It’s Here: Day 1 of My Blogaversary Party

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It’s Here: Day 1 of My Blogaversary Party

I’m so excited that you are here to celebrate my 6th year blogaversary with so many of my friends.
First I have to confess that I was thinking it was my 7 year anniversary of starting my blog. Until I finally looked back at my first posts (want to laugh and see a couple? You can see them here, here and here) and realized it’s only been 6 years.

And how do you have a party virtually?? Well, I decided that we needed music, food and of course lots and lots of giveaways!!
So EVERY day this week, you’ll be able to hear one of Rob’s original songs, enjoy some marvelous food recipes (and sometimes drink recipes) contributed from my talented friends, AND enter giveaways!!
Make sure to invite all of your friends to join the fun!! I always say the more, the merrier. And we can all use a little Merry right now!!

I hope all of you have as much fun this entire week with my daily party favors as I did putting this together!! Let me set the stage!!!
Imagine entering the party, and the first thing you hear is music (and let’s pretend there are balloons, confetti and lots of beautiful decor too).

Music

Many of you don’t realize that my husband started his musical career at the young age of 4 on the Sonny Fox show playing the vibes. He’s written and sung many, many songs since then, and I hope you enjoy. I’m linking to YouTube so you can play the song while you read the rest of the post!

This song called Time So Fast was a song written in the early 1980’s which Rob entered into the KBCO Boulder Colorado radio station songwriters competition. He made it into the quarter-finals with this entry.

Food and Drink

Now no party is complete without some fabulous food and drinks. I begged a couple of my foodie friends to share some of their recipes for my party guests. I’m sharing the recipes here and some information about each of these friends. I truly hope you will also take the time to visit them. Because isn’t that what a party is all about? Meeting and chatting with others?

Drink for the Day-Bailey’s Chocolate Martini

Thank you to Andrea for this fabulous drink recipe. You can see her put it together on YouTube where she is the Yeti Bartender.

I’ve been following Andrea over at her blog, Living on Cloud Nine for years now. She is truly a positive woman. My favorites are the times she showcases her mom with her on the blog.

In her words “With the last name of Nine, I tried to live every day on cloud nine, making each day as blissfully happy as possible! Much of that happiness comes from a wonderful husband, three grown sons and a love for all things fashion, food, home decor, cocktails, fitness, and love of life! I absolutely love supporting other women and making them feel good about themselves! Jodie is one of the best people I know at doing this very thing and it is an honor to be part of her Blogaversary and to call her friend!”

Bailey’s Chocolate Martini

INGREDIENTS 

1 1/2 oz Bailey’s Irish Cream
1 oz vanilla Vodka
3/4 oz Creme de Cocoa 
1 oz whipping cream
Chocolate Sauce or Syrup
Whipped Cream
Chocolate Shavings

DIRECTIONS

Drizzle desired chocolate in a chilled martini glass. Add ice, Bailey’s Irish cream, vodka, creme de cocoa and whipping cream to a martini shaker and shake for at least 30 seconds. Slowly pour into martini glass and garnish with whip cream and chocolate shavings if desired. Enjoy! 

Snack for the Day- Blissful Salted Chocolate Bark

This wonderful decadent snack is from Wendi who blogs at Loaves and Dishes. I met Wendi at the Food Blogger’s Conference that we attended in Utah. She has an amazing way of making even the simplest things taste great. In fact, I reached out to her to help us when Rob was starting his detox diet with his naturopath. She gave us some great tips on how to make things taste good even without salt.
AND her Friday email has wonderful cooking tips, where I’ve learned a thing or two (or a hundred….she’s so knowledgeable).

In her words: Wendi believes that food made with love and passion has power. It brings people together AND carries them home. She shows you how to get amazing flavor from simple dishes fast! When you make her recipes, your family and friends will exclaim, “WOW! Amazing! How did you MAKE this?” 

The recipe that I would love to share with you and your readers is a REAL favorite at my own house! The kids (mine are grown) love it and it makes a big pan that can be shared with neighbors and friends. 
It looks kind of fancy and like it might be difficult to make, but it REALLY is not! The ingredients read like, “You can’t be serious and this can’t be good”, but I PROMISE, it’s WONDERFUL!

