It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas……

and it isn’t even Thanksgiving!  But, as with most other parts of our life, we must plan ahead in order to be on time.  And nothing is more true than getting ready for Christmas.
In August I had a little Holiday Happenings workshop and we made four really cute Christmas projects using Stampin’ Up! paper, ribbon, die cuts, ink – all the good stuff.  And we made a gorgeous Fall Wreath (will be on another post). First up, a set of four 4”X4” ceramic coasters using Candlelight Christmas Designer Series Paper and fabric.  So very easy and inexpensive, but such a cute and useful gift.

Coaster supplies:  4”X4” ceramic tiles from big box store $.16 each- Hello!; Candlelight Christmas Designer Series Paper and coordinating fabric; Ornament Keepsakes Framelits, Scallop Oval Punch and Medium Oval Punch, Sentiment from retired stamp set, Gold Glimmer Paper, Linen Thread, Clear Acrylic spray; Real Red ink, Gumball Green, Whisper White and Real Red Cardstock, Big Shot.
Next, a Christmas Blessings Journal.  We covered a composition book with Be of Good Cheer Designer Series Paper, embellished with Silver Glimmer Paper Snowflakes and even embellished a pen to match.  Easy peasy and Oh, so useful.   A journal of blessings for the entire year.  I know that mine will be full.  God blesses me with his grace every minute of every day.
 Blessings Journal Supplies: Composition book from big box store; Be of Good Cheer Designer Series Paper, First Edition Specialty Designer Series Paper; More Merry Messages Stamp Set; Gumball Green, Cherry Cobbler , Whisper White cardstock; Silver Glimmer Paper; Early Espresso Stamp Pad; Snow Flurry Bigz Die, Large Basic Pearl, Tasteful Trims Die, Big Shot.
Another very quick and easy project – a set of four cute, cute, cute notecards.  They measure 4”X4” (loving that size today) with matching envelopes.  I completely copied (very legal in Stampin’ Up! world) the terrific creation by uber-demonstrator Mary Fish.  You just can’t improve on perfection, I say.  Don’t you agree?

Scentsational Scents Supplies: Scentasational Season, Sweet Essentials, Tiny Tags and Fabulous Phrases Stamp Sets; Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Daffodil Delight Cardstock; Regals Paper Pack; Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler, Pacific Point Stamp Pads; Holiday Collection Framelit Dies; Gold and Cherry Cobbler brads; Real Red button; Basic Rhinestone; Tiny Tag Punch; Cherry Cobbler Baker’s Twine, Big Shot.
And finally, the prettiest Christmas Tree in the house!  It is a Rolled Christmas Tree using Be Of Good Cheer Designer Series Paper, assorted buttons and cardstock embellishment- a project to exercise your creativity!  And, again, not my original idea- got this one from Pinterest.  I could just kiss the folks that started that site….Anyway, easy peasy again.  Here are very quick instructions: Cut 17 strips of DSP 2” wide and starting at 5-1/2 long (your bottom strip), decrease length of each strip by 1/4  with the last strip being 1-1/2 long X 2” wide.  (i.e. 5-1/2, 5-1/4, 5, 4-3/4….) Then apply Sticky Strip to one long end, wrap around a dowel and glue making a tube. Add another piece of Sticky Strip to the seam.  Glue your handcut and embossed trunk to the bottom center and start building your tree.  Adhere with more sticky strip.  Embellish as you wish and Voila!  Gorgeous!!!

Rolled Christmas Tree supplies:  8”X10” white canvas from big box store (2 for $4- love it!); Gumball Green Core’dinations Paper, Cherry Cobbler Cardstock; Be of Good Cheer Designer Series Paper; Silver Glimmer Paper; Simply Scored (for rosettes); Various buttons; Woodgrain Embossing Folder; Various circle punches; Wooden Dowel, Sticky Strip.
Whew- this could be my longest post ever- but I hope you enjoyed.  We had a wonderful day making these cute projects.  In fact, I have made several more of each for Christmas gifts this year.  What fun!
Blessings and I pray you all have a wonderful and thankful Thanksgiving Holiday.
Diane

Ink-redible: FREE COLLECTION OF STAMP PADS until December 16th

You have TWO options to  earn 10 FREE Classic Stamp pads -  Brights, Regals, or Subtles, but you have to act fast.  This offer expires December 16th.  An Ink-redible offer.
Option 1:
Host a $450 workshop and earn your collection choice in addition to regular hostess benefits.  That’s a minimum of $115 in FREE product. 

