Fun and Mental Changes

Boy... this year's Favorite Things Birthday Give Away was pretty sparse!!!!!  ONLY 7 ENTRIES????  Welp, the odds were in EVERYONE'S favor this time.  I'm happy to announce, thanx to Random.org' that LORI'S the big winner.  Lori Barnett said... Ok...I wanted to go to Curves....but to far to drive. I love this idea instead! I wlll share with a friend! March 22, 2014 at 8:14 AM I don't think I've ever seen #1 get picked on the random number generator.  Congrats Lori!!!  And thanks to the other 6 people who participated.  I really shouldn't be as surprised as I am that more folks didn't enter.  This is what happens when you're MIA on your blog for as long as I was.  But I'm sooooooo happy for you Lori.... I just KNOW you're going to LOVE them!!!

Well this year's birthday lasagna includes a gluten free version (made with rice noodles) and an ENTIRE lasagna that I can't have any portion of as it was made with wheat noodles.  The hubs usually makes a lasagna for the freezer with extra ingredients, but this year he decided to make a lasagna for himself... for my birthday.  I'm trying VERY hard not to be stingy.... NOT VERY EASY when you are talking about birthday lasagna!!!  And, come on!  It sure does look scrumptious... come to think of it, they BOTH do.  You really can't tell them apart.  A special thank you to my husband for slaving in the kitchen again this year.  And I'll try to look past the wheat abomination that you created for yourself.  We're coming up on LAST CALL to enter my Favorite Things Birthday Give Away!!!  Click HERE to enter.... I'm giving away a portable gym, no joke!!!

  Less than a week left to enter my favorite things birthday giveaway!!!  Click HERE to enter.  That is all!

***CLICK THE LINK AT THE BOTTOM TO ENTER MY FAVORITE THINGS BIRTHDAY GIVE AWAY!!!***   I've looked EVERYWHERE for table settings that would match my tea set...the tea set that I got for my birthday some years back (see below), the tea set that not only inspired my love of tea but inspired the colors/decor of my entire home.  You really wouldn't expect that black and gold would be such a rare color combination, but apparently it is since I only JUST NOW found THE PERFECT 4-place setting...and of all places,  TARGET!  So these gorgeous place settings cost me all of about $40!  And that could have been lower if I would have gotten the stemware at the dollar store (seriously kicking myself for forgetting to check for the glass there first).  But regardless, 4 place settings for under $50 is a steal! And you really can't see how beautiful that tea set is from this pic.... so at the end, I'll post the original pic that Teavana originally had in thei...

It is not unusual for the Phoenix weather to be heating up right about now but the weather is actually downright gorgeous, so enjoying a healthful and delicious green juice on my back patio, soakin up some vitamin D this morning, is JUST what the doctor ordered so soon after my cleanse!  And WOW was it delicious with the sweet apples and kiwi... here's where I got the recipe:   Tattooed Martha . The smell of this wonderful juice mixed with the smell of the fruit tree blossoms and sunshine made for a WAY MORE RELAXED me before entering morning traffic to head to work.  Dare I say that if I'm not careful, I could make a habit of this and my morning road rage might disappear altogether!!!  NAH....this is Arizona!  It will be blistering hot by next month.  Road rage is still on! ***DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE BIG "FAVORITE THINGS" BIRTHDAY GIVE AWAY!!!  CLICK HERE TO ENTER!

Yesterday I got an early birthday present..... YAY!!!  You all know I ALWAYS do.  This gift I begged for after filling in for a girl at work who stashes hand weights under her desk.  Who wants to lug around hand weights???  The challenge for me has ALWAYS been, "What to do when I'm not at home?"  And, at the new house, my beloved Curves is nowhere to be found.  Coincidentally, that is where I first read about resistance band training... the Curves book. The workout in the book utilizes resistance bands to get the 1/2 hour Curves workout at home (BTW I'm totally needing right now), which I never did because I had my Curves close by.  But then we moved and my husband had surgery and has been using resistance bands three times a week at his physical therapy appointments and swears by the workout he gets with them.  SOLD!  I HAD to have these for my birthday! WOW.... no kidding these babies are INCREDIBLE an...

O....K.....!!! So tomorrow is my birthday and after the MESS that I was last weekend after consuming gluten at a bridal shower, I requested a gluten free birthday cake from my new favorite cookbook, Make It Paleo. Well of course my husband was more than happy to oblige except, since it was going to be my birthday tomorrow, I sort of couldn't wait.  I (as in ME, ME, ME) wanted to be the one to make the first gluten free cake in our house.  I just KNEW it was going to be incredible after all the WONDERFUL deliciousness I've made from this out-of-this-world cookbook.  Yep, I was right!  Check out that little slice of heaven (click on pic to enlarge).  Happy Birthday To Me!!!  This cake is moist, decadent, creamy and most importantly 100% gluten free.  Click HERE for the recipe, or better yet, click HERE to buy the book.  Or even better YET ....  leave a comment on this post for a chance to win one for FREE!!!!   That's right g...

Yes, Yes... I'm terribly late... I know!  I was supposed to announce on April 1st that I'm having ANOTHER Favorite Things Birthday Give Away.  Well, here I am.... 7 days late, I'm here with the announcement.  BUT FIRST:  Let's check out some of the prize goodies!!! So pictured above is nail treatments from my ALL-TIME-FAVORITE nail treatment company... Nail Aid .  I LOVE their products, I LOVE their company and I LOVE their service.  And this year they GENEROUSLY donated another HAUL of their new products available at Walmart (check your local store for availability as I'm finding that not all of them carry it... which is NUTS!).  They are just so generous... THAT'S FIVE PRODUCTS!!!  Now I've never tried these products... being that they are new, but I personally use MANY of their products and I love them.  So be sure to check out their website by clicking the link above.  And just so you know which ones are my favorites, I...

IT IS ON! Ok... HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!! I get to give stuff away! And not just ANY stuff.... MY FAVORITE STUFF!!!! Well, not ALL my favorite stuff, but certainly my favorites for at least ONE of my obsessions: NAILS!!! Maybe next year for my birthday I will be giving away craft supplies and exercise equipment... that would be AWESOME!!! But, this year's birthday give-away is HUGE with my favorite nail and beauty products and is open to ALL my followers. You guys are the best and deserve the best, so here is what ONE lucky winner is going to score: The Prize Haul: Konad Nail Art Stamping Set - Coraline I (I am addicted to Konad and I LOVE this set) Konad Nail art image disc - M63 (A little something extra from Kathleen... thank you) Fragrance Oil Set, types: China Rain, White Linen, Obsession (I love these for my relaxing baths) Nail Aid Nail Treatment Set including: Pink Natural Growth Therapy, Instant Wrap, Clear Liquid Bandage, Cuticle Cure, Peeling Nail Intense Repai...