Warning: Not for the faint hearted!

Life in the Marine Corps is not for the faint hearted. This goes double for their spouses and children. There are many special challenges for dependents of Marine's. One of the first are periodic moves to different locations, Marine's average one move every 3 years. Uprooting a life with friends and known conditions is at best harrowing even if everything goes correctly. When something goes wrong, such as belongings that show up late, it can get downright horrific.

Another special challenge is the community standard. Living on base exposes everyone to the needs and requirements of the service. While it is possible to annoy neighbors in a community by letting the grass grow too high, in a military community that is a punishable offense.

Another of the challenges to be overcome is relative isolation. While military bases have many amenities, this is not the same as having everything you might desire or need, and typically the area immediately around a military base isn’t family friendly.

The most harrowing issue is of course deployment. Staying behind while the service member is sent overseas, possible to a war zone is one of the hardest tasks a family will ever face. While military units will try to prepare both the service member and dependents, this is never really enough.

The ways to combat this vary from family to family, but all units will have some sort of family association, or Family Readiness Group that should provide help. From a welcome committee which can provide you with maps and tell you where necessities can be found to a support group which can help each other out with needs or a shoulder to cry on during deployments. Having other families who can show up and help deal with the burdens when they grow overwhelming can be a lifesaver. Helping others in need can also provide a needed lift for you.

Dependants will quickly learn to have their ID handy. This will be required for services like the commissary. The actions and appearances of dependents will effect the promotion and progression of their service member. Military posts are much like small towns, with enough people around to make secrets difficult to keep. There is an old saying that anyone can make colonel, but it takes a wife to make a general. This emphasizes the importance a family can have on a career.

Military bases will normally have a commissary of some sort where you can purchase groceries, a MCX (BX/PX) which can be discribed as a department store, and smaller "mini mart" type stores which many call "7 day stores" and then some franchises to allow some semblance of normal life like a library and a school or schools. Often there will be neighborhood playgrounds. Sometimes there are other facilities, such as workshops where service members and dependants can perform automotive maintenance, woodworking or other tasks.

There are visitor’s centers which can point you towards the various features of the base. Another option is to search online. Many posts will have websites which discuss the post and locale, and there are many blogs where dependents discuss life around the service and how to deal with it.

Virginia Beach Patriotic Festival

The USO Presents Annual Virginia Beach Patriotic Festival
A weekend of Pride, National Entertainment and Military Tributes
Volunteers Needed!

(Virginia Beach– May 29, 30, and 31) PATRIOTIC FESTIVAL celebrates the military at The Virginia Beach Oceanfront for two days of national recording artists, along with Military Display & Demos and a live Air and Sea Show. Be a part of this salute to our troops, serving now and in the past.

Free Concerts all weekend long with special performances by David Cook, Matt Nathanson, Gary Allan, and the Zac Brown Band. There will also be a Air and Sea Show on Sunday.

A salute and celebration of our military! Remember the men and women of the United States Military and Armed Forces for their heroism and the sacrifices they make for Americans.

Reserve VIP Seating is now available for David Cook and Gary Allan. For more information and complete list of weekend activities visit www.patrioticfestival.com.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED -- Volunteers are needed for security at Patriotic Festival for May 29 - 31 at the 5th Street stage in Virginia Beach. Volunteers will help with crowd control, monitor VIP areas, stage area, etc.

Shifts are as follows:
Friday - 3:00 - 7:00 pm or 6:30 - 10:00 pm
Saturday - 3:00 - 7:00 pm or 6:30 - 10:00 pm
Sunday - noon - 5:00 pm

All volunteers will receive a security t-shirt and food voucher. Volunteers will park at Oceana and be bused to the site. You may elect to pay for your own parking at the beach if you prefer. Volunteers are requested to arrive at the event site ½ hour prior to the start of their shift. Volunteers must be 18 years old.

Interested individuals should email Karen Licari at kplicari@cox.net.

Ruby Tuesday's BOGO offer!

Portsmouth's Memorial Day Parade 2009

Memorial Day

By Whitney McGowan, FamilyLink.com, Inc.

Monday, May 25th is Memorial Day. Memorial Day has always been a special day in my family, a time to remember my military ancestors, and also a day to visit the headstones of my loved ones who have passed away. As many of my family members (aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, etc.) that can make it gather at the cemetery at the same time and pay tribute to these special people who have made a difference in our lives. We place flowers on the graves and also take a family picture to mark the occasion.

