A Fun Hobby

I like disc golf. I like my husband for introducing it to me. He bought me the bag, the discs, and I actually know what over-stable and under-stable are and a few other choice terms.

Greg is the most urgent and intense driver (of discs). He can chuck those puppies over 350 ft. When I watch them,they look like birds in flight, rising up and down with the wind. Just last night, he placed 2nd in doubles, adding $12 to the family pot! This is no small feat since he is the old man of the bunch. One comment that was made was, "Wow! For an old man, you have a hell of an arm."

I must tell you, he thinks I'm a heck of a putter, too. Whenever I make a nice putt, especially in front of a bunch of guys, he starts talking to me in ways that to the normal ear, may sound dirty. But it's actually a lot of disc golf phrases strung together with "my wife" in there somewhere. I have a slight hearing problem and sometimes it is hard to distinguish between consonants, like p and b. But I have no problem distinguishing between those two vowels when we're out playing. It is ALWAYS "nice putt."

Seriously, ladies, disc golf with your man is fun. You're out in a beautiful park, the weather is nice (but not necessarily), you're getting fresh air and exercise, quality time with the hubby, etc. etc. If I was single, I'd take up disc golf, for sure, as a strategy. There are hardly any good women players out there and single, athletic guys aplenty. Greg tells me about some of those he meets. Airline pilots, CEO's of small companies, millionaires, you name it. Heck, Greg plays with a certain BYU quaterback's dad and some of his friends. Of course, there are also the pot heads and nerds.

Sometimes I'll see guys out introducing the sport to their dates or girlfriends. I have to laugh at times. The girl will be wearing a flowing dress or flip flops or a halter top, her hair perfectly coifed. She looks like she needs to be mall shopping or something. The thing that she feels is most important is to look beautiful for her man. And then she throws. It is embarrassingly unwieldy, but the guy gallantly compliments her and urges her on. Hopefully, she will be persistent and the guy will be patient. If so, she will have it made and she doesn't even know it! 

I think it's fun to see families playing together. One time there was a couple playing, with baby stroller in tow. He was obviously a player and I assumed she was along for the outing, not necessarily the playing. Then came her turn. She let loose a throw that outdid mine by a few feet and she wasn't even trying. By the time their little guy gets to be three, he'll be a player for sure. The other day I saw a little guy tagging along with his player dad and possibly his grandpa. He wss carrying his own disc. I thought, "how cute, the little guy might be out of his element trying to keep up with the big boys." But no, this little guy was a bonefied player and he let those discs rip. So there are a lot of little disc golf virtuosos coming up the pipe.

Greg taught me how to play. It used to be that every time I made a throw, there he'd be, with another and another suggestion. "Please, just let me throw and enjoy my time here!", I'd say. I really didn't care how many feet my disc went or if I made the basket in 4 or 8 tries. So he'd let up for awhile until he just couldn't stand it and there come the comments and coaching once again. He's a lot better now....because I'm a lot better now! I may even enter my first tournament this year. And tomorrow he is playing a tournament in Ogden. We're trying it out today though!

'Timeless' by Nicole Miller Giveaway

Timeless, by Nicole Miller, is one of my favorite beauty pick-me-ups.  It is a gentle exfoliant that won't wreak havoc on your skin, even if you have sensitive skin.  It gently gets rid of dead cells that have a way of piling up on your skin like unwelcome crashers at your party, making skin look dull and lifeless.  The only thing more effective would be a chemical peel.  But I won't get into the cost of that.  Some of us don't have the funds or time to get all crazy like that once a month!  In addition, chemical peels can be very irritating to sensitive skin.  Timeless is a great alternative and I just love it.

"Younger skin (as in the teen years through the mid-twenties) renews its surface layers every two to three weeks. As we age (mid-twenties and on), the cell turnover rate slows, causing the dead skin cell layer to be thicker. That’s where Timeless Age-Defying Serum comes in. The gentle formula and patented ingredient AHCare® helps loosen dead skin cells and speed skin’s renewal rate to reveal more radiant skin. Timeless gently speeds the rate of skin’s natural exfoliation, while also delivering moisture and vitamins. Perfect for preventing and reversing the early signs of aging."

 Traditional Alpha-Hydroxy Acids and Chemical Peels work, but they can irritate the skin! Nicole Miller offers a breakthrough alternative.  With the patented AHCare, Timeless will deliver the benefits of traditional AHA's, with little to no irritation!  Timeless also has supplement strength Vitamin C and provitamin A, deeply penetrating the skin's top layer to make it look smooth and firm.  It also has an antioxidant blend of cranberry extract, green tea and Vitamin E to further protect and fight free radical damage!

