Thursday, November 11, 2010

Aloha Friday - New Dog






Welcome to this week’s edition of Aloha Friday. Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response. If you’d like to participate, just post your own question on your blog . Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the Mr. Linky there if you are participating.

One day I am going to get back to regular blogging.  I actually miss it.  But for now, I'm going to focus on the new dog we got today :)




We think his name will be Hunter, but we aren't 100% yet.  Do you think Hunter is a good name?  Do you have a better idea?

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Santa Barbara Axxess Blogging...Year 2 #1

My town, Santa Barbara, has their own book like the Entertainment Books. It is $30 each year and starts on Oct 1. These books have tons of discounts on golf, retail stores, restaurants, amusement parks and more.

Last year, I was determined to use my card more than the 6 times I had used it the year before.  Unfortunately, I already threw away my old card so I don't know exactly how many times I used it.  I do know I achieved my goal though!

This year, I want to take even more advantage.  I have already bought movie passes, in anticipation of saving money at the movie theater!

And...I already went to my first restaurant and got my first punch.  My mom, dad, and I went to China Pavilion on Chapala.  They are on the fancier side, a bit expensive, but have delicious food.  The Axxess offer is Buy 2 Entrees, Get 1 Free.  We ordered Pine Nut Fish, Beef & Broccoli, and Lemon Chicken.  They were all great!  We all shared, but I ate a ton of the Lemon Chicken.  It was like a fancy chicken tender in yummy lemon sauce!  I would have eaten a lot more of the fish if it was in big pieces instead of little cut up ones.  And  beef isn't my thing...but the broccoli and sauce were great!

We saved close to $15 and went home very satisfied.  I would highly recommend China Pavilion!

Monday, October 11, 2010

Apple-A-Day Giveaway

If you want to add to your own apple pie baking knowledge and materials, check out the fun Apple-A-Day Giveaway sponsored by Pillsbury and Taste of Home at http://www.tasteofhome.com/Apple-a-Day-Giveaway from September 15 to October 15, you can enter for a chance to win a grand prize of $1,000, as well as pass along the fun to other friends. Each time you enter, you also have a chance at winning daily prizes. If you want to share this giveaway on your blog, simply provide the link.

Pillsbury provided me with the information through MyBlogSpark.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Duncan Hines Decadent Cakes Review



As you know from my blog, I love to cook!  I especially love to bake.  I am always on the lookout for great mixes to save time, and was really happy to get the opportunity to review this new line of decadent cakes from Duncan Hines.

The first cake I made was the Duncan Hines Decadent Apple Caramel cake with real apples and rich caramel.  The box came with a pouch that contained the real caramel and apple that you later mix into the cake mix.


You just add a bit of milk, oil, and eggs and voila, cake batter!  The caramel mix-in smelled soooooo sweet!

The second cake I made was the Duncan Hines Triple Chocolate cake with real chocolate chunks and rich fudge.  Again, there were two pouches.  One with the cake mix and one with the yummy mix-ins.



The apple cake pre-cooked

The chocolate cake pre-cooked.

They cooked up in just under 30 minutes, and they came out of the oven perfectly!



The cakes were super light and fluffy!  It was really fun to bite into the special mix-ins - and the mix-ins were so plentiful that you got some in every bite!!!!!  The super sweet mix-ins were a great complement to the not as sweet cake.

I'm so glad I got to do this yummy review!!!!

This post was written for Family Review Network and Duncan Hines.  Thank you to Duncan Hines for providing the complimentary products for review in exchange for my honest opinion.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Kroger GC Winner


WTG 

TXsunlover said...
96

I'm an email subscriber!
proudyaya04 {at} xxx {dot} com

Friday, September 3, 2010

Wrong Date

An interesting thing happened today.  I texted my friend to say I couldn't wait to see him in 12 hours.  His reply was...Sunday is 36 hours away.  We had a miscommunication about when our plans were, and he is busy tomorrow :(

Has anything like this ever happened to you before?  I'm really bummed!

Thursday, September 2, 2010

So Close!

I almost missed blogging today!  Good thing I had nothing to think about on my way home..and remembered I needed to blog!

I am failing at dieting, but doing a great job of using my Axxess card some more.  For lunch today, I went to South Coast Deli.  South Coast Deli has hot and cold sandwiches, paninis, salads, and the friendliest staff!  Their offer is Buy 1, Get 1 free.  We saved about $8.00.  I got the Mexican Chicken Caesar.  It's the best salad anywhere!!!!  My mom got a Roast Beef Jalapeno Panini.  We both loved our lunches!  We even have leftovers for tomorrow!