Option 2:
Join the Stampin’ Up! family and choose a stamp pad collection as your bonus!  The Starter Kit is your choice of $125 in product for only $99!  Business items, worth $50, are included.  And shipping is free!!!
 
You can earn TWO FREE COLLECTIONS by hosting a $450 workshop AND joining the Stampin’ Up! family.  What a terrific way to kick off your new business- or add to your hobby supplies.  With the best ink in the business.  Really.  We have won awards!

Questions?  Just contact me for more information.  I would love to have you on my team.  Being a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator is the second best job I have ever had.  (First is wife and mother!)  And, I still really consider myself a “hobby” demonstrator.  I love the resources available to me, plus getting a discount on quality products is, well, terrific.

We’ve got so much going on right now…stay tuned for more fantastic promotions.
Blessings,
Diane

Got Juice?–Wrap Up–The Good and the not-so-Good

In Deuteronomy 8:8, The Israelites are promised:

"a good land…, a land of wheat and barley, of vines, figs, and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey."

God was giving us a peek at healthy living.  Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians to exercise “self-control.”  And I feel that this applies to our overall lifestyle, including our daily diet, as well as to our behaviors.

And, I know you have been waiting for this post for two weeks and I apologize.  Life got in the way. So here’s my recap.  It’s a little long, so stay with me for just a little longer.

Better late than never, here is a wrap-up post about my 6 day juice fast/detox plan created for me by Tiffany Finney with Pour Me Some Juice.  If you haven’t visited her blog or Facebook page, take a minute to take a look.  You will really learn a lot and get some great recipes.  And, if you are from the Jackson area, I highly recommend getting a vegetarian meal or two a week prepared by Tiffany and Amy – freshness and goodness.  Can you say yummy?  Check out Wholey Chow for the menu.  They will be teaching classes on Raw Food Prep in November at UT-Jackson.  Check it out.
Now to the detox wrap up.  First and foremost, at the end of the period I felt better and had more energy than I have had in 10 years!  And now that I have introduced “healthy” eating into my daily lifestyle, I continue to have energy and feel great.  I can also immediately tell the difference in how I feel when I “cheat” and eat foods that are good in taste, but not so good for your body. I feel sluggish, tired, too full- just a little miserable.  But, that will happen from time to time, because even though I am slowly changing my eating habits and daily diet, I will “backslide” and that’s OK.  As long as I don’t continue the slide as I have in the past.
I can tell a difference in my skin.  My face kinda glows (to me anyway) when I am eating and drinking healthy.  And, BTW, I don’t think I have mentioned how important it is to drink, drink, drink water.  I try to drink close to a gallon a day.  So good for your skin.
After a couple of days, I wasn’t hungry at all and felt satisfied and without the urge to snack all the time.  The juice, smoothies, soups and salads were very filling.
I slept like a sweet baby.  As opposed to a newborn- they usually wake up all during the night and I often did that.  No, on detox I fell asleep quickly and slept sounding.  Didn’t wake at all during the night.  And felt absolutely great when my feet hit the floor in the morning.  I was tired when I went to bed because I was bustling around all day getting stuff done- because of all that energy.  Love it!  Got that craft room cleaned out (watch for a future post about a HUGE sale on my gently used products- Cheap).
My weight went down about 5 pounds during detox week.  Now, I had read that a lot of the weight loss during detox is water loss and that you will gain it back when you start eating normally again.  So wrong in my case, because, I did not start eating “normally” after the detox.  That was the whole point- changing my eating – changing my daily diet to include healthy foods. I did gain back 1 pound, but it is gone now.  Total weight loss since I started with Tiffany – 9.5 pounds.  My wardrobe just got bigger!  Now, I need to get moving to go along with the diet change to help get the pounds off. 
All systems go!  I did drink a lot of liquid and ate very little food that needed to be digested.  Tiffany uses a powerful juicer that removes the fiber from the fruits and veggies, so digestion got week rest.  I was a little concerned that that would have an effective on my systems, but everything worked and worked well.  Here are photos of our juicers.Mine on the left, Tif’s on the right.  Mine is about a thousand years old and I still love it.  It has been a staple on my countertop for a long, long time.  It takes a lot of work to make my juice- so glad to have Tiffany around to do it for me.  She is also the master encourager and kept all of us on track during the detox- and continues now that I am on a daily juice plan.  I just love her.
I did miss my coffee.  I was good and cut out coffee and had a cup of hot green tea each morning.  I was a little drowsy in the early evenings the first couple of nights.  But that went away.  However, I never acquired a taste for the hot tea.  I finally found a lemon and Stevia combination that was fairly tasty, but I am a Southern gal and we just don’t drink our tea hot!! 
Thanks so much for hanging with me for this long email.  And for sticking with me during the detox.  I hope you stay tuned.  Next I will be posting about what I am doing now.  For instance, today my cupboard is pretty bare (grocery time), so for lunch I had lettuce wraps with homemade roasted red pepper hummus, a couple of medjool figs, some almonds and a few cranberry raisins- plus a few bites of avocado.  And it was tasty and filling – more importantly: I Feel Great!
‘Til next time……
Blessings,
Diane

