Stampin' Up in September

If you ever thought about coming to one of my Stampin Up classes, this is the time to do it. I am getting so excited about the incredible products to share with you and the gorgeous projects we are going to make!

Here's the card we will make:










I have more exciting new things to show you - but you will have to wait for that! Let me know if you want to attend. I am thinking about changing the date to Tuesday night. Would September 16th work for you?

CFL light bulbs

Do you use the energy saving CFL bulbs? You know, the ones that look like a miniature flourescent bulb that has been turned like a twist ice cream cone?

I am thinking about buying some. Consumer Reports verifies they save money and that they really do burn for a really long time. Apparenty Walmart's Great Value brand came out with their generic version. Maybe.......... I also read that you can recycle them at Home Depot, Ace Hardware and True Value stores. Hmm.........

What do you think of them?

Fun night

The open house was alot of fun! If you couldn't make it, I missed you. Thanks to everyone who came and checked out this stuff:

Stampin Up - The new catalog is out and I am gearing up for new projects and classes starting next month. Hope you can have a party with me!

Party Lite - Thank you, Cherish, for setting up your display and spending time with my guests!

Knitting - Hand knitting or machine knitting? It's hard to choose. So I ask "Why not both?".


Let's be creative together!

Heard them all last night...

Cheap Trick:
I want you to want me..........
walk away, walk away.........
I keep falling for those big eyes......

Heart:
Ooooooohhhh, barra barracuda........
Try try try to understand I'm a magic man.......
Let me go crazy crazy on you......
What about love, don't you want someone to care about you........
These dreams go on when I close my eyes.........

Journey:
Wheel in the sky keep on turning.......
When the lights go down in the city........
Some day love will find you........
So now I come to you with open arms.......
I'm forever yours, faithfully........

It was a show worth going to. And SPAC was packed. They were the seasoned pros - each band at it for 30+ years. Seeing them made me want to be a better musician.

Legal Lingo

Subpeona duces tecum

I will never forget the first time I heard these words. (sub-PEE-na DOO-seas TEE-come) I was working for an in-house counsellor for a large company, and this was part of a letter he was writing. "What on earth does that mean?" I asked. The way he explained it made alot of sense.

We probably already know what a Subpeona is: A document calling someone to court or other tribunal, being subject to a penalty if you fail to comply.

Nice, huh? And if that isn't threatening enough, let's add the rest to it.

Duces Tecum: To appear with specified documents or records. Basically, the latin words for "bring tangible evidence with you".

So there you are. The next time you are asked to meet with someone, you can ask them if you need to go "duces tecum".

Good day for a gift

For those of you who heard, my week last week was full of haze. I got to work Monday morning to find out that my boss, Mary, had been admitted to the hospital and had undergone surgery the day before. She contracted a serious Strep-A viral infection and was fighting for her life. This virus has a 1 out of 5 mortality rate but thankfully she is a survivor.

Today is my birthday. A day of celebration, well wishes, and gifts. I have received some fabulous presents from those who I love. Knowing that there are people who rejoice over the day that you were born is a wonderful thing. A different type of gift I got today was hearing from Mary and finding out that she is well enough to go home. I know it isn't technically a gift from her, but to me it qualifies.

Not all gifts are wrappable. There is something amazing about those types of gifts. You know what I'm talking about... Those pleasant little perks which sneak into your day. Maybe it's getting all the green lights on your drive to work, or finding that $20 bill that you forgot was tucked away in your pant pocket.

I am thankful for many things. For the tangible and for the abstract. For those who I love and care for. For celebration, well wishes and gifts. It is a good day.

Almost Open House time

My August open house is coming up soon - 8/25/08 from 4:00 - 9:00 p.m.

I will have the new Stampin' Up catalog to look through, samples of some their new products, a table of retired products that I will be selling off, a couple displays from guest demos: Arbonne and Party Lite, some light snacks (don't expect me to give you dinner), knitting, crochet & tatting samples, with demonstrations of each, and a fun girls-night-out atmosphere.

If you have any Stampin Up stamp sets that you want to exchange or sell, bring them along. If you want to sit and work on your craft, bring it with you and share what you are making with us. If you just want to come over to see my new living room furniture, that's fine too! Just stop by - I'd love to see you.

Come when you can, choose your must-haves, consider booking a party for the holidays - let's be creative together!

