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

Bella in China!

Our Princess has been a China doll for almost a month and we sure miss her! She went with her parents to Shanghai to visit the other grandparents and has been amazed at this new adventure.

It would have been awful without Facetime. We got to see her several times a week and that made it a little easier. Gotta love all this new technology.

She was very good and easy on the long flight - 15 hours - and is loving her grandmother's cooking! She has also met some new friends and made her first trip to McDonalds!

We will be heading to the airport in a few days to meet their flight. I sure hope she hasn't forgotten Mimi and Poppy!

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!

My Favorite Book of All Time

I kind of love this stamp club project from a couple of months ago. It is a bookmark for my favorite book. The Bible I use most of the time is fairly new. I think I got it around 1985.


The translation is the New International Version and I remember having a hard time moving from the King James. I felt like I was betraying someone or something. I also have reference Bibles, Bible commentaries, Bible dictionairies - not to mention notes from a bunch of Bible Studies throughout the years. I'll bet I am not the only person with bookshelves filled with resources to facilitate Christian growth.


And even though I learned the books of The Bible during "Sword Drills" at the little Baptist Church I grew up in, I get a little rattled when I need to turn to Lamentations or some other little known Old Testament book....thus the Bible bookmark.

So the bookmark will be added to Post-It Notes, little torn pieces of paper to hold my place, and other bookmarks in my sword. Here's a chapter in Ephesians that shows my notes, dates of sermons, highlighted passages, etc.





It's my favorite book. It's the ultimate history book. It's His story.

Blessings,

Diane


Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

A New Header and Too Many Things to Talk About

 

Can you believe how long it has been since I last posted?  I really don't have a good reason other than.....I've been soooooo busy.  Now I know we are all busy with home, work, kids, church, stamping, scrapping and all that stuff...it's just that I don't seem to be able to get it all done so something suffers.  Unfortunately one of those things is my blog.  I sure hope I can do better.
So much has been going on and I want to share it all with you.  So, in no particular order, I will be sharing what is and has been going on in Isabella's grandmother's life these past few months.
Today I am on the fourth day of a very bad head cold.  I feel lousy.  We were looking forward to going to Franklin to see the little Princess Friday, but alas, could not risk exposing her to this crud.  Here's a couple of recent photos of the little darlin' in case you have been missing her sweet face.

 

 

I don't really feel like stamping, so I must feel bad.  I really want to sleep all day, but can't breathe when I lay down, so I thought....Hey, girl, why don't you make a new blog header?  So, I did!  The entire header was designed in My Digital Studio using exclusive Stampin' Up! images.  And it was so easy.  I love the new Subway art trend and found some awesome words to use.  You can take a 30 day look at MDS....just to my Stampin' Up! site and download the Express version for free.  It's not just for scrapbooking anymore!
Here's a card I made a couple of months ago for a dear friend's son and his new bride.  I loved how it turned out.  Lots of silver paper, embossing and glitter paper.  Plus the terrific Flower Fest stamp set.  I don't know why I don't use it every day!  So sorry my photos are so crummy.  I am working on making a photo box and getting the proper lighting.  Hopefully soon.

So many exciting things happening at Stampin' Up!  I will be back tomorrow with all the deets.
'Til next time...

Happy 40th to Scott!!!

First of all, it is impossible that I have a son who just turned 40 years old!  Not to mention that I also have a son who will turn 43 this April.  Of course, I was VERY young when they were born…lol.  Seriously, God has blessed Bob and I with two wonderful children and we had such a great time celebrating at the little birthday celebration we hosted for Scott and his special friends. 

I have included a few photos from the party. And, he always get to chose a favorite dish for me to make during his birthday week.  I have included photos of his choice this year – Broccoli and Cheese casserole…..or, as he called it when he was little – the one with the little trees.   We haven’t enjoyed this in a few years and wow! it was good.

But first,  here is the birthday card I labored over a whole day to make it special for this special man. 

He absolutely LOVED it.  Click on it to make it larger so you can read the sentiment…..guys get it, don’t they?  All images are from the terrific stamp plate from Artistic Outpost.  They have the most interesting sets….and I love them all.

And here are the photos from the celebration.  We had just picked up Isabella for the weekend and she was entertained by all the festivities and food.  A marvelous weekend for Mimi and Poppy.

		Scott’s 40th Birthday VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

I pray that this new year is off to a grand start for you and your family.  As always, I am honored that you dropped by and would love for you to leave a comment.

Blessings always,

Diane