A Love Affair with Peanut Butter

Hi all! Today I decided to share a layout about a long-time love of mine: Peanut Butter. 

I love the stuff. It tastes good with so many things, like apples, celery, ice-cream, bread, crackers, cookies, chocolate... I just love the peanut butter. 

When I was a kid my brothers and sisters used to argue over who got to take the first scoop out of a newly opened jar of peanut butter. So when I opened the jar you see in the photo on the layout, I was reminded of that little memory and decided to photograph the peanut butter and create a layout in tribute.

Have you scrapped any of your favorite foods? This was the first page I've done using food as the subject and I had a blast!  I am positive this wont be my last layout on food, that is for sure! 

Til next time - 

Obsessions

What are you obsessed with these days? Why not document that in your scrapbooks?

I've always considered myself more of a coffee drinker than a tea fancier, but when I got snowed in for a week this winter, I discovered a whole new world of tea!

My mom had given me a box of fancy tea for Christmas, and on that first snowy day, I opened up the box. And proceeded to drink up the whole box in just two days. The tea was packaged in these lovely silk pyramid shaped teabags and the flavors were so smooth and delicious.

When I ran out, I went online in search of some more Tea Forte. In my search, I stumbled upon a site called Steepster. I never knew there was a whole community people so obsessed with tea. People at Steepster chat about tea in forums, write tasting notes, and log what's in their tea cupboard.

I discovered a site called 52 Teas where they invent new and intriguing flavors every week, like Buttered Cinnamon Raisin Toast, Heath Bar Chocolate Toffee, and Pineapple Upside Down Cake. I proceeded to put seven different flavors in my cart, and they were delivered to my doorstep a few days later. I documented my new addiction on a layout I made when I was guest designing for WIP in March.

I've spent a small fortune in search of the perfect tea, and I think I've found it: White Coconut Crème by Art of Tea. Their teas are so smooth and creamy and delicious!

In case you'd like to share in my addiction, here are my favorite teas I've discovered so far:

Art of Tea - White Coconut Crème tastes just like the coconut custard pies I remember from childhood. Mandarin Silk and Caramelized pear are close runners-up.

SpecialTeas - I adore the Lemon Chiffon Rooibos, Almond Cookie, and Strawberry Cream with Pieces, and their Earl Grey de la Creme is to die for! Genmaicha Japan 655 is an unusual tea with popcorn pieces and toasted rice--I was intrigued by the tasting notes written about this tea on Steepster, so I bought a sample, and I wish I had ordered a bigger pouch!

Teavana - I recommend the Toasted Nut Brulee Oolong and Apricot Caramel Torte. If you visit their stores, they'll open these giant canisters and wave the top over the tea so you can smell the heavenly flavors to help you decide what to buy.

Teas Etc. - Yumminess can be found in Golden Monkey Organic and Coconut Custard.

Tea Forte - I swear the Coco Truffle tastes just like hot cocoa, minus the calories. And the Iced White Ginger Pear is the most perfect iced tea I've ever tasted!

Here in Maryland, we've had one of the hottest summers I can remember, but I still enjoy drinking my hot tea every day. It's an addiction I'm sure will last a long time, and now this obsession is a part of my scrapbooks. I'd love to hear about your latest obsession! I hope you'll take some time to record that bit about you in your pages.

Scrapping the Journey

The weight-loss journey, that is. I've been struggling with my weight for a long, long time. About a year and a half ago, I joined Weight Watchers for what seems like the millionth time, but I think I'm really going to stick with it this time. It's been a bumpy road, but I'm headed in the right direction, and since it's a really important part of my life, I've decided to scrap my weight-loss journey.

I've done a bunch of pages about different aspects of this journey, and I'll share a few with you here. (Click on the images for a larger view to read the journaling.)

This will be an ever-growing album as I am shrinking. Some pages I plan to make but have not yet scrapped:
* my attempts at exercising
* my Weight Watchers leader
* my favorite Weight-Watchers friendly foods
* the fact that I can now cross my legs!
* other milestones I hit
* a before and after picture

I will share some more pages in a future post. If you're struggling with weight and have begun a weight-loss program, why not start a scrapbook about it? I'd love to hear your thoughts about this topic.

Summer Favorites

Summer brings so much fresh goodness to us here in the Pacific Northwest. I love visiting local farmer's markets to get the latest from the farmers' fields and trees.


My favorites change year to year. Cherries, donut peaches, heirloom tomatoes . . . YUM!

What is a favorite summer activity of yours? Do you have favorite fruits or vegetables you look forward to eating during the summer? Document them on a layout.

Have a fabulous day :)