Thankful For....

On this Sabbath Day I'm thankful for:

*My Grandma Rose's french bread recipe.  It never fails and is so delicious.
*Church
*Daylight Savings (that extra hour this morning was heavenly!)
*Beautiful Christmas music.  The Mormon Tabernacle Christmas concerts are so amazing.  I listened to Sissel's and Brian Stokes Mitchell's this morning and my spirit was nourished.  Beautiful.
*Choir.  We made SO much progress on our song for next week.  It was wonderful today.
*Our good bishop and other church leaders.
*The Book of Mormon.  I'm learning so much from it right now- I'm so thankful Heavenly Father has given this book in this day and time to His children.

*And that I finally remembered to draw a winner for the Favorite Things giveaway...it only took me a month!

I plugged the numbers into Random.org and it gave me the number 4 -- that means the winner is:
SEWSARA!!!!  Aw, fun Sara, my great friend from High School!  Love you, Sar!  Look for a package in the mail one of these weeks.  :)
And just for fun, I'm going to draw two more:
#3  - JILL!!  
and
#16 - COURTNEY!!!  
How fun is that?!  All three winners are great old high school buddies.  Awesome.

Jill and Sar, I know I have your addresses, but Courtney, I'm not sure if I have yours.  Will you send it to me?  Love you!

Favorite Things

Just like Oprah, except you don't get anything!

1.  Every Toy Story movie.








If I had to choose a favorite, it would be number 2, but honestly, I don't think there's ever been a better set of children's movies made.  In my Top 10 movies of all time, easily.  And yep, I cry.  Every time.

2.  L'Oreal Infallible Lipstick

This is the best lipstick ever.  It stays on for 8 hours (sometimes more) and has a really nice neutral shade.  The white side is just basically a shiny chapstick that you put on whenever you want the lipstick to look new again.  It is just a really great, hard-working lipstick.  Try it.  You'll love it.


3. Blistex brand chapstick (the green tube)

I probably have 15 tubes of this in various places throughout the house, car, purse, etc, including several backups in the medicine storage.  I love this stuff.  It has no flavor, which is super important to me, it doesn't get addictive, it goes on smoothly, and it's just plain fantastic.  There isn't another chapstick that even comes close.

4. Martha Stewart Everyday Food Magazine

No articles, no perfume inserts, and really great recipes.  I end up using even 10 or more recipes from each issue, which is more than I use out of a lot of cookbooks.  Love the pictures, love the recipes.  Most everything takes about 30 minutes or less prep time and while the ingredients aren't always the first things on your normal shopping list, they're readily available at your grocery store.  My culinary skills have improved so much by reading and using this magazine.  Awesome.

5. Weight Watchers Online
We've been tracking since January.  Stanton has lost 30 lbs. and I've lost around 8-10.  We've been SO happy with the results.  I love having a place to "budget" my calories and be aware of what I'm putting in my body every day.

6. E-Mealz.  This has been my go-to menu planner for the last 4 months.  It's easy to follow and has a "Portion Control Plan" that includes Weight Watchers points for each menu item.  For $5 a month, it's a bargain.  Love it.

7. E.L.F. Bronzer in Luminance

8. Maybelline Define-A-Lash Mascara in Very Black

I have long eyelashes.  I have tried pretty much every drugstore mascara on the planet (honestly, I have tried A LOT) and about that many department store brands.  I have two favorites -- Lancome Definicils and Maybelline Define-A-Lash.  They are almost identical in my book.  Well, except that one cost $45 and one costs $7.  Take your pick.  Define-A-Lash is seriously so great.  It doesn't clump, it gives beautiful definition, isn't heavy, and stays on without flaking for the whole day.  I'm in love.  *sigh

9. 21 Days Closer to Christ by Emily Freeman

This is a wonderful book to get back in the habit of scripture study.  I love the scripture prompts (most of which are in the New Testament) and find that often I don't even need to read the commentary she gives -- I've found my own with the few verses she suggests.  And the daily challenges are great, too.  Terrific book. 

10. Kraft Fat Free Thousand Island Dressing

One WW point for 2 Tbsp.  And it's delicious.