Got Juice?–Day 6–Final Day

Well, this was my final day of my juice detox/cleanse and I have to say it has been the easiest of all.  Not hungry at all, enjoyed my apple, carrot and ginger juice, my big ole salad for lunch and tonight I made delicious Raw Lettuce Wraps, again compliments of a recipe from my juice gal, Tiffany Finney, owner of Pour Me Some Juice.  It was actually dinner for my husband also and he really liked it too.  We have enough leftover for lunch tomorrow.  I know you want the recipe, so here it is:
Raw Lettuce Wraps

• 2 very ripe avocados
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 1 beet, shredded
• 1/2 jalapeno pepper, diced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• kernels from one ear raw organic corn
• 2 tsp fresh lime juice
• 1 tsp raw agave nectar
• 6-8 large romaine lettuce leaves

Prep: In a large bowl, mash the avocados.  Add remaining ingredients and stir until well mixed.  Spread 2-3 tablespoons onto lettuce leaves and wrap.

I changed it up just a little- and used only 1/4 onion and 2 garlic cloves, but added a second tomato.  I didn’t get all the seeds out of the jalapeno and it was a tad spicy, but it only lasted a minute (and a whole sippy cup of water!)  I also added sea salt and a little oil and vinegar. 

I will do one more post tomorrow about my juice week- sort of as a wrap up, so please come back one more day.

Blessings,
Diane

12 Weeks ‘Til Christmas

I just about didn’t make it, but I am jumping on the bandwagon and will be blogging each week as we countdown to that glorious celebration of Christ’s birth.  And, it will motivate me to get back to blogging about my favorite hobby of all time – stamping!  And, in particular, stamping with Stampin’ Up! products.  I am so glad that my friend Lisa introduced me to the work of papercrafts.  It has been a wonderful journey and now that I am retired- I can stamp all day long!  What could be better than that?

Anyway, each will I will post a card or two as we countdown the weeks to Christmas.  And, what type card will I start with?  Christmas, you say?  Nope, gonna be a Halloween card and a sister friend card.  These were my “swaps” at the Stampin’ Up! Regional Meeting in Chattanooga last weekend.  I made about 40 and traded for some gorgeous cards.  One or two of them just might show up on here.

