Thursday, July 23, 2009

Friday Memes

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Food 4 Thought Friday


Feel free to play along for some yummy fun! I will post a new one each Thursday night for those that are on a different time zone. JOIN IN!!!


Food 4 Thought Friday ~ This week's questions


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Breakfast
What is something that you still want to squeeze in this summer that you haven't yet?

Lunch
What happened this week that was unique from the rest?
Dinner
Where were you born? What is something unique about this city?

Midnight Snack
Where would you like to be right at this moment?
Recipe of the Week (instead of your recipe for life, what is it just for this week?)

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MY ANSWERS

Breakfast
What is something that you still want to squeeze in this summer that you haven't yet?
There are so many things! This summer has flown by so fast and I have been so busy that I feel like I have missed out on the normal summer things like just going to the pool, and the zoo, and the park. Of course, my boys are getting older and those things don't really appeal to them anymore as much. Going to the pool has to be with friends, going to the zoo is not a desire at all (they live in one, WHY would they want to pay to go to one?), and going to the park is only something they do to disc golf. Did I mention, that kids grow up WAY too fast! :<>


Lunch
What happened this week that was unique from the rest?
I attended my 30th High School Class Reunion. I haven't missed one so far, and this was one of the best because everyone seemed just happy they were there and no one was out to impress anyone. That is one good thing about chalking up the years! Many of us had already re-connected on Facebook and so it was more interesting already knowing so much about each other.







Dinner
Where were you born? What is something unique about this place?
Ogden, Utah. It is where the Osmond Brothers grew up.

Midnight Snack
Where would you like to be right at this moment?
In bed fast asleep!!! Zzzzz...... Zzzzz......


Recipe of the Week (instead of your recipe for life, what is it just for this week?) You cannot waste life's precious time worrying about what others think. As long as you feel good about things, then it does not matter what they think. No one has enough information to make judgement calls on others.


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1. A pulled muscle is not the end of the world.

2. Sitting here, listening to the sound of rain falling, I feel all cozy and at peace...nothing beats the RAIN!!!! ♥

3. After a run, water tastes so good!

4. Sometimes, putting others first is an instant cure for depression.

5. My husband is breathtaking, really.

6. Well, maybe there is hope in old friend's re-uniting.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to going somewhere fun for the 24th of July (Pioneer Days in Utah), tomorrow my plans include spending time with my fam and some of Dave's fam at the cabin probably and Sunday, I want to enjoy everyone's company and get in some down time ~~~ I hope!!!!



To play go HERE



Wednesday, July 22, 2009

SHOCK and AWE!!! Yes! BUT, it's REALLY TRUE!!!



It's true! (Squeeeeeeal!!!!)


It really happened! (Screeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaam!!!!)


I WON the Sego Lily Spa Contest and was crowned the Sego Lily Spa Official Blogger!!!! (fainting...slowly fainting....please administer smelling salts stat! ~ NO!... make that aromatherapy AND a massage instead!)




















Is it a DREAM?

YES! It IS a dream! A dream coming true!!!!







































WOW!!! What a ride this has been! From writing my original entry HERE ~~~to being selected as one of the FIVE finalists and writing my post to be voted on publicly HERE ~~~to appearing on TV HERE ~~~ to being crowned the Sego Lily Blogger HERE!!!!!!!!! (don't click on that one - you are already here!)

The ride wasn't always a smooth one by any stretch of any of my soon to be pampered muscles. The voting tallies became very intense a time or two, but thanks to my AMAZING friends and family and MANY- MANY strangers I do not even know....I was able to rise victorious in the public vote. It turned into a real nail biter though just hours before voting closed. I was no longer in the lead and that's when my incredible friends really came through for me and I pulled out on top once again! Whew!

BUT...that didn't mean it was in the bag. Oh no! The spa management team would still vote in a secret ballot and then we would be ranked based on those results averaged in with our ranking according to public vote. The competition was tough. Each of the other finalists were incredibly gifted and amazingly talented bloggers. Once the public voting was closed we had to wait over one (very loooooong) week to find out the winner! Torture!!!

