Incase You Haven't Heard K&I Are In Business!

Incase you haven’t heard yet my sister, Kristen and I have become Tastefully Simple consultants!  Now while I promise I will not constantly use this here blog to talk about Tastefully Simple….please do not get turned off if you see the occasional post about Tastefully Simple and current discounts and promotions!

I thought I would take this time to answer some questions you may have about Tastefully Simple!  So here we go…..

“Aren’t these products just snack type foods, how adaptable are they to regular meals?”

VERY!  I had a misconception of their products as well, but have found out that their products can be used in so many different ways.  Not only are their items delicious, they are easy to prepare and very versatile! Seriously their products are not just for casual snacking; you can find a wide array of uses for ALL of their products including everyday meals, special occasion meals, & ideas for entertaining.  Just take a gander at this website full of creative, quick and tasty recipes using Tastefully Simple products!  K & I have made it a point to include at least one meal item at each party we do, as well as providing suggestion cards with more meal ideas!  I will also be posting some of my favorite recipes to my blog.

“Jenn & Kristen, these products sound great but I live far away. How can I order food from you?”

Well no worries!  By going to our consultant site below and creating an account through the Tastefully Simple website you can order from ANYWHERE!  Yes, anywhere & at anytime.  You do not have to be invited to a party or be near us to enjoy all the fantastic foods available to you.  Just add the items to your shopping cart, pay online using the TS secure website, and once the items are shipped you will receive a tracking number from UPS letting you know when your items will arrive.  Most orders are received in less than 10 business days.  It is that easy!  And you can go back to that site anytime you want to place an order.

“But what if I want to taste the food before buying it?”

Well we got you covered there too!  Kristen & I would be more than happy to put a party together for you, your family and your friends!  We will provide you with all the Tastefully Simple products and invitations, you just need to purchase a few extra ingredients and invite as many people as you want!  By having a tasting party, you can sample a variety of foods while also having a fun time with your family & friends!  And as a host you will earn rewards based on the total number of sales that will allow you to get free Tastefully Simple products of your choice!

“Are there other types of parties available?”

There sure is!  If you do not want to have a tasting party you can have a catalog party instead.  You just send out invitations to your guests and they order everything online….you do not have to do anything after you send out the invitations!  And with a catalog party you will receive the same host rewards as you would with a tasting party!  How easy is that?!   And to make things even easier, we offer electronic invitations that you can send to your guests no matter which party you choose to host.  Electronic invitations are a convenient and easy way to communicate with your guests and track your RSVP’s.  Plus, with the evite your guests can order online even if they live far away! 

“I want you to be my consultant, but I have ordered from others in the past online. How do I change that?”

Well first - we thank you!  And it is easy – just follow these simple steps to change your consultant.

1) Log In to your account on the Tastefully Simple website using the link below.

2) Once logged in go to the Top Left of the page and click “My Account”.

3) Scroll down and click on “Edit My Consultant”

4) Then to the right you will click a button that says “Choose a New Consultant”.

5) You can search using my consultant ID 0110558

6) Once you find my name (it is under Jennifer Howard) just click “save” to save me as your consultant!  You will never have to change your consultant again! :)

“What if I don’t want to order now, but would like to order later?”

No problem, you can order any time you want be either logging in to your account at our Tastefully Simple website or by sending us an email using our email address.  I will also be sending out emails when I am placing an order….just as a reminder incase you need something.  Also, if you ever just want one or two items please let me know as I may have products available for sale at my house or I will add it to my quarterly order so you will not have to pay shipping and handling.  I will deliver the products to you personally!  And remember, there is NO PRESSURE to order.  I am just here when you need something.

“Do you have promotions, discounts, or information you can send?”

Yes we do! I will also be sending out monthly promotions and/or newsletters, so please send us your email (if we do not already have it) and save our email address in your address book so you do not miss any of the specials we provide!  We also offer ½ off items and many other exciting discounts throughout the year.  So just look out for our emails….and I promise, we will not bombard you with information, just the things you may be interested in knowing.  And if you ever want us to take you off our email list or if you have a new email address, just let us know.  We promise, we will not take it personally if you are not interested in receiving these emails.

“Can my friends and family order from you?”

