Recent Favorite Things...

My friend Kate has been posting her monthly cool finds and I love reading about new things so I decided to start a list of my own. Here are some things I have found over the past few months that I think are worth talking about.

Tide Washing Machine Cleaner- We got a HE front load washer a few Christmases ago and for the past year our machine has been smelling moldy and isn't being as efficient. This month we discovered this, ran it through once, and the moldy smell went away. This box comes with three pouches and monthly you run a cycle with one pouch without clothes to keep your washer smelling fresh! A must for all HE and front load washers.

Bucky Balls- These magnetic balls have become a favorite toy at our house. In each kit you receive 120 of the strongest magnets on earth. You can make a ton of different creations with them including cubes, hexagons, spheres and other things my nerdy engineer husband has figured out. They are great to play with when you are bored and have kept Mike very entertained.

Finish Dishwashing Detergent and Lemi Shine Rinse- This find was actually thanks to Miss Annie. Mike was complaining to her about how awful our dishes look after coming out of the dishwasher thanks to all the brands removing phosphorus and she told us we needed to get these two products. Our dishes have never been cleaner so thanks Annie!

Lays Stax Salt and Vinegar chips- I actually have known about these for a while but they are still one of my fave treats, so I thought I would share. I am not normally a salt and vinegar chip fan but Brittney brought them to Bear Lake when we camped up there this summer and I have been addicted ever since. They have a great taste and texture and the perfect amount of vinegar. Mmm!

DealsthatMatter.com- This site is pretty awesome and supports The Sharing Place. It's a lot like Groupon except that 15% of the profits go to whichever non-profit you choose. Getting a deal while supporting a non-profit? Can't beat that!

Clark Executive Detail- This find was thanks to DTSB and Deals That Matter. They are kind of a strange place but they do awesome car details. I took my car in today and drove away feeling as though I just bought a new car. They even were able to get off the eyeliner mark I had accidentally drawn on the ceiling. Let's just say don't try to apply eyeliner on bumpy roads. :) Their number is 801.485.6296 and they are located at 2202 S McClelland Street. They also store boats for $1.25 per square foot per month for all my boating friends out there!

Kolache's- One of the best thing about my job is being able to try new foods. Jill's team brought Kolache's in a few weeks ago and I have been craving one ever since. They are a traditional Czech pastry made of a fluffy, sweet, yeast-risen dough which can be filled with either fruit or meat and are delicious. You can get them at Johnny Kolache's located at 900 South 248 West. I promise you won't be disappointed!

Well that is all of my cool finds for now. When I asked Mike if he had any to add he said LED flashlights and two computer monitors. He is currently installing our new surround sound with a LED flashlight propped in his mouth so I decided I needed to add it. The two monitors stemmed from when he hooked up our new computer Christmas morning and he left our old monitor on the desk too. He has been in heaven when he works from home. My husband is a sexy nerd through and through :)

Hope you all like these finds as much as I do. I am always looking for new suggestions too so if you have any, please share! I will leave you with a few of my newest I-tune downloads and some of my all-time faves.



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Happy New Year everyone!

FINALLY!

No, no, I am not pregnant. As much as I wish that was what the FINALLY! was for. Instead it's regarding clothes. :)

I have FINALLY found a pair of work pants that are not only flattering, but super comfortable. I have been on the hunt for work pants for quite some time and while shopping the Express 40% off Black Friday sale, I discovered these fabulous pants. They are made of a seasonless stretch, so they don’t rub and stretch for those “bloated” or “yucky” feeling days. So for all of you career women out there, check them out here. If you decide they are as fab as I do, make sure to sign up for Express’ emails because they send coupons out ALL the time. Here are some pics and in true Lauren fashion, I own all three colors. Whoops.

How nice it is not to have to wear skirts every day! Although I did also get this adorable skirt that I love. Don't worry, I have this in two colors as well. I need to expand my horizons!

New work clothes make me so happy! Thanks Mom and Be! Now I just need some new shirts...

2011 YOTR

As 2010 comes to an end, I began reflecting on how far I have come this year. I am in a better place in life, friendships and marriage than I have ever been and it has been a drastic and positive change for me. I am finally content, have the most amazing friends, an incredibly loving husband and life is pretty great. While I am extremely happy, there always a few changes that could enhance our lives. Here are my resolutions for 2011; I look forward to accomplishing each of them!

-Go to the gym twice a week.

-Cook at home more and try a new recipe at least once a month.

-Continue working on my marriage and falling more and more in love with my husband.

- Be a more emotionally and physically available friend.

- Be more vocal about how much the most important people in my life mean to me.

- Wake up at 6 am so that I am not constantly 10 minutes late.

