Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Baby Update
I have been writing on my baby blog that I keep private, so I haven't been updating this blog much at all.
Crib is in place, playpen is put together, monitor bought, dresser and nightstand bought and in place, crib mattress just arrived today, crib bedding set to come this week, bouncer coming this week too. Next big purchase is the car seat and stoller. We love the Chicco. The Graco's are so flimsy and crappy feeling. The Chicco is a bit expensive, but hey, it should get a ton of use with this baby and the next. Plus safety and stability is important. I bought a Bumbo chair with tray for $30 at Once Upon a Child (second hand children's store) and a boppy with the cover (looks never used!) for $14. I bought several clothing items and a couple of blankets at garage sales. You can't beat paying a quarter for a onesie that was never worn! Or a quarter for a blanket never used.
The sickness finally wore off at 17 weeks. I still take my prescription everyday for the acid reflux (Gerd) and take Zantac once or twice a day on top of that. This acid reflux stuff is the pits! I don't know how people live with this stuff every single day. I sure hope it goes away after birth!
I can't believe I'm 22 weeks and only have 4 more months to go! I can't believe I made it this far either. Those four months were miserable. The hardest thing ever! Now my belly won't stop growing and my appetite is off the roof! I can barely bend over since my stomach is as hard as a rock! I'm still tired and a lot of days I'm short of breath.
At our last ultrasound the doctor said I have a low laying placenta. I have to go back in for another ultrasound in December so they can monitor it. They said it should start to move up when I gain more weight. I hope it works out so that I don't have to have a C-section.
Crib is in place, playpen is put together, monitor bought, dresser and nightstand bought and in place, crib mattress just arrived today, crib bedding set to come this week, bouncer coming this week too. Next big purchase is the car seat and stoller. We love the Chicco. The Graco's are so flimsy and crappy feeling. The Chicco is a bit expensive, but hey, it should get a ton of use with this baby and the next. Plus safety and stability is important. I bought a Bumbo chair with tray for $30 at Once Upon a Child (second hand children's store) and a boppy with the cover (looks never used!) for $14. I bought several clothing items and a couple of blankets at garage sales. You can't beat paying a quarter for a onesie that was never worn! Or a quarter for a blanket never used.
The sickness finally wore off at 17 weeks. I still take my prescription everyday for the acid reflux (Gerd) and take Zantac once or twice a day on top of that. This acid reflux stuff is the pits! I don't know how people live with this stuff every single day. I sure hope it goes away after birth!
I can't believe I'm 22 weeks and only have 4 more months to go! I can't believe I made it this far either. Those four months were miserable. The hardest thing ever! Now my belly won't stop growing and my appetite is off the roof! I can barely bend over since my stomach is as hard as a rock! I'm still tired and a lot of days I'm short of breath.
At our last ultrasound the doctor said I have a low laying placenta. I have to go back in for another ultrasound in December so they can monitor it. They said it should start to move up when I gain more weight. I hope it works out so that I don't have to have a C-section.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
The Crib
I ordered the baby crib from Babies R Us about a month ago. J put it together a couple of weeks ago and it looks so nice! Not bad for ordering off the web without seeing it in person! The price was even better at $86, free shipping :)
Saturday, October 9, 2010
House Pics
Here are some pictures of our new house. The furnishings in it are not ours. These were the pictures used when the house was listed. The house has 4 bedrooms, 3 full bathrooms, den, dining room and 2 living rooms.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Pregnancy
We are finally unpacked, well except the boxes that we never unpacked with the first move. Those things you hang onto for no reason except maybe memories. We have officially announced my pregnancy to family and friends. Today I am considered 14 weeks and the first day of the 2nd Trimester. I would love to say my sickness and acid reflux is over, but it's not. It's a daily struggle to live. I'm hanging on by a thread now. I hate riding in cars, I hate driving in cars worse. I don't know what it's like to feel normal anymore. I wish I could have been one of the women that could enjoy her pregnancy and be happy and excited. Right now, I take it one day at a time and deal with it to the best that I can. I could go into more details and complain more, but I'll spare you. Both of us don't need to be miserable!
Now back to the house... Jason worked on cleaning up the weeds in the backyard. The garage is now cleaned up so we can park both of our cars in it. Laundry is caught up. It will be time to work on the small list of things to purchase. Lawn mower, curtains for the sliding glass door and other little organizing things. I love this home! It's so quiet on our block. Sometimes you can smell the nearby cow farms which reminds me of back home. Soon I will decorate for Halloween! I wonder if we'll have any trick or treaters!? I can't wait to lite the house up for Christmas! I can't wait to start the new chapter or our lives in this house and make tons of memories!
Now back to the house... Jason worked on cleaning up the weeds in the backyard. The garage is now cleaned up so we can park both of our cars in it. Laundry is caught up. It will be time to work on the small list of things to purchase. Lawn mower, curtains for the sliding glass door and other little organizing things. I love this home! It's so quiet on our block. Sometimes you can smell the nearby cow farms which reminds me of back home. Soon I will decorate for Halloween! I wonder if we'll have any trick or treaters!? I can't wait to lite the house up for Christmas! I can't wait to start the new chapter or our lives in this house and make tons of memories!
Saturday, September 25, 2010
We Have Finally Moved!
It is Saturday and we are offically done moving! We did a walk through with our renters this morning. Our first house together is now called "The Rental". It's a good house, but this house is more us. I love this house. I love the location and privacy. I love being able to see the sunsets and sunrises. I love being able to see several mountain ranges from our yard. I love the space, color, upgrades.
Movers moved over all furniture and did all the heavy lifting. Jason did many, many car loads back and forth all week. We did the final cleaning of the rental on Friday night. It's such a relief to be done with the move and all the cleaning (both houses).
Tory is still adjusting. She follows us around a lot, but I think she really digs the yard. I think she might miss all of the tile at the rental though. She used the tile to keep herself cool. Now our only tiled area is the entryway, kitchen, laundry and bathrooms. I find her in the kitchen cooling herself off the most.
I have the majority of things unpacked. Over the next couple of weeks I'll need to spend some time organizing.
Movers moved over all furniture and did all the heavy lifting. Jason did many, many car loads back and forth all week. We did the final cleaning of the rental on Friday night. It's such a relief to be done with the move and all the cleaning (both houses).
Tory is still adjusting. She follows us around a lot, but I think she really digs the yard. I think she might miss all of the tile at the rental though. She used the tile to keep herself cool. Now our only tiled area is the entryway, kitchen, laundry and bathrooms. I find her in the kitchen cooling herself off the most.
I have the majority of things unpacked. Over the next couple of weeks I'll need to spend some time organizing.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Offical Move Day
Who wants to come pack this house for me??? Movers come tomorrow and nothing is packed yet! Talk about last minute! Renters are due to make their appearance on September 27th. Glad we got that taken care of just in the nic of time! On to our next journey.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Toffee Crunch Cheesecake
This is the best cheesecake ever!
Philadelphia 3- Step Toffee Crunch Cheesecake
Prep: 10 min. Plus refrigerating * Bake: 40 min. Makes 8 servings.
Ingredients:
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
4 chocolate-covered English toffee bars (1.4 oz. each), chopped (about 1 cup), divided
1 Honey Maid Graham Pie Crust (6 oz.)
PREHEAT oven to 350*F. Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs; mix just until blended. Stir in ¾ cup of the chopped toffee bars.
POUR into crust. Sprinkle with remaining chopped toffee bars.
BAKE 35 to 40 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool. Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight. Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator.
Great Substitute: For extra chocolate flavor, substitute 1 Oreo Pie Crust (6 oz.) for the graham pie crust.
***Use 4 Heath bars instead of toffee. The chocolate touch of the Heath makes it fantastic. I've had it both ways and much prefer the Heath bars***
Philadelphia 3- Step Toffee Crunch Cheesecake
Prep: 10 min. Plus refrigerating * Bake: 40 min. Makes 8 servings.
Ingredients:
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
4 chocolate-covered English toffee bars (1.4 oz. each), chopped (about 1 cup), divided
1 Honey Maid Graham Pie Crust (6 oz.)
PREHEAT oven to 350*F. Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs; mix just until blended. Stir in ¾ cup of the chopped toffee bars.
POUR into crust. Sprinkle with remaining chopped toffee bars.
BAKE 35 to 40 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool. Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight. Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator.
Great Substitute: For extra chocolate flavor, substitute 1 Oreo Pie Crust (6 oz.) for the graham pie crust.
***Use 4 Heath bars instead of toffee. The chocolate touch of the Heath makes it fantastic. I've had it both ways and much prefer the Heath bars***
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Movie and Restaurant Reviews
We have recently watched a few movies, well I have, not so much J.
Hot Tub Time Machine- funny and I loved the 80's throwback!
Bounty Hunter- Not that great, predictable.
She's Out of My League- had some funny parts, predictable, different.
Arriba Mexican Grill (San Tan Mall-Gilbert) We hit this up on our way to Costco. It's always busy when we drive by. We thought it was more of a fast food Mexican restaurant instead it was very much a sit down restaurant. The meal range per person was $10-$12. Looks like they are known for their margaritas considering everyone there had one! I think they have a happy hour where they are .99! They have huge ones that two people can share. Our waiter was outstanding! Our food was good. They have a brewery there, which is odd since Mexican restaurants never have brewery's. J decided to try a sample though and said it tasted horrible (our waiter told us that too). They make and sell their own salsa, it was good as well. We would probably go back to eat there.
Joe's Real BBQ (Downtown Gilbert) It's Friday night and time to try out a new BBQ place! Rated the best BBQ in the East Valley. Based off of other reviews, we decided to wait until after the rush from 6-7:30. We got there close to 8 and waited in line. It's a cafeteria style. You wait in line, grab a tray, utensils, cups, fill up your drink then tell them behind the counter your order, where they yell back your meat choice and they dish up your side choices. They have some throwback candy like button candy, candy cigs, sugar daddy's, etc. We saw a little boy buying 4 packs of candy cigs! LOL I had the homemade root beer, pulled pork sandwich, corn and pit beans for my sides. J had the same except he had potato salad instead of corn. The corn was sweet corn cut off the cob and the beans were a mix of several different kinds of beans. It was all really good! Filled up my cup for another refill of root beer for the road. The place was very busy, but we managed to find a picnic table inside. There are a lot of big families and parties there. There is plenty of seating outside too. We will be going back sometime for sure!
Hot Tub Time Machine- funny and I loved the 80's throwback!
Bounty Hunter- Not that great, predictable.
She's Out of My League- had some funny parts, predictable, different.
Arriba Mexican Grill (San Tan Mall-Gilbert) We hit this up on our way to Costco. It's always busy when we drive by. We thought it was more of a fast food Mexican restaurant instead it was very much a sit down restaurant. The meal range per person was $10-$12. Looks like they are known for their margaritas considering everyone there had one! I think they have a happy hour where they are .99! They have huge ones that two people can share. Our waiter was outstanding! Our food was good. They have a brewery there, which is odd since Mexican restaurants never have brewery's. J decided to try a sample though and said it tasted horrible (our waiter told us that too). They make and sell their own salsa, it was good as well. We would probably go back to eat there.
