Let the day begin!

4.28.11-

Yeah, it's Gourmet Club day!

{I wonder if I'll still be thinking that as they day goes on}

This is what my kitchen looked like this morning at 6:45 a.m.

-pots on the stove- steeping Basil for homemade ice cream

-a GiGANTIC forest of branches w/ pink tissue paper flowers

-glass jars with wheat grass sprouting

-my tall glass of ice water to get me through the morning 

-ice cream maker sitting on the island ready to start churning

{oops... I forgot to put the bowl in the freezer to chill- augh! That mistake cost me a bit of time}

-the kids vitamins on the island waiting to be eaten before they take off for school

-and piles & piles of dishes ready to take over to Nicole's home to set on the dinner table. 

& wanted to show you this awesome metal container I got from my Mom, I {love} it!  So glad she saved it for me. 

{I dumped out some of the wheat because it was really, really old. I didn't know if I could trust making something with the wheat stored inside}

-the joy it gives me to find a NeW use for something old- 

Photos & recipes to come! 

{Wish me LuCK!! I have flatbread to still make & bake, errands to run, flowers to arrange, table to decorate & set-up everything w/ Nicole, which is always fun }

{M}

What I'm wearing Wednesday!

4.27.11-

  Happy day- the sun is shining but baby it's COOOLD outside! 

Oh, well I'll take seeing the sun shine :) 
This is what I wore today- 

- Since the sun was shining I put on my sandals, sun glasses & carpis & hit the town- 

I got to go visit with another sweet friend of mine today who is recovering from a surgery.  She CONSTANTLY amazes me & I ALWAYS walk away from being around her a better person. She is always positive & looking on the bright side of things.  She always uses some thing that is going on in her life as a learning experience & something to learn & grow from. 
{I need to be more like her!}
So glad to have her as my friend- love ya, M!

I got to drop off a custom Baptism frame & #8 that I made to a client. I hope it makes their special day a bit more fun!  Thanks M for being patient with me.  

Then I hit the Sonic drive through to order 2 bags of Sonic Ice

{yes, you can buy their delicious ice & have it at home- love!} 

I've hosting Gourmet Club tomorrow night with my friend, Nicole & having the ice is a MUST! 

I didn't just want to order ice so I got a Diet Coke w/ coconut & lime to try since a fellow blog friend of mine raves about it all the time. 

{Yes, that means my Diet Coke free streak is over- but going 3 months is pretty good!} 

It was yummy!

Well I'm off to bake, finish up some decorating touches, make place cards & make some basil ice cream in preparation for Fresh & Flavorful Gourmet night. 

{can't wait to share all the details & recipes with you soon!}

{M}

Feeling grateful today.... for FRieNDS!

4.26.11- 

I taped Oprah's best friends episode & watched it last night. She had Gail on with her & was showing clips of times they have been on the show together. I was laughing & laughing!  It made me think about all the wonderful, amazing & inspiring friends I have in my life & how grateful I am for all of them. 

{Just wanted to share a couple of them with you today}

I got to spend the day with my sweet friend Cory down in Ut. County today.  Our family was lucky enough to build our 1st home & move in on 50 W. right down the street from the Dean family in Layton.  Even though we both moved away from that subdivision we have still stayed in touch. She has been such a fun friend over the years & her family puts up with my sports enthusiasm as I torture them during College Basketball season. It is always a fun couple of months between the Quigleys & the Deans. 

{GO DUKE} 

 So glad there is email, cell phones & texting so I can stay in touch with her when they move back East in a couple of months.  Sad to see them go but excited to think about traveling back to see them one day & going antiquing with Cory around the Ohio countryside.  

-blurry picture- dang it, oh well that's what I get for not taking the Canon along with me for the day- 

We 1st hit one of our FaVORITE stores in Orem- 
The Gatehouse

{or as I like to still call it- Evans} 

then we went to the Busy Biddy

checked out Alice Lane 

Flour girls & Dough Boys for lunch 

Dippidee   for some delicious cupcakes

{I got the little devil chocolate cupcake} 

 and then a stop at Dear Lizzy in Highland

Whew... what a fun day!  
We tried to stop at Star Mill & Finders Keepers in A.F. 

but they were closed- dang it!! 

So grateful to have met her all those years ago & to still be able to consider her one of my dear friends.  I can't believe she now has a senior ready to graduate & go on a mission.  Wow, where does the time go?  She SAVED me in church all those years ago with A&E when they were teeny tiny & Tyler was busy in church callings.  I don't know what I would have done without Cory Dean. She even set me home today with a jar of Strawberry & Apricot freezer jam- she's amazing! 
 Thanks Cory!! 