Memorial Day commemorates the men and women who died while serving in the military. It was originally enacted to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War, and then extended to celebrate American casualties of any war or military action.

How do you honor your military ancestors on Memorial Day? If you have never paid tribute to your ancestors on this day, why no start this year? Here are a few ideas of how to observe Memorial Day:

• Visit cemeteries and place flags or flowers on the graves of those who died while performing military service.
• Visit a memorial, such as the National World War II Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the USS Arizona Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, and the National Civil War Memorial, etc.
• Fly the U.S. flag at half-staff until noon.
• Participate in a ceremony in honor of military ancestors.
• Serve or visit widows/widowers of military ancestors, as well as disabled veterans.

WorldVitalRecords.com also has a variety of military databases to help you find out more information about your ancestors who served in the military. Here are links to a few of these databases Click here to view all military databases):

Army Casualties 1956 - 2003
In the early 1980s, in response to a demand from veterans, Richard D. Coffelt began
a project to create data files to identify units down to the company/battery/troop
level for U.S. Army deaths in the Vietnam War. During the 1990s, Richard J. Arnold
and David L. Argabright joined Mr. Coffelt in the research effort. In 2001, the
data files project expanded to include unit information for those members of the
Marine Corps, Air Force, and Navy who died in the Vietnam War. In 2002, the Vietnam
Helicopter Pilots Association and The Virtual Wall contributed significant additional
amounts of information to the data files for members of all the Armed Forces. These
data files contain the records for this series. This database contains information
on U.S. military officers and soldiers who died as a result of either a hostile
occurrence, including while missing in action or while prisoner of war, or non-hostile
occurrence in the Southeast Asian combat area during the Vietnam War. In particular,
it provides unit information the series creators had been able to locate about the
following: more than 37,000 of the 38,200 casualties from the U.S. Army, more than
11,000 of the 14,836 from the U.S. Marine Corps, more than 1,700 of the 2,584 from
the U.S. Air Force, more than 2,200 of the 2,564 from the U.S. Navy, and all 7 from
the U.S. Coast Guard. Each record includes identifying information for the casualty,
such as name, service number, date of birth, date of death, and city and state of
home of record.

Army Casualties 1961 - 1981
This database contains information about U.S. Army personnel and their dependents
who died or were injured worldwide, including missing in action and prisoners of
war. Approximately 85 percent of the records relate to the Vietnamese Conflict,
1961-1975. The file includes records for active duty enlisted personnel; general
officers on active duty, retired, or otherwise separated from the service; some
National Guard and Army Reservists; and some civilian employees and dependents if
overseas and the casualty required a notification to someone. The records include:
Country of Casualty, Category of Casualty, Master Casualty Number, Social Security
or Service Number, Name of Casualty, Category of Personnel, Military Grade, Military
Classification / Dependent, Current Casualty Status, Previous Casualty Status, Major
Attributing Cause, Complimentary Cause, Vehicle Type Involved, Vehicle Position,
Vehicle Ownership, Date of Casualty, Report Date, Province of Casualty, Grid Coordinates,
Republic of Vietnam Report Control Number, Component, Military Occupational Specialty,
Officer Branch, Source of Commission, Sex and Marital Status, Posthumous Promotion,
Race, Religion, Home of Record, Birth Date, Major Organization, Date Commenced Tour
or Retired or Separated, Previous Master Casualty Country, Previous Master Casualty
Group, Adjustment Code, and Card-ID / Battle Determination. This data file contains
duplicate records for some soldiers.

Known Military Dead During the American Revolutionary War, 1775 - 1783
This database contains the first complete list of the known military dead during the American Revolution.. Known Military Dead consists of an alphabetically arranged
listing of upwards of 10,000 names, with rank, date of death, and state of birth
or service or place where buried. Also includes a bibliography of published Revolutionary
War records.

Korean War Casualties
This database contains information about U.S. Army officers and soldiers who were
casualties in the Korean War. According to the variable “casualty type,” 27,727
records are for Army personnel who died, including personnel who died while a prisoner
of war or missing in action. The remaining 82,248 records are for nonfatal Army
casualties. The information on each casualty includes: name, service prefix and
number, grade, (Army) branch, place of casualty, date of casualty, state and county
of residence, type of casualty, detail/previous casualty type, casualty group, place
of disposition, date of disposition, year of birth (for deceased casualties only),
military occupational specialty, organization troop program sequence number, element
sequence, unit number, race, component, and disposition of evacuations.

