Amish Friendship Bread

So in my attempt to be like my foodie friends who take amazing photos of their culinary creations, here is my latest. We were given a starter of an Amish Friendship bread mix. I remember hearing about it many times but didn't have the patience or the ingredients or enough pans to actually make it.  The entire process takes 10 days and this was our second round of making it.  We ate the first loaf and gave away the other two.  This time we kept the entire (larger) loaf for ourselves. Yum!

More about the Blast Collection!

All together now
Want to get the full Blast effect? Use the entire Blast Collection to get amazing vibrant and dramatic looks:
    1.    Apply base color with Smoky ShadowBlast
    2.    Highlight crease and lashlines with Smoky ShadowBlast
    3.    Lengthen lash look with LashBlast Length Mascara
    4.    Define and shine lips with ShineBlast Lip Gloss


Check out this great video courtesy of our friends at BzzAgent:




I'm still trying this product out. I need to tweek the application instructions just a tad for my asian eyes. But here's what it looks like so far:

BzzAgent - Covergirl Blast

BzzAgent sent me another product, actually two products, to try out and give my reviews.  They want me to share with you my thoughts about them and encourage you to try the products as well!

Introducing Covergirl's new Smoky ShadowBlast and ShineBlast lip gloss.  These are some new products to help amplify your eyes and play up your lips.  The Smoky ShadowBlast allows you to achieve that smoky look with two easy steps!  The ShineBlast lip gloss has a high gloss finish with light reflecting shimmer.

Here are the facts:


Smoky ShadowBlast
- Easy Two step eye shadow stick with specially designed applicator tips to easily deliver a colorful smoky eye.
     - Step 1 - Rounded end for shading the lid
     - Step 2 - Tapered end for lining the crease and the upper and lower lids
- 6 Sophisticated color combinations
     - Silver Sky
     - Bronze Fire
     - Citrus Flair
     - Onyx Smoke
     - Purple Plume
     - Tempest Blue
- Found Everywhere Covergirl products are sold - the suggested retail price for this item is $7.99
- Hypo-allergenic and suitable for sensitive eyes; dermatologically tested.

ShineBlast lip gloss
- Breakthrough ShineSculpt applicator hugs your lips' contours for optimum, smooth application and 4x more noticeable shine (than bare lips).
- Available in 16 vibrant, shimmer behind the shine shades:
     - Dazzle, Flare, Ignite, Heat, Aglow, Radiate, Smolder, Beam, Ablaze, Glimmer, Sparkler, Firecracker, Glow, Fire, Ember and Gleam.
- Also, found Everywhere Covergirl products are sold - the suggested retail price for this item is $7.99
I received one of each product and I had to choose the color.  But, they already had the pair (one eye one lip) together so I had to choose a certain color combination.  I was a bit disappointed in this because the color combination that I wanted was not offered. I received the Silver Sky (805) eye combo and the Fire (880) lip color.  I must say the lip color is a lot brighter than on the website.

I am excited to try this product as I've mentioned in previous BzzAgent posts, its hard for me to know how to apply make up on asian eyelids/lashes, etc.  So here's to trying a new product! Stay tuned to how it works!



Check out the Covergirl website for more information!

Privacy

So, I set my privacy settings on FB and Twitter for a variety of reasons mostly because while I may blog about things, I don't necessarily need to have everything public. But I was reading a friend's blog and she had a post from Susan Isaac's blog about Spokeo.com. I went to my profile page and they had lots of information listed that I was uncomfortable having as public record.  So I'm passing on how you can delete your profiles as well.

