You're Invited!

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Well, it is Wednesday again!  It's already the middle of the week!  Wow!

Honestly, I can't wait until this week is over.  My poor hubby has been leaving about 6:30am and not getting home until 11pm.  He hasn't even seen the girls in 2 days.  :(  I am really proud of him though because he is working so hard!  He is almost done with his research for his thesis, so that's good.  Then for the next month he will have to do an analysis on all of it and actually write out his entire thesis.  Phew!  I'm just glad that he is the one doing it and not me!  He is a real trooper.  :)  I am so blessed to have such a wonderful husband who works so hard to support his family, and who also follows his dreams.

OK, so here is a little bit of "house keeping" for ya...there are going to be a few changes going on over the next few months.  Obviously, if you received the newsletter today you probably saw that it looked a little different.    There are some things that still need to be tweaked, but that is generally what it will look like :)  Also, I will be getting some help so hopefully things will start to improve over time.  :)  I have just gotten to the point where I can't run the business by myself any more and still enjoy it!

So...if anyone is interested...I am looking for a VA (Virtual Assistant) (with a strong social media background); and a second pair of hands that can sew.  So if you know any one that is interested in any one of these job openings let me know!

Secondly, I have some great news!  We have picked the time and place for the official "launching party" of the Logan, UT Chapter of The Mom-e Club!

Where: 
The Springs @ Logan River Club House

1721 S 1150 W

Logan, UT 84321

When: April 23, 2011

What Time:  7pm-8:30pm

Please feel free to bring any refreshments you would like.  There will be light refreshments provided.

So that's exciting!  :)  Hope all of you in Logan, UT and the surrounding areas will be able to make it!  :)  If you don't know what the Mom-e Club is or what it's all about, check out this blog post. 

Well, this was kind of a boring blog post, but not all of them can be as exciting as yummy LEMON BARS right?  lol!  Have you tried them yet?  I will have some at the The Mom-e Club meeting so if you come you will be able to try them!  :)  Well, have a fabulous day!  I would love to go take a nap right now but unfortunately I have to clean the house while my kids are still napping.  Wish me luck!

Melt in your mouth Lemon Bars

Growing up I have always loved dessert!  I have this thing for sweets.  I know my waistline is now begging me to stop my sweet tooth addiction,  but unfortunately it's not going to happen.  I love them too much!  That is why I exercise more, and only have my savory sweets in moderation.  :)

Since I was a kid one of the sweets that I wasn't to excited about was lemon bars.  Now, I know you are thinking...you are crazy right?  Who doesn't love lemon bars?  Well, I didn't.  I mean I didn't despise them but I never really enjoyed them either.  And aren't you supposed to enjoy your sweets?  If you don't enjoy them, I don't think they are worth the calories.

Well, when I got married, my hubby introduced me to the most "out of this world," melt in your mouth, lemon bars.  I am now officially hooked!  They are THAT good!  Not only are they the best lemon bars you have ever tasted, but they are SUPER easy to make!

I know, I know, you are saying to yourself, "ok Aly, if they're that good  let's have the recipe already....

OK!  I get it!  I won't keep in suspense any longer.  All I have to say... is be prepared to savor every bite!  Enjoy!

Lemon Bars 

Crust:

1 box yellow cake mix
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg

Mix all (crust) ingredients together until crumbly.  (I usually use a hand mixer).  Save 1/8 of the mix and put it aside.  Take the rest  of the crust mixture and pat it down in a 9 X 13 pan.  Make sure you make a little lip or edge around it so the lemon filling stays in the crust.  Bake in the oven @ 350 degrees for 11 min.  (Make sure you play around with the time depending on your oven.  Some ovens cook hotter than others).

Lemon Filling:

8oz of cream cheese
1/3 cup of sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon of lemon juice (or more if you like it more lemon-y.)  I usually do it to taste.

Beat all of the (lemon filling) together and pour into the crust.  Then sprinkle the remaining 1/8 of the crust (that you saved) on top of the lemon bars and pop it into the oven for another 15 min.  And then you are done!   I recommend you let the lemon bars cool for a little bit before you cut into them.  20 min should be good enough.  My mouth is just watering talking about these lemon bars!  Yum!  :)  I hope you love them as much as we do!