Maryland Revolutionary Records
Data obtained from 3,050 Pension Claims and Bounty
Land Applications, including 1,000 Marriages of Maryland Soldiers and a List of
1,300 Proved Services of Soldiers and Patriots of other States.

Tennessee World War I Veterans
The data in this index was taken from Record Group 36, the compiled service records
of soldiers and sailors who served in the First World War from Tennessee. The index
is not a “complete” list of all Tennesseans who served in World War I; individuals
from Tennessee who enlisted in other states are not included. Additional information
regarding the soldier’s rank, training, dates of service, discharge, etc. can be
obtained from the microfilmed records.

Vietnam Memorial Index
Search the newly expanded, geo-mapped database of nearly 60,000 Vietnam veterans.
Here you will find extensive unique statistics such as location, date and reason
of casualty, religion, tour dates and even reference numbers to the exact location
on the Vietnam Memorial. Also included are vital statistics such as birth, marriage,
death, hometown location, nearby cemeteries and much more.

USA World War II Army Enlistment
The information below outlines the content that can be found in the USA World War II Army Enlistment database.

Free A&W Root Beer Float or Freeze!

Pungo Strawberry Festival

The Pungo Strawberry Festival is celebrating it's 26th year and all the festivities get underway Memorial Day weekend. On Thursday, festival organizers announced the 2009 lineup in Virginia Beach. This year's theme is "Preserving The Tradition." The festival includes pie eating contests, antique car display and concerts. All proceeds from the event are donated to community and service organizations. The festival will run Saturday, May 23 and Sunday, May 24 from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Moto people bother me...

Soymilk & Yogurt Maker

Anyone ever used the "Soybella Soymilk Maker" or the "Deni Yogurt Maker"... Or actually any Soymilk or the Yogurt Maker for that matter. We spend WAAAAAY too much money on soymilk and yogurt and I would live to be able to easly make both of them.

Great Food Deals!

Who doesn't like free or cheap food? I love it when I can find a great deal. Certificates from Restaurants.com is one great way to save money on eating out.

Restaurant.com has a great deal right now. Save 70% on your certificate purchase. That means you can get a $25 Gift Certificate for only $3! Just enter code TASTY at checkout and hit apply. I use the certificates to try new restaurants and at our favorite Mexican restaurant. Here's how it works. You pay $3 for a $25 gift certificate. But you have to spend at least $35 at the restaurant to use the certificate. So when you add it all up, you can get $35 worth of food for $13. It's a good deal.

How about more free ice cream!

Free ice cream samples at Walmart. Walmart is giving away ice cream samples on May 30th from 11 AM to 4PM. Samples are limited to one per person and include a 1.57 fl oz. Dips Snack Bag, 2.4 fl oz. Blue Bunny Aspen Frozen Yogurt Granola Bar, and 4 oz. Ben & Jerry’s Flipped Out Cups. This offer is at participating locations only. Yummy!

Free Smoothie Get a printable coupon by email for a free 20 oz. smoothie when you Join The Kingdom and sign up for the email newsletter from Smoothie King. There is also a printable coupon for a free smoothie with the purchase of a Gladiator Meal Replacement.

Free Hormel Meal for Military: Free Hormel Compleats Microwave Meal. The website has the following message. “As a token of our appreciation for your service to the United States Military, we want to thank you by sending you a coupon for one free Hormel Compleats microwave meal, courtesy of Hormel Foods.”

There are some great free food offers at Lynnhaven Mall in Virginia Beach.
Chick Fil A at Lynnhaven mall is offering free items over the next two months.
Here is a look at the upcoming giveaways.
May 18th 2pm - 5pm free milkshake with purchase of a combo
May 25th All Active Duty, Reserves, and Retired military heroes receive a free Chick-fil-A sandwich with your military ID. **Offer does not include dependants.

Lindt Chocolate Tasting Event The Lindt Chocolate store at Lynnhaven mall is offering tasting events all month.

Free DiGiorno Flatbeard Get a coupon for a free DiGiorno Flatbeard Melt on May 18th starting at 12 AM - 11:59 PM EST. This offer is available to the first 100,000 people so you will have to act fast. These types of offers go quickly.

The voice of Disney's Mickey Mouse, Wayne Allwine, passed away Monday due to complications from diabetes.

The Disney legend had been lending his voice to Mickey for the last 30 years and was only the third person to do so. His work began in 1977 on The New Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and includes the film Mickey's Christmas Carol and even the Kingdom Hearts video game series.

Allwine was 62 years old and leaves behind a wife, Russi Taylor.

