A few of my favorite things.

I was getting ready for work this morning, and while I was putting on my makeup and I thought to myself "I love this stuff so much, I could sell it."

Now obviously, I'm not leaving my day job any time soon - because I love it, work with great people, and it comes with awesome benefits - but it made me think.

What are the things I love so much, I could sell them?

Now the things below are just fun, frivolous items.  But right now I'd say they're all a few of my favorite things and if you know me, you know I'm cheap.  So if I'm willing to spend money on something, you can be sure it either

- Tastes good -
- Is of good quality -
- Is made well -

or
- Is a combination of the above -
 

Numero Uno on the list.....
 

 Diet Pepsi

Of course, right?  My love affair with Diet Pepsi (and all diet soda, really) is time tested.  I love the carbonation, the weight of an iced glass of Diet Coke in my hand, or the crack of a cold Diet Pepsi can at 9:04 am at my desk.  And I figure if I'm going to have a vice, drinking diet soda probably isn't the worst vice in the world to have.
 

 

 Callisto Tiara Wedges
 

I get soooooo many compliments on these shoes.  Sadly, they're sold out at Nordstrom (where I bought them) but you can see other fabulous shoes made by Callisto here.  I love how these shoes make me feel tall, but are super comfortable to wear all day long.  I take comfort seriously - it's not worth wearing a pair that isn't comfy, no matter how good they make you look.  But these shoes are so great, I ordered a second pair in putty (I had the black) when they went on final clearance.  I have to actually stop myself from wearing them every day.

Oh, who am I kidding....I wore these every day to work last week! 

 

Amy Raymond Silver
 

Clint bought me a ring made by Amy last year for our anniversary, and I wear it almost every day.  It has our brand on it, but my friend Alecia has a ring made by her that has a large, flat square stone that is almost a dark pink/magenta/red that is gorgeous too.  Amy's work is beautiful, it's high quality, and I love knowing that a friend made the ring I cherish so much.

 

 

Bare Escentuals Makeup
 

Obviously, the thing that inspired this post needs to make the list, right?  I love this makeup, and it loves my skin.  I started wearing it in 2006 and haven't stopped - actually, it's the only brand of makeup you'll find in my bag.  Some of my favorite products are their foundation, Prime Time eye shadow primer, Well Rested eye brightener, Marvelous Moxie lipglosses, Pretty Amazing Lipcolor and the All Over Face Color in Warmth.

 

Jewel Kade Jewelry

Ok - so I love this so much, I actually DO sell it.  The jewelry is amazing, and there are still some great deals to be had in the JK Vault Clearance!  There are so many items right now that are $10 or less!  That is UNHEARD of for Jewel Kade items, so NOW is the time to try this brand out if you haven't fallen in love with it already.

I just bought the Uptown necklace featured above and can't wait for it to arrive.  I'm going to pair it with the Dream Bird charm that I already own, but if you love this combo, it's on sale too right now.   All of the amazing deals can be found here!
 

 



  

Pita Crackers

 

I go through cracker phases, but right now I love Keebler Town House Pita Oven Baked Crackers in Sea Salt.  I keep a little bag of these pita crackers on my desk, and snack on them throughout the morning.  I love them with sliced cheddar cheese on top, but since I'm trying to watch what I eat I cut that out of the routine, and now just stick to these.  They're filling, have a great crunch w/o being too hard on the teeth, and have just the right amount of salt.

 

Sonic Diet Limeades



I always reward myself with a Route 44 Diet Limeade after I go to Costco in the Tri-Cities.  After the hour or so it takes to get to the store, and the hour or so it takes to get through the store, usually after driving one of the behemoth orange carts that only the crazy people drive because I stock up on so much, I'm wiped.  And compared to the bill I get after checking out, the $2.69 I spend on an ice cold, refreshing drink that has less than 25 calories is like pennies in the bucket.

 

Plus - who can resist Sonic's ice?!?

 

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So those are a few of my favorite things - and ones that I love so much, I could sell them.

 

Although I won't be quitting my day job anytime soon.  :)

 

Because I love it too.