Then I came home turned on my computer to see an email from my fabulous friend, Rachel, who is an amazing photographer.  She just announced dates for her Spring Sessions  {Here}     
-this is one of her darling girls- 

I'm lucky to have her living right in my backyard.
{Aren't backdoor neighbors the best?- especially when they bring you a bowl full of yummy cantaloupe & watermelon last night for a after dinner snack - yum!}
I love having friends & neighbors that know they can come up to my backdoor anytime.   So looking forward to warmer weather & sitting out on the porch & watching our kids play in the sprinkler this Summer.

{IF warmer weather ever gets here- augh!}

and.......
I've also been asked to write a guest post for my friend Lesa's blog. It's all about everything music, which if you know me well you know that I adore music too. {love it!}

She always has something wonderful to share on her blog. 

My 1st guest post- I'm very excited!!    
{more info. to come about that- wish me luck I'm writing a post for Friday the 13th} 

I just love having wonderful friends in my life & 
all they do to make me a better person.  
I'm always inspired by them all. 

{M}

How to Post a comment 101

4.24.11-
 

  Ok, since I have so many people tell me that they love reading & following my blog but they don't know how to post a comment so I thought I would try to help.

{just so you all know that I don't consider myself techno-savvy at all}

I helped my Mom figure it out this weekend & realized a couple of things.

1- It seems easier to leave a comment if you are a follower of the blog- but you don't have to be.

{it seems to recognize your acct. better for some reason}

**So for all my Mom's friends out there who I know check & read my blog- become a follower!
Becoming a follower is easy too- Just click on the follower button

2-  Click on comments at the bottom of the post to pull up this picture. When you type in a comment you have to select a name/acct. from the comment as drop down menu.

{FYI- if you have a Gmail acct. it is Google you want to select}

If you do this correctly you will have to type in a word to verify your post.

{if you never get to this point- it hasn't posted the comment, even if you think it did}

{so in my attempt to help everyone I  messed up- I copied & pasted a picture of the comment box so everyone could see it & it linked it to an older post.  So thanks to those you posted today & it posted to the What a Day post- totally my fault! I read the comments though, the problem is fixed so post away!}

3- When all else fails you can leave a comment as anonymous 
{by selecting anonymous from the comment as menu}
but I would love to know who is leaving me the message so if can leave me your first name or initials at lest I would appreciate that.

You will want to know how to do this in the weeks ahead because I am going to be giving away some GooD STuFF leading up to 
 The Hive No. 4 
coming May 19th & 20th. 

-what better way to practice than leaving a comment or 2-

{hint, hint}
Don't by shy- give it a try!!

If you have any other helpful hints for friends out there trying to leave a comment, please let me know. 
I'm sure there are some computer smartie pants out there!!

-photo taken by Miss Mace. Daffodils on the ground, dark clouds in the sky & snow in the mountains
must be Utah Springtime-

Happy Monday start to a wonderful week!

{M}

11 Clothes pins+ an old army hat= 5 lucky Swap winners!

4.20.11-

Just saw that the winners for the 365 Odds & Ends Swap were drawn a few minutes ago & I wanted everyone to

check it out.

{Here}

a BIG THaNKS to all of you who entered.  So many of you mentioned you had found our {Cultivate} blog from my blog & I really appreciate it.  It was nice to see your comments. 

{**Now- don't feel bashful about leaving a comment on my BLoG! ;) hint,hint**}

Have a wonderful day everyone!

{M}

What a day!

4.20.11-

  Yesterday I had a full day of running errands & such.

{just one of those days to get sooo much done}

-First stop was to DownEast  to enjoy 25% off {everything}-YiPPee!

-Target run for Easter Candy

-Trip to drop-off stuff at the DI & then of coarse go see if I could find any bargains

{lets just say that a local HS was cleaning out their drill team costumes & my girls now have 3 fun sparkly dress ups to play with}
-grabbed a #4 on wheat for lunch at Jimmy Johns
{so good- my Fav. & it's healthy too- have to get the wheat bread-yumm!}
-Costco run
{got chocolate covered blueberries- so tasty for the drive home}
& then home in time for M, A&E to walk through the door home from school.

While I was shopping at DownEast I spotted a red leather chair that I have had my eye on for some time now with a BIG red sign on it that said Clearance {isn't that the best!} +  25% off = we'll take it!


Got it home & placed it here. It fit perfectly but just needed something else to go along with it.

So I looked through all my basement cupboards & found some frames with family pictures in them decide to use my great consignment find frame {that I hadn't made into a chalkboard yet} got out the fantastic 3M frame mounting strips {if you don't have these in your home RUN to the store, get some to put in your junk drawer- they are the BeST!} stuck everything up on the wall & wah-lah!

