The Grotto

Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme

noreply@blogger.com (buttercup) — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 19:41:00 +0000

TodaysMama and GameStop are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What is your holiday wish for your family?

I wish for them to always believe in the magic of Christmas and to have a deeper sense of love for eachother and those around them.

2. What is your Christmas morning tradition?

We always do a Christmas morning photo of the kids in their new PJs and then we take turns opening the gifts one at a time so every one can see and there is the opportunity to show gratitude for what we have received.

3. If you could ask Santa for one, completely decadent wish for yourself, what would it be?

An all-expense paid trip to France.

4. How do you make the holidays special without spending any money?

Well, I try to get the big gifts out of the way before Thanksgiving and then we can truly enjoy the season of family and baking. On Christmas eve we always read the Nativity story. It reminds us of the true meaning of the season.

5. What games did you play with your family growing up?

Swat the Fly was our favorite!

6. What holiday tradition have you carried on from your own childhood?

Family Photo on Christmas morning. Taking turns opening presents, and Volcano Potatoes!

7. Where would you go for a Christmas-away-from-home trip?

We don't do Christmases away from home. We set down a rule early on in our marriage, that we don't travel for Christmas so that we can enjoy the Holiday. It has been wonderful. However, we do have a goal that when our oldest graduates from high school to try to do Christmas in Paris.

8. Check out GameStop and tell us, what are the three top items on your GameStop Wish List this year?

Epic Mickey

Lego Rock Band

Lego Harry Potter

EVO 10

noreply@blogger.com (buttercup) — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 02:29:00 +0000

This past weekend I went to the Evolution of Women in Social Media conference. It was amazing. I saw some old friends, met some new friends and learned a lot along the way. It was very inspiring. So many tears were shed during the conference. we heard heartbreaking stories such as Maddie Spohr's story, and inspiring stories from the Make a Wish foundation. I learned a lot about how to make things I do for my job better. I always come away so inspired from these conferences. There are also so many amazing women in attendance. I wish I had the time to personally recognize them all, but I know I would forget someone. The ending keynote speakers were Brene Brown & Karen Walrond. I was so touched by what they had to share about being authentic. They shared some thoughts about parenting that I really enjoyed. One thought was:

As a parent it is important to help our children be ok with being imperfect. Our children shouldn’t see us questioning our own worth.

I really like that thought. I am reading the book The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin right now and her chapter on her children really goes hand in hand with this.

Another quote was:

Who we are as people is more important for our children than what we know about parenting

My favorite part of the weekend though, was getting to see my family again. The organizers of Evo threw an amazing Party at the Park City Mountain Resort. We had a delicious dinner and we rode on the Alpine Slide multiple times and the kids got to rock climb and Aaron & Nathan went down the zipline. It was an amazingly great time. I wish it could have lasted longer.

Where to Find the Sweet Life

noreply@blogger.com (buttercup) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:58:00 +0000

My friend, April, just lost her .com and wants to get the word out where to find her util she can get her domain name back. She has a great website with lots of fun ideas and products to try out. She is bursting with ideas. So please go visit her at http://www.sweetlifeinthevalley.blogspot.com/.

Giveaway: Birthday Bash at I Never Grew Up

noreply@blogger.com (buttercup) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:54:00 +0000

My friend, Vanessa, is having a birthday bash with lots of great giveaways like a Kitchenaid Stand Mixer, PRVCY jeans, children's books, Dough Girls cookie dough, Tankini Swimwear and a free embership to her MomsMakeMoneyBlogging.com course! You have to check it out and wish her a Happy Birthday!
Giveaways end Feb 27th at 7pm MST.

Pink Dandy Chatter: Set of 6 Monkey Greeting Cards Giveaway by MyDearDarling

noreply@blogger.com (buttercup) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 14:17:00 +0000

My daughter's nickname is Monkey so I know she would go crazy over these cute little Monkey cards. I can just imagine her writing Thank You notes for Christmas with her own personalized "signature monkey" cards! How cute are they? Go take a look at the giveaway at Pink Dandy Chatter!
Pink Dandy Chatter: Set of 6 Monkey Greeting Cards Giveaway by MyDearDarling
Giveaway Ends Thursday, January 7th at noon MST

5 Minutes for Mom Christmas Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (buttercup) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 21:06:00 +0000

I can't believe I wasn't noticing this one sooner! But it's not too late! 5 minutes for Mom has over 30 individual giveaways! But they end this Friday--Tomorrow! So go enter your favorites or all of them! Hurry!