 

I was very pleased with how they turned out.  I made rolled roses at night when I was watching TV.  Pretty easy, but I did go through a ton of glue dots!  I used the emboss resist technique on the image.  I embossed it in black, then sponged three different colors to create the background.  The embossing powder “resisted” the ink, thus a pretty background.  I used Rich Razzelberry, Lucky Limeade and More Mustard for the sponging.  This really cute Halloween set, Toxic Treats, is in our Holiday Catalog.  I ran the black layer through the Delicate Designs Textured Impressions Embossing Folder using my Big Shot.  Spooks, Witches and Goblins are one of the images in this set- I just stamped then cut them apart.  I did some sponging on all of the Crumb Cake pieces.  Peaking out at the bottom of the images is a stamp from the Fine Feathers set.  I liked the whimsy it presented.  The pretty shape that everything sits on is one of our newer offerings from the Apothecary Accents Framelits. I love. Just a couple of embellishments- lace ribbon, Crumb Cake seam binding, a First Edition flower, Basic Rhinestones and Pearls finished it well.

I will be back next week with more as we countdown to Christmas.  Thank you for tuning in…

Blessings,

Diane

Got Juice?–Day 5

Today I feel like I could do this forever!  Not really, but it has been a very easy day.  I have not been hungry at all.  I had delicious pure carrot juice for breakfast and my afternoon snack.  I fancied up my picture just a little hoping it would inspire the Vols to whip Georgia.  Apparently they did not get the message.
For lunch I had Corn Chowder made from a recipe from Wholey Chow.  Tiffany and her friend and fellow raw food guru, Amy Koerner create yummy healthy meals and since they both are detoxing this week, I’ve followed their menu carefully.  I was a tad hesitant because it would not be heated, except what the blender does while mixing.  But, friends, it was very, very good.  In fact, at the grocery today I bought a couple of ears of corn so I can make it again next week.  Very simple and quick recipe.  Try it- I think you will like it and it is good, good for you.  Maybe I loved it so much because it has the perfect food in it – avocado!
Raw Corn Chowder

• 5 cups or corn or 5 ears of corn
• 2-1/2 cups almond milk
• 1 avocado
• 1/8 cup alpha sprouts (if available)
• Salt, curry, garlic powder to taste

Put 4 1/2 c of corn and the rest of the ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth and slightly warmed by the blender. Add seasons and adjust them to your taste. Pour into bowls and garnish with remaining corn.
Tonight I made a Raspberry and Watermelon smoothie for supper.  Another of Tiffany’s recipes and easy peasy to put together.  Baby spinach, celery, raspberries, watermelon and a banana. Isn’t it pretty?  All that green goodness.  It was really tasty and filling.  But we had a mini disaster – I filled the blender with all the goodies and cranked it up and it just whirred and whirred without a spin in sight.  I reposition the bowl, poked the stuff down into the blades and…same thing.  My initial thought was that I had broken my blender, but thought I would try one more thing.  So I pulled out the food processor attachment (it’s a Cuisinart combo machine) and transferred it the stuff, then gave it a push.  Voila- worked like a charm.  I guess the blender bowl just wasn’t seated properly, because when I ran it with soapy water it worked fine.  Live and learn.  My motto for all of my life.

One more day to go and I am proud of myself.  I am feeling great and I do believe I look healthier.  The first of the detox I occasionally thought about what “real” meal I would want first after this was over.  Well, today at the grocery I bought lots and lots of organic fruits, veggies and nuts and fish and chicken.  I want to continue to feel good like I do today. I think I may be on the road to something big and life-changing.  I sure hope so.
Cards next…I promise!
Blessings,
Diane

Got Juice?–Day 4

To quote the Fresh Beat Band, “It was a Great Day.”  Fresh Beat is Bella’s favorite show and we actually enjoy it too.  Anyway, Day 4 has been the best yet!  I was able to get my hot green tea just right this morning and really enjoyed it.  I thought today’s juice was going to be a challenge.  It had apple, beets, kale and ginger.  The kale and beets didn’t sound very appetizing, but, it wasn’t bad at all.  In fact, quite tasty.  Tomorrow is pure carrot juice.  I love carrots, but don’t think I have ever actually drank carrot juice.  Well, we will just have to see how it goes.  Check out the color of today’s juice:

See how Tiffany labels our juice?  I pick up three days supply at a time on Tuesday and Thursday and she labels with our name and the day.  I love that it is in a Mason jar.  I love, love anything in a Mason jar, but that is a tale for another day.

