You Know You Are Enamored...

I have a confession to make.  I have always "preached from my soapbox" that women should never let a man take advantage or take over!  I'm not a man-hating, ball-buster but I do believe we have lost the appropriate roles of a man and a woman.  Women are too needy and too clingy!  We don't let them work for it!  I digress...

Well... here comes the confession...I, Dyea, founder and lead instructor of Diva Boot Camp, never in my life thought I would be strung out over a male like I am now!  I've allowed him to change everything!  Even my long-standing birthday plans to party like a rock star and make it rain on 'em this weekend!

See these toes?  These were the toes that were meticulously pedicured yesterday with nail polish that I traveled the entire tri-state area looking for to match my new bathing suit exactly, mind you!

See this boat?  This is the boat I was supposed to celebrate my birthday on starting tomorrow morning and ending Sunday afternoon.

See this view?  This is what I would fall alseep to and wake up to the next few days.  Not a worry in the world!  My birthday weekend!

Now, let me introduce you to the one that has single-handedly destroyed those plans because I love him and can not leave him sick at home on my birthday weekend....

No, I would never leave my Jax home sick!  I'd be just fine to stay home with him and let my friends celebrate my birthday without me.  Hopefully, he'll be feeling better tomorrow and all will work out great but if not.... at least my toes still look good!

Ready to Freak Out? How Much Sugar Are You Drinking?

How Many Candy Bars Are In That Cup?

When New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed a ban on large, sugary drinks, public outcry ensued. But concerns over governmental intervention aside, we've got to admit the man has a point. The beverage landscape is filled with outrageously unhealthy drinks, and people might be surprised to find out just how much liquid sugar they're guzzling.
Are things really that bad? Yup. The recommended daily allowance is 36 grams of sugar per day, which is actually pretty generous. That's nine teaspoons of sugar. For reference, you could eat a Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar (26 grams of sugar) and still have more than two teaspoons left to sweeten your coffee.
In fact, it turns out many of these drinks trump candy bars—some three times over. Ready to freak out? Read on to find out how much sweetness is in your cup.

SoBe Energize Green Tea, 20 oz.

The health effects of green tea in this SoBe beverage are drowned out by the whopping 51 grams of sugar in the bottle.

Starbucks White Hot Chocolate with Whipped Cream, 20 oz. (Venti)

When it comes to sugar, you'd be better off eating two chocolate bars than sipping this rich concoction. It contains a jaw-dropping 76 grams of sugar—that's 18 teaspoons in your cup!

McDonald's Triple Thick Chocolate Shake, 32 oz. (Large)

Regular dessert offerings aren't exactly health food at McDonald's, but this limited-time menu item was outrageous: Each large shake contained 168 grams of sugar. That's 40 sugar cubes, and more than six chocolate bars' worth of sugar. Stomach-ache city.

Mountain Dew, 20 oz.

If you choose to "do the Dew," do so at your own risk. Not only does this notoriously sweet soda contain a chemical flame retardant—brominated vegetable oil —but it packs 77 grams of sugar into each distinctive green bottle.

Rockstar Energy Drink, 16 oz. (One Can)

Forget the caffeine and taurine—you'll get a massive jolt from the sugar alone in this energy drink. Packing 62 grams of sugar into each can, this beverage contains a "not recommended for children or pregnant women" disclaimer for multiple reasons.

Vitamin Water, XXX Acai Blueberry Pomegranate, 20 oz.

Vitamin Water carries the dubious distinction of sporting one of the most misleading brand names of all time. Though drink names like "Rescue" and "Defense" sound healthy and restorative, this "water" is actually heavily sweetened. The XXX flavor alone contains 32 grams of sugar in one bottle.

Starbucks Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha with Whipped Cream, 20 oz. (Venti)

A Christmas tree's worth of candy canes would likely contain less sugar than a Venti cup of this uber-sweet drink. Think we're kidding? Try 94 grams of sugar on for size.

Skateboard Swing

Micheal Colombo over at MAKE posted this example of true ingenuity: a swing made from a skateboard!  You could even just hang the ropes and make it a bring-your-own-skateboard swing.