 

Although sometimes after a day at the office, I wish we had a Sonic close by too.

 

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So, tell me - What are some things you love so much you could sell them?

 

Leave a comment on this post answering the above, and I'll choose one random winner this Friday to receive a gift package with some of the items featured in today's post.

 

 

 

 

The winner will receive a brand new pair of Jewel Kade earrings, Bare Escentuals Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss and my favorite Well Rested Trio!

**Update - Congratulations to Sarah, she's the winner!**
 

I'm excited to hear about some of your favorite things!

 



*Linking up with Andrea and Erika today!

5 on Friday.

1. Be The Match.

Thousands of people are diagnosed with blood cancers (like leukemia or lymphoma) every year.  For many of those individuals, a bone marrow or peripheal blood stem cell transplant can help save a life.

Did you know that you can help?

If you're inclined, visit Be The Match and see how you can be added to their donor registry.  It's as simple as reviewing the information on the website, registering and requesting a kit.  I got my kit last week, and all I had to do was swab the inside of my check for a few seconds with four swabs that were provided, and then mail back the kit. 

If you live locally, our friend (and vet) Carrie is coordinating a registry event here in Hermiston this weekend at Armand Larive Middle School during the Relay for Life - if you'd like to register, you can find more details on their FB event here.

If you're an ideal match - 1in 500 are - then you'll be contacted to confirm you're willing to donate. 

Cancer is ugly.

But by registering, you can help turn something ugly into something life-giving.

I hope you would consider joining the registry.....

2. Diet Pepsi is still the breakfast of champions. 
But I'm trying to limit it to breakfast.

 I've been trying to cut down on the Diet Pepsi.

Again.

Never fear though - I still drink one or two a morning.  But I'm trying to cut out the third and fourth ones.  ;)

To take it's place, I started buying Odwalla's again, along with bottled water.  It's kind of spendy, but I figure my health is worth something.  Costco has a 10-pack of Odwalla juices that I buy, and even though they have more calories than a diet soda, at least it's something with nutritional value.

3. I love cilantro.

Cilantro is one of those foods that people either love, or hate.  And I happen to love it.  It's flavorful, inexpensive, and keeps well in the refrigerator.  I buy at least one if not two bundles a week, and incorporate it into a lot of meals.  Some of the ways I used it this week was in cheese tacos & Chinese noodles. 

Cheese Tacos - Lindsay taught me this method to making tacos, and I use it all of the time.  Preheat your oven to 350* and lay a single layer of corn tortillas on a cookie sheet.  Sprinkle a few tablespoons of shredded cheese  (I use Tillamook cheddar) on top of the tortillas, and bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.  While the tacos are in the oven, slice one avocado into thin slices, and tear off a 1/4 cup of cilantro from a bunch.  Remove the tacos from the oven, lay 1/4 of the avocado slices on each, and a tablespoon of cilantro on top before folding the tortilla in half.

Makes 4 tacos.  We eat these probably once a week with a side salad.

Chinese Noodles - I need to blog this recipe soon!  I've been making it once a week lately, and especially if I'm going to be gone because the leftovers are delicious!  Stay tuned - I'll try to make that happen.

 

4. My fave meme's from Facebook this week.

I want to be a {Front Row} kinda gal!

This just made me laugh.  I could see a few of my friends - heck, even my family members - doing this in the grocery store!

And yes, Clancy Clan - I'm talking about you.  :)

 

5. Life at home, at the ranch.

 

The crew has been busy weaning fall calves this week at Double M and I can't wait to take pictures of the Genex progeny test fall calves!  Clint, Ty & Gina have also been moving cows to different pastures - 'tis the season. It's rained here a bunch this week, which was bad for the haying crew (sorry Jack!) but good for the pastures and our yard. 

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I hope everyone has a fabulous Friday!

We'll be attending the OCA Mid Year here in Pendleton and catching up on a few things at home this weekend.

Keep living the dream!



The UCCA BBQ.

Traditions are reliable, comfortable things.