11. Freebies2Deals





This is my gold standard deal finding blog on the internet.  I've found some really great stuff following her blog.  She does do the weekly ad/coupon match-ups with the grocery stores, but I'm not couponing anymore, so I don't use the site for that.  I love the deals on the internet.  Some of my favorites are the Chili's free kids' meals, boots from Famous Footwear for 70% off, a really high quality Santuko knife for $7, etc, and the entire Star Wars collection on Blu-Ray for $79.  I don't buy every single one, but when they're up my alley, I'm sure glad I have someone looking for me!

12.  Speaking of Star Wars, that's definitely one of my favorite things lately.  The whole series, but wow is that episode 5 awesome.  Love it.

13.  Old Navy's Fall Collection.  I've mourned the end of the summer, but looking at these clothes has me just ever so slightly looking forward to the changing of the seasons....

And guess what?  You do get something.  I'll pick a winner from the comments to get a little package in the mail with a few of my favorites.  Who knows which ones?  Not me, but you might just get lucky.

17...#17!

I used random.org today to pick the giveaway winner -- I will say, it is MUCH faster than the old fashioned way!

After weeding out a couple of duplicate comments, #17 was Flip Flop Mama!
Flip Flop Mama said:
I think knitting is my relaxation although I rarely make anything for myself. It's still therapy though. Pick me, pick me!!

Flip, I haven't even made any of the loot yet, so be patient, okay?!

Congratulations!

I loved reading all of your comments. I love the different ideas you shared -- getting my hair done is totally theraputic, Kim -- I agree! And Lorraine, I LOVE the idea of going to chick flicks by myself! I need to remember that one. Angie, I've never had a pedicure, but it sounds like it would be a lot of fun -- maybe together one of these days???!!!!

As for me, I've thought about this a lot. I do a lot of things that I feel are just for me.
*I get ready every day...it really is just for me-- Stanton is one of those guys who couldn't really care less if I have make up on or my hair done...and we all know the kids don't care one bit.
*I blog. My blog is definitely not "just for me," but I do enjoy it, so I think it counts.
*I love to read other blogs -- my Google Reader is filled with craft blogs, mom blogs, decorating blogs, card blogs, friend blogs -- I really enjoy them all. I love being connected to other women through blogging...it's definitely one of my biggest "me" things.
*I love to watch my favorite TV shows. American Idol & The Office are two I never miss. Having time to just veg in front of the TV is very helpful to my sanity (lately I've been running while watching and while it's not as nice as just vegging, it does kill two birds with one stone).
*I love to do crafts. I hardly ever end up doing any for myself because I don't make the time for it unless I have some sort of deadline (giveaway, anyone??), but I totally love it -- creating things is very fulfilling.
*Lastly, I love to go on trips. Stanton and I travel twice a year (sometimes more) without our kids. I love it. I love the time alone with Stanton and I love the opportunity to relax and enjoy the time to read and sleep and eat without interruption! I do look forward to the time when our kids are old enough to go with us, too.

All of these things help me feel like there's still some Julie in there instead of all Mom all the time. It's taken me a bit of time to admit it, but I need that...and I'm super grateful to have a little freedom to do them.

There you have it...now go do something for you!

In the Mood

I'm in the mood for a giveaway.

Not sure what, but I'm definitely there.

How about an apron and a set of handmade cards? I think that'll do.

Here's how it'll go down:

You comment.

I put your comments in a hat.

I draw a winner.

If you're the winner, you shout with glee.

If you're not, you love me for wanting to give you something.

Here's the question I hope you'll answer in the comments:
What do you do that's just for you?

PS, I realize a giveaway without pictures of the loot is totally lame. Deal with it.

Oh, comment by .... um .... how does Friday sound? Does Friday work for you? Friday it is. Friday at midnight. I'll announce the winner on Monday.

Free Blog Design!

Do you remember back when my blog was a design ...well....dilemma? It was sky blue and all about Spring...even in Summer and Fall and Christmas and Winter? I did that design on my own back when I first started blogging and it served me well for a while. But then Janna...wonderful Janna came to my rescue and made a design that would work through all the seasons and really fit my personality. Can I just say it out loud? I LOVE my blog design. Love. It.

And guess what? Janna has set up a custom blog design website and to get ya'll excited about using her services she's (what else??!!) having a giveaway!!!!

One of the things you'll notice when you browse through her site is that she has a lot of variety. I like that each blog she has designed really fits the personality and style of the blogger. She's really fantastic.

