Olivia Book Release!

UTAH FRIENDS:
Help us spread the word about the OLIVIA launch party!

Party Details:

Come to the Fort Union Deseret Book store on Saturday, February 18, from 1:00 - 3:00 pm.

Please click on the blog for additional details:

http://thenewportladiesbookclub.blogspot.com/2012/02/contest-spread-word.html?showComment=1329419648248#c2484772551078609996

I was mailed this book last week, so be looking for a book review in the next week or two about it. There will be 4 books by 4 authors in this series-to be released all this year!
Book one is called:

Love is in the air!! Missy's Bits Chocolate Valentine!

Well, its getting close to Valentines Day and I wanted to share a couple love layouts I did a couple weeks ago. I was so pleased that Missy's Bits picked me to preview her new kit called "Chocolate Valentine". It can be found here:  http://www.mymemories.com/store/display_product_page?id=MBMS-CP-1201-11098
I loved using this kit!!! I'm not a big fan honestly of Valentine's Day but I enjoyed making romantic and fun layouts using the pink, brown and red colors as well as the chocolate letters-yummy!! ;-)
I think the price is great for all the papers and embellishments that come with this kit. I especially loved the flowers!
As you can see from my layouts below, I didn't just use this kit for a "couples/love" page. I can always make a kit work with using pictures of my precious boys!!

If you go to "Missys Bits" facebook page, she has a SUPER CUTE FREEBIE she posted on Feb 5th-the link is on her facebook page-of Love coupons that one of her CT members created using this kit. great free idea for someone you love!

All you have to do is download, extract the files, select what coupons you want to print and voila! There are several coupons to choose from and I personally printed off several to give to my husband-shhhh!! dont tell him though!! :-)
Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!!

new tropical shakeology flavor!

THE NEWEST SHAKEOLOGY FLAVOR WILL BE AVAILABLE TO ORDER ON FEBRUARY 14!! I CAN'T WAIT TO GET MY SHIPMENT OF IT IN MARCH!!
I still have a couple samples of the greenberry and chocolate if anyone is serious with wanting to try it. You can order this product directly from my website at: www.myshakeology.com/rdevaughn

Labels etc I can make with MyMemories Software!

We've been moving things around in our playroom and unpacking toddler toys this week. I love to organize and label things, but instead of hand writing with a sharpie on a piece of paper; I decided to go all out and make labels using My Memories software!!
I began by selecting my size-I choose landscape, then 5 1/2 x 4 1/4.
For all 3 label backgrounds, I used the kit "Fun & Games" by StoryRock.
I went very basic with these labels and the font-no frills-because I want my 19 month old to start identifying colors, letters & words. Basically I wanted these labels very easy to read.
For the Puzzles label I used the shape option to make puzzle pieces, then filled it in with the "Fun & Games" paper.
For the little people & animals I used the embellishments from "Country Boy" by Marie H Designs. 
For the cars, trucks & buses label I used the embellishments from "Boy's Toys" by CatDesignz.

When I was done, I printed them off on white cardstock so they would be thick and then trimmed around the edges.

Next I laminated the labels with contact paper.

Then I trimmed off the extra contact paper and taped the labels to the front of my sterilite toy bins. I know the tape doesnt look very nice around the label, but honestly I felt like if I put the tape on the under part of the label so it wouldn't show, the baby would just tear it off! lol-I have to always be one step ahead of him!!

The Final product-ta da!! So easy-seriously! You should try it!

I also made a chart for my 10 year old to put on the fridge to help remind him about our family play rules. The sky's the limit with using this mymemories software!! (Remember if you want to purchase this amazing product-use my special code on the right of the blog screen to save $10!!)

MyMemories Digital Scrapbooking!

I discovered "digital scrapbooking" last summer. I had resisted for years, scoffing that it really wasn't scrapbooking like putting together my traditional albums! Well, lets face it- we are all busy and now that I'm not a single mom with one child any more, I have less time. So I entered the world of digital scrapbooking and discovered a program called "MyMemories".  Of course I had tons of questions, but I found the program very easy to learn once I took the time to read some tutorials and asked questions on the MyMemories facebook page. I've even been able to take some online classes to learn more in depth about the program. I've found this program and digital scrapbooking alot more enjoyable than I thought I would! And I've even been able to go back and scrap most of my 2011 pictures. This year, I have made a goal to participate with P52, which means doing a layout every week for the year of 2012. Every week I will make a layout using that weeks pictures and memories. I'm sure some weeks will be better than others. But so far I have stayed caught up and just finished my week 4 layout. Below are my layouts from the last month. What do you think? Have I said this program is so easy and fun to use??!!

The best part is, that MyMemories is always very generous with freebies and giveaways!! I will be doing a drawing sometime this month and one lucky person will get a FREE copy of this incredible software program!! Isn't that nice they will let me do that for you? I will post specifics later this month...
Now back to a couple more layouts I did in January...

