Oregon friends will remember my red-headed brother, Jeff Lillie. He and his wife live in Marathon, FL which is in the middle of the FL Keys. They are owners of Marathon Bio-Diesel, processing used cooking oil into planet-friendly diesel fuel! Visit their website at http://www.marathonbiodiesel.com/
Watch his video to learn about GREEN fuel to keep our planet healthy!
An iguana on Jeff's dock.
We've just returned from "The Conch Republic," aka Key West! It's a VERY interesting Laid-back island only 2 miles by 4 miles! Current population 2300. The FAMOUS Duval Street is about 1.25 miles long and has over 150 bars...that tells you what they do in Key West! After all, it's warm and you need fluids!!
Key West was discovered in 1513 by Ponce de Leon, and was first called Cayo Hueso, Spanish meaning Island of Bones, probably Indian burial grounds. There was no fresh drinking water until 1942!!!! They used rainwater. Now water is piped down from the mainland 137 miles!
There are three bars in this corner building. See the next pic to learn about the upstairs...
I did NOT go upstairs!! What a town! Anything goes!
In early days, Cock Fighting was popular. When it became illegal, the roosters were forgotten. So now they roam freely and ...
REPRODUCE!!
Route 1 ends in this Southern Most City in the USA! Elevation is 16' which is NOT MUCH when a hurricane hits!
There are lots of surprises in this unique city...I found my hubby flirting with Marilyn Monroe!!
We went to the top of the lovely old La Concha Hotel to watch the sunset. There was a BIG fire in 1859 that burned for 8 hours and destroyed 71 buildings and 40 outhouses. Now code enforces metal roofs on all buildings which I think gives a nice quaint uniform look.
Key West's record low temp is 41 and record high is 97. We had a great adventure in the Conch Republic! Stop back for my Marathon, FL pictures tomorrow!
We headed south to the barrier island of Sanibel to kayak Commodore Creek with our boat club friends! It's a nice marked trail thru mangroves in a nature preserve.
This is a graceful Egret, not sure which egret as there are several.
This is an Anhinga, a peculiar bird that swims very low in the water. It's drying it's wings after diving for a fish. It was an interesting paddle, a great way to "SEE" Florida!
I am SOOO pleased!! Today I received my daughter's wedding album, my first MY DIGITAL STUDIO book! The cover is glossy, the photos crisp, and pages high quality!! I just couldn't be happier with the printing service from Stampin' Up!! I have created and printed MANY greeting cards with MDS! I love this unique way of creating. It has not replaced my rubber stamping, but it has expanded my options. You can get a FREE 30-day Trial of MY DIGITAL STUDIO by clicking Shop Now on the right.
This is Lido Key at Sarasota, FL on the Gulf coast. My hubby and I joined our Boat Club friends for a "Paddle!" Here we are in the Mangroves, a lovely narrow channel with crystal clear waters. The Mangroves are plants with NUMEROUS roots and literally hold sandy Florida together!
Here is a closer picture of the Mangroves, an important ecosystem to FL. Wish the clearness of the water showed better.
There I am waving in the background. We stopped at a sandbar outside of the Mangroves for a stretch...this was my first kayak trip so I appreciated the rest.
We had a relaxing adventure, picnic lunch and then packed up to head home. My effiecent Pruis can haul just about anything! Notice my FL license plate! I was able to get my "STAMPUR" plate again. It stands for rubber stamping & kitty cats! Currently we don't have any purring felines - sure do miss them!!
My hubby and I just returned from 7 days on the Carnival Liberty, visiting the Western Caribbean for our 40th Anniversary! VERY RELAXING!!
This is a Fruit Market in Belize. The Pineapple was unbelievably SWEET!! YUM!
Our cabin Steward created different "Towel Art" for our cabin each day. This teddy bear was my FAV!!
This unique plant is Clianthus, commonly known as Parrott's Bill or Lobster Claw. You can see why!
I felt so honored yesterday when 5 gals from Ft. Lauderdale drove 3 hours across the state to take my "Sophistcated Little Dress" Card Class! It was great!!
From the left: Luke, Cara, me, Margaurita, SueAnn and the gal in green is my dear cousin, Lynn!
Here are two samples. It's fun to customize the little dress with different punches, Designer Series Papers, and embellishments.
The punches for this dress are 1 1/4" Circle for the neck, 2 3/4" Circle for the collar, and Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack for the tiny scallop circles.
This neckline was created with the 1 3/8" Square Punch and Scallop Square Punch insert. You can request the Dress Class for your group of four or more in the Charlotte County area of Florida. I'd love to share with you!
My birthday is March 28th and I LOVE hand-stamped mail so let's have a contest!
Me at 6 months
THE PRIZE: $50 in Stampin' Up! merchandise of your choice, plus a Sale-A-Bration gift for one winner.
Guidelines:
1.Send hand stamped BIRTHDAY cards to the address below by the March 28, 2012 deadline. I'm looking for "unique designs."
2. Use only current Stampin' Up! products.
3. I will post the winner on this blog on March 29th. Stop in to see if you won and how to claim your goodies.
4. Some entries may be used in future blogs with credit to the creator. Please label cards with your name.
5. This contest is open to anyone in the USA. No limit to the number of times you can enter.
Mail to:
Nancy's Birthday Contest
Punta Gorda, FL 33950
GOOD LUCK!
Isn't this the SWEETEST Tote?!?!?! It's yours free with a workshop order of $150 or more during Sale-A-Bration (which ends March 31st.) Please note it's not available on online orders, so email me your order and I'll submit it as a workshop. A $150 order ALSO receives THREE free S-A-B items of your choice - COOL!! Time to stock up and earn LOTS FREE!! nferb@hotmail.com
Stampin' Up! Leadership Attendees received this DARLING tote bag with goodies inside! I LOVE the fabrics! You will see these cute fabrics again in the future!
The bottom of the bag unbuttons and reverses! How stinkin' cute is that!! And...
we received a coordinating fabric folder! Look who signed every tag - SHELLI!!
Inside there are three pouches for business "stuff." The tote and folder are soooo sweet and fresh!
I've just returned from San Antonio, TX and a very EXHILARATING Stampin' Up! Leadership Conference! Wow is my brain buzzing!!
Here is our Shelli, CEO and co-founder, sharing her passion with us!
I won a product bundle - HURRAY!!! We all love "FREE!" Check back tomorrow for more of Leadership 2012!!
We all headed out for a "Jungle Cruise" in our backyard - our 2 daughters, son-in-law, hubby and me. We saw an otter, black vultures, two young racoons, oprey, and a great blue heron. No alligators this trip, but this is Alligator Creek. We have sure enjoyed our kids' visit!!
There is nothing better than "TOGETHER!"