Wendi said that you can change up this recipe based on the holiday, for example, for a birthday or blogaversary, one might consider using white chocolate and colorful cake sprinkles! 
For Halloween, possibly add some candy corn or candy bar pieces. 
For Christmas, white chocolate and broken peppermints. 
It’s a great recipe to have in your bag of tricks for all kinds of things and it is universally loved by anyone who enjoys chocolate and caramel! 
The Recipe is “Blissful Salted Chocolate Bark” (click over to read all the tips and tricks in the original recipe).

  • ½ sleeve saltine crackers – about 30-40
  • 1 cup 2 sticks Butter
  • 1 Cup dark brown sugar
  • 2 Bags dark chocolate chips 12 oz
  • Kosher salt – to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 425. In a sauce pan, melt the butter and brown sugar together and bring to a boil. Allow to boil for about 5-6 minutes – stir occasionally.
  • Put down parchment or a silpat mat or greased aluminum foil on a rimmed baking sheet. Lay saltine crackers out to cover the baking sheet (the rim part is important).
  • Pour the brown sugar/butter boiling mixture over the crackers, cover as evenly as possible
  • Bake at 425 for 4-5 minutes until bubbly.
  • Remove the sheet pan from the oven and pour the chocolate chips over the crackers. Don’t worry – they will melt. When they melt, use the back of a wooden spoon and spread the chocolate over the crackers. Sprinkle Kosher salt evenly over the surface.
  • Place the entire baking sheet into the fridge or even the freezer until the chocolate is hard – about an hour. Break it into pieces or cut with a knife or even a pizza cutter to create different sized pieces.
  • Store in a resealable container and keep in the fridge.

Giveaways

Who doesn’t like winning fun stuff?? I am EXTREMELY grateful to all of these wonderful small businesses and people who have contributed their goods/services to make my anniversary party special.
Make sure and enter all of the different multiple giveaways each day and keep your fingers crossed that you win.
EACH day’s giveaways will be available to enter for just 2 days, so don’t delay!!

IF YOU ARE UNSURE OF THE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE RAFFLECOPTER, please reach out to me at JTouchofstyle@gmail.com and I will walk you through it. I would hate for anyone to be disqualified because my instructions are confusing.

Giveaway 1-Bellelily

We worked with Bellelily this year and all three of us were TRULY impressed with their t-shirts and scarves. Right now their winter scarves are all under $15 and come with a gift bag so would be perfect for upcoming gifts.

Fun with winter scarf looks

Bellelily is offering 2 gift cards for $100 each.
This contest is international so everyone has a shot at it!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway 2-City Beauty

I’ve worked with City Beauty a couple of time on Instagram. I know a couple of my readers have tried their products and really liked them. I love their sheet masks and body balm especially in the dry winter months.

City Beauty is gifting a Youth Essentials Kit – it’s a new Holiday kit. This essential kit includes everything you need to brighten, firm, and smooth the skin on your face & body for a years-younger look. ($310 value)
SET INCLUDES:

  • Youth Rejuvenating Cleanser
  • Line-Smoothing HydroMask
  • Under Eye Recovery
  • Multi-Action Sculpting Cream
  • City Lips® in Clear
  • InvisiCrepe Body Balm
  • Double-Ended Cosmetic Spatula (FREE GIFT – $20 value)

This giveaway is limited to the USA.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway 3- The Toxin Terminator Book

Aimee is a friend I met here in Arizona, and she’s on a mission to help eliminate the toxins in our life. I bought her book when it first came out, and I appreciate how she helps you little by little change the things that might make a difference in your life. I hope you visit her site and take a look around.

Aimee is giving away a copy of her book, The Toxin Terminator. It’s a great resource that you can use.
This giveaway is International so everyone join in.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank You

Thank you for making our last 6 years so successful and joining us for this celebration week.

TUNE IN TOMORROW FOR MORE PARTYING!!!

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