Bad Blogger. Bad....

I know, I know, it's been a long time since my previous post. I apologize for my absence, but hey- I've been busy! Dream job has been dreamy, I have exploited the cash for clunkers program (even though I refuse to admit my previous car was a clunker!), I have tried numerous new Pampered Chef recipes, I have gotten my tush back to the gym, and now Pampered Husband and I are preparing for my mother coming to stay with us for the Fall/Winter. Each one of those things deserves an entry by itself, and they will get their necessary attention, but tonight I have got to tell you the funniest Pampered Pet story ever.

Tonight PH, myself, and PPs went on a long walk on our favorite local track. When we got home everyone assumed their position. PH was on the sofa with one of our labs, I was on the love seat with the Jack Russell, and the third lab was on the floor. Well the little one on the floor must have decided it was time for him to get the love seat for a change, so he stood up and started to heave like he was going to throw up. As soon as I jumped up to help him and get something to clean up the mess that I knew was coming, he stopped, and jumped on to the love seat all by himself. How in the world did my pet just outsmart me? I guess they truly are pampered!

Pampered Wife

Tax Free Holiday

Oh la la....tax free shopping this week! I am going to break into the savings account to purchase some new work clothes, because apparently I dressed too casually in previous Pampered City. But here is a dumb question- maybe you can help me answer it. I am living in a state that is currently having financial issues. All state employees are being forced to take unpaid days off. My job found away around that, instead of unpaid days off, they are contributing less to our retirement. (Truth be known, I don't care because I am not eligible for that fancy retirement thing anywho- need to be here for 3 years to get it...so I am not upset at all!) But why would a state, that is going broke, offer tax free shopping???!?!?! I don't think anyone who shops gets upset by the taxes and rethinks their purchases because of the taxes. Even though I disagree with this holiday I plan on taking part in it today. Oh, did I mention that I have an extra save 15% on everything coupon from Kohl's (my fave store!!)? So I must get going to beat the crowds, not as in get there early, but literally beat them so I can get what I want.....KIDDING!

Have a great day!
Pampered Wife

Newbie

So today was first day of dream job. Guess what....might not be dream job, but still a great job. I think I might have been misled a little, but what are you going to do about that. In this economy a job is a job and I am thankful for that.

Kind of bummed out and disappointed. Don't feel like going into anonymous detail, so I am ending here.

Have a good weekend,

Pampered Wife

The Real Housewives of Pampered City

Ok, so I am going to give a little information about myself in this post. Tonight Bravo is airing the season premiere of the Real Housewives of Atlanta. Well guess what, it is not actually filmed in Atlanta- it is filmed in my little ol' Pampered City. So there you go, you now have a geographical idea of where I live- the Atlanta area. Oh well, no big deal...don't tell anyone else though.

But getting back to the show. I LOVE reality television. Don't judge me. If there were a 12 step program for reality tv show watchers I would have to try it. I love all of the Bravo shows. I think my DVR passes judgment on me as I wake up early to watch NYC Prep, Miami Social, or even the Kathy Griffin show. I know the DVR wouldn't mind me watching Top Chef because that is just good programing. What did I ever do before I had a DVR?

Got to go to watch last night's Top Chef. It is the champions round now you know. Make sure to check out The Real Housewives of Atlanta tonight on Bravo.

Pampered Wife

Neighborly Love

As you probably already know, from previous posts, our Pampered Palace is actually just an apartment. Well, not really "just an apartment...." Our last palace makes this place look like a mansion. Anywho- not that important to this post. Today's post is about being a good neighbor.

I am the kind of person who is terrified of doing anything wrong, getting in trouble, or upsetting someone else. These fear make life so not fun- but still, that is another post. So, back to the topic- neighbors. I am always afraid of making too much noise in our apartment. We have pets that romp around, occassionally bark before the sun comes up, and once in awhile we need to yell at them to either reprimand them or to get them to stop doing something they shouldn't be doing. Neither PH, nor myself, are toothpick thin, so we make noise when we move around. I have been known to be clumsy and drop things on the floor. So in this post, I would just like to throw my apology out there to the world- I am SO SORRY for the noise we make. I read a ton of other blogs where the writers complain about their noisy neighbors, and I am SO SORRY once again if you are complaining about me!

On the flip side of this coin, I really wish our neighbors would be more friendly. I met the lady who lives above us and she seems really nice- but then we saw her taking tons of pictures of our apartment building. I didn't sleep a wink that night convinced that she was going to turn us in to the property management for violating some rule. Other than that neighbor, we have not really met or talked to anyone since we moved in almost two months ago. What ever happened to being friendly with your neighbors? I see that as being one of the best ways to prevent crime, and just a way to make your home life more enjoyable. Might just be sour grapes, or homesickness, but I really wish a neighbor would just stop by and introduce themselves. (BTW, I did knock on the door of person who lives below us numerous times when we moved in to introduce ourselves, but no answer- ever.)

