~~~GIVEAWAY TIME!~~~

Here's how it will work!

If you are ALREADY a follower (aka, one of the "Faithful Five"), Tweet, blog, call, e-mail, text, etc., your friends and send them over here. Then they need to FOLLOW me and leave me a comment saying they're following me and that you sent them (along the lines of "Hi. Ann sent me and I'm following you now.").

If you are NOT a follower (aka, you want to be and found me some other way), follow me and leave me a comment ("Hi. I follow you now."). Send your friends, family and loved ones along. Once you're a follower, they can say you sent them in their comments (see above).

I will randomly select ONE comment through random.org and the winner will receive Party Pals and the Mediterranean Focaccia Bread Mix, which is now retired!

Party Pals are mini drink buckets (Four 8 oz. servings) of MMM... Mojito and Juicy Watermelon Margarita drink mixes. Perfect for patio parties, or a quiet evening at home!

***BONUS ENTRY***

Go to my WEBSITE and tell me which product(s) are your favorite. Come back and post "I like ____ because ____" when you do.

***SECOND BONUS ENTRY***

Purchase something from my website.* Come back and post "I purchased ___ from your website today".**

THIS CONTEST WILL RUN UNTIL I REACH 50 FOLLOWERS. MORE OF AN INCENTIVE FOR EVERYONE TO PARTICIPATE! Referring followers will receive The Trio - single serving packet of Onion Onion, Garlic Garlic and Bacon Bacon!

* remember that shipping is $6.99 for any orders under $50, and 10% of your order for $50 and above. combining orders is a good idea, as is bumping up when you're close.

** do this for each product purchased to get the maximum number of bonus entries.

C'Mon...

It's free. All you have to do is follow, comment and be done! :)

Who doesn't like a little free Tastefully Simple here and there?

I'm cleaning up and out (a spring cleaning if you will), so check my other blog as well for some giveaways coming soon. I'll be posting those on the giveaway directory, but in the meantime, follow my other blog as well.

Incentives and Giveaways Coming Soon!

Do you like to get something in return for your efforts?

Do you like freebies just because?

Do you have a BLOG with more than 50 followers?

Here's the deal.

If you answered yes to any or all of the above, I've got something for you. Just e-mail me at simplycdd@gmail.com and tell me which it is. And follow me and stay posted.

In addition, if you have a heavy-traffic blog and care to do a giveaway for me, PLEASE e-mail me. I need some love around these parts and have things to give away. It'll be fun. Like the lottery, ya gotta play to win!

Tastefully Simple and... IKEA?

Yep. I went to Ikea today. One of my other hobbies is crafting - I like to sew and make cards. I also LOVE selling Tastefully Simple. I'm not particularly good about changing gears and cleaning up, because sometimes I don't finish what I'm working on before I want or have to move on to the next thing.

In any event, I decided that the guest room that only got used for 1 week every 2 years was being rehabbed. Out with the bed, in with some desks. Functional makes me happy.

I got 2 78" desks - 1 for sewing, 1 for paper crafting. I also got a 39" desk to do my Tastefully Simple paperwork - I will add shelves above this desk for my food kits and supplies as well.

Then I got a bookcase. To hold some supplies for crafting, and to put a TV on top of.

Yes, I know. What does this have to do with Tastefully Simple (besides the fact that I have a new place to do paperwork)? A NEW co-worker that I introduced to Tastefully Simple on Friday was AT IKEA. And when I spoke to her, she said, "Nick was asking me last night if the Parmesan biscuits taste like the Red Lobster ones."

I said "they do, without all the grease, but you can add butter if you like the extra grease".

He seemed excited, and I know I was. This meant that she actually took the catalog home and discussed it with someone. Which means I have a potential new customer, hostess, or recruit. I'm happy either way. A small mention turned into a second thought, about a product she had NEVER heard of.

Of course, my daughter doesn't like the biscuits (or many other breads at all - it has nothing to do with TS, trust me!), and she made the WORST face when my co-worker asked her if she liked them! Thanks, kid! I'm so glad you're on my side! :)

Spring Is Coming on Monday!!!

