What Does Lite Really Mean?

There is a standardized definition developed by the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture for every low-this and reduced-that on the food labels.  Below are some of the more common label lingo and the nutritional information that it represents.

• Sugar-free: Contains less than 0.5gm of sugar per serving.
• Calorie-free: Contains fewer than five calories per serving.
• Low-calorie: contains 40 or fewer calories per serving.
• Reduced-calorie:  Contains 25 percent fewer calories than the regular product.
• Fat-free:  contains less than 0.5gm of fat per serving.
• Low-fat: Contains three grams or less of fat per serving.
• Reduced-fat:  Contains no more than 75 percent of the fat found in regular versions or comparable food.
• Light or lite:  contains one-third fewer calories or half the fat of the regular food.
• Cholesterol-free: Contains less than two milligrams of cholesterol and two grams or less of saturated fat per serving.
• Low-cholesterol:   Contains 20 milligrams or less of cholesterol, 2 grams or less of saturated fat, and 13 grams or less of total fat per serving.
• Reduced-cholesterol:  Contains 75 percent or less of the cholesterol found in the regular food and two grams or less of saturated fat per serving.
• Sodium-free: Contains less than five milligrams of sodium per serving.
• Very low sodium:  Contains less than 35 milligrams of sodium per serving.
• Low-sodium:  Contains 140 milligrams or less of sodium per serving.
• Reduced-sodium:  Contains no more than 75 percent of the sodium found in the regular food.
• Extra-lean:  Refers to meat, seafood, or poultry that has less than two grams of saturated fat, less than five grams of total fat, and less than 95 milligrams of cholesterol per 3 oz serving.
• Lean: Refers to meat, seafood, or poultry that has 4.5 grams or less of saturated fat, less than 10 grams of total fat and less than 95 milligrams of cholesterol per 3 oz serving.
• High in:  Supplies 20 percent or more of the Daily Value (DV) of a given nutrient per serving.
• Good source of:  Supplies 10 to 19 percent of the DV of a given nutrient per serving.
• Fresh:  Refers to a food that is raw, that has not been processed, frozen, or heated, and that contains no preservatives.
• Freshly: Refers to a food that has been made recently; may be used with "baked".

~~Women's Edge, Food Smart by Susan G. Berg and the
Editors of Prevention Health Books for Women

Did You Know?

Cinderella's slippers were originally made of fur. The story was inadvertently changed by a translator in the 1600s, who confused the very similar old French words for "glass" and "fur" - verre and vair, respectively.

Botanically speaking, the banana is an herb, the jalapeno is a fruit, and apples and peaches are members of the rose family.

Pineapples, oranges, lemons, watermelons, and tomatoes are all berries.

Lightning strikes about 6,000 times per minute on this planet.

The first American ice-cream parlor opened in New York City in 1776.

~So, Now You Know... by Harry Bright and Harlan Briscoe

Super Bowl "good for you" Munchies

Here are a couple of low-fat munchies for you to prepare for your Super Bowl watching party .... while you are cheering on my favorite team ..... GO STEELERS!


Ingredients:

1 fat-free (or nearly fat-free) hot dog (like the ones by Oscar Mayer, Hebrew National and Ball Park)
1 portion Pillsbury Reduced Fat Crescent roll dough

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut hot dog into 4 even pieces. Stretch or roll out the triangle-shaped dough slightly, to make it a larger triangle. Cut dough into 4 long, narrow triangles. Beginning at the base of each triangle, roll a piece of the hot dog up in the dough until the point of each triangle wraps around the center. Place dogs on an ungreased baking pan and cook for about 12 minutes (until dough appears slightly browned and crispy). Enjoy!

Popcorn Shrimp
3 oz. raw shrimp; peeled, deviened and cleaned
1/4 cup Egg Beaters, Original
1/2 cup Fiber One bran cereal
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour Egg Beaters into a bowl. Using a blender or food processor, grind Fiber One cereal to a breadcrumb-like consistency. Pour Fiber One crumbs into a plastic container that has an airtight lid (or into a plastic food storage bag). Add as much salt & pepper to Fiber One as you like. Next, prepare the shrimp by ensuring that they are as dry as possible (use a paper towel to soak up moisture). Place shrimp in dish with Egg Beaters and coat them thoroughly. Transfer shrimp to Fiber One container or bag and secure lid/ seal bag. Then shake until shrimp are well coated. Place shrimp on a baking dish sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Cook shrimp for 15 – 20 minutes (flipping them about halfway through), until outsides are crispy. Let ‘em cool; then serve 'em alone, with ketchup or with some cocktail sauce. *3 Points!

Card Shares

I've got a few cards to share with you today.  The first one is the Monday Mailer I mailed out on Monday to Lynn.  This is the last week for our January Winter theme.  (Does that mean this is the last of the winter weather????  don't think so!)  I did the Dryer Sheet technique.  If you are unfamiliar with this technique, hop right over to Splitcoast and check it out!  I used the stamp set, Big on Christmas.  The Designer Paper is Pacific Point Patterns with Riding Hood Red matted in black.  I popped up the snowman on the outside of the dryer sheet.  (You should have seen me searching for a used dryer sheet - ended up dampening some towels & throwing them in the dryer for a few minutes!  Heaven forbid I actually do a load of laundry!!)