OUR 2009 CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY PRIZES

$150 SHOPPING SPREE in our two stores, Pedal Cars and Retro Collectibles and A Rocking Horse to Love

Veggie Tales Entire DVD Library

Rock Candy Princess Electric Guitar Pack

Shred Sled

Hasbro Giveaway

Epson Workforce 600 all-in-one Printer

$75 Maukilo Gift Card

Snapfish Photo Cards

Sesame Street:Celebrating 40 years of Sunny Days DVD

Band Hero Super Bundle

Melissa & Doug Grocery Store/Lemonade Stand

Young Scientists Club Science Kit

Tickets to see Finian’s Rainbow on Broadway

Wiggles Prize Pack

Kids Trayblecloth and Activity Center

Moody Mamas Maternity Wardrobe

Doll House Building Blocks

5-in-1 Tasty Baker

RUVAcards Giveaway

Things Remembered Giveaway

Oreck Halo Vacuum

Child’s Sewing Kit and a Twelve Days of Christmas Ornament Set from The Land of Nod.

Minky Dinky baby blanket

$250 Gift Certificate to Mommy Tags

Pillow Pet

Dayspring Jesus Is The Gift Snowflake Home Collection

minui Handysitt portable high chair

Playskool/Hasbro Toys For Boys

Hasbro Toys for Girls

Playskool Explore ‘N Grow Toys for Baby

Lands’ End Cashmere Blend Throw

Spa Robe and Gift Certificate to EdibleGiftsPlus.com

Ben 10 Alien Creation Challenge

French Toast School Uniform Wardrobe

Personalized Jewelry from Isabelle Grace

Trunki Ride-on Suitcase

Gifts for baby

Cheeky and Swank Magnetic Bibs

Giveaway: Personalized Photo Keepsake

noreply@blogger.com (buttercup) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:54:00 +0000

My friend, "Gert," over at Chicken Scratches is having a great giveaway from her Etsy Shop! Perfect for this time of year! How cute is this ornament? And of course you get to personalize it with your own photos! I am thinking it would make a beautiful keepsake of your past year. A new baby? Wedding? Family Portrait? I love it. She is so talented! Go take a look at all of her fun stuff at her Etsy shop and then go enter her contest! She's asking that you spread the word about her contest and shop through your blog or facebook, etc. and that is how you get an entry (don't forget to tell her about it in the comments). The winner of this giveaway will be announced on November 20, 2009!

Review and Discount: Lovable Labels

noreply@blogger.com (buttercup) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 06:00:00 +0000

Today is Friday. Which at my children's elementary school means School Spirit Day. Everybody is supposed to wear red-preferably their red school t-shirts or sweatshirts. The class wearing the most red gets to keep the coveted school spirit trophy for the week. This is great-- my kids love dressing all in red. It is fun to go to the school and see the sea of red on the playground. But at this time of year, when the mornings are chilly and the afternoons are unbearably hot, my kids will take off their sweatshirts and they don't always make it back home. This is a problem when 10 other school sweatshirts ended up in the lost and found too. Last year we lost one forever because it was taken off at school and some kid probably thought it was theirs. Solution: Lovable Labels.
I was given the opportunity to review Lovable Labels for my family at the start of this school year. I am eager to see how they continue to hold up throughout the school year, but so far they have been great! I received the Back to School Mega Pack which includes:

*15 Sticker Labels *60 Slimline Labels *48 Press N’ Stick Clothing DOTS™ *16 Shoe Labels *2 Mini-Metal Tags * 5 Book/Binder Stickers.

