~~ God Bless Our Troops and Please Keep Them Safe ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LFO's Rich Cronin Dies At 35

Back in the '90's we all remember the band LFO   -   "Summer Girls" was a popular song.

Sadly, Rich Cronin has passed away 9/8/2010, having battled leukemia since being diagnosed in 2005.

Here is the video - R.I.P. Rich Cronin ........

Winner of the It Works! Wrap

With special thanks to Kendra Armstrong for providing the giveaway for this month's contest

 I would like to congratulate our winner....

Aimee Brown

You can visit Aimee on one of her blogs here.

Congrats Aimee!!!

Enjoy!

 

 
 GoodLightscraps.com

It never fails.....

Just when you think you have everything in place.
When you think you have a routine set in stone, everything going according to plan-
WHAM! You are thrown off whack.

Ok, so needless to say my weight loss goal has been put back a few pounds...again.
I had been doing rather well- but those damn carbs sneak their way in and take hold of me!

So, lol, I will share my latest find...which I still plan on making. I will just have to work out all that much more before and after having this homestyle dish:


Country Breakfast Casserole
(Courtesy of All Recipes)

Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) package breakfast sausage
1 chopped green onion
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
6 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1 (2.64 ounce) package country gravy mix
6 slices bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 tablespoons melted butter (optional)
paprika to taste (optional)


Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease an 11x8 inch baking dish.

2.Brown sausage in a large skillet; drain fat.
3.Combine sausage with green onion and spread evenly across the bottom of the baking dish. Top with shredded cheese. Whisk together eggs, water, milk, and gravy mix; add mixture to baking dish. Arrange bread squares evenly on top. If desired, drizzle melted butter over bread, and sprinkle with paprika.
4.Bake 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Set aside 10 minutes before serving.
  ~ I plan on making this, but going along with one of the reviews instead.
     I will not be using the bread.
     I will add shredded hashbrowns, use the sage flavored sausage, a whole sweet onion (chopped) and instead of  the cheddar cheese- I will most likely toss in colby/monterey jack with feta cheese sprinkled throughout.
Sounds like a very filling breakfast.... definitely not one to have while dieting... but you are allowed to splurge every now and then,lol.

So in the effort to keep myself focused- I have updated my tracker... I have it set for a loss of 12.2lbs as my weight loss goal for now...and will re-evaluate once I have achieved that to see if anything more needs to be lost.

Here is a Protein Shake Recipe for those that enjoy them:

PUMPKIN PROTEIN SHAKE

1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup skim milk or soymilk
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (such as Matrix Simply Vanilla)
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or 1/4 t. cinnamon, 1/8 t. cloves, 1/8 t. ginger)
2 tablespoons Splenda Granular
1/4 cup Cool Whip or NSA Vanilla yogurt
1 cup ice cubes


Place pumpkin, milk, protein powder, spices, Splenda, cool whip or yogurt, and ice cubes in blender container; process until slushy. Makes one meal replacement serving.


(Per Serving: 230 Cal; 28 g Protein; 5 g Tot Fat; 13 g Carb; 1 g Fiber; 2 g Sugar; 115 mg Sodium)

Have a Great Weekend Everyone!

Today marks Day #4 post hatch!

This is where is starts to get tricky according to research-
the transition from larvae to fry.
Crucial time- let's hope the little guys can make it!

I am maintaining the greenwater throughout the entire metamorphosis stage- this way it will help ease them into transformation- with less stress to deal with.
So far....so good. Things are going......., well, swimmingly!
Hahaha, had to throw that in there!

The brood pair is also doing well -
getting ready for their next clutch of eggs to be laid.
The cycle has begun! And it will continue for a very long time.
Hopefully I can keep up with the pair!

Today also is the last day for the It Works! Wrap contest - be sure to follow to be entered for your chance to win! Good Luck!

Clownfish Journal Entry....

Culturing microscopic food to feed to barely visible fish...... on less than a few hours of sleep...lol, I am surprised I can see anything at all! The first hatch started at 12:20am on August 21, 2010-
with the last of the larvae hatching out at 7am. No sleep that night!

The second hatch was not as successful- falling prey to a snooping turbo snail.

So the 21 that we have so far are survivors. Doing well.... only time will tell as to how many survive through metamorphosis. I am on several forums, and one member in particular, Tal Sweet,  has a site that has been very informative: FishTal Propagations . If you are interested, in breeding clownfish- I suggest you take a look at his site - or even Breeding Clownfish .
You will get a general idea of what to look for....and what you are getting yourself into! It definitely requires time and effort.... and alot of research.

So for now, the larvae are swimming and be-bopping along.
As each day goes by, I am hoping they all will make it through the metamorphosis stage, and transform into the clumsy little Nemo look-alikes that are so adorable!

21 Babies and Counting!

Well, larvae actually....until they go through metamorphosis.
But 21 zig zagging little babies were hatched during the night.
They are set up in a separate holding tank, and are doing well so far.

There are still more to hatch tonight....so not sure yet how many to expect.

But very happy nonetheless!

3 mm............ do you know how big that is?
Well, according to a Google search- 3 mm is equivalent to 3 grains of sugar. About 1/8 of an inch. Sounds really small right? Do you think you could find something that was 1/8" in size? In total darkness? In the water no less? Hahaha, well that is what I will be attempting this evening (or next) in the hopes of catching and transferring my clownfish larvae as they hatch from their eggs.

Today marks Day #8 .

For Amphiprion Ocellaris it is usually between 7 and 9 days.
So... I will be up late this evening, sitting in the dark,
after everything has been shut off....waiting....waiting...waiting...