I had lots of energy today and almost finished cleaning an purging in my craft room.  I already have five big boxes of almost new stamping and scrapbooking supplies that will be in our garage sale next week.  Lots of Stampin’ Up! stamp sets- for cheap!  Gonna have a little pre-sale for my crafting ladies and whatever is left I will take to my mother-in-law’s nursing home. 

But, I digress.  The detox/cleanse gives your colon and digestive system a break.  Then your body can work on getting rid of the nasty stuff instead of expending energy digesting all our food.  Is that where my energy comes from?  I don’t know, but I love it.  Another super benefit I have discovered- I sleep like a dream!  And it is really a restful sleep.  I hope to change to a partial raw food menu after the cleanse.  I will still drink my juice each day, but really focus on healthy eating.  Tiffany says 4-5 small healthy meals a day is ideal.  You don’t get hungry and are satisfied with yummy fruits and raw veggies.  She has some wonderful recipes I will be trying out.

Speaking of recipes- here is the recipe for the energy boosting Raw Green Smoothie that I had on day 2 (compliments of Tiffany Finney at Pour Me Some Juice).

• 1 cup of baby spinach
• 3-4 leaves of kale
• a mint
• 1 banana (I slice my bananas into chunks and freeze- makes the smoothie super cold)
• 1/2 apple
• 6 strawberries (I used frozen)
• 1/2 cup of cut pineapple (frozen)
• 1/2 avocado (to me- the perfect food)
• 2 cups water
• 2 tbsps raw almonds
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tbsp flax seeds or mill
• mangoes – frozen

That’s it- takes about a minute to put it all in a blender, then blend for a minute.  Very, very tasty.

I had a half-banana as a little snack mid-morning, then a salad for lunch.  It was so pretty.  Romaine, tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, celery, fresh blueberries, a few almond slivers, flax seeds, 1/2 avocado and a couple of chopped medjool dates.  I dressed it with a lemon vinaigrette.  It tasted as good as it looks!

So, to recap the last four days.  I have had a lot of juice, lettuce, raw veggies, and a couple of smoothies.  No caffeine, dairy, no processed foods or sugar (except what is in the fruit).  Two more days to go.  Thanks for staying with me.

(I promised to show you a couple of cards, but I just ran out of room on this post.  Check back in a few for a countdown to Christmas!)

Blessings,

Diane

Got Juice?–Day 3

Today was a great day!  I had a lot of energy and didn’t get as hungry as yesterday.  My juice today was made with apple, orange, grapefruit and lemon.  Very citrusy I must say.  But quite tasty.  I treated myself at lunch to a big ole salad at Jason’s Deli.  They have all the good stuff to put in it and I cheated just a tad and had the nuts, raisins, almonds, seeds mixture they have.  Just kind of spooned it all over.  Oil and vinegar dressing.  Filled me right up. 

 

 

Tonight, I made a super good almond milk smoothie from Tiffany’s super good almond milk.  Bananas, strawberries, blueberries and mangoes- all frozen.  Yummy!

And, look how pretty it is!

 

 

I picked up my juice for the last three days after lunch today.  Two are orangey and one is beety looking.  I will show you a pix tomorrow.  I need to finish this post so we can watch the series premiere of Person of Interest.  Posting a couple of cute cards tomorrow too….stay tuned.

 

So, before I go, thought I would leave you with a new picture of Sweet Isabella.  Ain’t she something?