This next card is for a friend who had foot surgery last week.  I actually made this card in a class last year and have just never sent it.  I'm really bad about hoarding cards I make.  My resolution this year is to send them out - ones I make and ones I have received in swaps.

This card is a sympathy card for one of our friends in our Game Night Group whose father died.  Sympathy cards are always difficult to make.  This one I received in a swap.  It uses the stamp set "Always in My Thoughts". 

Telling the Truth

Well, I went to the dreaded weigh-in today (for my monthly Weight Watchers).  It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  I did have to pay, BUT, I was only 1/2 pound over my allowed weight.  As a Lifetime member, I have to weigh in once a month. If I'm more than 2 pounds over my lifetime goal, I have to pay the weekly fee.  I had weighed on my scales at home and they were showing me to be 1 1/2 pounds over, so, for once, I was loving those scales at the meeting!!! 

Of course, after the weigh-in, I had a Soup Kitchen Volunteer meeting at .... Panera Bread!!  So, just decided to have lunch there while I was at it.  My sandwich selection was probably not recommended by WW (tomato-mozzarella panini) but I didn't get the chips and got an apple instead for my side!!! 

I had a few errands to run after the meeting and had plans on going to the "Y" - even had my work-out clothes with me.  Sonny & I had a Red Cross Volunteer meeting at 7 pm, so I'd decided to just stay in Mooresville till the meeting.  Best laid plans and all .... Sonny called me around 4 and said he was debating on going to the "Y" or going somewhere for a beer & appetizers.  You know, it doesn't take much to talk me into temptation!!  So, Beef O Brady's was our choice!!  I did have a salad for dinner though!  And they had our Steeler's on TV.  Today was media day in Tampa and the reporters were interviewing the different players, so I figured we made the right choice??!!!!

I found out today that someone (hi, Jackie!) actually made the Tropical Smoothies that I had in my blog a few days ago and she said they were very good.  So, thought I'd give you another good recipe to try that's also WW approved!   These are Yummy Muffins - really moist.  I make a batch & freeze them.  Good for a snack with a cup of tea or coffee!

• One Chocoate OR Carrot OR Spice Cake Mix
• One can Pumpkin (pumpkin - NOT pie filling)
• Mix all together.  The batter will be lumpy - that's ok.  Line muffin tin w/paper cupcake liners or spray w/Pam.  Fill the muffin cups & bake for 18 minutes at 350.
• If you use an 18 cup muffin tin, it is 2 points each; if you use a 12 cup tin, they are 3 points.

ENJOY!

Speaking of cupcakes, check out this cool blog about .... CUPCAKES!!

I have a new look!

How do you like the new look???? I've been playing around with it this evening and decided I really like it!! Hope you do too. Well, as you can see, it's pretty late - need to get my shower & get to bed.

Keep your fingers crossed for me tomorrow ... I have to weigh in and I don't think it's going to be pretty!! I've got to get myself back in gear and QUIT EATING!! (I only have a few Moravian cookies left!)

Swap Cards

I recently participated in a Swap with my Splitcoast friend from California.  Jamie always has excellent artists in her group and I love the cards I get from them, plus we only have to make 7-8 cards.  This time, I entered two categories - in one, we made a card from our Sneak Preview Hostess sets (Level 2 and 3) and the other round was based on use of the following colors: Real Red, Rose Red, Cameo Coral, Pretty in Pink, Pixie Pink, Kiwi Kiss, Old Olive, Certainly Celery, Black, Chocolate, White, Vanilla, or Raspberry Tart DSP to make a Valentine card.

Here are the cards I received:

These cards use these sets (from top to bottom):  Always; Love You Much; Many Happy Returns & Fresh Cuts; and Wild About You.  Gives you some good ideas on using some stamps other than hearts for Valentines.

These cards use: A Happy Heart; Crazy for Cupcakes; Goody Goody Gumdrops; and Priceless & Itty Bitty Buds.  (I did the Cupcake one & the Priceless one.)  Just noticed the last one is upside down in the picture!  It says "Wonderful Friend", but you get the idea!

These cards use:  A Little Somethin'; Dream A Little; and Just Jawing.

These card use:  Echoes of Kindness & Always in my Thoughts; Rustic Rooster; and Hand Drawn Bundle.

Just Buzzin' By

I got this stamp set a couple of weeks ago and just haven't had time to use it.  Yesterday I got my copy of Paper Crafts Magazine and there were a few cards and an article in it about saying "YES" to yellow and gray.  Supposedly, these colors are straight from the runway and are "daring and sophisticated."  I don't know about that, but I knew I had the perfect stamp set for those colors.  What do you think?

I used my Prismacolor Pencils for the beehive with Gamsol.  I stamped the "hive sweet hive" in YoYo Yellow and cut it out & popped it on.  The bees are colored with YoYo Yellow.  On their wings, I used a Gelly Roll Glitter pen.  I used the Ticket Punch on the corners.  I used my watercolor pencil for the shadow under their feet.

