Sunday, November 18, 2012

I made my holiday card...did you?

Did you know if you make a purchase on Shutterfly and post it to your blog for others to see you can get $10 off your next order!!?? With a new baby around, $10 is great considering I use Shutterfly all of the time to print her pictures for her album. 

So have you ordered your holiday cards yet? I feel like I am behind, but maybe I am really ahead this year. I am already prepping myself to set up all of my Christmas decorations next Sunday. Can you believe it?!

What are your holiday traditions? Maybe this holiday the girls and I will think of something fun to post to get back on the blogging bandwagon. More to come!!
Stationery card
View the entire collection of cards.








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Monday, October 8, 2012

Cord Blood Donation...We Tried...

When I was going to my baby classes, I learned about donating cord blood to research. This was something that I was very interested in doing since if it isn't donated, it is just thrown away. So I looked into the information my instructor provided and signed up to donate my child's cord blood through the Dan Berger Cord Blood Program.

Dan Berger was a prominent Pittsburgh attorney, citizen, and humanitarian who was diagnosed with cancer. After many years of treatment and remission, Dan received a successful stem cell transplant to cure him of both the lymphoma and the leukemia that ensued. In July of 2006, Dan’s heart failed. It was in the course of his treatment that Dan and his wife, Carol, recognized the lifesaving impact of stem cells, and in particular, umbilical cord blood, which is rich in stem cells. The Berger family approached Magee-Womens Foundation to encourage a systematic collection of umbilical cord blood. With much hard work and dedication, Magee publicly unveiled The Dan Berger Cord Blood Program in October 2007.

Cord blood stem cells have been used to treat more than 40 diseases, including many cancers, and account for more than 8,000 transplants worldwide and offers hope to many families, like the Berger family.

So I had all my paperwork filled out, in my bag, ready to go when we went to the hospital. I told the nurses when we got there that this was something we wanted to do and they said OK. Except after an unsuccessful first try at delivering, we had to do an emergency c-section. So I was unaware after they stitched me back up that my cord blood wasn't donated. It was OK though because all that mattered to me was that my baby was healthy - and she is!

Funny thing is that we received a packet in the mail from the cord blood program thanking us for our donation and inside we found a cute little t-shirt. My husband decided to make it work for our situation.

Maybe with the next baby we will get to successfully donate. If you have had a child, did you donate? If you are planning on becoming a parent, is this something you have even thought about?

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Monday, September 24, 2012

Saltine crackers and chocolate chips? YUM!


 Hi everyone!

I know that you would prefer we not blog recipes but this one is just too delicious. I used to make it all of the time in college and found myself craving it last night. The ingredients sound super weird but I promise after your first piece you and your friends/family will be in the fridge for more! This recipe is quick and easy!

1 cup butter (no margarine allowed)
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
40 saltine crackers

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a 15x10-inch jelly roll pan or a 12x17-inch cookie sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray. Lay a flat layer of crackers out on the foil. If the crackers don’t line to the edge, break them in half to cover the pan. Melt the sugar and butter on the stove, heat and simmer uncovered until mixture is thickened and sugar is completely dissolved. Pour this mixture over the crackers and spread to coat evenly. Bake for 5 or so minutes, until the toffee becomes bubbly. After removing the pan from the oven, let it sit for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle on the chocolate chips, let them soften and melt (you can throw in the over for a minute to soften quicker) and then spread them into an even layer. Refrigerate until hardened.  Break into pieces the size of your choice. Enjoy!







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Thursday, September 20, 2012

Call Me... Maybe?



Sales calls… I HATE sales calls. I HATE sales calls, especially when I am at work, and I have made it VERY clear that my company does not need your business.

For example, months ago (and I mean like March) I downloaded a white paper on social media… I do this a lot, especially if I see a paper on something that sparks my interest, and I download it, print it and save it to read for a rainy day.

Well, within minutes of me downloading this white paper, I have a sales person from the company blowing up my phone. I give them credit – as a marketing and sales person, this was a strategic move. At that point I told him I appreciated his call, but clearly had not read this informational document yet, so I didn’t have any questions. But, I guess I opened the can of worms when I told him to give me a couple weeks, and feel free to follow up later. And he did. Every week since March, I have received a phone call or email “checking in” to see if I have read the white paper yet.

Guess what, it’s September, and I STILL haven’t read your damn white paper. I also haven’t read the six others it is sitting with in a pile! Every week I tell you, “No I haven’t read the paper. I WILL CALL YOU WHEN I DO, if I have any questions.”

But like habitual insanity, I get a call… every.freaking.week. Sometimes more than once a week. In fact, this morning he called TWICE before 9 a.m. Holy shit dude! I am annoyed. In my email replies to him I have noted that I’m not sure my company even needs your service. I basically just downloaded the document for my own educational interest. In 7 months, if you have not yet successfully converted me to a client, you are probably not going to do so. It is probably best for you to focus your energy on prospects that have an interest in your product.

Sales calls are the worst. And I suppose in our personal lives, we have managed to weed them out with the option of Do Not Call Lists and getting rid of home phone numbers. But dear god, please leave me alone at work.  But that’s just it… how desperate is this sales guy that he is willing to follow up with me every week for 7 months? The art of sales have changed over the years, as we all know. Email campaigns, viral marketing… and truthfully my company does a lot of this too. But when do you call it quits and throw in the towel on a “prospect?” How much is too much? I would feel awful bothering someone this much. I actually wonder how he feels about his job.