Whatever,

Pampered Wife

Pampered Chef

So this blog was supposed to be all about my venture in independent sales with Pampered Chef~ and it seems as if I have written very little about that. So here is the update: doing a business that relies on friendships, knowing people, and recognition is very difficult when you move to new city! Ahh! My aunt is hosting a catalog show just to keep me alive this month with some sales. I am hoping, now that I am gainfully employed, that I will meet some new people and get some shows booked.

I saw the new winter line and it is super cool. Believe it or not, most prices went down! When does that ever happen?

Not much time to write today, have to get to work!

Pampered Wife

Time to Celebrate

It is officially time to celebrate- yes, even though it is Monday morning, I am celebrating! All of the red tape has been cut through, all of the i's dotted, t's crossed, and I can now announce- I have LANDED the dream job!!!!

I have to go in the next two days for pre-employment paper work and blah blah blah. I really like the way this job does it. You go in one day and they give you the packet with all of the necessary paperwork for you to fill out at home. Then you return the next day with the paperwork filled out and then you meet one on one with the salary specialist, to determine your wages, then the benefits specialist, and a whole bunch of other people. I really like this organization pattern. I look forward to being able to ask questions that I would have not asked if it were in a group format. I think this gives the whole process a much warmer and friendlier tone. (I hope this is true at least...)

Behind all of this excitement is a boat load of nerves! I am so excited to have landed dream job, but now I am worried that I will not be good enough. You see, the reason this is "dream job" is because it is putting me in the role that I have always wanted to be- the "go to person." Unofficially, I have been that for the last three years and loved it, but now I will be that officially- and that scares the crap out of me! I hope I can do it...I am pretty sure I can, but until I am doing it- I plan on being scared.

Talk soon!

PW

Ugh...5lbs

So, as most of you know, I have been under an extreme amount of stress since about March. First we were wedding planning, then the wedding, then the very next week Pampered Husband moved to our new city leaving me and the Pampered Pets alone, finally we moved to join him, then this job nonsense, and finally all of the silly red tape with certifications. Well somewhere in between all of those stressful moments I have packed on a new 5lbs! Uggh. I worked so hard to have my weight down for the wedding- I got it down, would have like to lost another 10lbs first, but who wouldn't? So this new extra 5lbs is killing me. My body looks more like I gained 20lbs than 5! I don't get it. I vow to get this weight off soon though. So no more time to blog, got to get to the gym.

Have a great day!

Pampered Wife

New Fave Site

Hi everyone,

So last night I did not get to sleep until 2a, and that was only due to the Benedryl I desperately choked down at 1:30a. Some of you are like, what? Why? 2am isn't that bad. However, if you really knew me, you would know that I am usually fast asleep no later than 10:30p! I have no idea what caused the insomnia, but at least the Benedryl was able to knock me out.

Anywho, woke up later than usual and in a Benedryl haze so I just laid on the sofa and read the newspaper. In the living section there was an awesome article about cooking in the slow cooker. I LOVE my slow cooker. My bro and SIL got for me and PH last Christmas- and I think we have used it at least once a week since then. Being that we use it so much, I was having trouble finding new things to do with it. Well this article pointed me to my new favorite website. http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/ It has a different recipe for everyday of the year! You can also search past recipes. It is truly amazing!!! I am sure that I will be spending a good portion of my day at the site.

If only Pampered Chef would make and sell a slow cooker. It would be like the BMW of slow cookers- look sharp on the outside, but a work horse in the kitchen.

Yummy!

Pampered Wife

Shoes Galore

Hi Everyone,

I just finished cleaning the kitchen and now it is my time to catch up on blogging. When I start my morning computer routine I always go to The Misadventures of a Newlywed. That girl is hilarious! I have learned a lot about being a newlywed from her. I have also learned a lot about Pampered City from her. I have been to some of the places she lists on her top ten, and a lot of the places she blogs about. It was like having an old friend here in Pampered City, but I don't actually know who she is, but still it is cool.

So this morning when I went to her site I see that she is giving away super comfy loafers. All you have to do is leave her a comment to be entered to win them. I highly recommend that you head over there and enter your comment- http://www.misadventuresofanewlywed.com/.

Truth be known, I would really love to win these shoes. You see, I am a little bit of a shoe fanatic. I used to have a zillion pairs of shoes, every color, every height, every style, but with all of the moving nonsense we have done recently my shoe collection has been weeded through, thrown out, donated, anything just so I didn't have to pack it up. Well now that we are staying in Pampered City for a while, I am looking forward to building it back up.

Well, back to surfing the net. We'll talk later,

Pampered Wife

Drum Roll Please.....

I landed dream job. I got the call about 4:45p yesterday afternoon. There seems to be one little hiccup. Without going into too much detail, being that I would like to remain anonymous, in my profession there is a lot of state regulations, oversights, and certification. Well, being that I have now lived in 3 states within the last 5 years, I am having some trouble obtaining everything I need from each state to show that I am qualified. Poop. SUPER CLOSE- but not celebration yet.

