Totally Trish

Holidays 2010

2010-12-29T18:04:00.000-08:00

The holidays were bittersweet for us this year knowing that it was quite possibly the last time that we'd see Grandpa Evert. My grandparents and I are very close and his downward spiral as of late is heartbreaking. I always thought my grandparents would have eternal happy hours, endless contract rummy games and continue the laughter that always happened when we were there. I used to tout that they were the best ab workout I ever experienced!

Our Ohio triangle was a little mangled this year but we did find ourselves in the 3 cities we are used to visiting. First up, Medina, to visit my parents, sister and her kids. You'll definitely need to check out my Facebook videos to fully understand what a trip that was! Next stop was in to the big metropolis of Vickery, Ohio, just down Township Rd 280 off of Rt. 6 in NW Ohio. Third, to Warren where we spent our last 2 nights at my mother-in-law's house.

The kids were absolutely spoiled We left several presents in Warren simply because Smokey was running out of room to sit comfortably! This could quite possibly be the last Christmas Smokey has in her short life as well. Perhaps the kennel is better for all of us in the future. The play kitchen was a hit. Unfortunately for the rookie parents that we are, they wanted nothing more to do with all of the other 10 presents sitting under the tree after allowing them to play with the big toy first.

And now we rest. The sound of silence is beautiful and the kids are all tuckered out from their week of pure adrenaline.

"Tressel Beginning to Look alot-Like-Woody..."

2010-11-18T06:26:00.001-08:00

I am a huge Buckeye fan. HUGE. My secret celebrity (if you will) crush is Mr. JT (Jim Tressel) himself. Soft, smooth, calm and collected - qualities that I will never possess. While his conservative nature drives me batty on the field, I admire his composure and never-ending will to persevere.

Bring on PSU. What a game last week! On Sunday, we started to read about the game-altering locker room speech. Today, I've been privy to get an insider's look into what really went on to light a fire under the pads...

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Having spoken to a number of people who were present during the halftime speech of the PSU game, I have a really good feel for how things went down. JT used language that is NOT JT LIKE and he called some people out in front of the team....definitely NOT something he does. I am going to do my very best to outline what happened at halftime, but posting about it does not do it any justice....you'd really have to hear it from those that were there:

Once the team got into the locker, he politely asked all recruits to step outside for a few minutes. He asked a student assistant to get a cup of water. The assistant comes back 30 seconds later with Gatorade. JT flipped and screamed: "I've got a room full of football players that are not doing much right, dont tell me I have student assistants not doing things right...GET ME A GLASS OF WATER NOW." Student assistant comes back 10 seconds later with a cup of water and a face more red than a stop sign. More on that later.

JT asked the captains to walk to the center of the room and face a mirror (the locker room is full of mirrors). Once the captains were standing and facing a mirror, he asked them if the coaching staff did a good enough job preparing the team last week for the game. "Captains, if we failed as a coaching staff, I want to know right here, right now. C'mon...tell me. We have 20 minutes to get things fixed, but I need to know." Silence. "OK, silence is consent. So now I ask you this: look in the mirror and tell me what you see." Silence. "OK, maybe I did not make myself clear...that was a QUESTION that requires an ANSWER." Still silence....finally, Cam said, "coach, I see a guy that is not playing his best football." JT shot back, "Its November, Cam....its God d*** November! This isnt the God d*** spring game...ITS NOVEMBER and we are playing at home with the Big Ten Championship in our hands! Hey B-Rolle, what do you see?" Rolle: Coach, we are not doing a good enough job of leading this fooball team right now and I accept full responsibility, sir." JT: "B-Rolle, how many Big Ten Championships have you won and how many of those were handed to you?" I've won 3 and none of them were handed to me, sir." JT: "NONE....NOT A GOD D*** ONE OF THEM. Captains, please sit down with the rest of your teammates."

Next, JT went on about a 7-8 minute tirade...here are some of the highlights:

"This is NOT Ohio State football right now...this looks like a rag tag operation that's looking to skate by because of what they've done in season's past. 2008 and 2009 are not going to help you in 2010."

"ESPN is not here because of you, they are here because of HIM (Paterno)."

"That team is not on the same level as you, but they are good enough to take the game unless something is done about it."

"We spent all week with brave men & women that have served our country and made the ultimate sacrifice...they are here today as guests and we honor their service with a horse (bleep) performace like that?"

"We are not losing this game. Absolutely not. Every single time we lose to that team, t-shirts are made. Not here, not today."

"If you play for 30 minutes, we will coach for 30 minutes and we will not let up until the clock reads zero."

At the conlusion of his speech, he looks at the captains sitting in the front and says, "thanks, guys...now I have to go to church twice tomorrow."

After the game in the locker room, JT called the student assistant to the middle of the room in front of the team and apologized to her and presented her with the game ball.

Fall Fun

2010-11-03T19:16:00.001-07:00

How did it get to be November already? We've had a great start to Fall and hope that we can get the heck out of the condo before the dead of winter strikes. Our condo still sits on the market with great reviews, several solid showings and open houses. Alas, nothing is moving.

Our space continues to get bigger though as Dillon graduates through age appropriate toys and tools. The swing migrated upstairs since he still doesn't STTN and has trouble after his 3am awakening. The jumper is the next to go as we anticipate an early walker as he refuses to sit anymore, wanting to be standing or, at least, on his belly crawling around in circles.

Dillon seems to be tracking after his waterbug cousin Diana - constantly moving. Part of the 3am waking up issue. One would think that would make his weight slow down a smidge. Alas, he's weighing in at about 20ish lbs these days. His 6mo appointment is tomorrow afternoon. Since August, we've decided to wean him since my supply tanked and the effort to pump what I was able wasn't worth the stress of making time to do it during working hours and my busy Tastefully Simple schedule at night.

Dillon's little personality is really starting to blossom. He's pretty low keyed but does have a fiery temper. From zero to 5.2 when he doesn't like something, is super tired or hungry. He has the BEST little gummy smile and cheeks that I can stop sucking on. His little laugh is infectious. He's super ticklish on his upper thighs, his chest and anywhere on his back. He always wants your undivided attention and will let you know when he's not getting it :).

Dillon's my snugglebunny. I finally installed the second bedrail on our bed since cosleeping is back in action. Sleep training doesn't bode well with the both of them in the same room. Eh, he won't go to college wanting to sleep with mommy so it's fine with me. Unfortunately, he's a pacifier kid now. I hate it when kids use pacifiers but until I find the need that's not being met, it keeps him soothed for a very very short period of time before he either shoves it in his mouth sideways or tosses it across the room.

Delaney is an absolute blast. I'll admit, I'm not a fan of the infant stage. Toddlers, however, are terrific. Despite a few temper tantrums here and there, she is still the best little girl. Her vocabulary is incredible and her understanding of concepts for her age are exceeding my expectations. It's difficult to say if she really gets it or mimics what we've done or said in the past. She's finally started to slow in her growth pattern and is starting to lose a little baby fat - BOO! We're on to the next set of Baby Signing Times DVDs where she's learning more about Zoo animals, her ABCs (she can make it to H), numbers, and colors. I'm convinced that signing has not only created a special bond between us (a learning activity that we incorporate into everything we do) but it's helped her vocabulary tremendously. We also use ZERO baby talk. Even our inflection is in an adult tone of voice with shortened phrases so that she can put them together. That coupled with signing was a good choice for this family so far!

Bath time with the both of them is too much. Delaney is floating around on her belly (swimming) past Dillon as he's creating quite the pool of water outside the tub splashing around. Love my waterbabies! I'd really like to start swimming with them both if I could ever convince daddy to get in as well.

Halloween was a blast, albeit, colder than we would have liked. The kids wore their costumes 3 different times so I'm happy with the investment to wear ratio. I might not even make Delaney wear it for her 2nd birthday party :).

Enjoy the last few updates in pictures.

Acts of Appreciation

2010-08-16T05:18:00.000-07:00

I committed to creating one giant post with a list of reasons why I love working for Alliance Dat,a but this morning's event took center stage and warranted a post all of its own.

As most know, I'm a mother of 2 under 2 with my youngest being 4mos (today!). I work full time while my husband stays home. I work a second job as a Team Leader for Tastefully Simple to make a little side cash to go towards a new house since we've completely outgrown our condo. After being up all night with Dillon's gassy belly and nonstop nursing, I needed this. I was looking forward to what I could blog about this morning and couldn't wait to tell everyone about me leaving the house with Splenda in my coffee - that I had no worries because I could pick up a packet in the breakroom. Just another thoughtful way that my employer goes the extra mile to create a better work day for employees. However, that story was peanuts to what I walked into through the doors today:

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~FREE BREAKFAST*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Associate Engagement is a BIG deal here. B-I-G. We conduct a survey every year to gauge what we do well for employees and identify opportunities to where we can exceed expectations in many different facets. Today marks the day that the survey goes out. We've had emails, balloons, a town hall meeting, and various activities going on leading up to today. I was excited about the upcoming survey when I left work on Friday and forgot about it over the weekend. Imagine my delight walking in after a draining weekend, crazy overnight with my son and a hectic morning trying to get out of the door, eyes half open.

Forgive me, gentlemen. I've met you before and have forgotten your names. Hopefully someone on Facebook can tag you all there. I know Mr. Dave Kratoville (VP, Business Development) is in the background helping himself to some terrific Starbucks coffee.

THANK YOU ALLIANCE DATA! **Like**

Why I Love My Employer

2010-08-13T05:45:00.000-07:00

As Americans, we spend the vast majority of our time at work. While not physically at work, we're thinking about work in some fashion. From making sure we have clothes (clean) for work the next day to making and packing lunch the very evening we return from work. Too few employers understand that it's the little things about being at work that can really make their employees feel appreciated and recognize that the time we spend here more times than not, exceeds that of which we get to spend with our families - the core of our well being.

I've been employed with Alliance Data for 2 months now. It's no wonder why they have been considered one of the best employers to work for as ranked by Columbus' own Business First. To celebrate why, I'll periodically use Facebook as a way to capture the reasons why my network of *friends* should consider joining those of us who feel blessed to have an opportunity here. The numbers will not represent rank order, but merely a list of all the great things I appreciate and enjoy.

The ice cubes in our water dispensing machines. And the plain fact that there are actually water dispensing machines, period. 2 on every floor. Notice the cup and straw. Yep, those are widely available as well.

Random, surprise FREE BREAKFAST!

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Disclosure: I am an interactive marketer. I deliberately include keywords in my blog posts that will be picked up on various social media monitors. To this end, I deliberately include keywords on ALL topics for SEO purposes as well.

::waves: "Hi Corporate folks in Dallas"

Blogging

2010-08-13T05:30:00.000-07:00

I think about the lack of consistency in blogging. I don't have much time to write effectively and get frustrated by the amount of topics that I want to cover but don't have the technology to help support that need to stay connected this way (eh hem, Blogger, iPhone App and a mobile site?!?). This is a great way for me to practice and become more skilled as a written communicator and I really need to get back into it. While posts going forward may not be lengthy, they will be informational, comical and hopefully thought provoking at times.

Off we go.

Huge Price Reduction: Worthington Home for Sale: $84,900

2010-08-09T09:42:00.001-07:00

Our goal is to sell before Dillon can crawl! We've reduced our price another $5,000.

http://908charnwoodlane.CheckOutMore.com

So many milestones at the Jackson Hole!

2010-07-08T03:16:00.000-07:00

Dillon can roll! He'll be 12 weeks tomorrow. Craig has been working with him on tummy time nearly every time he's awake on the floor. We thought Delaney was a laid back little girl but this champ doesn't let anything bother him and doesn't seem to mind anything we put forth for him to accomplish. He's also starting to belly laugh when we tickle his upper thighs or clap his hands together rapidly. What a hoot!