Have fun browsing, shopping, and maybe even winning!

MIA and a Giveaway!!!!

I've been MIA from blogging for a while and sporadic at best for the weeks previous. For the next little bit, I'm going to just accept that this is the way life is going to go. I probably won't post much at Scripture Sisters, although I'd LOVE if some of you who participate there would be willing to guest host (wink wink, nudge nudge). Email if you'd like to at julierallen (at) me (dot) com. I've found it very difficult to find the time to post, study, and comment there. I think if we all took turns, though, we would be able to keep it going, which I'd really like!

As for here -- the posts will continue to be sporadic. But they'll be worth reading sometimes. Like this one...this post is TOTALLY worth reading! Why? Because my sister in law, Emily, is having a giveaway....right here on my blog! Isn't that fun?

You might remember Emily from this post. She's done pictures of my kids and she's coming up next weekend to take family pictures for me!!! Have I ever mentioned that I love family pictures? We've taken one every year since we've been married and I plan to continue that. I love seeing how our family has grown and changed from year to year.

I think Em's real strength in her photography is her creativity. She's so good at capturing little candid moments with either a child or an engaged couple. I also love that she is able to photograph the personality of her subject. I think that's a unique talent.

I'll let Em tell you all about the giveaway...Take it away, Emma!

Hey guys, Emily here. I’m excited for this giveaway, especially with the fall colors coming on! So, here are the details...
I’ll take pictures for one lucky person, at a location of your choosing. This includes my time, editing, and the digital copies. You get to do the prints on your own or I can do them for you off my pricelist.
I do not do studio photography, just in natural light (that means outside unless you have some killer windows in your home).

Your photo shoot will include one of the following:
1. Family pictures (up to 6 people)
2. Individuals
3. Bridals
4. Engagements
5. Anything else you want photographed (except clowns, I’ve never had a liking for them) such as your pet, home, favorite place, theme photos for home décor…
I have to limit the area to Cache, Davis, Weber, and some areas of Salt Lake. Sorry about that but fuel prices are out of control. If you live out of those areas, you could meet up with me in one of these counties.

Here’s what you need to do to enter. Tell to me about the following:
1. Describe your all time favorite personal or professional photograph? (post it on your site with a link for us to see if you like!)
2. When was the last time you had family pictures taken (I’m not talkin’ about the point and shoot against the backyard fence in your Sunday best)
3. What’s your style of photography? creative, traditional, vintage, BW, color…

If you post about this on your blog, you can earn an extra entry. If you put Emily Allen Photography on your sidebar, you can earn an extra entry. For every referral you send over here, you'll earn another entry.

After the giveaway is completed, anyone who entered can have 50% off the session fee.

Doesn't this sound fun?! If you don't live in the area, you could enter and give the shoot as a gift to a friend or family member who lives around here. Now, get entering and referring!

The giveaway will be closed at midnight on the 10th. Emily and I will choose a winner on Saturday morning, October 11th.

Take a Look at the Winner

So, Christianne, the giveaway winner, posted about her Quiet Bag -- I think her picture is so much better than the cruddy one I have on my sidebar! Go and look at little Ethan's bag -- I think it turned out really fun.

And the Winner Is........

You, of course!  Because now you can begin your journey into the world of Monty Python's Flying Circus.  I was pleased to see so many of you knew the reference of the giveaway title!  Good job!  I'm sure we'll all be good friends.  Take the time to watch this.  It's one of many many many hilarious Flying Circus Clips on You Tube.  Frankly, I wanted to show you the Ministry of Silly Walks, as it is probably my favorite MPFC sketch ever, but, alas, I could find none on You Tube that actually kept going until the end where they always said, "And now for something completely different..."  Don't these You Tubers know they're cramping my giveaway style?  

I've got a lot of craziness going on in my life right now -- from lots of different sources.  I've got a baby coming in less than a month.  I've got an almost 2 year old having open heart surgery in the next few months.  I've got a 3 year old and a 4 year old being dragged along for the ride.  I host a scripture study group here on blogger.  I'm obsessed with crafty projects lately.  And I've got one crafty idea that just won't leave me alone, in spite of all the other much more important stuff that's right here in front of me.  You all know what that is, right?  The quiet bags, of course!  I suppose that's why I chose the title for the giveaway that I did.  These bags are just something completely different from what's really important in my life -- these soon to be 4 little children who depend on me for their every need and their equally important father -- my marvelous husband, Stanton.  So, why can't I get them out of my head?  Why do I feel utterly compelled to share them with the world and start a little business from them?  I mean, do I really have time for this?  This has been the subject of my thoughts, dreams (and that's a weird one because I don't typically remember my dreams...), conversations, etc. over the last couple of weeks -- especially since I've seen the response from this giveaway.  Thanks for your thoughts and input, by the way...

