Lolly Mixtures

2010-12-27T12:43:00.001-08:00

2010-07-13T14:57:00.001-07:00

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Quote of the day

2010-05-22T16:38:00.000-07:00

“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory or defeat.” ~Theodore Roosevelt

Makenna's Bday Party

2010-04-21T22:40:00.000-07:00

Lynda is my favorite teacher

2010-04-08T22:21:00.001-07:00

If you haven't tried out Lynda.com you should... if you want to learn software of any kind for any industry. I'm currently on day 7 of my 30 days free and on chapter 4 of Web Design Fundamentals. I'm soaking it up. Oh, and now there's an iPhone version. Yessss.

I like to work, design, and cook

2010-04-06T21:52:00.000-07:00

I can't help it. I like what I do. I like to design and create things. Work has been very busy and I've been trying to keep up with all the projects going on as well as keeping things balanced and I've been doing pretty well. Regular planning and scheduling keeps things from getting out of control. And making time for the gym, creative things, and not neglecting other areas of my life helps tremendously. I'm lucky to work with everyone at Red Mat. They are talented where I'm not–thank goodness for that. They keep writing me checks every month so I must be doing something right.

My condo is STILL up for sale or rent. I'm not quite sure what else I can do to get someone else living here.

And on a side note, Russ and Carrie came over for dinner last week. I made hamburgers and this was the size of the lettuce. Having gotten it at the super Wal-Mart, I'm pretty sure any produce sold at Wal-Mart is grown with tons of pesticides and hormones...hence the gigantic leaves of lettuce.

I need a 3-in-1 husband

2010-03-25T00:07:00.001-07:00

I have come to the conclusion that I need to marry a web programmer that is also very handy around the house and likes to build stuff. That means he's a little nerdy, like me, and is very technically inclined yet still very cool and manly. If he were a web programmer we'd go really well together. I can design and make everything in print and online look good, but I can't build websites yet or program custom widgets, or any of that other necessary stuff required to really make the most of my talent. I am taking self-taught night classes on web design but I'd still need an expert.

I would also like him to be a massage therapist.

Loan-B-Gone

2010-03-22T18:46:00.000-07:00

I just dabbed a little on for 36 consecutive months and voila, my LASIK is all paid off! This is a really beautiful sight, not to mention a really good feeling, and much better than getting a bill in the mail.

I'm so sick of debt and it's side effects so I've committed to a solid plan to eradicate it all. This is the first of many of these letters I will receive. Hallelujah!!

The Write Poet

2010-03-19T21:04:00.001-07:00

I always thought this poem was by Shel Silverstein and couldn't figure out why it wasn't in any of his books. That's because it's by Jack Prelutsky.

Bleezer's Ice Cream

I am Ebenezer Bleezer,
I run BLEEZER'S ICE CREAM STORE,
there are flavors in my freezer
you have never seen before,
twenty-eight divine creations
too delicious to resist,
why not do yourself a favor,
try the flavors on my list:

COCOA MOCHA MACARONI
TAPIOCA SMOKED BALONEY
CHECKERBERRY CHEDDAR CHEW
CHICKEN CHERRY HONEYDEW
TUTTI-FRUTTI STEWED TOMATO
TUNA TACO BAKED POTATO
LOBSTER LITCHI LIMA BEAN
MOZZARELLA MANGOSTEEN
ALMOND HAM MERINGUE SALAMI
YAM ANCHOVY PRUNE PASTRAMI
SASSAFRAS SOUVLAKI HASH
SUKIYAKI SUCCOTASH
BUTTER BRICKLE PEPPER PICKLE
POMEGRANATE PUMPERNICKEL
PEACH PIMENTO PIZZA PLUM
PEANUT PUMPKIN BUBBLEGUM
BROCCOLI BANANA BLUSTER
CHOCOLATE CHOP SUEY CLUSTER
AVOCADO BRUSSELS SPROUT
PERIWINKLE SAUERKRAUT
COTTON CANDY CARROT CUSTARD
CAULIFLOWER COLA MUSTARD
ONION DUMPLING DOUBLE DIP
TURNIP TRUFFLE TRIPLE FLIP
GARLIC GUMBO GRAVY GUAVA
LENTIL LEMON LIVER LAVA
ORANGE OLIVE BAGEL BEET
WATERMELON WAFFLE WHEAT

I am Ebenezer Bleezer,
I run BLEEZER'S ICE CREAM STORE,
taste a flavor from my freezer,
you will surely ask for more.