Dillon's little gummy smile just melts my heart. Just when I thought it was going to be challenging loving another child as much as I already had, I was totally wrong. I can't enough of him! My time at home is spent gnawing on those little cheeks, letting him hold me fingers and trying to snuggle at every chance I get. He's growing a little more independent now so my days of napping with him on my chest are far and few between - just too much too see and do!

Nursing Dillon seems to be a little easier than Delaney. At this point with D1, I was looking ahead, wondering if I could keep going when I went back to work. So far, it's going well. Craig mentioned how much he wants me to continue nursing him for as long as I can - that support means the world to me, that I CAN keep going. I'm not so anxious, not worried about missing a feeding here and there (pumping for that session instead if we're out and about), and being okay if we have to supplement now and again in the future, if we need to.

I'm continuously amazed at how time has passed so much quicker with Dillon in our lives now. As the months went by slowly with Delaney, Dillon's are soaring. I'm trying to slow them down so that I can enjoy his milestones as much as I did Delaney's. He's growing like crazy! 14.5lbs when I put him on the scale with me yesterday. Geesh! That takes him to about the 80th percentile. My friends are teasing me now - that I didn't feed him before and now he's eating everything in sight :).

Delaney is nearing 18 months now and has exploded with new milestones. Her verbal expressions are just awesome. She comes out with 4-5 new words every day, clear as crystal! When she said "again" and "grandma (with the appropriate signs), I cried. Her pronunciation is just adorable. Words she's said for a long time are now crisp and words she's repeating are a little scary :).

We suspect that she may be sleepwalking/talking/waking. She wakes up screaming and inconsolable but calms (with our help) and then acts very strangely. Her movements are more fluid and deliberate than usual, her speech is slowed and her reactions aren't very sharp during this time. It's hard to explain outside of the fact that you think she's awake but then realize that she's in an odd out-of-body-like state in the way she acts. From what I can read about it online, seems like a normal thing some kids go through. She did have bouts of night terrors too so this is a pretty common follow-up.

Delaney had her first hair cut a few weeks back - it was fabulous! She was pretty excited to ride in the plane. She was really interested in what the stylist was doing and didn't even hint crying. We didn't realize how badly she needed it - even the stylist commented on how much hair she had for her age. It'll start to grow out better, allowing it to be one length, rather than have bangs.

Enjoy!

Delaney Update: 17 months

2010-06-30T17:53:00.001-07:00

Delaney is quite the little character. She's blossoming so quickly and it's sad that our little girl will soon NOT be our little girl so we're trying to enjoy (despite the worst of temper tantrums) every minute of her charm.

Delaney's stats continue to be in the 90th percentile. She goes for her 18 month check-up at the end of July so we'll have an official number for both height and weight then.

So what's new on her trick list? Hmmmm - talking, for sure. She's such a happy little girl. After sprouting 6 teeth pretty much all at the same time (sending her immune system plummeting and handing her a cold at the end), she's smiles and giggles now. She's babbling non-stop and says "happy happy happy happy" like crazy in the car so we're hoping that means she's in a good mood :). She's started to put 2 words together. Most recently: good girl. I guess we're rubbing off on her. Speaking of which, she's also picked up on "crap". OOPS.

Dillon is pretty much her play toy. He LOVES to watch her when she's trying to dress him, put hats and him and gives him his pacifier. So far, she hasn't tried to nurse him as she now does with her babies but I'm just waiting for that day to come. Delaney has mastered the steps, up and down. We still fret a bit with her on the open staircase but for the most part, she's scaling them well.

Little girl is still a vegetarian. Every now and again, daddy will get her to eat a piece of pulled pork (smothered in BBQ sauce) or the like. Still won't touch anything else other than turkey dogs and once, a beef hotdog. What kid won't eat chicken fingers (except for the one time she did for my sister)?

Since I've been on maternity leave, we've frequented the library's storytime series. She LOVES it - it's like Delaney overload there with all of her favorite things: music, books, dancing and bubbles. Who knew that 30 minutes would stimulate her so much? Naps have been in the 3.5-4hr range and she STILL sleeps 12 hours a night for us! Next to master is getting them both on a similar schedule to give daddy a break.

A comical part of our little boo is the way she continues to sleep. She's been a mover and shaker since birth - constantly ending upside down, butt in the air, stuck under blankets and pillows, etc. When she was an infant, we had to basically tie her down with a big-holed crocheted blanket (after she started to Houdini her way out of the swaddle) just to keep her from getting stuck in the slats or ramming her head and waking herself up. Over the months, I've managed to sneak a few pics. Enjoy!

Dillon Update - 10 weeks

2010-06-28T08:25:00.000-07:00

::Sigh:: Second child syndrome has begun and I'm at fault. The poor little guy continues to get ripped off of blogging face time while mom juggles all things family, work, and fun.

Dillon continues to flourish. Smiles, slight giggles and the newly mastered thumb in his mouth are his newest tricks. He continues to sleep for a 6-7 hour stint from 7:30 - 2:00ish and then is up every 3 hours. Not too darn bad for a breastfed baby! He's so very laid back and just wants someone to talk with him. He's starting to notice that he has a big sister (the culprit of much noise these days) and absolutely adores staring at Bandit's contrasting black and white fur.

Nothing slows our kids down like music. Dillon is falling into Delaney's footsteps and loves a good beat. Makes for a great car ride (before Delaney gets antsy).

I've accumulated week by week pictures and will continue to add them as they roll by.

Public Breastfeeding - 411 for the Army...

2010-06-27T03:52:00.000-07:00

I haven't had much time to blog lately but this Facebook post (that I read in the middle of the night while co-sleeping and nurse (laying down - GASP) my 10 week old son) has had me going for 2 days now.

Dean (and especially, Kat), pass this info along to the Army and please have them create non-ignorant soldiers on the subject. Kat, perhaps you'll be one of those non-Megan Foxx type mom's who choose to breastfeed in public in your BDU's. Of course, according to Marcus, that may be okay considering that you're in great shape AND in the service so we'll overlook this so-called public faux pas.

Alas, I get worked up over a post from a man (or so I thought after all of these years) who hasn't changed a BIT since high school OR the Ohio State Buckeye days...

Marcus Anthony Perez Back in Germany and trying to figure out why the women here insist on breast feeding in public.

Yesterday at 6:36am · Comment ·

Trisha Evert Jackson

Because their children are hungry and can't control when or where that will happen. If you are willing and able to have kids of your own, you'll see it differently then. My husband has done a 180 on the matter.

Where do you suggest they go?

Yesterday at 6:54am · ·

Michael Conner

I personally prefer to breastfeed on the couch while watching the game. I can't say that I've ever enjoyed breastfeeding in public. The stares are just way too annoying.

How you been, bro?

Yesterday at 8:52am ·

Nathan Leonard

i wish i was a kid again

Yesterday at 1:47pm ·

Melissa Pokimica

Men r so wierd !! If she had her boobs hanging out in public minus the baby it wouldn't be gross to u guys!!!!!! But a baby eating is what makes the situation gross?? How bout all those hoochies that show their ass n boobs for the hell of it?!! Ugh MArcus I think u might be in trouble next time ur in Illinois !!!!!!!

Yesterday at 4:32pm ·

Marcus Anthony Perez

First off ladies some guy already invited the breast pump for those types of situations. Secondly I... See More’m not against breast feeding at all. To be honest I’m a proud member, but come on in public, really? Why would you do such a thing? Oh and let us not forget it’s not like Megan Fox is the one breast feeding. Think of your next door neighbor who never understood why they created metal wire bras and obviously didn’t use them either. I’m just saying breast feeding in public isn’t for everyone and should be consider a national sport due to the level of attention. Respect for self must be paid to such a sport. You wouldn’t put mahammad ali back in the ring? That’s all I’m saying.lol

3 hours ago ·

Melissa Pokimica

Marcus ughhhh I think u need to go a couple rounds in a ring with mothers who need to get breast milk to thier babies asap !!!! See ur basically saying it's ok for megan foxx to breast feed in public cus she's hot?!!!???!well the only reason I will let u slide on this is cus ur fam. N we do luv n miss u!!! So u r forgivin for being meathead!!!

2 hours ago ·

Trisha Evert Jackson

Can't wait to c/p this string. Marcus, do you know what a breast pump is and how it is used and why? Sure, we can bring a bottle, but then we get engorged, potentially end up with mastitis (google it), risk our supply dropping (which means no more ample milk for future feedings), and the list goes on. Megan Foxx, really? So women real women who ... See Morespent 10 months dedicating their bodies to growing a human being, can't provide for their children and use their breasts for what they are intended (ie: not sex) because they don't look like supermodels? You have no idea what their situation was. Perhaps I'll send my 2 kids under 2 to Germany with you for a day while they are ravenous and see how quickly you want to just pull out a boob no matter where you are. This from a mom who has confidently nursed in just about every public place possible to keep sane feed her kids.

8 minutes ago · ·

Bribing with Beer Bread

2010-06-11T08:20:00.001-07:00

For anyone in the Central Ohio area who incorporates the following widget on their blog and keeps it up until we sell, I'd love to give you a package of Tastefully Simple Beer Bread! Simply comment here, email me or PM me on Facebook with a link to your blog so that I can keep track.

!!Simply remove the *s in the code below before including it on your blog!!

<*iframe src="http://www.epropertysites.com/fprop.htm?id=1248863717&p=1276082181&s=s&l=v&kc=FFFFFF&bc=CCCCCC&fc=4F493B&t=Featured^Property" width="155" height="225" frameborder=0 marginwidth=0 marginheight=0 scrolling=no vspace=0 hspace=0>

Thanks so much for your help!

908 Charnwood Lane is on the market!

2010-06-11T06:56:00.000-07:00

We've finally listed the house - hooray! Now we sit and wait. I'm constantly staring at my phone, waiting for that first call.

Website: http://908charnwoodlane.CheckOutMore.com

Virtual Tour: http://908charnwoodlane.ePropTours.com

Craigslist: http://www.postlets.com/res/3949482

Why Are People Boycotting Arizona?

2010-05-27T08:38:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone out there! We, in Arizona, know you're boycotting us -- but you really should come out here and see our Beautiful Sonoran Desert. It's just gorgeous right now! We know you'd loveit and maybe you can share what you saw with the rest of the country so they can love it too!

This is on an 'illegal super - highway' from Mexico to the USA (Tucson) used by human smugglers. This area is located in a wash, approximately 1.5 miles long, just south of Tucson, Arizona. If a flood came, all this would be washed to the river and then onto the sea!

It is estimated over 5,000 discarded backpacks are in this wash. Countless water containers, food wrappers, clothing, feces, including thousands of soiled baby diapers. And as you can see in this picture, fresh footprints leading right into it.

As we kept walking down the wash, we thought for sure it was going to end, but around every corner was more and more trash!

And of course the trail leading out of the wash in our city, heads directly NORTH to Tucson, then leads to your town tomorrow.

They've already come through here. Isn't Arizona just beautiful, America? Why would you boycott us??? Our desert has basically been turned into a landfill.

The trash left behind by people illegally crossing our border is another Environmental Disaster to hit the USA. If these actions had been done in one of our Northwest Forests or Seashore National Parks areas, there would be an uprising of the American people.....but this is the Arizona-Mexican border. You won't see these pictures on CNN, ABC, NBC or the Arizona Republic Repugnant newspaper. Nor will they mention the disease that comes from the uncovered human waste left in our desert. However, with respect to CNN, ABC & NBC, they do offer us "Special Reports" on cheating celebrity spouses....

This information needs to be seen by the rest of the country

Tastefully Simple June Host Incentives!

2010-05-25T18:59:00.000-07:00

June Hosts CELEBRATE our 15th Birthday! A few dates still available to party - contact me today!

