Happy San Francisco Giants DAY!!!!

Can I treat you to a peppermint hot chocolate?

Hello fellow bloggers,
As you know I am embarking on a new passion, The Gifted Giver! I would love to treat you to help me spread the word!
I will send you a $5 gift card to Starbucks if you: (if you do both you get $10!)

• Post about The Gifted Giver on your blog with a link.
• Post on your Facebook page with a link.

Also, check us out on Facebook here and become a friend!
Just send me an email at jenny@thegiftedgiver.com with a link and your mailing address. Your gift card will be on it's way!
Thank you blogging friends!
Jen

My new favorite kitchen gadget! Lid Lifters

It started out of necessity.

You see I've always just picked up my can openers, used them and thrown them out and bought new ones. This happened far too frequently for my taste, partly due to the fact that someone puts them in the dishwasher all the time and they get rusty.

So I got a gift card for my birthday and I was determined to splurge on a can opener. My wishlist...no rust, easy to turn...that is about it. Well when it comes to can openers they are all metal so the rust factor was a huge issue...

Until I entered the world of LID LIFTERS!

Why a lid lifter? They do not cut your can, they unhinge the lid. This way there are no sharp edges AND guess what? It doesn't even get near the food so there is no washing needed...hence no rust!

Okay, another cool thing is that the way it removes the lid you can put the lid back on too. Bonus!

The one above that I bought is by Kuhn Rikon.

(you don't have to get a whale one).

Do not fret about the price though because I got mine here for $6.99! The same I would spend for "the can opener".

If you have the same can opener dilemma in your house, I strongly urge you to check out lid lifters!

The time has come!

I have always been in awe of talented women who have passion and drive!

We see them all over blogland right?

I've always known I had something inside of me that could grow into something bigger (besides children-haha).

I LOVE to choose just the right gift for that certain someone. And of course I love shopping! I was recently talking with some couples and a husband said, "I would pay someone to help me shop for my wife on her birthday." The wife said, "I would love someone to help him shop for me on my birthday." I knew I had found my new baby...introducing...

The Gifted Giver

your personal shopper for gift giving

Check us out at www.thegiftedgiver.com.

You can email me at jenny@thegiftedgiver.com

Hope to help you be the gifted giver soon!

Style on Target

I usually steer clear of Target, NOT because I don't love it! It's just really hard for me to stay on budget there...extra things just always seem to creep into my cart! Like these below! Aren't they great?

What I do love though is when I find something that I need AND it has great style, two in one! I fell in love with these cleaning and household supplies below.

But beware! Many times they will tempt us with new products by putting them at a special price (like these this week). Then just when the product becomes essential to our being they put them at a really high regular price. It's happened to me so many times!

I can totally see these on an open shelf in my laundry room!

By far Mrs. Meyer's is my favorite cleaning product! I was estatic to see them on the shelf at my local Target. However, they did not supply my favorite scent, Geranium.

Thanks Target buyers for keeping things fresh!

A Time Out for Time Out For Me

I was able to go on a getaway for 26 hours with some friends.

It is great to be with the girls to laugh and to be silly, but the best part was the quiet moments of inspiration that are received when attending an event like this.

There were so many incredible moments, reminders, lessons and promptings but this woman below was, by far, the most amazing story of the entire day. Her name is Mariama Kallon. Despite the adversity she has faced she embodies the pure love of Christ and "joy in the journey". From her laugh to her countenance, her Spirit warmed me from head to toe.

"Raised in war-torn Sierra Leone, Mariama Kallon saw many things as a young girl that might fill a person with fear and hatred. Soon after witnessing the violent murders of parents and siblings and spending her youth fleeing from rebels, she was introduced to the gospel of Jesus Christ and found hope in God and peace in a knowledge of eternal families. She was given a humanitarian kit by the Church, which became a treasured symbol of hope that she used to bless the lives of many as they again fled for their lives. After returning to her town, she was called on a mission to the Salt Lake City Temple Square Mission, and wept in gratitude to the Lord as she visited the place where her precious humanitarian kit was made. Today Mariama stands as an example of the divine purposes of humanitarian work and tells her story to numerous audiences, urging them to participate in this work. She currently resides and works in Salt Lake City, where she has attended LDS Business College."

picture and description from deseret book.com- her story is available here.

Some of the lessons I learned from her story...my life is so easy! When she wanted to learn the gospel of Jesus Christ she had to walk 3 miles each way! Who am I to complain about my minor inconveniences? I take for granted so many things including shampoo, shoes and my scriptures. Even though my trials may never be as severe as this sweet sister, the atonement that our Savior made is available to each of us. I hope I never forget the joy in her eyes and voice, despite what she had been through, and use that as an example of how I need to be!

There were also great presenters such as: John Bytheway, Ardeth Kapp, Emily Watts, Jill Manning, Amanda Dickinson and Emily Freeman.

"Homemade Oreos" are YUM!

This is my kind of dessert! Great presentation, easy and best of all SOOOO GOOD!

Start with a dark chocolate cake mix. I used "Triple Chocolate Fudge" by Betty Crocker. Combine cake mix with 2 eggs and 1/2 C oil. Mix well. A cookie scoop is the perfect size.
Bake on 350 degrees for 10 min.


Let cool.
Easy 5 min frosting- 4 cups of powdered sugar, 1 tsp CLEAR vanilla, 2 TBLS water, 1/2 C shortening, 1/2 C butter (soft)
Mix on medium for exactly 5 minutes.



Use your cookie scoop to put a dollop of frosting between two cookies and squish together.

Unbelievably good!