WELL, I DID IT!!
My personal January Fitness challenge was to follow AND complete the monthly calendar doing Beachbody's home fitness TurboJam dvds!
I had previously done the first dvd that is about 20 mins where you learn all the "moves". So, this was the first time I did the entire monthly schedule along with learning the other dvds.

The package comes with:
5 fun and incredible fat-burning workouts
Learn & Burn
Chalene shows you the "Elite 11" moves you'll use to blast pounds and inches!
Turbo Sculpt
A 40-minute tighten-and-tone session to reshape, trim, and flatten those problem areas.
20 Minute Workout
For when you're short on time.
Ab Jam
Features a standing ab routine that attacks your core from every angle for lean, sexy abs. (20 minutes)
Cardio Party
A turbocharged, 45-minute dance fest!
You also get easy-to-use tools for tracking your results
"Elite 11" flash cards
To teach you the signature moves!
24/7 Online Support
Access live chats with Chalene and an amazing online community.
Turbo Results fitness and nutrition guide
All the information you need, plus Chalene's favorite meals!
Plus, get these 4 FREE gifts to supercharge your results!
Turbo Sculpting Gloves
Scientifically proven to increase muscle activity by up to 96%, so you get ripped even faster.
Punch, Kick & Jam
Advanced workout specially designed to tap into the power of the Turbo Sculpting Gloves! (50 minutes)
Turbo Slim® diet plan
An easy-to-follow meal plan to help you lose up to 10 inches in just 10 workouts! Includes a measurement card and tape measure for tracking your progress.
BONUS workout—Booty Sculpt + Abs
Experience the fun of Chalene's total-body sculpting class with more incredible music and rockin' results. (30 minutes).

My Review:
So, now you know what came with the package, let me tell you what I thought about it!!
The first week was a piece of cake! I did the daily workouts along with Leslie Sansone walking dvds. The second week was ALOT tougher because the workouts went from 20 mins to 40 min workouts. I felt like I stumbled thru the second week because of the adjustment period of learning new moves and getting use to the new dvds. By the third and fourth week however, I was burning major calories and getting my groove on!! :-)
The Learn and Burn dvd is great with learning the new moves and goes slow enough to catch on. You don't do this dvd after the first week. The TurboSculpt dvd was awesome and I definitely felt that workout in my core when it was done. The 20 min workout was fun and easy to learn as well. The Ab jam was tough-its 10 mins of standing ab work and 10 mins of floor ab work. The floor ab work made me want to die-and its only 10 mins!! The Cardio party dvd was ALOT of fun-more than I thought it would be! I'm not a "dancy" type person-not coordinated at all, but after the second week it was easier to follow along and I burned more calories every time I did it!

What specifically I did:
I followed the TurboJam beginner daily schedule that had me working out 4-5 times a week. I also did Leslie Sansone indoor walking dvds on the days when I wanted more of a workout. I drank my Beachbody supplement called Shakeology that I mixed with water and frozen fruit every morning as my breakfast. I typically have 5 meals a day and stay under 1600 calories. I logged my food by using "MyFitnessPal" which I can access online and on my iphone. I tracked my calories and steps with my super new cool gadget called "FitBit".  And I participated on facebook with a Beachbody TurboJam group that helped me stay accountable for the entire month with my exercising AND my nutrition! Thanks Stephanie!

My Results:
I took pictures, weighed and measured on day 1 and then again on day 28. I was very pleased with the measurements, but not as much with the weight lost. But hey-a weight loss is a loss-not a gain!  
And as a side note, losing 2 pounds this past week meant that I'm officially at a total loss of 30 pounds down since last fall!!  
So.... drumroll please.... after doing TurboJam for 28 days I lost:
3.1 pounds and a total of 8.75 inches off my chest, waist, hips, arms & thighs!!! WHOOHOO!!! :-) I lost 1.0 off my chest, 1.0 off my waist, 0.5 off my hips, 1.0 off my R upper arm, 0.75 off my L upper arm, 2.0 off my R thigh and 2.5 off my L thigh.
I am the most pleased with the amount of inches off my thighs! I could tell a difference in my body over the 28 days; my stomach fat was more firm and I was getting more toned and energized!!
I would definitely recommend this workout and will do it again! I also have more "advanced" TurboJam dvds that I can do in the future.
This dvd program is for anyone-I have lower back and knee problems because of my weight; and after the first week my knees didn't bother me any more. And if you "engage your core" properly, your lower back won't hurt either.  Chalene Johnson is a great instructor and shows modifications with every dvd! She is very peppy (not annoying!) and makes the workouts fun!! I would give this program an A+.
and hey-I'm wearing smaller jeans today, so I was able to go down another jeans size after this program-whats not to love about that??!!
If you're interested in learning more about TurboJam, Shakeology or any other BeachBody Fitness programs, click on my beachbody website links on the right hand side of my blog or go to www.beachbodycoach.com/rdevaughn