 

Here in Umatilla County, it's an annual tradition to celebrate Father's Day together as a group of cattlemen.  Each year, a different ranch hosts the group, and we gather at lunch time to celebrate the dad's and the beef industry.

 

And we always grill steaks.

 

It's not a cattlemen's BBQ without beef.

 

The beef was awesome - delicious, tender and flavorful New York Strip steaks custom cut for us, and grilled to perfection by the guys.

 

Kids played, friends visited, and everyone enjoyed the weather & great times the cattle industry is experiencing.

 

 

It was a "Two Thumbs Up" kind of an afternoon.

 

Thanks to all who came, and to the Owen & Jensen families for hosting!

 

UCCA BBQ - 2013

 

UCCA BBQ - 2012

 

That one heifer.

Our set up at the GI worked pretty well, but early on in the line up, we had one heifer get away.

 

She was red, and still had her patch, so she was easy to spot in the large group of heifers who'd already been bred.  Some might have just let her go; but we don't operate that way.  Once the main group of heifers had been bred, Miles and Cathy came out to sort the heifer off and back into the alleyway so that we could breed her.

 

I don't ride; but it was a lot of fun to watch Miles and Cathy sort.  They're both very good on a horse, and it was fun to watch them sort the heifer away from the main group.

 

 

It only took a few short minutes before they had her sorted off,  in the alleyway and ready to breed.

 

Success is reason enough.



Breeding at the GI Ranch.

 



A few hours south of where we live, lies the GI Ranch near Paulina, Oregon.

 

We spent last weekend there, breeding their replacement heifers.

 

It was a Genex Chuteside Service project that Mike and Morgan have put together.  Clint, RJ and Jace helped out last year but I had to work, so this was my first year at the GI.   This was also the first AI project that Gina, one of the two Genex summer interns, was here for. 

 



 

 

We arrived to the ranch late Friday night, and set up the boxes we had brought along.  Clint and I each took down a box this year; he took our double and I brought our single.  Our Daniels alleyway was already there, since we'd just bred at the Antone Ranch a few weeks earlier and they're only 30 miles away.  Morgan and Andy also brought a double and a single as well since there were quite a few heifers to breed.  Once we had one side of the lineup set up, we headed to the bunkhouse to sleep for a bit.  We were up again bright and early Saturday morning to sort heifers, and begin breeding all of the heifers who had shown heat. 

 

 

While Miles, Morgan, Devon & Cathy sorted heifers, the rest of us put together the rest of the AI boxes so that the set up would be complete and ready to begin breeding heifers. 

 

Everything in our set up is portable so the crew is pretty quick with putting things together, but since every place we breed at is a bit different, sometimes you have to make tweaks to the "normal" set up so that cattle flow easily.  Since we were also dealing with such a large number of head to breed, the faster and more efficient we could make cattle come to the AI boxes, the better it would be.

 

 

Then we went to work breeding heifers.  Andy, Mike, Gina and I bred in one box, and Clint, Morgan, Adrienne and Devon bred in another box.  Miles and Cathy brought heifers to the Bud box & alleyway and within about 4 hours we had a little over 550 head bred.

 

 

 

 

- 2014 GI Ranch AI Crew -

Darcy, Gina, Cathy, Devon, Morgan, Clint, Andy, Adrienne, Miles & Mike

 

Once we were done, we took our crew picture and then were able to take a break for a few hours before we bred the heifers that we had given GnRH to earlier in the day.

 

I may have taken a nap.

Oh who am I kidding- I took an awesome nap in the front seat of my pickup.

 

After the rest of the heifers were bred that evening, we tore down the AI boxes and packed up the alleyway.  Our original plan had been to head straight home that evening since we had to get things ready for the Umatilla Cattlemen's BBQ the next morning, but we didn't get done until close to 9:00 pm and I was low on fuel.  In that part of Oregon, gas stations aren't open very late, so we just stayed at the bunkhouse an extra night and then set off early the next morning.

 

 

 

It was another successful Genex Chuteside Service and we were happy to be able to help.

 

Success is reason enough.