On Monday I received a phone call informing me they wanted to meet with each of us individually. My appointment time was set for Tuesday at 3 pm at the Layton Spa location. I was getting extremely nervous. A few hours later I received another call telling me in order to make this a little more fun for everyone I was able to bring my friends along. Well, I wish I could have brought every single person that voted for me or posted on their blogs for their readers to vote for me, or posted on Facebook, or started a group on Facebook just for this contest, or those that begged their husbands, mothers, fathers, grandmas, uncles, aunts, and cousins twice removed to vote for me too! I was blown away by the support I received from everyone! I wish I could name each one individually but there isn't that much room on the web! It was worth being a part of this JUST for that. It taught me that people are just down right GOOD!!! And that they will take time out of their busy lives to help someone else out when they are in need. And trust me, I was in desperate NEED of winning this!

Oh my gosh!!! I really won!!! I STILL can't believe it!!!


Here are some of my INCREDIBLE friends and supporters that showed up to cheer me on even without knowing the outcome of the whole thing!





















Here's some more ↓ I am sooooooooooo blessed by such amazing family and friends!





























After some photos, we all went inside and the spa people took my "fan club" into the back of the spa and had me sit on a couch in the waiting room waiting for Jackie the district manager to give me some information. They had me under the impression that the other bloggers and their friends were already in the back as well. I was getting seriously NERVOUS about this point. Jackie came in and talked to me and when she didn't really say anything about who the winner was or what exactly was going on, but had me follow her down the long hall towards a closed door....my suspicions were increasing of what was going to happen when I opened that door, BUT I still wasn't sure!





























I slowly opened the door and.....



and....



and....



and....





SURPRISE!!!!






















Camera's were flashing, party horns were tooting, people were cheering and clapping, streamers were flying. Pretty much everything but fireworks were going off!



























Was I surprised? That's like asking if women and chocolate are friends. Of course I was!!!!

The crowning moment!!!


























I seriously felt like Miss America! I did the hand wave in front of my nose trying to suppress the tears like Miss America would do, but I don't think they bought it. Trust me, crying was the farthest thing from my mind at that moment! I had too many thoughts of warm butter being drenched over me as firm but gentle hands massage the oils deeply into my weary skin. I was in some kind of la-la land to be sure!!! An entire year's worth of SPA treatments ahead of me!!!! With THAT thought, I SHOULD be in la-la land!!!!! Even Miss America doesn't have it THIS good!!!













I was given the most GORGEOUS bouquet of flowers!!! Sego Lily does everything with such class and style and this was no exception to be sure!




















I was able to meet many of the Sego Lily staff. They were ALL so incredibly nice and genuinely happy for me. I am MORE than excited to get to know them all better. Or at least their hands!!!


















These Sego Lily folks for sure know how to throw a party and celebration!!!


Passing my crown down ↓ (but NOT my spa treatments!!!) to my darling niece Mackenzie!








Look at this spread? ↓ It was soooooo delish and yummy!!! Like I said, Sego Lily does EVERYTHING with such style and class. Just like their beautiful facility!















Tasting each other's cheesecake. ↓ Mmmm.........♥



























Oh! Oh! OH!!! Now this is ALMOST as good as a massage!!!



Everyone hoping for a little pedicure before leaving!!!


























Julie (bottom right) ↑ getting a little tooooo into this! She thinks SHE won not me!



Sego Lily also had a drawing for some awesome door prizes including two $50 gift certificates!!! I drew out my niece Kimberly's name and my sister in law Carolyn's! Congrats girls!!! They loaded the rest of us down with great samples!
























Is it REALLY true???? Well, instead of pinching myself to make sure, I think I will try another body butter massage!!! Just to make SURE!


THANK YOU Sego Lily from the bottom of my desperately in need of pampering soul sole(s)!!!

THANK YOU to all of you who voted for me and got others to do the same, and for everyone who supported me in ANY way!

And a big thank you to the other four finalists for being such amazing bloggers and such gracious women!




I apologize for not posting this sooner, but life sometimes gets in the way!!! I've barely had time to live it, let alone blog about it!

Just a little SIDENOTE:



This is MY crown of choice!!! ↑ Whadda ya think?

Do any of you remember the Imperial Margarine commercial where after they eat the Imperial Margarine, a crown magically appears on their head? Da, da, da, daaaaaaaaa.......