- Get caught up on my Sharing Place assessments.

- Pay off the Second mortgage on the rental.

-Start saving more.

- Complete the house projects we have needed to do since moving in including fixing one of our can lights, building a cold storage pantry, touching up paint and putting a light on the deck so we can eat outside in the summer.

-Take more me time.

- Find bedroom and front room furniture.

- Take my contacts out at night.

- Order wedding pictures and turn our house into a home.

- Quit holding grudges, remember it is ok to cry and count my many blessings.

I am thrilled for 2011 and all the potential this New Year brings. I have a feeling it’s going to be one great year! In Katie Coon’s words “2011, Year of the Ricci!”

The Real Meaning of Christmas...

This year I had the wonderful opportunity to be heavily involved with Sub for Santa through my team at Fidelity. Almost everyone on my team of 30 people generously gave $25.00 so we could provide Christmas to some Make A Wish families. We ended up raising over $800.00 and were able to brighten 5 children’s Christmas. I had a blast shopping for all of the toys and wrapping them and it really reminded me what the real meaning of Christmas is. Often we forget Christmas is about being selfless and giving and the experience allowed me to be both.

The first family we helped was the family of Dawn. Dawn’s son Austin (13) has downs syndrome and was recentlydiagnosed with leukemia. Austin has a 9 year old sister named Gabriella and a 4 year old brother named Devin who are very patient with him and sweet. When I called Dawn to tell her we had chosen her to help this Christmas she said “this is the first good news I have received all year.” All of them were so excited when we showed up bearing many gifts and they were incredibly appreciative. Here are some pictures of our drop off with Dawn and her family, as well as a list of things we were able to provide to them.

Austin- Neft N-Strike Stampede Gun, Tonka Ricochet Radio Control Vehicle and a Wii Mario Galaxy game.

Gabriella- Video Barbie, Crayola Color Explosion Glow Dome, Tangled DS game, Hampster Zu Zu pet, The Scoop-A Justin Bieber Story and a Unicorn Pillow Pet.

Devin- Talking Spiderman, Bakugan DS Game, Creepy Crawlers Bug Maker, Monkey Pillow Pet, Fisher Price Cycle Pro.

Dawn: Body Wash Gift set and various body care items.



The second family we helped I unfortunately was unable to capture any pictures of but they were equally appreciative. When Jill and I showed up with all of their gifts, the father Travis gave both of us a huge hug. They are also a Make A Wish family because Gracie, who is 4, has problems with her heart and has had to endure many surgeries. She has a 3 year old brother Tanner, who was adorable. To make matters worse, the father Travis lost his job recently and they lost a baby in October. It was nice to give this family some much needed good news and I loved being a part of this program. Here is a list of things we were able to provide Gracie, Tanner and their family.

Gracie- A coat, gloves, a hat, a Unicorn Pillow Pet, Princess Dress-ups, Princess Shoes, a Dora Doll, Princess Pajamas and a Princess Learning Toy. (Gracie loves Princesses!)

Tanner- A coat, gloves, a hat, a Dog Pillow Pet, a Rumblin Chuck Tonka Truck, a Spongebob memory game, playdough, a Cars toy car, Spongebog Squarepants Season 3 and racecar pajamas.

Travis and Holly- A Walmart gift card, gloves and a hat.

This family was great to help out and they will be granting Christmas to another child at Primary Children’s on Wednesday. A child Gracie knows from the hospital who is currently going through chemotherapy only wants a puppy for Christmas. Gracie’s dog had puppies a few weeks ago so they will be giving one to him. I love when people “pay it forward”.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Marry Me...

This is my new favorite song. It almost makes me want to get married all over again just to be able to walk down the aisle to this. My favorite lyric is "Marry me, today and everyday" because it's a choice everyday to stay married. I feel so honored to get the opportunity to choose my amazing husband everyday and that I get to spend every moment with my very best friend.

Love is one amazing thing.

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Little Miss Mekah...

For my mom's birthday last February, I got her a year's worth of her favorite bread that has to be special ordered. Well, I had my bi-weekly delivery for my mom on the table and while Mike was putting up the Christmas lights and I was running errands, Miss Mekah found a way to get onto the table, open the plastic wrap and have herself a gourmet treat. This is what I came home to...It's a good thing she is so dang cute and that I am impressed easily by her doggie intelligence. :) Silly dog!

Oh Christmas Lights...