Believe it or not, she is the current voice of Minnie Mouse! Awwwww!

Taco Wallet

Wallet of awesomeness!

Taco Wallet courticy of Mod Cloth

Family of 15???

We were driving around Yorktown today and saw this SUV...

I used to think these decals were "cute" like 5 years ago, before 90% of the cars on the roads had them. But more and more they've just started bugging me... But I have to say, I was a bit shocked when I saw this one today. A family of 15?!? Holy cow!

I'm a celebrity...

Seriously? Seriously? Do we really need another reality show out there... And with completely washed up folks none the less.

FREE Häagen-Dazs!

Haagen-Dazs is giving away a FREE scoop of any Bee-built ice cream flavor at participating Häagen-Dazs^® Shops between 4-8 pm TODAY, May 12th!

Vintage Justin Timberlake!

How stinkin cute! Justin Timberlake, about 7 years old, singing Paula Abdul's Opposites Attract with a friend at some festival in Tennessee back in the '80s.

Hampton Roads Bread Program

This Bread Program is free to all military.

Product availability varies but usually includes bagels, sandwich bread, buns, and sweets. All you need to do is: Sign in with name, family size, rank/rate, and whole address including zip code. Must show military I.D. Please bring and only fill 2 NORMAL sized grocery bags. Cakes, cookies or sweets are limited to 1 item per family. After everyone has filled 2 bags, participants may have more based on their family’s consumption needs.

Bread pick up starts at 10am.

Ben Moreell Community Center
428 Ingram Loop, Norfolk, VA 23505
Phone: 757-423-7500 Email address: ben.moreell@asymcahr.org
Bread Program dates are – April 1, 2009, May 6, 2009, June 3, 2009

Army National Guard (On corner of S. Birdneck and General Booth Blvd across from the Texaco)
1069 S. Birdneck Road, VA BCH, VA 23451
Phone: 757-433-2055 Email address: oceana@asymcahr.org
Bread Program dates are - April 8, 2009, May 13, 2009, June 10, 2009

Fort Story, VA 23459 (specific site locations vary by date)
Bread Program dates and locations are as follows:
April 15, and June 20, 2009: Army Community Services, Building 522
May 20, 2009: Youth Services, Building 457
Phone: 757-433-2055

Willoughby Bay Community Center
8181 O'Conner Crescent, Norfolk, VA. 23503
Email address: kim.fadely@asymcahr.org
Bread Program dates are - April 22, 2009, May 27, 2009, June 24, 2009
Norfolk Crossing Community Center
CA-307 Diven Lane, Norfolk VA. 23455
Email address: Norfolk.crossing@asymcahr.org
Bread Program dates are - April 29, 2009 (No dates available for May or June)

Free Beauty Samples

I just went ahead and signed up for all these FREE beauty product samples. Thought I'd share...

New Degree Women Fine Fragrance Collection: Each anti-perspirant is paired with a matching body mist. Three scents, Delicious Bliss, Sexy Intrigue and Classic Romance.

Ponds Cream: Fill out form for Pond’s Rejuveness anti-wrinkle cream. Free sample will ship in 4-6 weeks.

Caress Skinwear Collection: Free sample will arrive in 4-6 weeks.

Dove Hair Care: Free sample of Heat Defense Therapy shampoo. Arrives in 8-12 weeks.

Dove Hair Care: Free sample of Intense Damage Therapy shampoo. Arrives in 8-12 weeks.

Sporting Goods Discounts

I don't know about the rest of you... But all I asked for was 2 fishing polls for Mother's Day. HaHa, no seriously. I keep begging my husband to take us fishing... And now he had no choice... It's MY day and we ARE going fishing... Anyways, in the process, I came across these sporting goods discounts I thought i'd share. PLUS, I'm sure you could find a great Fathers Day gift at one the the sites.

Sport's Authority $25 coupon for purchases over $100.

Click here for15% off sportsauthority.com.

Finish Line $10 off $60 purchase.. Use code AFFSPRING1060. The discount was good until 6/30/2009.

Dick's Sporting Goods: Use code APRNS while checking out for 20% off your purchase.

Free KFC

Oprah offers coupons on her website for a FREE KFC "Kentucky Grilled Chicken Two-Piece Meal" ( two pieces of chicken, two sides and a biscut.) You may experience some slowness in the download. But, you get 4 downloads of the coupon! That's enough for most families, or a lot of free lunches. But it's only good until 12:59am EST Thursday. And the great part is, the chicken is a lot lower in calories then its fried counter parts. A grilled chicken breast is only 180 calories, compared to 370 for fried. Oh, and you can redeem the coupons through the 19th.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

On the menu for today...