‘Til next time,

Blessings,

Diane

Got Juice?–Day 2

I made it through Day 1 with flying colors!  I had a Raw Green Smoothie for dinner and it was yummy.  But, not your typical smoothie that you would pay $5 bucks (or more) or the fun ones you make at home.  I started with baby spinach than added kale, strawberries, mangoes, pineapple, a banana, coconut oil, some raw almonds, flax, water, apple and avocado.  The strawberries, mangoes and banana were frozen so I didn’t have to add ice to make it cold.  I had never had a green smoothie before and just the thought of it, well, was not appetizing.  But….I blended all this stuff up in my handy-dandy blender/food processor combo and had a sip and it was delish!  Made a whole blender full, so tonight I will blend it a little and have the rest for supper.  It’s green, but it’s good.  Here’s a peak…you can see the green stuff hugging the glass.
I love my coffee in the morning, but on the detox caffeine is a no-no.  But, Tiffany said organic green tea would be a good substitute and full of antioxidants.  Don’t know what they are, but must be a good thing.  Anyway, I am not a hot tea drinker.  Tried it.  Didn’t like it.  Didn’t try anymore.  But, I do have lots of nice teabags, all flavors, for my tea-drinking buddies.  And, I just happened to bring home several big boxes of the stuff from Shanghai.  So, real Chinese green tea.  Served this morning with a touch of lemon and Truvia in this gorgeous teacup- also from China. I felt pretty special.


I am feeling pretty good, although today I woke up hungry and even with the lemon water and juice, I got hungry before lunchtime.  But, I ate another big ole salad, then drank my juice mid-afternoon, so now I am feeling much better.  I spent the day working on my craft room.  The last three or four months have been loaded with classes, clubs, family parties, baby and wedding showers and as soon as one project was over I was working on the next.  So, as I finished, the supplies would just go in the floor.  No time to properly store them.  Now I am suffering because I can’t find a dang thing.  So, today we simply put the stuff in the floor in the kitchen.  I am giving myself three, maybe four days to finished this project.  I pledge that not quite half will go into a huge garage sale.  I mean, how many shades of pink ribbon do you need?  Apparently a lot, cause that is what I have.  Here’s a couple of pictures of the breakfast area- this doesn’t include the stuff on the floor in Bob’s office. No one should have this much stuff.  But, I have been “collecting” for over 30 years….so….

Signing off ‘til tomorrow,
Blessings,
Diane

Got Juice?

Well, I do!  Today is the first day of my “juice cleanse” or “detox” and I am excited to start this journey.  What, pray tell, prompted me to jump on the juice bandwagon.  I could say it was because I love juice, veggies, salads and smoothies.  Which is true.  But not the real reason. 
I want and need to get healthy and stay healthy.  I want to chase after my little granddaughter- Sweet Isabella.  I want to climb to the top of a lighthouse easier than I did last month in Maine.  I want to be here for my family for many more years.  And, in order to make those things happen, I must change my eating habits, lose weight and get movin’.
I am going to share my 6 day detox with you, mainly as a record for me and because I think I will be more accountable if know I am going to blog about it.
My juice is provided by Tiffany Finney, creator of Pour Me Some Juice.  Tiffany has degrees, certifications and mucho training in nutrition and fitness.  She is a raw food counselor and master juicer.  She gets up at 4 AM to make our juice and have it ready by 8 AM.   I actually started eating healthier a couple of weeks ago and had 10 oz. of her wonderful juice 6 out of 7 days.  Folks, I tell you, it is yummy!  The juice for the 6 day detox is a little different. 

Each day’s “menu” is the same.  I start with 8 oz. of warm lemon water, then 8 oz. of juice for breakfast.  For lunch I can have a big ole salad with lots of colorful veggies mixed with oil and vinegar dressing.  Mid-afternoon is another 8 oz. of juice, then at dinner I will have another big ole salad.  Warm lemon water for a nightcap and I’m done for the day.  Oh, she also gave me some yummy smoothie recipes that can substitute for a meal.
Tiffany warned that Day 1 juice was not very tasty, but I had no problem drinking it.   It consisted of:

Kale, Apple, Collard Greens and Lemon

It just sounds green doesn’t it?  Well, it is. You can see it on the far right in the picture.  I forgot to get a photo until after I drank the first half for breakfast.  Day 2 and 3 are in the picture, along with a jar of her very tasty homemade Almond Milk for my smoothies. 