Blog Candy Up for Grabs

My friend, Jackie, over at Just Stamp It is giving away blog candy!! If you want a chance to win it, check her out.

Monday Mailer that I sent out this week

 

I just realized I didn't share the Monday Mailer I mailed to Lynn this week.  This is one of my all time favorite stamp sets and I hope it never retires!!  It is Lovely As A Tree.  There is just so much you can do with this set.  I stamped the trees in black on the Big Note Sizzix die and backed it with another die in black.  I used my clouds template for the sky and made snow with Chunky Glitter.  It really sparkles.  I used Basic Gray paper for the card, layering Pacific Point Patterns Designer Paper (say that 3 times fast!) on the bottom.  I punched a double circle to tie the gray ribbon through.

Proud Peacock

I've been working on this card for a couple of days now & just couldn't get it right. Finally got it today though! I just love this peacock stamp. It is from last month's Stamp of the Month by Great Impressions. I love it because you can make it so colorful! It goes great with SU's Raspberry Tart designer paper, don't you think? I did the card for the Sketch Challenge on Splitcoast this week. I used Radiant Pearls, Twinkling H2O's and stickers to make him shine and sparkle!!

Good for you snacks

When you are hungry and need to snack, here are some good snacks that are better than the "100 calorie packs"

¼ of an avocado
1¾ cups apple slices
1 medium banana
1 cup grapes
2 cups berries
1½ cups sliced peaches
1¼ cups orange sections
1¼ cups blueberries
2 cups diced watermelon
1 cup sliced pears
1¹/₃ cup diced pineapple
1½ cups raspberries
1 cup cherries
2 large kiwifruit
3 clementines
4 cups cherry tomatoes or 10 plum tomatoes or 3 large beefsteak tomatoes
1 medium baked sweet potato
1 small baked white potato
2 cups carrot strips or slices
12 cups torn lettuce
10 large broccoli spears
8 cups sliced cucumbers
5½ cups sliced bell or sweet peppers
5 cups whole raw mushrooms
32 spears cooked asparagus
2½ cups cooked green beans
80 snow or sugar snap pea pods
4½ cups mixed vegetable salad (without dressing)
½ cup cooked grain/rice/pasta (most, bulgur is ¾ cup)
1 jumbo hard-boiled egg
20 large boiled or steamed shrimp
2 oz chicken breast meat (a little more than 2 oz)
2 oz sirloin steak (a little less than 2 oz)
¾ cup plain fatfree yogurt
3 cups air-popped popcorn

Compared to:

less than an ounce of some kind of packaged cookie crispy thing

Tropical Smoothie

For a low cal snack, try these Tropical Smoothies

Serves 4

Recipe Ingredients
1 (15-0z) can pineapple tidbits in juice, undrained
2 bananas, sliced and chilled
1 cup vanilla fat-free frozen yogurt

Directions

Place opened can of pineapple tidbits in freezer 10 minutes.

Combine pineapple tidbits, banana, and frozen yogurt in a blender; process until smooth.

Nutritional Info Per Serving, 1 Cup
163 Cal, 0.4g Fat, 2.3g Fiber, 38.1g Carbs, 41mg Sodium, 3g Protein *3 points

~Cooking Light Superfast Suppers

My Monday Mailer this week

I got a great Monday Mailer card this week from my friend, Brenda.  She used Kraft cardstock which she tore and put it on Burgundy which is layered on Green.  The stamp set is "To You and Yours" which you will not find in the catalog.  BUT ... it is on the Dormant list which you can see HERE.  These sets can be ordered just like the ones in the catalog, but you just won't see them listed in the main catalog.  Some of the stamp sets listed on the Dormant list surprised me - like Inspired by Nature, Polka Dot background, Full of Life, and Bella Blossoms.

Wow! What a weekend

What a great weekend we had. We were able to enjoy seeing family members (well, just Sonny's cousin - about all he cares about seeing!); eating great Italian food (yummm Danny's hoagies) and hot dogs at the "O" by the Pitt campus; walking in the beautiful snow; and best of all, watching our Steelers win the game!!! We found a bar at Station Square on Saturday and decided to try it out on Sunday since it was huge and across the river from Heinz Field. We got there about 2 pm and there were a few tables and booths available and a few seats available at the bar. Remember, the Steeler game did not kick off until 6:30!!!! But, we wanted to see the earlier game between the Cardinals and Phillies (go Cards!) and we figured we had to get there early to get a seat in front of a TV!! We had great seats at the bar in front of 3 TV's so we were set! I would be lying to you if I said I was confident of a win .... I was just praying hard!! When Troy Palomalu intercepted the Ravens pass at the end of the game and scored, I burst into happy tears!! I knew we had it then and the place went wild - people standing on table, jumping around, texting their friends ... If you have never been to a place full of hundreds of rabid Steeler fans, you just can't imagine what it is like. This place was huge and you could barely walk through it without pushing people out of the way (trying to get to the bathroom was a real journey). Here's a few pictures to give you an idea of how it was.

Sonny & I .... going for the Six-Pack (6 Super Bowl rings)

Before the game .... in the snow at our hotel. They had already shoveled the sidewalks. Wouldn't you hate to do that every day??