At least in the Tastefully Simple world! Monday, March 8 marks the beginning of the Spring/Summer 2010 catalog, complete with exciting new items, like the Cake Batter Chiller, already a favorite (as in -- on the second can favorite) in our house. No lie - the husband and kid fight over this stuff. I will admit, I'm not a fan of ice cream or cake batter, but I love a good milkshake. And THIS is a good milkshake-ish drink.


Add 1.5 cups of ice, 5 oz. of milk (we used 1%) and 2 scoops of powder, and blend.

It was so good, I went out and got this.

Yeah, I know. I wanted it all along, but the husband said no, until he tried to blend up his own Chiller and realized that it took 5 minutes and many stir/shakes to get all of the ice crushed on the old one! Yay for new blenders (and food processors). And yay for Spring!

Recipe Time!

One thing I love about Tastefully Simple is that the products are versatile. One thing that I don't like is that everyone's perception of Tastefully Simple is that it's "just dips and bread". SO not true!

Here's an example that I can't WAIT to try! It uses one of my favorite products, Fiesta Party Dip Mix. This is good as "just a dip", but it's also a good spicy seasoning. YUM!

So here's a recipe with this wonderful product:

Easy Chicken Recipe (Submitted by Amy Spikings (IL) and taken from the TS website):

2 Tbsp. Fiesta Party Dip Mix
10.75 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cups crushed Blue Aztec Chips

Directions:

Combine Fiesta Party Dip Mix, soup and 1 cup cheese; stir to blend. Place chicken in a greased baking pan; top with Fiesta Party Dip mixture. Bake chicken, uncovered, at 375° for 35-40 minutes. Sprinkle crushed chips and remaining cheese over chicken; bake additional 5 minutes. Makes 6 servings.

Part-Time Jobs ROCK

They really do. Part-time jobs are a break from reality. Think about it. You go to work - 9 to 5 (or whatever your hours are). You are serious, work hard and get a paycheck. But do you really enjoy it?

Not usually.

Part-time jobs are better. You can have fun. You can relax. Everything you make is 'extra'. It's not your bread and butter, it's the Tastefully Simple Rhubarb Strawberry Spread on TOP of the bread and butter (yeah, that was lame, but whatever).

Well, I've had part-time jobs. I was a cosmetologist. It was my break. Social vs. serious. But I worked hard for that money. I mean, I stood on a concrete floor with dress shoes on, contorting my body this way and that way, sometimes cutting my knuckles. My back hurt. You get the drift.

Well, an average Sunday for me would net about $100. But it was 6 hours of hard (but fun) work. Well, tonight, I made $116. Selling Tastefully Simple.

What did I do? I mailed catalogs to my aunt. I typed up a paragraph telling her to collect orders and send them to me. I used a calculator for 15 minutes, typed for 5, and made a phone call. A total of 30 minutes, 45 max, from start to finish.

Can your part-time job pay like that? Better yet, can your "REAL" job pay like that?

No, mine can't either. So my success with Tastefully Simple is important to me. Because if I can have a fun and easy FULL-TIME job, why wouldn't I want it? Life is too short to be stressed. Why else would the company's tagline be "the food you love, the time you deserve"? You don't think they were only referring to preparation, did you? :)

Anybody want to join me? I'm hiring!

Happy Happy!

Wheeeee! One of my BEST friends, Danica, nominated me for the Happy 101 Award. Thanks, D! And get your hiney on that couch and quit cleaning! :)

How does this work?

1. Copy and paste the award OR save and attached the award to your blog

2. Link to the person who sent it to you

3. List 10 things that make you happy

4. Pass the award on to other bloggers, visit their blog, and let them know.

TEN THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY:

1. Darren and Chaya. They are my family and I love them dearly.

2. My friends - the people who keep me sane, laughing and occupied!

3. Spring. I love the whole renewed feeling of it. I don't love the allergies that come along with that, but I love how cold, dead and dreary days turn into flowery, sunny days.