Joe's Real BBQ (Downtown Gilbert) It's Friday night and time to try out a new BBQ place! Rated the best BBQ in the East Valley. Based off of other reviews, we decided to wait until after the rush from 6-7:30. We got there close to 8 and waited in line. It's a cafeteria style. You wait in line, grab a tray, utensils, cups, fill up your drink then tell them behind the counter your order, where they yell back your meat choice and they dish up your side choices. They have some throwback candy like button candy, candy cigs, sugar daddy's, etc. We saw a little boy buying 4 packs of candy cigs! LOL I had the homemade root beer, pulled pork sandwich, corn and pit beans for my sides. J had the same except he had potato salad instead of corn. The corn was sweet corn cut off the cob and the beans were a mix of several different kinds of beans. It was all really good! Filled up my cup for another refill of root beer for the road. The place was very busy, but we managed to find a picnic table inside. There are a lot of big families and parties there. There is plenty of seating outside too. We will be going back sometime for sure!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Name Change
It's been over a month now since I have officially changed my last name. Boy, it sure is a lot of work! You start off by changing your name at the Social Security office then change your Drivers License. That takes care of the big items then onto the small items... Changing my name at work (I finally did my badge today!) took a couple of days. Changing beneficiaries, credit cards, car title, car insurance, bank accounts, vet and doctors office name, passport (this is next!) and I'm sure there's more. I still don't haven't tackled all of those items, but I'm working on them.
The one thing that is probably the biggest pain is email address. I've used the same address for a long long time and I get a ton of stuff! Slowly changing my email and sorting out what really interests me is how I've decided to tackle it.
I never really thought much about losing my last name or that it's a big deal to change it. I just knew that I would do it when I married. I got asked so many times if I was going to change my last name. It got annoying and made me think it's sad that is a question in people's minds and that society has brought that to their minds.
I may have lost my last name that I held for 28 years, but I have gained a new name with a new responsibilities.
The one thing that is probably the biggest pain is email address. I've used the same address for a long long time and I get a ton of stuff! Slowly changing my email and sorting out what really interests me is how I've decided to tackle it.
I never really thought much about losing my last name or that it's a big deal to change it. I just knew that I would do it when I married. I got asked so many times if I was going to change my last name. It got annoying and made me think it's sad that is a question in people's minds and that society has brought that to their minds.
I may have lost my last name that I held for 28 years, but I have gained a new name with a new responsibilities.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Weekend Recap
This last weekend was a laid back one. Friday night we ate at Flordinos. We tried the pizza muffins for our first time and we ordered our usual. J gets the all meat calzone and I love their baked spaghetti. The calzones are huge! J has yet to finish it in one sitting (surprising!).
Saturday afternoon we went to the movie theater to see Grown Ups. It had been a while since we had been to the theater. Grown Ups was ok, more of a rent than a theater movie. Afterwards we went to Helzberg to drop off my rings. I am finally getting them sautered together. After months of the wedding band spinning around my finger it was time to make them into one . Clarks was the next stop. J needed some nice sturdy flip flops. After wearing nothing but sandals/flip flops for the past 2 years it starts to take a toll on the feet. Time to stop buying the cheap $2.50 ones (they are cheap for a reason!) and start buying a sandal with support and cushion to save your feet/heels/back. Later that night we decided to use our gift card to Applebees.
Sunday we hung around the house, did some pool time and grocery shopping. The weekend was pretty hot as the temps have been hanging around 110*115* the past couple of weeks.
Today's Temp: 105*
Saturday afternoon we went to the movie theater to see Grown Ups. It had been a while since we had been to the theater. Grown Ups was ok, more of a rent than a theater movie. Afterwards we went to Helzberg to drop off my rings. I am finally getting them sautered together. After months of the wedding band spinning around my finger it was time to make them into one . Clarks was the next stop. J needed some nice sturdy flip flops. After wearing nothing but sandals/flip flops for the past 2 years it starts to take a toll on the feet. Time to stop buying the cheap $2.50 ones (they are cheap for a reason!) and start buying a sandal with support and cushion to save your feet/heels/back. Later that night we decided to use our gift card to Applebees.
Sunday we hung around the house, did some pool time and grocery shopping. The weekend was pretty hot as the temps have been hanging around 110*115* the past couple of weeks.
Today's Temp: 105*
Saturday, July 10, 2010
The Drunken Lass
We visited it 3 times in our 2 days there! When we were bored with another bar we said, lets go to the Drunken Lass. They have live bands all day long! Cheap shots, cheap beer and friendly-quality bartending. Our first time there we had their special shot of AIDS (American Independence Day Shot) and drank $1.75 PBR's on tap. We met some locals and chatted it up with the bartender Joe. You know you're a regular when a bartender named Joe says "Welcome back" (we were just a couple of regular Joe's ourselves!). The bar even comes complete with dog treats for your best friend. The community of Prescott is very dog friendly. Nothing like taking your best bud in the bar with you to throw back a few! The bands were fun and different than your typical honky tonk bands. Most of the bands there were one man with guitar. Making up their own songs, drinking beer, taking shots and having a good ol' time. The Lass was my favorite because it felt like your hometown bar where everyone knows your name (Cheers song...) It was very laid back and had a good "Irish" vibe. Definitely worth your time!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Gold Canyon's Hometown Holiday Recipe
Scent Blending Recipes are carefully selected recipes of individual candles that when burning together, create their own unique, blended scent experience.
To maximize your fragrant experience, use the exact sizes and quantities noted in each recipe – a slight alteration can be like adding salt when you needed sugar.
FIRST: Arrange the candles on a heat-safe surface with the largest in the middle and smaller candles interspersed throughout. For votive and Tealight candles, use a holder to protect the surface.
SECOND: Place each candle approximately two inches apart in your arrangement.
THIRD: Light each candle and let the aromas mingle for at least 30 minutes to create your new fragrance experience.
A medley of fruits and florals that evokes the scents of sweet summer pies and a hometown holiday celebration!
To maximize your fragrant experience, use the exact sizes and quantities noted in each recipe – a slight alteration can be like adding salt when you needed sugar.
FIRST: Arrange the candles on a heat-safe surface with the largest in the middle and smaller candles interspersed throughout. For votive and Tealight candles, use a holder to protect the surface.
SECOND: Place each candle approximately two inches apart in your arrangement.
THIRD: Light each candle and let the aromas mingle for at least 30 minutes to create your new fragrance experience.
Hometown Holiday
A medley of fruits and florals that evokes the scents of sweet summer pies and a hometown holiday celebration!
16 oz. Currant
11 oz. Red, White & Berry (U.S. only)
10 oz. Serenity
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Ahwatukee Farmers Market
Last Sunday morning J and I visited the Ahwatukee Farmer's Market for the first time. We discovered a native Nebraskan had a booth there . He runs Pork on a Fork. Pork raised in Nebraska and shipped here to Arizona for sale. It was so hot at 10:00 AM that we kinda got in and out pretty quickly. We bought some red potatoes, carrots, red onions and a red pepper. I chopped the red pepper up and have it in a baggy in the freezer. I did that with green peppers too. I love to have chopped peppers ready to be used at any moment and they stay fresh just as they were before.
We've been to the Chandler Farmer's Market before, but they shut theirs down for the summer. There are a few markets that stay open in the summer and some move to indoor building.
I need to start introducing more vegtables to my diet and branch out to try other things. Maybe someday...
We've been to the Chandler Farmer's Market before, but they shut theirs down for the summer. There are a few markets that stay open in the summer and some move to indoor building.
I need to start introducing more vegtables to my diet and branch out to try other things. Maybe someday...
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Fourth of July
This year J and I are driving up to Prescott for the 4th. We'll head up on Saturday morning and stay until Monday morning. They hold the World's Oldest Rodeo and it's the home of the famous Whiskey Row. It's nice that one of our hotels is 2 blocks from Whiskey Row and our other hotel is at the corner of Whiskey Row (we couldn't book the same hotel for two nights). We'll be stumbling to our rooms! :) The elevation is higher up there, so the high temperatures will be in the 90's. That will be a cool down from what we've been used to the past couple of weeks. It will take us about 2 hours to get to Prescott and I can't wait! I've been wanting to go there for a long time now. It's supposed to be beautiful, fun and there is a lot of history in that town. I love old cowboy towns!
Monday, June 28, 2010
Carefree & Cave Creek
In May J and I took a road trip. It's been a while since we've discovered a new Arizona city. I've been wanting to visit Carefree for a while now. I've read a lot about the quaint town in the Phoenix magazine we subscribe to. We took off early in the morning so that we could stop by the Roadrunner Restaurant & Saloon in New River to have breakfast. The breakfast tasted like your typical home cooked. It's defiantly a biker bar. It appears as though they take horse shoes seriously though as they have several pits with lights shining down on them! You know you're in the desert when you see a mouse creep around a corner outside and snatch a fry and run off! Yuck, I can't believe I saw that! I despise mice!! The service was great and the food was too. On ward we made our way through the town of New River. Home of the Shangri La Ranch. This is a nudist RV park. Of course I got curious since I've never seen one and made J drive down to it. It was gated, I guess you have to call ahead of time to get a code. We couldn't see anything beyond the gates. So we kept on making our way to Cave Creek. It's very small so it was hard to tell where it started and ended, same goes for Carefree. Both towns offer lots of unique restaurants with unique shops. We had to stop at the famous Town Dump and The Horny Toad. I could spend a ton of time and money at the Town Dump, but J wouldn't let me :( We stopped to grab something small from The Horny Toad. I had to try the bbq sandwich since they smoke their meat. It was really tender and tasty. J had a burger and enjoyed it just as well. We didn't get it because we were full enough, but they served my favorite dessert. Strawberry Shortcake and it was a beast! It could feed four people. We want to go back to Harolds Corral and Buffalo Chips Saloon to check out their night entertainment. They are both country bar and grills and they have live bands at night along with real bull riding! We defiantly want to go back to visit for a afternoon into the night. It's not too far from the house, so it's do-able anytime.
Carefree also houses the largest sundial. It's cool!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Deal of the Day
I can't remember if I've ever bought a brand new purse below $20, but I'll remember it now! Macy's had a 1 day sale on Saturday. An additional 30-50% off including clearance. J was with me, so that meant I only was allowed a few minutes to browse. Since my strap broke on my faux Coach bag a couple weeks ago, I've been on the look out for a new purse.
I look for a few things in a purse. The straps have to fit on my shoulders and stay there, I prefer the flat-squarish shape. I like the bottom to have feet or a flat surface. No magnet, buckle, etc. for closures; I like a zippered closure. A medium size. There needs to be two open side pockets inside, one for my car keys/chapstick and one for my cell phone. I'm not real picky about color. I usually go with a black because that goes with everything. I don't mind a brown or tan. Love to do a fun color like purple. I haven't had a yellow or a turquoise purse yet, but would love to!
My steal of the day was a Etienne Aigner purse that was marked down from $58.00 and clearanced to $29.00 with the additional 50% off. I was excited to pay the mere $15, but when she rang it up, it came up to $12.00.!! I'll take that for sure!!!
