Sometimes it's hard to keep up with the news on a day to day basis. Here are the highlight from the Neopets news page for this month...

These cool Fun Images are just waiting to be used on your pet page, shop or gallery. (August 1, 2007)

There is a new Background with ice Neopets and Petpets frolicking! (August 1, 2007)

You can now send your friends one of these new Greetings. (August 2, 2007)

Wish someone a Happy Mutant Day with one of these new Greetings. (August 25, 2007)

For his dastardly deeds Eliv Thade has earned his place in the Gallery of Evil. (August 28, 2007)

If your friends are going back to school you might want to send them one of these new school-themed Greetings. (August 30, 2007)

Special Days for these months were:

• Aug 8th - Blumaroo Day
• Aug 11th - Discovery of Brightvale
• Aug 18th - Meerca Day!
• Aug 20th - Annual Usuki Doll Convention
• Aug 24th - Grundo Independence Day
• Aug 25th - Mutant Day
• Aug 29th - Kyrii Day

Pets are painted at the Rainbow Pool (on the Main Shops page) with special magic paint brushes. Click here for a list of all pets and their available colors.

v      Don’t worry, this Quiggle isn't Frozen, well he is but... he is painted that way. :)

 (August 1, 2007)

v      Blumaroos may be bouncing for joy when they see the new colors they can be painted at the Rainbow Pool. (August 8, 2007)

v      Meercas can now be painted Desert and Split at the Rainbow Pool. (August 18, 2007)

v      The Mutant Yurble is now available. (August 25, 2007)

v      Kyriis can now be painted Sketch or Orange at the Rainbow Pool. (August 29, 2007)

For those of you looking for the Petpet Puddle, it is part of the Rainbow Pool. When you are on the Main Shops page, click on the Rainbow Pool. At the top of the next page is the link to the Petpet Puddle. Click here for a list of all petpets and their available colors.

q        The Kookith, Turmac, Slorg and Eizzil are looking a bit frozen...(August 1, 2007)

q        A new Petpet is hanging around. We tend to think they are not as friendly as they look. Say hello to the Darblat.

(August 9, 2007)

q        The Flowper, Intesteen, Mallard and Pandaphant can now be painted new colours at the Petpet Puddle(August 10, 2007)

q        Mibblies can now be painted Red, Blue, Yellow and Green at the Petpet Puddle. Now, perhaps, they won't be mistaken for rocks. (August 16, 2007)

q        The Mutant Swabby, Vacana, Feepit and Yurble are now available. (August 25, 2007)

q        The Nedler can now be painted Red, Green, Yellow and Blue at the Petpet Puddle. (August 28, 2007)

q        The Buzzer, Geb, Caramiller and Candychan can now be painted Island at the Petpet Puddle. (August 30, 2007)

Real life has finally decided to find a new punching bag for a while, so I’m finally back and getting things updated and (hopefully) running smoothly again. I’ve been desperately working to get everything caught up. I've even logged the back news for archival purposes.

As you probably expected, the Avatars have been updated. I’m going to have to totally revamp the Game Reviews pages

Plans are underway to go ahead and update the Tour pages, but the new world map is complicating a few things.

The NeoHomes FAQ page was updated several months ago, but somehow was never uploaded. I guess I overlooked it until I noticed that several players were asking the same questions…that’s been fixed now.

Work continues on the upcoming museum. This project is rather large, but at least you can get a quick look at it here. One of the most recent additions is the archive for this year’s April Fools Day fun. Note that these pages are still very much under construction. If you have anything you’d like to contribute, please send it to: Naomi_Tran@baylor.edu

I have decided to add a crafts section to the What To Do When Neopets is Down page. If you have any patterns you’d like to contribute, please send it to: Naomi_Tran@baylor.edu If your craft is posted, you will receive credit for it, so be sure to include your username.

While not technically part of my TNE site, I also updated JC’s homepage. Changes in coding restrictions caused a huge portion (mainly in the table with battledome abilities) to be deleted. I’m sure I left some parts off, so let me know if there is anything you think should be added back in…

Avatars have a broad based appeal that touches almost every aspect of life in Neopia. These are the avatars that were added this month. For a complete list, drop by the avatars section of the Chat FAQs. If you know of one that is not listed, simply fill out the automatic comment form.