I have the clothing dots on all of their school sweatshirts just in case they don't come home from school one day. We will quickly be able to identify them. The labels also hold up incredibly well in the wash so far. I half expected them to be a little beat up after going through the washer and dryer, but they still look good as new after several washes. I've used the slimline labels on their lunchboxes and thermoses. These labels have again held up like new even when going through the dishwasher or being handwashed. I am impressed with the durability. I haven't used the shoe stickers yet because I plan on putting them on the boots in the winter to see how they hold up, because in reality those are the only shoes my kids have ever left behind at school. But based on how well the others hold up, I have no doubt they will do a great job sticking to the boots.
Since I have 5 kids in grades 1-6, we end up with a lot of hand me downs and shared items. So I just put our last name on the stickers with a star because I figured it would be well reecived by both my girls and my boys. They all want the bag tags of which there were only 2 so I have had to choose which kids get those-although they can be easily moved from one pack to another so they can easily trade off--if they are in a sharing kind of mood. I received more than enough labels to cover the needs of my large family. I felt that was a great value. I have plenty for now and some to spare as we add items throughout the school year that will need labels. At their website they have lots of other fun products like stationery and household labels.

Right now Lovable Labels is offering my readers a special 10% discount on the purchase of the Back to School Mega Pack-which is only available til Sept 30th!

Hurry on over to www.lovablelabels.ca and choose the country which you reside in (there is no price difference per country). Click on the Back to School Mega Pack (which is on the home page) and during the purchasing process enter your reader discount code: buttercupsgrotto to get 10% off the normal price. This code will be valid for 2 weeks from today--until Sept 26th.

Withdrawal...

noreply@blogger.com (buttercup) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 21:16:00 +0000

I have to be honest with you, when I won Autonet, I was excited at first because I won it, but then I was like what is this thing? Really? I am I EVER going to use it? I even tried to trade it away, but found no takers on the trade. I brought it home and looked up its value and decided maybe I could sell it and at least get something for it, but the Autonet people were so nice and would call me and email me and offered to install it in my car and give me 6 months for free, so I thought, "what do I have to lose?" Nothing really. I got it installed in my car. All it cost me was about an hour of my time while they installed. I didn't use it for the first week. I really had no use for it. Wasn't sure how I was gong to use it. From time to time it came in handy with my laptop, but the truth of the matter is that I hated lugging my laptop around just in case I might need to look something up. Then we went on vacation. We used our Autonet connection and loved it. We were so grateful for it on our road trip vacation. and then my usage declined again because I'd have to lug my laptop around. And then I lost my job and my laptop with it. hmmm.... how can I use it now? Well, my husband got a free iPod Touch with his new laptop for work and well, it is MY iPod Touch now. And I use it all the time in the car to check my email facebook, update twitter, schedule my dvr, listen to music on Pandora, etc. And for the past couple of days it hasn't been working (I think I am at the end of my free trial period) and so I am feeling a little bit of withdrawal, because I liked being able to just "check in" from wherever I was. I am so ready to be signed up and a paying subscriber!

Is there such thing as an all day lipstick?

noreply@blogger.com (buttercup) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:04:00 +0000

Dear Christy,

I read your post today and watched your video about looking for a good all day lipstick-maybe I have found some for you!

Your Friend,
Robyn

Today, my friend Christy posted a video about lipstick. She is looking for an all day lipstick that actually stays on! So I thought I'd share with her my findings with Revlon ColorStay Overtime. Please forgive the shaky camera-I did this as a quick response and I'm trying out my new Flipcam!

Here are my lips after dinner so about 6 hours after I applied the lipstick. I haven't reapplied the gloss.

Giveaway: Sew Cute Shop Amy Butler Birdie Sling

noreply@blogger.com (buttercup) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:21:00 +0000

Whenever I see an Amy Butler Print I can't help but think of my dear friend, Amy (this one's for you!). And on top of it all this bag is absolutely precious! Head on over to Grosgrain's Sew Cute Shop Amy Butler Birdie Sling GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!! This giveaway is for Amy Butler Birdie Sling w/ 2 large pockets featured, sewed by Sew Cute Shop with an Amy Butler fabric of your choice. How fun is that?

Giveaway: Downeast Basics

noreply@blogger.com (buttercup) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:08:00 +0000

Supermom, Lauren is hosting a fabulous week of back to school giveaways! (See Link Button in my Side bar) Today she just posted a giveaway from DownEast Basics for the cutest little skirt and long sleeved lace tee. I popped over to the DownEast Basics Site and was so impressed with their affordable and cute clothes. Why haven't I shopped there before? Although it is simple, I really like this girls mini classic tee. It is exactly the kind of shirt I have been looking for to put on my 10-year-old Tomboy. Not too girly but it has a nice feminine cut. Perfect. Contest ends Sunday, Aug. 23 at 11:59 pm MST

Back To School Giveaway Event 2009

noreply@blogger.com (buttercup) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 03:55:00 +0000

My favorite Twin Bloggers over at 5minutesformom.com are at it again! This time with a week's worth of back to school giveaways. Every day check back through August 28th to see what amazing new giveaway they have going on! So far they have A Lands End Back Pack & Lunch Pack and $50 to Famous Footwear. Have fun! I can't wait to see what other fun giveaways these ladies have!