OF COURSE!  We would love if you want to forward our information to any of your family and friends!  Like we said before, anyone can order though us and YOU are the best way to share our information!!  We truly appreciate when you let others know about us!

Here is our website and email address for your records, I will also post it soon on the side of the blog.  If you have any questions whatsoever, please do not hesitate to ask!  Kristen and I are more than happy to help you out the best we can.

Consultant Website: www.tastefullysimple.com/web/jhoward4  

 Email address: jenn.kristenTS@gmail.com

Thank you in advance!!

Jenn Howard & Kristen Waltz

If you ever want to host a party or know of someone who does, please contact us at jenn.kristenTS@gmail.com

What to Blog About, What to Blog About…..How About YOU Pick!

In the past I have always kept a list of things I wanted to blog about.  Lately that list is getting smaller and smaller (especially after over 4 years of blogging) and so I am spreading my posts out to make that list last longer.  Basically, I feel like I am slowly running out of things to blog about. 

So in an attempt to add some new topics to my post list it got me thinking, how about I ask YOU what you would like me to blog about!  Yep, the posts for this blog are under your control and I will post about anything you want!

I thought this may be fun, especially as over the last year or so I have had the privilege of meeting some fantastic new people on the blogs who may want to know more about me. (I mean, who wouldn’t.)  Do you want me to post a funny story, is there anything you would like to know about me, questions you have been curious to ask, do you want to talk politics, science, religion, want to talk about my thoughts on ANYTHING….seriously I am an open book and loooooove to talk about all that stuff! 

See I like to talk about pretty much anything, but don’t always do it for fear to offend someone or because people may find it to be boring.  But I honestly like to know what my friends who read this blog enjoy reading about! So let me know!

Yes, it is a bit of an unusual request…..but hey, I am a bit unusual!

And if no one really has anything they want me to blog about, that is cool too and I will not take it personally.  I will just assume that my blog is that cool and maybe write a post about how cool me and my blog are!

So share your thoughts!!

FWD:Mobile Upload Test!

just set up mobile upload via text messages on blogger. seeing if it works! oh and showing a cute picture of charlie!

This message has been sent using the picture and Video service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

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Talk To Me – Shave and a Hair Cut......

(Anyone who finished that title in song then  I love you and will give you a hug when I see you.)

So let us talk haircuts and shaving, shall we?!

So first I would like to know how often do you get a haircut?  Please include whether your hair is long or short, as this does make a difference in the length of time between cuts.

I will start…I have long hair and I get my hair cut twice a year.  

GASP!   WHAT?!  You are suppose to get a haircut every 6 WEEKS not every 6 MONTHS.  

Oops. My bad.

It is not like I plan that twice a year I will shamefully walk into the salon, horrible split ends and all, to get my hairs cut.  It just kinda happens that way.  I honestly do NOT think about getting my hair cut most of the year, oh yeah and I don’t want to spend $30-$40 each time either.  I wear my hair pulled back 95% of the time so I really do not THINK…hey, you may need to cut those hairs.  It isn’t until my hair has noticeably bad split ends, I have absolutely NO shape or style to my hair whatsoever, or there is a specific reason I want to get my hair cut that I actually think about getting it done. 

So Jenn, do you have specific times during the year for your two cuts? 

Good question and yes.  Like I said, though I do not plan it, I usually want to get my hair cut around my birthday in April (I am sure you already knew my birth date) and in the fall before the holidays. I want to look even better than I already do around those times (it is hard, but possible).  And the good thing is that it just so happens to work out because that would put my haircuts about 6 months apart! Perfect.

This past April when I got my hairs cut I tried to explain to my concerned hairdresser why I didn’t think it was that bad that I waited 6 months (sometimes longer) in-between haircuts.  I explained that I only wash my hair twice a week, I use a soy leave-in conditioner after I wash my hair, I hardly use additional products in my hair, and I hardly ever dry my hair with a hair dryer or put heat to it.  I felt she would understand and agree that I was doing the right thing.  Instead she adamantly disagreed with my logic.  Though I still find my logic to be very sound.