So, now for the conclusions...I feel inspired to share these bags, whether it's with instructions for you to make them yourself or selling them to you and all your many friends.  I am going to attempt to do both.  Well, I think I've already done the first in the giveaway post, right?  But here's the deal with the second half of that little equation.  I'm not going to set up an Ebay or Etsy shop, as I feel like it will become overwhelming really quickly.  Really quickly.   But I do want to sell these little puppies!  When the idea first came, I thought somewhere in the $30-$40 range was reasonable and it looks like you're mostly in agreement with that.  I'm glad to hear that.  I think that would make it accessible to you and worth my time and effort.  If you are interested in purchasing a bag, please email me at stanton underscore julie at msn dot com or leave a comment here on this post.  I am going to sell them for $35.  You will need to pay shipping on top of that.   For the $35, you will get a personalized denim bag (boy, girl, or family), a decorative clipboard, a crayon roll with crayons, an I Spy bag, a snack cup, a sheet of stickers, a magnetic dress up doll kit, and a photo album.  I'm offering a "boy" style bag/contents, a "girl" style, and a "gender neutral" (perfect for an entire family) -- just let me know what you want in that regard.  I'll take personal checks as payment and they'll have to clear before I send out your bag (I've got to cover my tail somehow, right?!).  I'll be sure to let you know shipping costs before you pay me.  I am excited to do these for you and your friends --- feel free to spread the word!  Keep in mind that this would be a fun birthday, Christmas, etc. gift for a child you know!  Or, if we're keeping it real, a mom you know!

Okay, Okay!  I know what you're all here for!  I'll get on with it already!

I had so much fun visiting all your blogs and getting everyone's names ready for the drawing.  I have to admit -- I was astonished at the response I got here.  I mean, thatsallottanames, right?

I'd like to take a moment to introduce you to my favorite bowl.  I bought this nearly 6 years ago at a dollar store in Ohio, right before hosting my first Thanksgiving dinner.  It held rolls that day -- and still does regularly.  It's also my garbage bowl when I'm cooking.  It's been through the dishwasher more times than I can count.  And it's held up like no wood bowl I've ever seen.  And now it's my official blog giveaway entry holder!  Oh, and right at this very moment, it's serving as a giant coaster -- protecting my leather couch from a bowl of Wheat Chex and strawberries...  What a bowl, People, what a bowl.....

What were we talking about?  Oh!  That's right...So, I swished the names around nice and swishy-like....

Then reached on in and pulled out...
This name!  Aren't you dying to see if your name is typed on that little piece of paper?  Okay, go ahead and look -- is it you????

Oops -- sorry, I forgot to turn off the flash -- it is 11:33 pm, you know.  Let's try that again, shall we?

Can you see it, Chrissy?!  You win!  You win!  You win!  I have to admit, I'm a little shocked that someone I know got chosen!  How fun is that?  As fun as having someone I don't know chosen -- that's how fun!  See, I'm no player of favorites, People, I love you all!

Well, there you have it.  Christianne is our winner.  I'll look for your email so I can get started on your bag.  I genuinely wish every single one of you had gotten chosen...although that would have meant a lot of sewing for no compensation on my part.  I think I'll just be content with one winner.  And lots of new orders.  Remember to email me or leave a comment here.  I'll get started right away on your very own quiet bag -- and get you one step closer to sanity on a Sunday or a Wednesday or any day you pull it out.

If you haven't read through the comments on the giveaway post -- do it!  You'll find a lot of very  good ideas for keeping your little ones occupied.  Thanks everyone for sharing!  

And stay tuned for the next giveaway.  Visit Photography by Emily for a sneak peek!

Oh, and I'd love for you to keep visiting.  There's new stuff going on all the time around here -- from Wellness Wednesday to all the craftiness to thoughts on life's little moments.  You're a welcome guest -- please kick off your shoes and stay a while.  And order a bag or two while you're here...