And then for dinner tonight, we went to Cody's.  They offer Buy 1 entree, Get 1 50% off.  We saved about $5.00.  Cody's has salads, Mexican food, pastas, entrees, burgers, and a great bar (where a close friend of mine works).  I think my mom got the Hot Roast Turkey dinner.  I got something called the Yater's Sandwich.  It is turkey, bacon, avocado, and jack cheese on grilled sourdough.  Delicious!!!!

I am going to breakfast with an old friend from high school in the morning...and then I'm going to make some attempt at eating healthy...until our holiday BBQ on Saturday LOL

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

SB Axxess...and other things

I was blogging really regularly while on my trip to Idaho, and then my laptop was dropped and everything went "to the birds" (because I can't cuss in public and feel good about it).

But my new laptop just got here, and I really want to try to blog more.  I am really behind on product reviews, giveaways, book reviews, and letting anyone know what is going on with my life.  So, I am going to try to have a blog post up every day.  I might blog every day, or I might pre-write a post for each day...but it's going to happen.

On to the "meat" of my post...the restaurant review.  As everyone knows, I bought an Axxess card this year with the hopes of using it more than last year.  Since I looooooove email so much, I am signed up for their emails.  Every time a new merchant signs up, I get an email.  My latest email advertised that if you pre-ordered a 2011 Santa Barbara Axxess book, you could come pick up a copy of the 2010 one, and get to re-do all the great 2 for 1 offers on a new punchcard.  I love 2 for 1, so I immediately pre-ordered.  I picked up my new/old book a few days ago.  And tonight, we decided to re-visit Pastavino.  They offer buy one entree, get one free (up to $10)

Pastavino in Goleta is kind of your typical Italian restaurant with salad, pasta, pizza, sandwiches, entrees and more.  Oh, and they have the best garlic bread!

My mom ordered Lobster Ravioli in a sun-dried tomato tarragon sauce.  She thought it was delicious.  I ordered a Caesar salad to start, that was delicious.  For my entree, I decided to try something called "Chicken Panserotti".  I had never heard of it before and it sounded good.  It is listed on the menu as shredded chicken, mozzarella and corn wrapped in pasta with your choice of sauce.  When it came to the table, it had TONS of mushrooms in it.  I HATE mushrooms.  I wish they had advertised that on the menu.  So when the waitress came back, I asked if I could get it without mushrooms.  Unfortunately, they come pre-made, so I had to order gnocchi in pesto sauce.  Thankfully, this was just scrumptious, and was a very generous portion.

When the waitress brought the bill, she didn't acknowledge the Axxess card.  She then told us they use the card AFTER you give them your credit card.  And the new receipt...didn't show how the new bill was broken down, it was just a credit card receipt with a new total.  WEIRD.  That didn't happen last time.

In my last review, the service was pretty slow, but the food was delicious.  Now because of our new and different problems, I would dare to say that they are still having some issues (the menu lists ingredients...but not all of them).  But, the food is great!  I would still recommend this restaurant to people, but I might suggest asking about the menu if you have food pickiness like I do.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

OLD

I just logged onto Yahoo Messenger - and the front news story was about Macaulay Culkin's birthday.  He's 30!!!!!!!  He was a child star when I was a kid...and I thought he was so much older and more mature than me!

Guess what????

He's only 30!!!!  I'll be there in 3 years!!!!  OMG how can someone who I thought of as so much older than me be the same age as me???????

Happy Birthday, Macaulay Culkin!  But can you please stop aging so quickly???????

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Movie Mania!

I feel like I am on a movie watching spree!  I have gone to 3 movies this week!  I saw Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Dinner for Schmucks, and Step Up 3D.

For whatever reason, I seem to really enjoy movies based off of comic books.  This was no exception.  I freaking love Michael Cera.  I know he always plays the same role, but so what?  Don't we typecast tons of actors and actresses?  He is completely adorable and plays his role so well.  I also really enjoyed the girl who played Ramona, she was great!  The plot was great, the movie was a ton of fun, and I would highly recommend it if you're at all nerdy and want to be amused.

I had heard terrible reviews about Dinner for Schmucks, but the previews looked funny and I love Paul Rudd, so I found a friend to see it with me.  After reading the terrible reviews, I was worried that they had shown all of the funny parts in the trailer.  I was so happy to be wrong!  The movie had a ton more funny parts.  It was incredibly silly and the humor was beyond ridiculous, but it was so much fun!  I walked out of the theater glad I had gone.

I had also not heard great things about Step Up 3D, but it had a lot of the dancers from So You Think You Can Dance so I wanted to see it.  The dance sequences were beyond amazing.  Every dancer in that movie was more talented than I could comprehend (although there were a few dance doubles).  The plot was not great by any means, but it was alright.  If you're into dance, watch this movie.  Otherwise, feel free to take a pass on this one.