Did You Know?

The national anthem of Greece has 158 verses.

Francis Scott Key was a young lawyer who wrote the poem "The Star Spangled Banner" after being inspired by watching the Americans fight off the British attack of Baltimore during the War of 1812. The poem became the words to the national anthem.

The Netherlands and the United States both have anthems that do not mention their countries' names.

Pilgrims ate popcorn at their first Thanksgiving dinner.

American Indians never actually ate turkey; killing such a timid bird was thought to indicate laziness.

~The Book of Useless Information by Noel Botham & The Useless Information Society

New Catty is HERE!!!

The new catty is available now and it is a beauty!! You can download the new catalog HERE. It could take a while to download it, so be patient OR contact me for a copy. I am offering free shipping on your first order of $20 of more.

In order to make room for more goodies in the catalog, the supply lists for the projects featured in the catalog are no longer at the back of the catalog. They are available HERE.

Breaking News!

Pictures and details to follow when I get home, but for now .....

STEELERS ARE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL!!!

Retired Lists

Time is running out!! Last date to order retired items is Jan. 18th!!

To see the retired lists, click HERE. Items that are out of stock are in italics and in Purple.

Brrrrr

Just a quick post this a.m. We arrived in Pittsburgh yesterday to bone chilling temps!! Our thermometer in the car never got above 14 degrees on our drive up yesterday and we watched it drop as we drove north. Last night, we drove out to Sonny's hometown - about 45 minutes from Pittsburgh - to have dinner and meet one of his old friends. On the way home, the thermometer in the car registered -3 degrees!! My friends, that is COLD!! It has gotten up to almost 5 degree this a.m. - expecting snow later today. We are headed out to find some Pittsburgh gear (in our sweaters, long johns, mittens .......). We'll be stopping by the "O" for hot dogs and later in the day for hoagies at Danny's!!

Goody Goody Gumdrops

Here's a card I made before I went out of town using the Level 3 Hostess set in the new catalog, Goody Goody Gumdrops.  I just love this set!!  Don't these gumdrops look good enough to eat????  I colored them with my Prisma colored pencils with Gamsol.  The designer paper is from the new paper, Candy Cane.  And, of course, the Top Note Die!!  The card is made from Pink Pirouette - I'm going to miss this color when it goes away this summer (and Kiwi!)

My New Toy

I got a new toy this week - SU's Sizzix Embosslit Sweetest Stem.  We were able to order a few select items early from the new catalog and I ordered it in mid-December and just now received it!!  I wasn't sure what it was when I ordered it, but figured I had to have it of course!!  But, it is really cool.  It embosses and die cuts together.  Here's the card I made with it -

I used the new designer paper - Raspberry Tart.  I love, love, love that paper!!  It actually matches the flower in the Embosslit which also matches the flower in the new stamp set, Sweet Stems (page 99).  Guess I'll be getting the stamp set now!  On the card, I punched designer square with my 1 1/4" punch and then punched 1 3/8" squares out of Kiwi Kiss and Rose Red card stock.  

SU's new catalog!!

I received my new catalogs this week!! So, I've been busy poring over the pages and making out my wish lists!!! If you want a copy of the Idea Book catalog ($10), let me know. I am offering a special for your first order of $20 or more - free shipping!! So let me know & I'll get one to you. The first day to order is next week - January 19th.

There are a lot of new Sizzix dies in the book AND Texturz embossing plates. Here is a link to Patricia's blog where she has a video tutorial using the Texturz plates. So, it will give you an idea how they work.

More Blog Candy - waiting for ya!

Click HERE for some great blog candy!!

Valentine Share

Here's a Valentine card I made this week for a challenge on a group I am in - Latenight Stampers.  The challenge was to make a masculine Valentine card.  It's always a challenge to make a masculine card, don't ya think?  But, I like how this one turned out and my DH will probably get this on Feb. 14th!!

The card base is Kraft card stock.  I ran the white through my Big Shot with a Fiskars texture plate that I bought in Texas several years ago - it works great with the Big Shot!!  The red polka dot paper is from Stampin' Up as are the patterned paper I punched the hearts out with.  I used my new Stampin' Up heart punch and a Sizzix die heart punch (with the Big Shot).  The "xoxo" definition is from SU Define Your Life.  The ribbon is Stampin' Up also.

Erma Bombeck was the best!

My doctor flipped the weight of the scale over another notch, looked at me with annoyance and said, "Man does not live by bread alone."

"You think I don't know that?" I said. "Any fool knows you have to make it into a sandwich, top it with homemade preserves or cover it with cheese sauce and make a casserole out of it."

"You are overweight again," he said.

"Like how much?"

"Like if you were scheduled to fight Muhammad Ali this fall, you would have to drop fifteen pounds to make the heavyweight division. How much exercise do you get?"

"I leaned over a week ago Thursday for what I thought was a gingersnap cookie in the carpet, but it turned out to be a cork coaster and I haven't taken a chance since."

"Do you go to the refrigerator a lot?"

"Yes, and sometimes I even run."

"I have here a list of activities that tell you how many calories you can burn up per hour. I want you to go over the list and try to do at least one or two activities a day."