I look for a few things in a purse. The straps have to fit on my shoulders and stay there, I prefer the flat-squarish shape. I like the bottom to have feet or a flat surface. No magnet, buckle, etc. for closures; I like a zippered closure. A medium size. There needs to be two open side pockets inside, one for my car keys/chapstick and one for my cell phone. I'm not real picky about color. I usually go with a black because that goes with everything. I don't mind a brown or tan. Love to do a fun color like purple. I haven't had a yellow or a turquoise purse yet, but would love to!
My steal of the day was a Etienne Aigner purse that was marked down from $58.00 and clearanced to $29.00 with the additional 50% off. I was excited to pay the mere $15, but when she rang it up, it came up to $12.00.!! I'll take that for sure!!!
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Gold Canyon's June Wedding Scent Recipe
Scent Blending Recipes are carefully selected recipes of individual candles that when burning together, create their own unique, blended scent experience.
To maximize your fragrant experience, use the exact sizes and quantities noted in each recipe – a slight alteration can be like adding salt when you needed sugar.
FIRST: Arrange the candles on a heat-safe surface with the largest in the middle and smaller candles interspersed throughout. For votive and Tealight candles, use a holder to protect the surface.
SECOND: Place each candle approximately two inches apart in your arrangement.
THIRD: Light each candle and let the aromas mingle for at least 30 minutes to create your new fragrance experience.
Featured Blend:
To maximize your fragrant experience, use the exact sizes and quantities noted in each recipe – a slight alteration can be like adding salt when you needed sugar.
FIRST: Arrange the candles on a heat-safe surface with the largest in the middle and smaller candles interspersed throughout. For votive and Tealight candles, use a holder to protect the surface.
SECOND: Place each candle approximately two inches apart in your arrangement.
THIRD: Light each candle and let the aromas mingle for at least 30 minutes to create your new fragrance experience.
Featured Blend:
June Wedding
Create the elegant warmth of a summer wedding with softly scented florals and sweet fruits. A shimmer of luxury shines through for a beautiful blend.
· 8 oz. Powder & Violet Fleur
· 8 oz. Burning Bright
· 10.5 oz. Enchanting
· 8 oz. Burning Bright
· 10.5 oz. Enchanting
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Is a Birthday a Funeral?
I was surprised by getting flowers on my birthday from three different people! Work peeps surprised me with an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen (my favorite!). J said I had so many flowers it looked like a funeral. Could turning 28 be a funeral? Isn't 25 the downward slope to 30? After you turn 21, it doesn't matter so much anymore. The time between 25 and 30 is the most crucial in my opinion. So much happens and the time flies by!
Today's Temp: 98*
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Crispy Chicken Tenders
I made chicken tenders in our deep fryer for the first time two weeks ago. They turned out very well! If you don't have a deep fryer, you can easily use a skillet with oil.
I bought chicken breast tenders all ready trimmed and good to go from the meat section. In a bowl, soak them in buttermilk (I only had half & half in the frig.) for 15-20 minutes or more, whatever you feel like. A bowl full of flour (about a cup or so) and Lawry's seasoning salt (use whatever seasonings you'd like, I added red pepper flakes as well), add a little bit of buttermilk to the flour mixture and stir it so it looks clumpy. Dip the chicken tenders, using a fork, in the flour mixture to coat well and place them on a clean plate so that you can transfer them to the deep fryer or skillet. The clumpy flour mixture makes for a crispy crust :) I used tongs to place the tenders in the fryer. It only takes about 1 1/2 minutes to cook in the deep fryer (375*). About 2 minutes on each side in the skillet should work.
Added some crinkle cut fries to complete the meal!
I bought chicken breast tenders all ready trimmed and good to go from the meat section. In a bowl, soak them in buttermilk (I only had half & half in the frig.) for 15-20 minutes or more, whatever you feel like. A bowl full of flour (about a cup or so) and Lawry's seasoning salt (use whatever seasonings you'd like, I added red pepper flakes as well), add a little bit of buttermilk to the flour mixture and stir it so it looks clumpy. Dip the chicken tenders, using a fork, in the flour mixture to coat well and place them on a clean plate so that you can transfer them to the deep fryer or skillet. The clumpy flour mixture makes for a crispy crust :) I used tongs to place the tenders in the fryer. It only takes about 1 1/2 minutes to cook in the deep fryer (375*). About 2 minutes on each side in the skillet should work.
Added some crinkle cut fries to complete the meal!
Monday, May 24, 2010
New Restaurant Review
Saturday night after going to the San Tan Mall to watch Shining Star, we tried out a new restaurant! For a month and half the San Tan Mall has a live band on Saturday nights for 2 hours. Since I love live music and local bands, this gives us something to do on Saturday nights. The nights are perfect to sit outside and listen to music, people watch and reminisce. The Shining Star band was really good. The woman lead singer isn't afraid to do any song. She sang, Black Eyed Peas, Taylor Swift, Earth Wind and Fire, Journey, Miley Cyrus all kinds of songs/artists! It was great!
Back to my restaurant review... Every time we drive by it J makes a comment, "We need to eat there." Finally we did! It's called Blue 32 Sports Bar and Grill. I decided to try something I've never had before and it was their specialty-the Monte Crisco with homemade coleslaw that had bacon and blue cheese crumbles. J opted for a burger (the Smokehouse) with the homemade blue baked beans. Everything was delicious! Next time I'm going to try out The Grinder!
Todays Temperature: 78* (windy)
Back to my restaurant review... Every time we drive by it J makes a comment, "We need to eat there." Finally we did! It's called Blue 32 Sports Bar and Grill. I decided to try something I've never had before and it was their specialty-the Monte Crisco with homemade coleslaw that had bacon and blue cheese crumbles. J opted for a burger (the Smokehouse) with the homemade blue baked beans. Everything was delicious! Next time I'm going to try out The Grinder!
Todays Temperature: 78* (windy)
Friday, May 21, 2010
My New Bike
We basically ride around our neighborhood. It's nice that we have a bike lane so we can use that in addition to the sidewalks or walking trails.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
The Boycott is Over
I recently made a few trips to Wal-Mart. I haven't been to Wal-Mart since December when I made several trips there for our Christmas party. J and I were in the mood to buy bikes so we had to compare prices and review choices between Sports Chalet, Target and Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart had the most choices and the best price for bikes. A few days beforehand I had ordered some photo books that were rolled back. I like to use them for all photo related projects and do the site to store option. These last few days I've come to enjoy our Wal-Mart. I've always had friendly service in the photo department, but have had several experiences over the past week with the 4 times we've been that have changed my mind a bit. The cashiers, the guy who worked in the gun department who helped me take my two bikes to my car, the dude in the toy/bike department who assisted and chatted with us all about bikes were all very friendly- helpful people! I wonder if this particular store is just cool with great employees or if there has been some changes made over all of the stores. I'd like to think our store just has cool employees.
Anyway, I recently found some new shorts and t-shirts I am real excited about! Shorts these days are either way too short or you buy bermudas. I have several bermudas and am in need of some regular shorts. I found some at Wal-Mart! For only $10, Faded Glory brand, they are perfect length, soft and comfy (a tiny bit of stretch), I bought one pair and went back for two more different colors. Many colors to choose from including denim. I also bought a $4 Faded Glory t-shirt which is tag less, long in length including the sleeves, soft and comfy, also came in a ton of colors including solids or stripes.
Back in the day I was sorta about name brands, but I wasn't raised that way and am not that way these days. That was mostly a high school phase. So if my $10 Wally World shorts fit my body and the wallet then it's good enough for me!
Today's Temperature: 80*
Anyway, I recently found some new shorts and t-shirts I am real excited about! Shorts these days are either way too short or you buy bermudas. I have several bermudas and am in need of some regular shorts. I found some at Wal-Mart! For only $10, Faded Glory brand, they are perfect length, soft and comfy (a tiny bit of stretch), I bought one pair and went back for two more different colors. Many colors to choose from including denim. I also bought a $4 Faded Glory t-shirt which is tag less, long in length including the sleeves, soft and comfy, also came in a ton of colors including solids or stripes.
Back in the day I was sorta about name brands, but I wasn't raised that way and am not that way these days. That was mostly a high school phase. So if my $10 Wally World shorts fit my body and the wallet then it's good enough for me!
Today's Temperature: 80*
Monday, May 10, 2010
Countdown to Honeymoon!
Friday couldn't come fast enough! Four days of work will feel like an eternity. Friday at 9:00 a.m. I'll be leaving on a jet plane...well, not a jet, but it's a good song. On our way to Mexico to a resort just outside of Cancun. The Secrets Silversands awaits us! Where we won't do anything but sleep, eat, drink, lay on the beach and bask in the sun. This resort is a small, all inclusive, adults only resort. We haven't had a beach vacation for over 2 years!! The last vacation was our engagement in San Diego, but that was a short weekend versus a week in Mexico. I think I'm going to bust out the suitcase early and start packing. Something I never do until the night before. This way I can enjoy my "night before flight" (or try to, maybe easier said then done). Tory will be heading to Uncle B's for her week vacation.
Today's Temperature: 84*
Today's Temperature: 84*
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Scent Recipe- Romantic Garden Bouquet
Scent Blending Recipes are carefully selected recipes of individual candles that when burning together, create their own unique, blended scent experience.
To maximize your fragrant experience, use the exact sizes and quantities noted in each recipe – a slight alteration can be like adding salt when you needed sugar.
FIRST: Arrange the candles on a heat-safe surface with the largest in the middle and smaller candles interspersed throughout. For votive and Tealight candles, use a holder to protect the surface.
SECOND: Place each candle approximately two inches apart in your arrangement.
THIRD: Light each candle and let the aromas mingle for at least 30 minutes to create your new fragrance experience.
Featured Blend:
Romantic Garden Bouquet
A wonderful way to welcome summer! This sweet, romantic garden blend combines soft florals, hints of musk and the calming harmony of lavender vanilla to start the perfect relaxing summer.
To maximize your fragrant experience, use the exact sizes and quantities noted in each recipe – a slight alteration can be like adding salt when you needed sugar.
FIRST: Arrange the candles on a heat-safe surface with the largest in the middle and smaller candles interspersed throughout. For votive and Tealight candles, use a holder to protect the surface.
SECOND: Place each candle approximately two inches apart in your arrangement.
THIRD: Light each candle and let the aromas mingle for at least 30 minutes to create your new fragrance experience.
Featured Blend:
Romantic Garden Bouquet
A wonderful way to welcome summer! This sweet, romantic garden blend combines soft florals, hints of musk and the calming harmony of lavender vanilla to start the perfect relaxing summer.
- 8 oz. Sweet Amour
- 10 oz. Harmony
- Love StruckTM votives (3)
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Oriental Ramen Noodle Salad
Ingredients:
1 pkg. coleslaw mix
1 pkg. Ramen noodles (beef flavor), crumbled
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup almonds slivers (optional)
Dressing:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
beef flavor packet
Directions:
Mix slaw, noodles, sunflower seeds, and almonds. Mix sugar, oil, and vinegar; pour over slaw mixture.