 

5 Great Ways to Juggle it all!

image courtesy of classesandcareers.com

Being work-at-home moms there is a lot to juggle.  But here a few tips to make your life a whole lot easier. It is possible to be a entrepreneur and a mom and rock both!

1.) Get a great planner to help organize your schedule.
This is critical.  Having a schedule will help you remember all the things you have to do for your family and for your business.  No more missed appointments or missed deadlines.  Put it all together in one place.

2.) Get a great tool to organize your stuff.
Get a great looking bag or set of drawers to organize all of the miscellaneous stuff that sits out.  That way you won't loose all of those important things.

3.) Talk to an expert.
There are some people that are naturally gifted in these areas.  If you are not one of those people, talk to someone who is! Having expert advice will save you from having to spend time trying to figure it out yourself.  A lot of times we find that certain things don't work and then we just give up.  The experts will take the guessing work out and will help you find solutions that will work for you!

4.) Cut out the clutter.
This means not only getting rid of stuff, but learning how to change the way that you look at accumulating stuff as well.  This can be the hardest to overcome but there are a lot of tools out there that can help you become clutter free!

5.) Try a timer.
When you are doing something, set a timer.  When the timer goes off, STOP!  We usually spend more time than we need to on menial things and then when it comes time to do the big or more important things we run out of time.  Setting a timer is a good way to help you manage your time.

To read more of the original article and get more tips on how to stay organized go toWork it Mom.

Also, there is a great website that I just found out about, it isbizmomtips.com.  If you really want help from an organizational expert, Debbye Gallager is your gal!   She has tips to help you from organizing your kitchen, to what planner to use, to travel tips and much more!

Hope this helps!  Let's get organized!

New found time

I know as a mom one thing that I can never get enough of is sleep.  We are told that we need to get at least 7-8 hours a night to be healthy.  I try, but honestly, if I get 6 hours a night, that's great!  I am making a new goal of getting to bed at an earlier time, but I know that it will be a challenge.  Sometimes I wish I never had to sleep!  Can you imagine all the stuff you could get done?  I could sew all the time and get all of my projects done that I have been putting off.  (Such as making two storage bags to go on the back of our double umbrella stroller.)  Spring is here (even though it doesn't feel like it), and Summer is on it's way!  I need to get cracking!  And that's just one of the things on my long list.

I could also get all the chores done around the house too!  My house might have a chance at being clean for more than 20 minutes at a time!  :)  I think sleep is over rated.  It's to bad our bodies require sleep to function!

Imagine you no longer have to sleep.  The world has been granted a full night's rest with a push of a button.

What would you do with your new found time?

"Not quite"

I got my first wholesale account for the Baby Caps and Gowns about a week and a half ago!  Yay!  That was a p.r.e.t.t.y  good day :)  If I do say so myself.  For those of you who don't know what a wholesale account is it is where someone orders from you in bulk at a discounted price.  Some people say that it is good because you sell more, other people say it's not good because you loose money on each item sold.  For me, I believe it to be a good thing because I am able to get my name out there and have my products sold in a brick and mortar store.  So in addition to selling  my Baby Caps and Gowns on my website you can also purchase them at the Brigham Young University-Idaho Bookstore.  That will come into affect starting in about 2 weeks.  I will let you know when.

Today has been a great day!  I was able to drive up to Rexburg, ID and  meet the fantastic woman that is handling my wholesale account of Baby Caps and Gowns.  She is awesome!  I was able to give her the caps and gowns, and we talked and got to know each other better.  I think we are going to have a wonderful relationship.

So enough about the boring business stuff...and onto my kids!  I have to tell you, I have the most adorable children.  They are so smart.  We were in the car this morning and Kyrah had the hiccups and so I suggested that we try and scare her to see if they would go away.

Me and Kyrah together: "Boo!"

Me:  Kyrah, are your hiccups gone?

Kyrah: Not quite.

Aww...children and their simple perspectives.

Sydnee has now learned how to crawl, so nothing is safe in the house!  She loves her new found independence.  She is clapping, talking, and moving and loving it all in the process.  Where is my little girl?  Before I know it she will be walking and ordering me around.   :)

Cherish this special time you have with your kids.  It doesn't last very long.    What are you doing special with your kids to cherish them?