AH Care, a naturally sourced AHA,  works because it breaks the bonds between old and young skin cells, helping dead skin cells slough off faster, revealing a more healthy and beautiful complexion!  The active ingredients are released slowly to lessen the chance of skin irritation.  Wrinkles and lines soften and age spots fade, as smoother, younger-looking skin appears.

Get It:
Nicole Miller is made and manufactured here in the US by Melaleuca, The Wellness Company.  You can order it by calling 1-800-282-3000 and giving this id# 8014717669.  They offer a Preferred Customer Program with many lucrative incentives.  Check it out here and enter the password - Melaleuca - for more info!

Win It:
One lucky person will receive a 1 oz. vial of Timeless by Nicole Miller (retail value - $33.50), delivered by US mail with delivery confirmation! Open to US Only, Please complete the mandy (mandatory entry) and any of the following entries for extra chances to win!  Please make your e-mail address available so I can contact you if you win!!!
 Mandy:
Tell one way you take care of your skin that helps you!  Simple, huh?  Be honest, if you don't do anything, just say that!  I promise, I won't judge!
Extras:

• Subscribe to AGalNeeds....RSS Feed (on right sidebar) using Google or another method that you prefer!  Also let me know if you already do in a comment!

• Follow me on Twitter!

• Follow AGalNeeds...On Google Friend! 

• Tweet daily for an extra entry every day! Leave me your twitter status in your comment! You can copy and paste this:  AGalNeeds..Timeless by Nicole Miller! http://bit.ly/ayLn5K 5/14 Win it and see what it does for your skin! 5/14/10

• Blog, Facebook or Stumble about this giveaway and leave the post link! 3 extra entries (Leave 1 comment per entry) You may do all three if you'd like!

This giveaway will end on 5/14/10 at 12:00 am MST.  I am excited that one of you will get this wonderful gift!  Winner will be chosen with Random.org and will be notified by e-mail.  I received no compensation of any kind for this giveaway and the opinions expressed are mine!

My Review of Electronic 8-Cup Dry Rice Cooker & Food Steamer

Originally submitted at CSN Stores

Features:

• Makes up to 16 cups of cooked rice
• Easy to clean, nonstick, removable inner pot
• Improved steam vent and water reservoir
• Safety cool-touch exterior

1-touch, easy operation with automatic keep-warm function

Electronic 8-Cup Dry Rice Cooker & Food Steamer

This Rice Cooker Is Great

By daisydoo  on 4/25/2010

4out of 5

Pros: Moist Rice, Non-Stick, High Heat Tolerance
Describe Yourself: Casual Cook

I use it everyday! I love to make rice pudding and I love rice more than potatoes. My husband grew up on rice and our old rice cooker was starting to show wear. This rice cooker is great!

The Aroma Rice Cooker and Food Steamer!

Tags: Reviews, Rice Cooker, CSN Stores

(legalese)

Just a Little Rest!

It's been a long week and I'm a little tired!  The Census is well underway and as usual, everything should have been done yesterday, so while last month there were a lot of days where there was no work (and no pay), now, it's all the work you need and more!  Yesterday I was in charge of an operation that involved doing an entire mobile home court in a town about 35 miles from me.  There was only 1 person who showed up to help me, a sweet lady of about 60 years old.  But we did OK, getting count of about 145 people.  After that I was up until 1:30 am doing repetitive forms and back up at 6:00 to finish by the deadline.  The sad thing is that a good amount of the respondents had already done their census forms (or said they did) and sent them in, but we still had to do it, just to make sure.  Yes, there were also a lot who hadn't done it!

I ran into a lot of Spanish speakers and since I don't speak Spanish, I basically handed them a Spanish form and pointed to the items that needed to be filled in.  They got the point and most were very nice about it.  There was just the one Smart Alec who said he didn't have to.  (Did you know it's the law, you are required by law to fill out the census!)  I said, "Actually, yeah it's the law." He said, "Why are jew lying to me?"  "Sir, I'm not lying! Please call my boss if you have questions!" (I flashed my badge with phone numbers). Luckily, there were no more comments from him after that.