Yes I do believe the same thing happened to ME! I had a body butter drench and after (just as magically) a crown appeared on MY head too!!! Da, da, da, daaaaaaaaa.......

That body butter must have been Imperial!

For a good laugh, you can watch it HERE

Or click on this video ↓


Bye-bye...I am off to la-la land again!!! Only this time it isn't ONLY in my dreams!!! Ahhh....

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Friday Memes

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Food 4 Thought Friday


Feel free to play along for some yummy fun! I will post a new one each Thursday night for those that are on a different time zone. JOIN IN!!!


Food 4 Thought Friday ~ This week's questions


♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Breakfast
What is looming on your to do list right now?


Lunch
What was your life like this week?

Dinner
What is a fear you currently have?


Midnight Snack
When is the last time you took time for yourself?


Recipe of the Week (instead of your recipe for life, what is it just for this week?)

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MY ANSWERS:

Breakfast
What is looming on your to do list right now?
Taylor's 16th birthday party, laundry, re-doing Bryce's room, catching up my blog (oh, I am SO behind!), my Young Women board meeting agenda, vacation plans, getting back to the gym, doing a post for Sego Lily Spa about the surprise luncheon they threw for me to announce I won!!!!!!!....I better stop there (I could go on and on!)


Lunch
What was your life like this week?
Pretty much insane. After trying to recover from girl's camp, I had to speak in church about it on Sunday~~~ On Monday I got a phone call from Sego Lily Spa to set up a time to meet with me (they said they wanted to me with all the finalists individually) which got me stressing and worrying and wondering! ~~~ Met with them Tuesday - only it ended up being a surprise party for me as I was "crowned" the new Sego Lily Spa Blogger! (I WON!!! - OH MY GOSH!!!! ---post coming soon!) ~~~ Wednesday was Tyson's 21st birthday memorial celebration of his life that took a lot of planning (post coming soon!) ~~~Thursday I was supposed to go to Lagoon with my sister-in-law (and the boys) but ended up shopping all day instead (post NOT coming soon!) ~~~ Friday and Saturday are my class reunion ~~~ and Saturday I am running the Dam Race which I have been training for all week as well. It has been an eventful week!


Dinner
What is a fear you currently have?
An empty nest! Oh, I am going to HATE that so bad! I can't even stand the thought that someday my boys will be out on their own and not here with me! Waaaa!!!!!


Midnight Snack
When is the last time you took time for yourself?
Every single day that I can get out and run....so it was yesterday. But I did go shopping today and that surely counts!!!


Recipe of the Week (instead of your recipe for life, what is it just for this week?) Be kind to everyone. Everyone can use a hug or just someone telling them they are loved no matter how strong they appear. Reach out...

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥



1. Krusteaz and syrup make a quick and easy dinner.

2. New Moon is the book I'm reading right now.

3. July brings back memories of Lava Hot Springs. We spent almost every 4th of July there when I was growing up.

4. My exhaustion was obvious.

5. They say if you tell your dreams they will come true!

6. Past time to think it over.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to attending my high school class reunion!!!, tomorrow my plans include running in the Dam Race (so I can get my dam t-shirt! :o)), attending my class reunion's second night (dinner with spouses) and Sunday, I want to try and recover from one long, crazy, and exhausting week!!!


To play go here

Sunday, July 12, 2009

THE WINNER IS....

Here is the winner of my PAMPER ME GIVE AWAY!!!

Drum roll please.....


















































Raigon at THE HOYTS!!!














CONGRATULATIONS!!!!


Here is what she wins: (lucky girl!)


























Enjoy and go and relax your paws!!!







Oh...almost forgot the chocolate!!!!




Raigon is one lucky woman!!! This is the SECOND Give Away she has WON of mine!




CONGRATS!!!




An ENORMOUS thank you to ALL for your amazing SUPPORT and for VOTING for me!!!




*I WON the popular VOTE in the Sego Lily Day Spa Contest thanks to you my wonderful PEEPS, but now WAITING and WAITING to hear how the final tallies came out with their management team votes! Was supposed to be announced Friday but STILL waiting to hear!!! I will post it as soon as I know!



Again, a BIG THANK YOU!!!