*Make it about an hour before serving. The noodles soften in the dressing mixture.
*Add in green onions and/or raw broccoli.
1 pkg. coleslaw mix
1 pkg. Ramen noodles (beef flavor), crumbled
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup almonds slivers (optional)
Dressing:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
beef flavor packet
Directions:
Mix slaw, noodles, sunflower seeds, and almonds. Mix sugar, oil, and vinegar; pour over slaw mixture.
*Make it about an hour before serving. The noodles soften in the dressing mixture.
*Add in green onions and/or raw broccoli.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Not Much Happening Tonight
J made it home on Sunday night. He missed me :) That was the first trip away that wasn't work related. This week his nephew is coming in for a golf trip; Thursday through Sunday. That's a lot of golf! I'll be cooking on Thursday night, trying out a new recipe. I'm sure it will be successful, if it is, I'll post it.
I have been counting down the days until our honeymoon. May 14th couldn't come quicker! I'm ready to do absolutely nothing at all but be a beach bum. I'm ready for you Cancun!
Today's Temperature: 93*ish
I have been counting down the days until our honeymoon. May 14th couldn't come quicker! I'm ready to do absolutely nothing at all but be a beach bum. I'm ready for you Cancun!
Today's Temperature: 93*ish
Saturday, April 24, 2010
A Beautiful Day
Today held such a busy day! I didn't get up until 9ish, so I achieved my wanting to sleep in! I finally left for Ikea around 11:30ish. When I pulled in I was like "crap it's busy". The place opens at 10 and is always busy no matter when you go. I grabbed the few items I went there for and got out pretty quickly. I left pissed off because I was so tired of the rude people in there.
The afternoon was the busiest. I watched the other rental, Old Dogs. I thought it was funny and is worth seeing. I washed up all of my Friday night purchases at BBB. Threw in a few loads of laundry. Walked Tory. Went back to BBB to return a too small comforter for our spare bedroom. Headed to Dillard's to find a comforter in the correct size and it was on sale! I was ready to go home and watch the third movie ( I can't even remember the name of it, it was that bad. I didn't finish it. It had Tim Allen and Sigourney Weaver in it).
I took the movies back and decided to try out a new place for supper. I tried out Los Favoritos Taco Shop. I was real leery about it when I got in because the employees spoke little English. I asked the lady in front of me who did a call in order, if it was good. Her eyes lit up and said it was very good and that her husband craved that place. They keep a menu in their car and do call in orders. I ordered the #5, 2 beef tacos (I opted for shredded beef instead) with rice and beans. Got my order to go and headed home to try it out. The place had steady business. I had to wait in line to place my order and there were more behind me to place theirs. The place is really small, so I assume most people get their orders to go. Taco shops are supposed to be small anyway, right? I got home and dug in. It was really good. The beans and rice weren't your typical. These were authentic. The tacos are great! They don't have tomatoes on them, so that makes it way easier for me to order (I always do no tomatoes). The Mexican restaurants we go to around here are all pretty much authentic anyway, but they all do rice a little different. This place had the best rice of all.
The day was beautiful! A slight breeze, upper 70's, low 80's. It was perfect! The weather really made me want to buy a bicycle. That will be my next purchase. There is something about a bicycle that makes you feel free. Maybe it's the wind that blows on your face. As a kid I biked all over town! I'd be out on my bike for hours upon hours. Bike back and forth to friends houses or just go out and bike.
The afternoon was the busiest. I watched the other rental, Old Dogs. I thought it was funny and is worth seeing. I washed up all of my Friday night purchases at BBB. Threw in a few loads of laundry. Walked Tory. Went back to BBB to return a too small comforter for our spare bedroom. Headed to Dillard's to find a comforter in the correct size and it was on sale! I was ready to go home and watch the third movie ( I can't even remember the name of it, it was that bad. I didn't finish it. It had Tim Allen and Sigourney Weaver in it).
I took the movies back and decided to try out a new place for supper. I tried out Los Favoritos Taco Shop. I was real leery about it when I got in because the employees spoke little English. I asked the lady in front of me who did a call in order, if it was good. Her eyes lit up and said it was very good and that her husband craved that place. They keep a menu in their car and do call in orders. I ordered the #5, 2 beef tacos (I opted for shredded beef instead) with rice and beans. Got my order to go and headed home to try it out. The place had steady business. I had to wait in line to place my order and there were more behind me to place theirs. The place is really small, so I assume most people get their orders to go. Taco shops are supposed to be small anyway, right? I got home and dug in. It was really good. The beans and rice weren't your typical. These were authentic. The tacos are great! They don't have tomatoes on them, so that makes it way easier for me to order (I always do no tomatoes). The Mexican restaurants we go to around here are all pretty much authentic anyway, but they all do rice a little different. This place had the best rice of all.
The day was beautiful! A slight breeze, upper 70's, low 80's. It was perfect! The weather really made me want to buy a bicycle. That will be my next purchase. There is something about a bicycle that makes you feel free. Maybe it's the wind that blows on your face. As a kid I biked all over town! I'd be out on my bike for hours upon hours. Bike back and forth to friends houses or just go out and bike.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Friday Night to Myself
It's almost 11 p.m. here in Arizona and usually I'm not awake. My husband is out of town for the weekend (my first time using the word husband on the ol' blog!). So what else do you do when your spouse is out of town?
Shop!!
I went to my fav... Bed Bath and Beyond. A.K.A BBB. I knew I wanted the Cuisinart mini processor and a king size pillow. You know, you always find a hundred other gadgets and cool things. I found lots of cool things and some of them I'll be testing out this weekend. I found this tiny spatula named the cookie spatula. It's nice and small to use to take your cookies off the pan. I always have the issue of the spatula being too big and running into other cookies when trying to take them off the pan. I also thought I'd try the cookie spoon. It's about the size of a tablespoon and has a flexible rubber bottom so you can flip the dough out of the spoon and onto the pan. My cookie press from Pampered Chef broke a while ago. It will be interesting to see if it works like I'm hoping! I also bought a small salad spinner, the Good Grips brand. I never get the water out enough when it's in the colander and I know the spinners work. Something I've been wanting for a while.
On my way home I stopped by Bashas to get some movies at the one day Blockbuster rental machine. There was a deal that if you bought 2 movies you get the third free. I figured I'd have plenty of time to watch movies and went with the deal. I watched Love Happens. I like Jennifer Aniston, so I see every movie she's in.
Well, I have managed to make myself tired. I'm looking forward to sleeping in, then I have plans to head to Ikea to browse (more shopping!) then back home to watch the other two movies before they have to be returned at 7 p.m.
Shop!!
I went to my fav... Bed Bath and Beyond. A.K.A BBB. I knew I wanted the Cuisinart mini processor and a king size pillow. You know, you always find a hundred other gadgets and cool things. I found lots of cool things and some of them I'll be testing out this weekend. I found this tiny spatula named the cookie spatula. It's nice and small to use to take your cookies off the pan. I always have the issue of the spatula being too big and running into other cookies when trying to take them off the pan. I also thought I'd try the cookie spoon. It's about the size of a tablespoon and has a flexible rubber bottom so you can flip the dough out of the spoon and onto the pan. My cookie press from Pampered Chef broke a while ago. It will be interesting to see if it works like I'm hoping! I also bought a small salad spinner, the Good Grips brand. I never get the water out enough when it's in the colander and I know the spinners work. Something I've been wanting for a while.
On my way home I stopped by Bashas to get some movies at the one day Blockbuster rental machine. There was a deal that if you bought 2 movies you get the third free. I figured I'd have plenty of time to watch movies and went with the deal. I watched Love Happens. I like Jennifer Aniston, so I see every movie she's in.
Well, I have managed to make myself tired. I'm looking forward to sleeping in, then I have plans to head to Ikea to browse (more shopping!) then back home to watch the other two movies before they have to be returned at 7 p.m.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
All About J
Tonight I went with J for his HOA certificate presentation. Before the wedding he attended a 6 week HOA (Home Owners Association) class. Since this is our fist time living in an HOA community it struck his interest to learn more about HOA's. The certificate presentation was held at the City of Chandler council meeting. This was our first time attending a council meeting. They start out with a prayer and the pledge of allegiance. When was the last time you said the pledge of allegiance? Do you remember saying it every morning in grade school?! It's sad that the pledge is never said anymore. We didn't stay for the council meeting since those things can go on all night, so we bailed after he received his certificate and headed to Dilly's Deli for supper. This was our third time hitting up Dilly's. It's a tasty sandwich shop actually owned by one of the city's council members.
In addition, J is running to be a board member for our community-Cooper Commons. The election is in May, so he's starting to get literature printed so he can start going door to door to get votes. We'll be busy for the next couple of weeks!
J is going to see his mother this weekend in NE. I'm staying home and Tory and I will be doing some bonding and girl time! That means, she's getting a hair cut and bath from her mommy!
I can't believe the weather has gone from cold to hot and back to cold-rainy all in one week! I'm so ready for the cold and rain to be gone! Bring on the hot desert weather we moved here for!!
In addition, J is running to be a board member for our community-Cooper Commons. The election is in May, so he's starting to get literature printed so he can start going door to door to get votes. We'll be busy for the next couple of weeks!
J is going to see his mother this weekend in NE. I'm staying home and Tory and I will be doing some bonding and girl time! That means, she's getting a hair cut and bath from her mommy!
I can't believe the weather has gone from cold to hot and back to cold-rainy all in one week! I'm so ready for the cold and rain to be gone! Bring on the hot desert weather we moved here for!!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
DVR or Tivo
How do you record your favorite T.V. shows?
I don't have either.
The two main reasons I would want a DVR would be to fast forward through commercials and record all the shows then watch them on 1 day (which would be a timesaver). I also think the pause feature would come in handy when you're watching "live" T.V. It's bad that I like to plan things around my shows and it's not that I have a lot of shows I watch either. The Monday night and Thursday night lineups are classic for me and I look forward to them each week because they are all comedies. I live for comedy! Comedy makes me relaxed and de-stress. Plus laughing releases endorphins which make you feel good. I enjoy laughing. I laugh at stupid things, or think of things and laugh, or J thinks I'm laughing at him, which then makes me say to him 'lighten up' :)
I don't know anyone besides my sister who has Tivo.
Is $10 extra a month worth it? Should I bust out my old VCR and put it to use?!?
Today's Temp: 65* (very windy-dark clouds)
I don't have either.
The two main reasons I would want a DVR would be to fast forward through commercials and record all the shows then watch them on 1 day (which would be a timesaver). I also think the pause feature would come in handy when you're watching "live" T.V. It's bad that I like to plan things around my shows and it's not that I have a lot of shows I watch either. The Monday night and Thursday night lineups are classic for me and I look forward to them each week because they are all comedies. I live for comedy! Comedy makes me relaxed and de-stress. Plus laughing releases endorphins which make you feel good. I enjoy laughing. I laugh at stupid things, or think of things and laugh, or J thinks I'm laughing at him, which then makes me say to him 'lighten up' :)
I don't know anyone besides my sister who has Tivo.