I had a really scary moment when I walked into a fenced yard, knocked on the door and a very irate golden lab came charging out of a dog door!  I wasn't too worried at first because Golden Labs are usually nice, aren't they?  But this one apparently sensed my surprise and alarm and started snarling, barking and growling.  I was not about to test him and proceeded to get the gate open as quickly as I could.  Unfortunately, it was a trick latch and my fumbling fingers couldn't seem to open it.  I prayed that I could get this gate open because the dog was upon me and my hind-quarters were very unprotected and exposed to sharp teeth. But I couldn't get the thing open.  I had trapped myself in the lair of a howling monster - my imminent demise was certain!  Fortunately the neighbors across the street saw my plight and started calling said monster off.  The woman actually came over, yelling Spanish at the dog and even though he was still barking, it distracted him enough and gave me time to figure out the ridiculously complicated latch and hurriedly make my exit.  Needless to say, I was very grateful to that very kind woman for saving my buttocks from being punctured! So yeah, I'm a little gassed! Nothing that a great weekend can't cure though!

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Tropical Traditions Coconut Peanut Butter Giveaway! NOW CLOSED

I'm excited that I can team up with Tropical Traditions again and this time with another one of their absolutely amazing natural organic products!  

I was able to try their yummy Organic Coconut Peanut Butter!  Oh my, what a treat!  The coconut was not overwhelming at all, but rather subtle!  It had a distinct natural sweetness to it that could actually be compared to a light honey-like taste.  I think it tastes absolutely amazing, not to mention that there are no waxes, trans fats or rancid peanuts! 

"Tropical Traditions Organic Coconut Peanut Butter is made from organic peanuts and organic coconut. Two ingredients: nothing else! No fillers, no binders, no sweeteners, and no preservatives. The peanuts are 100% organic Valencia peanuts grown organically by family farmers in New Mexico and Texas. Grown in the dry climate of the southwestern United States, these peanuts are certified organic and free from aflatoxins. The dried coconut is certified organic coconut meat from the Philippines from coconuts that are grown with no fertilizers or pesticides. This premium dried coconut contains no additives or preservatives, and is not sweetened. Unlike most dried coconut on the market, our dried coconut products are not treated with sulfites to keep them white. Together, these premium organic roasted peanuts and the premium organic dried coconut are ground together to make a delicious and nutritious spread!"

I was very surprised to learn that Tropical Traditions has more than one kind of peanut butter!  They have the most varied list of  gourmet, organic peanut butters that I have ever seen!  Have you ever thought of different kinds of peanut butter?  I hadn't until I saw their extensive list!  They have 11 different flavors of peanut butter!  I would love to try all of these flavors!  Now that I've tried and love the Coconut Peanut Butter, what else would be good?  The possibilities are endless!

Get it:  You can buy directly from Tropical Traditions website.  There is a great sale for their Virgin Coconut Oil! Buy one and get the 2nd free!  And you can get their organic lip moisturizers for the same deal - buy one and get the 2nd free!
Tropical Traditions also has a Referral Program, so if you place an order with them as a first-time customer, you can select “Referred by a friend” and in the box that says “How did you hear of us?” enter this sponsor ID # - 5954910. You will receive a complimentary copy of the book Virgin Coconut Oil: How it has changed people’s lives and how it can change yours! by Brian and Marianita Shilhavy with your first order! This book is filled with testimonies and research showing how healthy coconut oil is, and it also includes over 85 recipes showing how one can incorporate coconut into their diet!

Win it: For your own jar of Tropical Traditions Organic Coconut Peanut Butter, please complete the mandy (mandatory entry) and any of the following entries for extra chances to win!  Please make your e-mail address available so I can contact you if you win!!!


Mandy: Visit Tropical Traditions and tell me another kind of peanut butter that you'd like to try! 


Optional Additional entries: 

• Become a Facebook Fan of Tropical Traditions! Come back and leave your follower first name and last initial!

• Subscribe to AGalNeeds....RSS Feed (on right sidebar) using Google or another method that you prefer!

• Follow Tropical Traditions on Twitter.  Leave your follow name in a comment

• Follow me on Twitter

• Follow this blog on Google Friend Connect!

• Tweet daily for an extra entry every day! Leave me your twitter status in your comment! You can copy and paste this: "AGalNeeds...a jar of organic coconut peanut butter from @TropTraditions http://helena-agalneedsatleast2blogs.blogspot.com/ 4/29/10.

• Blog, Facebook or Stumble about this giveaway and leave the post link! 3 extra entries (Leave 1 comment per entry) You may do all three if you'd like!