The list was depressing. An hour of housework burnt up 80 to 180 calories, ironing 50 to 60 and writing 10 to 20. I would have to arm-wrestle King Kong to make a difference.

Then a brilliant idea hit me. If I could do some vigorous exercises, I could eat all the fat food I wanted and burn it off before it took root.

That night I had a piece of apple pie. Then I grabbed one of the kid's bicycles and pedaled for two hours. It was work, but it was worth it. I had paid for my folly.

The next night I had 40 potato chips. To make up for it, I did a little ironing that I had put back. (Actually I only ironed for eight hours and put the rest of it back again.)

The next afternoon I outdid myself. I found an Easter egg I had hidden from the kids in the freezer totaling 583 calories. I had to paint the house to work it off. The same night I had lobster in butter, which totaled 2,390 calories. Checking my list I discovered I would have to row across Lake Erie and back to balance the calories.

Then, a terrible pattern began to form. I was borrowing on my energy and putting IOUs in the refrigerator. I owed two hours of carpentry for a bowl of cereal in cream, three miles of jogging for a French doughnut, and eight days of shoveling snow for a piece of birthday cake.

As I sit here writing this column, I am in hock through 1975. As I told my doctor, the only way I can possibly catch up is to be an oarsman on a slave ship. He is making the necessary arrangements.

~"Forever, Erma" by Erma Bombeck

Here we go Steelers!!

Heinz Ward and his famous smile!!

What a game!!! I tried to pull the Carolina Panthers through on Saturday but they just aren't my Steelers!!

The Steelers overcame an early deficit to defeat the San Diego Chargers 35-24 Sunday and advance to the AFC championship game at Heinz Field next Sunday at 6:30 p.m.
Their opponent in the title game will be the Baltimore Ravens, who finished second to the Steelers in the AFC North Division and earned the sixth and last wildcard playoff berth. The victory was coach Mike Tomlin's first in the playoffs and the sixth straight by the Steelers after a playoff bye, stretching to 1994. The Steelers were the only home team to win in the four NFL playoff games this weekend.

Sonny & I have already made our reservations and will be driving to Pittsburgh next weekend for the game. We don't have tickets but that's ok. Pittsburgh is a football town! We can go anywhere and see the game and enjoy the excitement of being with other fans. (We also have hotel reservations for Super Bowl weekend ... just in case!!!)

I can't say the same about the Charlotte (being a football town). Even though I was born & raised in Charlotte, Carolina is my second team since there was no team here when I lived here before. Friday night we went to downtown Charlotte for a hockey game. After the game, we went to one of the local bars downtown and only saw Arizona fans!! That would not have been the case if we'd gone to a downtown Pittsburgh team the night before a play-off game. Fans here in NC have a lot to learn about football.

It has never mattered where we lived - Dallas, Seattle, etc., we have always found Steeler fans ... and a lot of them! When we lived in Dallas, Pittsburgh played Dallas twice in the Super Bowl. When we lived in Seattle, Pittsburgh played Seattle in the Super Bowl. We were hoping the same would be true now that we are back in NC, but looks like it will be either Arizona or Philly. Just hope it will be Pittsburgh!!

Christmas Scrapbook

My friend, Judy, is back from Florida and came to visit me on Thursday.  She brought me some new goodies!!!  She brought some gorgous paper (mostly Bo Bunny which I love and I am using some of the designs in my next class at Stampers Alley); ribbon (we both have ribbon addictions I think!); Cuttlebug border embossing plates (which I had not seen before); and she made me this gorgeous vintage Christmas scrapbook.  I have taken a picture of a few of the pages for your enjoyment.  Now, I just have to add pictures!

Isn't it beautiful??!! 

Thanks, Judy!

My Word is Peace

My Word is "Peace"

You see life as precious, and you wish everyone was safe, happy, and taken care of.

Social justice, human rights, and peace for all nations are all important to you.

While you can't stop war, you try to be as calm and compassionate as possible in your everyday life.

You promote harmony and cooperation.

You're always willing to meet someone a little more than halfway.

What's your word??

Snowman Smore

I got my Monday Mailer this week from my friend, Brenda Tapp and it is adorable!! I am just in love with it and will definitely be CASEing it in the future!!

I am assuming she used her 2 square punches and rounded the edges. Then she drew in the snowman features. The brown pieces are from the Word Window Punch. She edged everything in brown. Isn't he so cute????

I don't usually pass these around, but I thought this was really good. Hope you enjoy it too.


MATURITY

New Year's Resolutions

JUST FOR TODAY, I will live through this day only. I will not brood about yesterday or obsess about tomorrow. I will not set far-reaching goals or try to overcome all of my problems at once. I know that I can do something for 24 hours that would overwhelm me if I had to keep it up for a lifetime.

JUST FOR TODAY, I will be happy. I will not dwell on thoughts that depress me. If my mind fills with clouds, I will chase them away and fill it with sunshine.

JUST FOR TODAY, I will accept what is. I will face reality. I will correct those things that I can correct and accept those I cannot.