Whew, I'm exhausted just from blogging about all of the movies I've seen.  Have any of you seen a good movie recently?  Any recommendations?

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Trip to the Dog Pound/Shelter

I don't think I have blogged about it, but we have been looking for a new dog for a few months now.  Our local shelters are all no-kill.  We have been looking and looking, but just haven't found a dog we all agree on. 

My mom was talking to a friend of hers who used to volunteer at one of the local shelters, and this friend suggested we look in some of the neighboring cities or by my grandparents in Los Angeles, as those shelters all have fairly quick "kill" times.

So yesterday, off we trekked to the shelter in San Pedro.  While speaking to a woman who works there, I was struck with an interesting thought.  Is it better to euthanize a dog who isn't getting adopted?  Is it better to have a dog live years (or all) of its life in a small kennel?  The shelters in Santa Barbara seem to think euthanizing just isn't ever acceptable.  This girl in San Pedro seemed to think it was beyond cruel to keep a dog in a cage its whole life, and said they can go crazy and what not.

I'm at a loss as to what to think now.  I see both sides.

What do you think?

Friday, August 13, 2010

Kroger Giveaway and Add Up the Savings Event

As we all know, grocery shopping can be really expensive!


But right now, Kroger stores are having an “Add Up the Savings” Event. Stock up on your favorite General Mills and Kimberly Clark brands. From August 8 through August 21, when you buy 8 participating items from any Kroger store, you’ll receive $4 off of your purchase. Some of the great participating brands include: Cheerios, Yoplait Yogurt, Pillsbury Cookies and Biscuits, Kleenex, Huggies, Betty Crocker Brownies, Cottonelle, and Lucky Charms.


In addition to these great savings, be sure to take advantage of the special Bonus Box Tops Offers and get a jumpstart on helping the participating school of your choice this year.

All you have to do, if you haven’t already, is register at www.RewardYourSchool.com. Once you register, you will automatically receive 5 Bonus Box Tops just for signing up! You will also receive custom offers for Bonus Box Tops for purchasing participating products.

These great offers are:

* Buy any 4 Box Tops products and get 10 Bonus Box Tops

* Buy any 8 Box Tops products and get 25 Bonus Box Tops

The offers you select will then load onto your Kroger Shopper Card to be redeemed once you purchase the items. It’s extra easy because there’s no clipping! Just remember to scan your Kroger Shopper Card and the Bonus Box Tops will automatically go straight the participating school of your choice.

I will definitely be heading over to our local Ralph's to take advantage of this awesome deal!

To buy anything you didn't get during the Add Up The Savings event, I am giving away a $25 gift card to the Kroger family of stores (which includes Kroger, Ralph’s, King Soopers, City Market, Dillons, Smith’s, Fry’s, QFC, Baker’s, Owen’s, Jay C Food Stores, Hilander, Gerbes, Food4Less, Pay Less Super Markets and Scott’s Food and Pharmacy)

For your first (and mandatory) entry into this contest, please say at least 2 of the items listed above that you would like to purchase.   Please make sure to leave your email address in your comments.

To earn extra entries you can (please leave a comment for each additional entry):

1) Become a follower of my blog or let me know if you already follow (you must follow publicly, I have to be able to see you, let me know your username)

2) Become an email subscriber of my blog or let me know if you already subscribe

3) Blog about this contest (and comment with the url)

4) Mention this giveaway on facebook with a link to this post (comment with your facebook name) 

5) Add my button to your sidebar (and comment with the url)

6) Follow my Becca's Contest List blog

7) Follow me on twitter and tweet about the contest using "@sbshortie Win $25 Kroger GC! http://beccasbackyard.blogspot.com/2010/08/kroger-giveaway-and-add-up-savings.html" (comment with your twitter name and the url of your tweet)

8) Become my friend on Facebook (click here and comment with your facebook name)

This contest is open to anyone with a US mailing address that is 18+. Contest ends Friday, August 20th at 11:59 pm pacific time. Winner will be picked and notified by email shortly after.

The Kroger Family of Stores gift card, information, and giveaway were all provided by The Kroger Family of Stores, General Mills, and Kimberly Clark through MyBlogSpark.

Friday, August 6, 2010

Crafting Mama Coming to Nintendo DS in October


Release Date: October 26, 2010


Overview
Mama returns in an entirely new experience that will challenge your creativity. Join Mama and her award-winning formula of addictive, stylus-based activities as you sew, mold, paint, cut and much more. Crafting Mama is the only dedicated crafting game that features 40 different craft projects so you make a new creation every time!