Jack Prelutsky

Resolved: I am an earliER morning person

2010-03-18T21:54:00.000-07:00

Well I tried. I really thought getting up at the crack of dawn to fit my workouts in was going to be a good thing. I wanted to exercise in the mornings to get a good start to the day and have more time in the evenings, but it's just not working out. Half because going to bed early is boring and half because working out at the end of the day is better. Better because I have more energy than in the morning and have accumulated stress during the day to work off.

So, after a good two months of attempts, turns out I'm not an early morning person after all...and I'm okay with that.

Oh, and I had leftovers for dinner.

Fresh & Frozen

2010-03-16T17:35:00.000-07:00

Fresh spinach with (previously) frozen butternut squash soup with turkey for protein and wheat crackers for some umph. This was my dinner. Delicious.

Had another buyer look at my place today. Maybe if I have enough people cross their fingers or pray that my place will sell SOON, it will. So start praying everyone because Lolly needs to start paying taxes instead of a mortgage.

Cupboard and freezer clean out

2010-03-15T22:09:00.000-07:00

This makes two posts in two consecutive days. Whoa.

I had taco soup for dinner. It was from a couple of months ago when I made a lot of it then froze the leftovers. This is not my actual bowl of soup but it does look exactly like it. I ate mine out of a Kellog's branded cereal bowl and had triangle tortilla chips, not round ones.

To prepare for moving I am finding ways to use up anything and everything in my cupboards and freezer. I've been used to keeping everything stocked so I had some sort of 'food storage' but it all must be cleared out. A total liquidation! The less I have to pack in the Uhaul (or bus or van or tractor-trailer that will get my junk from A to B) the better, right?! Yes, right, because moving is one of my least favorite things to do on this planet.

I had peas and shrimp for dinner.

2010-03-14T21:32:00.001-07:00

Time to blog again. I always have things to say then I never get around to posting them...what a shame. I did actually have shrimp and peas for dinner...and wild rice pilaf made from scratch. I am a horrible rice cooker. Of all the cooking talent I have, I desperately need to take a rice cooking class. And now I'm realizing I should have taken a picture of the flavorful, mushy rice so you all could see. You're not missing much so I think you'll be okay.

I don't have any funny stories or entertaining quotes from my kids, so this may not be very exciting but, here's the short version of mi vida como es ahorita:

Selling condo (still need a buyer)

Moving to OR (hello Heathfield Lane)

Operation Debt-B-Gone is well under way (paid off my Lasik this month)

Glad/sad at the thought of leaving Utah (glad for change, sad to leave friends)

Keeping it all together somehow in the meantime (praise Jesus!)

The Week in Pictures...

2009-11-23T17:17:00.001-08:00

...reminds me that the world is so much bigger than my tiny little home office. Makes me want to travel far, far away from Utah! I think I've been stuck working at home too long... Check this out: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3842331/

Some Gems from Institute

2009-11-03T20:05:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of quotes that were part of my institute class tonight. This class has to be the best religion/extracurricular class I've ever taken. The things I have learned and the difference this institute class has made at this time in my life is incaclulable. Thank you Brother Tippets!

We were talking about physical health and taking time for solitude and meditation:
"Be careful to preserve your health. It is a trick of the devil, which he employs to deceive good souls, to make them to do more than they are able in order that they may no longer be able to do anything." (Father Tim's Favorite Quotes, Jan Karon)

"Choose to emphasize those matters that have eternal consequence." I can't remember who this was by but Bro. Tippets was talking about how easy it is to get caught up in doing good things but not the most important things.

