Spoiled Eggs - Guest Blogger

Meet Collin & Ashlee. I've admired this couple before they were even a couple and I am so excited to turn my blog over to Ashlee today so she can share their story with you. Ashlee impresses and inspires me so much with her fabulous style and unwavering enthusiasm for life despite their struggles with infertility. I long to be more like the both of them to put it frankly. I'm blessed to know them just as you will be as well...

Very few things in life give me as much joy as feeling attractive, having good friends, and the thought of motherhood. I feel like by sharing my story on Whippy Cake I'm killing all 3 of those blissful birds with one stone because who doesn't feel completely adorable when wearing a Glamour Band, who on this earth could be a better friend than Becki, and how much fun will it be to share with you my feelings on motherhood/infertility/adoption?!

In case you're stumped, the answer to those questions are nobody, nobody, and so fun.

So, you may know several fertile Myrtles, I know I do, however I'm here to introduce myself to you as an infertile Girdle. That's right, I said infertile and girdle in the same sentence. But it's true, between my husband and me, the odds of us conceiving children are about as good as the Diamondbacks winning The World Series this season. (In case you haven't been following baseball for the past few months, the D-backs are 64-95 this seasons). Yep, my ovaries laugh at the thought of ovulation, and C's sperm have been on more vacations than Donald Trump. No baby makin' is in our future. And though I am able to light-heartedly joke about it now, it hasn't always been so funny.

We went through a period of mourning, I felt loads of anger for a brief time, and sadness has seemed to creep in at the most inopportune times. Several things have gotten us through the rough patches, but the one I'm here to tell you about is adoption. We explored our every option; Clomid (a hot flash in a bottle), in vitro fertilization, artificial insemination, sperm donors, egg donors, and a bajillion others. Along with considering those, we also immediately considered adoption. My 2 oldest brothers are adopted and I've seen first hand how adopted children can complete a family, so it was always on the plate for us. And after lots of doctor advice, parent advice, thought, and prayer, we decided that adoption was the way to go.

We went to our orientation meeting in early July, and we are officially certified for adoption as of last Wednesday! It was a short, yet some how so long, 3 month process to get certified, but oh so worth it. Being certified, we are now able to adopt a child whenever the time is right, and whenever a birth mother deems us the right fit to raise her child. We are excited about this prospect and we know how big of a miracle adoption is and we are super pumped that we will hopefully get to experience it.

We're so pumped in fact that we even blog about it

as a couple: collandash.blogspot.com
as the wife: collinandashlee.blogspot.com
as Girdle: myspoiledeggs.blogspot.com
and as the hubs: playfulfactory.com

We know that so many of you have been affected by infertility and we know that so many of you have been blessed by adoption. We would love to hear your stories-feel free to stop by our sites and leave us a comment, or shoot us an e-mail. We love hearing from you- there truly is strength in numbers!

Infertility is not an end-all diagnosis. It is rather a door opening experience that provides options and possibilities! We're excited for our possibilities. Stop by myspoiledeggs.blogspot.com to read about our experiences, but even more importantly, to win some free Whippy Cake goodness on my Friday giveaway!

Thanks Becki, for letting me share our story on Whippy Cake!

just decided

i just decided a few things in the last 10 minutes.

• starting now i will refer to my husband as "boss" or "the boss". not because he bosses me around or anything but because he keeps a handle on everything that goes on around our house and that is very much what a boss does. also that would in kind dub me mrs. boss which is boss.
  
• starting now i am discontinuing the use of capital letters in all forms of writing and text. (consider this my pre-apology to all those who will be annoyed by this, including you boss)
• starting now i will refrain from using chat abbreviations like "lol", "omg" and "brb". i don't really have a reason for abstaining from the use of these cute little shorties, i guess i just want to see if i can actually quit using them.
  
• starting now zappos is my favorite place to shop online. their customer service is unbelievable and worth blogging about.

some things i am undecided on as of now...

• whether or not "haha" is considered a chat abbreviation. i'm leaning towards no.
• whether or not the boss will be upset about his new title.
  
• whether or not i will keep my hair red through the end of the year.
• whether or not i should post sneak peaks of rennai's bridal shower i am hosting on saturday or if i should wait and do a grand reveal after.
• whether or not to do a giveaway on friday. i'm leaning towards yes!
  

My Hair Red

I did it.