I know for healthier hair I should probably go more frequently to get a haircut, like 3 times a year, however I just don’t.  I think until I find a style that needs maintained or I have shorter hair, I will not even think about getting a haircut….unless of course someone can give me a good reason like your hair will all fall out if you don’t get it cut more often!  Until then, it is twice a year.

And as my title suggested, let’s have a quick conversation about shaving.

I HATE TO SHAVE.

There. Done.

Ok, not really…

I do not shave my legs every day and IF I shave them once a week, then it is a productive week. 

I love the feeling of smooth legs but strongly dislike that stubble feeling a day or two after shaving.  So my choice is either don’t shave very often to avoid stubble or shave every day for smooth.  And as I hate taking time EVERY SINGLE DAY to shave, I just don’t.  Plus, in the winter it is annoying because literally 10 seconds after getting out of the shower that stubble appears on my legs because of the cold…not worth it.

Twopretzels wrote a blog awhile back about how there is just SO much we do to maintain our appearance that it can be too much sometimes.  And I agree.  Not like I do too much already, but adding one more daily task just seems ridiculous. Something has to give, and sometimes that something is smooth legs.  And really, who am I trying to impress….definitely not Terry.

So am I just being lazy by not shaving my legs everyday? Yes, I sort of am. But I also feel it is just A LOT to do on a daily basis.

So in summation…I only get my hair cut twice a year and I don’t shave my legs. Dude, I am SUCH a CATCH! 

So how often do you get your hair cut and how often do you think you should you get your hair cut?  And how often do you shave and do you feel the need to shave every day? 

Please discuss.

I Love – A Birthday Gift to My Mom

So for the past month I have wanted to pass this link along to everyone but I had to patiently wait until we gave my mom her birthday gift before I could do so….didn’t want to give away any spoilers to her!

Now thanks to our dear friend and fellow blogger Kylee over at TwoPretzels, I was given the link to this lovely ladies shop on Etsy. (Thanks again Ky!!)  Her name is Christen (bio below) and her shop is bddesigns. You MUST check it out HERE.  She does “precious metal art jewelry, uniquely customized for you”.

My sister and I found this necklace for our mom and it is awesome!  We added our names, one to each circle, and then on the circles had it engraved with what was already suggested for this necklace…Our Mother, Our Friend. This necklace turned out beautifully! Yeah, I know….wish I had a picture of it too. In my excitement to give this to my mom I totally forgot to take a picture of the necklace. Boo.  But I will see her again in a few weeks and as she is only allowed to take the necklace off when she showers and sleeps (mandated by the contract she signed before opening said necklace), I will take a picture when I see her again! :)

The pictures on her website do not do the necklace justice.  It is sterling silver and each circle is maybe the size of a quarter and very shiny and lightweight.  It is simple in the sense that it is a classic piece of jewelry that our mom can wear with anything and would look good when she is dressed up or dressed down just running errands, but it is also a little modern with the engraving and the double circles.

It takes about 4 weeks to get the jewelry back from her, however, because she lives in Monclova she got it to me in 3 weeks because I said I could meet her and pick it up!  Which I truly appreciated her doing.  She also answered my barrage of questions and requests quickly and was so kind about all my custimizations.  I will order from her again. 

FYI - if you want something for Christmas she stops taking orders the beginning of November due to the volume of orders she receives and the turnaround time she needs to get stuff to people for the holidays.

Bio

Hi, my name is Christen Largent. Thanks for stopping by my shop. My work is an accumulation of years of study, experimentation, inspiration and the JOY of working with metal! All of my work is created using traditional metalsmithing techniques, commonly called fabrication. These are the same techniques that metalsmiths have been passing down from generation to generation for hundreds of years. It is a legacy of metalwork and I am very proud to be part of that history. I hope you enjoy viewing what I enjoyed creating! I add new pieces each week, so stop back often!

Happy Birthday TERRY!

Yep, today is the day the world celebrates the birth of my husband!!  (insert applause and cheers!)

The mold was not only broken after Terry, but then ground into dust by the hands of Monks and thrown into the center of the Earth where it was burnt to oblivion at a theoretical temperature of about 10,000 F…..never to be seen of again.  True story.