I love it!  My kids are enjoying this new little spot too.  
It felt great to start a project & complete it all within a couple of hours- yeah! 


Despite it being a bit chilly outside it was a fabulous day inside!
{M}



-anxiously awaiting to see who the LuCKY 5 winners to the 365 Swap will be. My friend Haley will be announcing it later today  {Exciting!!}-

Look how cute!

4.17.11-

Just wanted to share some pics that I got in an email from one of my blog follower friends.
{I enjoy hearing from you that follow, stalk or just read my blog-
I {heart}comments & feedback!} 

She loved the {Faux} bunny decorating idea I shared last week that she went right out in search for some herself.  When she couldn't find any chocolate ones she decided to make due with what she did have.

She painted, sanded & painted & sanded until she got these little beauties

Ta-da!  Don't they look scrumptious?

Way to go A!  They look fabulous & you're a much better person than I am because I would be too lazy to go through all that work.
They look delicious!

Thanks for inspiring me to make my own Faux Chocolate friends when I can't find any in the store.

By the way I enjoyed running into so many of you at the Scraps of Simplicity market this weekend. Seeing you all & doing some shopping on the side made my day!

{M}

**Don't forget to enter for a chance to win an invite to the
365 odds & ends Swap next month
{you have until Wednesday at Midnight}
-go HERE for all the details-
**thanks to everyone who has entered from my blog already**

My Saturday plans

4.13.11-

Yeah- NO soccer games to go this weekend so I'm off bright & early to do some shopping. 

  Headed to this Market that only comes around 2x a year to try & get some of this-

Look at all that cute stuff!

{there is LOTS more where that came from too- believe me}

This Market is hosted by my sweet friend Sheryl & her daughter Karah.

They make  & find the greatest stuff.  I wanted to share with you a few of my favorite finds from the

Market over the years.



-Our own personal eye chart. When I saw this a year ago I just fell in love with it even though I didn't know what to do with it.  It has been a great accessory in our home!-



-My scalloped garland I got last Fall- LOVE this! 
I think it is the perfect thing to float above my chocolate bunnies-

I wonder what I'll find this time that I just can't live without.

Maybe I'll see you there.

{go HERE for all the Market details}

{M}

A 365 Swap Invite GiVEAWAY!

4.15.11-

 I am so excited to announce this contest! 
{Eeeee!!}

  My {Cultivate}friends & I have been busy thinking up  another round of our 365 Swap this time just in time for Spring. We've been busy planning, making decorations & such.  We had so much fun in the Fall we didn't want to wait another year to host another one. We thought Spring would be the perfect time when you are in the mood to Spring clean & get rid of a few items that have lying around that are still in good condition but just not loved or used by

you anymore.

  You may remember reading about the 365 Swap

on my blog last year.

{go HERE to read all about it & see what it is all about}

We talked it over & thought that since it is by invite only it would be fun to give 5 lucky people a chance to come just by leaving a comment on our Cultivate Blog. 

All you have to do is go here, leave a comment & tell us from who's blog you found it or how you heard about the Swap & we'll randomly draw out 5 lucky people to mail an invite too with all the details of when & where the Swap will be.

FYI- the Swap is going to be in the evening on Thursday May 5th

{just so you know- if you enter make sure you can come}

Also I will let you know later where you can "tune"-in to see all the "Swappy" details - wink, wink!}

If you have a passion for finding a great bargain, are junky at heart, enjoy yummy food & sweets & like to met fabulous new friends

{who just all happen to love the same things you do }

then hop on over to the Cultivate Blog & enter
the contest. 
{you have until Midnight on Wednesday April 20th to enter!!}
-the winners will be announced Thursday April 21st- 

Be sure to tell them {M}elissa sent you.

Maybe I'll see a few of you at the Swap!!

{sure do hope so- GooD LuCK!} 

{M}

1 lb. of candy lighter ..........

4.12.11-

{Thanks to my Easter Bunny helper for picking the winner before she hopped on down the trail to the bus stop this morning}

Candice-

{send me your address please so I can send the goodies your way}Congratulations! 

I hope you enjoy your yummy, sweet, chocolately, gooey, sugary, lovely Easter treat goodie bag. 

CAUTION- the candy is so cute you may not want to even eat it.

You could tell all your family friends it is Faux candy if you want-

just like the adorable Chocolate bunnies- haha!

Enjoy & thanks to everyone who entered!

{M}

**I'll be back on Friday to announce ANOTHER exciting contest-wa-hoo!**

-be sure to check back for more info.-

A few of my friends & a GiVeAWAY!

4.9.11-

Every year I love getting these

{Faux- French for fake} Chocolate Bunnies out & display them on my cake stands for Easter.