And Now For Something Completely Different...

Well, last post was an emotional wreck post. That's good, but not what I always want this to be about. So, tonight I get to be really excited about a project that's been about a month in the making. It started out small and then the craftiness possessed my body! I sat for hours at the sewing machine, I spent too much time at Hobby Lobby, and my fingers were sore from all the cutting. BUT, then today at church it was all worth while! What on earth am I talking about?

The Sunday Bags are finished!!!!!!! And even better? They worked! Each kid was pleasantly occupied with activities from their own bag -- there was no arguing over who got the crayons, whose snack was being eaten by whom, or whose turn it was with the whatever and ever....
The girls were even so excited they carried their bags to and from church! They loved having a bag that had their own name on it and enjoyed the activities inside. Neither of them made it through the entire bag. And here's the clincher -- Brigham never even ate his snack! Wow. Success defined in my book!

What's that? You want to see pictures of this amazing invention? You want to know the details of my craftiness? You want one of your own? I can make all of that happen! Stick with me to the end of the post!

Personalized -- no worries about whose is whose. I simply appliqued their names (traced from a print out from Word in poornut font at 400 pt.) and embellished them with ribbons and buttons. I got the bags at Hobby Lobby for about $1.50 each! I am absolutely stunned at how successful these little buggers were! Amazing.
Contents of Chloe and Lily's bags: A decorated clipboard, -- perfect hard surface for coloring printed clip art from the internet (the kids all loved these today). A crayon roll (tutorial here), easy way to keep the crayons from disappearing in the benches. An "I Spy" bag (find the pattern here), and a small toy. A set of magnetic dress-up dolls (I downloaded and altered the dolls on this site, then printed them on magnetic paper -- they're stored in a metal tin so they have their own magnetic home). A small snack container and a sippy cup. Finally, a photo album filled with pictures of cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles, church pictures, and, of course, them!
Contents of Brigham's bag: Same as above, without the magnetic dress-up dolls. Also, his included a wooden cut-out of a truck and a miniature John Deere tractor. Ooh, and I almost forgot, everyone's bag had some sheets of stickers!

Now, I do realize the novelty of these bags is going to wear off one of these weeks. But isn't an hour and ten minutes of sanity worth a little effort? Believe me when I say that this was totally worth the time and effort. It wasn't totally expensive to pull off, either. I know I could have found a better deal on the magnet paper. Even considering the cost of that, I'd say these came in at under $15, bags included. I was so surprised I could come up with something so diverse and entertaining for that little.

So, if you'd like step by steps, or better details about a few of the projects, please email me -- stanton underscore julie at msn dot com.

And even better? How about I give one away! This will be my very first giveaway EVER and I'm really excited!

Here's are the details:

* Leave a comment here on this post.
* Tell me what you do to keep your kids entertained and quiet at church, oil change places, doctor's offices, etc.  If you don't have kids, tell me something you do to pass the time at these places.

* Tell me IF and HOW MUCH you would pay for something like this.
* An extra entry if you can tell me where the title of this post originated.

*Another extra entry if you post about this on your blog!

The giveaway will be open from now till Sunday, July 20th at 10:00 pm. I'll draw the winner Monday morning and announce it here.

If you win, you will receive:
* One customized quiet bag (your family's last name, a child, grandchild, niece or nephew's name, girl, boy, or gender neutral)
* A personalized clip board with coloring pages from the internet
* A crayon roll with 16 crayons inside
* An "I Spy" Bag
* A magnetic paper doll set (you get to cut out the figures) and metal tin
* A small toy (car, polly pocket, etc.)
* A small snack container and sippy cup (both new!)
* A photo album
* A $5 gift certificate to Snapfish.com or online photo shop of your choice (so you can fill up your photo album, of course)!

That's a lot of stuff, right? So, get commenting! Tell your friends to come enter. If you're a sibling, a relative, a lurker, a whatever, you're eligible -- but you've got to comment! Remember, I want to hear details -- would you purchase a bag like this?  How much would you pay for it?  What do you do to keep your kids busy at church, doctor's offices, etc?

Good luck and happy commenting!  And I think I may have gone a little overboard on exclamation points in this post!  I mean post.