Anyway, I guess what I am trying to say is that day in and day out we are being pushed to buy a product or service. At times so much so that we become numb or annoyed with the situation, which turns us off all together. But what if we are missing out on something awesome, just because we have been turned off by their approach? Sometimes, subtle is better. Less is more. A little goes a long way… etc. Think about it.
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Friday, September 14, 2012

The Fountain of Youth

I am a huge Bravo TV Network fan and I especially enjoy the Housewives shows. When I was watching Housewives of New York, the women received a quick lesson on face yoga. Listening to the explanation and benefits really peaked my interest. After doing some research it seems as though it is the latest craze. Exercising your face muscles tightens, tones and is said to combat signs of aging. Some of the poses look and feel really silly but supposedly have many benefits. So, is face yoga the new fountain of youth? If so, I can’t wait to dive in. I keep telling myself that I want to give these poses a try but I have yet to do so. I am still young, only 25 but I am always hearing the earlier you take care of yourself, the better. Unless you are not embarrassed easily, I suggest trying these poses in the comfort of your own home.

Many men and women would greatly benefit from these poses – supposedly you can even attend face yoga classes! BTW, if any of you ever hear of anything local, let me know and I will join you. These classes are great for those seeking to soften wrinkles, lines and creases that already exist and preventing new ones from forming. Of course since traditional yoga poses can help you look more youthful by stimulating anti-aging hormones, face yoga is generating a lot of buzz!

Here are a few face yoga poses to try, no I am not trying to make you do silly faces, these are actual poses.



Lion Face: Take a slow, steady inhale of breath and constrict every muscle in your body: your toes, buttocks, fists – everything! On a slow steady exhale, relax those muscles, stick out your tongue, widen your eyes and open your hands. Repeat three times. On the last repetition, try to hold the exhale pose for 30 to 60 seconds to really stretch your tongue. This is supposed to be a great exercise to release tension in the jaw – which is said to lead to wrinkles.




Inversion: Stand with your legs in a wide stance with toes pointed slightly inward. Bend forward until the crown of your head touches the mat. Gently rest your thumbs on your chin and place your fingers near your cheek. This is supposed to help your complexion.



Brow Smoother: Sit in any variation of the lotus position that you prefer and place your pointer fingers on the outer edges of your eyebrows. Then slowly and gently pull your eyebrows away from each other, and at the same time, close your eyelids. This is supposed to be like natural Botox.





Let me know if you notice any difference in your appearance, you can always search for other poses and try them as well!


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Thursday, September 13, 2012

My New Addition

New babies, new marriages...what is a single girl to do? Get a puppy, of course!!

A new 4-legged critter popped into my life a little more than a month ago. I wasn't looking to get a dog at that particular moment, let alone a puppy. But a cute, little black and white face captured my heart. Her name is Luna.

   
My life has definitely changed since getting her. I had my mom's dog almost all summer, but I knew she would eventually go home. She was also easy to take care of. A puppy is a whole new ball game. She needs more attention and I have yet to get a full night's sleep since getting her. 

She is still learning to master the whole potty training thing. She has good days and bad days. It is a process and I know she is getting better. She is teething so she loves to chew on everything - toys, furniture, me. But she plays with her toys and can keep herself occupied for a few minutes.

While taking care of a puppy can be exhausting, I absolutely adore her. She cuddles, gives kisses and happily greets everyone she sees. Even as I write this, she is sleeping on my lap. I am happy to have a dog of my own and join the ranks of my fellow doggie parent blogging buddies! Share This Post
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Wednesday, September 12, 2012

From Bachelorette to Working Wife


Welp, it’s over. A year and a half worth of planning, and it’s over. And honesty, I feel like I can breathe again. Bittersweet.

Do I ‘feel’ different ? Maybe a little. I’m just finally complete. It’s awesome, knowing you will be with someone forever. And who better to spend forever with than my best friend?

Love is a crazy thing… One day, you are playing mini golf as friends, and the next thing you know, you are so head-over-heels in love, they are all you think about every day. The kind of I-can’t-wait-for-this-work-day-to-end-to-see-you kind of love. I have this love. Not to say that the new, shiny ring around my finger validates what I feel in my heart, but as our minister said at the ceremony, it’s a symbol. We are complete. We don’t belong to each other, we belong with each other.

August 31, 2012, was and will always be one of the most memorable days of my life, filled with so much love and support from 300 friends and family.

Best.Day.Ever.

Perfection doesn’t even begin to describe it. Everything just fell into place. All my worrying, panic attacks, terrible dreams were for not. We pulled it off. We put together an amazing day to share with amazing people. And it was perfect.

Nick and I have been blessed with two of the most loving and supportive families. We have them to thank for being such incredible role models and providing us with prime examples of what true love is and should be.

30 years from now, I imagine my feelings will be no different. I am complete. I can breathe. I can take on the rest of my life with my best friend - new experiences and adventures to look forward to as husband and wife. (A week and a half later, I am certainly not used to the word Husband or being called Mrs. Irvine).


A new chapter… I am now a Working Wife!


ps - if you want to see some photos, visit Elizabeth Cayton Photography for a sneak peek! She will be adding more soon!
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