After five years straight of blonde (my longest record) at 3pm today I become a redhead. It took me 3.5 months to finally just commit to it but now it is done. {Thanks again Kelsey!} The best part is my husband did not freak out. He said "I prefer it blonde but you look good in anything". Can I get an "awwwee!" ?

Dirty Bottles and Shakira

Currently we have a display of old vintage bottles on our dining room table. I'll grant that it's not the most creative effort I can muster but lets be honest, the only reason I have a centerpiece is so that the table doesn't become the designated area for junk to collect. My husband disapproves of the vintage glass bottles because they look old and dirty. Like everything he dislikes he is threatening to throw them away. MY vintage bottles that I hunted down in an antique mall in Utah. I told him if he touched them I would terrorize his Shakira poster from Brazil... Oops. That inspired his next train of thought. Now he thinks that if I get to display my ugly bottles, he can display his Shakira poster. In the dinning room. Awesome.





What do you think? Is it worth it to pack up my bottles or do you think I can tolerate Shakira peering down at me while we eat? Classy.

Whippy Cake store opening this Wednesday in Gilbert

...that sounded more official than " I will be opening my house on Wednesday for customers to come and try on and shop our current inventory." Which is the actual truth. I'm not sure I could handle owning/running an actual store but I definitely don't mind meeting those of you who would like to come over and shop in person.

Anyways, we receive lots of emails asking if we sell locally or if there is anyway to try on our Appliques and Headbands so I thought I would try opening my doors to you shoppers out there to cater to those of you wanting a more personal shopping experience. Hopefully it goes well. I'm located in Gilbert and if you are interested in shopping in my Whippy Cake Lair (studio) I will be opened every Wednesday {until further notice} between 11am and 2pm. You can send us and email at admin@whippycake.com to set up an appointment and to get directions.

I can't wait to meet you on Wednesday!!!

Whypsy Gypsy

Hello boho beauty! Anyone else in love with everything in the Free People catalog besides me? I want to buy something on just about every page to wear with Whypsy Gypsy which is on SALE this week for only $18, oh by the way. {hello, $5 off!}

I put together another possible palette to go with my Whypsy Gypsy applique which is from the Simmer Town collection and you better believe I would be buying both ensembles if the Mister allowed it. I think it's easy to guess why I named this piece Whypsy Gypsy, the gem tone colors and the gold adornments just beg to be worn with jumbo hoop earrings and lots of fringe don't ya think?

What would you wear with it?

Eye Kandy Demo

I discovered the wonderful product Eye Kandy while attending Swiss Days. I have to admit I am like a 5 year old when it comes to glitter. I just can't seem to help myself. I purchased several colors for myself and I have been itching to share a quick demo with you.

I hope you can see why it has so quickly become one of my favorite cosmetics now.

Look! Something shiny...

I get distracted by things that sparkle, don't you? This is an ubber easy and fast project I did with my nieces this weekend.

Supplies

-canvas tote
-glitter
-Tulip Glitter Bond
-freezer paper
-iron
-exacto knife/mini scissors
-pen or pencil
-paint brush
-small bowl or container for mixing glitter *optional
-plain paper *optional

Trace your image onto freezer paper and cut it out. Keep the stencil and any small pieces needed to complete the image aside. It helps to mark the pieces you can throw away with crayon or something. Iron the shiny side of the freezer paper to your tote or a shirt or whatever you want to glam up. Brush a thick coat of Tulip Glitter Bond over your stencil. Dust a heavy layer of glitter of the glitter bond. (I mixed black and yellow glitter for a two tone effect.) Shake the loose glitter onto a plain sheet of paper and funnel it back into the glitter container. Let the glittered tote sit for 5 min. or dry it with a blow dryer on low. (I applied a second coat of glitter bond as a top coat to protect the glitter from flaking.) When the glitter is dry enough to touch peel off the freezer paper. (I discolored my tote by pressing the iron on too long so to disguise the discoloration I dusted the edges and creases of the bag with an antiquing stamp pad.) Let cure 24 hours and do not wash until after 72 hours. All done.

Pores No More

Lots of you inquire about the products I love and use so I thought that from now on it would be fun to spotlight and feature my favorite products that I use regularly.