Quote me

2009-10-29T20:49:00.000-07:00

"Give."
–the Little Stream

Another Quote

2009-10-14T10:51:00.001-07:00

I came across this quote today as I was proofing a new issue of one of our magazines.

"A good leader recognizes their own weaknesses and looks to others to help complement both themselves and their team."

Here's the thing I thought of with this...by looking to others we actually allow them the chance to succeed as well. When we do everything ourselves then we rob others of opportunities to succeed, or even fail. it's selfish to do everything on our own.

I spent a lot of my life feeling like I had to "do it all" and "do it all myself". I don't believe that anymore. In fact, I'd rather do less so that I can spend more time doing the things I love...and also some things that stretch me. There's a reason publishers hire writers, editors, designers, distribution specialists, etc. Because they are very good at what they do. Doesn't mean the publisher couldn't try to publish an entire magazine by himself, but by utilizing other people's talents, he is allowing others to help him become successful. And in turn, those other people become successful too.

The Ant and the Grasshopper

2009-10-08T18:40:00.001-07:00

OLD VERSION:
The ant works hard in the withering heat all
summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.
The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances
and plays the summer away.
Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed.
The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.
MORAL OF THE STORY:
Be responsible for yourself!

MODERN VERSION:
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his
house and laying up supplies for the winter.
The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and
plays the summer away.
Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and
demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed
while others are cold and starving.
CBS, NBC , PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the
shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable
home with a table filled with food. America is stunned by the sharp
contrast.
How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor
grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?
Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper, and everybody
cries when they sing, 'It's Not Easy Being Green.'
Jesse Jackson stages a demonstration in front of the ant 's house
where the news stations film the group singing, 'We shall overcome.'
Jesse then has the group kneel down to pray to God for the
grasshopper's sake.
Nancy Pelosi and John Kerry exclaim in an interview with Larry King
that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and both
call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his fair
share.
Finally, the EEOC drafts the Economic Equity &Anti-Grasshopper Act
retroactive to the beginning of the summer.
The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green
bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home
is confiscated by the government.
The story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing up the last bits of
the ant's food while the government house he is in, which just happens
to be the ant's old house, crumbles around him because he doesn'tmaintain it.
The ant has disappeared in the snow.
The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident and the
house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize
the once peaceful neighborhood.

MORAL OF THE STORY:
Be careful how you vote in 2010.

Yanni

2009-09-20T21:14:00.001-07:00

Emily just confessed that her inspiration for wanting to play music was Yanni. Thanks Dad for playing Yanni all the time on your half broken stereo in your office. ...and she just told me Yanni is hot. ok that's a lie, but he did cut his hair.

No No Mr. Bogusky. Beware the Free-for-all.

2009-09-09T10:14:00.000-07:00

Crispin Porter + Bogusky and "Crowd-Sourcing" CP+B WTF?!

Hello, my name is Bill and I'm a logo designer...

Crispin Porter + Bogusky is a respected advertising agency with home offices in Boulder, Colorado and Miami, Florida. They've created breakthrough ad campaigns for BMW Mini, Volkswagen and Virgin Atlantic. But lately they seem to be coming up with ideas that are slightly less than genius. They created the "Life Without Walls" campaign to encourage consumers to buy a product Microsoft does not make, PCs. I'll say it again, it's a terribly illogical campaign- "Without Walls" there would be no need for Windows.

In May CP+B auctioned off three months of work on a creative presentation by their interns, on eBay. (The winning bid was $17,655 to an anonymous bidder). Hooray interns! I wonder if they saw any of that money?

http://offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBids&item=270392380113

And then there's the creepy Burger King.