Fundraiser:Put this on Your Calendar

noreply@blogger.com (buttercup) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 03:09:00 +0000

A neighbor and friend of mine's father has cancer and has to go to Atlanta for his treatments. All his children are hosting a fundraiser to raise money for his treatment. Please come and help them out if you are in the area. Here is her invitation from her blog:

Host: Tipton Kids
Type: Causes - Fundraiser
Date: Saturday, August 22, 2009
Time: 9:00am - 9:00pm
Location: 531 E. 100 N.
City/Town: Springville, UT
Email: laurs_tpt@hotmail.com

Description
My siblings and I are holding a fundraiser to earn some money to go towards my Dad's cancer treatment. This is something my parents never thought would happen but it did. My Dad has served our community for over 20 years. He is a retired volunteer fireman and is currently working as a Police Sergant for Springville City. He has helped his children with so much and has served others for so many years that we feel that we need to do this for him. We don't want money to be the reason he doesn't receive the treatment he needs.
* J-Dawgs will be there! (11:00-1:30)
*Cold Stone will be there (Starting at 12:00)
*Jamba Juice will be there. (Starting at 11:00)
*There will be a bounce house for kids
*There will be a silent auction for a Little Giant Ladder.
*There will be tickets for the Jazz, Bee's, Flash, Real Salt Lake...etc.
*Raffle fora scuba Teds open water certificaton (valued at $199.00)
*There will be MANY different gift baskets and gift certificates from business around the community
*BYU football gift basket
*You can get your hair done by a professional.
*You can get a massage by a professional.
*There will be a lot of different things you can buy:
-Flowers and bows for your hair
-Purses-Baby blankets
-Car seat covers
-Roberts Crafts gift basket

(Everything is New)

SO MUCH MORE WILL BE THERE!!!

All proceeds will go to paying for our Dad's cancer treatment

***INVITE YOUR FRIENDS***

If you have any questions please e-mail laurs_tpt@hotmail.com

5 minutes for Mom Snazl Party

noreply@blogger.com (buttercup) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:56:00 +0000

5minutesformom.com is hosting a Snazl Stories Party and this week the subject is blogging tips. It starts right now! I'm just barely jumping in on it because it looks new and fun. Give it a try with me...

Giveaways Galore at Supermom Central!

noreply@blogger.com (buttercup) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 13:20:00 +0000

image via supermomcentral

Lauren of Supermom Central is hosting a fun week of giveaways. She's calling it "Stylin' for School" The list of prizes includes:

$75 gift cert. to Zutano
$50 gift cert. to Chittypulga
A complete outfit from Down East Basics
A T-shirt from Knuckleheads
Back-to-school products from Office Max
Week's worth of fun socks from Little MissMatched
Paknaks accessory pack

Go to Supermom Central all week long for her giveaways and if you put her button in your sidebar on your blog, you'll be entered to win a $25 gift card to TJ Maxx . I know that every little bit helps when getting your kids outfitted for school.

Contest: CookiesKids.com--$500 Gift Card

noreply@blogger.com (buttercup) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 07:00:00 +0000

I just came across a great giveaway through momfluence which is perfect for back to school!

CookiesKids.com is giving one reader a $500 gift card to buy clothes for back to school! But there's more! If you don't win the grand prize, there are still opportunities to win a $250 gift card (2 winners) or a $100 gift card (3 winners)!

The way to enter is to enter a picture of a family member wearing an item of clothing that Cookie's carries at the Cookie's Flickr Group! Then fill out a form where the rules of the contest are posted! Check it out! Enter by 11:59am ET, September 4, 2009.