Try not to be grossed out by my close up pictures when I talk about this product that is completely new to me. I am so incredibly excited to post about it, excited enough to share embarrassing graphic pictures of my makeup free face and gigantic exposed pores. I have large and unattractive pores that I inherited from genetics. Last time I was at Sephora I was testing several different products that would conceal my pores when I was introduced to Dr. Brandt Pores No More pore refiner. I was so impressed I bought it right then and didn't even think to look at the price! $45 Ouch, but oh so worth it! Pores No More doubles as a filler for your pores as well as a primer to even out skin tone and texture. It is so divinely silky and light it's absolutely decadent on your skin. I Love it because I can truly put a light layer on as a quick cover up and still look suitable for the public when I don't have time to apply foundation or makeup. The serum is concentrate with a hint of neutral color and a very tiny bit goes a very long way so one bottle will be sure to last an exceptionally long time. You can see in the close up of the before and after pictures that the product really stands on it's own. I don't have any concealer or makeup on in either picture and I didn't touch up the photos but the improvement is so dramatic!

I was also given a free sample of Dr. Brandt's Pore No More Vacuum Cleaner which is an intense mask like serum you apply over your pores. After you apply it you let it sit for 5-10 minutes while it dries and sucks out all the icky gunk from your pores and then you remove with hot water or a warm wet towel. I was impressed by the Vacuum Cleaner serum but probably won't opt to get it until I can budget for it ;)

I know this isn't the most glamorous product I could feature but for me my pores are such an insecurity that this product has instantly become a favorite and of course a necessity!

Trend Setter

Wendy's dad is setting the trend sporting his very own WHippy Cake eye patch.

just kidding. Wendy just caught him goofing around w/ her glamour band and snapped a photo. I'm sure he will be happy to know he was the source of entertainment on our blog today.

Rrrrggh! Eye see the problem.

Here's a little story, I know you've never heard. It's a true story with a very happy ending.

Once upon a time there was a girl with a crooked eye. Her eye looks acceptable cosmetically and all but her vision is quite the opposite. For most of her life she was diagnosed incorrectly and given prescriptions for glasses but none of them have actually resolved her vision woes. Because the tension of the muscle in her right eye is tighter than the tension in her left eye her vision in that eye pulls inward therefore making it impossible for her eyes to work in unison to make one clear picture. Instead the things she sees are terribly confusing, blurry or double. The confusion of images relayed to her brain often leave her with painful headaches and an unhappy attitude. Not wanting to let her eye get the best of her she developed her own crutches to get by with the annoying nag of an eye. She discovered that closing one eye would alleviate the double vision so long as the right eye remained clamped shut. She also found that intense focused squinting would satiate bombarding and conflicting images her eyes send to her brain. In some circumstances (when no one is there to witness) she will even secure random articles of clothing and accessories over the handicapped eye in place of an eye patch (rrrgh matey!) to give her mind a break from the world of chaos her eyes propose together. After years of frustration the girl was referred to a specialist who unbeknown to her was about to change her life forever. She waited the long amount of time (10 weeks) for her turn to meet with the specialist, hoping but also not expecting too much out of the visit. After some blinding test and some uncomfortable treatments a new diagnosis was made. The doctor revealed that her circumstance was not permanent and that her vision could be restored by a perfectly safe operation. She was elated! She wanted to leap into the lap of the blessed man who bore her such fabulous news and kiss him on his bald head (at least she thinks he was bald, she couldn't really see that well). Instead she said "Oh, how nice." as she smiled to herself and ignored the terrified cries of the other patients being mauled by Kingston in the waiting room. The doctor was then replaced by his assistant who scheduled the girl's operation. She left stunned and in awe that in just two weeks the plague of double vision will be lifted from her life and she will finally be able to do away with her makeshift eye patches and squinting faces. She is officially one HAPPY girl!

The End

ps.

-yes, I just made a comic strip about my crooked eye.

- I think I should audition for a headache commercial. I felt like that picture was really believable.

- Rosette eye patches will be going on sale immediately.

- Just kidding on the part about selling eye patches, it's just a glamour band. Haha

Doing Human Things

Excuse my absence on this here blog, I've been out doing human things, for once. My sisters and I took a mini trip to Utah to surprise my family again and retreat from our kids. We planned it so we would be there for Swiss Days in Midway where my parents live. This was my first Swiss Days experience and I was not disappointed one bit. We spent two days looking, eating and shopping at all the booths and I can't wait to share some of the new products and vendors I found there. Fresh strawberries and cream was a mandatory pit stop several times a day.

I was also able to spend some time with my twin and gave him a big fat kiss!

