Check it!

My BFF Sarah was soo sweet to me for my bday. She signed me up for Jen McGuire and Kristina Werner's online Card Camp!!! So excited!! Every week has color combos, videos, examples and even sketches! Loving the creative juices that are flowing! This is the card I made to put in the gallery. Not completely in love with it, but I did follow some of the techniques and the colors! Thanks Sari! If any of you are interested I think you can still sign up here!

I bought tickets to the Shriner's Circus ages ago. I do every year. Its a good cause right?! Well this is the first year the kids are actually in town to go! First circus EVER. I actually really enjoyed it and I think Chris did too. Taylor, not so much. He really felt bad for the animals in the show and I think it really ruined it for him. They had some pretty good acts including the power puff girls who did the rope dancing in the air thingy, jugglers, acrobats, and the motorcycle ball. They had 4 bikes in going in circles around the inside of the ball. We had a terrific seat to see it well!






Tomorrow is my birthday so we are closing the office at noon and the girls are taking me to lunch!!! Johnnie Carino's!!! YUM!! Tonight LaRee, Bug and I are going to the local sounds choir performance of The Sound of Music. Really excited about that!

This last week while Chris was in DC I took a week off to hang with bug. We went to the Zoo, Worked in the garden and played some miniature golf. We went golfing at a place we had never been before and really enjoyed it. It was less novelty and more actual putting!

Mothers day

I know we are way passed mothers day but wanted to share some photos of the day. All of these are with my 92 year old grandma!

Where to start?

Bet you feel like I dropped off the face of the earth? Well if you don't then you don't come to my blog too often now do you?


Lots of things going on in life since my last post. Here are a few things:


Taylor has turned 11
Kids finished 5th grade and 8th grade
Went on a quick trip to Jackson
the entire month of may is GONE (wth?)
Chris is on his Washington DC trip.



Ok so I lied, not much HAS happened. That's it - those are the highlights. How sad is that? I mean not that we didn't have day to day fun or even bad times but that is basically it. Now you know why I don't post?





(Picture Chris took from phone of Betsy Ross house)

Any way Chris is off on his trip. He has been working toward this since October of 2010. He left Monday and will be back on the 17th. This is the first time he has been 'off' on his own with out a parent and I admit I was a bit (ok more than a bit) that first day he was gone, but he has called me everyday to check in and he is having the time of his life! Here are some of the places he gets to go/has gone:




Phili PA- Liberty Hall, US mint, Rocky steps, Betsy Ross house, House where declaration of independence was written

Gettysburg


Ghost tour of Williamsberg


Jamestown


The WHITE HOUSE (an actual tour)


Tomb of the unknown soldier


Smithsonian


Natural history museum

American History Museum

A dinner on a boat on the Potomac

Newseum

Holocaust museum

Ford's theatre

Bush Gardens

and many many more places.


I am hoping he is taking LOTS of photos! I can not WAIT to do a book for him when he gets back!!

April wedding

Saturday I shot the ceremony of my friends son's wedding. Such a pretty place to have it!! It was at the Shelton reception center and it was small and beautiful! Here are just a few shots!

How to make devine Ziti for Scrapping Goddesses

Saturday our office held our first ever March of Dimes scrapbooking crop. It wasn't too big, but I think if we keep it up we could do much more next year!! I was stupid and took NO pictures but I did take pictures the night before of the Ziti I prepared for dinner. Everyone has always like my ziti so I thought I would share the recipe here!!


I start with my favorite pasta. I really like Barilla. Its available in most chains. I use 1 and a half boxes for a 9x13 pan.


Start a pot of water to boil. When it reaches its boiling point salt it well. I do mean well. Pasta is made for salting. Add noodles to the water.
Chop one full onion to the size of your choice. I cut it as small as my runny eyes will allow. Usually until I can't see any more.

Brown the onions with a pound of Italian Sausage. I do NOT use hamburger. You can if you want, or even do half and half, but to me it just does not taste right. To the meat and onions I added some salt and pepper. At this time you could also add a bit of red pepper flakes if you wish. It just depends on if you like a little more heat or not. It also depends on what kind of sausage you have.

Please do NOT forget about your noodles boiling!! Set your timer for 5 minutes. You do not want them fully cooked!!! After the 5 minutes drain your noodles and set aside.
Open two jars of your favorite marinara sauce. Again I am a Barilla fan. Use a few spoon fulls of the sauce from the jar to cover the bottom of your pan lightly. (9x13) This is basically to keep the noodles moist and from sticking to the bottom.

Combine your two jars of sauce and your meat mixture together.
Start layering your dish. I start with about half the noodles then I add half the sauce, then I add sliced provolone cheese and Parmesan. Then on top of that or right before if you wish I squirt some ranch dressing on it. Maybe a 1/2 a cup or so I just eyeball it. You are supposed to use sour cream but the last time I made this I didn't have sour cream and substituted the ranch. I liked it sooo much more that I use it all the time now. Feel free to use the sour cream if you with though.

Start your next layer the same way. Noodles, sauce, cheese and ranch. On the very top layer I just poor on the parm. nice and crunchy on the top.
I do not have a picture cooked because it was actually cooked the next day so I completely forgot to snap a pic!! You can make this dish ahead and the flavors will marry and just be sooo yummy with the noodles that soak up all the sauce and flavor. I usually put it in the oven at 350 for about 45 minutes. If you have refrigerated it at all you will more than likely need an hour. Its done when cheese is slightly brown and edges are bubbly.

Serve with green salad and garlic bread!!