1. Go to spokeo.com: http://www.spokeo.com
2. Type your first and last name in the search bar at the top of the page
3. Locate your profile and click on it (the names are separated by state)
4. When your profile appears, copy the URL from your browser address bar
5. Scroll down to the very bottom of the screen and locate “PRIVACY” in the bottom right corner
6. Click on the “PRIVACY” link
7. Paste the copied URL in the text box
8. Enter your email (you’ll receive a notification email with further instructions)
9. Enter the captcha code displayed to the right of the text box
10. Click the “REMOVE LISTING” command button
11. Go to your email and follow the instructions to confirm deletion

going, going...

the other night, i had a red-letter moment.  as i've mentioned previously, i've taken advantage of the park a block behind julie's parent's house for the past several months by running around it repeatedly in an effort to get healthier.


when julie and i moved to arizona, i was weighing in at around 230 pounds.  for someone who is only 5'9", that's not good.  when i weighed myself a couple nights ago, i discovered i am down to 199!!  that's the 1st time in years i've been below 200 pounds in years.  it's a great feeling, realizing success like that.  while i'm not to my ideal body weight yet, i know i'm well on my way and can't wait to be there later this year.


i've noticed that i have 3 basic pieces that have made this weight loss process successful so far.  the 1st is regular cardio exercise.  by running for about an hour 3 times a week (at least), it's really helped me burn through calories and keep my metabolism up.  the 2nd is portions.  i've paid a lot more attention to how much i eat, realizing i don't need 2nd helpings all the time.  the 3rd is watching what i eat.  i still eat sweets and drink sodas.  i just have less of them.  this process may not work for you, but it has for me.


what i've learned (so far) in this process is that real weight loss is about a lifestyle change.  i don't use any special diets, aside from making sure i eat vegetables and fruits everyday.  and i cut down on carbohydrates.   but it's really deciding each day that the goal of losing the weight is more important than the short-term satisfaction of that candy bar...or bag of potato chips...or eating fast food.


i also want to thank julie for pushing me along in this process and encouraging me to get out and run regularly.  especially in the beginning.

pat's run

this morning, julie and i woke up bright and early (5:30 a.m.) to participate in the 6th annual pat tillman run.  julie's best friend kristyn joined us in the early morning "fun" and was kind enough to actually drive us to the event.

pat tillman is a former ASU football player who went on to play for the arizona cardinals.  a couple years after joining the cardinals he decided to join the military and fight in iraq.  during his 3rd tour he was killed in the line of battle.  his family then decided to form a foundation in his honor to reward community leadership among young adults.  pat's run is their big annual fundraiser.  

this year julie and i were among 25,000 other people who participated.  i decided to run the 4.2 miles (tillman's number for ASU was 42...hence the distance) while julie and kristyn walked it.  i was actually a little excited.  this was my 1st running event since i did one called the borgess run in kalamazoo with my friend jim back in the early 90s. 

the run started about 20 minutes late due to the sheer volume of people coming in for it, so at about 7:20 a.m. the fastest runners started...and finished by the time the folks in my corral and i got started.  we were instructed to place ourselves in "corrals" organized by the time each person thought they would be able to run a mile in.  i chose the 12 minute corral.   julie & kristyn were a few further back in the walking corral.  

for all of us the distance went a lot faster than we anticipated.  i know i really enjoyed the run.  i wound up finishing with a time of 41.26 minutes (better than i thought).  julie and kristyn clocked in at 90 minutes.   the coolest thing about the race is it ended on the 42 yard line in sun devil stadium, where ASU plays football.  julie was excited because it was her 1st time actually being on the field.  

there were a couple downsides to the run, aside from the early hour it started.  :)  one was we could have arrived a little later since we didn't realize we could just walk to the starting line just before the race.  the 2nd was they ran out of post-race snacks by the time julie and kristyn finished.  no bananas, oranges, water or gatorade were left when they finished.  this was definitely due to a lack of organization on the part of the organizational committee.  

i would definitely like to do another run like pat's run again.  it was a great feeling when i finished, and it felt good to run past so many other people.

Babies!

No, Brian and I aren't having one nor adopting one right now.  I wanted to tell you about a great new film that's coming soon!

As a BzzAgent, I got a recent opportunity to share about a new film that follows 4 babies in different countries, on their journey from their first breath to their first steps.  The film premiers on Mother's Day weekend  (May 7th) this year and it has amazing cinematography.

Here is the link to watch the trailer:


And if you happen to have your own baby, here's a great sweepstakes you can enter to win some great stuff!


We hope you enjoy this great film!