Another Reason to Love Autonet...

noreply@blogger.com (buttercup) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 07:00:00 +0000

image via twitterfon.net

My husband just recently got an iPod Touch and I think I have finally found the reason to have Autonet in my car! Sure, it was great for my vacation--because it was awesome, but we only go on vacations once or twice a year. I have had a hard time bringing my laptop with me everywhere I go just because I might need to use my Autonet. But since he has had the iPod Touch (which will soon be mine, btw) We have used the Autonet almost everytime we are in the car together. We use it for directions or to look up websites or to update our twitter accounts! It has been extremely handy. At this point I am definitely considering renewing my service once it is up, because I have finally found the device to use with it that makes sense in my life right now. Oh and I have to just say how much I love that iPod Touch! I didn't realize how cool it was until he brought one home. I guess I thought it just worked like an iPod except it had a touch screen, but no! Like I mentioned before, you can access websites and your twitter account and download cool games and other amazing apps so long as you have a wi-fi connection. Which I do. In my car! Thanks to Autonet!

Summer Social Retreat.

noreply@blogger.com (buttercup) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 21:05:00 +0000

Last week I had the privilege of going to the Summer Social Retreat hosted by the wonderful April of Sweet Life in The Valley. She did a tremendous job of creating an event where we could all get together and meet with blogging friends--some old and some new and socialize in real life. The event was full of talented women whose blogs I love and many more women whom I had never met and was happy for the opportunity.

I drove up to Soldier Hollow with my friend, Gert from Chicken Scratches.

I hadn't had lunch yet because of my crazy day, just trying to get ready and up there and was so grateful to find some delicious snacks provided by Frito-lay and Quaker-just what I needed to take the edge off! We started off with Horseback Riding sponsored by Rocky Mountain Outfitters. My horse, Macaroni was much more interested in eating the flowers of the thistles than moving forward, but it was still a lovely time. We followed the cross country ski trails that were used for the 2002 winter Olympics. Cool. I also noticed there was a campsite next to the outfitters-so that could be a potential camping destination for the family...

photo by Gert

When we got back to the lodge we met up with all the other bloggers who had attended other activities like fly fishing and train rides. It was such a relaxing and comfortable atmosphere. April was definitely the Hostess with the Mostess for this event. Dinner was absolutely Delish! Western Community Bank stepped in at the last minute to fund the dinner when the caterer fell through and Shirley J's provided the sauce base for our pot roast--soooo yummy!

For dessert, I fell in love with The Chocolate's mini cupcakes--so cute and little and scrumptious!
To top off the evening April was like Oprah giving us all of her "Favorite Things" as swag to take home! . We got reusable grocery bags from Harmon's as our swag bags-and when you shop at Harmons and remember the bag you get a discount on your groceries. I already loved Harmon's and now I have one more excuse to shop there. Some of my favorite swag that I came home with were:

Yes to Carrots Lip Gloss and Lip Tints. I especially liked the lip tints. I like the smooth way they go on and how they add just the right hint of color to my lips.

Nuskin's Baobab Body Butter--has a light fruity scent and feels so good as a moisturizer. I have added it to my morning routine. (and I just love saying baobab!)

Tangerine scented Badger Balm. Mmmmm! I love how this stuff glides on my lips and makes them soft without feeling greasy. I've started to put it on my heels too to soften them up--I think time will tell if that is working...

doTerra Essential Oils. I go through phases of using essential oils and not using them. My mom and mother-in-law are both into natural medicines. In the starter kit we received there are lavender, lemon & peppermint oils--which can also be used in cooking! So far I have used the peppermint for my aching muscles-which it really helped to feel better! I was wanting someone to rub me down completely with the stuff! And we used the lavender to soothe a bug bite on my daughter. And I think it was the peppermint and lemon combined for my son's tummy ache--he didn't care for the smell, but he didn't keep complaining either. I am excited to try new ways to use these oils to help my family!

Shirley J's Cream Soup Base & Sauce Mix. Apparently you can use this powder as a base for just about anything. It is shelf stable for up to 20 years so it is great for food storage. I am looking forward to using it in a recipe soon. Shirley J's provided the beef sauce for the pot roast and it was so yummy! So I have high hopes for the cream sauce. I'll let you know how it goes...

Lastly I have to thank Jennifer Hoskisson of fotohok who took all the beautiful photos (since I forgot my camera) Otherwise I wouldn't have lovely photos to go with this post. Aren't her photos beautiful?