Chipotle Shrimp Taco with Avocado Salsa Verde
(From the "Food Network Kitchens")

Avocado Salsa:

• 1 small onion, quartered
• 1 jalapeno, quartered, seeds optional
• 1 garlic clove, smashed
• 4 medium tomatillos, (about 8 ounces) husked, rinsed, and coarsely chopped
• 1/2 Hass avocado, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
• 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

Shrimp:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon chipotle or blended chili powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 pound medium shrimp (about 20), peeled and deveined
• 8 corn tortillas
• 8 sprigs cilantro for garnish
• 2 limes, cut into wedges

Directions

Put the onion, jalapeno, and garlic in a food processor and finely chop. Add the tomatillos, avocado, and salt and pulse until chopped but still chunky. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the cilantro.

Heat a stovetop or outdoor grill to medium-high. Mix the olive oil, chipotle or chili powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add the shrimp and toss to coat. Grill the shrimp until translucent, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on each side.

Grill tortillas, until slightly charred and pliable, about 20 seconds per side. (Alternatively, wrap in a damp paper towel and heat in a microwave.) Spoon sauce on the tortilla, then top with about 2 or 3 shrimp and a sprig of cilantro. Serve 2 tacos per person, with a lime wedge on the side.

Tyler Florence Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast
• Salt and pepper
• 2 teaspoons cumin powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon Mexican Spice Blend
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 5 canned whole green chiles, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 4 canned chipotle chiles, seeded and minced
• 1 (28-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 16 corn tortillas
• 1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce, canned
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar and Jack cheeses
• Garnish: chopped cilantro leaves, chopped scallions, sour cream, chopped tomatoes

Directions

Coat large saute pan with oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken over medium heat, allow 7 minutes each side or until no longer pink. Sprinkle chicken with cumin, garlic powder and Mexican spices before turning. Remove chicken to a platter, allow to cool.

Saute onion and garlic in chicken drippings until tender. Add corn and chiles. Stir well to combine. Add canned tomatoes, saute 1 minute.

Pull chicken breasts apart by hand into shredded strips. Add shredded chicken to saute pan, combine with vegetables. Dust the mixture with flour to help set.

Microwave tortillas on high for 30 seconds. This softens them and makes them more pliable. Coat the bottom of 2 (13 by 9-inch) pans with a ladle of enchilada sauce. Using a large shallow bowl, dip each tortilla in enchilada sauce to lightly coat. Spoon 1/4 cup chicken mixture in each tortilla. Fold over filling, place 8 enchiladas in each pan with seam side down. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.

Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated 350 degree F oven until cheese melts. Garnish with cilantro, scallion, sour cream and chopped tomatoes before serving. Serve with Spanish rice and beans.

Mario Bosquez's Corn Pudding

Ingredients

• 6 ears of fresh corn
• 1 package of cream cheese
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups butter
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 6 large eggs or 8 medium eggs
• Pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Bring cream cheese to room temperature or soften in microwave on low setting for a few minutes. Do not overheat.
2. Remove all of the corn from the ears and be sure to scrape down the sides so that you get all of the juice from the cob. Beat the eggs and add the rest of the ingredients together and incorporate well.
3. Pour into a small glass or metal baking dish and bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until golden brown. You may want to insert a toothpick into the center to be sure that it comes out clean. Cut into small pieces and serve as a side dish.
4. Addtional notes from Mario: In my experience, making this pudding with butter instead of margarine makes for a more delicious version.
   
   

Tyler Florence's Flan

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
• 3 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• Pinch salt

Directions:

To make the caramel: have ready a 2-quart round flan mold and a large roasting pan. Combine 1 cup of the sugar and 2 tablespoons of water in a heavy-bottomed pot or pan. Place over medium-high heat and cook until the sugar begins to melt. Swirl the pan over the heat until the syrup darkens to a medium amber color, about 10 minutes; don't stir with a spoon. Remove from the heat and immediately add the lemon juice, swirl the pan again to combine, and then pour into the flan mold. Tilt the dish so that the caramel evenly coats the bottom and a bit up the sides, place in the roasting pan and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F, bring a kettle of water to a boil for the water bath and keep it hot.

Combine the cream, cinnamon, and vanilla in a small saucepan over medium-low flame. Bring the cream to a brief simmer, stirring occasionally. Take care not to let the cream come to a full boil to prevent it from spilling over.