Is $10 extra a month worth it? Should I bust out my old VCR and put it to use?!?
Today's Temp: 65* (very windy-dark clouds)
Thursday, April 8, 2010
How Do you Take your Coffee?
Black, sugar and/or creamer?
I recently tried the flavored Coffeemates and now I'm addicted. I love the Peppermint Mocha! Instead of paying $4 + at Starbucks getting a white chocolate peppermint mocha, I can make my own with the compliments of Coffeemate.
I don't know how my coffee addiction got so strong over the years. It seemed to happen suddenly. When I was younger I used to use a ton of sugar and some milk. I graduated to a ton of sugar only and now I'm at a little bit of sugar. Creamer packs on more calories and fat, so I need to watch my new Coffeemate addiction.
The Caramel Vanilla is heavenly also! Did you know there is a chocolate one too?!
Today's Temperature: 87*
I recently tried the flavored Coffeemates and now I'm addicted. I love the Peppermint Mocha! Instead of paying $4 + at Starbucks getting a white chocolate peppermint mocha, I can make my own with the compliments of Coffeemate.
I don't know how my coffee addiction got so strong over the years. It seemed to happen suddenly. When I was younger I used to use a ton of sugar and some milk. I graduated to a ton of sugar only and now I'm at a little bit of sugar. Creamer packs on more calories and fat, so I need to watch my new Coffeemate addiction.
The Caramel Vanilla is heavenly also! Did you know there is a chocolate one too?!
Today's Temperature: 87*
Monday, April 5, 2010
My Wedding at Graceland Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas!
I thought that before I write about my wedding, I'd post the link so you can watch it.
So much happened that weekend that it will be a loooong post!
Let me start by saying, it was a blast and I wouldn't have done it any other way!! I'm glad I stuck with my gut and did what I always wanted to do.
Enjoy it here!
So much happened that weekend that it will be a loooong post!
Let me start by saying, it was a blast and I wouldn't have done it any other way!! I'm glad I stuck with my gut and did what I always wanted to do.
Enjoy it here!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Gold Canyon Scent Recipe
Scent Blending Recipes are carefully selected recipes of individual candles that when burning together, create their own unique, blended scent experience.
To maximize your fragrant experience, use the exact sizes and quantities noted in each recipe – a slight alteration can be like adding salt when you needed sugar.
FIRST: Arrange the candles on a heat-safe surface with the largest in the middle and smaller candles interspersed throughout. For votive and Tealight candles, use a holder to protect the surface.
SECOND: Place each candle approximately two inches apart in your arrangement.
THIRD: Light each candle and let the aromas mingle for at least 30 minutes to create your new fragrance experience.
Sweet Easter Morning
A special Easter creation that is wonderful throughout the spring and summer months. Each is its own sweet treat, but together this blend is simply irresistible!
19 oz. Toasted Coconut Macaroon
9 oz. Marshmallow Confections
5 oz. Strawberry Shortcake
To maximize your fragrant experience, use the exact sizes and quantities noted in each recipe – a slight alteration can be like adding salt when you needed sugar.
FIRST: Arrange the candles on a heat-safe surface with the largest in the middle and smaller candles interspersed throughout. For votive and Tealight candles, use a holder to protect the surface.
SECOND: Place each candle approximately two inches apart in your arrangement.
THIRD: Light each candle and let the aromas mingle for at least 30 minutes to create your new fragrance experience.
Sweet Easter Morning
A special Easter creation that is wonderful throughout the spring and summer months. Each is its own sweet treat, but together this blend is simply irresistible!
19 oz. Toasted Coconut Macaroon
9 oz. Marshmallow Confections
5 oz. Strawberry Shortcake
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
My Parents Visit
My parents drove all the way to Arizona from Nebraska for our wedding. They arrived on March 19 with mutual friends Tom and Della. The Friday night they arrived we thought it was a good idea for them to relax a couple hours before we headed to grab something to eat. We took them to Red, White and Brew as we always seem to take our guests there on their first night. It was a fairly nice night to sit outside and enjoy listening to the band they had playing inside. Afterwards, we all called it a night because we had some things planned for the next day.
Unfortunately, Saturday held some issues. Their car had a few issues that needed to be addressed and we weren't sure how serious they were unless we took it into the Buick shop. Thinking it would only be an hour, the boys headed to the dealership and I decided to take the girls to the San Tan shopping mall which was next to the car dealership. One hour later, we found out it was going to be another hour. Fine with us, 'cause we were doing good on shopping! Two hours later, found out it was going to be another hour. OK, so I thought Johnny Rockets for a shake was a good idea. Another two hours later, it was finally complete. We ended up meeting back at the house and relaxing the rest of the afternoon. Since our plans were shot we decided to just relax for a few hours and make up for it on Sunday. We decided to take them to South Mountain and just grab Mexican food at Si Senor. That would complete our Saturday.
Sunday, we got going fairly early. Stopped at the Mesa Swap Meet, visited Goldfield Ghost Town (old gold mine town) then headed onto Canyon Lake for the Dolly Steamboat ride in which I had gotten tickets ahead of time for. They loved it all! Especially the boat ride. Afterwards we decided to have supper at the Old Mining Camp restaurant in Apache Junction. We were entertained by a few local old guys dressed up in western gear who one played the guitar and the other guy played the tub and they also told jokes. That concluded our Sunday jam-packed day!
Monday they hung out around the house, glued the ribbon on my veil and then visited Uncle Bill. Once I got home from work it was off to Scottsdale for supper at George and Bev's (Tom's sister). They own a townhome and winter in Scottsdale for a few months. Tom, Bonnie, Ray and Barbara all met us there as well. We enjoyed drinks, BBQ pork sandwiches, pasta salad and Arizona pie. Then Tom and Della stayed with George and Bev for two days and mom and dad went with Ray and Barb to their condo in Surprise. They all arrived back to our house on Wednesday.
Wednesday night we took them to see the landfill park a few miles from our house and then to downtown Chandler. We ate at Keegan's Grill afterwards. We have heard on many occasions that Keegan's Grill was tasty so we opted to try it out for our first time. Generally, if I'm going to take a visitor to a restaurant I like to try it first, but we broke the rule! I'm glad it turned out really good! We'll be going back for sure.
Thursday it was time to leave for Vegas!
Unfortunately, Saturday held some issues. Their car had a few issues that needed to be addressed and we weren't sure how serious they were unless we took it into the Buick shop. Thinking it would only be an hour, the boys headed to the dealership and I decided to take the girls to the San Tan shopping mall which was next to the car dealership. One hour later, we found out it was going to be another hour. Fine with us, 'cause we were doing good on shopping! Two hours later, found out it was going to be another hour. OK, so I thought Johnny Rockets for a shake was a good idea. Another two hours later, it was finally complete. We ended up meeting back at the house and relaxing the rest of the afternoon. Since our plans were shot we decided to just relax for a few hours and make up for it on Sunday. We decided to take them to South Mountain and just grab Mexican food at Si Senor. That would complete our Saturday.
Sunday, we got going fairly early. Stopped at the Mesa Swap Meet, visited Goldfield Ghost Town (old gold mine town) then headed onto Canyon Lake for the Dolly Steamboat ride in which I had gotten tickets ahead of time for. They loved it all! Especially the boat ride. Afterwards we decided to have supper at the Old Mining Camp restaurant in Apache Junction. We were entertained by a few local old guys dressed up in western gear who one played the guitar and the other guy played the tub and they also told jokes. That concluded our Sunday jam-packed day!
Monday they hung out around the house, glued the ribbon on my veil and then visited Uncle Bill. Once I got home from work it was off to Scottsdale for supper at George and Bev's (Tom's sister). They own a townhome and winter in Scottsdale for a few months. Tom, Bonnie, Ray and Barbara all met us there as well. We enjoyed drinks, BBQ pork sandwiches, pasta salad and Arizona pie. Then Tom and Della stayed with George and Bev for two days and mom and dad went with Ray and Barb to their condo in Surprise. They all arrived back to our house on Wednesday.
Wednesday night we took them to see the landfill park a few miles from our house and then to downtown Chandler. We ate at Keegan's Grill afterwards. We have heard on many occasions that Keegan's Grill was tasty so we opted to try it out for our first time. Generally, if I'm going to take a visitor to a restaurant I like to try it first, but we broke the rule! I'm glad it turned out really good! We'll be going back for sure.
Thursday it was time to leave for Vegas!
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Method
I see Method in Target and Bed Bath and Beyond and I really didn't know what it was. I didn't know if it was a knock off of another product or just another cleaning product out there to take up space on my shelf. I was reading one of my usual blogs and there was a coupon for Method and a little explanation about the product. The coupon link sent me directly to Method's Website where I learned all about their company and products. I became informed and very interested in their products. I went to Target and found a whole Method section! Mind you, I have a shelf in my laundry room filled with a vast array of cleaning products. I bought a few more, the Method brand. I LOVE them! I bought these: The Multi Surface Cleaner (Pink Grapefruit), Daily Shower Spray, Tub 'N Tile Bathroom Cleaner. On their Website it shows the product as costing $4-$5, but at Target they were $2.99. I love the way they smell, so fresh and clean. I don't cough when I use their bathroom products like I do with other products. They are made up of all natural ingredients. Eventually I'd like to get rid of all the other products that take up my shelf space and only carry the Method brand. Their product works very well. I keep the Multi Surface Cleaner under the sink in the kitchen and spray down the counters, stove, cabinets and the sweet smell of grapefruit lingers nicely.
One last product I bought using the coupon was the laundry soap. It's a pump which is easier to use, no product drip and mess, plus it barely takes up any room on my shelf!
That was my Method preaching to you all! Now go buy some and enjoy!!
Today's Temperature: 73*
One last product I bought using the coupon was the laundry soap. It's a pump which is easier to use, no product drip and mess, plus it barely takes up any room on my shelf!
That was my Method preaching to you all! Now go buy some and enjoy!!
Today's Temperature: 73*
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
If the Shoe Fits
Ugh I'm exhausted. I couldn't get to sleep until after 1:00 a.m. last night. After work I rushed to bag up the comforter set and headed to the mall. I spent an hour in Bed Bath and Beyond, returned the year old comforter with no problem and found curtains for our bedroom in exchange; it was nice the curtains were on clearance! I also decided to get some new sheets that were also on clearance. I love that place!