Host a $500 party in June ~ Get our Backyard Basics FREE.
You will be inspired to fire up your grill for the most delicious backyard barbecue in the neighborhood!
• Everyday Grillin' Seasoning
• Garlic Pepper Seasoning
• Smoky Bacon Grill Sauce
• Creamy Southwest Chipotle Pasta Salad Mix
• Caddy
(in addition to your regular Host Rewards!)

Host a $900 party in June ~ Get our Servin' Up Sunshine FREE.
With these drinks, dips and delightful sweets, no one can resist this patio party!
• Sweet Strawberry Cheese Ball Mix
• Twisty Grahams
• Bacon Ranch Dip Mix
• Lovin' Lemon Slush Drink Mix
• Backyard BBQ Dip Mix
• Simply Salsa Mix
• Blue Aztec Chips (2)
• Juicy Watermelon Margarita Mix
• Serving Tray
(in addition to your regular Host Rewards!)

Get BOTH with a $1500 party in June!

Every Taste-Testing host gets a chance to win $115 in free products! Winning hosts will be called during party!

$115 in Tastefully Simple Products Includes:
• Party Pals gift
• Lovin' Lemon Slush Drink Mix
• Cake Batter Chiller Drink Mix
• Roasted Garlic Infused Oil
• Garlic Pepper Seasoning
• Simple Salad Dressing Mix
• Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler Mix
• Sweet Strawberry Cheese Ball Mix
• Smoky Bacon Grill Sauce
• Sun-Dried Tomato Veggie Dip Mix
• Bold & Bossy Honey Mustard Sauce
• Creamy Southwest Chipotle Pasta Salad Mix
• Bacon Ranch Dip Mix

Our goal is 15 guests in attendance! 15 shipped orders get an extra $15 FREE!

Dillon's Newborn Pictures!

2010-05-24T05:07:00.000-07:00

Thanks to a great budding photographer, Britt Lakin, we have darling newborn photos of Dillon! We attempted to take these at a park in Powell but the wind and elements weren't cooperating so we have a few from that shoot and some done at Britt's home. For a larger view of any of these pictures, simply click on the slideshow.

Dillon - 5 weeks Weight Check

2010-05-21T19:43:00.000-07:00

Craig and I talk a lot about the differences in size of the 2 kids since Delaney seemed so much bigger than Dillon at this age. However, yesterday, Dillon weighed in at 10lbs (in a disposable which will be slightly lower in comparison to his officially weight checks and to Delaney's as we have them in cloth at the Dr.). Looking back at my 2 month stat update for Delaney, (she was 6 weeks at that point), she was just weighing in at 10 lbs, 1 week later.

So for now, daddy can rest a little easier that Dillon won't be beaten up by the bigger kids in kindergarten :).

Welcome Dillon James!

2010-05-20T09:17:00.000-07:00

This blog post is long overdue. My apologies to our second child, first son, Dillon James Jackson. The poor lad is getting shafted already!

Dillon was born on 4/16/10 at 11:10am. He was 8lbs and 20.5 inches long. While Delaney was 4oz more in weight and 1 inch shorter, she looked massive in comparison! He has quite the lean little chicken legs with no backside to show-off.

Life has been quite hectic. Between the 2 under 2 adjustment, figuring out his schedule and just trying to keep up with day to day responsibilities, I'm exhausted. I need a serious raise to afford a housekeeper!!

Dillon has been a very good baby thus far. Eats every 3 hours or so and sleeps in 4-5 hour stretches! He's quite the spitter-upper as was Delaney but thankfully, no colic nor reflux. YAY! We have been battling cradle cap but hopefully that goes away soon. He seems pretty laid back and low-keyed. Of course, he's still so little that it's hard to tell at this point. He is my little snuggler though whichDelaney was most definitely NOT! We take many many naps together :).

My recovery has been a lot tougher than anticipated chasing Delaney around. Just an extra week to heal but I am now cleared to get back to my normal activities.

Maternity Clothes For Sale!

2010-05-20T09:08:00.000-07:00

We are officially done having children so I am on a mad dash to get rid of all of my maternity clothes. Check out the Craigslist postings! $5 each (OBO) + shipping (or local pick-up).

PANTS | SHIRTS

Blog Hiatus

2010-05-06T04:16:00.000-07:00

Hi all!

Sorry for the hiatus. I've actually been doing what a new mom is supposed to be doing - sleeping when the babies sleep! I am mentally writing down everything I want to blog about as soon as I catch up on the zzz's and starting to download/organize pictures on Flickr.

Dillon and Delaney are doing great! Both adjusting pretty well to each other.

TTFN!

Graduation Menus Made Easy!

2010-04-14T18:56:00.000-07:00

Graduation parties made simple! Serve your guests gourmet foods and a fraction of the cost and saving you hours of labor in the kitchen. Contact me for more information!

Do you have a special event, bridal shower or baby shower to throw? Additional menu ideas available - contact me!

National Infertility Awareness Week

2010-04-14T13:58:00.000-07:00

(((HUGS))) to all of the women out there who struggle with infertility. My heart aches for you and I pray that you'll be able to soon enjoy the blessings children bring to our lives, regardless of how they enter this world.

*~* 1/8 women experience the challenges of infertility in her lifetime *~*

...just heartbreaking...

Last Call: Pregnancy Belly Shot

2010-04-13T18:35:00.000-07:00

Woo Hoo! 39 weeks, baby. This Friday, we will have our little snuggle man in our arms. As I sit here writing this, he is rockin' and rolling in my belly! It's crazy weird. Delaney never moved this much. Funny enough, he's still camera shy and quiets down at the hint of light or being cold so it's only on a rare occurrence, when I trick him, will I catch the belly shot in motion.

Stay tuned next week when I begin my postpartum belly shot transformation. So many women are ashamed by their bellies post baby, however, I think we need to be proud! We just grew a human from 2 microscopic cells!

Enjoy!

WOOT WOOT! Tastefully Simple Promotion

2010-04-13T12:54:00.000-07:00

That's right - My SECOND promotion in just 1.5mos. How very exciting! Again, Tastefully Simple has been the best job I've ever thus far. I work when I want to and play when I don't. I have endless possibilities of how successful (or not) I can be and LOVE that control. No one pointing fingers, no one else to blame for failures - just me!

So I am now a Team Leader. I have 3 teammates. NOTE: They are NOT employees. They are a part of my Tastefully Simple family. When they're down, I'm down. When they succeed, I succeed. We celebrate wins and losses together. I digress but it's an important distinction and one that I'm very sensitive about. What does this mean? If you're into pictures, here's a nice one that will support the list of all that Team Leadership will do for my life!

Receive a 30% discount on all Part One Retail sales.
Receive a $100 Personal Promotion Bonus one time for achieving the Team Leader level.
Receive leadership commission of 5% on first-line sales each month provided your personal sales meet or exceed your $500 personal monthly sales requirement.
Receive a Leader Personal Sales Bonus of $50 each month provided your personal sales meet or exceed $1,500.
Receive a $100 Leader Development Bonus one time for each first-line consultant promoting to the Team Leader level.
Receive a one time $50 Recruiting Bonus for each new consultant you sponsor when the new consultant has and places paid order(s) totaling $1,000.

As you can tell, I'm so very proud of myself. I've worked extremely hard for this goal and now look to work towards Team Manager by the end of 2010. Team Leader WAS my goal until I S.M.A.S.H.E.D it :).

With that being said, I need help in April! As my fellow followers know, I am pregnant and expect the birth of our son on Friday. Because of this, I've had a really light party schedule since March 20th because I couldn't be up on my feet. So if you're in need of a tasty treat, I would appreciate the support just to get me through the next few weeks until I can recover from my C-section.

Thank you for all of the orders and party opportunities so far! I couldn't have done it without you.

I need to find a very special hat...

2010-04-13T02:36:00.000-07:00

Can you help me find this hat? This one holds 2 of Tastefully Simple's new Party Pals, however, I need another that will fit 2 bottles of Hess wine. And if you have a label maker I could borrow, that'll make it much easier for Craig to know which side the red and white bottles fit into.

If I order today, I'll have them 1 week postpartum, at a very critical time between crying, diaper changes and nursing sprees. Now, to find this hat...

The Uh-Oh Chart

2010-04-13T02:07:00.000-07:00

We've ben saying a lot of "uh-oh's" the past few weeks. Delaney is beginning to test my patience, especially at dinner time as forks and spoons go flying and sippys over the edge of her tray in effort to tell us she's "all done" with whatever she's eating (vs signing). This chart is a great example of the looks on her face and I'm 100% on board with a fellow blogger Baby Rabies in that "if you do it 10 times a day, it's no longer an "uh oh"" moment.

Mixing PMS With a GPS

2010-04-09T04:34:00.000-07:00

Question:
What do you get when you mix PMS with GPS?

Answer:
A crazy bitch who WILL find you!

Breaking Bad News with Baby Animals

2010-04-07T04:05:00.000-07:00

Happy Hump Day! I figured I needed to lighten my mood a bit since Ms. Deborah Detwiler Horstman gave me such fuel (and in a disturbing sort of way, joy) to keep me up past bedtime last night. By the way, if you're reading this blog and would like to drop her a note, she can be happily reached at deborah.horstman@realliving.com. I'd post her website but that means I'd be giving her web traffic and that goes against everything I know about digital marketing :). Just don't get your hopes up that you'll get any sort of smiling response! It'll be interesting at work today to see if there is a professional connection with my current employer as a gal in HR (of course) also has the last name Detwiler. Daughter-in-law, perhaps?

On a final note, if you didn't stay up to see the last comment of the evening, my friend Manda posted a comment that she had a similar experience with her years ago, prior to Horstman being added to her name.

Onwards! This morning's blog post was inspired by an old friend, Liz Kramer Pratt who has always had a way to make me chuckle over the years. Such a dry sense of humor that sneaks up on you! This morning, she's shared a few pictures on Facebook of postcards that her 4 year old daughter just HAD to have. Not only do kids say the darnest things, they apparently read them too :). Enjoy!

*~*Grandma's Dead: Breaking Bad News with Baby Animals" *~*

Hunting for Houses & a Tale of a Really Bad Realtor

2010-04-06T18:27:00.000-07:00

We've officially outgrown our condo and are in the process of prepping our house and starting to identify what qualities we want in our next property. What a feat! I am completely overwhelmed with the amount of junk we've accumulated in 1040sqft over the last 8 years. Slowly but surely we've been taking things off the walls, moving larger boxes and furniture to its temporary home (Thanks BFF!), and trying to simplify as much as possible with 2 kids under 2 needing a lot of stuff!

I'm committed to selling our house before actually buying another one unless the monies work out in our favor to flip flop that theory. It's absolutely nauseating to think about a double mortgage payment and honestly, we just can't afford that anyhow so its out of the question.

We've narrowed down general locations that we'd like to look and have been driving by the few that are in our price range, have the features we're interested in and within the *3-5 mile range of where we are now*, requirement.

Fast forward to today. There's a property that we've been eyeballing and have wanted to get into just to keep our options open. Each time we drive by something that's interesting, we stop in or call the number listed on the for sale sign. Pretty common, right? Since I'm already on email during the day, I decided to email the selling Realtor instead of bothering our realtor, and friend, Rhiannon Ferrari at Keller Williams.

*~*Sidebar*~* I tend to do things on my own and at warp speed when I have my priorities focused. I don't often rely on others to do work for me unless I truly need help. In this case, why bother Rhiannon? Ms. Deborah Detwiler Horstman (listing agent) at Real Living HER has her own agenda to SELL a property and I'm giving her the time of day to try to do that so why not let her, right?.

