Along the path...

Come zagareet, hoot and holler with Desert Gypsy Dance Company as we kick up our heels at First Night in Provo . Performance at the Provo Town Center is scheduled on New Year's Eve at around 7:20 pm. Hope to see you there!

Another year older, already? Really??? Hope you have a wonderful day full of the best surprises and every happy thing! Love you much!  

It's a bit crude, but I hope you have a very happy birthday ya old fart! Love ya, Nathan!

RD - Hope you have the most wonderful birthday yet. Wish I could stop by to see you today. Know I'm thinking of you and wishing I could see you on this special day. Love you and lots of kisses!

HIStalk posted this video. It's pretty funny! But I may be a bit warped.

Is that a fairly loose or a tight term? Are we talking Facebook or something else... Ha ha ha

Lisa, Linda and I headed out to Gardner's Village for Witches Night Out! So fun--but way crowded and my claustrophbia kicked in a bit. It's a good thing I'm fairly tall. I can't imagine what it would be like to be in a crowd like that and not be able to see anything above shoulders. Shudder. Check out our fun night, capped off with dinner at Archibald's. We so closed out the joint! Thanks ladies for a spooktacular time!!!

Somebody's having a birdthday! Who? I'll never tell. But you might be able to guess which "bug" it is by these pictures. Hope you have a super day full of fun and surprises. Love you much! 

Invariable with a birthday and Halloween in October, someone is bound to get their witch on... My darling friend Melinda hosted the most fabulous "Witches Brew" party at her home. We witches were invited to create a cap that spoke something about us. Check out the fun, creative ladies (especially the wonderful hostess, Melinda, who is very bewitching in the kitchen) below and  see more witches at the brew, if ye dare . Melinda, thanks again for a super, rockin', ultra fun time!  Andrea M., Andrea B., Karyn, Julie, Deborah, Melinda   Playing nice for the camera.   Melinda's mom almost ended up hatless. I was completely green with envy and thought about pilfering her beautiful topper.   Conversation after a delicious dinner.  Workin' it!  Beautiful settings - complete with pumpkin bread bowls (Did I get a picture of the darling spread? Sadly, no.)  A bit of 'tude  My spidey sense is tingling. Check out the spider ...

Our company's founder (the "K" in KLAS) left for a mission in October. Prior to his leaving I made a quilt, incorporating some of the company shirts from past years as a going away/retirement gift. Part of our company logo is Utah's Delicate Arch--thus the design choice. If I were to do it again, I would allow for a wider sashing around the quilt. The white strips on the outside edges seem too narrow to me. And a wider binding. And allow for a longer timeframe. And I might take a class before embarking on a new technique all on my own. In a previous post I shared some videos about paper piecing. Thank goodness for the Internet! It was a FUN project, but very time consuming. About 35 of my hours are personally wrapped up in this quilt--including fabric selection, etc. The Quilting Cottage in AF bound and quilted it for me. Overall it turned out quite well. Here are some pictures from my very  first paper pieced quilt . Let me know what you think. Also if you li...

Kristen (a teammate at work) and I threw a baby shower for Anna (a co-worker) yesterday. It was so much fun planning and executing the luncheon. We served curried chicken pasta salad, veggies, fruit, cupcakes and had blue punch. I didn't really measure anything for the pasta salad, but was asked for the recipe. I used my family's "that looks about right" method. Here's the recipe(ish): Curried Chicken Pasta Salad Fun shaped pasta Frozen peas Celery, diced Apple, cored and diced (I prefer a firm, sweet apple like Fuji) Red grapes, halved Bottled coleslaw salad dressing Canned chicken, drained (I prefer Costco's canned chicken) or a couple of cooked, cubed chicken breasts Dehydrated onion (can use diced red onion) Curry powder Cumin White pepper Black pepper Salt Nuts (I use raw cashews) Cook pasta according to package directions. Rinse peas under hot water in a colander and drain well. Dice fruits and celery. Mix fruits and vegetables in a ...

So I'm not much of a popcorn fan, but I came across this recipe for homemade microwave popcorn on Our Best Bites and I soooo want to try it. You can control the salt, the fat, the portion--everything. Just maybe not for breakfast... Brown Paper Bag Microwave Popcorn 1/4 c. unpopped popcorn kernels 1 brown paper lunch bag Tape Seasonings like melted butter, kosher salt, seasoning salt, Creole or Cajun seasoning, bacon salt, or Garlic Bread Seasoning Place unpopped popcorn in the brown paper lunch bag. Fold the bag over twice, tape it shut, and gently push the air out. Pop for 2 1/2-3 minutes or until there are 1-2 seconds between pops. Remove the bag from the microwave and shake gently before carefully opening the bag. Season as desired.

And this one I just could not resist...