In a large bowl, cream together the whole eggs and yolks with the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar; add a pinch of salt. Whisk until the mixture is pale yellow and thick. Temper the egg mixture by gradually whisking in the hot cream mixture; don't add it too quickly or the eggs will cook. Pass the mixture through a strainer into a large measuring cup to ensure that the flan will be perfectly smooth. Pour the custard into the caramel-coated mold.

To create the water bath: pour the hot (not boiling) water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the side of the mold; be careful not get water into the custard. Carefully transfer to the middle oven rack, and bake for 30 to 45 minutes, until the custard is barely set and just jiggles slightly. Let the flan cool in the water bath, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

When you are ready to serve, run a knife around the inside of the mold to loosen the flan. Place a dessert plate on top of the flan and invert to pop it out

$10,000 Tattoo!

This idiot was paid $10,000 to get this tattoo on her head. She said she did it so she could put her kids through school. She was obviously too dumb to go to school herself because $10,000 wouldn’t even buy you an associates degree!

Birthday Party at the Zoo!

Well my daughter had her 3rd birthday party at the Norfolk VA Zoo on Sunday. She seems to have had quite a bit of fun, she can't stop talking about it! We had a little "Barnyard Bagaloo" party with about 20 people... The kids got to learn about some animals and pet a rabbit, turtle, rat and chicken. Then they got to go on a little tour of the farm area of the zoo. Then we all came back to the party room and colored some barnyard placemats while we waited for the super yummy pizza. After the pizza and lemonade, Makayla opened her birthday presents and then got her cake! And after all that, the majority of the people stayed after the party and we got to explore the rest of the zoo until we got rained out at 2! HaHa.
Seriously, any reader concidering having your party at the zoo, DO IT! It's totally worth the price, with the pizza, drinks, goodie bags, admission to the zoo all included int he price, it's so worth it. Plus they have HUGE, decorated party rooms and a great staff.

Parade of Nations

(( Saturday, May 2nd - Downtown Norfolk ))

Homemade Pop-Tarts

After my Pop-Tart post a couple days ago, I received an Email from Diane who just raved about this homemade Pop-Tart Recipe from Bake Me More. Thank you Diane, I will definatly have to try this one!

Homemade Strawberry Pop Tarts

Ingredients:

• Pie crust, refrigerated or homemade (see below)
• Jam or Preserves
• Glaze or Egg Wash
• Sparkling Sugar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. (I went by the temp setting on the box, the original recipe calls for 450.)

Unroll one of the pie crusts and square the edges. Cut into rectangles. Place 1 tsp of jam in the center of a rectangle and top with another piece of crust. Crimp all four edges. Repeat until all of the pie crust is used. I also took the rounded edges that I cut off and rolled them together to form more pop-tarts. They weren’t as “pretty” as the others, but I hate to waste food.

Bake the pop-tarts for about 7 - 8 minutes or until slightly brown. Once cool, pour glaze over and decorate with sugar. If you don’t want to add extra sugar with the glaze, you can use an egg wash on the tops with some white sugar.

Take one pie crust rectangle, fill with a tsp of jam. Cover with another piece of pie crust. Crimp all four edges. Repeat until you run out of pie crust. Bake at 450F for abou7-8 minutes or until slightly brown. Set aside to cool. Once cooled, pour glaze on to Pop-tart and decorate with sparkling sugar.

To Make the Glaze:

• 1 cup powder sugar
• milk to thin

Place powdered sugar in bowl. Pour milk slowly until it has a consistency of really thick syrup.

Peabody’s Pie Crust Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups sifted flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons cold water

Directions:

Combine flour and salt in bowl. Add shortening or butter and blend with fork, pastry cutter or your fingers until mixture is fairly coarse. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, gently mixing dough after each addition until dough forms a ball. (Dough can also be prepared in food processor. Use the pulse button just until it starts to pull away from the sides. Be very careful not to overwork the dough.) Place dough on a lightly floured surface and roll into a square/rectangle. Cut out long strips about 2 inches wide, and 3 inches long. Repeat till you run out of dough.

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I <3 No Doubt!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Congrats DH

Yay, congrats DH on graduating the Marine Corps Martial Art's Program with a green belt!

And he enjoyed is so much (well he like'd the instructor) and has now signed up for the Brown Belt course at the end of this month!

Next step, BLACK BELT!

Life's too short, have an affair?

WOW, have you seen these commercials??? This is so incredibly messed up that anyone would encourage this behavior!