*~*The following is a case study of how to be a really crappy sales person and earn yourself some negative PR. *~*

So today I emailed Deborah Detwiler Horstman at Real Living HER (who is a FOUNDING Partner, BTW) and asked to see the property we were interested in. I originally found the property from an email that came from MLS, a real estate software system that my husband has for his business. It lets me know when properties within our criteria are now for sale, when prices change, statuses change, etc and keeps me organized as to what's on the market when. Thinking that I was being helpful, I let her know that I found the property through his MLS system so that a)she would know that I'm not a rookie consumer b)that I was educated on the property and c)to halt any further questions about what I knew or did not know about real estate already.

Instead of being grateful for a sales lead, her response to my initial inquiry was simply "Is your husband a realtor?" My first reaction was "Is this broad serious?" No "Hello, thanks for your inquiry! Let me see what we can work out. I'd love to help you." Shoot, I would have settled for "Hi, Trisha, sure, let's set up a time to talk."

Is this how sales people transact today? SHAME ON THEM! And from a Founding Partner at Real Living HER? Taken back, I responded to her question and said that I had an alert set up to send me emails..blah blah blah. Perhaps I misspoke. "I = Husband". "I=We". For crying out loud, what in the hell does it matter?

This afternoon I come to find out that Ms. Horstman called Rhiannon and ripped her to pieces. Instead of taking the high road and simply stating that her clients were interested, Founding Partner Deborah Detwiler Horstman at Real Living HER took the opportunity to aggressively lecture Rhiannon (a fairly new realtor) on how she's failed to properly educate her clients, that she could get into serious trouble for having clients call listing agents when we were already working with her (right, because Rhiannon controls what drives my behavior) and that WE, the clients, were wasting listing agents times by calling them. WHAT?!? And then there was the discussion about how she could turn my husband in for letting me use MLS.

Ms. Horstman makes some pretty serious accusations on very limited information. And now she's insulting AND attacking my husband because she's pissed off that 1)I/We/He may have access to more information than a typical consumer and 2)That we already have a realtor?!? Deborah seems a little shady to me, at this point. Or is it that she's just really upset that her property isn't selling as quickly as she had hoped and the price continues to drop (hmmmm, I wonder why - the realtor perhaps?).

While I understand that there are new rules that mandate agents to immediately hault conversations with clients once they know we are already working with someone else, a little bit of considerate conversation could have turned this negative experience into a positive one. I am more than pissed on so many levels.

Sales lesson #1: Treat me like I'm the only customer you've ever had, regardless of my circumstance. Sales lesson #2: if you don't see me as a potential customer , treat me like a human being who may have 100 referrals waiting to give you business.

Ms. Deborah Detwiler Horstman, shame on you for taking out your own frustration on a new realtor. I didn't ask Rhiannon to educate me. I'm a capable and savvy consumer that only asks for help when I am in need or ready for it. Shame on you for being high and mighty. I hope 100 of my closest friends read this blog post and steer clear of your name. Better yet, I hope you have a Google Alert to see your own name forever in digital print and realize what damage you've caused yourself by being so righteous.

Tastefully Simple Featured Product: Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler Mix

2010-04-06T03:59:00.000-07:00

Strawberry season is just around the corner! Why not start early and impress your party guests with Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler Bars!

Ingredients
Absolutely Almond Pound Cake Mix™
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) melted butter
StrawberryRhubarbCobblerMix
4 oz. cubed cream cheese
6 Tbsp. melted butter
2 Tbsp. water

Directions
Combine first 2 ingredients; stir to blend. Press evenly into a greased 9 x 13 baking pan. Spread Fruit Filling evenly over crust; dot with cubed cream cheese. Sprinkle with Cobbler Topping. Combine 6 tablespoons melted butter and water; drizzle over Cobbler Topping. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely before cutting. Makes 20-24 servings.

Recipe Ideas
*Stir in 2-3Tbsp Amaretto liquor into fruit mix before adding dry topping
*Add a 1/2c layer of nuts between the fruit mix and the dry topping before baking
*Stir 1/2 c flaked coconut into dry mix before topping fruit mix
*Divide fruit mix between 6-8 greased ramekins, top each with an equal amount of dry topping. Combine butter and water. Drizzle over each ramekin. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

ORDER ONLINE

Belly Shot Progression

2010-04-05T19:14:00.000-07:00

I was absolutely deliberate with belly shots when pregnant with Delaney. Now, not so much. However, you can certainly see the progress even with a few weeks in between.

38 week belly shots

2010-04-05T18:00:00.000-07:00

Each week, these pictures get more incredible. Top picture: 35-36 weeks. Second picture, tonight at 38 weeks. Last picture, 38 weeks with Delaney. Oye Vey! Looks like he could drop right out! The body (and the internal organs that hold so much weight) is an amazing thing.

Tastefully Simple Sale

2010-04-01T19:07:00.001-07:00

All remaining Tastefully Simple products are now 25% off!

TASTEFULLY SIMPLE SALE

Crunchy Clean!

2010-04-01T07:44:00.000-07:00

We are back to using Crunchy Clean after running out a month ago. What a refreshing feeling! They've changed their scents up a bit and are now stocking everyday aromas and custom ordering those that want to have something special. I opted to try a stocked scent and LOVE it: Pink Sugar! They are also now offering a Scent of the Month and because I purchased in March, I also have Four Leaf Clover. YUM!

Just for fun, I wanted to try out their new Sprinkles product. We were using Tea Tree Oil but it's not cutting the stink out of the dry diaper pail. Sprinkles is ROCKING so far! Each dirty diaper gets a small shake and VOILA! No more stinky pail. I wish I would have known about the starter kit when we completely ran out.

So for anyone never knowing what the kids "need", this is a great choice! We also love Baby Bee and Monkey Fart scents too :). Maybe next time I'll try the scent sampler.

Why do we love using this product? So many other environmental benefits outside of the fact that I just love how it smells! We're actually considering making a switch from Charlie's Soap to the regular Crunchy Clean detergent.

My New Car!

2010-03-30T08:54:00.000-07:00

In 3 years, I'll be the proud owner of this dark beauty! Thanks to my parents for opting for such a marvelous choice. I'll have just paid off my current (their old Lexus) car with 1 year worth of saving for this next one. It'll be a great down payment towards the buyout. HOORAY!

STANDARD FEATURES

Performance Features

-	3.5-liter V6, four cam, four valves per cylinder, with dual Variable Valve Timing with intelligence (VVT-i)

-	275 hp @ 6,200 rpm [1], 257 lb-ft torque @ 4,700 rpm [1]

-	Six-speed multi-mode automatic Electronically Controlled Transmission (ECT) with Manual-shift and Snow modes

-	Independent, MacPherson strut front suspension with inversely wound coil springs, gas-pressurized shock absorbers and stabilizer bar

-	Independent, double-wishbone rear suspension with coil springs, gas-pressurized shock absorbers and stabilizer bar

-	Active torque control all-wheel drive (AWD) with electronically controlled center differential

-	Electronic Power Steering (EPS) system. 2.79 turns, lock-to-lock

-	Four-wheel power-assisted disc brakes

-	18-in five-spoke alloy wheels with 235/60R18 all-season tires [2]

-	EPA-estimated fuel economy: 18/24/20 city/highway/combined mpg (AWD) [3]

Luxury and Convenience Features

-	Espresso bird's-eye maple or brown walnut interior trim

-	Leather-trimmed steering wheel and shift knob

-	Steering-wheel-mounted audio and display controls

-	Power tilt-and-telescopic steering column

-	Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) multi-information display

-	Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) multi-information console display on upper console

-	Lexus nine-speaker Premium Sound System with Automatic Sound Levelizer (ASL) and in-dash, single-feed, six-disc CD auto-changer

-	FM-diversity antenna system

-	10-way driver's and front passenger's (including lumbar) power seats

-	Height-adjustable headrests for all seats

-	Reclining, sliding rear seat (40/20/40 split)

-	Dual-zone automatic climate control with interior air filter

-	SmartAccess [4] [5] with push-button Start/Stop and touch sensors on exterior front-door handle

-	Power windows with one-touch auto open/close feature

-	Remote-linked for windows and available moonroof

-	Retained accessory power for windows and available moonroof

-	Electrochromic (auto-dimming) inside rearview mirror

-	Power door locks

-	Cruise control

-	Bluetoothýý technology [6]

-	XM Radio complimentary 90-day trial subscription [7] [8] [9] Subscription required. 90-day trial subscription included.

-	Bluetooth audio profile for wireless integration of compatible music players [10]

-	Auxiliary iPod [11]/MP3/Windows Media Audio (WMA) port

-	Sliding front center console with storage bin, dual power outlets and pass-through storage

-	HomeLink universal transceiver to operate compatible garage, gate, home lighting and home security systems

-	Front and rear cupholders

-	Coin holder

-	Accessory power outlet in front center stack, rear console box and rear cargo area

-	Electroluminescent instrumentation

-	Interior electronic fuel-filler door release

-	Lexus Personalized Settings (LPS) [12] to customize select electronic functions and vehicle settings

-	Automatic on/off headlamps with auto-off delay

-	Power-adjustable outside mirrors with integrated turn indicators and defoggers

-	Roof rails

-	Rear bumper protector

-	Dual illuminated visor vanity mirrors

-	Outside temperature gauge

-	Sun visor extensions

Safety and Security Features

-	Safety Connect™ [13] [14] offers Automatic Collision Notification, Stolen Vehicle Location, Emergency Assistance Button (SOS) and Enhanced Roadside Assistance [15] connectivity. Subscription required. One-year trial subscription included

-	Driver's and front passenger's advanced airbag system (SRS) [16]

-	Front and rear seat-mounted side airbags (SRS) [16]

-	Front and rear Roll-Sensing Curtain Airbags (RSCA) (SRS) [16]

-	Driver's and front passengerýýýs knee airbag (SRS) [16]

-	Active front headrests [17]

-	Three-point seatbelts for all seating positions, pre-tensioners with force limiters for front and outboard rear seats

-	Automatic Locking Retractor/Emergency Locking Retractor (ALR/ELR) seatbelts for rear outboard seating positions. Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) only for driver's seat

-	Height-adjustable front-shoulder belt anchors

-	Child Restraint Seat (CRS) tether anchor brackets for rear outboard seating positions

-	Four-wheel power-assisted disc brakes

-	Four-sensor, four-channel Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)

-	Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) [18] with cutoff switch

-	Traction Control (TRAC)

-	Brake Assist [19]

-	Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD)

-	Direct Tire Pressure Monitor System [20]

-	Highly rigid body structure with front and rear crumple zones

-	Side-impact door beams

-	Reinforcements in pillars and door sills

-	Impact-dissipating upper interior trim

-	Collapsible steering column

-	Collapsible brake pedal

-	Daytime running lights

-	Integrated foglamps

-	LED taillamps

-	Water-repellent front-door glass

-	Variable intermittent front windshield wipers

-	Rear intermittent wiper

-	Rear-window defogger with auto-off timer

-	Vehicle theft-deterrent and engine-immobilizer system [5]

-	Auto-retracting tonneau cover

-	First aid kit

Tool kit

Delaney - 14mos!

2010-03-30T02:02:00.001-07:00

Such a big girl! I can hardly believe that Delaney is going to be a big sister. She's not quite old enough to realize that her life is going to be so much more fulfilling in 2 weeks but she can tell us where Dillon is right now, where his milk comes from and that she has to tell him night night before bedtime each evening. I just love her to pieces.

Recently, she's started to give us kisses. They began as full open mouth kisses but have since dried up a bit. She runs back and forth between Craig and I in sheer delight hugging and kissing us over and over again. We're loving every minute of it.

How can we slow the time down? We're already missing her babyness as she expresses her independence quite frequently now. Refuses to eat unless she can feed herself, pushes us away when she wants to play alone and loudly squawks when she sees her friends playing outside and she can't visit with them. Lord help the mini me.