I would like to mention that I originally saw dream job posted online. It was the very first job I applied for. I polished up the good ol' resume, wrote a quick- yet powerful cover letter- e-mailed it to dream boss, had an interview within 10 minutes of email. Expected to walk out of his office with an offer, but had to wait a month for that. Oh well, still, I'm 1 for 1.

Keep you posted on bureaucratic nightmare.

Pampered Wife

Ikea Adventure

On Saturday morning PH and I got up insanely early, 6:30am, which is our usual time to get up. We took care of the pampered pets and then headed out to Ikea. Pampered Husband has never been to an Ikea. I used to live near one before I moved south, so I have been many times.

When we got there we parked and headed in to the store. The store was not even technically open yet, but there was a long line of people. We found out that they were offering certain pieces for half off, but there were limited quantities. We desperately needed a new television stand and some end tables, so we got in line to see what was available. Low and behold the pieces were perfect, we wanted them. What Ikea did was ingenious, you told the employees which pieces you wanted and then you got a color coded bracelet. Here are mine:

Then you were allowed to go to their cafeteria, which was open. They were serving free breakfast! Yummy! It was really good food, and the price was right. See below:

Finally, around 10ish, the rest of the store opened and we walked around. We didn't need to worry about our furniture purchases because we already had our wristbands. PH was amazed at all of the things Ikea carries and the prices. I think he bought like 3 store tree things for $0.99 each. I think we looked around for a couple of hours then picked up our furniture. It barely fit in PH's little car, but we made it home.

Now it was time to assemble the furniture. Don't get me wrong, I love my husband, but when it comes time to put that kind of stuff together he knows his role- sit on the sofa and try not to bother me while I do it. He made a really funny comment while I was working on the TV stand, "If I were putting this thing together by now I would have lost pieces, pieces would be scratched or broken, or it would be in the pond in the courtyard." The funny thing about this statement is the fact that it is so true!

It took me two hours to put the silly thing together. It was super easy, there were just a million parts to it. I don't think the TV stand will ever break or fall apart. By the time I was finished my wrists hurt from turning the screwdriver and my biceps hurt from the amount of pressure I had to exert while putting it together. All in all, it was worth it. Here are some pics:

Here is the stand while I was working on it.

Here is the completed stand.

I assembled the end table later that day, and it was easy- no big deal.

We will be going back to Ikea-soon!

Have a great day!

Pampered Wife

Yummy

So I tried my Williams-Sonoma Pocket Pie maker yesterday. They turned out absolutely adorable!!! There are a few burnt edges that WILL NOT happen again, but for the first time, I think they are pretty darn cute!

I served them with homemade ice cream. What can I say, I was born to be a homemaker. Too bad PH doesn't pay me enough to make this my profession!

Now I am off to introduce PH to IKEA. If it is anything like his first trip to Trader Joe's, I am sure it will take a good portion of the day!

Pampered Wife

News! News! News!

I've got GREAT news for everyone....drum roll please.....I have tomato flowers!!!! YAYAYAY! So like three weeks ago I bought a Topsy Turvy Planter to grow tomatoes on my balcony. The people upstairs have two or three and they look amazing. Well, I bought my little baby tomato plant and it said, "70 days to produce fruit." So I was like great we'll have the freshest tomatoes in September. But I went ahead and planted it anyway. Today I went to water it and I noticed the little yellow flowers that appear before the fruit. (Yes- tomatoes are fruit and not veggies.) So maybe we will have tomatoes before September!!!

Oh, btw, no news on the job.

Love ya,

Pampered Wife

News....News...News...

Ok, oh my goodness, there is news about dream job. I am so excited that I can barely type. So just now I went online to check the status of my application and to see if there were any new jobs with same dream company. I found tons of new jobs, so I added those to my electronic application. Then I just happened to notice something- the icons next to dream job- they have changed! It no longer says in process next to it, now it says qualified! It also has a little pair of glasses next to that. What does that icon mean, I haven't a clue. But I have decided to take all of this as good news and anxiously await a phone call from dream boss tomorrow declaring that I have a job!

So, actually, it was very little news, but right now, with as hopeless as I feel, it was amazing news to me!!!!

Got to go and make PH a fantastic Pampered Chef recipe for dinner. It is Sun Chip chicken. Want the recipe? Just ask!

Pampered Wife

Technology and Pie

Wow, technology has come such a far way. I remember the very first computer I ever used in school, the good ol' Apple IIe. Now I can get a computer no larger than the size of a notebook and I even get to pick the color. Wow!

