StoryWorth.com

A long time ago I served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  I was in the Washington DC area for almost 18 months and while I was there I met a plethora of amazing people.  One of them was Krista (AKA Bruen).  She's such an entrepreneur and seriously amazes me.  Today I get to help her out with something really cool that I think a lot of readers will like.  I'll let her explain it:

Did you know that sharing family stories is more than a nice idea, but it's actually proven to strengthen families?  It's true!  In The Secrets to Happy Families, Bruce Feiler explains that hearing about both family struggles and triumphs creates more resilient kids. It also offers grandparents the means to connect with a much younger generation.

My husband and I have been working on StoryWorth.com to make this sharing happen!

StoryWorth makes sharing family stories super simple. Each week, StoryWorth emails subscribers a question about their lives. All they have to do is reply to that email. If they don't like to type, they can record their answer by telephone. StoryWorth then does two things: 1) it forwards the email and/or voice file to family members and 2) it saves the stories in a beautiful online storybook. Soon, you'll have great autobiographies of loved ones, and you'll be learning a lot more about people you thought you knew everything about.  

My dad passed away in 1999, so I signed my aunt up for StoryWorth.  Often, her answers include stories about my dad. I'm learning things that I would otherwise NEVER have known about him.

I'd also like to ask you a favor. StoryWorth is a nominee for Martha Stewart's American Made competition! Yay!!! National exposure is a thrilling prospect for a startup like ours. We're neck and neck for the lead in the technology category, but we can't win without your help. 

Please cast your 6 daily votes for StoryWorth on the contest site: http://www.marthastewart.com/americanmade/nominee/81546  

You can vote every 24 hours until September 13. It's a long contest, so here are a few tips to make it easy: 

     *Set a recurring appointment on your smartphone calendar. Include the link, so you can vote from your phone.

     *Leave a browser tab open and tap to vote daily.  

Thanks for the support! Every day subscribers send us heartwarming feedback, and it would be tremendous to share StoryWorth with a national audience.

The Color Run

I want to remind everyone of The Color Run Salt Lake City coming up next Saturday, August 24.  It's going to be so much fun.  My 4-year-old is excited to run and she's pretty sure she's going to win.  So don't expect to take first, but come and run for fun!

See you there!

To sign up, just go to The Color Run and put in this code:

COLORMETURQ
(if that doesn't work try:)
COLOR5OFF

Lamp Shade Recover

This is less of a tutorial and more of a reminder to have an open mind and use things you have and love for your decor.  

I had this shirt that I loved, but I didn't love it on me.  It was sitting in my donate pile for a while until one day I decided I wanted a lamp shade like that shirt.  

So why not just try using the shirt.  

And it worked!

I love it.  It was free.  It is different.  And it makes a statement.

Now go out and think outside the box!

And don't forget to check out my fitness posts at The Loss Cause.

The End of an Era

My life is still up in the air.  And I mean where we are going to be living next month/year/etc.  My husband is in the process of doing something that may take us to Pennsylvania for a short time.  Anyway, we will probably be moving soon.

The poor piano has been moved 3 times with us.  I decided it needed a new home with someone who would take good care of it and allow me to NOT move it across the country (or city) a 4th time.

I posted the ad online and got a bunch of calls.  One girl wanted it and came to pick it up yesterday morning with a posse of young men.

Who knew a 10 passenger van was good for moving a piano?  And entertaining on the way home!

I'm a little sad to see it go.  It was a source of creative inspiration for me and the reason I started this blog.  But as much as I loved it, I really do not want to move it again.  

Here's to getting a baby grand when we're all settled!

If you want to read my latest fitness post, go to The Loss Cause.  I'm reaching some goals!

4th of July Crayon Canvas

Hey, hey!  I just posted about perfect posture on The Loss Cause so read it here.

If you are here for and actual DIY project, you are in luck!!!!!!!  That's right, I finally did something to possibly link up... but probably not because I'm not sure if I love it enough.

I like the idea of this project but now, having "finished" it, I don't feel like it's completely finished.

I took crayons and stuffed them in my hot glue gun.  Then I pushed them in with a glue stick and made little melted crayon dots on the canvas.  I think I should make the entire stripe dense like the part around the star, then it might feel complete.  What do you think?



Oh, and this does make your hot glue colored for a while so be prepared for that.

And I think that possibly it might work just as well if you have a candle and just melt the crayon over it little by little and put the drops of crayon on the canvas.  That would save a glue gun.  I haven't tried it though, but theoretically...

Feature Post: Momegranate

I'm excited to tell you about this fun website I recently found.  Momegranate.


Momegranate is a website that helps moms find great products that will make their lives better and easier as a woman, as a spouse, and as a mother. They feature 5 products each day. Each month on their blog they also feature Mom-owned businesses that create great products for moms and those they love. Check out the five featured products each day and visit their blog for product reviews and to learn more about the Moms behind Momegranate.


Another thing that makes them awesome is that they are sponsoring me, which makes me happy. And I really like being happy.  :)

Check out Momegranate!

The Secret of Keeping Fit while on a Business Trip

One of the things that really messes up diet and exercise is travel.  Vacations.  Work trips.  Travel.  So today I have a guest blogger, Mike from Manning's Musings, who travels a lot.  He has a few tips that I've found are spot on with traveling.

My name is Michael and I am a Fitness and healthy living enthusiast who tries to see the best in all situations. I love to hike, run, weight lift, travel, camp, cook, and be outside. Traveling the world and seeing nature's beauty is my hobby and staying healthy through that is essential to me.

Patronize Restaurants that Serve Foods on Your Personal Menu

Unless you are staying in a hotel with a kitchenette, you are going to have to eat out at restaurants more often than you do at home. However, you can find restaurants that have foods that comply with your diet. It’s also a good idea to take snack food that you can eat when it’s not possible to go to an appropriate restaurant. Don’t forget to have plenty of water with you so that you aren’t forced to purchase sugary or caffeinated drinks.

Take Your Running Shoes with You

Traveling doesn’t have to mean that you miss out on exercising. One of the simplest things you can do is pack your running shoes and take an occasional jog when you arrive at your destination. It’s a great way to stretch out your muscles after being cramped in uncomfortable airplane seats for several hours at a time.

Running around an unfamiliar town or country gives you an opportunity to see what you wouldn’t be able to see if you were riding in a taxi. You also have the chance to meet people who live in the city, and this doesn’t ordinarily happen when you remain in the lobby of your hotel.

Exercise to Reduce Stress

If you are traveling for business, you may find that your travels are causing you to experience a little stress. When this occurs, it’s critical that you exercise, but it’s equally important that you spend a sufficient amount of time breathing the country’s fresh air and enjoying the sun’s natural light. A business trip is antithetical to this plan because you are indoors a large portion of the day where you are under unnatural light and are forced to sit for long periods of time. This doesn’t help to decrease stress.

Although you may be going to an exotic location, the fact that you are going there to work means that you will have little time to take a swim in the pool. However, you must make the time to exercise in order to reduce your elevated levels of the stress chemical cortisol.

Seek a Hotel with a Fitness Center

Obviously, eating right and exercising is not just about how you look. It is what will prevent you from getting sick on your business trip and keep you in shape. The fact is that several hotels have well-equipped fitness centers that can help you continue your workout routines. In order to find these hotels you need to do a little research before booking. On a recent trip to Maui I used a site called Gogobot in order to find out which hotels had fitness centers open at all times. I was able to find a list of Maui hotels and could scan through in order to see which ones had these amenities. Due to this I was able to workout bright and early in order to save time to hit the beach all day.