FREE Kindle-Messy Church (A Multigenerational Mission for God's Family)

Click Here for FREE Download

When you look at the church today, what do you see? A corporation with a CEO at the helm? A social organization that does good things for the community? Pastor Ross Parsley believes that neither of those pictures is God’s desire. Instead, God wants His church to function as a family—a group of real people who love each other and care for one another’s needs, no matter how messy.

Our culture is dying for the kind of community that only the church can provide—if we are living as God intended: as a family, protecting one another, extending grace, and loving unconditionally. We are not called to be consumers who ask what the church can offer us. We are called to love deeply, fight fairly, and bring hope to a generation of people starving to belong to something greater than themselves. Welcome to the family. You belong here.

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FREE WEBINAR: Untangling Zentangle



Zentagle Untangled

About the Webinar:

Zentangle®.

What exactly is this crazy new art we are hearing so much about?
It’s a kind of drawing, right? Or doodling? Looks easy—like anyone can do it, right? So what’s the big deal?

Kass Hall, the author of the new book Zentangle® Untangled (the first full-length title focused completely on the exciting medium of Zentangle!), breaks it down and shares how and why Zentangle® is so much more than you might think it is.

Zentangle Sample 1

Following a sure-to-be-spirited discussion covering the what, Kass will introduce you to the how: the materials and processes intrinsic to Zentangle®. You’ll learn how materials interact with each other and the role color can (and should!) play in this unique art form.
Finally, Kass will take you on a journey beyond the common Zentangle® paper tile, a journey through fascinating Tangle based art journals, installations and more.
And when the webinar is finished, we’re confident you’ll have a whole new outlook on Zentangle® as well as the confidence and tools necessary to explore these fascinating patterns and processes on your own.

Won’t you join us?
Space is limited, so register TODAY!



Zentangle Sample 2

For a sneak peek, check out:
Zentangle® Untangled Extras

Learn a bit more about Zentangle® Untangled here.
Seating for this event is limited to 1,000 people. Registration does not guarantee you’ll get in, so sign in early the day of the event to claim your space. If you cannot attend live, you will still be able to watch a recording of the event, so register today!

Register Now

About Kass Hall:
Kass Hall is a mixed-media artist and instructor from Melbourne,
Australia, who has explored many art forms over the years, including scrapbooking, painting, sculpture and graphic design. Her current art focuses on art journaling and drawing with an emphasis on Zentangle. Kass has a Bachelor of Visual Art and Graduate Diploma in Secondary Education and is now working toward a Master of Visual Arts at Monash University. She is also a Certified Zentangle® Teacher. Her work has been published in For Keeps Scrapbooking, Scrapbooking Memories Australia, Scrapbook Creations and Cloth Paper Scissors Studios.
You can find Kass online:
Kass’s website and blog: KassHall.com
Kass on Facebook: Kass Hall – Artist
Kass on Twitter: @SunnyHall
Kass on Flickr: Kass Hall’s Photostream
Kass on Pinterest: Kass Hall

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

FREE Nook Book - The Children of Roswell

Click here for download

Overview

You have all (no doubt) read the countless stories of the Roswell saucer crash in 1947. The truth is you probably bought this book because the title contained the name of that once sleepy little town lost in the desert of Chaves County, New Mexico. If you’re like me, you grab at every chance to garner as much new information about that day in July (and the important days and years thereafter) trying to squeeze as much truth as is possible from the falsehoods that have been perpetrated by our government in their efforts to keep that very truth from you.

Please rest assured, I will not bore you by rehashing the stories you have already heard. This is not another Roswell book per se; for there will be no mention of the Roswell rancher and the tale of what he found on his property. Nor will you find pages of repeated dialog from witnesses (military or civilian) about the pieces of debris and its unusual properties. You will not hear again: the story of the grey creatures; their autopsy; testimony from Officers (or their children) as to what they saw, heard or knew.
What you will read (in the pages that follow) is the story developed from testimony given to me by a long retired Air Force pilot whom I befriended many years ago while we participated in a mutual hobby. This was a solid, God fearing man (military to the core) but, he was a man with a burning need within, to tell his story before he passed on.