Craig found a nice outing for the both of them on Wednesday and Thursday mornings up the street at our local rec center. They set up the gym with obstacle courses, tunnels and wedges for young kids to use. She adores it there and it gives them both a chance to get out of the house for an hour.

Delaney's 1st year molars have arrived! What a miserable 3 day experience for her. It just kills me to see her in that much pain. Those are really ugly little suckers! I could see them pushing through from the side of her gums. Poor thing.

Here's to our next family adventure! The 15mo update will be quite the tale with Dillon included in the mix!

Fluffy Mail v2

2010-03-24T20:00:00.000-07:00

We've started to update and re-build our stash so that we have a few boyish colors and styles so that Dillon doesn't take abuse for wearing pink and purple diapers. For practical reasons (and because we can afford them better now), we're moving towards one-size (OS) diapers, primarily fitteds, so that when Dillon is big enough to wear them as well, he can.

Goodmamas have been crazy cheap on Hyena Spots Corner! Here are three I recently purchased and am awaiting the arrival of one more:

I'm also in love with Bububebe fitteds and just found out that they have a newborn lot as well!

Abby's Lane earned $100 from us as we stocked up on Thirsties Duo Wrap covers, a Mother Ease insert to go with a OS fitted we've never used, a package of 4 more Kissaluvs Size 0s and a newborn Prowrap. And now that I think about it, I totally forgot to get 2 more Snappis. DARN IT!

Belly Dancing Dillon

2010-03-24T19:50:00.000-07:00

Dillon is going to be my freeze baby. He dances all day and all night long until the second I lift my shirt to take a video of him or show others his moves. I tried to trick him tonight and it worked a few times. I think he's going to be a fast learner though :).

And for those non-believers when I say that I have terribly itchy stretch marks, here they are, in all of their glory! Just waitin' for the post-baby belly shots. Those should be attractive.

Just for a frame of reference for the non-trained eye, keep watch just to the upper left of my belly button. That's where his rear end resides and moves around quite frequently. Baby Got Back!

Two Peas in a Pod Photography Session Giveaway

2010-03-23T12:52:00.000-07:00

I'm becoming "one of those moms" obsessed with photography of her children. Now I NEED to move into a bigger house. One with bigger walls that allow for bigger photos :).

Two Peas in a Pod Homegrown Designs is having a photography session giveaway with Britt Lakin. Remember my fabulous maternity pictures where the colors just POPPED? I can't wait to have Britt do our newborn photos during her mini session and I'm trying to win an entire full session for free! Interested? Here's your chance! Just click on this link and read the details: Two Peas in a Pod Homegrown Designs

2010-03-21T18:22:00.000-07:00

Here we grow again!

Left = 33 weeks
Middle = 35 weeks
Right = 38 weeks - the night before I delivered Delaney

From the first two pictures, it would seem as though I've shrunk. Rather, I think he was vertex in the first picture and now he's breech again. He's now growing no only out but sideways as well! This little guy is a mover and a shaker! I've measured anywhere from 1-4 weeks ahead depending on where he's been hanging out. Only time will tell now!

We're pretty ready for his arrival. Just need to get the Pack N Play setup in our bedroom, the house deep cleaned, the swing put up and then, wait! I'm more concerned about trying to get the house ready to sell. My friend, Rhiannon, will be helping us through the process and I have been silently kicking and screaming while taking things off walls, SLOWLY packing things up, etc. I really really really despise moving. Actually, I hate packing things up, patching walls, and the thought of having the house "perfect" - THAT'S never going to happen!

Pandora Craze

2010-03-19T11:43:00.001-07:00

I'm jumping on the Pandora bandwagon. I have 5 beads and 2 clips thanks to my 2 loving Santas this Christmas! I went ahead and used my first Tastefully Simple incentive check to buy myself 3 of those which look absolutely terrific.

I know there are great knock-off sites but I'm hooked on these for now which are all on my wishlist. As soon as they are off my wishlist and on my wrist, I'll venture to the other brands/etsy sites :). Too addicting! And now my hand really is priceless...

New Signs!

2010-03-19T08:50:00.000-07:00

Delaney's signs and words have exploded over the last week or so. Signing wise, she's picked up:

Night Night
Pillow
Please
Pants
Dress
Happy
Cold
Cat
Bear
Pig
Dirty
Clean
Bath

We were finally able to catch her signing rain as well

She's now able to say a form of:

Cracker
Pillow
Light
Car
Grandma (Maw Maw)
Water Balloon (wah bah)
Teeth
Nose
Leg
Eye
Ear

This is truly incredible to watch!

My mom, the queen of organization!

2010-03-19T08:29:00.000-07:00

Mom came down to help me with a few organizational things this past weekend - what a blessing! I finally have a way to contain all of those toys and Delaney absolutely LOVES her newly updated Kids' Korner space. Can't wait until she learns how to share with Dillon. I have a feeling the cream boxes will be his :).

Kiss Me, I'm Irish! St. Patty's Day.

2010-03-19T07:02:00.000-07:00

Craig's family is quite Irish on his mom's side of the family so when we began to think of childrens names, we wanted to pass along some of the rich heritage and came up with Delaney (and now, Dillon). Delaney is typically a boy's name but works just fine for us as a girl's. I started to dig more into what their names mean and came up with the following.

Delaney means "Descendant of the challenger" or Child of dark defiance, depending if you're using the Gaelic or Irish translation. G.R.E.A.T! What have we gotten ourselves into? She doesn't look defiant, does she? Please ignore the banana plastered on her face :).

In its form, Delaney is a Norman name, form De l’aunaie, meaning ‘form the alder grove’, and doubtless some of those bearing the name in Ireland are of Norman stock. However, in the vast majority if cases it was adopted as the anglicised form of the original Irish O Dubhshlaine, from dubh, meaning ‘black’, and slan, meaning ‘defiance’. The original territory of the O Dubhshlaine was at the foot of the Slieve Bloom mountains in Co. Laois. From there they spread also in neighbouring Co. Kilkenny, and the surname is still strongly associated with these two counties. The most famous historical bearer of the surname was Patrick Delaney (1685-6-1768), Church of Ireland clergyman, renowned preacher and close friend of Jonathan Swift, of whom he wrote a celebrated ‘Defence’.

Just look at her rockin' out on St. Patty's Day to Eric Clapton! Who can deny this cuteness.

Dillon's name is also Irish. Its translation is "Like a son". In Ireland Dillon may be of Gaelic or Norman origin, the former from O Duilleain, possibly from dall, meaning ‘blind’, the latter from de Leon, from the place of the same name in Brittany. This, of course, accounts for the lion in the family arms. The Norman family have been prominent in Ireland since the arrival of their ancestor Sir Henry de Leon in 1185. He was granted vast estates in counties Longford and Westmeath, and his descendants retained their power up to modern times, with Co Westmeath becoming known as ‘Dillons Country’. Another branch of the family settled in Co Mayo, where they are still well known today. After the Williamite wars of the seventeenth century, a number of members of the family served in Continental armies. The best known Irish regiment in the French army was ‘Dillons Regiment’, many members of which made their way to America to fight against the British in the War of Independence.

A beautiful Spring Day

2010-03-19T04:24:00.000-07:00

Delaney has been LOVING the nice warm weather. Everything outside with green on it is now a tree. She's distracted by everything and is really frustrated when she sees her friends outside playing and she can't go with them (scooters in the street is NOT cool).

Daddy has been enjoying their time together outside too. He's chomping at the bit to get out and play Frisbee golf, I'm sure. They've gone to the park several times in the last 2 weeks and had an absolute blast. Check her out in her new sunglasses - she's quite the little rockstar!

Haunted Ultrasound & Pregnancy?!?

2010-03-10T07:57:00.000-08:00

This is just way too spooky for my liking. I was pretty upset last night after trying to figure out what I was looking at on the ultrasound pictures. I took the pictures, scanned it, threw it into PowerPoint and labeled what I could ID as facial features from what Dr. Amy Rahl pointed out. When I couldn't determine where Dillon's other eye was, nor why his nose looked odd, Craig took another look from a different perspective. Much to my dismay and disbelief, there is what looks to be an image of a man's face on top of Dillon's!!!

I'm a believer in ghosts but not ones that are scary and haunting like you see in movies. I believe in their presence though so this just really creeps me out to see, what appears to be, a ghost sitting on his face! UGH. I'm 100% convinced of getting a 3D/4D ultrasound now - ASAP.

The image below is of the ultrasound with my arrows pointing out Dillon's facial features and then a coworker's outline of the man's image. You can see his hair (thick, puffy, and black with gray streaks), 2 eyes, a nose, an open mouth, a goatee and pointed chin.

While Craig thinks that Dillon could be the next Jesus, I'm just hoping it's not Satan! NOT what I need to worry about in my 3rd trimester of pregnancy.

34 week appointment update

2010-03-10T07:05:00.000-08:00

Our 34 week appointment was quite exciting!

Baby is HEAD DOWN! Still will have a C-section though, scheduled for April 16th (5.5 weeks and counting) at 10:30am. We have to be at the hospital at 9:00am. I am NOT happy about this. That means 1/2 of my freaking day is shot and I won't be able to eat until waaaaaaay late. I delivered at 5:13am and it wasn't until sometime late that PM that they would let me have anything :(. The good news is that it will limit the number of visitors we have since we won't be able to squeeze that many people into a day and I'll need lots of resting time to recover.
If I stay for the full 4 days, I'll be home the afternoon of Tuesday April 20th. I did opt to do that the first time but may reconsider this time since my mom will have Monday & Tuesday off to help me before having to go back to work for Wednesday/Thursday.
Baby is measuring about a week ahead now. Currently, he's at 5lbs 2oz (which could go 1-2lbs in either direction since U/S aren't very accurate this far along) so that'll most likely end up right around where Delaney was when she was born. He's definitely still a boy though - clear shot of the manhood!

CMH Hot Mommies Luncheon

2010-03-09T08:40:00.000-08:00

Look at these hot mommies! We pack quite the punch in Central Ohio! What will the marketing/PR/Newsroom do without us this Spring/Summer? It will be a quiet, quiet world, that's for sure!

In this photo: Lara Kretler (photos), Angela Siefer (photos), Trisha Evert Jackson (photos | remove tag), Kelli Nowinsky (photos), Mikaela Hunt Thorpe (photos), Kristyn Bailey Wilson

Quite the Personality!

2010-03-09T08:20:00.000-08:00

Delaney is blossoming ever so much in her little personality. She's started to flaunt her independence with refusing to eat unless she can do it herself, throwing temper tantrums if I ask her to have her diaper changed (why would you want to sit with a wet tushy?), and run if I try to put clothes on her. She's endlessly babbling and now reads books (upside down) to herself and prefers her alone time throughout the day in her own private place between our couches.

Daddy has discovered that if they get outside at least once a day or take an every other day excursion, Miss D wears out much more easily than in the 50 square feet of our living room. So off to Walmart, the mall, the Home and Garden show, the park and just about anywhere the car will take them, they go. With the fun comes sniffles, coughs and fevers though as she'll now be exposed to some of the grime we've been so thankful to avoid, for the most part.

We're still waiting for more teeth to fill in. She's not had one pop through since about 10mos old. While we wait, she's venturing on to more and more foods. She still prefers veggies, despises meats, and LOVES her "O's".

We're signing like a champ (adding in bear, bunny, diaper, cat, snow, lion, pants, dress, shirt and more) and Delaney loves to mimic what we're doing. We've moved to farm animal sounds as well. I can't get enough of her squealing (for now)!

Last weekend we were blessed with family to come down for her Baptism. Long time in coming, however, the church had a few requirements that we had to meet before moving forward. It was a glorious day and Delaney looked stunning. Here are a few photos of our day.