Now because I wrote a very heart-felt love poem to my husband on our anniversary, I decided to keep today’s post light.  I mean words are a great way to say why you love someone and to celebrate their existence, but pictures….well pictures SHOW you exactly WHY I am happy this specific person was born.

He is very caring and always lends a helping hand or shoulder to those who need it.  

 Plus he pulls off tie-dye like no one else.

He has sweet sweet dance moves.

He has the face of an angel....and the attitude to match.

He is actually very neat and orderly and likes everything to be in its place. 

(Towels folded – check. Christmas decorations up all year round – check.  Nothing out of order – check.  Good thing he married me….too much neatness is a bad thing.)

He is a VERY hard worker and a fantastic handyman. 

(And has a nice ass too...a little more to the left babe.  Niiice.)

He likes to stay physically fit.

He always cooperates when asked to do something. 

And of course loves getting his picture taken.

He is always prepared for whatever the world may throw at him.

He will always be a kid at heart and doesn’t take life too seriously. 

And he has amazing hair!

He is always appreciative and thankful.

He has THE BEST laugh EVER. Seriously. This is a FACT. 

And when he smiles and laughs it is contagious….

I am not even immune to it and I have tried everything.

Yep, he is pretty darn awesome.

On a side note: Some would say between the two of us it is almost too much awesomeness….
and I would agree.   

But fortunately we somehow manage….together.

And for those reasons and sooooooo many more, I am required by the contract of our marriage to say, I am SO very glad you were born and I hope you have a WONDERFUL birthday.  Which I am pretty sure you will because I am cooking for you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TERRY!!! 

I love you xoxo  
MWAH

Picture of The Week – Is This Good Motivation?

So for the full story behind the behinds of this picture please visit my weight loss blog HERE.

Yep…I am making you click links.  Sorry, but I have to give my other blog a little love too!

Talk To Me – Current Likes and Dislikes

Let’s keep it simple today, shall we.   

By simple I mean uncomplicated….yet still long-winded.

I Am Rather Keen About…..

* Variety Puzzle Books – Oh how I loves me a puzzle book!  Seriously looooooooove. I have at least a half a dozen newish variety puzzle books in my house at any given time.  I enjoy them because they keep me entertained and I suppose keep my brain sharp-ish and Terry likes them because they keep me occupied so he can hang out in his man cave guilt free.  Perfect for everyone! I recently bought a little lap desk (you know with the foam little balls stuffed in the bottom) and it has an LED light on it so I can sit anywhere and work on my puzzle books. Yep, that is how much I love me my puzzles.  As for my favorite kinds of puzzles I love Logic puzzles, word searches, number puzzles, and my most favorite are the Framework puzzles (the one where you have a bunch of words and have to get them to fit into a blank puzzle based on the number of letters in each word)…I rock at those. 

* Bread & Butter (or margarine) – I very well may have a love affair with buttered bread.  I have a hard time resisting buttered bread – translation I never resist buttered bread and go looking for it whenever I am hungry….or not hungry.  I love it as a snack, as an accoutrement to my meal, or as my meal.  It goes with everything, preferably something with more carbs like pasta or potatoes. And give me warm bread with a cinnamon butter on it….uh, hello! Perfection.   Yes, I know I should eat buttered bread in moderation. But my moderation is eating a salad with 4 (instead of 6) pieces of buttered French bread.  Seriously. I. LOVE. IT.

* Amazon – If I was rich, I would spend at least an hour a day buying stuff from Amazon and sending it to people. No Joke.  I. LOVE. THEM.  I do about 85% of all my gift shopping from Amazon and the other 15% usually includes the few things I cannot find on Amazon OR because I am being forced by my husband to go out and shop and interact with living people (blech).  Otherwise it would be 100%.  I love the prices, free shipping on nearly all items after $25, and that their delivery is super quick.  Examples: I ordered stuff on 9/13/10 at 9:00pm with the free Super Saver Shipping (5-8 days) and received the package on 9/17/10! WHAT?!   That wasn’t even 4 days!  And I ordered a gift for Terry on 9/30 and it arrived the NEXT day on 10/1…with the standard 3-5 day shipping! They are awesome. Amazon will forever hold a special place in my heart.