Features
  • The latest addition to the best selling franchise: nearly 7 million games sold!
  • Use your stylus as your master crafting tool as you sew, glue, fold, cut, pin, paint and much more
  • Includes 40 different projects across a huge variety of crafts: make aprons, mini Mama dolls, paper airplanes, birdhouses, patchwork quilts, earrings, boomerangs, mugs, candles, kaleidoscopes, flower decorations, xylophones, and so much more!
  • Use your creations to accessorize Mama or play a mini-game. Sew an apron for Mama to wear, fly a paper airplane you’ve freshly folded and more!
  • Create your own unique craft by choosing your materials, colors and patterns
  • How your creation ultimately looks depends on how well you perform each step of the activity—get a different result every time!
  • Mama will award you bronze, silver and gold medals based on how well you made your craft
  • Explore Mama’s Gallery where you can interact with items in her living room
  • 2 player play lets you craft with a friend
  • Share the Apron craft with a friend who does have a Crafting Mama game card wirelessly!


I am really excited for this game, as any generation can play it.  Grandmas, moms, and kids/grandkids can all enjoy this...or you can play alone!






And one more cool thing...


The time is NOW to go online and play the game thousands of people are playing, Unlock the tC Road Trip, an 8 week, virtual road trip that takes players on an interactive trek across the U.S.  Not only do players have the chance to win a 2011 Scion tC, they are also eligible to win one of over 140 daily prizes being awarded including Flip camcorders, speakers, a Nintendo DSi and much more.

We’d love for you to share this fun and exciting summer game with your readers. To play, all you have to do is go to http://www.unlockthetc.com, register, and begin the road trip.

A brand new Scion tC and loads of ‘Instant Win’ prizes await!


Thursday, July 29, 2010

Aloha Friday #27


Welcome to this week’s edition of Aloha Friday. Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response. If you’d like to participate, just post your own question on your blog . Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the Mr. Linky there if you are participating.


My question this week is: When grocery shopping, do you purposely add perishable items to your cart last?  Do you put them away first when you get home?

My mom taught me to do both, so I always have.  I was amazed last weekend at my grandparents' house when they asked for my help to put away barely cold items like yogurt and milk.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Guys and Dolls

We had been planning to spend this weekend at my grandparents' house for a long time now.  I scheduled in a haircut, we talked about dinner (because every meal has to be planned for) and then I brought up seeing Guys and Dolls.  I am facebook friends with a guy I carpooled with in elementary school, and he is the drama director of the local high school (where I would have gone if I had stayed living there).  My sister did theatre in high school, so we love seeing high school plays, especially musicals.

It was soooooooooooooooooo good.  I was so impressed!  I had never seen Guys and Dolls before, nor had I seen a play at this high school, so I had no expectations whatsoever.  The story is really really good.  I love old fashioned times like that.  And the kids did an amazing job!  They were all so talented.  Unfortunately, the lead role of Sky had an emergency appendectomy, so they had an understudy filling in.  He was good, but perhaps not quite ready for a lead role yet.  Overall though, I would highly recommend seeing this play or seeing another play an Peninsula High.  I know I will be trying to :)

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Blogger Blah

Sigh, I really don't feel like I have much to blog about.  I have a few reviews/giveaways to do, but I am soooo highly unmotivated.  I have been reading lots of books and going to the movies, but I just have the blahs.  Maybe when I go to LA for the weekend I will find my motivation :)

Anyone have any requests? hehe

Monday, July 19, 2010

Medical Guardian's Medical Alert Systems

 Dxs62pen

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Medical Guardian. All opinions are 100% mine.

I have blogged about my grandparents in the past, so you all know their safety is super important to me.  In the past two years, my grandparents seem to have been in the hospital more than they have been out.  My grandpa's problems have all been "minor"-ish, but when my grandma finally fell and broke her hip, their problems became major.  And from that hip breakage, my grandma is now at way higher risk of falling again!  Medical Guardian's Medical Alert Systems is a great solutions for grandparents who need some extra care but are too stubborn to move closer to their family members.  It leaves them feeling independent while putting us at ease.

Medical Guardian has 12 great tips to prevent falls at home.  My grandparents are thankfully doing many of them such as using night-lights, keeping the floor and stairs free of clutter (omg I feel so bad when we go there and litter the floor with all of our stuff!), having railings near all of their stairs and wearing proper shoes.  Since my grandma's fall, she only wears proper tennis shoes...no more sandals!

If you have an older family member in your life, please talk to them about this important safety helper.  Their lives could be saved with the push of one little button!


Visit my sponsor: Medical Alert System

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Craigslist is the Best!

A few weekends ago, I got a new dresser.  It's awesome!  I knew I had no use for my old dresser, and figured I would lug it to the thrift store as usual. 

And then one of my friends had a brilliant idea...to put it on craigslist and "trick" someone into coming and picking it up.  I was going to put it up for free, but then I decided to try and charge $10 to see if anyone would be willing to pay that.