This giveaway will end on 4/29/10 at 12:00 am MST.  I am excited that one of you will get this wonderful gift! Thanks to Tropical Tradition for their help and generosity. Winner will be chosen with Random.org and will be notified by e-mail.  Contest is open to both US and Canada.  However, Tropical Traditions is not responsible for customs or duties that Canada may charge if you decide to participate in this Tropical Traditions sponsored blog giveaway! The opinions expressed in this blog are mine and were not influenced in any way by Tropical Traditions or any other outside party.
 _____________________________________________________
The winner was #8, picked by Random.org number generator!  Congratulations!

A Dress For A Wedding, A Funeral and Maybe A Luncheon

I received a beautiful dress to review from eShakti!  Jennifer gave me some leeway on what I could choose.  So I chose according to a couple of needs I had.  I needed a dress to attend special occasions such as funerals, luncheons, even wedding receptions, and church functions.  I've gained some weight over this very long winter, maybe 5 pounds, and so I knew I wanted to disguise that as much as possible.  What is the best color to do that? Black!  The only problem is that I don't look my best in black.  I usually go for gray instead.  But I wanted to see what I could do with a beautiful peach/mandarin scarf that I had won on a previous giveaway.  If I could have that next to my face, it wouldn't matter if I was wearing black!  So with that need in mind, I went a-lookin'.  This is what I found:  The Peony Embroidered Cotton Satin Dress!  

 I was quite pleased with the style, fit, and color of this dress!

I feel that this dress will look good , even if I end up losing some weight over the summer, which is what I normally do!  I absolutely love the embroidery work.  The flowers just pop and they look so beautiful at close range. (To see more closely, just click on the picture to enlarge!)

You should really  go to eShaki and check out their beautiful clothing. They have all sizes, from 0 to 26W!  Don't be like I've been so much in the past.  I don't want to get new clothing because I am waiting for the day that I'll be that perfect size 4. And what happens?  That day never comes.  Go ahead and feel beautiful today, in a size that fits you and feels good.  As Apolo Ohno says, "This life is too short.  Live the moment.  No regrets!" 

Another great feature that eShakti has is the custom fit option.  For a small fee, you can opt to adjust the neckline, the length and the sleeve length!  Even for standard sizing, they ask your bust size and your height so they can do a better job at getting your perfect fit.  I opted for the standard sizing, and with just the bust and height measurements, provided by me, they were able to do a great job!

eShakti has a Facebook Fan Page where they feature new arrivals and other blog reviews, among other great things, so go check that out as well.

I went to eShakti with some specific concerns and needs and I feel that these concerns were addressed and that I came away very happy! Thank you so much eShakti!

An April Fool's Gag

I think one of the best April Fool's gags I've pulled on my family was the time I purchased 2 lbs. of chicken feet from the butcher's and put them in a boiling pot and told my husband that I had a special surprise for him.  I told him it was an old German family recipe that my Great Grandmother brought over from Germany.  I told him not to look b/c it was a surprise!
Well, that just made him all the more curious, especially since I was guarding this covered pot and not letting him look.  Plus, the smell was really interesting, to say the least.  When I stepped out of the kitchen he snuck in and took a peek into the pot.  What he saw was a pot of churning, boiling chicken feet, complete with claws!  At that very moment, I came back into the kitchen and saw the combined look of horror, look of guilt at being caught looking, and look of trying NOT to look horrified b/c, after all,  it was a "family recipe" .  It was priceless and I laughed so hard!  It wasn't over, either.  I still had to get my son.  My son wasn't so complicated.  He took one look and said it was the grossest thing he'd ever seen and there was no way he was going to eat it.

Next, I took the pot over to my parents, where my brother and his family were over for a little visit. Again, it was so funny to see them trying to be polite at first, disguising terror and disgust at the thought of maybe having to eat something like that.  Chicken feet just don't fly in my family. 

What was one of your best April Fool's gags?

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Some Good Reads!

Have you read a really good post on a blog recently?   I really love to read other posts and I love to keep track of the good reads.  So here we have a link just for that purpose... I'd like to invite you to check out the good reads I've listed here and if you have a good read to recommend, please share with me and other readers who also love to read great posts!  These posts can be funny, helpful, insightful, thoughtful, happy, sad....whatever you feel grabs you and makes you say, "Wow, that was a really good read!"  If you have a great post of your own, please feel free to share it!  I guess you could call it  great Blog Fodder!  Whatever you want to call it, please, please share here!  Here's how:  Go to the post you love, not the blog, the post itself.  Copy the url of the post, come back here and add it to the link!  You can also add a title if you'd like in the space provided. Please, only one post per blog but add as many posts from different blogs as you would like!  So here's to some good reads!