McKay drawing out the winner....just tilt your head a wee bit sideways! ;o)
.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Give Away Winner Announced Tomorrow!!!

I will announce the winner of my PAMPER ME GIVE AWAY tomorrow!!!

Sorry, would've been sooner but I just got back from a week at girl's camp and am still trying to pry my eyes open with toothpicks!


Sunday, July 5, 2009

♥ My Favorite Things ♥


















I soooo LOVE posts on Favorite Things and so just for the heck of it, here are a "few of MY favorite things" right at the moment.

*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*

Brown Sugar Bear


This little guy will keep your brown sugar from going hard! And IF it already has become a job for only Popeye to bust through, then this cute bear will soften things up real nicely for you. You just soak him in water for a bit and place inside your brown sugar container and VIOLA! Soft and workable brown sugar just in time to make those luscious Chocolate Chip Cookies to give to your bloggy friend Jodi, who just shared with you such an amazing little gadget!


To order this "beary" wonderful item go HERE !

*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*
The Amazing Handheld BUG ZAPPER!!!





















This wonder of a doodad, not only gets rid of those nasty little pests but allows you to practice your backhand at the same time! The best part of the Bug Zapper is the sound it makes as it's electrocuting those little irritants that should have never been allowed to inhabit this earth in the first place! Zsst.... Zssst... Just hearing that sound will give ya a cheap thrill!

Turns out the Bug Zapper can rid the room of annoying humans as well. A quick swat to an unsuspecting target and bam, a good static shock will send them running! Works great when trying to get those kiddos to remove their little hineys from the video games and get their chores done too! Now, of course, the Bug Zapper is not meant to be used on humans children, but it is oh so tempting at times! Do not send me any hate mail....I am, of course, just zapping pulling your chain!

Go HERE to order.

*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*

Sara Lee Cheesecake Bites

Ever have one of those days when you just need a "little" something to satisfy that sweet tooth? You really want a lot more than just a little, but you are an adult now and have learned to at least "say" you will be satisfied with just a tiny smidgen of sugar, fat, or calories. Or so you say... Well these little puppies were made just for you!







Just one pop in the mouth and you have instantly satisfied your inner adult. But then something happens, that inner child appears and begs for more. So naturally, you succumb and pop another one....dozen....so you may find if you are on a diet, these might be just a wee bit detrimental to that program. But go ahead, give it a try. Besides you will be so busy being satisfied that you will not even have time to mourn the death of that nasty little diet between these scrumptious cheesecake bites. I KNOW you will like them!

After all... NOBODY doesn't like Sara Lee!
*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*


Pampered Chef Mini Spatula


This has long been one of my favorite kitchen tools. I have at least three of these (maybe four) that I use all the time. This spatula is just the right size to scoop out a slice of pie, piece of cake, brownie, cheesecake, basically ANY of those yummy things we all love! The size is so perfect that is makes serving easy and fun. I have also heard that whenever this is used, all the calories from those yummy treats magically vanish into thin air....




To order this lover go HERE

*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*

Small Fry Mini Egg Pan


This handy dandy little pan can be used for many things. It's especially handy for those times you just don't want to haul out the big gun frying pan for something like melting butter, etc. It fries a single egg or makes a tiny omelet. My boys love to make Egg McMuffins and in this pan the fried egg comes out shaped perfectly so it fits between the muffin bread. It's perfect for the college bound guy (or girl!).





To check it out go HERE .

*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*

Nonstick OVEN LINER




















Okay everybody who is sick of getting out a hammer and chisel to clean those dried, backed on spills from the oven, raise your hand! Here is your solution! Yes...this will now free up so much time in oven scrubbing that you will be able to use that Bug Zapper more often and really improve your tennis game.


Just line your oven with this, and the spills all magically disintegrate into ash....just as any good self-cleaning oven would do, only without using a self cleaning oven. If you are like me and have a self cleaning oven, you don't want to turn on the self cleaning mode until it REALLY needs it. So in the meantime you are always either apologizing that you haven't or kick yourself for forgetting to. With this brilliant invention, your oven ALWAYS appears as if it has just been self cleaned. And you didn't even have to strain your arm or finger to push a button to do it! What will they think of next???