Ever since I was little, I have loved to look at Christmas lights and it doesn’t feel like Christmas without them. My mom and I even used to drive around and critique lights by saying "crooked or straight". When Mike and I began dating he learned quickly that I REALLY wanted lights on the house no matter what. He always puts up a fight but has been a good hubby and put them up year after year. Our old house was much easier to put the lights up because the roof wasn’t too high or very steep but our new house is ultra scary! He braved his fear of heights last year but swore he wouldn’t do it again unless he could be roped and harnessed in. This year he got a brand new harness and rope and was all ready to put them up, but then the “2010 Blizzard” hit and it didn’t look like he would be able to get them up.

Now I was a little irritated because I had asked Mike to put them up the weekend after Halloween (my mom says there is only one good weekend after Halloween), but Mike was more interested in football and said “there will be another nice weekend”. Well, weekend after weekend went by and the snow just kept on falling. I finally conceded that we would not be getting Christmas lights this year and started to playfully pick on Mike by telling him that he should really listen to his wife more often and that for the rest of his life I was going to remind him of the “no lights year”.

Well, I guess he got sick of my bantering because last weekend on what looked to be a nice day, he climbed up on the roof to put them up. As he was climbing up the roof to anchor himself in, the snow that was still present of the roof gave way and he slid all the way down to where the ladder was. Luckily the ladder stopped him from falling off, but he immediately climbed down, called me and said “I am NOT putting Christmas lights up!” I had told him multiple times that I didn’t want him to get hurt so our house could be Christmassy, but he was being stubborn and would not give up.

This past weekend he decided to give the lights one more go. He climbed up, got anchored in and spent all day Saturday putting the lights up. I am so happy and think I definitely have one great hubby who will go to such great lengths to make me happy. They look great and because it was SUCH an ordeal, I thought it warranted a blog post. Next year I think he will listen to me though and will get the lights up sooner than later. Wives are sometimes full of good ideas. :)

Happy holidays everyone!

This is the spot he slid from.

Such a brave hubby!
Didn't he do a great job?!?

Thanks Be!

After 19 long months, a new blog is born!

After a long and difficult 19 months, I decided I wanted to document our journey to parenthood on a separate blog. This has a few purposes but mostly it's to give me a place to express my feelings and experiences as I finally give in and start down the path of infertility treatments. So, if you are interested in our journey, come on over to the "extension" of this blog located here...

19 Months and Counting...

Our own real life, non-conventional path to parenthood.

and as always, thanks for your love, prayers and support. It means the world to us.

The streak is broken!

That's right, the Sigma Chi baby boy streak is finally over! Miss Brittney is having a baby girl in April and I couldn't be more thrilled for her! I can't wait to finally be able to buy cute girl clothes and throw a girlie baby shower. Congrats to my partner in crime; I can't wait for this little girl to get here!

I had to use this picture because it includes all of my fave Mamas!

Miss Annie, Me, Britt and Rache.

YIPPEE!!!

Biggest, Best, Favorite, Dreams and Wishes...

Thanks Kate for the fun post. I do love a good survey. I think they always reveal something about yourself. I had to add a dreams and wishes section too. Feel free to steal this one if you like :)

Biggest...

splurge... Our house and vacations.
impact on my life... My mom, Sharing Place and Mike.
life changing moment... My dad's death.
obsession... Becoming a mom, being organized, Facebook, Starbucks and blankets.
fear... Not getting pregnant, drowning and having my mom die.


Best...

accomplishment... Probably getting my degree or becoming the intake specialist at TSP.
life advice... Don't spend more than you have. -Mike's grandpa
"Give them the Heisman"- quote from Lem Barney, a former Lions cornerback who Mike met on a flight to Detroit right before we got married. Essentially meaning "Never put yourself in a position where you can be tempted."
part of my day... Changing into my sweats and relaxing with my hubby.
beauty tip... Wear moisturizer with SPF and blush is a must. Also bangs are a great way to camouflage a big forehead. :)
pair of jeans...Depends on my mood but I do love Sevens.


Favorite...

season... Spring, I love the smell.
movie... The Notebook, 10 Things I Hate About You and The Butterfly Effect
vacation... Our first trip to Cancun
movie star...Ryan Gosling
comfort food... Macaroni and Cheese with extra parmesan from Noodles and Cheetoes.
quote... Oh so many...
"You can close your eyes to the things you don't want to see but you can't close your heart to the things you don't want to feel."
"Having everything doesn't necessarily mean having it all at once."
"Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fall." --Confucius
The worst thing that happens to you may be the best thing for you if you do not let it get the best of you"- Will Rogers
"She was no longer wrestling with the grief, but could sit down with it as a lasting companion and make it a sharer in her thoughts." -George Eliot

Dreams and Wishes...

dream vacation... 10 days in Fiji with just Mike and I.
one wish for life... to be a mom
one trait you wish you could change... my temper
talent you wished you posessed... the ability to dance

Enjoy!