Tastefully Simple March Myster Host Party

2010-03-01T14:31:00.000-08:00

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Delaney's Sneak Peak 1 Year Pictures

2010-03-01T07:50:00.000-08:00

Compliments of Erin Johnson Photography. Just stinkin' adorable!!

33 week belly shots

2010-03-01T04:17:00.001-08:00

I've been feeling really crummy lately. Swelling, lethargy, raging hormones, shortness of breath, typical 3rd tri stuff.

Can you actually feel your belly drop? As in, one moment in time you just feel a plop of something or sudden movement that just doesn't make things feel the same anymore? Last night as I was feeding Delaney I did have some sort of weird sensation such as that. I've been having really weird feelings that this one is going to come much earlier than we anticipate. With Delaney, I had absolutely NO intuition. Perhaps I'm just better prepared this time and it seems like I can better predict what's happening since having been through it once before. In any case, I'm starting to panic and want to get everything ready by 36 weeks, just in case.

This belly shot pic is a little earlier than I normally do it (end of the week) but it's really for my own edification. The first week is at 31 weeks. The second was last night. The 3rd is the night before I delivered Delaney last year.

At our last appointment, I measured 4 weeks ahead. I'll have an ultrasound next Tuesday to get a fetal weight check and see how big the little monster is measuring! Hooray for pictures :).

Post Partum Inspiration

2010-02-24T20:13:00.001-08:00

We have something that we say at Tastefully Simple: Name it - Claim it! So I'm professing to "name" that I want to get back into the best shape of my life post partum. The following photos will hopefully keep me honest and on track.

The first is within minutes of my engagement September 2004. The second, a Girls cruise in 2006. The last one will be my stretch goal. 115lbs in 1996. Yes, I realize I was a sophomore in college, working out 5 days a week and dancing 3 weekend days. But a girl needs to reach big, right? Help keep me honest, all!

*~*as I sit here looking at my empty Twinkie wrapper*~*

Delaney in Pictures - Just because I have some

2010-02-24T19:06:00.001-08:00

Eating with spoons is just so much harder than with forks. Yogurt does wonders for your hair, BTW. Activia should use this in an ad campaign, no?

What a trooper - hanging out with the girls for mommy's 33rd birthday!

I can't get enough of this smile. My only photo opportunities are when she's eating. Who knew how hard it would be to take pictures of a 13 month old toddler who won't sit still? Won't even smile for a big yell of "CHEESE". Oh well.

Her hair is definitely thick and fine, just like mine. It's also growing incredibly fast now. I'd like to wait as long as possible before getting her hair trimmed - hopefully she won't fight the clips too much when her bangs need pinned back.

71 Ways to Grow Your Direct Sales Business

2010-02-24T19:01:00.000-08:00

71 WAYS TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS!!

1. Send a catalog to a co-worker that has moved.

2. Send a catalog to your Tupperware, Discovery Toys, etc. reps.

3. Post a catalog in the teacher’s lounge at your child’s school.

4. Post a catalog in the lunch room at your work/your husband/friends work.

5. Hold an open house twice a year.

6. Have a booth at a school fair/back-to-school night.

7. Advertise in your alumni newsletter and or local newspaper.

8. Give a catalog to the receptionist at the doctor/dentist/vets etc. office.

9. Include a flyer/business card in your bill payments.

10. Call past hostesses.

11. Put catalog/flyers in neighbor’s doors.

12. Ask friends to have a show.

13. Advertise in your church bulletin. Check women groups at church.

14. Host an office party or brunch for co-workers (husbands co-workers).

15. Host a show before or after a PTA meeting.

16. Get a list from the Welcome Wagon in your area for people who have just moved to the area – mail them a catalog and welcome them!

17. Participate in school/church fundraiser.

18. Drop catalogs off at daycares and promote shows/fundraisers!

19. Ask friends to bring in catalogs or a gift box to their office manager – offer them a discount for doing so!

20. At shows, promote the upcoming holiday and suggest our products for gifts!

21. Put a “ask me about Tastefully Simple” button on your purse or coat.

22. Ask hostesses to talk about how easy it was to have a show.

23. Hold an opportunity night at your home and let all past hostesses know.

24. Random mailings.

25. Check and find out if neighborhoods have a “Gourmet Club” – contact leader.

26. Mention products in detail that you don’t sample as well as those you do.

27. Mention “average” show totals and what the hostess receives.

28. Ask the guests to participate in reading the suggestion cards for different products – they see how easy it is!

29. Share dates when guests can expect supplements with new products.

30. Offer specials to hostesses who have more than one show a year.

31. Hold a special luncheon for previous hostesses.

32. Encourage relative to have shows for you.

33. Call or stop by realtor offices with suggestions for “new home packages”.

34. Look in newspapers for mom’s groups and call to introduce TS to them.

35. Do morning/afternoon shows for mom’s with am/pm kindergartners.

36. Mention that you can do a show at guests offices – lunch on you!!

37. Get to know your hostess/guests on a personal basis. Record their kids/dogs names so you can be more personable.

38. Mention “care packages” for new brides/moms.

39. Start an e-mail address book and keep in touch with customers. Send them new recipe ideas.

40. Ask guests if they want to be contacted monthly for reorders when you’re in the area. Note this on their order forms.

41. Promote a bonus to guests/hostesses when they refer you to someone.

42. Send thank you notes to hostesses ALWAYS – or leave a note with your magnetic business card on their refrigerator.

43. Always mention how many current consultants there are in your state. Mention how low our numbers are compared to other home shows.

44. Give at least 30 invitations to your hostess! Encourage high numbers.

45. Be friendly and enthusiastic – this is an easy & fun job!!

46. Follow through on every booking & recruiting lead – even if you give it away.

47. Ask guests what they would do with $400.00 (any number) extra in cash a month? Let them know what you make on average per party!

48. Walk guests through the four boxes on our order forms.

49. Read sales, self improvement, leadership, positive thinking books!

50. Use your products every chance you get with friends/relatives.

51. Set goals – short and long term ones. Post them on your mirror!

52. Set time to call and schedule shows on a regular basis.

53. Shadow successful consultants – see what they are doing – always b open minded to new ideas and reevaluate if need be.

54. Mail our “reorder invitations” to guests who spend over a certain amount.

55. Have the hostess state out loud the best part of hosting a TS show.

56. Give products as gifts to friends.

57. Donate products to basket bingos and charities.

58. Stop in retirement homes and ask to attend a meeting.

59. Wear what you do!!

60. Invest in a magnetic sign.

61. Tell your mail person what you do!

62. Give your UPS/FED EX person a product and thank them!

63. Call anyone who says maybe they will have a show!

64. Don’t be shy – ASK!

65. Always have recruiting information with you at all times! Share what you do.

66. Write down names of people who “owe” you a favor.

67. Give a gift to the first person who asks you a business question at a show.

68. Advertise in football or musical program bulletins.

69. Leave your business cards everywhere!

70. Have a favorite waiter/waitress – leave them a card/flyer with your payment.

71. Always be kind and treat everyone equal – you never know who will be your next recruit or hostess!!

Last Chance for Fall-Winter Favorites

2010-02-22T19:38:00.000-08:00

Don't miss out on your favorite Fall/Winter Tastefully Simple products! After March 7th, they'll retire, probably never to return. I've fallen in love with the Apple Crisp Cheese ball, Cheesy Chive Dip mix, and the Roasted Garlic and Herb Dip Mix. Of course, I stocked up.

What was on your taste-testing wish list? One of our best Fall/Winter sellers like the Creamy Wild Rice soup? Or perhaps you weren't sure about the Warm It Up Mulling Spice? Now's the time or you may never have the chance to purchase them again.

Nearly 13mos - A Delaney Update

2010-02-20T04:29:00.000-08:00

.

There was once a day when Craig told me "I can't wait for Delaney to start talking to me so that I can understand her." These past 2 weeks are getting nearer to his wish! She is babbling up a storm. She has started to bust out words like:

Duck
Door
Na (Diana)
Ean (Dean)
Pop-pop (Grandpa)
Nit (Bandit)
Cat
Pup (Puppy)
Mo (Elmo)
and a very clear "Hi" now, especially when she pushes her arms through her sleeves and see her hand poke through - a way we're overcoming claustrophobia.

She loves to sing and will stop what she's doing to hear you belt out a tune or try to sing with you in the car. She loves 2 of her stuffed animals that Dean and Diana got her for her birthday. One sings Old MacDonald and the other B-I-N-G-O.

We're now identifying people in pictures with accuracy, the Aflac Duck (she signs duck when she sees him), and is signing animals (bear, mouse, duck, turtle, pig, dog, cat) upon recognition as well. She's eating with a fork wonderfully and LOVES to help us mix up her food and cook. Delaney has intense determination - it's amazing at how their little personalities blossom so quickly. She runs from diaper changes, putting on clothes or basically any time you ask her to "come here" - she'll run to the opposite side of the room. She loves playing behind the couches now for her own hideaway. Just can't believe how much she's growing up!

Sleeping through the night is still going strong. We can lay her down, lights still on, eyes open and just expect her to fall asleep. She's loving her pillow (an old throw pillow of ours) and requires no less than 3 bed buddies now. It's adorable, I do have to say!

Her hair is getting incredibly long and is coming in just like mommy's - straight, thick and fine. Makes for quite the bed head and goes awry just by looking at it wrong. Glad she has something else from me! We're starting to thin out a bit but those chunky monkey thighs still persist - YAY! I love her in baby legs but we'll soon have to start buying her the larger sizes to fit those ham hocks.

Smokey, Bandit and BlackJack are tolerating her more and more. Luckily, she hasn't wanted to pull their tales But because they are all so soft, she does like to cuddle on top of them. Smokey's okay with it, Bandit will take it and BlackJack says "get my the H outta here". They'll all at least let her pet them at this point.

A few pictures (click on them to enlarge):

Eliminiating Thankless Jobs - One Beer Bread at a Time

2010-02-20T04:15:00.001-08:00

I'm starting to think that I've finally been blessed with writing on the wall. I've known deep down that perhaps I'm the kind of person who should own their own business but don't. I always say the opposite for Craig - he does own his own business but needs the Corporate America structure.

Recently, I attended the Tastefully Simple On Tour conference. What a rush! Working for a direct selling organization like this one is truly the only job I have ever consider a thankFUL experience. I'm tired of coming into the office day in and day out wondering what I'll do wrong in the next 8 hours. Will I say something wrong? Will my sales not be high enough? What sort of politics will I need to overcome by 5:00pm without telling everyone to *wake up and smell the coffee*? How much babysitting (eh hem, management) will I have to do?

The Tastefully Simple men and women who surrounded me are nothing but positive. They encourage, pay-it-forward, are available at all times, and are truly looking out for your best interest. I have control over my own business practices, my own best practices, and can work as hard or as easy as I want - it's my own destiny!

I started my Tastefully Simple business to work towards small goals - a little bit of extra income, a lot of extra income (aka: get the heck out of the condo fund), to be a work-at-home mom, and to get out of the reigns of being told what to do and how to do it despite my best attempts. And within 4 short months - look at me soar! This past week, I was promoted to Senior Consultant. That means, I have 1 person on my team with at least $400 in sales. I actually have 2 people on my team with soon to be nearly $2000 in sales. And my one team member will have a team member of her own after her party today! I'm on my way to Team Leader (1 more consultant) and soon my 2010 goal of getting there will stretch to becoming a Team Manager (3 more consultants after that). WAHOO! Now that's the way to work smarter, not harder.

It's the little things I appreciate. Like this birthday card I received on Friday. Or the surprise gifts you receive in the mail from our CEO, Jill (who, by the way, has an amazing story). Just an amazing organization. It's starting to get hard to swallow why anyone wouldn't want to start selling Tastefully Simple after learning all I have in 4 short months and being a part of a fantastic team across the country.

