Tastefully Simple Party

Hello all! Well ladies by now you should have received an invitation to my Tastefully Simple Party on October 3rd at 4 p.m.

You might be wondering what Tastefully Simple is, and how I heard of it, etc. I thought a blog post would be a good way to inform you all about the company, the products, and why I'm excited to share it with you!

I first heard about Tastefully Simple via one of my online FIRM Believer friends (Pattie Hughes)who is a consultant for them. I had browsed the Tastefully Simple website, but never got up the nerve to try the products. It was something I'd never seen before, unlike any of the other in-home product parties I'd ever been too. I've been to candle parties and cookware parties, but never one that sold food. A deal came up where I could get some free stuff if I spent a certain amount of money and I just had to try it out. I ordered several items, which included two different drink mixes (or as I like to call them buckets o' booze), a seasoning product called "Garlic Garlic" (those that know me well, know I couldn't pass that one up!!), salsa seasoning, a Berry Buckle Cake mix, and guacamole mix. I'll tell you what, not one of these items was a disappointment. Every single thing was so fabulous, I couldn't believe it! The drink mixes came in flavors I'd never even thought of, Mango Breeze and Blueberry-Pomegranate. The cake mix was fantabulous as well as the other items I purchased.

Now for the best part, everything is so easy to make! Most of the recipes only take one or two extra ingredients. For example, the Berry Buckle Cake was SOOOOO easy and fast! All I had to do was add some water to the mixture and then have a little bit of melted butter on hand. Then I just popped it in the oven and that was it! These days with Lynsie Jean to chase around, I'm ALL about easy cooking and baking!

The salsa mix, all you need are some canned tomatoes (or tomatoes fresh from your garden) and you just mix it up with the seasoning. So good!!!

Anyway, these are just a few of the items they have available and a ton more were just introduced in the Fall/Winter catalog. I can't WAIT to try the Gotta Lotta Garlic Salsa, the Ruby Orange Drink Mix, and of course the Cranberry Tangerine Cheesecake mix.

At my party I'm going to have a buffet of different things to try and really, it's going to be a laid back time to eat and drink and chat it up with the ladies. I hope you can all make it. If you can't but are still interested in ordering, you can do so online or I can get you a catalog and order form.

If you feel like browsing through the Fall / Winter 2009 catalog, here is a link to all the delicious goodies you can get. It's a great time to be thinking about the holidays... whether it be to give some delicious treats as a gift or to help make things a little bit easier on you in the kitchen this season. Enjoy!!

A Couple New Lynsie Pictures

Thought I'd share some pictures of Lynsie during the past week. Enjoy!!

Lynsie at Tashie's house last week looking oh so cute playing with a truck...


I'm in the bedroom on Thursday night changing out of my swimsuit and hear a "clip-clop, clip-clop" sound coming down the hall. Well in walks Lynsie Jean wearing her mama's shoes. She was pretty darn proud of herself. Excuse her post-swimming hairstyle. LOL!

It's official, Lynsie will be a Ladybug for Halloween this year. All complete with a Ladybug themed Birthday party too! Hooray!

Lynsie's super awesome new shoes. She is in MAJOR love with these! She calls them her "boots". HA!

Twilight Trip Photos - FIXED!

You should now be able to see the slide shows in the two posts before this one! Sorry about that!! Just in case, I'm putting them in this post too!!

More Twilight Trip 2009 Pictures

Katie just dropped off her pictures from our exciting trip. Some are repeats that you may recognize from the first slideshow, but there are a few new ones too. The first part of the slideshow are the new photos. Enjoy!!!!

Twilight Trip 2009

The weekend finally arrived for our much anticipated trip to Washington to visit the real life places featured in our favorite books, The Twilight Saga written by Stephenie Meyer.

Katie, Jennifer, & I headed out early Saturday morning. Our first stop was going to be in Port Angeles, WA which plays a small role in the first book Twilight. This is where Bella & Edward have their first date at Bella Italia. We arrived in the early afternoon and decided to walk around town and grab a light lunch before our dinner reservations at 5:45 p.m. We saw several different places that were featured in the book, including the book store Bella was looking for, the shop Bella and her friends tried dresses on in for prom, and there was even a Dazzled by Twilight store in town. We walked through but decided to wait until we got to Forks to buy any Twilight gear. When 5:45 p.m. finally rolled around we headed to the restaurant for our Twilight inspired dinner. Alright, so nobody ordered the Mushroom Ravioli like in the book, but I'll tell ya the food was FANTASTIC! I ate way too much but it was worth every calorie. Yummy!!!

After dinner we headed out of Port Angeles and on to Forks. On the way to Forks, we came upon a beautiful lake called Lake Crescent. We rounded a corner and the sun was shining just perfectly from behind one of the mountains that it looked like the air above the water was glowing. We had to stop and take some pictures! After our brief stop, we headed into Forks and to the Cullen House Bed & Breakfast (aka. the Miller Tree Inn Bed & Breakfast). Arriving at the Cullen House was so exciting, even Edward was waiting for us in the front window. Haha! The house is just beautiful and whether you are a Twilight Fan or not, this is a must see and must stay Bed & Breakfast. The owners, Bill & Susan were so hospitable and nice to us. Not to mention Edwards Italian Eggs for breakfast were to die for. At the end of our stay, we even got a Twilight themed goodie bag for us as another way to remember our trip. Click on the photo at the right to read the letter we got from the Cullen family.

Sunday morning following an early breakfast, we headed down the street to Dazzled by Twilight Tours. This is where we embarked on our Breaking Dawn Twilight Tour. The tour took us all over Forks, showing us where characters from the books lived and worked. Once we'd driven all around Forks, the bus headed toward the Quileute Indian Reservation which is where La Push and First Beach are located. These locations play a big role in the second book, New Moon. Also on the tour was the "Treaty Line" where the Cullens are forbidden to cross or hunt.

When we arrived at First Beach, it was absolutely beautiful. We were so lucky that the sun came out for our trip because that doesn't happen often. The area receives approximately 11 to 12 feet of rain every year. While at First Beach we spotted a bald eagle sitting on some rocks. The whole place was just amazing and again, a place to visit whether or not you are a Twilight fan. This was our last big stop on the tour, other then a couple quick stops at the treaty line and the "Welcome to Forks" sign. The bus headed back to Forks where we were able to do a little Twilight shopping in the Dazzled by Twilight store. I of course had to get a couple things... haha, which included a sweatshirt, t-shirt, a coffee mug, and a couple magnets.

Once our... probably mostly my... shopping spree was done, it was time to get our stuff and head home. All in all, it was a fabulous trip and I'd do it all over again. If you are a fan of the saga or just want to see a beautiful place you might not normally visit, this is the place to go. Enjoy the photos and trinkets in the slideshow below!

Trent Interview

Hey everyone! I found this on YouTube and thought you'd all enjoy it too. Go Trent!

Videos Fixed

FYI... fixed those videos! Everyone should be able to view them now!! Sorry!