Now CP+B appears to be responsible for "crowd-sourcing" a logo project for Brammo, an Electric Motorcycle manufacturer based in Oregon. They've released a creative brief and have put out a call for volunteer logo submissions. The winning designer will be awarded the pitiful sum of $1000. Brammo's new logo will most likely cost less than the motorcycles they make.

http://www.crowdspring.com/projects/graphic_design/logo/logo_for_brammo_electric_motorcycle/details

Alex Bogusky, if you're within the sound of my voice, please listen. I believe this is a highly unethical, incredibly destructive precedent. This is a well known creative shop trolling for logos. Does their client Brammo know that they're doing this? How much can one respect or value a logo that was created this way? Yes, it is possible that someone out there may create an excellent solution. But I think this sort of process cheapens the work and devalues the design. Worse, if this kind of trolling in mediocrity results in a "successful" solution, other agencies and corporations will be encouraged to follow suit. Corporations may decide they have no need for ad agencies or design partners.

Frankly, this sucks. ...

...

Good logos are informed by critical thought and developed with goals and appeals in mind. A great logo designer creates having done research and exploration to arrive at a deeply meaningful solution. The logo designer's expertise and experience as a visual thinker, qualify them to create with passion and purpose.

Good logos are evocative, unique marks that serve to effectively present and distinguish an entity to a particular marketplace. Good logos are usually concepts crafted by a qualified, experienced designer working in concert with an intelligent and trusting client.

It's time for qualified Graphic Designers to proclaim their expertise and reclaim their field.

... and shame on you, Mr. Bogusky.

When do we celebrate Straight Days at Disneyland?

2009-09-07T22:14:00.000-07:00

Ok, check this out. Gay Days at Disneyland.

What I want to know is WHEN AND WHERE IS THE CELEBRATION FOR BEING STRAIGHT? Is there going to be a Straight Days festival in Anaheim too? Will there be a Straight Awareness campaign in California this year? If people of whatever gender they choose to be are so content to be that, then why the hell can't they just sit back, be that, and let the lives of others keep on going. I'm not shoving my straightness in other peoples faces with protests, color coded stickers, or freak flags. I'm straight and I'm fine being that way and I'm not broadcasting it telling all the gay people they have to accept me because I'm straight. Fine, you're gay, we get it. I don't care that you're gay just shut up about it already!

Egypt. Yes.

2009-09-06T21:43:00.000-07:00

I WANT TO GO TO EGYPT!

http://www.egypt.travel/?flashinstalled=2

Small Dyer World

2009-08-03T16:19:00.001-07:00

I got a call a few months ago from a Cathe Dyer in Colorado. She told me she's originally from New Jersey and has an interior design business that she's been running for years. When asked why she was calling me, she said she was hoping we could work something out with the url www.dyerdesign.com. To make a long story short, I decided to move my website to www.dyerdesignstudio.com so she could have www.dyerdesign.com. ...and now I know a nice woman named Cathe Dyer in Colorado. Dad, do you know her? Apparently she married into the name...

Never camp close to the trail

2009-08-02T17:57:00.000-07:00

It was 3 pm on Friday and I was ready to shut down my Mac Book and head out the door. Just a few more emails and I was packing the car with my backpack, hiking boots, water-filled Nalgene bottles, bug spray, and the rest was good lightweight backpacking stuff that Jodi had. Ready, set, go! We were off up the mountain. Weather was perfect. Not too many people on the trail. Little Flynn, Jodi's mini dachshund, was having a good time and was serving as our entertainment. It started to get dark but the moon was so bright so we kept hiking to the upper meadow so we wouldn't have so long to hike in the morning. We wanted to get to the top of the mountain. We got to the meadow, chose a spot, threw out our sleeping pads and sleeping bags, and tried to fall asleep. Nope, too cold. So we set up the tent...much better. Then 3 am hit.