Speaking of technology, I went to the library yesterday. I know that doesn't sound very technologically advanced but after spending $30 at Barnes and Noble last week for two paperback books and finishing both in less than 2 days- I knew I had to find the library. But getting back to the technology portion. My new library has self check out. You lay your books on an ordinary looking mat and then you scan your card on what looks like a flat bed scanner. Before you know it a receipt is being spit out at you telling you the due dates and wishing you fun reading. I was so amazed that I went back and checked out other books just so I could use the machine again. I immediately dropped them in the return bin after my fun was over.

But with the more things change, the more they stay the same. This weekend I purchased the cutest thing ever at Williams Sonoma- don't tell Pampered Chef! I was there doing research. I attend their free weekly cooking classes to get tips on how to interact with the people and sell the products at the same time. But getting back to the story. I purchased a star cutout thing that makes "pocket pies." Remember those horribly gross fruit pies that we had to have every time we went to the grocery store with our parents, well now I can make them- and they will be in the shape of stars! You can deep fat fry the pies (yucky) or bake them. I can't wait to make them for PH and myself. No wonder these 5lbs have creeped up on me......

See these are my pies that I am going to make!

Must head to gym to work off pies before I actually make them!

Pampered Wife

Memories

Ahh, this past weekend I started playing around with Smilebox. Have you ever used it? It is truly amazing and fun to use! It is a computer program that you upload your photos into, arrange them into cute little scrapbooks, and then you can either purchase a printed scrapbook, or a DVD of the scrapbook playing. I had so much fun, except for when my old poopy computer crashed- numerous times!

I was working on a wedding album and it dawned on me that I have not shared any of the pictures or details of the festivities here. Probably the most important event to this site was my bridal shower. It was technically hosted by my mom and sister-in-law, but I did the majority of the work and paid the majority of the expenses....long family drama....another entry for another day. (Wink-wink, my sister-in-law is not what I am talking about, I love her! Thanks Michelle!!!) I had a Pampered Chef bridal shower with a chocolate theme. I had a chocolate fountain and tons of yummy things to dip in it...including my fingers! I also hired a party planner to decorate and provide the glassware. She did the most amazing job and your jaw would hit the floor if I would tell you how little she charged. Let me put it this way, I could not have come anywhere close to what she did with how little she charged. It was so much fun! See below....

Out of the Office

So dream boss is out of the office until Monday- so no news. But man oh man, would I love to be "out of the office" right now. I feel like I am not getting to enjoy my summer because of all of this insane job hunting. I had previous job people tell me that they were in a summer mood and would get to my employment verification "when they felt like it." What? Why can't I be in a summer mood?

So here is today's dilemma... Pampered Father wants PH and myself to fly to the original Pampered City to be at an event to honor/reward him for a great year of service. He has this event every year and the pictures are amazing, and I have never been to it. I always get really jealous when I see the pics posted on other family members' facebook pages. I would love to go and so would PH. However, the timing is NEVER right. It is scheduled the day before I would have to begin working if I am lucky enough to snag dream job. Also, with airfare and boarding the pampered pets, we are looking at $700 at least. Here is the real kicker- if I don't get dream job, the timing would be great, but the finances would be even worse! AHHH! Why is nothing easy anymore?

Pampered Wife

How Come? Part 2

So yesterday I spent 99.9% of my day at home waiting for the phone to ring with job news and the fax machine to ring with something I desperately need from my last company. This little something I asked for over 2 weeks ago and was assured that I would get it within 24-48 hours. Fast forward two weeks, I call and ask where it is and I was told, "We all have a case of the summer's here. We will get that to you later." Hello? What? Just because you don't feel like working doesn't mean I need that paper any less!!!!

So any who, I had to run out for like 30 minutes to get more pampered pet food- because of course they can't eat the stuff they sell at grocery stores, or even at pet stores. I have to go to a place and special order it. Sorry, sidetracked. Well, while I was out I got three e-mails from someone with questions about a Pampered Chef order, two from another person looking for a recipe, and low and behold, when I get home there is a message on my machine that the fax did not go through and I needed to provide another fax number! All within like my 30 minute dog food run! I called the lady back, gave her Pampered Husband's fax number and now I have everything I need- well, except for a job.

How come things only happen when I am not home and able to take care of them immediately? Here is the plan for today- GET OUT AND STAY OUT! Things only seem to happen while I am not at home, so I will leave. I am going to try to do every stinkin' little errand I can think of today and I am going to enjoy it. Time to stop stressing. My stress will not get me a job, just a stomachache.

Need to get going,

Pampered Wife

How Come?

How come everytime I sit down to do this I can never think of anything to write, but later this afternoon I will come up with ten other things to write about? Ahhh... Today I think I want to talk about my summer reading.

The first book that I read this summer just for fun was Shopaholic & Baby by Sophie Kinsella. This is the latest (as in last year because I refuse to pay for the hard cover) in the Shopaholic series. They actually made the first one into a movie, a bad movie from what I hear- so I am staying away from it. I love this series! It is all about a woman with a shopping addiction who is truly smart but feels a need to "fake it." In this book we get to experience her pregnancy with her and feel all of the insecurities that women feel during pregnancy- not that I know, but from what I hear. I loved the book. Read it all in one day. I would probably give the book 3 1/2 stars overall, but 5 stars for being a great summer read- quick, easy, enjoyable, doesn't require too much thinking!