It worked!!!  I made $10!!  I'm actually really excited.  It's only $10, but I also don't have to load up the dresser and take it to the thrift store!


Goodbye old dresser.  You were in the family longer than I have been.  You'll be missed!

Now if only someone wanted my tv...

Friday, July 16, 2010

What Swimming Stroke Are You?

You Are the Breaststroke




You are a happy and content person. You try to enjoy every day and every moment to the fullest.

You don't push yourself too hard, but you do try to stay consistent.

Slow and steady does win the race, and because of this, you're miles ahead of everyone else.

You live mindfully and intentionally. You take every decision seriously.

What Swimming Stroke Are You?

I think that is all fairly accurate except for the first part....I'm not exactly the happiest lol

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Charter On Demand

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Charter. All opinions are 100% mine.

Ondemand-1

Although I'm not SUPER old yet, I still remember plenty of nights that I was glued to the TV waiting for my favorite shows to come on.  I would even ditch out on plans with friends because I didn't want to miss the newest episode of Gilmore Girls or Beverly Hills, 90210.  Even though I am now spoiled with the invention of DVR, there are those rare nights where I still rush home from work because two things are recording on the DVR and I have to watch the third in a different room.

Thankfully with Charter On Demand, all of those problems are in the past.  Charter On Demand is one of the most popular features of Charter TV in Digital!  On Demand is no longer just for movies - now many networks are placing the newest episodes of their shows on On Demand the day after they air!  Shows like America's Got Talent on NBC and Castle on ABC are just two examples of shows you can watch On Demand.  They even have my two favorite channels - Animal Planet and Food Network. 

To see which shows are available, go to the On Demand home page. If you have facebook like I do, You will ‘Like’ their Facebook page as well

Visit my sponsor: Charter On Demand goes WAY beyond movies

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Wanchai Ferry Winner!

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Self-Publishing a Book

I do some admin/personal assistant work for an awesome lady in my town.  She is super nice, and involved in various activities.  One of the things she wants to get back into doing is writing books.  She pitched her idea to a few publishers, but was turned down.  So she did what a ton of people are doing now, she decided to self-publish.  But now she is asking for my help on how to publicize her book.  So I am asking all of you, the smartest people on the internet, how she can get the word out?  I suggested doing some blog reviews/giveaways and joining Goodreads, but that was about all I could come up with. 

And if you would like to maybe do a review/giveaway, let me know and I'll keep a list or something :)

Thanks!!!!

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

IKEA

OMG I went to IKEA for the first time yesterday.  It is like nowhere I have ever been before!!!!!

I think they have close to everything you could ever need for your home.  They had the dresser I wanted in multiple colors and also similar dressers in case I decided I liked something else.  They even had plants!

I did buy the exact dresser I planned to buy before going.  I will post a pretty picture of it once it's done being built by Danny ;)

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Silly Haiku Wednesday - #12

OMG I am finally remembering to do a haiku...even though it is a bit late in the day it's still Wednesday!!!!

Join the fun!

The basics:
Haiku is simple! It is 3 non-rhyming lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively (a great way to use your fingers!)

This week’s theme is: Travel

I love to travel
Barely been home since late May
Leaving again soon

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Wanchai Ferry Frozen Chinese Food Review and Giveaway

 
Chinese food has to be one of my favorite types of foods!  I love it from almost every restaurant!  But, sometimes I want to eat it without having to go out.  I'm in luck!  Wanchai Ferry has multiple flavors of beef, chicken and shrimp dishes!

I was sent a sample of one of Wanchai Ferry's newest flavors: Beef and Broccoli.  It is designed for two people.  It comes with the beef, broccoli, a few other vegetables that I don't remember (my mom really liked them but they weren't on the list of five veggies I eat) and rice.  I was really impressed with the quality of the beef.  I normally am not impressed with any Chinese food beef, but this beef was really tender and easy to chew.  The brown sauce that came with it was delicious too!  It's ready to serve in just 14 minutes, which is really nice for those of us who don't want to spend a ton of time cooking!  I was also ssent two really neato tea sets with green tea.

Be sure to try the two additional new flavors of Wanchai Ferry frozen entrées, Kung Pao Chicken and Szechuan Style Chicken, which will soon join five other delicious varieties including Orange Chicken, Shrimp Lo Mein, Spicy Garlic Chicken and Sweet & Sour Chicken. Additionally, all of the entrées have no added MSG!  Ooh, Spicy Garlic Chicken will be the next one I try for sure!  You can print a coupon for $1.60 off by clicking here.

I am pleased to offer a VIP coupon for a Wanchai Ferry frozen entree and two tea sets.

For your first (and mandatory) entry into this contest, comment with another flavor you would like to see Wanchai Frozen entrees come in. Please make sure to leave your email address in your comments.