JUST FOR TODAY, I will improve my mind. I will read something that requires effort, thought and concentration. I will not be a mental loafer.

JUST FOR TODAY, I will make a conscious effort to be agreeable. I will be kind and courteous to those who cross my path, and I'll not speak ill of others. I'll improve my appearance, speak softly, and not interrupt when someone else is talking. Just for today, I'll refrain from improving anybody but myself.

JUST FOR TODAY, I will do something positive to improve my health. If I'm a smoker, I'll quit. If I'm overweight, I'll eat healthily – if only just for today. And not only that, I'll get off the couch and take a brisk walk, even if it's only around the block.

JUST FOR TODAY, I will gather the courage to do what is right and take responsibility for my own actions.

~Dear Abby's New Year's Resolutions (re-printed every year)

Sneak Peek at new catalog!

Well, I'm not in Orlando at Leadership, BUT I am "privvy" to some of the sneak peeks from people who are there.  They are absolutely drooling over the new catalog!!  I am anxiously awaiting my copy - sales in the new catalog will start Jan. 19!!!

Here are some items that are in the new catalog:

a  new inspirational stamp set with an image that matches the new Decor Elements tree!

a jumbo wheel called Friendly Words.. it's like our previous word background stamps with all different fonts for the words

a beautiful heart image in a set called Ever After

a  2 step set with flowers and words - Wonderful Watercolors

Fifth Avenue Floral set.. love it!

All of the new DSP is awesome! A couple great manly color combos, too! 14 new packs!

5 new Simply Scrappin' Kits

Card Element kits.. preprinted cards with a stamp, ribbon and a stampin' spot! plus other kits

Rub-ons with 4 colors in one kit

Rub-ons with multiples of the same image so you can make swap cards!

Flower brads in Pumpkin Pie, Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip and So Saffron

Jumbo Brads.. love them.. 5/16" and 5/8" in Choc. Chip, White, Vanilla and Silver

Clear Rhinestone brads (like the ones in the Pretties Kit) sold in a pack by themselves

Corduroy Buttons!!

Button Bouquet button assorted in "Latte" colors

FABULOUS new ribbons!

new border punch that looks like lace

new circle cutter... WAY amazing, easy to use! 

Lots of exclusive Big Shot dies!

More sizzlets and embosslits!!

TEXTURZ PLATES for the Big Shot (to dry emboss card fronts!) 12 exclusive SU! designs and 12 Sizzix designs

Girl Scout Cookie Time

 

Lemon Chalet Crèmes, 1 cookie [80 cal/3g fat/0g fiber/12g carbs/40mg sodium/<1g protein] *2 WW points

Trefoils, 5 cookies [150 cal/7g fat/<1g fiber/20g carbs/105mg sodium/2g protein] *3.5 WW points

Do-si-dos, 2 cookies [110 cal/5g fat/<1g fiber/15g carbs/85mg sodium/2g protein] *3 WW points

Samoas, 2 cookies [150 cal/8g fat/<1g fiber/19g carbs/50mg sodium/1g protein] *4 WW points

All Abouts, 3 cookies [150 cal/7g fat/<1g fiber/21g carbs/75mg sodium/1g protein] *3.5 WW points

Chocolate Chips, 3 cookies [160 cal/9g fat/2g fiber/22g carbs/140mg sodium/1g protein] *3.5 WW points

Tagalongs, 2 cookies [150 cal/10g fat/1g fiber/14g carbs/100mg sodium/2g protein] *4 WW points

Thin Mints, 4 cookies [150 cal/7g fat/1g fiber/20g carbs/115mg sodium/2g protein] *3.5 WW points

     ~~These cookie nutritionals are from the Little Brownie Bakers at www.littlebrownie.com
February 2008

Blog Candy Alert!

Check HERE for some Valentine blog candy! Who knows, someone's gotta win it .... it just could be you (or ME!)

Monday Mailer Card

My NC Stampin' Up group has started back with our Monday Mailer program.  This month I chose for the cards to have a Winter theme each week.  So, for my first card, this is what I sent to my partner:

I used Holiday Line stamp set and stamped & embossed the snowmen on watercolor paper.  Then I used my watercolor crayons and my markers to color them in.  Using my markers, I did a faux watercolor technique where you use the markers around the edges of the area and use your Aqua pen to bring the color in the middle and blend.  Truthfully, it's just as easy to use the watercolor crayons with the Aqua pen!! The designer paper is some I still have from the Holiday Mini Catalog, Frosty Day layered with Bashful Blue, Tango Tangerine and on a Kiwi Kiss card with Kiwi Kiss satin ribbon (love this ribbon!).

I have spent the past 3 days getting my stamping room reorganized (not all day each day - but a few hours each day!!)  Monday night, Sonny suggested he get a yellow Caution tape and string it over the door!!  I'm getting there though!!  Just hope after I finish, I can find where I've put everything!  Here are few picture!

This is the view from the door - not much room to walk through.  Plus, I've got a folding table that doesn't belong in the room loaded down with stuff.  I need to clean it off and give it back to my hubbie!  When I had friends over Thanksgiving & Christmas stamping with me, we used that table and it's been a crutch for me to stack stuff on ever since.