I am not quite sure why he chose me as his confessor, for there was a great disparity in our ages. Perhaps it was that he saw a copy or two of the many books on UFOs that were constantly littering my desk in my shop. Whatever the reason, he sat me down early one Saturday morning in a secluded hangar at the local airport and began a one sided verbal journey that wouldn’t end until late in the evening-hours of the following day.

His hands shook and his voice cracked as he forced himself to break the vows he had taken as an officer in the service of his country. He was risking (in his mind, for he was well indoctrinated) being thrown into prison and losing what little time and retirement pension he and his wife had left. I could tell that this bothered him greatly and I asked him several times if he would rather stop.

“No, No, just let me finish,” he would reply. “Someone has to tell this story. I have to tell this story.” And then he would whisper, “Before I die.”

Then, he would wipe away a tear with curled, shaking fingers and continue.

What follows, is the story (as accurately as I could pen it) told to me over those two days. It is the story of a young officer, caught up (and lost in) the bureaucracy of a military machine that was fresh out of World War Two, and later the Korean conflict (war). It was a military that now found itself burdened by the pressures and the threat of communism and the cold war. It was a military divided by pomp, ego, and a sense of self inflicted grandeur.

I have changed names and a few places to protect my storyteller and hiding places now scattered around the country. Many of the places named in this book still exist (some nearly intact) and readers are welcomed to search them out. I myself have stood in a couple of the very places mentioned in these pages, and believe me, the ghosts of the past only add to the mystique.
Those of you who are already believers in the conspiracy that began in the New Mexico desert on that July day in nineteen forty-seven, will understand (but maybe not agree with) the moves made by our government and some of the individual players in the days, weeks, and years that followed the original crash. Some of you, who have found yourselves on the fence (not knowing whether to believe or not) may be pushed off your precarious perch (in one direction or the other).
My only hope is that my storyteller finds some modicum of peace in knowing that His truth is now “out there.”

Sewing 101 (or 911 in my case)

I remember my grandmother making clothes.  She did alterations for others and most of my dresses for middle and high school were made by her.  She made it look so easy and I've kinda been on a crafty binge the last few months.  I've taken classes on EVERYTHING!  I've got knitting projects, painting projects, scrapbook projects, crocheting projects and sewing projects all under way.

My first venture into sewing was a simple enough shirt pattern I got on sale for 99 cents.  The keyword here is "simple".  I should've started out sewing square, cloth coasters.  That's simple!  An empire waist blouse, is not.  First mistake.

Second mistake.  I cut out the pattern on the furtherest outside line.  Duh.  I know.  Unbeknowst to me, that is a size 22.  Halfway through, I asked my sweet grandmother, "Mimi.  Doesn't this look a little big?"  She replied, "Maybe you should take it apart and we'll try again." 

Go ahead, laugh.  We still laugh about it!  I did finally make it through "The Shirt", as it has come to be known, and I really like it!

Now, if I start on my daughter's prom dress now... she's ten...



Wear Sunscreen EVERY Day!!!

We are not only at risk at the beach! The sun affects us in regular daily activities as well!
Take a look at this man who was a truck driver for 28 years (photo courtesy of Gizmodo.com) and as a result had one side of his face exposed to sunlight for an extended period of time. Advanced signs of sun damage can clearly be seen to the one side of his face as he never wore sunscreen while the other shows normal signs of aging.
I have my daughter put on sunscreen everyday as part of her morning "regimen".  I mean, at ten how much stuff does she really have to do??? 
I, myself, am a recovering "tanarexic".  My first job was at a tanning salon for free visits, not money!!  I am now a self-tanning devotee!  Anyone out there like one particular self-tanner or have any learn-from-my-mistakes stories?

Check out SelfTanningQueen.com for more tips and techniques!

Backyard Twister

Any backyard parties or cookouts this summer???  Check this out!  Keep the young'uns busy (& the young at heart).

Backyard Twister

Click on link for tutorial by Steve Moseley

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