To earn extra entries you can (please leave a comment for each additional entry):

1) Become a follower of my blog or let me know if you already follow (you must follow publicly, I have to be able to see you)

2) Become an email subscriber of my blog or let me know if you already subscribe

3) Blog about this contest (and comment with the url)

4) Mention this giveaway on facebook with a link to this post (comment with your facebook name) 

5) Add my button to your sidebar (and comment with the url)

6) Follow my Becca's Contest List blog

7) Follow me on twitter and tweet about the contest using "@sbshortie Win Wanchai Ferry VIP Prize Pack! http://beccasbackyard.blogspot.com/2010/06/wanchai-ferry-frozen-chinese-food.html" (comment with your twitter name and the url of your tweet)

8) Become my friend on Facebook (click here and comment with your facebook name)

This contest is open to anyone with a US mailing address that is 18+. Contest ends Wednesday, July 7th at 11:59 pm pacific time. Winner will be picked and notified by email shortly after.

Wanchai Ferry provided you with the free product, information, and prize pack through MyBlogSpark.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Oh No!

I haven't blogged since Wednesday!

Not much has gone on.  That girl at work still totally bugs me.  My mom put in a phone call to National about my laptop and we are waiting to hear back.

And I REALLY want a dog!  My mom has now said after we get back from our 4th of July getaway we can look.  Thank goodness my dad is willing to be at our house taking care of my geckos while we keep leaving town!!!

I really want to go read peoples' blogs now, so I think I am going to cut this post short so I can do that.  I am way behind on reviews so keep your eyes posted for reviews and a giveaway or two :)

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Working Out

OMG, My mom and I committed to each other to go back to working out after our DC trip.  So far, so good.  We went to the gym Monday and did almost all of the weight machines in our circuit (before we used to do upper body one day and lower body the next day).  Yesterday I went for a 2-hour walk with a friend to the beach.  Today, we again did most of the weight machines in our circuit.

I'm exhausted!!!!  I feel like I am kicking my own butt!  And I'm really hungry!

Do you have any sort of workout routine?  And do you notice being a lot hungrier after working out a lot?

Monday, June 21, 2010

Sad Times

So....I can't seem to keep a laptop.  Yesterday, we had some rental car trouble when returning our car to National rental company at the Dulles Airport.  To make up for it, the employee helping my mom offered to personally drive us to the airport terminal.  He loaded our car up, and my mom made a comment about not touching my backpack.  He asked why and I said because it was heavy from my laptop.  When we got to the terminal and he opened the "trunk" (it was an SUV), my backpack went tumbling to the ground.  And now it doesn't work.  My friend thinks the hard drive is toast.  My mom is planning to call National's corporate office and see what they will do for us.  Even though it was an accident, it is their "fault".  Sigh!!!!

Friday, June 18, 2010

Mystery Box at the Las Vegas Outlets

While at the Las Vegas Outlets, my dad noticed a box at a kiosk.  It had Hebrew writing on it.  Can anyone enlighten me as to what it says?


I know it says friends of someone...please don't do something LOL

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

And I'm Off Again..

Wow, I feel like I woke up at the crack of dawn this morning.  This time, we are in Washington, DC for my cousins' B'not Mitzvah.

The drive down was nice and easy.  We decided to try out Virgin America this trip because they were the cheapest and OMG, they are great!  The seats were really comfortable.  The flight attendants were really friendly (I even made friends with one because he liked that I was on facebook and then he REALLY liked that I was playing Family Feud).  Dulles Airport is huge...I had forgotten just how huge it is!!!

And now we're in our hotel in Bethesda....our room is really nice!  If you know of any good restaurants in the area, let me know :)

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Boise Food Experiences

I have eaten a lot while in Boise!

We have gone out to breakfast a few times. A place my cousin said I had to try was Merritt's Country Cafe.  They have huge scones that take up a whole plate!  They come with a huge chunk of butter....yum!  We went to Sunrise Family Restaurant.  I ordered the most delicious bacon, avocado and cheese omelet.  The service was a bit slow, but the food was amazing!  Another place we tried was Eddie's Diner.  This place probably had the friendliest service, but the most normal food.  It was just typical diner food.  We also went to The Egg Factory one morning.  They have huge omelets there!  I ordered a cheese omelet and added turkey.....that thing was stuffed with turkey meat!  I was really impressed.

I think I have only gone out to lunch twice.  My aunt took us out to Goodwood Barbecue Company.  Yum!!!!  I got a smoked turkey sandwich with some of the tastiest turkey meat I have ever tried.  I wish I had been hungrier because everyone else ordered salads...they come with eggs, bacon and croutons!!  We went to Granny's one day for lunch also.  I got a club sandwich and it hit the spot!  I also got chicken and dumpling soup, and it was some of the best soup I have ever had :)

We haven't gone out to dinner that much either.  We did go to Golden Corral one night.  You can read about the amazingness that is Golden Corral by clicking here.