No new avatars this month, either...sorry

Games on Neopets are in a constant state of change and these changes are often not listed in the news. Here are the changes for this month:

Here are the new games that were added this month:

a    If you are bored you might check out the new sponsor game Zizzle Spotz Pet Painter. (August 9, 2007)

a    Take a trip to the beach and play the new sponsor game - Mr. Bean's Holiday Sandcastle. (August 16, 2007)

a    Do you dare to go deep into the ruins of Geraptiku to try the latest game Goparokko? (August 17, 2007)

a    Collect all the fruit you can and make your escape in the latest sponsor game - Fruit of the Loom : Find the Fruit. (August 17, 2007)

a    Test your Disney knowledge and earn Neopoints with the latest sponsor page - The All New Disney.com. (August 18, 2007)

a    If you are bored why not try out the latest sponsor game Disney Game Kingdom: My Perfect Pet. (August 29, 2007)

a    Get out those books and start studying because today is the Imperial Exam! (August 31, 2007)

These games were taken off the site this month:

Ø       A Trix Twisting Turn

Ø       Ant Bully: Aimless Ants

Ø       At World's End Trivia

Changes to existing games:

Defenders of Neopia: Series 2 - An icy lady is threatening Neopia! Lady Frostbite takes on Torchio, and you're the only one that can help...If you can’t find her, click here to get her to challenge you.  (August 9, 2007)

Can you find your Neopet in the new Brightvale Kacheek Seek? (August 11, 2007)

If you are a fan of the Meerca Brothers, you may want to try out the latest How to Draw. (August 18, 2007)

If you love Usuki Frenzy, you are going to adore Usuki Frenzy 2. (August 21, 2007)

Have you ever wanted to know How to Draw Jacques? (August 29, 2007)

Yes, it’s that time again…the end of another summer for many Neopets players. It is time to start getting ready to head back to school. Neopets certainly doesn’t lack much in the way of school supplies in their merchandise catalogue. In addition to the small spiral notebooks that first made their appearance in Limited Too stores, you can now own full size spirals and even a composition book. Target and Wal-Mart stores now offers binders and folders with Neopets logos and you can now store your gym clothes in a handy Neopets-themed duffle bag.

Neopia, itself, offers a stunning array of school items. There are approximately 268 school items sold in the main Back To School shop at the time this article was written. Pens, pencils, paper, crayons, markers…even these essentials can be found in your pet’s species, color, or favorite theme. Lunchboxes, rulers, notepads and backpacks range from plain to downright strange.

In addition to shop blogs and backgrounds, Neopets had even released a rather depressing school-themed random event which made us think school was just around the corner...

(August 28, 2003)

There remains one small flaw with all of this. At this time, Neopets still has not finished the NeoSchools to use all these great items. Just over four years ago, they released the most comprehensive information we have:

Each of your pets will be able to register for up to three subjects, join after school clubs and try to be the most popular pet in school. Your Neopet will be able to choose from the following classes (August 27-28, 2003):

• Basic Mathematics
• Starting Science
• Grammar and Language
• Learning Art
• Simple Spelling
• Potion Brewing Basics
• Physical Education
• Early Neopian History

For more information about each class, Neopets has set up a page with brief overviews (September 5, 2003).

Today (August 31, 2007), we were given another glimpse at the neoschool possibilities...the new game, Imperial Exam, could conceivably be used in association with whatever entrance requirements Neopets may put in place. The possibilities are endless. Could it be that NeoSchools have not been forgotten by Neopets after all?

Other than these tantalizing tidbits, we are left to scratch our heads and wonder just what our beloved pets will face when they finally have a chance to join the educational experience. Until that day, it looks like the TNE Report Card is the only Neopets-related ‘report card’ we’ll see.

As always, play safe and have fun!

~StaggPub~

 Have a recipe you'd like for me to work on? Tell me about it.

Name: Mynci Cristo Sandwich
Available: From the Main Food Shop
Neopet’s Description: Ham, Turkey, and Swiss Cheese all layered between two slices of bread. The sandwich is then fried and topped with powdered sugar and served with jam.
TNE’s Description: This should not be made without adult supervision since frying is involved.

Ingredients: Each sandwich will need....

• 3 Slices    White Bread            
• 2 Slices    Gruyere Cheese                        
• 1 Slice     Cooked Ham                             
• 1 Slice     Chicken, White Meat
• Egg
• Milk
• Mustard
• Powdered sugar

Directions:

Preheat the deep fat fryer.

 Beat the egg until it lightens. Add a dash of milk.

 Form the sandwich (either as a “triple-decker” or as normal) as follows:

 -Place one slice of cheese on each slice of bread.

 -Add the ham slice.

 -Spread mustard on the ham.

 -Add the chicken slice. (if a "triple-decker, the ham and one slice of cheese on one

   level and the chicken and the other slice of cheese on the other).

 -Quarter the sandwich.

 -Use picks to hold the sandwich together for the remainder of this process.

 Dip into the egg-milk batter. Coat thoroughly but quickly. Coat all sides.

 Drop into the hot oil (or strainer basket and put the basket into the oil). Cook until golden. Remove and drain.

 Wrap the sandwich in a cloth towel. Serve while hot.

 Goes well with a fruit compote side dish, fruit preserve, or jelly/jam. I'm particularly fond of it with raspberry jam...