Sweat it Out in Old Navy Activewear!

I am a lucky lady.  I was selected as part of Old Navy's style council to try out Old Navy Activewear..... And it got even better, since another friend also got it.  We were able to each bring a friend so we all tried on a wide variety of activewear.  We tried different colors, styles, as well as bottoms, tops, and jackets.  As is typical, I find the staff at Old Navy to be very helpful and understanding.  When I am doing a sample share, I will try on A LOT of stuff.  I try pick up just about everything in the category, often in different sizes, to make sure I have the perfect fit.

For activewear, this is certainly no exception.  The great thing about Old Navy's activewear is that they offer some fun, bright colors.  There is always some grey and black to keep things neutral.  They also had purple and a turtqouise colors, with a bit of pink and green sprinkled in.  I also found a great bright pink top.  I really enjoyed the bright pink top, however, it was on clearance (which I didn't learn until I went to check out) and so was not available to pick up for free.  Of course, I got it anyway.  ;-)

Out of all four of us, the features that we liked the most were included in the activewear compression jackets.  All of this style jacket had thumb holes at the cuffs.  For jogging and working out in the cold weather, we found this to be a great feature.  I also prefer the jackets that zip down completely, not just half way.  Three of us picked out the activewear compression jackets.  My sister picked out the microfleece activewear top in white.  I think it's a good jacket for jogging at night.  It helps to be reflective.

I am short, so picking out pants is difficult at the store.  They are really too long for my small frame.  I picked out compression capris instead, which actually work out to be pretty long on me.  Since my sister was along, she is taller, the pants work well for her size.  My other friends tend to be closer to my height as well, so they opted for other styles.

Overall, everyone picked out great jackets.  I have been enjoying mine.  It fits well, is easy to wash, and has a good length to it.  I have worn my compression capris a few times.  These ones are a little longer than other pairs that I own, so they are perfect for cold weather and staying after those new years resolutions.

Thanks Old Navy! ;-)

McCormick's Grill Mates Party

I was lucky enough to get selected for a crowdtap sample share party.  McCormick's sent us seasonings to give a try.  We got a "grill pack" in the mail which contained:

• Party Booklet
• Grill Mates® Spiced Brandy & Herb Marinade
• Grill Mates® Slow and Low Memphis Pit BBQ Rub
• Grill Mates® Montreal Steak Seasoning Blend
• Grill Mates® Molasses Bacon Seasoning Blend
• Grill Mates® Brown Sugar Bourbon BBQ Sauce

We hosted a backyard BBQ at home and were able to use some meat that we had in the freezer.  Timmy decided he wanted to give smoking a try and did a lot of research on how to do it and what to do.  He borrowed a weber smoker from his brother.  We were able to take the time to marinade everything the night before.  

Our Menu was: 

• Spiced brandy & herb on a pork tenderloin (7 lbs) 
• Slow & Low memphis pit BBQ rub on beef short ribs 
• montreal steak seasoning on beef brisket 
• molasses bacon seasoning on pork chops 
• Sugar Bourbon BBQ sauce on the side for topping and dripping. 

We had a fantastic time with all of our friends and trying all the food out.  The pork chops were everyones favorites.  I would strongly recommend the molasses bacon seasoning.  It was the bomb.  

194 Days to Go!!!

It's been an exciting week!!  I have just started a new job at the Bevo Mill. I'll be the Catering & Sales Manager for this St. Louis Historical Landmark.  It was built in 1914 by August Busch, founder of Anheiser Busch Brewery here in St. Louis.  Day one was full of excitement and lacking stress -- which was great and very unlike my previous position.

In addition, I met with my aunties who are going to help with the big day.  Aunt Mag & Aunt Bridget and I went to look at the location for our celebration.  We came up with a starter game plan, looked through the collection of decorations that I have started to accumulate (thanks to Aunt Carol), and tried on some wedding dresses.  I believe I know what we are going to work on.... but I will get back to you on that one.

As far as the wedding planning is going.... Tim and I realized we have a few things to work on.  He is going to look into cake options.  He has to pick out a tuxedo ..... I am excited to be working on the wedding invitations.  I think I know what we are going to do, but there are just so many darn ideas on pinterest...  We are still looking for the musical entertainment.  We would love to get a band but I'm not sure that we can afford it at this point.

Hugs!! :-)

Hotel Block

Tim & I picked a hotel block.  It was pretty simple as we were looking for the best rate more than anything else.  The main downside is that is not near the airport and has no airport shuttle either.

The plus side: It is getting renovated over the next 6 months, has an indoor pool & hot tub.  There is a small restaurant on site.  They also have an over-sized van that will take people to the party and back.  It's only $89/night for either a King or 2 queens.  Click here to book it.

It is about 7.5 miles to the Church -- Our Lady of Sorrows.  It takes about 35 minutes and is 26 miles from the airport.  I am hopeful that it will work out for all of you friends.

Rock The Registry

As part of all the wedding fun, we get to register for all sorts of cool stuff.  We were invited to a special event at Bed Bath & Beyond called "Rock Your Registry." We went to the closest BBB store in Brentwood last Thursday night.  They evening started with folks greeting us as we walked in and handing us a sheet with our registry number on it.  I had initially signed up at a bridal show but they had misinterpreted my handwriting. My email address was listed wrong & Tim's last name was listed at Cinch.  Oops!  We asked them to correct the information, but right now I haven't figured out how to get our registry accessed.

After checking in, we all headed to the back of the store for a welcoming program.  They had a sales lady that seemed to be straight from Home Shopping Network to talk about Calphalon products.  They were giving away the grand prize of over $500 worth of Calphalon pots, pans, utensils, etc.  She was talking about cooking for a crowd and was paired with a sales rep from Miksa.  As the first gal talked through a few recipes, the lady from Miksa talked about entertaining and the latest and greatest from Miksa dinnerware.  I found it interesting that she was encouraging folks to mix and match patterns for a more contemporary look.  She had paired a three different patterns together for the dinner, salad, and bread plates.  She used the martini glasses to showcase how you can use them to serve dip individually by filling them with hummus and having some pita toasties sticking out.  Looked super cute.  During the presentation, they gave away a few door prizes.

After the presentation, they served up cake to congratulate all of the couples.  Then we headed off to get our scanners and start adding items.  We had to pick up our scanner near the towels section so we started to look around.  They had a zillion staff people around to help and answer questions which was great.  There were at least 60 couples there so it was not like a private party and yet we still had lots of folks that would help us out.  We worked our way through all the bath towels & accessories.  We moved on to bedding but didn't make up our minds about anything but getting a hypoallergenic imitation down comforter.  We ended with picking out flatware, some nice crystal glass ware, and some utensils for the 'hostess set.'  As we turned to leave, we got waylaid by  the Kitchen Aid guy.  He was a riot and was able to chat about all the fancy attachments since we admitted that we own  not one but two mixers already.  (Mine is a 6 qt industrial style that has been around for quite some time and Tim has a much newer and sleek black 5 quart mixer.)

As we returned our scanners, we were given a gift bag.  It wasn't just junk either!  A sweet treat to end the evening and take home goodies for all of our hard work.  We got a mat for drying dishes, a calphlon spatchula, a kitchenaid bottle opener, a bud vase from Miksa, a slotted serving spoon, a eco friendly reuseable cup, plus a Martha Stewart Wedding mag.  All in all, it was worthwhile evening.