Chocolate for Valentine's

Giving dark chocolate to your Valentine might be more than sweet; it could help guard your true love against cancer. Dark chocolate contains antioxidants that have been shown to combat cell damage that can lead to tumor growth. These antioxidants occur naturally in the cacao beans used to make all chocolate products. People should look for dark chocolate that contains at least 65 percent cacao, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research. Recommended servings for dark chocolate are seven ounces per week, or about one ounce per day.

Well, I bought a bag of Dove milk chocolates Sunday to use them for Valentine treats. Guess who's eaten more than she's given away???? Dove are my favorites!!! Maybe I'll put a few in Sonny's Valentine tomorrow.

Here's the Valentine my hubby's getting. We probably won't do a lot for Valentines - maybe go to the movies and out to eat. After 38 Valentine's together, we know we love each other every day!! He actually asked me last week if I'd just go upstairs and make a card for him!! He said he had a lot of money invested in my card stuff so it would be better than him going to Hallmark!! Of course, I suggested that I get all the supplies out and let him make his own. Don't think that's gonna happen!! Ashley, where are you when your dad needs you????

HERE are some interesting facts about Valentine's. Did You Know???

Hope your day is SWEET and you get lots of chocolate or whatever will make you happy!!

edited to add - Well, I got a beautiful card for Valentine's - not hand-made, but from Hallmark. I'm so bad - I always check the back to see how much they cost. $5.00!! That's highway robbery!!! Of course, he also gave me the Hallmark bag .... seems they're having a sale where you got 20% off everything you can stuff in the bag!!

Serenity Prayer

I am going through some family trials and have been repeating this Serenity Prayer to myself. It's funny how the mind works. I was checking out my daughter's Facebook last night and discovered that she has been saying the prayer also to get her through the day. Maybe that is why we are so close and love each other so much - we are definitely on the same wave-length. Hopefully, it is true what they say - life doesn't throw more at you than you can handle. And when I look at this sweet face, I know it is all worth it.

I love you, Jayce!

SERENITY PRAYER

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

--Reinhold Niebuhr

Monday Mailer

I want to share the Monday Mailer that I mailed this week.  I really love how this card turned out - hope Tina does too!! 

I used the Love You Much stamp set and the Candy Lane Designer paper.  I punched a hole through the top layers so you could see the love birds.  And I used the hearts to make leaves. 

This is the card opened.

MAYA ANGELOU'S' BEST POEM EVER

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
enough money within her control to move out
and rent a place of her own,
even if she never wants to or needs to...
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ....
something perfect to wear if the employer,
or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour...
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ..a youth she's content to leave behind....
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
a past juicy enough that she's looking forward to
retelling it in her old age....
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .....
a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra....

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ....
one friend who always makes her laugh... and one who lets her cry...
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ....
a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family...
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems,
and a recipe for a meal,
that will make her guests feel honored...
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ..
a feeling of control over her destiny...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

how to fall in love without losing herself..
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...how to quit a job,
break up with a lover,
and confront a friend without;
ruining the friendship...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
when to try harder... and  WHEN TO WALK AWAY...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW....
that she can't change the length of her calves,
the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents..
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
that her childhood may not have been perfect....but it's over...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...what she would and wouldn't do for love or more...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
how to live alone... even if she doesn't like it...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW.. .
whom she can trust,
whom she can't,
and why she shouldn't take it personally...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
where to go...
be it to her best friend's kitchen table..
or a charming  Inn in the woods...
when her soul needs soothing...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
What she can and can't accomplish in a day...
a month...and a year...

On A Roll

Sunday I was on a creative roll!  I've not felt too creative lately.  Seems I come upstairs to my craft room and just putter around and end up spending too much time on the computer - reading blogs, playing spades, etc!  But on Sunday, I got up and actually fixed breakfast and read the paper.  Afterwards, Sonny went to the garage to work on our map table that he is redoing and I came upstairs and made a few cards.  I actually should have been downstairs cleaning since my bridge ladies were coming on Monday.  Oh well, they were just here in January and saw a clean house that time!  Actually, we met my family in Mooresville for dinner (Yum - Mexican!) and I straightened up when I got home ... with Sonny's help vacuuming for me!  Ain't he sweet???  Think I'll keep him!

I made this card using the Sale-A-Bration stamp, Polka Dot Punches.  I just love this card!!  I stamped the flowers on Night of Navy, Bashful Blue and Pink Pirouette cardstock in white craft ink and heat embossed.  The middles are stamped on Certainly Celery and the leaves are actually the flower petals cut apart.  The patterned paper is Bashful Blue Patterns paper (p. 159).  The saying is a rub-on from Chit Chat.  The little pink flowers is actually a Sizzix die cut (page 198).