Ok, I won't be doing that, haha - I will shut the tank & lights off around 10pm, and let the tank settle down. I will then go back periodically and check the status every 20minutes.

How do you check the status of a completely dark tank in a pitch black room?

A flashlight of course! This is a video someone posted when their eggs hatched. Watch carefully, those little zig zagging blips of light are the fish. The light reflects against larvae, so it is easier to find them.



Have been busy making sure I have enough food for these little guys once they hatch!

Come on baby clowns!!!

Here is a nice article detailing the metamorphosis that the clownfish go through from an orange ball when laid to the friendly face of Nemo we have all come to love! Lots of detail and photos!
(see how tiny they are!)

The Journey continues.......

Well, Momma & Pappa Clownfish are doing very well. Taking care of their clutch of eggs, and eating healthy! I am in the process of preparing the fry (baby fish) tank - making sure the water chemistry is just right. Then I will be adding some phyto and rotifers to the tank in order for them to multiply prior to adding the newly hatched fry. From what I have been told by a fellow reefer...the fry do not eat until about 8-12 hours after hatching- so they should have plenty of food by the time they wake up in the morning,lol!

Here is another video of my journal... parents still doing good, eggs look great:

Let's Get It On.................

Here is a video of my Mamma & Pappa clowns (A. Ocellaris), I will be doing a video journal on one of my reef keeping forums, and thought I would share here as well.... they are so cute.
The female is noticeably larger than the male, for those that don't know- and the male takes great pride in caring for the eggs...cleaning them , moving them, they are a perfect little couple!
The eggs were laid on Aug. 13th......so if all goes right, they should hatch around the 20th or 21st.
Hoping this batch will be successful..... not removing the eggs this time, will let them hatch right in the tank.... Good Luck 'Lil Nemos!!!

Be Sure To Pause The Mixpod

At The Top Right 

Of My Blog Before Playing This Video

(otherwise you will hear both playing at the same time!)

Happy Friday the 13th to all!!!

So what freakishly odd things have happened to you this week?

Me?........Oh, I was almost annihilated by Monti!

Lol, for those that know.... Monti is my green haddoni carpet anemone.

I was in the tank this week, trying to delicately pull out a blue mushroom

that had fallen into a cave below....when all of a sudden Monti decided to stretch out.

REALLY WIDE!!!

He caught contact with me, and that was that!

Haddoni's are very good at keeping what they catch, lol!

So he definitely put up a good little fight.

While I slowly and carefully tried to remove my hand,

he was quick to close in and wrap around my hand and wrist....

I eventually had to pull a bit more to get free...

Absolutely no harm done.....but whew!

He scared the ba-jeezes outta me!

Don't forget to click Follow to be entered into the Contest Sponsored by Kendra......IT Works!!! The Ultimate Body Wrap

Remeber you can find her here.

Introducing The Wrap.....the Ultimate Body Applicator!
This wrap has been provided for this month's contest by Kendra Armstrong.
You can find her at It Works!

Kendra has graciously provided a sample application of the Wrap

as a contest giveaway! 

We all try to lose a few pounds....we all do alot of sitting, working at the computer, and eating something that's quick, and not good for us.
This little wrap will help you get started in your endeavor to
 "Look Younger.....Live Stronger".
According to the item description- you can lose inches in as little as 45 minutes!
Wow! You could be losing weight while blogging and shopping on Etsy!
Seriously though, this little handy dandy helper outer Tightens, Tones & Firms. It detoxifies and hydrates! Looking to reduce the appearance of cellulite?
Give this a try- really, you could put this on... go watch an episode of your favorite TV show, and when the shows over..... check out your results.
And I am told It Works has been featured at the Emmy & Oscar Awards Celebrity Gift Suites!
Here is a quick link to Kendra's site...read the testimonials given by those who have tried and Loved the results they achieved using It Works.
Please visit her site to view the multiple weightloss tools offered there. Wraps, Supplements, Skin Care..... if you are looking for something to aid you in looking and feeling better- check her out!
Facebook Fans........ click the LIKE button on Kendra's page and become a fan to stay up to date with all the latest on the It Works! product line!

There is even a special reward for returning customers...
                                 Save 20-50%....Always!
Show her some bloggy love and stop by her site today!

Ok followers...you know how this works: those that are already following are automatically entered for a chance to win the Ultimate Body Applicator!
New followers ....you are entered upon clicking Follow...just that easy!

My Newest Addition...........A Blue Magician!!!
Haha....only a fellow reefer would get excited about new additions, lol- but while in Orlando doing school shopping, we came across Aquarium Fanatics - where I picked up a baby Blue Magician.
Oh! The colors coming from this little guy are extremely bold! They just pop out at you. I have been trying to get a close enough shot, but have found this pic online at Reef2Reef  - mine is about the size of a regular M&M though....but still awesome! 

Photo Courtesy of : http://www.reef2reef.com/

Can't wait for this little guy to multiply!  

The Lucky winner

of the 12 pack Melting Tarts from SimplyMeltAway is.....
(drumroll).......
Lori Garcia.........a.k.a. Mommy Friend Lori .
She has won a wonderful 12pack of Melting Tarts, made with 100% Soy .....
such a nice prize for a mom of 2 with many things on her daily agenda.
Put one of these into a warmer.....fill a bubble bath.....
and Simply Melt Away into your own quiet paradise......letting the aroma of your scented tart whisk you away into mindless relaxation....
Ok- snap back into reality, lol, the quiet won't last long...the bubbles will soon dissolve.... but you will be left with a long lasting, long scented tart - so Enjoy!!
Special Thanks goes to Kandi Taxel @ Simply Melt Away for donating this month's contest prize.