I trudged over to JoAnn Fabrics afterward and wondered around trying to remember all the little things I came there for like (forgot my JoAnn coupons) fabric glue, pins, and other things that ended up in my hands that I didn't need. Onward to DSW to see if I could find some better shoes for the wedding. I have tried twice to "break in" the shoes I bought from Macy's and they are just terrible. Who are the people that have feet for these kinds of shoes?! I need a heel, so I can't just do a flip flop. I found some sexy shoes that have a strap around my ankle, now I won't have any shoes slipping off and most important they are light weight and don't hurt my feet! I finished my shopping trip with In and Out Burger! YUM
Today's Temperture 60* and very windy
I trudged over to JoAnn Fabrics afterward and wondered around trying to remember all the little things I came there for like (forgot my JoAnn coupons) fabric glue, pins, and other things that ended up in my hands that I didn't need. Onward to DSW to see if I could find some better shoes for the wedding. I have tried twice to "break in" the shoes I bought from Macy's and they are just terrible. Who are the people that have feet for these kinds of shoes?! I need a heel, so I can't just do a flip flop. I found some sexy shoes that have a strap around my ankle, now I won't have any shoes slipping off and most important they are light weight and don't hurt my feet! I finished my shopping trip with In and Out Burger! YUM
Today's Temperture 60* and very windy
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Cake Ordered
The cake has been ordered and I'm so excited about the design! It is going to be awesome! Everything is set up to go, now we just need to show up and have a good time! Presents have started coming to our front door. I wish every holiday or occasion was like that :)
My sister has lined up a limo service to pick up our guests at their hotels and take them to the chapel and then to the restaurant. I'm glad she took that over, I was worried about transportation. She is also working on getting us a Cabana for a day! Maybe I should had her be the wedding coordinator!
My parents will be here next weekend and their schedule is busy! We'll have them busy on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. My uncle will have them busy on Tuesday and part of Wednesday. Thursday they will be able to hang out and relax at the house while J and I head up to Vegas.
I guess there is only 1 thing left to set up...a caretaker for Tory. Since none of the hotels accept pets in Vegas and our usual sitter is coming to the wedding, we'll need to see if someone will be able to watch her for a few days. It shouldn't be too hard since she's very well liked by everyone.
Today was another cold, windy rainy day :(
Today's Temperature: 55*
My sister has lined up a limo service to pick up our guests at their hotels and take them to the chapel and then to the restaurant. I'm glad she took that over, I was worried about transportation. She is also working on getting us a Cabana for a day! Maybe I should had her be the wedding coordinator!
My parents will be here next weekend and their schedule is busy! We'll have them busy on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. My uncle will have them busy on Tuesday and part of Wednesday. Thursday they will be able to hang out and relax at the house while J and I head up to Vegas.
I guess there is only 1 thing left to set up...a caretaker for Tory. Since none of the hotels accept pets in Vegas and our usual sitter is coming to the wedding, we'll need to see if someone will be able to watch her for a few days. It shouldn't be too hard since she's very well liked by everyone.
Today was another cold, windy rainy day :(
Today's Temperature: 55*
Monday, March 8, 2010
Curtains Galaore
It's Monday night, what do you do? Watch the Bachelor wedding? Nope I completely forgot about that! Do laundry, yep, did some of that, dishes, yep, watch T.V., did some of that too. One thing I bet you can't guess I did...ironed curtains. Yep, I have ironed 3 out of 7 curtain panels. When we put these up a year ago I just hung them and thought most of the wrinkles would work themselves out over time. Well, they didn't. I've ironed the 4 curtain panels in the upstairs bedrooms over the weekend and I'm not sure if I should do the dining/sitting room. I am going to buy MORE curtains for our bedroom this week so we shall see if the ironing continues! I'll probably finish the living room/kitchen over the next couple of days. The next major thing is to clean the base boards. They sure get dusty! The entire house is lined with them too.
If the rain ever lets up, I'd like to work on the yard that I've neglected. It rained all day on Sunday and although it didn't rain today, it was cloudy and gloomy the whole day. More rain to come tomorrow :( I really hope this rain stops and the sun comes out over the next 2 weeks!
J purchased a suit over the weekend and I picked up a new comforter. The one I bought a year ago has been a real pain. It makes a lot of noise, too heavy, not breathable, has white patches all over after receiving it back from the dry cleaners. I'm packing it up and sending it back to BBB where they will return it to the brand. Luckily I did not wash or use the two sheet sets it came with. I got a great deal on a reversible comforter with bedskirt and two shams from Dillards. Oh, and 100% cotton is the way to go. Don't buy that foreign fabric, shiny looking stuff.
Today's Temperature 58*
If the rain ever lets up, I'd like to work on the yard that I've neglected. It rained all day on Sunday and although it didn't rain today, it was cloudy and gloomy the whole day. More rain to come tomorrow :( I really hope this rain stops and the sun comes out over the next 2 weeks!
J purchased a suit over the weekend and I picked up a new comforter. The one I bought a year ago has been a real pain. It makes a lot of noise, too heavy, not breathable, has white patches all over after receiving it back from the dry cleaners. I'm packing it up and sending it back to BBB where they will return it to the brand. Luckily I did not wash or use the two sheet sets it came with. I got a great deal on a reversible comforter with bedskirt and two shams from Dillards. Oh, and 100% cotton is the way to go. Don't buy that foreign fabric, shiny looking stuff.
Today's Temperature 58*
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Current Wedding Plans
The next couple of weeks will be extremely busy. I need to up my gym time. I've only been doing Pilates and Yoga once a week and although my body is sore after each workout, I need to get the cardio in. My goal of losing a couple of pounds before the wedding haven't been working out like I wanted. I know that in order to burn fat, cardio is the only answer.
My engagement ring was sent off to be rodium plated along with sizing my wedding band. Once I receive them back this week, the rings are taken care of! J received his wedding band a couple weeks back.
As far as wedding plans, I have the wedding cake left to choose. Our dessert menu includes 2 desserts and a wedding cake! The hotel, chapel, resturant, dress, rings, hair, accessories are complete. J needs to decide on his attire, I need to work on my veil and wear my shoes around to break them in. We submitted our menu selection on Monday. My sister has lined up some things for us too.
My parents are coming down a week before the wedding and they are already making plans with friends that are down here visiting for the winter. We'll have a full house and be on the run for 2 weeks straight. I'm excited for my parents to come down and see what Arizona has to offer them. I'm sure they will enjoy it just as much as I do (as much as they may not want to admit).
J will be traveling to Chicago next week. This is the first work related trip he's been on in 2 years due to budget cutbacks. While he is away, leaving me in this house by myself for the first time, I'll be busy cleaning the house and getting it ready for our guests.
Today's Temperature: 75*
My engagement ring was sent off to be rodium plated along with sizing my wedding band. Once I receive them back this week, the rings are taken care of! J received his wedding band a couple weeks back.
As far as wedding plans, I have the wedding cake left to choose. Our dessert menu includes 2 desserts and a wedding cake! The hotel, chapel, resturant, dress, rings, hair, accessories are complete. J needs to decide on his attire, I need to work on my veil and wear my shoes around to break them in. We submitted our menu selection on Monday. My sister has lined up some things for us too.
My parents are coming down a week before the wedding and they are already making plans with friends that are down here visiting for the winter. We'll have a full house and be on the run for 2 weeks straight. I'm excited for my parents to come down and see what Arizona has to offer them. I'm sure they will enjoy it just as much as I do (as much as they may not want to admit).
J will be traveling to Chicago next week. This is the first work related trip he's been on in 2 years due to budget cutbacks. While he is away, leaving me in this house by myself for the first time, I'll be busy cleaning the house and getting it ready for our guests.
Today's Temperature: 75*
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Pittsburgh Willy's Gourmet Hotdogs
I think I need to change my profile picture. I still haven't posted the pictures of the newly painted house so this picture looks drab now.
Tanning is going very well. I think I'm as tan as I'm going to be. With as many times as I have gone you'd think I'd be really dark. My skin just doesn't hold a tan for long. But on the flip side my dress alterations are complete and either the dress looks really white from the cleaning or I look tan! Haha. Now I don't look so washed out and as white as the dress! I had to hang the dress up in our spare bedroom closet as my first dress keeper is having issues with her cat and the closet it would be kept in. Long story... This means J is not allowed to peak! The dress also stinks; it must be the cleaning product they used. I'd like to air it out, but I don't want wondering eyes to see. I can't believe the wedding is only a month away!! I've made my hair appointment at The Mirage and we have confirmed that the Graceland Wedding Chapel has our name reserved (had to make sure you know, it was over 3 months ago when we booked).
Every week has been busy. Between getting the house cleaned, looking at new houses (possibly moving to a ranch style and renting this house), going to the gym, running errands, tanning, working and all the other things life brings. I enjoy my Pilate's and Yoga class to relax and breath. The Pilate's really works your entire body and the Yoga class isn't called Challenge Yoga for nothing! It's defiantly challenging!
It is also Lenten season which means I've given up something. This year I've decided to save everyones life around me and stick with coffee and give up soda pop. I didn't think it would be too hard since I don't drink a ton of it, but when I eat pizza I have to have a pop! Today I found myself craving a sip of diet Pepsi or Coke, but I didn't give in. Water and I have been getting along really well lately.
Today we tried a new place called Pittsburgh Willy's Gourmet Hotdogs. I had the Wild Willy and J opted for the 3 Legged Chili 'N Cheese and I also had to try their pierogi's. It was all very good! There is just one guy there that takes your order and cooks the food (cook to order). It's inside the antique mall so you can browse while your meal is being prepared or walk it off afterwards.
Tanning is going very well. I think I'm as tan as I'm going to be. With as many times as I have gone you'd think I'd be really dark. My skin just doesn't hold a tan for long. But on the flip side my dress alterations are complete and either the dress looks really white from the cleaning or I look tan! Haha. Now I don't look so washed out and as white as the dress! I had to hang the dress up in our spare bedroom closet as my first dress keeper is having issues with her cat and the closet it would be kept in. Long story... This means J is not allowed to peak! The dress also stinks; it must be the cleaning product they used. I'd like to air it out, but I don't want wondering eyes to see. I can't believe the wedding is only a month away!! I've made my hair appointment at The Mirage and we have confirmed that the Graceland Wedding Chapel has our name reserved (had to make sure you know, it was over 3 months ago when we booked).
Every week has been busy. Between getting the house cleaned, looking at new houses (possibly moving to a ranch style and renting this house), going to the gym, running errands, tanning, working and all the other things life brings. I enjoy my Pilate's and Yoga class to relax and breath. The Pilate's really works your entire body and the Yoga class isn't called Challenge Yoga for nothing! It's defiantly challenging!
It is also Lenten season which means I've given up something. This year I've decided to save everyones life around me and stick with coffee and give up soda pop. I didn't think it would be too hard since I don't drink a ton of it, but when I eat pizza I have to have a pop! Today I found myself craving a sip of diet Pepsi or Coke, but I didn't give in. Water and I have been getting along really well lately.
