I make this chocolate homemade candy at the holidays and get new compliments every year. It is so delicious and is made by melting white and dark chocolate together. It is also beautiful and can be presented 2 different ways. The red and green m&m’s, coconut and white chocolate drizzle set it apart from any treat you’ll make this holiday season.

Chocolate Homemade Candy

1 package semi sweet chocolate chips (12 ounces)
2 packages white chocolate morsels (11 ounces each)
1 cup marshmallows
1 cup pecans
1 cup rice crispy cereal
1 small package coconut
1 lb. package peanut m&m’s (red & green)
1 – 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
one metal pizza pan

Note: Substitute different color m&m’s to fit the holiday of your choice.

Reserve about 5 ounces of the white chocolate morsels (the remainder of the morsels will be mixed with the semi sweet chips). In the microwave oven (in a large glass bowl), melt the semi sweet morsels with all the white morsels (except the 5 ounces set aside) until smooth. Stop microwave every 30 seconds and stir; repeat until all the morsels are melted (being careful not to burn the chocolate). Let the mixture cool down somewhat and add to the mixture; 1 cup marshmallows, 1 cup nuts, 1 cup rice crispy cereal (mix well).

Spread this chocolate homemade mixture into a metal pizza pan; flatten mix out to extend to all sides of the pan. Place red and green m&m’s on top of chocolate mixture in a decorative pattern (you will not need the entire 1 lb. package). Sprinkle coconut on top of chocolate mixture last.

Take the 5 ounces of reserved white chocolate morsels; melt them in the microwave (stirring every 30 seconds); add 1 to 2 teaspoons vegetable oil to this chocolate mix; melt together and stir thoroughly. Drizzle this mixture over the chocolate homemade candy.

Cool in refrigerator until completely set (at least 2 hours). Cut into squares or for a more elegant presentation, cut into slim pizza sized slices.

Your wedding day is the most important day of your life and nothing is more important than capturing all of the memories from that day in a beautiful album. It is essential to be able to look back over the years and reflect on all the precious moments that have since escaped your memory. Your wedding album is meant to preserve your special day for the rest of your life. In years past, newlyweds would expect their wedding album to be a collection of single images, one 10×10 per page, followed by another 10×10. The leather-bound book would be a very stiff and serious depiction of the affair.

Fast forward to present day and couples’ expectations have significantly changed. This change was due to advances in the technology of photography which led to changes in style. First, there was the advent of 35mm photography, which increased the number of shots on a roll of film from only 12 to 36. More recently, digital photography has increased the number of photos even further. This brought on a new trend in photography known today as the “photojournalistic style.” With more emphasis on candid and spontaneous moments and a de-emphasis on static portraiture, there has been an explosion of images.

With these new components in wedding photography, the whole way of styling wedding albums has undergone a massive transformation. Taking their cues from the world of magazine and graphic design, photographers have begun creating albums that express the same level of creativity as the photography itself. The most talented photographers implement graphic design placing multiple images per page and include pictures that are floating over other pictures, turned to sepia or blue, blown-up into giant panoramas, half-panoramas, or even mock-panoramas.

Things can get a little complicated, and it’s good for newlyweds to familiarize themselves with the different types of wedding albums before they begin the daunting but extremely pleasurable task of working with their photographer to create their own unique album.

There are many new design elements that can dramatically increase an album’s ability to tell a story. The best albums contain just the right amount of surprises. An important rule to keep in mind is that a wedding album should not be overly designed. It is sometimes tempting to throw every technique into it. This can turn a beautiful storybook with carefully planned out surprises, into an overly done album crammed with one dramatic effect after another. This dilutes the visual impact of each effect. This is where good taste and artfulness come into play. The sequence of pictures in a book must have the right tempo. Balance is essential. A series of simple, dignified pages sets up a more elaborate “surprise” page. An album with a surprise on every page lacks subtlety and has no sense of timing. It can look tacky and overdone. A talented photographer lets the photographs inspire him or her to create a book that tastefully presents the ambiance of the day, all of the moments and the traditions in a moving, artistic depiction of the wedding day.

The goal in designing a great wedding album is to create a family heirloom that artfully tells the story of an extraordinary day in the life of a couple. The photojournalistic approach now documents the day with the most candid and touching photo record imaginable. Your wedding photographer should smoothly incorporate his or her technique with your style giving you a beautiful album to last a lifetime.

Originating from and being practiced in china for the last 2,000 odd years, the Chinese are credited with the exposition that with the help of the cosmic rays found in abundance all around you, it is possible to, with patience and faith and time, to harness these sources to control your present life into one of comfort and plentiful ness and also our future lives.

The foregoing is the basis for what today has come to be known as the Cosmic Law of Abundance. I have never heard of it until today and wonder how many know of its existence. Its origin, features, scientific explanation and proof of existence and composition are all shrouded in mystery.

The atmosphere around us is considered to surround us and our daily life with abounding happiness and prosperity, the main ingredients of the Cosmic Law of Abundance which we cannot touch, see, or feel. We can recognize its presence only when our lives fill up with happiness and prosperity.