Here’s a little “juice” card I made for Tiffany when we started our journey together.  I used the terrific new Perfectly Preserved Stamp Set, the Cannery Framelit Dies and our new fall Designer Series Paper, Orchard Harvest. 
Thanks for going on this journey with me.  I will update each day of the detox and then as I move forward, I want to keep you up to date with my overall progress.
Now…I gotta get movin’!
‘Till next time….
Blessings,
Diane

Back to "Spool" with Stampin' Up! in September

While the kids are heading back to school, Stampin' Up! is going back to 'spool'! For the month of September, get a FREE package of 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon-an $8.95 value-for every $40 you spend!

Look at these GORGEOUS colors:

Gumball Green

Midnight Muse

Primrose Petals

Raspberry Ripple

Summer Starfruit

I made a quick "fold-over" bookmark this week using a Midnight Muse, Rasberry Ripply and Primrose Petals and the inspirational stamp set "Trusting God."  I really like how it turned out.

Have a wonderful day of worship tomorrow and come back soon.  I am gathering my Maine photos and Isabella's new studio pictures to share with you.  Here's a preview of sweet Isabella....

'Til next time....

Blessings,
Diane

the one and only

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God.  And that is what we are!”  1 John 3:1


“If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me.  Your right hand will hold me fast.” Psalms 139:10

Bob and I have had friends say we act like our grand-daughter is the only one in the world.  We are crazy about sweet Isabella, that is true. She is our one and only.  We waited a long time for her and she is the “gold” in our golden years.  We understand now what our friends have been saying for years about their grandchildren.  You know- that if they had known what a delight grandchildren would be, they would have had them first!  That kind of thing.

Some of you know that she is a little miracle baby.  Our son was in his 40’s when she was born.   Poppy and I (Mimi) were both on Social Security when she was born.  Many of our older friends have grandchildren graduating from high school – and even some have great grandchildren.  We have one perfect and sweet Isabella who will be 18 months old tomorrow.  Blessed we are.

We try to bring her home with us at least once a month and keep her a long weekend to give the parents a break.  We just completed a weekend.  Did I mention she is 18 months old?  Large and in-charge?  A little whirlwind?  Never still?  Acting just like an 18 month old should act.  A large chore for a 25 year old parent (me, many, many moons ago).   But, at my age (64)… well, I can only say- you nap when they nap, cause it is like getting on a moving train that never stops when she is awake. Oh how we enjoy the visit, but I’ve got to say we breathe a sigh of relief at the “hand off” to the parents.  And say a thank you to God for giving us energy and patience to last just long enough.

But when she smiles…oh my.  We call it the Bella smile and it is awesome.  Heart melting.  Brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it.  You can tell by her actions and expressions that she is quite fond of us.  But, she is not saying many words yet.  I don’t know if I will be able to contain myself the first time she says Mimi and Poppy.  I look forward to having little conversations with her.

Isabella VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

My boys are both in their 40’s now and I remember those days with them.  I don’t remember the exhaustion.  I only remember the joy.

As I think about this it brings to mind how God must have felt when he created Adam and Eve.  And, subsequently, me.  His love for me, and you, at our birth brought him great happiness.  Our smiles fill him with joy.  He wants us to love and adore him, just like I want Isabella to love and adore me.  Just like an earthly parent, he is there to mend our heart when we hurt and when there is sorrow, he comforts.  He gives us challenges to strengthen our faith.  He is always with us.  Never far away.  Just call and he will answer.

Like a parent he sometimes has to let us go our own way.  And he welcomes us back with open arms and helps us heal when our way doesn’t work out like we planned.