The book I am currently working on is Deep Dish by Mary Kay Andrews. It is about two regional food show hosts competing for a show on The Cooking Channel- a la the Food Network. The cool thing about this book is the fact that it is set in the area I live in! I love reading it and thinking, "I've been there." However, it is slightly annoying that the author continually is changing from first to third person and even point of views. I find myself rereading a lot of the book just so I can figure out who is talking. I find that so distracting. As of right now, I am thinking 3 stars as a whole, and pretty much only 2 1/2 stars as a summer read. I will keep you posted as I complete the book...probably later today.

Oh yeah- still waiting on dream job!

Still waiting...

Uggh...I am still waiting to hear from dream job. I am starting to wonder if this truly is a dream job. Would I want to work for someone who has to take like 3-4 weeks to make a decision? In my profession you are taught to make the decision quickly and then work with the consequences. I am hoping to hear something today. Trust me- I will not leave my telephone's side until I hear something.

On another note, I am happy to report that my blog inspired someone else's dinner last night. I love that I have the time and the tools necessary to experiment in my kitchen- now I also have an outlet to share all about it. I hope you loved your Chicken Pesto dinner! So let me gush about last night's masterpiece- Mozzarella Red Pepper Chicken Sausage and Spaghetti Squash lightly tossed in olive oil. It was so simple and so delicious and the true kicker- it was healthy! PH was amazed that I did not eat one carb at dinner. We made up the calories though, we each had small Blizzards from Dairy Queen after dinner!

So that is all that is going on today in my life. How about you?

Pampered Wife

A Tool for Every Need

Good Morning! How was your holiday weekend? Mine was fun.

This past weekend PH and I just kind of hung out and didn't do anything too exciting or too special. We are still new to town and have not made any new friends yet, but we are past the "exploring" part of moving to a new city- so we are on our way.

The best part about this weekend was all of the fun cooking I got to do! I started off Friday dinner with a phenomenal chicken thing that I just kind of came up with myself. I took a few boneless skinless breast and covered them in pesto. Then I placed spinach leaves on top, sliced tomato, and finally sliced fresh mozzarella. I baked it for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. It was to die for! Such simply clean flavors, nothing too complex, and just the perfect blend of seasoning.

Then we cooked out on Saturday. Simple hot dogs for lunch and another dinner concoction. I took lean ground beef from Trader Joe's and diced tiny hot/sweet peppers, that we bought at the farmer's market in the morning, and mixed them in with the ground beef. We grilled the burgers and put some American cheese on top. They were also delicious!

Yesterday I begged PH to make dinner because I was totally engrossed in a new book- more on that another day. He said no, so I did what every resentful wife would do in this case- I made leftovers for dinner!!! HA! Well, leftovers for me, PH had purchased a salmon encrusted with pecans and lemon from the Fresh Market and I baked that for him. It smelled delicious, but I just do not like any kind of seafood. I have no idea why, but I don't care at all for seafood. He said it was great.

The whole reason I had so much fun this past weekend with all of my cooking was the fact that I had a tool for everything that I needed to do. Pampered Chef products really do make cooking more enjoyable and easy. I couldn't believe how amazing my food turned out and how little prep time it took! I heart Pampered Chef!

So what are you cooking?

Pampered Wife

Happy Birthday America!

So I have to be honest, Independence Day happens to be my absolute favorite holiday. Yes, I like it more than Christmas, and impossible to believe- more than my birthday. My love for this holiday can be summed up in one word- FIREWORKS! Who doesn't love fireworks?

I love American history. People say that, compared to the rest of the world, America is so young and has very little history- which is technically true, but what it does have is amazing. To think that this country was started by a few brave souls who merely wanted to believe in their own religions. Then the turmoil the country went through when some believed in "All men are created equal," and others thought they could own people. But we survived. We overcame a depression that could have destroyed the country, we went to war with and against other nations. And here we are now, in a very similar situation that we were in years ago. Hopefully we have learned enough from our past to get through the tough times once again. I guess it is true that history repeats itself.

Oh yeah- on the fireworks note, I know three things that don't like them- the pampered pets! So even though it is my absolute favorite holiday of the year, PH and I will be staying at home helping the pampered pets through their least favorite holiday.

Happy Birthday America!

Pampered Wife

So Much To Do, So Little Ambition

Here I sit in a maze of boxes using the excuse "we just moved." However, I have not really been working too hard on the pampered palace. I am quite embarrassed actually. I need to get to work on this place today. Really, I do. Really I am going to...just after I check my DVR for shows from last night. D'oh, that's not the right attitude!

