2nd Annual Harry Potter Weekend... with a Side of Ranch?

Post in progress....

Truvia Brunch Party: MISSION COMPLETE!

(photo courtesy this site)

So my Truvia Brunch Party went pretty well, although I didn't get to take as many photos as I would have liked to, because I was busy attending to everyone. But we still had a blast! I decided to hold the brunch at my parents house, so I could make them coffee and muffins and be able to visit them on my only day off from work. :-)

For our brunch, I made Cranberry Orange Muffins with Truvia Baking Blend - using this recipe actually: Cranberry Orange Muffins. I also made a pot of the Folger's Gourmet Selections Vanilla Biscotti Coffee, a bag of which was included in the party kit. Both were a huge hit! My parents and I really liked the coffee (my boyfriend doesn't like any coffee); my mom liked the vanilla flavor, and also liked that there were no added sweeteners in the roast. And every loved the muffins; we all went back for seconds... well, in my dad's case, it was thirds, haha. Which was great, because he didn't think he would like the muffins because they had Truvia in them (he prefers sugar). So I think the fact that I won him over in the end says something about how good Truvia Baking Blend is! Or maybe I'm just a good baker, haha. :-P

I had a lot of great supplies to put together a great brunch, thanks to Crowdtap and Truvia and the awesome party kit they sent to me. They sent me so much stuff, I was able to gift some Truvia to my parents, as well as bring a box of Truvia to work for my coworkers to try!

Here Are Some Pre-Brunch/Brunch Day Photos:

The party kit arrives!

Me, testing out my sweet stuff from Truvia and Crowdtap!

The baking has begun.

Making use of my new apron.

My Dad being a goofball and showing of the Truvia samples while grabbing a coffee, haha.

The Cranberry Orange Muffins are ready!

My parents kicking back and enjoying their coffee and muffins

After getting everyone else settled, I was FINALLY able
to get myself some coffee!

So thank you again, Crowdtap and Truvia, for the opportunity to try your product with people I care about, and for providing such a fun way to promote your product. It was fun, and I would definitely do it again!

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Questions and comments are always welcome, read, and replied to...

So go ahead and leave me something!

And as always...

Thanks for reading! (^_^)

Coming Soon: Truvia (Late) Brunch Party

Hello everyone! So I realize I have been on a very long hiatus, but hey, I'm back! So what is bringing me back?

Well, besides the fact that I missed my blog, I was selected by Crowdtap and Truvia to host a brunch party this Sunday , and I wanted you all to be able to share in the adventure.

So be on the lookout for my account of the brunch sometime in the following week, and be sure to keep an eye on my Twitter page for some posts during the party!

SodaStream Sparkling Summer House Party: MISSION COMPLETE!

So our SodaStream Sparkling Summer House Party (made possible courtesy of HouseParty.com and SodaStream) was a success for the most part... it would have been a complete success if the weather had permitted it!

Everyone seemed to have a good time, and had fun learning how to use the SodaStream. I planned it as a potluck style party, so I was able to have some fun too for a change... that was definitely nice! I was originally aiming to have an outdoor party, but it was so gloomy out that I never moved the party to my front yard. We still found some fun stuff to do though; we ended up watching Finding Nemo and playing Apples To Apples and Uno.

Foodwise, I think we had a pretty good mix. I made Ramen Salad, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip cookies, and a turkey. Yes, you heard (or read...) me right, a turkey! We had it in the freezer, so I figured, "Why not?" My friend Heather made gluten-free Chocolate Cupcakes w/ Peanut Butter Frosting. Megan, my friend and awesome co-worker, made crock-pot little weenies... yum! And my mom made vegan no-bake cookies... SOOO GOOOD!!! So much good food... which is why I love my friends and family. Well, that, and they are also AWESOME! (^_^)

During the party, we tried four different SodaStream Soda Mixes: Root Beer, Cola, Orange, and Ginger Ale. We also made a soda with some vegan friendly syrup my mom bought for my sister (who, as you may have just guessed, is vegan). The Ginger Ale was a big hit, as was the Root Beer, which we used to make root beer floats later in the day! The Orange Soda was a bit of a miss... no one was really sure if they liked that much.