Hiring help?

image courtesy of slovly.com

I know that today is supposed to be a business topic, but frankly this week has been so busy I just don't have the energy to think of something to write.  Don't get me wrong, I am happy that I am getting so many orders, it's a dream come true!  However, I have a whole sale account for my caps and gowns that needs to be done by Friday.  Well, yesterday I was sewing away and my serger broke.  I thought to myself...for real??  This has to happen this week?  Of course it does!  *sigh* 

So...I had to take it to get repaired.  I really hope that I can get it back today.  I have countless hours of sewing left before I will be done.  I need all the time I can get.  I am so grateful to my neighbor who offered to watch my girls tomorrow all day so that I can get the bulk of my sewing done.  What would I do without great friends!  Thank you!

I have a lot going on in regards to mommyhood as well.  I am watching neighborhood kids today and have a meetings tonight and tomorrow night.  I feel like I need to hire help, but I don't know where to start.  And I don't know if I will be as busy as  I am right now (with orders.)  I hope so though.  I like being busy.  And I want my business to grow!  (Which means more orders to fill :)  )

For the future, does anyone have any recommendations for great VA's (virtual assistants) that they just love?  Or what to look for when hiring a team or help?   I'm excited to start exploring these opportunities, but I would love some guidance!  So you experts out there...I'm looking for you!

Faith brings Miracles

(This is the bracelet I was given at the "Ignite Your Spark" Conference. I have been wearing it every day since  I got it.
It has very special meaning to me now.)

It's amazing to me what a little faith will do.  Going to the "Ignite Your Spark Conference" this past weekend was an extraordinary experience!  To be honest, even though my business has been doing ok, I've only been in business about 2 years and so we are still in the struggling phase.  I am getting a decent amount of orders, but right now I have a lot of expenses because I am still in the "start-up" mode.

Well, at the conference we had a lot outstanding speakers.  One thing that I took away from the conference was the fact that in a business sometimes you have to give more than what you think is possible.  It took pretty much all I had (as far as finances) to get to the conference.  But I was told, even if it did take all I had to get there, I need to give a little bit more.  At first I thought, that is easier said than done!  Where is the money going to come from.  Well, after doing a lot of soul searching...I decided that it was time for me to take the next step.  If I wanted to get ahead and if I really wanted to succeed, I needed to make some changes.  So, I hired a business coach.  I used what little money I had left in my account and paid it.  Going on faith that all would work out.

Can I just tell you...that was on Saturday when I made that decision.

It is now Monday.

And between those 3 days...I have received 5 orders in addition to my wholesale account that I was able to get about a week ago.  I believe in God, and I know that if you are faithful and trust in Him, that He will provide a way for you.  And He did.  For me.  Because I just trusted that all would work out...2 days later...I have made back everything I have spent on hiring that coach.  A coincidence?  I.  think.  not.

FAITH brings miracles.

G.I.F.T.S. from Within ~Ignite Your Spark Conference 2011

Hey everyone!  I am currently at the Ignite Your Spark Conference!  Yippi!  What a day!  It has been jammed packed with so much wonderful empowerment and knowledge that I think my head will explode!  I can't wait for tomorrow!  I have also met so many wonderful people that have enriched my life and I have become a better person just because I know them.

So here is a fraction of what I have learned today.  The video is a bit on the longer side, but I promise you, watch the whole thing.  You won't be disappointed.  After it is finished, please leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts and feelings on our G.I.F.T.S. from within.

How does knowing your G.I.F.T.S. change you?

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVGbx9770vQ]

Have a fabulous weekend!

My Craft Space & Ignite Your Spark

It's been about a month since I have done a vlog.  I know, I know, that is WAY to long.   So here you go!  There is a lot going on.  You get to see where all of my crafting is done and where I like to spend my time when I am not with my kids or hubby ;)   I also have the opportunity to go to "Ignite Your Spark" women's conference on Friday and Saturday!  I am soooo excited!! http://www.igniteyourspark.com


[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-xVHRGGhXA]