We did have a snack one night at Sonic.  We tried their popcorn chicken.  It was really good!!!!

I tried a candy from Lee's Candies.  I got something called a mint sandwich I think.  It really didn't taste any better or worse than an Andies mint.

So if you're ever in Boise, my top recommendations are Goodwood Barbecue Company, Merritt's Country Cafe and Sunrise Family Restaurant.

And now that I'm home....time to eat healthy.  I had a piece of tilapia with steamed broccoli and brown rice for dinner last night LOL

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

OMG

So I took a day off yesterday...rested...spent quiet time...whatever....

This morning....I woke up with a sore throat....I have a cold!!!!!!

I have already been warned not to overdose, but I am taking zicam and vitamin c.  I bought throat drops to help my sore throat (I have the least faith in these) and my aunt gave me some NuSkin G3 juice to take which boosts immune system.

This stinks...I have no time to be sick!!!

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Day Off

I feel a bit bad....I was pretty anti-social today.  Since we've gotten here, we have always been around tons of people and at least 1 or 2 kids under 5.  I needed a break today!

I woke up and went to a cool park called Kathryn Albertson park with my dad.

Ducks cleaning themselves

The only girl Mallard we saw the whole time

Geese!!!!!!!

When we were done, we cruised around the mall for a while and stopped in random stores along the way.  Then I got dropped off at my cousin's house where we are staying and napped for almost 2 hours.  I played on the computer before and after LOL  Then my cousin showed up, brought me to my aunt and uncle's house for dinner, and then I came right back to be by myself again.

It was such a nice, peaceful day :)  And my dad swears no one cares that I hung out alone....

Monday, June 7, 2010

Family

I hope no one thinks that I have problems.  I just posted about the facebook/worker girl and now I am going to post something about a family member.  I just love getting advice from people who are totally uninvolved.

I have always been fairly close with my aunt.  We all lived with my grandma for a while when I was growing up, and we have kept a close relationship since.

A little over a month ago, we got in a fight over AIM because I finally spoke my peace about what an idiot she can be.  We haven't spoken since.  For the first few days I felt kinda weird.  But now that I have had time to really think about it, I don't really miss talking to her.  She is so self-absorbed (without even knowing it) that she probably couldn't tell you anything more than the basic facts about me (even though we used to talk almost every single day).  She is judgmental of everyone who isn't Jewish like she is, and she is even judgmental of most people who are.  I could go on and on, but I'm sure no one wants to read it.

Since that day, neither of us have tried to speak to the other one.  I don't think I would ignore her if she spoke to me, but I have no desire to initiate contact.

Thoughts???

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Dear John and The Young Victoria

I managed to watch 2 movies today.  I watched Dear John during our lunch/dinner and The Young Victoria later on.


I had been wanting to see Dear John for a really long time.  I was intending to read the book first and had even brought it up here, but I guess I am going to have to read the book second now.  I did enjoy the movie.  Amanda Seyfried and Channing Tatum are both great actors!  I wasn't a huge fan of the abrupt ending though.  I can't wait to see how the book differs :)


I had no interest in watching The Young Victoria, but my aunt really wanted to see it so we all agreed.  I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.  Emily Blunt really is a great actress and I forgot how much I love period pieces like this one.  I want to watch more movies that take place during this time now!

I highly recommend both Dear John and The Young Victoria. :)

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Palindrome Paper

My mom sent me this cool video. It's worth the 2 minutes!

Friday, June 4, 2010

Fun Day Today

We have pretty much just been hanging out so far in Boise, but today we had some adventures!

Around lunch time, we headed over to the Boise Greek Food Festival.  It is at the Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church.  The suggested donation was only $1 per person, so it only cost us $4 total!  We had a delicious lunch there.  My cousin and I both ate spanakopita - which is filo dough filled with spinach and cheese.  My dad had a gyro with lamb and tzatiki sauce.  For dessert we tried kourabiethes (which are basically butter cookies coated in a pound of powdered sugar) and koulourakia (which are sweet cookie twists).  Both desserts were really yummy, but I would suggest the koulourakia first since it is WAY less sweet than the kourabiethes.  The festival is also going on tomorrow (Saturday), so don't miss it!

During some down time, my dad and I went to Big Lots.  We don't have one of those in Santa Barbara, or anywhere close by.  I think we went up and down every single aisle!  At one of the food aisles, I thought I was going to get in a fight with a lady.  She stopped to ask me a question, and I nicely told her I didn't work there.  She looked at me like I was crazy and rudely asked, "Well, haven't you shopped here before?"  I think I nicely replied that I actually hadn't shopped there before since I was from out of town and then her whole attitude changed and she laughed and said "I've never been here either."  People are so weird!  Anyhow...I did find some cool cards for Father's Day and tons of random food.  They had Pesto flavored Nish Nosh!  Yum!