Go HERE to order this.

*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*

Adjustable Measuring Cup















I love this amazing measuring cup! I have had mine for many years. Since I do a lot of cake decorating, I am always measuring shortening and oh baby, shortening is one of the messiest things to work with in order to get an accurate measure and clean up after. This solves both problems. It insures an accurate measurement and the clean up is a breeze! It is also wonderful for measuring all those other sticky and messy things like honey, molasses, corn syrup, and of course peanut butter! Mine is old but they still sell them HERE. If you want a more fashionable looking one, say made with stainless steel to match your appliances then just google it and you will find one. They are however a little more pricey. And I doubt they work any better!

*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*

Hot Chocolate Maker COCOMOTION

Okay, I KNOW it's 900° outside, and so WHY am I telling you about a HOT cocoa maker??? Well because sometimes (even in the summer!) there is nothing like a nice mug of hot cocoa. Well, okay, maybe that isn't totally true... BUT I still have to say this is one of my faves of all time! Winter OR summer! And if you want to get a jump start on that Christmas shopping as so many of us you do in July (yes, there are a FEW of you insanes out there!) then here ya go! Give this wonder machine to everyone on your list and you're done! AND they will be loving you all winter (and possibly summer) long when they pour out that hot cocoa that tastes scrumptiously delish on those cold winter morns.

Try this one HERE

*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*
Power of Positive Parenting

As many of you already know, I LOVE this book! It is written by the late Dr. Glenn I. Latham, who became a dear friend of mine a few short years before he passed away. I firmly believe this book should be sent home from the hospital WITH each newborn baby! It is a powerful and almost magical formula to help parents with every challenge that comes with parenthood. Of all the parenting books I have read, (and trust me I have read hundreds!) this is hands down THEE VERY BEST! It truly is my parenting bible. I could go on and on about it, but you won't know for yourself until you read it and put it to the test. And it's such a joyful way to parent. Not like the stuff we see around us everywhere today. Give it a try and change your world.


To order go HERE
*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*

Simply Slice Strawberry slicer/scooper

This doo-hickey is as much fun as it is handy! With the ability to get strawberries now year round, it is also a good investment...(if you consider spending $4.99 and investment!) It slices strawberries so quickly and beautifully that you will wonder how you ever lived without it! It is also great for slicing olives and mushrooms too! (not that I would ever eat either one of those things!) Nothing beats a little tool that can be used for more than one thing!


Meet the strawberry slicer's little sister. This is the greatest strawberry huller I have ever used. Well, it's pretty much the only one I have ever used...but still. It is so much fun, that I always end up preparing way more strawberries than I need because I love hulling them so much!



Go HERE to check these out!


*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*
Spoon Pot Clip

























I love this clever little gizmo! When I cook I almost ALWAYS use a spoon and of course that spoon gets set on the stove or counter leaving behind a mess. By just clipping this little guy on the side of your pan, you have an instant mess preventer!





Go HERE to check it out!


*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*

Squeeze Ease



















Only one sentence on this one:

Eliminates the need for marriage counseling...

Go HERE to check it out.


*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*

Family Matters Garden Stakes






Talk about CUTE! If you are into your family (and of course you ARE!) then you need one of these seriously cute garden stakes! How can it not be cute with the mother in a purple dress?!!! These will be so eye catching that they eliminate the need to weed. Anyone that visits your home will be so captivated by this that they won't notice any weeds. Just think of the time having one of these will save you!!!

*You can add your home address to the bottom as well. Cutsies it up even more! Mine is there but I tried to blur it out for the blog.


To order these little guys go HERE

*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*
Chocolate Covered Cinnamon Bears























These photos speak for themselves. If you want a little instant happiness...go get some NOW!

*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*♥♥♥♥♥♥*
Consider yourself officially "tagged" to post a list of YOUR faves too!!!
We could all use some ideas on great things that are out there that we might not know about unless we SHARE!!! So don't be stingy! Share what you LOVE too!






















If you are in Utah many of the kitchen gadgets can be purchased at Kitchen Kneads (Luv to Cook) here.

If there is no black background when you open my blog will you let me know? It appears for some reason only the purple polka dots show without the black background on some people's, making it very hard to read.

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