Big Breasted Girls Got it Bad!

2010-02-19T06:53:00.001-08:00

And so it begins. I'm not afraid to talk about the double trouble residing on my upper body. God put them there, why is it passe to talk about them? In fact, this world needs more people like me to actually have the ~~balls~~ boobs to discuss the havoc they wreak for some.

Being small chested has never been so important to me over the last 2 years. Prior, I was content to be on the smaller side of average. They never hurt when George (aka Aunt Flow, or, the B*tch) arrived, never smacked me in the face, and really never posted a problem peaking out above my shirts. In fact, sometimes I found it hard for shirts to lay correctly with the large crevice that was created from the separation of the girls.

Fast forward to pregnancy. Those perfectly perky 34Bs didn't just grow, they EXPLODED. 38DD by the time my milk came in after birthing an 8lb 4oz little girl. When the lactation consultants commented on that size for my body structure, I knew it was going to be bad. While boob management through nursing was nearly a full time job, they did settle for a while. Yet despite losing all of my pre-pregnancy weight by 4 months post partum and another 3-4lbs, they were adjusting to 36Cs.

Pregnancy #2. Why are my shirt sleeves all of the sudden shorter? Did my arms grow? Am I shrinking everything in the dryer again? And why are my XL maternity shirts (mind you, I'm typically a medium shirt kinda girl standing in a 5'1.5 and 135ish lbs pre pregnancy) now creating a breezeway under my belly? Huff, puff, huff, puff. Crap. I can't breathe. Asthma, don't fail me now. WAIT...now I can't latch the last rung of my 38DD nursing bras. And why is that indentation going all the way around my back. You've GOT to be kidding me. I'm outgrowing a 38DD nursing bra BEFORE my milk comes in? Yikes. What am I going to do? As if my back isn't already killing me. In 8 short weeks, I'll be worried about knocking myself out with one of the twins smacking me in the face - worse yet, drowning me in my own milk.

So I'm predicting twin peaks, a record of sorts, to stash away in my memory about the sacrifices I make for my children. At this rate, 38DDs will turn into 42s,44s, or higher. I don't even know when those numbers or letters stop! What's after a DD? EE?

Looking forward to the day I get my body back. My small, sagging, 2 kids laden body. BUT, all for a good thing. I just really wish this stuff came tied with a bow in that "new mom's" welcome wagon kit.

Britt Lakin Maternity Photo Shoot

2010-02-18T19:02:00.000-08:00

These are absolutely beautiful by a friend Britt Lakin!

31 week Belly Shots

2010-02-18T18:21:00.000-08:00

No, you're not looking at progressive belly shots. The first is the night before my delivery 2009. The second was 2 weeks ago and that third one is tonight. Yes, I have 8 weeks to go. No, I'm not having twins.

My stretch marks are purple. One has busted open and hurts. From my angle, they look like varicose veins. I'm lucky to not have much swelling. For that I'm thankful for. At my last appointment, we were measuring right on time. That is, with the little buggar apparently all cold and in a big ball when we took the measurement. The appointment before that, we were 2 weeks ahead so more than likely, that's still the case.

I'm more than ready to meet Dillon. 8 more weeks and I will no longer be pregnant. EVER. I love my children more than anything. My body just isn't equipped to handle 10lbs of goodness. I've recently started to wear a maternity belt - sweet relief! I'm having a tough time climbing stairs and sitting for prolonged periods of time aren't my cup of tea either. I hope my recovery is as good as it was with Delaney so that I can start to feel like myself again.

My clothes are piled and ready for the hospital bag. The house continues to be in disarray so buy the time we head to the hospital, whomever is here is going to be in for a treat. I really want to make sure that we get Delaney a present from Dillon and vice versa.

8 more weeks. 8 more.long.weeks.

Happy 101 Award!

2010-02-18T17:45:00.000-08:00

Thank you, Crystal, for nominating me for the Happy 101 award! It's my turn to pay it forward.

How does this work?

1. Copy and paste the award OR save and attached the award to your blog

2. Link to the person who sent it to you

3. List 10 things that make you happy

4. Pass the award on to other bloggers, visit their blog, and let them know.

TEN THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY:

1. Craig and Delaney - the two people I look forward to waking up to and giving big hugs and kisses to before bed every night.

2. My friends - the ones who love and support me no matter how crazy I may really actually be.

3. Being busy. I'm not a good bored person.

4. Exercising. I thrive off of the adrenaline rush.

5. Comfy pants. Going pantsless scares most of my friends so I'd rather be in them if I have to wear something.

6. My Tastefully Simple business. I finally feel a sense of pride an accomplishment. It's the thankFUL job I never thought I'd see.

7. Social media - it's the way I stay connected.

8. Wine. It's complex, complicated, a good source of vitamins and a great pal on a tough day.

9. Traveling. I love exploring new places, talking with new people and just getting away from the daily grind to walk a while in someone else's shoes.

10. Seeing others succeed. I love leading others - I don't like to manage them. I love to give guidance and watch them flourish on their own merits and then recognize them like crazy. I'm not a good babysitter nor of an operational mind. But I have vision and I love to watch others succeed working towards the same vision.

And now for MY nominees:

1. Liz - an incredibly talented woman who doesn't toot her own horn enough! She has so much potential with her craftiness.

2. Katie - what a doll. Just a good-hearted sweetie pie. I just want to gobble up her little Lilly.

3. Andrea - Another brave woman with 2 under 2

4. Britt - A fantastic budding photographer friend of mine.

Don't Delay! Team Achieving Dreams Promotion Ends Soon

2010-02-05T11:59:00.000-08:00

29 Week Belly Shot

2010-02-04T17:57:00.001-08:00

Wow! Not sure what to say about these pictures. The first one is tonight - 29 weeks. The second is the night before I delivered Delaney. Tiffany tells me that I will grow 1cm between now and then time I deliver Dillon. That's another 10cm. Really?

I am so thankful to bring another little on into this world. Who could ask for more - one boy and one girl. With that being said, I have 10 weeks until I will never, ever, ever be pregnant again. I'll opt for the Copper IUD which is 99.99 effective for 10 years. So, technically, in the next 16 weeks I will basically be guaranteed never to be pregnant again :).

So Simple, A 2 year old Can Make It!

2010-02-02T14:15:00.001-08:00

When you hear about a gourmet food product, you consider the amount of ingredients it will require, how much time will be involved in making a meal, and the total out-of-pocket expense it will cost. I kid you not, my 2 year old niece recently showed my sister and mom how easy an inexpensive but gourmet $8.99 jar of Tastefully Simple's Spinach and Herb mix was to prepare in minutes! Not convinced, check her out! She did everything but put the mayo and sour cream in the measuring cup.

Happy 1st Birthday Delaney!

2010-02-02T04:05:00.000-08:00

Delaney had a fabulous birthday celebrating with her Grandma Karen, Grandma Kathy & Grandpa Paul, Grandpa Herman & Grandma Mary, Aunt Jennifer, Cousin Dean & Cousin Diana and Aunt Wendy.

I can't believe we've come this far! She has been the center of our world and bring so much happiness to our lives. It's true when people say that you can't imagine what life was like without your children. We often wonder what in the world we did with our free time before. And the thought about what free time would be like after she came seemed like such a bummer but somehow, God squeezed an extra few minutes into our day to make room for it all. Either that, or my house is just now a constant disaster area (where I spent MOST of my free time before :)) - ha!

The transformation of a human life is truly amazing. 10 months to go from a tiny seed into a 8lb 4oz wonder that cries, eats, moves around in your arms, and smiles within 2 more months from that is craziness! Fast forward 12 more months and she walks, talks, signs, has teeth, opinions, likes, dislikes, can nearly drive and will be ready to date soon (okay, not so much). What will next year bring? The growth never seems to slow and her little mind is picking up so much so quickly. It's no wonder how parents become "dumb". I'm starting to believe that's true now. Our learning capacity, watching her develop seems so much more able than ours in adulthood. I'm actually a little jealous!

Here's to another wonderful year ahead. I'm really looking forward to supporting everything she sets out to do. We love you BooBoo!

Portrait Party!

2010-01-21T09:27:00.000-08:00

A dear Nestie and amazing photographer, Erin Johnson, is allowing me to throw a Portrait Party! Her parties are a HIT in the Columbus community and I'm honored to be able to offer the opportunity with all of my friends and family.

There is NO session fee nor obligation to buy pictures or the package. You'll receive a 15 minute - minimum of 10 proofs - photo session in Erin's studio. After the session, she'll create a professional online gallery for your review.

For those interested in purchasing pictures, she is offering a party special. For $150, you'll receive:

1 CD of 10 full resolution files
2 5x7 prints
1 set of wallets

Ala carte pictures are also available.

Sessions will be booked in 20 minute increments beginning at 10:00am. Please visit the Facebook Event I've created for available time slots and to request your spot. Trust me, these slots fill up incredibly fast!

For an idea of Erin's work, please check out her website: www.erinjohnsonphotography.com.

Helpings for Haiti

2010-01-20T04:19:00.000-08:00

My heart has been breaking for the people of Haiti this past week. Having been to the island if Labadee and through the Haitian markets there, I want to be able to help in some small way that will make an impact in their relief efforts as I know that they are people who suffer without the devastation that has occurred. If you've ever considered trying out Tastefully Simple, maybe now is the time you can do so.

Helpings for Haiti Fundraiser

Through this online fundraiser, 100% of the profits from purchases made using the link below (through Friday January 29th) will be donated to the relief efforts for the Haitian people through the American Red Cross. Please follow the instructions to make sure your order is associated with the fundraiser and the "Host" is Helpings for Haiti.

Tastefully Simple offers a wide selection of convenient, easy-to-prepare gourmet foods designed to help people spend less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying the rest of their lives. By purchasing Tastefully Simple products, you'll be able to make a small impact on the lives of thousands.

How to participate:

Visit: www.tastefullysimple.com/web/tjackson3
Shop, add products to your cart and proceed to checkout
At the checkout screen, click on “Find Host/event” and type in:

First Name: Helpings

Last Name: For Haiti

Just select Helpings for Haiti and complete your checkout process.

Prefer to order by phone? Call 614-547-9757 to place your order.

Questions? Please contact:

Trisha Jackson

Tastefully Simple Independent Consultant

614-547-9757

trisha.r.jackson@gmail.com

New Shoes!

2010-01-20T04:10:00.001-08:00

Delaney has been a wobbly walker for nearly a month now and so I felt that we needed to give her a little more stability. Especially since my growing belly isn't allowing me to carry her as much as I had been in the past. We run around sockless at home which is okay except for the fact that it's really drafty and I'd rather keep a little something on her feet to ward off the chills.

Target's soft soles worked for a while but little did I know how quickly an infant's foot would grow! My 11.5mo old now wears a 5.5 wide after being measured at Stride Rite. Boy, those suckers are expensive. We splurged this time but think we'll have her measured again over the next several months and then shop on ebay. Cousin Diana has pretty big feet as well but as this last year has proved, Delaney may be outgrowing her shoe size rather quickly.

2010-01-20T03:54:00.000-08:00

Every day I come home so very excited to see my baby girl. I get about 1.5 hours to talk with her, play with her an hopefully teach her all I can in that short amount of time while doing those things. While we are so very lucky to have Craig stay home with her, I'm saddened every morning when I have to leave her smiling in his arms.

Weekends are full of activity. I don't mind that nap times can be a wreck - more mommy time for me! We try to get out of the house - even if it's a quick trip to the store for more experiences outside of our living room where she and daddy are cooped up most days since it's so very cold outside and the public is filled with the flu right now.