The wise men believed that the energy in the Milky Way was only waiting to be harnessed by its two staunch sentinels who are faith and belief who will harness the energy to give us a better life. You can want a better life and can attain it with patience if you have true and genuine urge for it.

The advancement of the internet and the wealth of information on it, will take you on guided tour of this subject and help you to understand its many facets and help you to accept that the first step in the Cosmic Law of Abundance is to accept and envelope yourself with family in its fold and then start your journey to gain control over your present and future destiny.

The Cosmic Law of Abundance abounds in the physical, metaphysical and spiritual spheres but we are able to experience only in the physical world with our 5 senses.

Montgomery, capital city of Alabama, is now focused on the present and looking forward to the future. Until recently, the city, more than some, had been held back by tumultuous past events from as far back as 150 years ago that handicapped its growth and stability:

1. The Civil War, fought to retain slavery, resulted in a ravaged economy of Montgomery and the entire South, along with the end of slavery.

2. Racial segregation and, in the 1950s and 60s, bombings and armed conflicts that resulted in its overthrow, despite vows to retain it forever.

Now, Montgomery has resolved these problems to as great a degree as the rest of the U.S. As a travel writer and IFWTWA member, I participated in the 2009 Montgomery site for the annual Travel Media Showcase. I very much enjoyed my stay in the city and touring many of its historical and culinary offerings.

Over two evenings, my wife and I toured a section of restored downtown buildings that feature, centered in a form of alley, several interesting, fairly new restaurants. One night, we ate barbecue offerings at Dreamland, while another night, we had an Italian dinner of pasta and veal.

For tours, we visited several sites closely tied to struggles that eventually succeeded in ending racial segregation:

1. The museum and restored bus where Rosa Parks challenged segregated seating in public transportation, which eventually led to the Supreme Court decision that overthrew all bus segregation.

2. The home of Dr. Martin Luther King, that survived a bombing in the 50s and the church where he served as senior pastor.

3. The bus depot, where a group of “Freedom Riders”, aiming to challenge racial segregation in bus terminals, were attacked in 1961.

4. The State Capitol building, where King delivered a key speech after a civil rights march.

We toured several historical sites connected to slavery and the Confederacy during the Civil War:

1. Court Square fountain, built in 1885, over the site of the city’s slave trading pen.

2. The same State Capitol that served briefly as the Confederate capital building and the location outside where Jefferson Davis took his oath as Confederate President.

3. The Confederate White House and presidential residence during the same period.

Several of our TMS group were impressed by visiting the Hyundai automobile plant, which demonstrated present day robotic technical prowess and “Just in Time (JIT) inventory controls of the Korean/U.S. manufacturer.

Tuesday evening, we participated in the opening Travel Media Showcase dinner at the city’s Museum of Fine Arts. I was struck by several of its paintings, especially “Mother and Toddler” by Gary Chapman in the area used for receptions and banquets.

I was made aware of several other notable sites that, due to time constraints, I did not visit:

1. Alabama Shakespeare Festival Theater, one of the ten largest theaters in the world devoted to Shakespearean productions.

2. Hank Williams Museum, covering the life and music of the popular country music star.

3. Riverboat cruises on the new Harriott II, navigating the Alabama River.

4. Civil Rights Memorial & Center, which honors the memory of those who died during the struggle to end racial segregation.

In summary, Montgomery has much to offer, in terms of both focusing on historical events and on today. With about 200,000 population in the city proper and about 500,000 population in the Montgomery area, this location is well worth visiting.

Check out http://www.visitingmontgomery.com for more information.

Norman E. Hill frequently writes business articles. His book, “Winner and Final Chairman,” was released in 2008. An Expose of an American Corporate Power Struggle and $138 Million Golden Parachute If you read Barbarians at the Gates or followed Enron, you will enjoy this fictionalized version of a corporate power struggle. It shows how a visionary business plan, not followed through, and never-ending corporate politics, undid a promising turnaround.

Also, Norm has written numerous articles on travel, emphasizing the history and culture of places he has experienced. Sometimes, he ventures into the food aspect and how it relates to its surroundings.

These days it is getting harder and harder to find a present that is unique. Sometimes a book or pair of socks just won’t cut it, so what are the options available to you?

Last year I pondered this very question and after some research hit on the idea of a photo book. These books enable you to create your own hardback or paperback book, the pages of which are filled with photos of your choice. With some systems you can add annotations if you like, and you choose the arrangement and size of all the photos so you have total control.

For example, you could put all your best pictures of a babies first year in there. You could put together a book with photos of a deceased relative. One of a wedding or a favorite vacation. Or my personal favorite – a book featuring the photos of all the high points from the last year.

From photos of moving into your new home, to that weekend away, to having your first flying lesson, all the things that have made the last year special and memorable can be gathered together into one cohesive book as a wonderful way to remember what you have done and what you have experienced.

Many photographic shops offer this service though I personally used Lulu for my own. Being able to drag photos onto the page, rearrange them and reorder them at will makes for great fun – though sifting through all my photos to find the best ones, putting them in chronological order and deciding how best to display them took a lot longer than anticipated! So make sure you have the time necessary to make a really unique, original present.

Once you are happy with your design you can place your order and your photo book will be printed and dispatched to you ready for the big day. I just hope they appreciate all your hard work!