This is the die cut Flower.

This card was for a challenge on NMBS (No More Bad Swaps) group that I am a member.  We had to create a shaped card.  This is a Wordsworth Wild Card template.  The card base is Kraft cardstock with Manchester designer paper.  The little train and giraffe are from Great Impressions (from their Stamp of the Month for this month).  "Hugs & Kisses" is SU's All Holidays.  I used an exacto knife to cut away the triangle.

Here is the card opened.  Isn't this perfect for a little boy???

Love You Much Monday Mailer

This beautiful card was my Monday Mailer this week. It came from my NC SU friend, Nikki.

She used the stamp set, Love You Much with the Candy Lane designer paper. She used the new Heart Punch to punch out the little hearts on the circle. I really love this card!!

I Love A Bargain!

Don't you just love a bargain .... or at least thinking you've gotten a bargain?  I think I got a couple of bargains today!  I taught my class this morning.  I had a full class of 8 ladies and it went a lot smoother than my Thursday night class - they're the guinea pigs!!  After class, Judy and I went to lunch which proved not to be an easy task.  We were trying to come up with something a little different so we decided on Chinese food.  Well, after going to 2 different Chinese restaurants in Mooresville and neither being open, we opted for the Sport Page and had burgers!  After lunch, my Michael's coupons were burning a hole in my pocket, so we headed over there.  Right in the front door, I found the bargains!!  I bought this for $3!  It had been $24.99!  The handle on one of the drawers was not attached, but when I got home, Sonny fixed it for me with pop-rivets.

Then .... I found this for $4.  It had also been about $25.  The middle handle is on upside down (who cares?) and it is a little warped, but for storage purposes, you can't beat $4!!

I'm not sure yet what I'll keep in the top one.  Right now, I have a catalog in the top part and some cards I'm making for a couple of swaps in the lower containers.

But, the 3 drawer container, I have all my Sizzix and Cuttlebug "stuff"  in.  Here's a closer look.

Milk Cartons

This week has been all about making milk cartons and a holder for them!!  Last night I did a class at Stamper's Alley in Mooresville making the milk cartons from Becky Roberts.  (check hers out HERE).  And tomorrow, I'll be doing another class.  Here's the one we are making in class.  It was supposed to be for Valentines, but some of the gals didn't want it to be too "hearts and kisses" so this paper is versatile enough I thought for any occasion.

 

My sister wanted to make one too but since her son has a soccer game tomorrow, I told her to come on over today and we'd make one.  So this morning, she and my friend, Judy, came over.  We had a great time making their boxes, chatting and then enjoying my pasta salad at lunch!  Marianne's company has just scaled them back with a pay cut and 4-day work week, so this was her first Friday off.  We had to celebrate it someway!!  Here are their boxes - although they are not quite finished (they still need ribbon on the handle) but you can admire their handi-work!

This one is Marianne's.  Her favorite color is purple and everything she makes has purple in it!!  She stamped the flower from the retired SU set, Time Well Spent.

This one is Judy's.  She used a circle punch to punch out some of the little circles from the decorative paper - wasn't that clever??  She is also taking my class tomorrow and is making these for her grandchildren.

Pass Out

This picture brought back some funny memories!!

When we were dating - back in the '70's - I had this game.  We were playing it one night with some friends in our apartment complex (we lived in a Singles Only complex in Greensboro).  Per the instructions, you had to take several drinks during the game for various reasons.  When you had to go to the bathroom, there was a little plastic whistle that you had to blow the whole time you were in the bathroom.  Whenever you stopped blowing the whistle, you had to take a drink when you came out of the bathroom.  Well, I had a very shy bladder and trying to "pee" and blow a whistle at the same time was not an easy thing for me to do.  In fact, I could not do it at all!!  When I came out of the bathroom, I had probably stopped blowing about 5-6 times at least and to top it off, I had never been able to go pee!!  In hindsight, all you had to do was just not blow the whistle at all & that would only have counted for only one stopped time!!!  We weren't thinking that straight - we were young, what can I say??!! 

Final January Monday Mailers

As promised .... some cards to share.  These are the last Monday Mailer cards I received from Brenda last week.

This one is my favorite.  I love how she did the foggy moon.

This is an acetate card.  The snowflakes are stamped on the acetate.  I love the blue and red color combo.

This month, it is a "Love Month" theme.  We are making cards with hearts on them OR a red or pink card.  I forgot to take a picture of the card I sent (was in a hurry to go to Pittsburgh).  But, when I receive my card from my Monday Mailer partner, I'll be posting it for your enjoyment!