And for dinner, we all went out to Golden Corral.  I think they might be better than Hometown Buffet.  They have a great salad bar, which I barely took advantage of since I don't like most veggies.  But they also had an asian section, tons of bread choices (including cornbread!), 3 kinds of ribs and tons of other meats, fish, mac & cheese, pizza and more!  And the desserts...omg!!!  I only had a rice krispie treat and a chocolate brownie and it was too much!  We don't have one of these anywhere near us, so I enjoy going while I'm up here.

And now here I am...just relaxing :)

Lego Printer

My uncle sent me this video, it's amazing!

Thursday, June 3, 2010

The Breakfast Test

You Are A Childlike Breakfast




You are a very easy going person, so easy going, in fact, that you've been accused of being a bit lazy.

Other people are just jealous. We'd all like to be hanging out in our pj's eating cereal until noon!

You are quite positive, and you do your best to keep your outlook sunny. You are pleased with the world.

You just feel grateful to live the life you have, so you're not about to complain!

Yay, I like this one!

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Facebook

I'm on vacation, so my blogging might be even more sporadic than usual.  But I have a question.  Are you facebook friends with people you work with?  We have a "new" girl at work, and she happens to be a high school friend of my best friend.  She recently said she doesn't want to be facebook friends with anyone at work (with the exception of him since they were previously friends) because her friends might say things or post pictures that are who she "used to be", not who she is now.

I think it's dumb. Because I like her and because my best friend likes her, I had been thinking about hanging out with her etc.  Now, I don't think I want to, because she obviously wants to keep work and personal really separate.  I am friends with a ton of people at work, and I have restricted a few people because I don't like them or whatever.

What do you all think?

Thursday, May 27, 2010

So You Think You Can Dance - New York and Miami Auditions

Season 7...yay!  This is another show that my old Blockbuster boss got me into.  And.....the fact that it starts the day after American Idol helps me deal with Idol withdrawal!

I'm so intrigued that they are bringing back 10 old contestants, and only allowing 10 new contestants through.

I do admire that they started the show with 2 good auditions.  I hate when Idol starts with bad auditions.  Of course, they did show some bad ones, but the good ones made up for it!

And since I'm such a TV junkie...I just wanted to say I can't wait for Hell's Kitchen to start next week! :)

Do any of you watch either of these shows?

Freschetta Pizza - YUMMY

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Freschetta. All opinions are 100% mine.


I was recently lucky enough to be asked to sample Freschetta FlatBread with as many of my friends and family as I could feed LOL  My family was super excited to get to try a new kind of pizza.  We are all pizza lovers!  We normally go out for pizza lunch on Sundays after work, so it was really nice to get to enjoy pizza at home.

The FlatBread flavor choices are Zesty Italian, Roasted Garlic and Spinach, Pepperoni and 5-cheese.

Unfortunately, our local stores didn't have wonderful frozen pizza sections, so we were only able to try 1 flatbread pizza and 1 regular pizza.  We tried the 5-Cheese Flatbread and Natural Rising Pepperoni.  We were very pleased.  The sauce was tasty, the crust had a great flavor, and the cheese and pepperoni were both amazing.

Oh, and because I'm weird, I enjoyed it even more re-heated (in the oven to make it overly crunchy) the next day!  I am hoping to share this delicious pizza with my family up in Idaho when I am there for the next 2 weeks also!

If you want to try this delicious pizza, click here for a $1 off coupon!

Click here to "like" Freschetta on facebook.

Click here to follow Freschetta on twitter

Have any of you tried Freschetta pizza before?  What did you think about it?


Visit my sponsor: Freschetta Pizza

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

What Kind of Shirt Are You?

You Are a Long Sleeved Shirt




You are a modest person. You don't think too highly of yourself, and you're definitely not a show off.

You tend to be discreet in all aspects of your life. You value privacy.

You are a solid person. You are very dependable, and you enjoy having others depend on you.

You are thoughtful and actually very deep. You reject superficiality of every sort.
What Kind of Shirt Are You?

Yay, I like that Thom and I got the same result! :)

Friday, May 21, 2010

The Retro Pattern Test

You Are Unique




You are original and a total nonconformist. You take a lot of pride in doing your own thing.

In fact, you can be downright defiant at times. You don't like anyone telling you what to do.

While you are a rebel, you are also extremely tolerant and accepting. You think people should be themselves.

You are laid back and easy going. You refuse to participate in the rat race, and you're better off for it.


I like some of the description...what were your results?