Today we tried a new place called Pittsburgh Willy's Gourmet Hotdogs. I had the Wild Willy and J opted for the 3 Legged Chili 'N Cheese and I also had to try their pierogi's. It was all very good! There is just one guy there that takes your order and cooks the food (cook to order). It's inside the antique mall so you can browse while your meal is being prepared or walk it off afterwards.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Trader Joe's and Sprouts
A couple of weeks ago I dragged J to check out Trader Joe's and Sprouts. Trader Joe's is a organic store and Sprouts is a organic locally-grown supermarket. Since I wanted to lose a couple of pounds before the wedding I wanted to cut down sugar as much as possible. I found organic sugar and sweeteners to help me out. I have not added sugar to coffee in a couple of weeks now! I am a sucker for sweet tea in restaurants though and have had about 3 sweet teas in the past couple weeks...*sigh. Now I just need to cut out sweets and I'll be set! There isn't a Trader Joe's near the house so we trekked up to Mesa to check it out. Upon arriving this place was so busy! Probably didn't help we went on a Saturday :) They have tiny carts for kids to push and boy were there a ton of them! This place is pretty small as J said it reminded him of a small supermarket on the corner in Chicago, a type of place you could buy a little bit of everything-quick one stop shop. The staff was very friendly and knowledgeable as I had to utilize them to show me around and slow down my stimulated brain (meaning the place was so busy and I had no idea where anything was and there is so much stuff in there-anxiety set in). I knew I wanted to get some freshly ground coffee, organic sugar and some high fiber snacks. I grabbed a can of coffee and used their grinders to grind the beans-very convenient! Talked to a couple staff members about organic sugar then found some high fiber-chocolate chip mini cookies and picked up some peanut butter cookies for Tory.
The Blue Agave sweetener is actually sold in most grocery stores here. It is derived from the Agave plant which can be found everywhere here!
Sprouts was larger than TJ's and had a more organized layout. I bought a few items from them as well.
Overall both stores were interesting and fun.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Gold Canyon's Valentine Scent Recipe
Scent Blending Recipes are carefully selected recipes of individual candles that when burning together, create their own unique, blended scent experience.
To maximize your fragrant experience, use the exact sizes and quantities noted in each recipe – a slight alteration can be like adding salt when you needed sugar.
FIRST: Arrange the candles on a heat-safe surface with the largest in the middle and smaller candles interspersed throughout. For votive and Tealight candles, use a holder to protect the surface.
SECOND: Place each candle approximately two inches apart in your arrangement.
THIRD: Light each candle and let the aromas mingle for at least 30 minutes to create your new fragrance experience.
My Sweet Valentine
For an extra special Valentine’s Day, this blend of fruits and sweets will make your sweetie swoon. With such a wonderful aroma of candies and delectable baked goods, your sweetie will surely expect some of the real thing!
19 oz. Lemon Bar
14 oz. Candy Hearts
8 oz. Strawberry Shortcake
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Annual Checklist
Are you familiar with Linda Cobb, AKA The Queen of Clean? If you're not, buy her books and read up! She tells you how to get rid of anything and everything, from kool aid stains, pet stains, hard water stains, rust, mold etc. Anyway, in her book: A Queen for All Seasons (A year of tips, tricks and picks for a cleaner house and a more organized life). She has a checklist you can use for cleaning your house for the entire year. I've actually created a list in Excel and printed it off to keep handy and check off once complete. Since I can't attach the spreadsheet to the blog, I've posted some of it on here for you to see a sample of. If you want the whole list, comment me and I'll email it to you!
Daily
Make beds
Put dirty clothes in hamper
Hang up clothes
Clean up spills
Wash dishes
Wipe counters and stovetop
Weekly
Sweep floors
Dust hard furniture
Dust knickknacks
Do the laundry
Change sheets
Clean sinks
Clean showers and tubs
Clean the toilet
Clean bathroom mirrors
Empty trash cans, put out garbage (clean can if odors remain)
Sweep porch, patio and doormats
Twice Weekly
Vacuum carpets
Bi Weekly
Vacuum stairs
Dust TV/DVD/stereos, etc.
Mop floors
Daily
Make beds
Put dirty clothes in hamper
Hang up clothes
Clean up spills
Wash dishes
Wipe counters and stovetop
Weekly
Sweep floors
Dust hard furniture
Dust knickknacks
Do the laundry
Change sheets
Clean sinks
Clean showers and tubs
Clean the toilet
Clean bathroom mirrors
Empty trash cans, put out garbage (clean can if odors remain)
Sweep porch, patio and doormats
Twice Weekly
Vacuum carpets
Bi Weekly
Vacuum stairs
Dust TV/DVD/stereos, etc.
Mop floors
Monthly, Quarterly, Annually and Twice a Year are left to complete the checklist.
Today's Temperature: 70*
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Battleship
The tanning has been going well. I've burned in a few places and not in others. I'm trying to decide to cover up the burn parts until it evens out with the rest. At least I still have plenty of time to get even coverage.
The past week J and I have busted out some board games. Have you realized how expensive your favorite board games are now? It's $20 for Connect Four nowadays! Occasionally Target or Walmart will put them on sale for $10. J had a few of his own games, so we played Battleship. This was my first time playing Battleship and now I'm hooked! We were at Target this past weekend and Sorry was on sale for $10 since I've played that one before and enjoy it, I decided to buy it to add to the collection. I would still like to buy Trouble, Jenga and Connect Four. I used to play these three games all the time with my mom or brother. It's good to play these games, keeps your mind moving in a different direction, relieves stress, makes you feel like a kid again! I think J wishes he hadn't showed me Battleship as he'd rather play checkers :)
Last week I took my dress to get altered. Bra pads will be added as well as a bustle. I had no idea there were two ways to bustle! I had to have the cute little old lady show me both ways twice before deciding which way to go. It will be ready for pick up on February 17. I just hope the bra pads will be enough for my chest! Since they don't provide any real support or any sort of push. We will be purchasing our wedding bands very soon. I have a great coupon from Helzberg which expires on February 14 that will help for my band. J will be getting his band from Michaels Creative Jewelry. We found Michaels at the Mercedes Benz event we attended. I accidentally tried on one of their 3 carat diamond rings that was prices at $20k. She was a beauty! :) Anyway, J found some wedding bands in their store that he prefers.
Can't wait for the weekend to come!
Today's Temperature: 60*
The past week J and I have busted out some board games. Have you realized how expensive your favorite board games are now? It's $20 for Connect Four nowadays! Occasionally Target or Walmart will put them on sale for $10. J had a few of his own games, so we played Battleship. This was my first time playing Battleship and now I'm hooked! We were at Target this past weekend and Sorry was on sale for $10 since I've played that one before and enjoy it, I decided to buy it to add to the collection. I would still like to buy Trouble, Jenga and Connect Four. I used to play these three games all the time with my mom or brother. It's good to play these games, keeps your mind moving in a different direction, relieves stress, makes you feel like a kid again! I think J wishes he hadn't showed me Battleship as he'd rather play checkers :)
Last week I took my dress to get altered. Bra pads will be added as well as a bustle. I had no idea there were two ways to bustle! I had to have the cute little old lady show me both ways twice before deciding which way to go. It will be ready for pick up on February 17. I just hope the bra pads will be enough for my chest! Since they don't provide any real support or any sort of push. We will be purchasing our wedding bands very soon. I have a great coupon from Helzberg which expires on February 14 that will help for my band. J will be getting his band from Michaels Creative Jewelry. We found Michaels at the Mercedes Benz event we attended. I accidentally tried on one of their 3 carat diamond rings that was prices at $20k. She was a beauty! :) Anyway, J found some wedding bands in their store that he prefers.
Can't wait for the weekend to come!
Today's Temperature: 60*
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Coupon Mom
A quick post about a site for everyone who wants to save money buying grocery's or going to restaurants. Check out Coupon Mom to learn how to save tons of money on items like groceries. Be sure to download the free ebook to learn about couponing and be sure to watch the videos to have a better understanding.
My deal for the day: Target has Tide 32 loads liquid detergent on sale for $5.99. Pair it with the $1.00 off coupon that expires on 1/31 and get it for $4.99. I bought two bottles and used two $1.00 off. Nothing like getting 64 loads for $9.98!! (their regular 1 bottle of 64 loads of detergent is priced at $13.99 in my area)
Go check out Coupon Mom and learn how to coupon and save money!
My deal for the day: Target has Tide 32 loads liquid detergent on sale for $5.99. Pair it with the $1.00 off coupon that expires on 1/31 and get it for $4.99. I bought two bottles and used two $1.00 off. Nothing like getting 64 loads for $9.98!! (their regular 1 bottle of 64 loads of detergent is priced at $13.99 in my area)
Go check out Coupon Mom and learn how to coupon and save money!
Friday, January 22, 2010
Rain Storms
It has been raining here all week. In fact the past two days the rain has been coming down all day long, flooding is happening everywhere. Last night Scottsdale had a tornado watch issued. Nothing happened, but they were treating it as a serious event by telling everyone on the news and t.v. weather interruptions on how to prepare for a tornado. They don't even have sirens here or practice their yearly drills like back in the Midwest. The last time a tornado has hit Arizona was 1983 in Mesa. Water pools up in every low spot, wash, ditch, parks etc. because the ground is so hard it doesn't absorb moisture. It's funny to see and hear everyone freak out about the storms we've had the past couple of days. Strong winds, cold temperatures and lots of rain; this was the biggest storm many people have ever experienced in their life and this was just another day in Nebraska to me. The last biggest storm was in 1994.
Tanning has been going well. I did 8 minutes the first two days and yesterday I did 10 minutes which resulted in some pink/redness. I took today off and will continue tomorrow. Wednesday night I did my free trial at Planet Beach. It included a 20 minute hydro massage, 20 minute full body steam thingy (temps reached 118*), tanning bed for 8 minutes and I opted to not do the luminar facial since it required me buying product for it. I loved the full body steam thing and wouldn't mind going in for that every now and then.
J and I have quit the Fitness Works gym. We have moved onto the Tumbleweed Recreational Park. Fitness Work's was getting to be too dirty and going down hill even though it wasn't too old. I do miss two of the instructors though. I've done the Pilates and Yoga class at Tumbleweed and was really sore after the Pilates class. Since it's city ran, it's kept really clean and orderly.
I also received my new phone this week. I had ordered the LG Lotus for free from Sprint online and it was also free shipping and activation. I've been pretty excited about my new modern phone!
Today's Temperature: 56*
Tanning has been going well. I did 8 minutes the first two days and yesterday I did 10 minutes which resulted in some pink/redness. I took today off and will continue tomorrow. Wednesday night I did my free trial at Planet Beach. It included a 20 minute hydro massage, 20 minute full body steam thingy (temps reached 118*), tanning bed for 8 minutes and I opted to not do the luminar facial since it required me buying product for it. I loved the full body steam thing and wouldn't mind going in for that every now and then.
J and I have quit the Fitness Works gym. We have moved onto the Tumbleweed Recreational Park. Fitness Work's was getting to be too dirty and going down hill even though it wasn't too old. I do miss two of the instructors though. I've done the Pilates and Yoga class at Tumbleweed and was really sore after the Pilates class. Since it's city ran, it's kept really clean and orderly.
I also received my new phone this week. I had ordered the LG Lotus for free from Sprint online and it was also free shipping and activation. I've been pretty excited about my new modern phone!