{plus they are the best kind- non fattening!!}

Aren't they adorable & charming? 

I always like to see how many people I can fool during the month of April with these little guys.

{& believe me there have been a few in the past who have tried to take a nibble or two}  

Because I had too much on my plate last month 

{mainly PTSO school projects}

I just couldn't bring myself to schedule a Hive before Easter. So I have a 10 lb. box of the cutest Easter candy sitting on my counter top & I have to give some of it away!!

Mix includes:

-chocolate foil eggs

-creme shaped eggs, bunnies & chicks

- pastel holland mints {my favorite}

-gummy eggs covered in sprinkles

-& of coarse jelly beans.

If you would like a chance to receive this

1 lb. bag of tasty treats in the mail leave me a comment & I'll ship it your way next week.

{adorable little chocolate bunny NOT included- he's mine!}

You have until Monday the 11th at Midnight to enter, winner will be announced Tuesday & the candy delievered or shipped on Wendsday.

-Also check out my friend

Leila Bird's blog for a chance to win a darling candy jar to put your candy in- 

Go here for more details.

-BONUS-

I just learned that another couple of friends

{Sheryl & Karah} are having a giveaway here too!

{Isn't having friends the best?}

Wishing for Springtime weather

{I'm so over all the snow!}

{M}

 oh, & one more exciting thing-

 The{Summertime}Hive

coming

May 19th & 20th - more info. to come! 

& last but not least...

4.6.11-

The one who has been with me the longest-

Macey Lou
{her Grandma GG thinks she has the cutest name}

What to say about this one.  She is so talented {if I say so myself}  She has always loved music & singing.  When she was 2 1/2 years old she would sit down with me & watch the ENTIRE Sound of Music

{our favorite movie}

She also went to see Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat when she was 3 & was completely mesmerized.

{I mean who does that??}
I'm glad we share a common bond of love for music together.

 She has turned into quite the talented chef in our home & we all love it!  She can whip up the best egg McMacey's for breakfast, french toast, cupcakes{complete with decadent frosting}for an afternoon treat & any kind of Mexican food you want {with lots & LOTS of spices!} 

She likes everything blackened & with lots

of pepper. 

-a MLQ design & photo-

She is developing an interest in photography & loves creating flower arrangements.  I love it during the Summer because she is always making an arrangement for the kitchen table from flowers in our yard.

She also likes to sew & design clothes & also enjoys playing Basketball & Volleyball.

-some note cards she designed & sold last year

 she's a wonderful artist &  

has 2 best little buddies{Hy & Walter}
next door that she loves to play, babysit & just plain spend time with.  

- Mace & Walt-

She is a great student

{just made the honor roll again & got a role in her drama class play- Congrats Mace}

& is a typical Tween-ager.

{with a messy room & lots of these kind of photos on
the camera}

Every time I go into her room & see drawers left open, clothes on the floor, closet wide open & her bed unmade I get a little upset.  But then I have to realize that I am grateful for an amazing daughter who gets up every morning on her own at 6:20 a.m, gets all ready, comes upstairs bright & early each morning ready for school.

So I need to look at it as having a glass half empty or half-full? 

I would have to say all the way full! :)
{love you Mace!} 

{M}

{thanks for letting me share these 3 joys with you all. So glad I get to be their Mom}

My little determined one!

4.5.11-

{I better post about my other girls so there isn't a problem! ;)}

This is my youngest daughter {by 2 minutes} Emily.

 She is almost as opposite as opposite can be from her twin sister.  She is a hard worker, likes everything to be done in order & the RIGHT way, sticks to a job until it is done & LOVES neatness & order.  As much as she likes to work hard she loves to play just as hard. She can be outside with her friends for hours just playing & playing.

She is a determined little girl when she sets her mind to something it is as good as done.  For example- she has been a member of team Fuzion this year at tumbling.  She was asked to try out for the team by her teacher last year.  She has worked hard & participated in 3 competitions so far this year. She placed 7th at her first competition  & 3rd at one in February. As we were getting in the car to go home she said, 

"I'm going to get 1st place next time"

& what do you know- at her competition 2 weeks ago she walked away with 1st place!

-Way to go Em!! -

She loves school, doing back handsprings & collecting anything & everything.

{rocks, feathers, gum wrappers & pencils just to

name a few}

She likes to have a clean room {unlike her sister} she decided it would be cute to put her marble collection in an old gumball machine we had-
I thought it was pretty clever.

I'm grateful to have 2 little girls, that arrived in our home at the same time, but are their own unique person with their own likes & dislikes & terrific personalities.  It makes life fun & interesting for sure!

{M}