4. Cupcakes. Something about a small, sweet, icing-y cake. Portable, yummy, and portion controlled.

5. Packages. I LOVE getting packages in the mail. Whether I ordered and paid for it myself. It's something great to get something you want instead of a bill or unsolicited junk mail!

6. Crafting (making cards (especially when I'm making them with Chaya) and sewing).

7. Sewing.

8. Trying new recipes and foods - especially Tastefully Simple. The easier, the better!

9. Kids. I love them. They are so sweet, innocent and funny.

10. Vacations. I can go to IOWA and be happy about it. There's something about just getting away from your daily routine and out of my normal surroundings and routine (or is it getting a day off of work) that makes me happy.

And now for MY nominees:

1. Trisha - she's my team leader for Tastefully Simple, a good friend, and the mother of one of the cutest babies in the world!

2. Emily - she's one of my besties and needs to do SOMETHING to update her dang blog!

3. Colleen - she is awesome and I love her!

4. Erin (EJ) - she is the mother of one of my favorite 4 year-olds and an awesome crafty lady that I love dearly!

Spring is Right Around the Corner!

At least in Tastefully Simple world, that is. The 2010 Spring/Summer Line can be previewed now, with even more EXCITING products to come! There's a definite theme this year, so if you're a fan of salsa, chipotle, margaritas, and mojitos, you might want to book a party and get first-hand exposure to this awesome product line.

It previews on March 8, and my calendar is quickly booking up for March. Weeknights are still open for the most part, but the weekends can be a bit tricky.

Remember - being the first in your "social circle" allows you to be the pioneer with the new line. People will probably order more from you, which means you get more FREEBIES!
Contact me today at simplycdd@gmail.com to get available dates and times! Hosting has never been more exciting, or easy!

I'm in the Mood.... to GIVE STUFF AWAY...

If you follow either of my blogs, you know that I like to give stuff away. I guess you can say I like to share the things I like - in the hopes of introducing a little sunshine into someone else's life...

Well, I'll be doing it again. As soon as I figure out what it will be. For now, follow me. Tell your friends to follow me. Of course, following and commenting is going to be required for this. So send 'em on.

While you're online, drop by my Tastefully Simple page to check out some limited time items. There are some good things that may not be around for the catalog change in just over a month.

I'm officially official

Like, I have my own WEBSITE, official.

Stop by, take a look, drool, shop, book. It's that easy, my friends!

Thanks for your support. I hope to have more like you in the future!

All Signed Up!

Yay! :)

Contact me at simplycdd@gmail.com to book a party, place an order or get general information. I'll get webpage information and all that good stuff soon! :)

Welcome, Again!

Well, I know some (2 - haha) of you are wondering what the heck is the welcome on a blog that's been around (albeit dormant) for almost 2 years. I'm using it for something else now. The name was too fitting, and you can't mess with something that fits, right?

Anyway, my friend Trisha recently became a Tastefully Simple Consultant. She knows I love the product (I better, after having a show that gave me $180 in freebies!), and knows I love to talk! So she offered me the opportunity to be on her team, and I'm going to do it. Her team name is "Team Achieving Dreams". Nice, huh?

Now, I don't know exactly what all of my dreams are right now, but I'm sure I can come up with something. But in the meantime, I started thinking - how nice would it be to:

• pay for our January 2011 cruise without disrupting or changing our current budget for the next 8 months?
• pay for Chaya's orthodontist bill without changing our budget?
• put aside money to replace the Accord when it's time (so we can avoid having 2 car payments)?
• just have some extra cash for whatever (erm, fabric!) I want to spend it on
• pay for Chaya's travel softball fees and trips without thinking twice (that is one expensive sport - did you know a "good" bat is $300!)?

So I'm going to do it. I'm not intending for this to be a full-time job. As much as I'd love to do it full-time, my plan is to "retire" early from ALL full-time work. Haha. But it will be a fun job. A non-job job. One that I enjoy that compliments the one I have to have.

And so it is. I'm becoming a Tastefully Simple Consultant. Is the blog name fitting or what? Think I should start a new one?

Oh, and send me some followers, will ya? :)