 And BTW! Happy Friday Follow!   ( image)

It's All InThe Coconut - Tropical Traditions Giveaway!

I am happy to announce that Tropical Traditions would like one of my readers to win a 1 quart jar of their Virgin Coconut Oil!

A few posts back, I told you how I was introduced to the benefits of using virgin coconut oil, specifically Tropical Traditions.  You read how impressed I was with the benefits of virgin coconut oil. But I am also particularly impressed with Tropical Tradition's immaculate product processing, their choice selection of only the finest coconuts from the Philippines, the great taste, and their customer bonus program called Healthy Buyers! You can read my post here or you can visit Tropical Traditions directly and watch the video about how they discovered Virgin Coconut Oil, you can go to their recipe blog, which gives you yummy and easy recipes that use coconut oil in them. 

Of course, Tropical Traditions has way more than just the Coconut Oil.  They have so many products that are healthy and farm fresh, without harmful pesticides or hormones.  I invite you to check out their many other quality produts.

Get It:  You can buy directly from Tropical Traditions website.  There is a great sale for their Organic Coconut Peanut Butter, just $6.99 for 16 oz.!  Or you can buy 2 of the Coconut Cream Concentrate and get 2 for free!  And a 32 oz. jar of Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil is just $27.50!

Tropical Traditions also has a Referral Program, so if you place an order with them as a first-time customer, please select “Referred by a friend” and in the box that says “How did you hear of us?” enter this sponsor ID # - 5954910. You will receive a complimentary copy of the book Virgin Coconut Oil: How it has changed people’s lives and how it can change yours! by Brian and Marianita Shilhavy with your first order! This book is filled with testimonies and research showing how healthy coconut oil is, and it also includes over 85 recipes showing how one can incorporate coconut into their diet.

Win It: For a 1 quart jar of Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil, please complete the mandy (mandatory entry) and any of the following entries for extra chances to win!  Please make your e-mail address available so I can contact you if you win!!!

Mandy:  Visit Tropical Traditions and pick your favorite recipe that uses coconut oil!

 Optional Additional entries: 

• Become a Facebook Fan of Tropical Traditions! Come back and leave your follower first name and last initial!Subscribe to AGalNeeds....RSS Feed (on right sidebar) using Google or another method that you prefer!

• Follow Tropical Traditions on Twitter.  Leave your follow name in a comment

• Follow me on Twitter

• Follow this blog on Google Friend Connect!

• Tweet daily for an extra entry every day! Leave me your twitter status in your comment! You can copy and paste this: "AGalNeeds...a jar of virgin coconut oil from @TropTraditions http://helena-agalneedsatleast2blogs.blogspot.com/ 4/10/10.

• Blog, Facebook or Stumble about this giveaway and leave the post link!  If before April 4th, give yourself 3 extra entries (1 comment per entry). If after April 4th, give yourself 2 extra entries. Leave the post link where you did so!  You may do all three if you'd like, for the appropriate entries for each one.

This giveaway will end on 4/10/10 at 12:00 am MST.  I am excited that one of you will get this wonderful gift! Thanks to Tropical Tradition for their help and generosity. Winner will be chosen with Random.org and will be notified by e-mail.  Contest is open to both US and Canada.  However, Tropical Traditions is not responsible for customs or duties that Canada may charge if you decide to participate in this Tropical Traditions sponsored blog giveaway! The opinions expressed in this blog are mine and were not influenced in any way by Tropical Traditions or any other outside party.

eShakti Giveaway!

I needed to mention this great giveaway from eShakti because wow!  There is so much to win and so much to lose if you don't enter!  There will be a first prize of $250! Plus 25 prizes of $50 each!  eShakti has beautiful clothing.  But not just that, it is made to fit you individually. You can tell eShakti how to alter the clothing according to your measurements!  And it is done.  You'd be surprised what a little individual tailoring does for your figure and your outlook in general!  You can opt to go for custom tailoring or standard sizing.  Count me in!  Thanks eShakti!

To enter this contest, simply access this entry form and answer the 2 questions!  Simple.  Must be in by 3/31/10!