Then there's also the reality of being a busy working mom. Craig has been amazing when it comes to the housework. I come home to a picked up living room, a clean kitchen (my 2 biggest stressors) and he's also busy getting dinner ready every night after Delaney goes to bed. I'm truly blessed. It's been a really trying year understanding our new "roles" with children now in our lives.

Because I'm a bit OCD when it comes to cleaning, you can pretty much get a sense of what Delaney is "learning" from our time together. I guess it could be worse, right?

2010 Resolutions

2010-01-17T08:02:00.000-08:00

With the Google search appliance apparently STILL not fixed for blog widgets, I can't remember if I've already discussed resolutions.

I typically resolve to not make resolutions but I felt that somehow, this year was different. While there are a lot of things on my "to do" list (as there always is), these 5 seem to bring more peace of mind are will help me focus on what's most important in life in 2010.

Simplify in all ways possible
Decline invites or saying "no" when there's too much going on
Create and stick to a cleaning calendar for more structure
Drama cleanse life
Focus on life's necessities and priorities vs taking advantage of so many indulgences

So far so good. Have been packing things away that we don't use. Craig has done a great job at purging things that he doesn't wear anymore. The Kidney Foundation probably sees our house as a goldmine. I've created a cleaning calendar - that's about as far as I got with that. I've been able to do laundry a little at a time each day and vacuum about every other day now that everyone is cooped up inside during the winter months without any air circulation or the ability to brush the animals outdoors.

Drama cleansing is trickier than I expected. It's next to impossible to resist the urge to reach out and strangle some but I'm getting better at simply ignoring and washing my hands clean. I'm done with the passive aggressive nature in others and can't tolerate the fake front of many. Be honest and real people - you'll be a whole lot happier!

So far, haven't had the necessity to "just say no". It's been a balanced few weeks and things have fallen off the calendar naturally. Perfect!

Signing Times

2010-01-14T04:27:00.000-08:00

I've not done a great job at keeping track of Delaney's progression of signs so this is my attempt to keep them all in one place. It amazes me every time she busts out something new. Craig has finally started his crash course since she signs to him and he has no idea what she's saying :). Can't wait until I start Spanish with her - not sure that daddy will be able to keep up with that one!

Milk
Eat
Food
Water
Hungry
Hat
Shoes
More
All-done
Bath
Hot
Monkey
Dog
Thank you
Please
Book
Clean
Fish
Dad
Mom

C-section Pictures

2010-01-11T18:44:00.000-08:00

WARNING! The link below contains graphic pictures of my C-section. If you have a weak stomach, please stop reading and do not click the link below. I have had several people ask to see pictures of this so for you all, enjoy!

C-section Pictures

Work 3 Nights a Week - Earn $1440/mo

2010-01-11T06:38:00.001-08:00

The Tastefully Simple Income Opportunity

As compared to part time employment at Kohl’s or Target

* 3 nights a week and 4hrs/night

*Average consultant earns $400/party with 30% commissionable sales*

*****

~LIVE THE DREAM~

A client went into their favorite gourmet food store. They had been there several times and finally approached the storeowner. “I have been to your store several times and love your product. I would really like to work here. The only thing I ask is the following:

I would like 30% profit on everything I sell.
When I bring someone in to work for you, I would like 5% of his or her sales.
I would also like sales incentives that include free trips and prizes.
Training once a month to increase my sales would be expected.
I would like recognition when I excel at my work.
I would also like a cash bonus and other incentives for helping find quality people to sell your product.
I’d also like a monthly newsletter to keep me informed about new products, ideas, and motivation.
By the way, I’m not into the 9-5 work hours. I want to set my own schedule and work when I want.
And of course, my family always comes first.

“So when do I start?”

After the storeowner recovered from shock, he roared with laughter. “You can’t be serious! You’re living in a dream world. You will never find an opportunity like that anywhere.”

The story may be fictional, but the opportunity is not. This dream job exists within Tastefully Simple.

The Food You Love - January 2010 Now Available

2010-01-10T19:35:00.001-08:00

If you've not yet received your "The Food You Love" eNewsletter, check your inbox now! Not on the list? Don't miss out. Either message me or drop me an email at trisha.r.jackson@gmail.com

to start receiving this hot monthly update on all things Tastefully Simple.

2 year miscarriage anniversary

2010-01-10T18:19:00.000-08:00

Today marks the 2 year anniversary we lost our first child. I again lit a candle for the day we sent him or her to be with the angels. Hopefully the little one continues to look down on us and prays for a safe arrival of his/her little brother and still loves his little sister who blesses our lives here on Earth, every day.

To this day, I still cry and mourn with those who experience pregnancy loss around me. It brings back so much pain and sorrow. God bless those women who have also experienced such tragedy and may His strength carry those who will experience such heartache in the future, to heal the best they can.

Mommy sheds a tear and we both miss you dearly.

Non-Profits and Charities - Earn Fundraising $

2010-01-08T13:40:00.000-08:00

Looking for a unique way to earn fund raising dollars for your non-profit or charitable cause? Consider a Tastefully Simple party - it's easy, free and will be extremely profitable for your organization! Gift baskets are a nice giveaway (valued at ~$25) but not nearly as "fruitful" as a taste-testing, virtual or catalog party!

Fundraisers can be done a variety of ways. Each type of party will come with their very own Tastefully Simple website for online invitations and link for pre/post party sales. I will also set up a Facebook event for all to share with their friends to help generate awareness and sales.

Benefits of a Tastefully Simple Fundraiser

· 20% of all sales will be donated back to your organization.

· For each additional party booked off of the host party, your organization will earn an additional $10 (after the party is held).

· For anyone that joins my Tastefully Simple team, your organization will earn an additional $25.

· Hosts earn FREE rewards while giving back to your organization!

· Products ship directly to guests so there’s nothing to coordinate afterwards.

Here are a few ideas of what we can do:

Taste Testing Parties

Supporters of your organization can elect to host their own in-home taste testing party. The great part is that the food IS the party. I provide the party food kit for FREE! The host invites their guests, supplies a couple of ingredients, prepares the samples in the food kit and then we party!

Taste-Testing parties are the most profitable for everyone. The average party generates $400 in sales and the hosts earn ~$20 worth of free products. It's EASY to host a party! Invite guests, follow-up with them to remind them of the party date and prepare food that has been provided to you FREE OF CHARGE!

Catalog Parties

Hosts who choose to hold catalog parties will receive 5 catalogs and 15 order forms to capture sales. Catalog parties will last 2 weeks from booking date until close.

Virtual Parties

Virtual parties are all conducted online. As stated above, each party will come with their very own Tastefully Simple website for online invitations and link for pre/post party sales. I will also set up a Facebook event for all to share with their friends to help generate awareness and sales. Supporters are encouraged to email their friends and family, blog about the fundraiser and share the information through whatever social media channel they desire! As long as they use their specific website link, I will be able to accurately track sales that are for the organization's fundraiser.

Contact me today to set up your fundraising event and start earning dollars and products!

Shining Tastefully Simple Sales

2010-01-06T09:51:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I like to toot my own horn these days. I'm feeling accomplished so if no on else will 9-5, I'll do it myself 5-9 :). Check out the sales figures below - I'm #1 amongst the entire team for December! If I can keep up this pace, I'll outperform our top selling sales person. In fact, I've done more in sales in the past 2 months than 5 others have for the entire year :).

Thank you to all of my Tastefully Simple Facebook fans, outstanding customers, gracious hosts and loving friends and family - YOU ARE the reason I've been able to be successful. For that, I'm forever grateful.

The following are excerpts from my Tastefully Simple team's most recent newsletter.

December Tastefully Simple Sales

Fabulous First Line
Trudy Sawyers $1,029.39 - 1st Line Top Team Sales
Candice Smith $948.84
Christi Rusch $50.04

Spectacular Second Line
Trisha Jackson $1,533.43 – 2nd Line Top Team Sales
Angela Blankenship $444.03
Damaris Rodriguez $351.75
Diane Ellis $72.41
Deneen Koehler $43.14

Tremendous Third Line
Kimberly Evans $604.80 – 3rd Line Top Team Sales

PARTY TO SUCCESS. . . Congratulations to Trisha Jackson for completing her Party to Success Segment 2 in December. Trisha also completed Segment 1.

Below are the total team sales for the entire calendar year in 2009….AWESOME!!

Candice Smith $14,642.51
Trudy Sawyers $4,804.78
Angela Blankenship $4,052.82
Trisha Jackson $3,151.49 (Active October 22nd)
Christi Rusch $2,318.32
Damaris Rodriguez $1,052.26
Kimberly Evans $604.80
Diane Ellis $410.75
Deneen Koehler $43.14

For anyone considering becoming a consultant, join my team! My goal for 2010 is to build a team of at least 3 consultants by December 31st. You'll quickly see how easy it is for you to grow just as I have! Just to satisfy your curiosity, this means that I brought in $945 in gross profits in just 2 months. How nice is that for YOUR bottom line?

Bacon Bacon Sample Giveaway!

2010-01-05T19:52:00.001-08:00

Win a FREE Bacon Bacon Sample!

Become a Fan of Tastefully Trish and Suggest to Friends.
Already a Fan? Suggest the Tastefully Trish Fan Page to Other Friends and also earn an entry

Tastefully Trish Facebook Fan Page

Belly Shots - 25 weeks

2010-01-04T18:07:00.000-08:00

I know you're all dying for these as it's been a few weeks since I posted the last set of belly shots. Oddly enough, I'm tracking to gain 11lbs less than I did total with Delaney! This boy is really taking up space in his little abode.

Picture 1: 25 wks #1
Picture 2: 25 wks #2
Picture 3: 32 wks #1

Pregnancy Update: Week 24

2009-12-30T14:17:00.000-08:00

We are right on track to deliver via C-section on April 16th, 2010. One day earlier and we would have been able to nickname Dillon "Tax".

Pregnancy has been par for the course thus far. Tiffany still expects to see this one around 10lbs considering that Delaney was 8.4lbs at 2 weeks early. I'm quite sure Dillon is transverse - not that it means I'm considering a VBAC (vaginal delivering women - you're my hero!), just that I can tell he's laying differently than Delaney was. It's quite possible that Dillon will break my water early since it's already happened. Short body = not enough room for anyone!

I'm tracking to gain about 28-29lbs instead of the 37lbs the 1st go-around. More than likely since I'm lifting 25lbs around the house most evenings and all weekend long. Gotta love strength training! The c-section will be made in the exact same spot where they took Delaney so only one scar - hooray! Can't wait to be off then on maternity leave in the warmer months. Perhaps PPD will stay far far away this time.

Other than my lower back at a constant PITA, that's about it!

Delaney's First Christmas

2009-12-30T12:20:00.000-08:00

My sister recently made a comment that this would be Delaney's 1st and last Christmas by herself. A little sad but she'll have so much fun with Dillon next year as he'll be crawling around like a mad man by then.

We try to have Delaney live a simple life. Santa (eh hem, Grandma) had other plans. Our condo now looks like the elves' workshop exploded and deposited all of the toys in our living room.

Evert-Cox-Jackson Cousins

This is one of the most beautiful pictures I have have seen yet!

Houston, We Have a Walker

2009-12-30T12:14:00.000-08:00

Happy 11 month Birthday, Delaney!

2009-12-30T12:10:00.000-08:00

You've now been in our lives longer than I was pregnant with you - how time flies! You're growing up so very quickly and amazing us each day with words, signs, physical abilities and the love you show us, unconditionally.

One more month and you'll no longer be an infant. 4 more months and you'll no longer be an only child. 15 more years and 1 month and you'll be ::gulp!:: DRIVING!

Here's to you, boo boo. May your day with daddy today be bright and shiny on this snowy day.