Here is a closer view of the mess!  You can't even see my computer - and hardly my desk!! 

But ... here is a cleaned up version of my Stampin' Up stamp shelf - all nice & neat! They are a loose alpha order - A-D on top shelf; E-K next; L-P next; Q-S next and on the bottom, T-Z with the boxes stacked according to size.  The Retired sets have blue circles on them.  On the top are jars of ribbon divided by colors.  The plastic jars used to have Almonds in them from BJ's!!  The wire shelf next to my SU stamps are my clear stamps and non-SU stamps - still need to work on them a bit, but they're not too bad since I organized them a few months ago.

Hopefully, by the end of the week, I'll have a clean desk and floor to share with you!!

Retired Accessories

Items on this retired accessories list will be available at regular price while supplies last or through January 18, whichever comes first. These will sell out FAST. order today if you want something.

Products are marked as available or unavailable. If an item is unavailable, our supply is exhausted and the item can no longer be ordered. This list will be updated every day through January 18. I will try to keep it as updated as much as possible.

With most catalogs, some accessories are completely retired while others are redesigned or reconfigured for the new catalog. Sometimes popular items are "retired" in their current packaging or style to come back with improved packaging or added product features. This year, no accessories are being reconfigured.

Here also is the list of RETIRED STAMP SETS.

NOTE: Items out of stock are initalics & PURPLE

Item #
Product Description

• 111377 ACCENTS & ELEMENTS ROOF GARDEN
• 112012 ACCENTS & ELEMENTS SEASON TO SHARE
• 112088 ACCENTS & ELEMENTS TRUE ELEGANCE
• 102782 ALBUM LEATHER BLACK 12X12 Not Available
• 104188 ALBUM LEATHER BLACK 6X6
• 105384 -ALBUM LINEN POST MELLOW MOSS 6X6*
• 104516 ALBUM LINEN POST NAVY 6X6
• 105381 ALBUM LINEN POST REAL RED 6X6* not available
• 103977 BUTTONS BOLD BRIGHTS*
• 103978 BUTTONS EARTH ELEMENTS
• 103981 BUTTONS EARTH ELEMENTS & NEUTRALS
• 105446 BUTTONS RICH REGALS
• 105445 BUTTONS SOFT SUBTLES
• 103604 DAYS-TO-REMEMBER CALENDAR 12X12
• 102174 DAYS-TO-REMEMBER CALENDAR 8 1/2X11
• 112465 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER BANBURY
• 112462 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER GEORGIA PEACH
• 112463 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER GHOSTLY GREETINGS
• 112040 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER GREEN TEA
• 112470 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER HAIKU
• 112460 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER HAWAII PAPAYA
• 112469 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER HOLIDAY TREASURES
• 112458 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER JUNIOR VARSITY
• 112459 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER MAINE BLUEBERRY
• 112466 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER MUIRFIELD
• 112149 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER PARISIAN SUMMER
• 112467 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER PRESTWICK
• 111355 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER SUMMER PICNIC
• 112039 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER WINDSOR KNOT
• 106523 ENVELOPE TEMPLATE FIVE-IN-ONE CARD COVER
• 104104 ENVELOPE TEMPLATE MINI
• 107298 ENVELOPES CONFETTI WHITE MEDIUM
• 110695 ENVELOPES OPEN END KRAFT SMALL
• 109115 ENVELOPES OPEN END VERY VANILLA SMALL
• 103372 METAL EDGE TAGS ALUMINUM WHITE SQUARE
• 107925 ON BOARD BITTY BOOK*
• 109190 ON BOARD CLIPBOARD 9X9*
• 109180 ON BOARD SIMON UPPER
• 112086 ON BOARD SOMETHING SEASONAL
• 107923 PAGE PROTECTORS RING 3.25 X 3.25
• 104942 PUNCH 1/4 INCH CIRCLE not available
• 104943 PUNCH 1/4 INCH SQUARE
• 107273 PUNCH 3/4 INCH SQUARE
• 104389 PUNCH DOUBLE CIRCLE*
• 100391 PUNCH HANDHELD 1/8 INCH CIRCLE Not Available
• 104830 RIBBON GINGHAM CARAMEL
• 104829 RIBBON GINGHAM LIGHT BLUE
• 104828 RIBBON GINGHAM LIGHT PINK
• 104831 RIBBON GINGHAM MOSS
• 109037 RIBBON GROSGRAIN MORE MUSTARD 1/4 INCH
• 110282 RUB ON ANCHORED
• 111806 RUB ON CHILLS & THRILLS
• 111805 RUB ON SCHOOL DAYS
• 111417 RUB ON WORD FLURRIES
• 110283 RUB ONS TAKE NOTE
• 112193 SIMPLY SCRAPPIN I WISH
• 112186 SIMPLY SCRAPPIN PINA COLADA
• 112068 SIMPLY SCRAPPIN SUMMER HOME not available
• 112043 SIMPLY SCRAPPIN U R SWEET
• 112061 SIMPLY SCRAPPIN WINTER RETREAT not available
• 112016 SIMPLY SENT CARD ELEMENTS HANDMADE HOLIDAY
• 109868 SIMPLY SENT CARD KIT LIFELONG NOTES
• 103647 STAMPIN STORE MINI
• 105813 WRITE ME A MEMORY FONT CD VOL II
• 107212 MATEYS MAP wheel
• 106749 BRIGHT BULBS wheel
• 109672 BRONCO wheel not available
• 104100 MAKING TRACKS wheel
• 108978 SANDY SHELLS wheel
• 110332 SNOW wheel
• 101233 SNOWFLAKE wheel
• 109694 SWEET STARS wheel
• 111249 TAKE A NUMBER wheel

Contact me now if you want any of these items!!