But unlike earthly parents, he never naps and is never exhausted.   He is unchanging.  Open. Ready.  Always prepared.  Does the right thing -  always.

He delights in us, just like we delight in our children and grandchildren.  It is as if we are his one and only.  We bring him joy.  He gives us eternal life.  I look forward to sharing this with Isabella someday soon.

Blessings,
Diane

A Glorious Baby Shower Brunch for Sweet Jill

Last Saturday I hosted, with a lot of help from my sisters and mother and, of course marvelous hubby Bob, a baby shower brunch for my niece Jill.  She and Jamie are expecting their first – a little boy due May 19th.  We are so happy for them.  They will be wonderful, loving parents to this precious child.

So, I wanted her day to be special and one to remember and how do you make a celebration special?  With Stampin’ Up! products and projects!!!  So, without further adieu, here’s a snapshot (or rather several snapshots) or our glorious day.

 

Jill and Jamie Arrive VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

I really liked how the invitations turned out. They were made with all Stampin’ Up! product.  Jill’s nursery has a bird theme so I tried to incorporate that in all the decorations. I also was pleased with the photo banner. It was on two sides of the foyer and a big hit with the guests.

Delightful Decorations VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

I had a ball making the decorations.  Banners, birds, diaper cakes – even little mini diaper cakes for the table decorations.  The banner on the mirror reads “Baby Parchman” and the spring colored M and M’s are in a baby food jar.  I loved making the tissue paper pom poms.  I remember making these when I was a young girl.  What sweet memories.

		Yummy Food VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

The food was delish! My sister Charlotte and mother brought lots of goodies. Mother made a marvelous sausage and egg breakfast casserole. I tried a Cinnamon Roll casserole that turned out yummy. The flavored water was a hit! I used lemons, limes, cucumbers and strawberries. I discovered the secret is to wait until about 30 minutes before you serve to put it together. Use cold water, add ice and do not squeeze the fruits. A nice fresh taste. This will be a staple at my events from now on.  I made a little banner with the baby’s name on it for the diaper cake.  What a cute way to welcome the little one.  The diaper cakes are now in their new home in Drake’s nursery.  The birds flying above the table were made with Stampin’ Up!’s brand new Elegant Bird Die.  Leaving those up all summer!

		Gifts! VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

And, of course, opening the gifts was so much fun. I think Jamie was a little overwhelmed among all the gals, but he was a good sport and enjoyed all the hoop-la. This was their first shower and was a great success.

We are all looking forward to the arrival of Drake Christian in May.  Jill is a sweetheart and it is hard to believe she will be a mom soon.  She was a precious little girl, a cracker-jack softball player and now a Registered Nurse.  I am so proud of her and can’t wait to be Aunt Di to another precious little boy.  I hope I will earn the honor of being a “great” aunt.

Blessings,

Diane

Beautiful Banner

I am sure you have noticed that banners, in all shapes and forms, are uber-trendy in papercrafting right now and I am in LOVE with them.  I made banners for Isabella’s first birthday, Christmas, Valentine’s Day…and many for absolutely no occasion.  Shelli Gardner, co-founder of Stampin’ Up! loves them too and so much so that banners are her Creative Challenge for this month.  So….I really wanted to join in.  An excuse to make one more.  Don’t need excuse really, but did enjoy making something for me after all the decorations I just finished for my niece Jill’s baby shower.  Check out the next post for lots of pictures of our fun time.
Until then, enjoy my heart banner.  All supplies by Stampin’ Up! and you can purchase them in my store 24/7…

I {Heart} Banners VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

I have this on the big mirror over the fireplace in the den so I had to take it down and put it on a contrasting color for the photo.  And, I still haven’t finished my new picture-taking place, so the photos are not the best.  But, I am sure you get the drift.
I can’t sign off without sharing a memory from yesterday of sweet Bella and her Poppy checking out the Camellia she plucked from the bush in our backyard.  My loves. 
And, I wouldn’t be offended if you left a comment on her cuteness!