Today's Temperature: 56*
Monday, January 18, 2010
Tanning and Coupons
Today I signed up for tanning. I wanted to be sure I have a tan for the wedding (coming up quick!). I've checked out a few other places before deciding on Fahrenheit Tanning. They had Monday Madness special of purchase 2 months get 1 month free, with it only be $49/month for the basic bed, it was the best deal I could find anywhere! I will start my official tanning session tomorrow on my way home from work. I was really impressed with the saleslady. She was very nice, professional, knowledgeable and easy to talk to. Last week I had visited Planet Beach down the street and was overstimulated! The 2 girls in there were so wired and very Valley (and they were probably in their 40's-50's). Their prices are way to expensive, but I decided to sign up for a 1 day free trial which includes every bed and facial steamer there. This place is considered a spa, which means a machine does the work. They have a hydro spa bed for massage and facial steamers for their "facials". I'll at least get to try it out and get a free tan! Even though I have no intention of using their services at least I can get a free water massage :)
Friday I came home from work early. J had gotten sick last weekend and has passed it onto me. I pretty much changed into my sweats and laid on the couch the whole day. We rented a movie and J picked up a great deal from Bashas! They had a deal where you get a large pizza, breadsticks, salad and boneless buffalo wings all for the low price of $11.99! It was all very good. We had a few leftover buffalo wings so I decided for supper on Sunday I'd use the remaining salad and wings to make a buffalo chicken salad. It was just as good as ordering one in a restaurant.
We didn't get out a whole lot this weekend mostly due to me being sick, but we managed to rent 3 movies:
Public Enemies- really good
The Goods- not too bad, several funny lines/parts, lots of famous actors
17 Again- I like teen movies, so I found it funny, light and decent
Last week I also scored some great deals at Target clothing clearance. I got a sweatshirt for $1.92, sweater shirt thing for $4.28 and love it 'cause it's soft and stylish, fleece v-neck long sleeved for $2 something, collard short sleeve polo for $2 something and a few short sleeved collard polo's for $8 a piece (not sure why the gray one was for $2-last years?).
I also have been doing well with the couponing these past few days. Used $20 of coupons in WalMart the total was originally $70, the coupons took it down to $50. I did well at Safeway, .99 cent 18 count eggs. BIGI Tyson chicken strips would have been $3.99 for 2, but used my $1 off and got 2 bags for $2.99, they also had Angel Soft 12 pack TP clearanced out to $4 (unfortunately I didn't get a coupon printed off for that one yet, so I didn't save my .50 cents) so I only spent $8.
It is supposed to rain all week long. Record!
Today's Temperature: 60*
Friday I came home from work early. J had gotten sick last weekend and has passed it onto me. I pretty much changed into my sweats and laid on the couch the whole day. We rented a movie and J picked up a great deal from Bashas! They had a deal where you get a large pizza, breadsticks, salad and boneless buffalo wings all for the low price of $11.99! It was all very good. We had a few leftover buffalo wings so I decided for supper on Sunday I'd use the remaining salad and wings to make a buffalo chicken salad. It was just as good as ordering one in a restaurant.
We didn't get out a whole lot this weekend mostly due to me being sick, but we managed to rent 3 movies:
Public Enemies- really good
The Goods- not too bad, several funny lines/parts, lots of famous actors
17 Again- I like teen movies, so I found it funny, light and decent
Last week I also scored some great deals at Target clothing clearance. I got a sweatshirt for $1.92, sweater shirt thing for $4.28 and love it 'cause it's soft and stylish, fleece v-neck long sleeved for $2 something, collard short sleeve polo for $2 something and a few short sleeved collard polo's for $8 a piece (not sure why the gray one was for $2-last years?).
I also have been doing well with the couponing these past few days. Used $20 of coupons in WalMart the total was originally $70, the coupons took it down to $50. I did well at Safeway, .99 cent 18 count eggs. BIGI Tyson chicken strips would have been $3.99 for 2, but used my $1 off and got 2 bags for $2.99, they also had Angel Soft 12 pack TP clearanced out to $4 (unfortunately I didn't get a coupon printed off for that one yet, so I didn't save my .50 cents) so I only spent $8.
It is supposed to rain all week long. Record!
Today's Temperature: 60*
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Some Updates
I've added the blogs that I currently follow to my blog roll. I read these daily. Some are for fun and others are for couponing. You can receive a lot of advise for couponing and links to print out coupons. I have learned from these ladies how to save some money on grocery bills. Although these ladies can manage to get tons of items for less than $100.00 I am still trying to figure out how they do it so good. Seems like their grocery ads are way better than my stores here. Hardly do our grocery stores have double/triple coupon days. They also don't discount meat items toward the end of the night. It is addicting though. Once you start couponing and get great deals, you become proud of yourself!
One of my all time favorite stores is Bed Bath and Beyond. Not many people know that you can use one coupon per item. I never go there without a coupon, in fact, this is the only way I was able to afford curtains for the whole house! As you know curtains are outrageous to buy. They also don't have a return policy. You can return your items at any time, so if a year goes by and your item breaks...return it. If you don't have your receipt, you get a store gift card. My sister and mom often mail me BBB coupons ($5 off or 20% off) as they don't go as often as I. When I lived back in my apartment in NE I'd get a coupon in the mail and then scour the trash can next to the mailboxes to pick up the coupons people threw away. That's throwing away a lot of money to me! Now I receive the previous owners coupons :) One last thing, their coupons never expire. I've used coupons from 2007! They also would accept Linens and Things coupons, but now that they aren't in business anymore, there's no need. I always have a nice stockpile of BBB coupons.
The current Gold Canyon promotion is buy a 26 oz. Heritage candle and you could Strike it Gold! Receive a gold coin in your candle and win up to $5,000! By purchasing a 26 oz. you automatically receive free product, free shipping or other free offers. Also, check out the new Soy aromatherapy products.
Today's Current Temperature: 64*
One of my all time favorite stores is Bed Bath and Beyond. Not many people know that you can use one coupon per item. I never go there without a coupon, in fact, this is the only way I was able to afford curtains for the whole house! As you know curtains are outrageous to buy. They also don't have a return policy. You can return your items at any time, so if a year goes by and your item breaks...return it. If you don't have your receipt, you get a store gift card. My sister and mom often mail me BBB coupons ($5 off or 20% off) as they don't go as often as I. When I lived back in my apartment in NE I'd get a coupon in the mail and then scour the trash can next to the mailboxes to pick up the coupons people threw away. That's throwing away a lot of money to me! Now I receive the previous owners coupons :) One last thing, their coupons never expire. I've used coupons from 2007! They also would accept Linens and Things coupons, but now that they aren't in business anymore, there's no need. I always have a nice stockpile of BBB coupons.
The current Gold Canyon promotion is buy a 26 oz. Heritage candle and you could Strike it Gold! Receive a gold coin in your candle and win up to $5,000! By purchasing a 26 oz. you automatically receive free product, free shipping or other free offers. Also, check out the new Soy aromatherapy products.
Today's Current Temperature: 64*
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Gold Canyon Candles
I am now selling Gold Canyon Candles! Since I've only been in Arizona for a year I thought this would be a great opportunity to meet new people and network. I bought my first candle from a lady at work who was doing a fundraiser for her sons football team. I've heard a lot about the candles from coworkers and wanted to check these great candles out! I've tried so many different brands including Partylite and nothing is comparable. Gold Canyon candles are by far the best! Not only do they burn evenly, last hundreds of hours; their scents are superior to any other candle on the market. They offer more than just candles! From their air fresheners, car fresheners, household cleaning products and body products every product is made with excellence.
You may purchase your Gold Canyon products by visiting my website at: www.mygc.com/vickimick. If you have any questions, please use the Contact Me tab.
Thank you for your patronage!
Vicki
demonstrator id: 219289
You may purchase your Gold Canyon products by visiting my website at: www.mygc.com/vickimick. If you have any questions, please use the Contact Me tab.
Thank you for your patronage!
Vicki
demonstrator id: 219289
Monday, January 4, 2010
Need to Lose Weight...again
J and I have started walking this past weekend. This is my attempt to loose some of this weight gain. I need to start working on my eating/drinking habits though in order to take full advantage of this. For the past month, I have been back on the major coffee drinking every single day. Sometimes 2 cups a day! I don't add creamer to it, but add plenty of sugar. Sugar is what I need to cut out! So, I need to get on the green tea/black tea band wagon again minus sugar and omit pop and see if maybe I can scale back on the coffee. Sugar is your biggest weight gain enemy. I need to start eating fruits and veggies and lay off the starches! I love potatoes and bread, so maybe in just moderation. The weather has been decent enough to walk outside without being too cold. The goal is to walk 3-4 times a week at about 45 minutes to an hour each time. Our gym membership is going to expire very soon, so we will need to weigh our options about that. Should I get a bicycle? The only goal this time is to get rid of my November-December bulge. Just need to have this gone by wedding time, which means I'll have 3 months to shed 7 pounds :)
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Happy New Year!
A new year and a new post! To recap the month of December... J and I saw the Nutcracker for our first time. We saw it at the symphony hall downtown Phoenix and ate beforehand at Mi Amigos. I wasn't sure what to expect from it, but enjoyed it. The same week I had taken the 17th off to prepare for the Christmas party. Did lots of baking and cooking including a pork loin cooked in the slow cooker that turned out great! I made a few of my favorite Christmas desserts which some of them were my first time making them on my own. They turned out great, just like mom would make :) The 19th was the big Christmas party. We had a decent turnout of 17, not including us. The majority were our neighbors. They were really thrilled to have been invited and all got a chance to talk and get to know each other more rather than the usual "hello" and wave exchange. This year I'd like to have a BBQ. I had intended to have an end of summer BBQ, but time got away from us and decided to have the Christmas party instead. The rest of my weekend was pretty mellow. I had also taken off that Monday in which J and I saw The Blind Side and had lunch at McDuffy's. Uncle B decided to throw a Christmas party on Christmas day. He had a good turn out as well, with 20 people. Between all of the food and eating habits this past month I have managed to gain weight back from what I had lost. It's really the only time of the year that I like to eat a lot! We've also rented several movies and saw Couples Retreat and Up in the Air. We saw The Hangover and Four Christmases again. We've registered at Bed Bath and Beyond/Target and I just ordered our invitations. I finally tackled that calendar for my parents and if anyone is thinking of doing that be sure to start early as it is very time consuming. I also quickly threw one in for us to have at our house. We went to The Temple in Mesa to see the light display and drove through Ahwatukee to see all the amazing lights and creative light decorating. Had M and B over for the Holiday Bowl to watch Nebraska kick butt against Arizona(0-34)!! Went to the Insight Bowl game compliments of Tony (again) to see Iowa State win by one point against Minnesota (13-14). I decided to take on selling Gold Canyon Candles. Love these candles! Dishwasher was installed and working wonderfully! New disposal installed courtesy of J :)
Everything I just wrote was not in any particular order, but I wanted to throw it all out there. I'm sure I'm missing a few items.
I'm sure this new year will hold just as many adventures as 2009 had. Many more places to explore, honeymoons to take, vows to exchange, vacations to be had, maybe some house hunting or updating. I can't wait to see what this year will have in store for us!!
Today's temperature *70
Everything I just wrote was not in any particular order, but I wanted to throw it all out there. I'm sure I'm missing a few items.
I'm sure this new year will hold just as many adventures as 2009 had. Many more places to explore, honeymoons to take, vows to exchange, vacations to be had, maybe some house hunting or updating. I can't wait to see what this year will have in store for us!!
Today's temperature *70
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