Sharon

FIRST TIME EVER SU SALE

First time EVER!!

Stampin' Up! is offering current, retired and retiring* stamps up to 50% off regular price!! Click HERE for the complete list!!

HERE is a picture of the items not found in the regular catalog that are on sale.

• Items and special pricing are limited supply.
• Retired/previously retired items will be sold until quantities run out.
• Current items may revert to their retail price if inventory levels become acceptable.

Contact me if you are interested in ordering any of the items.

This Day In History

On this day in history - January 5 -

• In 1933, construction begins on the Golden Gate Bridge, as workers began excavating 3.25 million cubic feet of dirt for the structure's huge anchorages.
• Sonny Bono, Congressman and former half of the singing duo Sonny and Cher, was killed in a skiing accident (1998).
• In 1949, President Harry S. Truman announces, in his State of the Union address, that every American has a right “to expect from our government a fair deal.” .
• Richard Nixon signs a bill authorizing $5.5 million in funding to develop a space shuttle. The space shuttle represented a giant leap forward in the technology of space travel. (1972)
• In 1920, the New York Yankees announces its purchase of the heavy-hitting outfielder George Herman "Babe" Ruth from the Boston Red Sox for the sum of $125,000.

Betcha didn't know!!

Belated Birthday Wishes

While watching the football playoff games tonight, I made a birthday card .... although a little late.  One of my college friends turned 60 Dec. 29th and I forgot!!  Jackie's the baby of the three of us - Brenda turned 60 in September, me in October and now, Jackie.  It's hard to believe we're that old!!!  I sure don't feel like it .... well, most of the time, anyway.

I used Pink Passion, Turquoise and Green Galore cardstock.  I used the Happy Birthday Cuttlebug embossing folder on the card and cut the circles out with my Nestabilities (also the Happy Birthday tag is a Nestie tag).  The cupcake has SU's chunky glitter and the balloons have Crystal Effects on them.  The inside says "I thought and I thought and then I forgot..."

A productive day and a squash (card that is)

I've had a rather productive day I think today.  Hubby & I went out for breakfast .... Stacy's in Denver - yum!!  Then we had to go by a shower installation place.  Seems his little project has turned into a major project!!  He noticed a couple of weeks before Christmas that our shower was leaking into the wall in our bathroom.  So, he pulled the baseboard off to assess the damage.  Yep, the wood and drywall were wet.  So, with the holidays, we've just been letting it dry out and using the guest bathroom - no biggie.  Wednesday, he decided to tackle it and clean out some mold that had gotten into the caulking area.  It was easier (his idea!) to remove the whole glass shower enclosure so he could clean it real good.  Well, that was ok UNTIL he took it to the garage to clean it and broke the glass!!!  It took him quite a while to get that cleaned up (and of course, it was New Year's Eve and we had places to be!!)  So, some friends told us about a shower supply house in Denver that we visited today.  They will be out on Monday or Tuesday to give us an estimate.  We think they may be the company who originally put in our shower when the house was built, so they can perhaps just replace the piece of glass.  Or .... I may be getting a new shower.  Especially, since the guy at the shop today asked me what color my shower trim was and when I told him gold, he said no one uses gold anymore!!!  The downside is that it will probably take 1-2 weeks to order the glass.  So, guess we'll continue to shower in the guest bathroom.

After that little trip, I went to the library to return my books (and pay my fine!); to the post office to mail my swaps which I will be sharing with you soon; to Target where I picked up a few Christmas items for 75% off (what a deal!) and the gift card for my granddaughter's card; then home where I made a few cards and a little scrapbook. 

Here's one of the cards I made today using SU's new stamp-set, Love You Much.  Remember - this is available NOW in a bundle at 20% off!!  Check it out HERE.  The heart punch punches out all three of the hearts in the stamp-set.  The card I made is a squash card and it was fun to make.  If you are interested in the "how-to's", check out the instructions on Splitcoast HERE.  This was their Technique Monday challenge (funky folds).  I have made a squash book before but haven't done one of these cards in a long time.  I'm giving you a SNEAK PEEK and used some of the new designer paper (Raspberry Tart) that will be in the new catalog.  I'm really loving the paper - it's pretty funky.  It coordinates with Cameo Coral, Rose Red and Kiwi Kiss, Real Red and Pretty in Pink.

This is the card closed -

Here it is opening -

And fully opened -

I also used my new Label Two Nestabilities that I received today with my new Big Shot!!  (Jackie - you are an enabler!!)

Stampingly - Sharon