Shrimp yumminess

I usually don't watch any cooks on Food Network, except my culinary hero, the incredible Alton Brown. Yesterday I made an exception. I watched Giada's show. You know, that Italian beauty who has the biggest, whitest smile and wears the transparent pink nail polish... The lady I skip past because she is NOT gluten-free friendly since a meal isn't a meal unless there is bread or pasta included in it. Anyways, I caught her show and she made a shrimp dinner that I just had to try. (I modified it to make a GF version, of course.) You have to try it too because it is really, really good.

Here is how to make what I have named Shrimp Yumminess

Boil water and make the pasta of choice. I used Tinkyada ziti, she used linguini. Heat a skillet, add olive oil, chopped onion, chopped garlic and salt. Bring to a sweat.
Add one bag of frozen, raw shrimp, fresh ground pepper, the zest and juice of a lemon, fresh chopped parsley, and a small amount of chicken broth. Cook until shrimp are pink.
Add coarsely chopped arugula (I added broccoli florets - who has arugula in their fridge???...except Nick and Laura.)
Add the cooked pasta and mix with tongs. Top with grated parmesean cheese.

Oh! That was one of the best dinners I've experimentally made in a long time! Let me know if you make it - you won't be sorry!

Love letters

When I was an early teen, my parents and I went on a trip around the country. It was quite the adventure! We drove west, made it all the way out to Utah and New Mexico, then started driving back east and when we arrived in Tennessee, it happened. I met a boy. He was a little older than me, great looking, and had a fabulous southern accent. I'm not sure what it was about me that he liked, but we clicked. We did our darndest to spend as much time together as we could in the few days we had, and then it was time for me to leave.

We swore that we would write to each other. And we did...for a month or so. But words cannot describe how in tune I was to hearing the mail truck drive up to our mailbox. My heart would flutter with expectation as I would rush out to the box to see if there was a love letter there for me or not. How disappointed I was when there was nothing, and how elated I became when there was! Those letters were priority #1. I would read them over and over, analyzing every word, practically burning them to memory. I wanted to know everything I could about him and the only way I could do that was through his letters. Did you ever have that experience?

In pre-email days, and even more so before the industial age came, letters were it. If you received a written document from someone, you had something valuable. It was not just hear-say, it was something in writing, something to believe, something true. You could "take it to the bank". Can you imagine how the newly formed churches must have felt when they got a letter from Paul or Timothy or Peter or James or John? I imagine they would gather to hear what that letter said, would read it over and over again, and wanted to remember every word. These letters were from the apostles; they were the next best thing to hearing from Jesus Himself.

The Bible is a precious collection of love letters from God to us. His words, thoughts and desires have been bundled in book form so we can read them whenever we want. Are these letters priority #1? Does my heart flutter with expectation as I get ready to read it today? Do I look forward to reading its lines over and over, analyzing each verse and discovering what He wants to say to me? What an awesome resource we have to get to know God!

Sparkie's big score

I saw a friend of mine today. She told me that she had a present for Sparkie. She handed over a bag with four cans of "wet" dog food for him. That is his FAVORITE and he is going to be such a happy little guy when it's time to eat his meals with that mushy stuff on it.
Sparkie says "thank you aunt debbie and uncle vince!" He adores you guys!!

Glorious sunshine

It takes a mere 10 minutes of sun to give you your day's dose of vitamin D. How about that! The time in the sunshine will help boost your mood, make you feel more able to cope with things, bring a smile to your face.
What do we do in the time of year when we don't get out in the sun? You can get a full spectrum light to use in your house. It may be an initial expense, but it will help you with the winter blahs.

August Arts and Crafts Open House

Mark your books - the August open house is going to be on 8/25/08 from 4:00 - 9:00 p.m.

I will have the new Stampin' Up catalog to look through, samples of some their new products, a table of retired products that I will be selling off, a couple displays from guest demos: Arbonne and Party Lite, some light snacks (don't expect me to give you dinner), knitting, crochet & tatting samples, with demonstrations of each, and a fun girls-night-out atmosphere.

If you have any Stampin Up stamp sets that you want to exchange or sell, bring them along. If you want to sit and work on your craft, bring it with you and share what you are making with us. If you just want to come over to see my new living room furniture, that's fine too! Just stop by - I'd love to see you.

Come when you can, choose your must-haves, consider booking a party for the holidays - let's be creative together.

Worship

With the weekend coming, and the songs of the service on my mind, I have been thinking alot about worship.

It is so easy for us to want to worship God when things are going great. What about those days when we don't feel like God is hearing us or working on our behalf? Let's look at the scriptures.

"Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God." Rom 10:17 When we sing the songs that speak the Word of God, we are hearing what the Word of God says. This action will infuse faith into our lives.

Don't feel like worshipping? Do it anyways - it will build up your faith!