A humongous "Thank You" to April who hosted such a wonderful and fun event! I can't wait to do it again!

Thank You: Women For Hire!

noreply@blogger.com (buttercup) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 22:50:00 +0000

Photo via Twitpic

Women for Hire is celebrating their 10th anniversary this year! Congratulations! Their founder and CEO, Tory Johnson, also just released her new book this week "Fired to Hired" I need to pick up a copy of that...

To celebrate they are holding all sorts of promotions this week! I got this information from their website:

1) Free Access to Tory Johnson’s Early Morning Seminar: For a limited time only, purchase a copy of FIRED TO HIRED and send us your e-receipt starting today until Friday, Aug 7 to receive complimentary access to the fall 2009 Women For Hire Early Morning Seminar of your choice. (Dates and locations include Dallas—10/13; Chicago—10/15; Atlanta—10/21; Washington, DC—10/29; New York—11/4.)

That’s a $20 value—yours free for supporting the new book! Send your e-receipt to book@womenforhire.com and indicate the city of your choice.

2) Free Online Webinar: Everyone who purchases FIRED TO HIRED receives complimentary access to an all-new 90-minute webinar hosted by Tory Johnson, featuring advice and ideas from more than two dozen experts. Watch the program online as often as you wish on your timetable. Send your receipt to book@womenforhire.com for login details.

3) Freebies for Facebook Fans: Become a fan of Women For Hire on Facebook for your chance to win the full FIRED TO HIRED playlist from iTunes. In the book, Tory includes 30 top tunes to keep your spirits up when the job search gets you down. Every day between Aug 3 and Aug 9, one lucky winner will be selected to win the full playlist---and she’ll boogie her way to workplace success.

4) Follow on Twitter for Great Giveaways: Follow Tory on Twitter – it’s fast, free and fun – to win a Flipcam daily from Aug 3 to Aug 9. She’ll post a question of the day and a winner will be selected at random and announced the following morning. Enter once every 24 hours for your chance to win!

So guess what I won this morning!? I won Tory's special edition Flipcam. I have wanted one of those for soooo long. I might even have to start vlogging! I want to Thank Women For Hire and Tory Johnson for this gift. You can enter too for the rest of the week! Tory is an amazing woman and I have had the opportunity to work with her wonderful organization, helping women, in the past. I am glad to see that she has been so successful in her endeavors! Thank you again Tory! I will love my new Flipcam!

GIveaway: Thanksgiving Point!

noreply@blogger.com (buttercup) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 14:07:00 +0000

My family Loves Thanksgiving Point. We have gone there since the kids were little. We love everything about it. Farm Country. The Dinosaur Museum. The Gardens. The Ice Cream. The Deli. And On and on. My kids are always begging me to go there. This month they are doing 2 buck Tuesdays and you know we will be there along with all the other people! Right Now Vanessa of I Never Grew Up is giving away a Family pack of 4 to visit EVERY venue of Thanksgiving Point for free! The Children’s Discovery Center, the Farm Country AND the Museum of Ancient Life! Is that Amazing or What!? We have 7 in my family but if more than half the family is taken care of we are in good shape! My kids would think this was the greatest to win. So if you are in Utah, You should definitely check this giveaway out!

Giveaway: Downeast Basics

noreply@blogger.com (buttercup) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 13:23:00 +0000

Do you ever feel like your wardrobe needs a facelift? I know I do. I am always on the look out for new cute dresses and tops. And right now April from Sweet Life in the Valley is hosting a giveaway for Down East Basics. She is giving away an Empress Top and a Once Upon a Time Dress to one lucky reader. I love both of these so much and could definitely see them as an asset to my wardrobe. Go visit her site for deets. This giveaway ends midnight Thursday July 30th 2009.

Oatmeal Banana Picnic Cake

noreply@blogger.com (buttercup) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 01:15:00 +0000

For #gno tonight we are talking about summer dishes. Here's another use for bananas other than bread (special for @designmama) It comes from my dear college roommate Ximen:

1 cup oatmeal
1 1/4 c. boiling water
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/3 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 c. shortening
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1-2 over ripe bananas mashed

Mix ingredients together and cook in a 350 degree oven for 35 minutes.
While cooking prepare topping:

1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup coconut
1/2 cup nuts chopped
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

Mix together and sprinkle on top of cake broil for a couple of minute til golden. Enjoy!