* Fall TV Starting – I am a TV addict.  I love me my programs and get genuinely excited when my shows come on.  I also get annoyed when people feel they need to talk or make noise during my shows and will pause the show and glare at them with displeasure until they stop what they are doing and shut their trap.   All the new Fall shows are starting and once again our DVR’s (of course we have 2) are starting to fill up.  It is fantastic.  If anyone needs to talk to me, please do so before 8pm as after 8 I will be sprawled out on my couch enthralled in my favorite shows until I go to bed.

* FALL!!!  Cool weather, sweatshirts, jeans, sitting by the fire, the smell, pumpkins, cider, gets darker earlier, scarves, gloves, Halloween, the leaves changing….and pretty much everything else!! I LOVE YOU FALL!!

* Pepsi, Mountain Dew, and/or Dr. Pepper Throwback.  I am a huge fan of these products as they are made with real sugar and not high fructose corn syrup.  I think they taste better and I like the idea of using natural sugar instead.  Plus the cans look cool. I hope they keep bring this back.

I Strongly Have An Aversion To…..

* Facebook or Social Networking Drama – Ugh.  I have a loooooong post(s) coming about this but I have to say that even though myself and many people I know are not in High School anymore and have kids and/or mortgages and/or significant others, it feels like at times these social networking sites revert many people back to immature teenagers.  It is ridiculous.  Recently I got confronted and de-friended by the wife of a family member for “liking” a comment on Facebook. WHAT? Come on, really?  How old are we now?  Apparently you are 14.  Some people need to just get over themselves and grow up. We live in a world where it is easy to sit behind our computers and puff our chests and say whatever we want without worrying about other people.  I like to keep in mind when I am on these sites that I ONLY post what I would say in front of someone or to their face.

* Those little dark hairs I get on my face – If you do not get these you are lucky.  I only started getting them the past 4-5 years and I LOATHE them.  There is nothing like seeing little black hairs grow randomly from your chinny chin chin to just annoy the bejeebers out of you.  Tweezers and high magnification mirrors have become my obsession friend. 

* Political Commercials – HATE THEM. OVER THEM. I don’t want to see them. Grrrrrr. 

* Clothing stores that don’t put the total savings on your receipt – I do not enjoy shopping but I do enjoy saving money and like seeing exactly how much money I have saved on every receipt I get.  It is a form of validation that my purchase was completely justified.  Well I went to the store the other day and bought a couple sweaters that were on major sale, plus I had a discount for them.  Let’s just say it was some BIG savings.  So I get my receipt and as I cheerfully walk out of the store knowing I just saved a bunch of money (on something other than car insurance) I look to see exactly how much, and I see the receipt just has the sale price but not a “Total Savings” section on the receipt. WHAT?!  Come on.  Though I get the same result, it is just not the same having to add up the prices on the tags and them subtracting them from your sub-total to find out your savings. (Yes, that is what I do if there are no savings on a receipt no matter how many items I have to add up.)  Big companies - It is nearly 2011 and our economy is in the toilet….give me something to make me feel better about the money I do spend!

* Plantar Fasciitis – I have this and I have to say it is killing me.  Of course I need to go get an X-Ray…..as soon as I want to find time to shave my legs and paint my toenails.   When I started working out over a year ago, I didn’t always stretch appropriately before working out and my Dr. and WebMd both think that between that and as my ever so straight forward Dr. says, being an Amazon and overweight, has led to my problems.  Ugh. The pain use to just be in the morning, but now it is constant and I can feel it ALL DAY LONG even if I am just sitting down.  And if I try to workout or do a lot of walking or standing in a day, I am done for about a day or two after.  It makes it harder to lose weight when you can't workout without hurting. I fear I am going to have to purchase something else I strongly dislike….orthopedic shoes. *shiver*

* The new Ohio license plates. I do not enjoy seeing these license plates.  I think they look like a cross between a really bad cartoonish interpretation of a Bob Ross painting and one of those paint by number watercolor books. BLECH.  Hate them.  We are from Ohio, let’s just keep it simple.  I really don’t need Ohio’s failed attempt at “artwork” on my car.  Nope I am sticking to the red and white plates with the outline of a pale blue sun.

Please feel free to share your current likes/dislikes!