I have to say, after seeing how quickly I can supply soda during a party with my SodaStream, I'm certain it will be included in all of my future parties. Not to mention I get a kick out of watching peoples initial reaction to the machine in action. I swear they think it's going to blow up or something... though with the sounds it makes I suppose it is a bit scary at first, haha.

My mom is planning on buying one now, as is one of my friends. I suppose the $20 rebates I was given to hand out to my guest might have helped in the decision making process, haha. So I guess I could call that a success, right?

Here are some photos from the party!

(As well some from the days leading up to it...)

The Party Pack Arrives

Reading the welcome letter and having a quick peek inside...

Taking a selfie with the Party Pack... of course I had to inflate the beach ball first, haha!

Our brand new SodaStream Source, courtesy of HouseParty and SodaStream!

Look at all of the nifty things I pulled out of the Party Pack!

Goodie Bags All Ready To Go!

Baking some Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies the night before the party... NOM!

Party day is here! Snapping a photo of the sign I made the night before.

The first bottle of soda of the day! I was Ginger Ale, if you were curious. (Awesome photo taken by Megan)

Playing Apples To Apples and watching Finding Nemo, haha.

My friend Heather made these delicious gluten-free Chocolate Cupcakes w/ Peanut Butter Frosting! As you can see, one of the cupcakes had too much fun at our party. Go home Cupcake, you are drunk!

Root Beer Floats FTW!!!!

The aftermath of the party... judging from this mess, I believe the party was a success... yes?

Thanks again to HouseParty and SodaStream for this awesome opportunity! We had a blast! (^_^)

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Questions and comments are always welcome, read, and replied to...

So go ahead and leave me something!

And as always...

Thanks for reading! (^_^)

Coming Soon: SodaStream Sparkling Summer House Party!

That's right... I've been selected by HouseParty.com to host my own SodaStream Sparkling Summer House Party! I will be having the party on Sunday, June 9th, so remember to be on the lookout for a new blog entry featuring photos and a recap of all of the fun!

By the way, be sure watch the #TellesSodaStreamHP tag on Twitter for posts from myself and my guests before and during the party!

Or come back here and watch the tag right from this post!

Tweets about "#TellesSodaStreamHP"

See you on the 9th!

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Questions and comments are always welcome, read, and replied to...

So go ahead and leave me something!

And as always...

Thanks for reading! (^_^)

My Old Navy Sample Share, Courtesy of Crowdtap!

So I was recently selected to participate in a sample share at Old Navy, courtesy of Crowdtap and, of course, Old Navy. I was given two coupons, one for me and the other for a friend, each good for a free top and bottom from ON's Active collection. So my sister and I made the trip there today... and found some cool stuff too. But I'm posting this to give you more info than that, so here it is, haha!

The Store

Everything was very clean and well organized. Things were easy to find, and departments were clearly marked.. (That may not seem like a big thing, but I've been in stores where that was not the case, and you had to guess where you were by the products in your vicinity. Not really fun or efficient.)

Employees

Everyone at the store was pleasant and willing to help. They all seemed like they got along with each other well too, which is always nice to see.

Selection

The store we went to (in Freeport, ME) had a moderately small selection size- and product-wise. I'm a plus-size woman, and my sister is pretty much the opposite. And it seemed like most of the clothing was sized small - XL... in other words, right in between our sizes. We managed to find a couple of things in our sizes, but it would have been nice to have more to choose from.

Overall Opinion

Although the clothes are a little more expensive than the clothes I usually buy, I like their clothing. My sister and I had fun checking out the store, so that was cool. Taking everything into account, I would shop with Old Navy again... especially if I could find more in my size.

Here of some photos of my sister and I taken during our Sample Share experience!

Me, trying on my Cali Slub and Yoga Pants

My sister trying on Running Shorts and Cami.

My sister snapping a photo of us in one of the store's mirrors, haha.

Thanks Crowdtap and Old Navy for this opportunity!

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Questions and comments are always welcome, read, and replied to...

So go ahead and leave me something!

And as always...

Thanks for reading! (^_^)