Ok, so wish me luck. Hopefully tomorrow's post can include all of the things I accomplished today.

(Can you see that I am even too lazy to put effort into this post?!?! I think I might need help!)

Pampered Wife

News....Kind of....

Ok, so dream job is still out there looming. After having a down in the dumps kind of day yesterday due to this insane scenario I made up in my mind about not getting the job, I got up this morning, and with a little push from pampered husband, I called to check in on "my job." So, the gentleman was very nice and said that he was glad I called. He asked if I have accepted any other position- NO, hello, waiting on pins and needles for this one! He also asked where I was in the application- finally mailed in transcripts yesterday. He also asked for my local number- thank goodness we got one, normally we just use our cell phones.

So here is the big news- he wants ANOTHER WEEK to decide!!!! AHHHH!!! I can't play the waiting game much longer, I don't think my nerves can take it, or my marriage.

Here is my opinion on this whole thing. I truly think he wants me. I think he is a little worried about my lack of experience with the laws in this state- remember I am new here. I think he might also be slightly worried about my age- in my field, I am a little young (not getting younger though as I sit here on pins and needles!!!) I also think he might be waiting for a finally go ahead from the people above him. I understand all of this, it is logical, but I really want the job.

Will keep you posted!

Pampered Wife

Waiting Game Continues

So here I am day 2 of the waiting game. There has been no official news, but there has been news. Let me explain. I guess everything in the world is done online now, including the post of this job, my application, and so on. Well, just to see if there would be news yesterday I stopped back at the site that listed the job as available. Guess what- no longer listed as available!!!! AHHH! Does this mean someone else got the dream job? Does this mean he pulled it for me and just can't tell me because the county is waiting for my transcripts? What does this mean???? I am panicking.

Unfortunately Mr. Pampered had to bare the brunt of this storm last night. I was not a happy camper and I think I made it my goal to make sure that he wasn't either. I have never been without a job and this waiting game is INSANE. Hopefully it will end soon, and for the better.

Will keep you posted.

Pampered Wife

The Waiting Game

OK, so this week I am officially playing the waiting game. About a week and a half ago I interviewed for the nearly perfect dream job in the new Pampered City. I don't think the interview went too well, but everyone that I have talked to about it says it went really well. So here we are, I was told that I would be informed, "The week of the 28th." Why in the world did the prospective employer tell me that I would find out at 9a on Monday morning? Why does it have to be "the week of...."??? Ahhh. I am not a patient person- so this is really going to be a long week until that phone rings.

Oh speaking of phone, I am getting a new pampered phone. It is time to toss out the old Razr phone and upgrade to the IPhone. Well, it is an upgrade for me and the pampered husband. See he has the old 3G IPhone and really wanted the new 3GS but was not eligible for the upgrade- but I was. So I signed up for the 3GS for him and he is graciously giving me his previously loved 3G IPhone. Chances are that it still will not work in the Pampered Palace though!

Well time to go and sit by the phone hoping it rings with good news.

Pampered Wife

Thirty Days Later

Well everyone my first thirty days with Pampered Chef are up! With that comes some good news and some disappointing news. The good news is that I officially qualified as a sales consultant. I met the company's first sales goal, and received truly amazing rewards. I swear, PC gives you free product just for putting your shoes on the correct feet! I earned $200 in free product- anything, I get to decide. I also won a whole bunch of free product from the new Fall line that has yet to be shown to the public. Oh yeah, and I won my own PC website free for 90 days- but I think I mentioned that earlier.

Now for the disappointing news, I did not meet the sales goal I set for myself. In 30 days I only sold $2350 in PC product, I was truly hoping for the $2500 level. The only thing I think I could have done better would have been to start day 1 after registering. See, I actually signed up in May to be a consultant, but I did not really start selling until June. There were many reasons, 1. day job was killing me, 2. Pampered Husband just moved to a new state, 3. I was preparing for the move as well, 4. I wanted to become more familiar with the company before I went out there to sell it's stuff. Oh well, just have to try harder the next 30 days.

So the game plan- until I meet some people here in the new Pampered City, I am going to have to rely on good old friends to possibly do some catalog shows for me. I am hoping that those shows can keep me afloat in July while I begin to network up here. So if you are interested in hosting a catalog show just let me know!

Talk soon!

Pampered Wife

Sorry for the Delay

Hi Everyone,

Well all three of you I guess. But hey, we all have to start somewhere. Google did not become what it is today overnight, right? Not that I am comparing myself to Google, because at this moment I could not tell you where anything is, but if I were to Google it I am sure I would find it.

The reason that I am not able to tell you where anything is at is because I am living in a sea of boxes! The Pampered Family has officially moved. The Pampered Pets and I drove all day yesterday finally made it to our new palace. When we got here it was so nice to see our furniture again, but not so nice to see all of the boxes that took me two weeks to pack! Is there some sort of equation that you can plug your information into to see how long it will take to get back to normal after a move?

