MY FIRST GIVEAWAY: Plum District

Have you guys heard of Plum District?It's an awesome website that daily deals in your local area. I had the opportunity to meet some contributors to this website at the Breathing Space  bloggers retreat. The consultant was amazingly nice and you could tell she really loved what she does. The deals change every few days. Here are some of the deals they have going on now for the Salt Lake area:

{pic via Plum District}
$12 for a dozen gourmet cupcakes from One Sweet Appetite (a $24 value)

{pic via Plum District}
$18 for $30 worth of Downloadable designs from Silhouetteonlinestore.com

Giveaway Time:
I have TWO Plum District cards worth $10 each (no minimum purchase required). I will be picking two winners since it says one per household. Must be US mailing address. They expire June 30, 2012. Giveaway will close Thursday May 11th at 10:01 PM. Winners will be announced Friday and expected to respond within 48 of e-mail or else another winner will be chosen. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


*I was in no way compensated for this post. All opinions are my own.

Breathing Space Retreat

I was so fortunate to win a spot at the bloggers Breathing Space Retreat at Daybreak last weekend from EclecticMamma . This was the first year it was put on and I so needed a break. Housing and classes were held at the model homes at Daybreak. It was a gorgeous setting

I'm the one in the dark blue. I seem to be having a good time.

Pictures by Jenny K Photography

Here was the model home I got to stay in:

I loved my house. Especially my room because it was the master bedroom. The shower was huge and when I say huge I mean it:

Yep, that's 5 bloggers in my shower. It was a CRAZY weekend if you know what I mean!

Overall, I had an awesome time. This week I'll be going over some of the speaker, sponsors, and swag I got in my swag bag. Unfortunately, I have to go over the one thing that I wasn't impressed with as well. 

9 Salon at Daybreak was giving out a free hairstyle, manicure, or wax to all the Breathing Space attendees. I decided to do a simple 50's style hair like this:

I was told repeatedly that they would get my hair "really close" to the picture. After an hour and a half this is what my hair looked like:

Is that ANYTHING like the picture? I'll let you decide. I would have been very unhappy if I had paid for that. Luckily, I went to my mother's house close by and did damage control. This is what I looked like after half an hour with a curling iron:

The one positive thing I can say about the salon was that the hairstylist was very nice. I just didn't get the results I wanted and won't be going back there again.

See you soon with more posts about the Breathing Space Retreat!

Treating others with kindness

I would love to share some of my random thoughts with you. We had a thought-provoking lesson in church today and my good friend Ivy shared an amazing quote:

He drew a circle that shut me out —
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
But Love and I had the wit to win:
We drew a circle that took him in.
From the poem " Outwitted” ― Edwin Markham

I'm glad she took the time to explain it because poetry is NOT my forte. So, there is this other guy (He) that draws a circle and calls me names and shuts me out of his circle. But Love and I outwitted him and drew our own circle that included him.

There were a lot of time in my youth that I felt shut out by peers and had a hard time getting over it. I didn't know that I'd enjoy growing older and gaining so much wisdom. Now, I try my best to understand where others are coming from, understand that people are struggling, and just try to take what they say to me in the best possible way. I understand there are just plain mean people but letting them get you down is not going to sent you in the right direction in life.

I'm always amazed when these cliche phrases come to play in my life. "Don't let them get you down" or "Just let it roll off you back" truly have meaning and are great pieces of advice. God loves us and wants us to do our best in life. Love opens doors that we could never open ourselves. I don't feel like I hold grudges anymore, but sometimes I'm less likely to try and get to know people if I feel intimidated by them. I KNOW that if I try to get to know them and let go of my own fears of being rejected, I'll be able to get to know and love these people.

That's all. Thanks for listening.

Color Me Rad 5K

I'm not a runner by any means, but when the Breathing Space Blogger Retreat was giving us a entry to the Color Me Rad 5K, I jumped on it.

What is the Color Me Rad 5K? Basically volunteer pelt you with color while you run a 5K. It's pure awesome. Here are the pics:

We so want to do this next year!

French Dip Cresent Rolls

I've never wanted to put forth the effort it takes to make a french dip sandwich. When I saw this recipe from Mama Love Food, I was excited to try it. Simple ingredients and the easy directions makes this one a quick winner in our book! My husband was so excited to each these and was just overjoyed to get a french dip sandwich.


French Dip Crescent Ingredients:

2 packages crescent rolls, 8 count
1 pound deli roast beef, thinly sliced
4 ounces Swiss or provolone cheese, cut in 16 equal sized pieces
optional: Horseradish Sauce OR Dijon mustard
optional: Au Jus for dipping

French Dip Crescent Directions:

Unroll crescents onto a large cookie sheet.
Spread a small dab of horseradish on each crescent, then place a slice of roast beef and a piece of cheese on each crescent.
Roll crescents starting from the wide end and ending at the narrow end.
Bake at 375 degrees for 11 to 13 minutes, until crescents are a golden color.
Serve with Au Jus and enjoy!