Giveaway: Reliable Steamboy T1

noreply@blogger.com (buttercup) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:50:00 +0000

***expired***
I used to have a steam cleaner--I loved how it cleaned. It was a Shark brand--The only problem was it broke down and the company sent me a replacement which then broke down again once the year warranty was over. I would love to see if the Reliable cleaner is well, more reliable. 5 minutes for Special needs is hosting a giveaway for a steam mop go check it out! The contest ends July24th! Good Luck!

For Good...

noreply@blogger.com (buttercup) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:07:00 +0000

For the past 12 years I have worked for the most amazing company. I found them when I was newly married and my husband had been diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Immune Deficiency Syndrome. We were both working at the time but I felt an urgency to look for a second job. I didn't know why at the time but my husband ended up being so sick that summer that he was unable to work at all and my second income would become a huge blessing. Through my job search, I found Career Step. The owner was Andrea, a single mother with a beautiful 5-year-old daughter who was often in the office with us. Sometimes I wasn't sure whether I was supposed to play with the boss' daughter or "work." I quickly came to understand the vision she had for her business and that was to help women take care of their families by offering them the training to become medical transcriptionists like she was. Her skills as an MT allowed her to provide for her daughter and be there for the crossroads in her daughter's life. Not only was she committed to helping the students of her program lead a better life, she wanted that for her employees too. As her employee, I always felt valued and appreciated. When my first child was born, I was able to continue working from home. She encouraged me to put my family first and as I did I was able to have the time to accomplish all my work responsibilities as well. I felt so blessed and lucky to have such a rewarding job. I felt comfortable bringing my children any time I needed to go into the office--in fact it was expected that they would be by my side. Andrea created a team of loyal and hard-working employees. When the company would reach milestones she would throw huge appreciation parties. When we were small and there were a handful of employees, I remember our first appreciation bonus being a $50 gift card to a local upscale restaurant. As the company grew so did her parties-- The last party she threw for her employees involved flying them all out to Los Angeles, putting everyone up in a hotel, paying for admission to the Disneyland Resort and enough Disney Dollars to cover food expenses for the day. I believe there were close to 100 employees. Her generosity inspired us to work harder and be better and we believed in her and her vision.

Her daughter has just recently graduated from high school. Andrea is remarried and has 3 little ones at home and she has been ready to spend even more time with her family. She was looking to find the right people to carry on her vision. Thinking she had found them she sold the majority share of her company earlier this year and we all had high hopes of the company continuing to progress while upholding the Andrea's vision. However, it quickly became evident that these new owners and management were only concerned with one thing--the bottom line. Morale within the company was low as employees started to feel unappreciated. Every summer that I have worked for Career Step I have known that I could put my children's needs first and still get my work done, but not this summer. This summer I had the feeling that I was not allowed to put my family first and even though no one ever came out and said that, it was certainly the "vibe" that emmanated from our new management--who seemed to have their own families on the bottom of their list of priorities. I woke up every morning praying that I would do what I knew to be right. If I stayed true to the vision I could be at peace with myself no matter what the outcome.

Last week I was abrubtly "let go" from the company and the only reason I can think of is we had philosophical differences. I believed in what the company used to stand for but now they seem to be on a different trajectory. I was told that they no longer needed my position, but I was over social media and web 2.0 marketing, work that they will continue pursuing. I feel so sad, like everything Andrea worked so hard for over the years has been destroyed in a matter of months. I feel hesitant about sending people to her amazing product afraid that they will not receive the same quality students once received. My heart breaks because of the direction I see the company going and I feel that it does not fit the vision of helping students or employees. In my eyes, it is only money driven. I wish the company the best. I truly hope that it does succeed and that Andrea's vision will resurface. I hope that they will continue to offer the quality training they have in the past. But all I can do now is hope...

I have always felt that if you do good for others good will come back to you. When Andrea was at the head of the company, I felt like so much good was coming back to Career Step. I can't complain about my time at Career Step. I am so happy that I was a part of it. I can't even number how many times my association with this company has blessed me and my husband and our five children. I will always be grateful for the time I worked there, but now I am grateful to move on.