On a MUCH brighter note, I have officially qualified as a Pampered Chef Consultant. What this means is that I have sold over $1500 in PC products- so basically nothing, except the company made money. But there are a few perks to qualifying:

1. I got $200 in free product myself!!! YAY!

2. I got an OFFICIAL Pampered Chef Website. You can go on it and order things directly from me, no longer need to wait to be invited to a show! According to official company rules though I am not allowed to link it to this site, so if you are interested just e-mail me and I will send you the address.

3. My commission rate went up. Since I have proven that I can sell, my commissions have gone up. I think I am going to make more money from PC the month of June than I did in my M-F day job!

Well, boxes are not getting unpacked as I type, so I must get back to it. Talk soon!

Moving is Never Pampered

Ok, how in the world did two adults accumulate so much stuff?!? Pampered Husband and I spent all weekend packing, cleaning, packing, and crying. I did most of the crying, and whining for that matter. I am sure glad that we got married before this move because PH would have certainly left me due to my childish behavior this past weekend.

On a MUCH happier note I did my very first "Mommy and Me" Pampered Chef cooking show. It was a blast! The hostess bought the kids aprons to decorate while I worked with the adults to make the most amazing dish ever- get this- in the microwave! After that was thrown together, I worked with the kids. We made pizza uncrustables and cookie kisses. All of the kids seem to have a lot of fun. I sold a lot of the materials I used with the kids so that was great.

I need to work on developing a show that highlights the more expensive Pampered Chef products though. People seem to purchase the items that I use during the demonstrations, so I need to work the most expensive cutlery into more shows and the pots and pans.

I have another show tonight. It is a "Girl's Night Out" show. Yeah, I come up with my own theme shows! We are doing chocolate and alcohol. Sounds like tons of fun to me! Hope sales are just as good as they have been in the past.

Got to get back to the movers....ugh...not pampered at all!

Pampered Chef

So I actually thought that I would start this blog to help drive my Pampered Chef business, and I feel like I have hardly even mentioned it! Let me tell you what is going on in the Pampered Chef world for me....

On Saturday I am doing a "Mommy and Me" cooking show. My co-worker and I just kinda came up with this idea one day at lunch. She is hosting it, and inviting her friends and their kids. We are going to make Pizza Puffs and Cookie Kisses with the kids. I am so excited about this because they are really easy recipes that look like a professional chef made, and we are having 3 year old kids do them! See how fun cooking can be for all ages! Then while the kids are playing or doing something else, I will be making a really yummy tasting dish for the adults, the Grilled Chicken Penne al Fresco. Sounds hard, doesn't it? So is not! About 8 ingredients all thrown together and put in the microwave for close to 20 minutes. Yummy!

Then on Monday I am doing a "Chocolate Bliss" cooking show for another friend. We are making Tuxedo Brownie Cups, tiny brownies with delicious cream cheese filling, a Chocolate Turtle Skillet Cake, yeah- a cake made in a frying pan- super cool. Finally, we will have a cool chocolate rum fondue for guests to dip various items into it. I think I am going to gain some weight just from being at this show!

Sounds like fun, doesn't it? You really want to host one of these shows, right? Contact me and we can do that for you!

Moving....ugh...

Okay, so let me start off by saying that nothing about moving is pampered!

I have been cleaning and packing up our tiny apartment all by myself. Not that I mind too terribly much though about doing this solo. Why?

A. I earn MAJOR wife points. There will be a day when I truly don't want to do something and I will ask Pampered Husband to do it and then politely remind him how hard I worked on the move all by myself.

B. Everything is being cleaned before it goes into a box, the box is then being labeled where it goes in the pampered palace, and the contents are being written on the outside of the box. Then the packed boxes are carefully being placed by other boxes that are going to the same room in the new palace. Goodness knows Pampered Husband would not be that anal about packing.

C. I have to tread very carefully here because Pampered Husband reads my blog, but there are certain items that either I do not care for or that he has not touched in the past year that will not be making the move with us. Do you catch my drift? Let's just say that I might need to tip the garbage men a little more after the move! Trust me, I am doing the same with my junk. Why move garbage?

Life isn't so pampered today. Maybe I will pick-up a Carmel Macchiato (sp??) and close my eyes and pretend that someone else will just magically appear to complete this project for me. Here's to dreaming....

Pampered Position

Good morning everyone!

Yesterday was a very long day. Let me explain. I woke up early to go to a job interview. I enjoy going out to new places and hearing all about their programs, but I find it difficult to talk myself up. I prefer to let my record show for itself- but in a 20 minute interview you can't do that. I walked away from the interview without an offer. It wasn't a no thanks, but a "I'll get back to you." Everyone that I have talked to about the interview says it went great and I'll be a shoe in, but for some reason, I just don't get that warm fuzzy feeling. Ahhh the agony of waiting!