Sweet Rice Source: Recipezaar / by knobbyknee NOTE: The amount of sugar makes it very sweet. You can alter the amount of sugar if you would like, just remember it is supposed to be sweet! Also, let the sugar disolve in the stock so you won't have sugar that has sunk to the bottom of the pan. 6-8 servings 50 min / 10 min prep 1/2-1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1/2 of a white onion, chopped (add more or less to your taste) 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro 1 1/3 cups white rice 3 cups chicken broth 1/4-1/2 cup white sugar Put a little oil in bottom of pan (maybe about 1/2-1 tablespoon). Saute chopped onion until transluecent. Add the chopped cinlantro (no big stems) and saute a minute more. Add the rice, cooking until it is light brown (being careful not to burn). Combine the chicken broth and sugar, letting sugar disolve. Then stir into rice until combined. Bring to a boil. Cover and let cook on low, med-low until rice is done, about 25-30 minutes. Fluff with a fork before servin...

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. Proverbs 3: 5

I've decided that life and business interconnect. A lot. Someone forwarded me an article today about 12 skills needed to be a successful leader. They can be broadened to skills needed to be a successful person. So in my standard, file-it-away-in-my-blog mode, the article is clipped and pasted it here. See original here. Managing the Future Workplace? Start Here. by Alan Murray at Alan.Murray@wsj.com The last three years have seen an unprecedented financial crisis leading to the deepest economic downturn since the 1930s. In the process, the very foundations of capitalism have been upended. Faith in business and in markets has been shaken. As Ian Davis of McKinsey & Co. put it: "We are experiencing not merely another turn of the business cycle, but a restructuring of the economic order." How should managers behave in this new economic order? .A few trends will clearly impact managers in the years ahead. Trust in business by the public at large is clearly at a lo...

http://www.youcanmakethis.com/

I read an article recently on sales and thought it had a great perspective on life in general. I wanted to save it for later ues. Read the original article by Geoffrey James here . It's also below with some highlights I liked. If you’re going to be successful in sales, you need to be the kind of person that draws other people to want to work with them. With the exception of the mentally ill, most people want to work with people who have an upbeat and positive attitude. Unfortunately, many people (including some sales pros that I know) have sloppy habits of thinking and speaking that drain the energy of the people around them. With that in mind, here are five quick techniques that will immediately improve your attitude in ways that will increase your ability to influence others: Technique #1: Stop using negative phrases such as “It’s impossible,” or “This won’t work,” which program you for negative results. Instead, substitute phrases like “That might be challenging” or “We’ll...

Friday night I went to a concert. The crowd was pretty mellow, but the group was fabulous! They had an interesting mix of music and a unique sound and a wide vocal range. It ended up being really fun--and I bought their CD. They were an unknown band to me, but have opened for people like Kelly Clarkson, etc. The band consisted of a keyboardist, guitarist, bassist and drummer. And they are LDS. Here's a sampling of some of their songs: I Want You There Will He Dance? Hiding Behind the Song Get Lost Heart of the Matter (cover-Don Henley) Wasn't That Your Plan Use Somebody (cover-Kings of Leon) You Could Be Why Whenever Wherever Whatever (cover-Maxwell) Enjoy!

A day at the zoo. Beautiful weather. Fabulous company. Cooperative animals. Congrats on retiring, Mom! What a fun way to spend Labor Day! (Missed you much, Adam, Renee, AJ and EL.)

Happy birthday to the sweetest little peanut ever! Especially when she's covered in cotton candy. Hope it's a super day! Love you.

Lisa - Have a great birthday day!!!

Friday, August 27th at 6:30 PM Mini-Fest Cedar Hills Heritage Park (4450 W. Cedar Hills Drive, Cedar Hills) Mini-Fest is an opportunity for the Middle Eastern dance community to come together and celebrate an evening in dance. Performers come primarily from Utah and Salt Lake Counties. The performance should should last 1 1/2 to 2 hours and will consist of dancers of all levels. Desert Gypsy Dance Company and its three troupes will be featured performers, along with Gypsy Soul for it's second fabulous choreographic feat (we hope anyway!) . Watch dancers perform with candles, swords, fans, veils, scarves and a variety of other props as they share the story of song. Bring blankets or lawn chairs to sit on the grassy hillside. Munchies, snacks and dinner can be brought to and eaten during the performance. Additional parking is available at the nearby school and church.

Always try to do something for the other fellow and you will be agreeably surprised how things come your way -- how many pleasing things are done for you. --Claude M. Bristol American lawyer, lecturer, investment banker and foreign correspondent

Stripey Tights! Happy Friday the 13th :)

Thanks for being such wonderful parents. May you have the best year of marriage yet and many more to come. Love you! Happy Anniversary!!!

ZM is 2 today!! Everybody shout hurray! Hope you have an excellent birthday, little man! (Thanks, Becca, for letting me steal some of your Disneyland pictures. I couldn't resist them....)