After the madness of Swiss Days I pretty much read books the rest of the time. Real books too, with actual pages and not the ones you listen to with head phones like I usually do. 4 books later I almost couldn't stop myself from reading. The 1st book I read was The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner followed by the MUCH talked about series Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay, which exceeded my expectations and clutched me in it's intense action packed pages. I will be reading them several more times in the near future.

I came back to work for one day then was swept away to San Diego by my husband and kids for the weekend. We stayed with one of our favorite couples, Buddy and Sara and their two kids Chloe and Max. We spent day 1 at the San Diego Zoo

and day 2 at the beach. It was lovely weather both days and our children were actually pleasant and mildly well behaved. I still miss the salty thick air on my face and skin and can't wait to go back.

Sadly after missing more than a week of work I am wildly behind, ill and stressed for time and energy to catch up so I'm afraid that's all for now peeps! Love ya!

Saying Thank You.....

Hello all, it's me Wendy blogging for you today... I know you LOVE the amazing Miss Becki, but I hope you will be inspired by what I have to share today....

The importance of two little words...Thank You... This small phrase can validate, inspire, and can also give peace and closure. We all probably have Thank you's that have not yet been said or sent, so I encourage you to take care of some of those "Thank You's" today. It feels good, it continues the love cycle!! After all the kind things we have been running around trying to do for others, you have to admit it is nice to hear, and helps us to feel the love a little more.. Maybe it's a selfish thing to want to hear those words, but I am pretty sure, everybody wants to hear them..
I have been blessed in my life with examples of Charity, my Family and I have had numerous acts of kindness done in our behalf, we are always THANKFUL, but sometimes they have been anonymous, which means thanking gets a little tricky. Recently my Hubby dropped his wallet at a Crowded sports complex. It had all the usual important things like ID, important numbers, credit cards, and a whopping $70.00 in cash. We were pretty bummed about the cash, especially at that time, it was a lot of dough for us, and it was much needed. Anyway, by the time my Husband had traced, and retraced his steps, and we made all the necessary calls to cancel our cards, a very GOOD Samaritan had driven the 20+ minutes to our address and left his wallet outon the hood of our car.. Everything was the way it had been left, including the $70... No note, just pure humble kindness.. We thanked our Heavenly Father, I cried like a baby, and my children learned another lesson about LOVE... we were so happy, not only because of the money and hassle it saved us, but we were deeply touched that someone would be so selfless, for us. That act continues to affirm what we already believed, and how we continue to live this life..

The #1 best way to THANK these secret Hero's, is to turn right around and spread the LOVE...and we will.

But for today I would like to publicly Thank whomever it was that weekend, who became our hero...

OK, While I was writing this post something hit me like a ton of bricks... Today is the day,

I have goose bumps......

This is pretty heavy stuff, I hope you don't mind me using this opportunity....

There is a Thank you that I have never been able to properly say...

An anniversary of a Thank you that has still gone Unsaid....

I need to say Thank you to someone who saved my life, literally saved me when I was 7 yrs old. I was in a car accident with my parents and my little sister, it was September 8th, 1979, on a 2 lane Highway. It turned into a Horrifying day, but a day that Hero's were born.. My Dad was one of them. (But that is another story) so Yes it was many years ago, but I see it in mind like it was yesterday.. The truck was on fire, my Dad, broken and fading on the road, our sweet Mommy and little Sister already gone... My pretty long hair, that mom had put into French braids for our trip, my back and shoulder and new outfit were burning too. I leaned my head out of the crumpled Chevy, and started screaming, it felt like an eternity, an eternity of strangers staring at me, when finally some guy, just a regular looking guy (my Hero that Day) came running over to the wreckage and flames, reached in and pulled me out. To this day I don't know if he injured himself while saving me, I don't know how he could have done what he did without being burned too, but I do KNOW he risked his own life to save mine...
It was a sad, and tragic day, yet it was filled with miracles that have blessed the lives of my Dad and I ever since... so on this Anniversary, now it's a day past, I would like to Thank that Man who wasn't thinking of himself when he pulled me out of a burning nightmare. I Thank You, my Family, Husband and Children Thank You ...

I know one day that I will see you again, even if it's not in this Life, I feel confident I will recognize you, and I will wrap my arms around you, and Thank YOU! :)

This is a picture of the little girls who were in that accident, it was taken a 2 years before.... Me and my little Sister Stephie..... I miss you, and Mom everyday.


Wendy