Then after that wonderful morning, I packed up the two pampered labs and drove back to our old place to pack it up and get ready for the move into the new and improved pampered palace. A car ride is no big deal, right? Well, this was an eight hour car ride with two large dogs, pouring rain, and more state troopers than I have ever seen in my life. It was long.

After my "fantastic" car trip, I arrive home to find a note jammed in our door that we were delinquent on our rent. HELLO! Gave you moving notice 60 days ago! I would like to introduce your right hand to your left hand apartment people. You should really know what the other hand is doing. Then I opened the door to what looked like the roach motel. I think the number of dead roaches in the place had to be near the triple digits. I am so glad that we are moving!!!

All in all though, I got to sleep in my bed and not an air mattress. Oh yeah, I also was able to watch the Real Housewives of New Jersey last night and there was a shout out to Pampered Chef. If any of you saw the episode and are interested in either purchasing the knife that was showcased or hosting your own show let me know!

Got to go, have a pampered day!

The Pampered Palace

Why does it feel like the first week or so of blogging is more like a job interview than anything else? I am spending valuable time giving you the background dirt before I actually get down to work. Which is exactly what? I don't really know yet. I know that I love my pampered sister in law's blog, but I would hate for her to think that I was merely copying her. So I don't really know yet.

Any who, let's move on to the pampered palace. In order to understand the significance of the new palace, you must understand the old small dirty hardly pampered palace. It all started about a year ago. Pampered Husband and I were renting an adorable 3/2 house with a beautiful backyard for our pampered pooches. Well, honestly, we were stretched beyond our means- we used to think that we needed to be pampered no matter the price. When we woke up from that dream, we realized that we were paying someone's mortgage and not saving a dime for our own palace. So we decided to move.

We moved into a tiny 2/2 apartment that was barely 900 square feet. Mr. Pampered and myself were basically on top of each other with no where to escape for private time. It was miserable!

Then the transfer happened and Mr. Pampered moved to a new state. Unwillingly, I put him in charge of finding us a new place to live. In order to avoid all lease breaking fees we had to move into another apartment owned by the same company. Believe it or not, Mr. Pampered found us an AMAZING place to live. We are now in an apartment larger than the house we were renting for a lot less money. As soon as this move is over we will start saving for our own palace.

Well, must get going. Heading back to old "palace" to pack and organize for the movers. The next time I talk to you I will be in a different state.

Pampered Pets

Hello Everyone!

Welcome back to the pampered life. Today I would like to introduce you to our pampered pets. We have 3 dogs- I know that seems like a lot, and it really is, but let me explain.

I got my very own first dog a few months before I moved out of the Pampered Mother's house. He is an adorable yellow lab. Then we moved, and he was lonely. A friend offered me a free black lab puppy because she couldn't care for him. So of course I jumped at the chance. Now my pampered yellow dog had a pampered black labby brother. Being that they are pampered to the max, I used to spend 4 hours a week at the local dog park. The boys needed exercise and play time with their friends, right?

Well, it was at that very dog park that I met the future Mr. Pampered. He had a little Jack Russell that would not even give me the time of day, but my labs really liked Mr. Pampered. After a year or so of meeting each other at the dog park for doggy play dates, we went on our first human date. And the rest is history! Neither Mr. Pampered nor myself would ever dream of giving up one of our doggies, so now we are a family with three dogs. It can be crazy around the pampered mansion, but I wouldn't have it any other way!

Welcome to the Pampered Life for Us!

Thanks for clicking by my brand new blog. After spending numerous hours on Facebook and Twitter, I figured it was time to devote my online addiction to a blog. I follow many other blogs, but have been hesitant about starting my own. I hope that I can maintain it and keep it fresh, because I know how annoyed I get when I see that the blogs I follow are not updated often! I make no promises, but I do hope to keep this going.

First, a little bit about myself. I am a newlywed, in the middle of a large multi-state move, who has decided to start her own at home business. I must be crazy! Really, I'm not, but it sure feels like it!

The week we returned from our AMAZING wedding, hubby was transferred to a new state for his job. I stayed at home, and at my job, as long as possible. It was very difficult being newly weds and living a state apart. It was actually pretty ironic, considering we moved in with each other within our first month of dating. But now it is finally time to admit that I am going to have to move as well. I fought the good fight- and lost. Or at least that is what I thought until this weekend! I came to visit hubby and I absolutely fell in love with the area, housing situation, and everything! I cannot wait to run back to that other state and pack everything up and join my husband once again.

As for the business, I became a Pampered Chef Independent Consultant last month. Let me start by saying this one simple thing~ I LOVE PAMPERED CHEF!!!! Their products are simply amazing, and they make me look like a genius in the kitchen- which I am not. It is nearly impossible to mess up a meal when using their products. I just want to share these cool gadgets and great recipes with my friends and family, and hey, I might as well get paid for it!

So that is me in a very tiny nutshell. I hope you check back often to see what is happening in the Pampered Life!