Who knew Mt. Timpanogos was the hot spot that early on a Saturday morning. Apparently all the recreation class students from SLCC, BYU, and the U decided to night hike it up to the peak before sun up. Okay so maybe they weren't all students but whoever they were, they were loud, rude, and there was an army of them clomping their way past our tent. They would even pass and notice the tent, shine their flashlights, and begin talking louder. I even opened the tent up and asked them to be quiet because "we're trying to sleep here." What did I get in return? A sassy girls voice saying, "well, we're trying to hike here!" Are you kidding me? I felt like slapping her but it was too cold and I was too tired. I just wanted to get some sleep. But from 3 am till 8, when we finally couldn't take it anymore, we got up.

It was probably a combination of no sleep, not enough water, and my legs turning to jell-o that we decided to skip the hike to the top and head back down the mountain. And I'm glad we did. Going up further would have added another 4-5 hours of hiking. So we headed down the mountain which was uneventful...besides my graceful faceplant about half way down...right in front of five hikers that were coming our way. I tried to stop myself but the weight of my backpack kept me moving just enough to press not only my stomach and chest into the dirt, but my entire face as well. Nice Lauren. I guess I'm going to need more Cliff bars and Soy Joys to keep me nimble next time.

I Like Diamonds

2009-07-28T11:54:00.000-07:00

"Diamonds are nothing more than chunks of coal that stuck to their jobs." –Malcolm Forbes

"Enter quote here"

2009-07-19T21:07:00.000-07:00

"It is my belief, you cannot deal with the most serious things in the world unless you understand the most amusing."

–Winston Churchill

"I'm fun dammit!." –Dad

Week in Pictures

2009-07-19T21:01:00.000-07:00

A few of my favorites from this week's The Week in Pictures.

Brought to You By the Letter "D"

2009-07-14T01:16:00.000-07:00

Drivel n. childish, silly, or meaningless talk or thinking; nonsense.
Daft adj. senseless, stupid, or foolish.

Duckie n. what Mini Ma used to call us when we were little. Awwww.

Quote-y

2009-07-14T01:14:00.000-07:00

"Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first."

–Mark Twain

The Other Lauren Dyer

2009-07-14T00:35:00.000-07:00

I have a twin. She's blonde and she's welsh.

An American Pastime

2009-07-01T17:29:00.000-07:00

"There are two kinds of people in the world: those who love baseball and those who have no soul."

–Unknown

Click Here for Video

My Very Own Therapy

2009-06-28T16:20:00.000-07:00

People who know me are aware that I haven't always been an avid gym-goer. They know that I've always tended to be on the pudgy side. It wasn't up until about five years ago that I decided to take control my health and weight because I was sick of it controlling me, my self-esteem, and my confidence. The result has been a growing love for exercise and eating right, not only for its cosmetic benefits, but mostly for it's therapeutic effects. Although my shape fits into the "average" category now, my health and general well-being far exceeds that, all because I began to appreciate the importance of taking care of my body.

I admit I'm not always the greatest at sticking to the ideal regimen but when I fall off the wagon for a week or two...or three...I jump back on and can immediately tell the difference. There's just something that happens inside when I get dressed, put on my shoes (which I need new ones of now that i think about it) and step outside or into the gym. There's a rush of "ahh, I can go and go and no one can interrupt me or bring me back to the real world till I'm ready." And of course, as Grace from iTrain tells me, I change my body every time I squeeze my buttocks and raise my shoulders...1, 2, 3, 4, you can do it 5, 6, 7, 8, there we go, feel it, feel it work...you're changing your body, 9, 10, 11, 12...

So, unlike in years past, I now say yes to everything and anything that will get my heart rate up, including biking, racquetball, running (which, I'll be honest, isn't my favorite), 5K's, 10K's, iTrain workouts, circuit training. Marathons are out though. I tried one and my knees will never be the same.

This August I'll be riding 33 miles around Utah Lake for this year's ULCER and doing a 10K. I know, 33 miles isn't that far really and a 10k isn't anything to celebrate but it will keep me on track this summer. In fact I better hop off the lazy wagon and start setting my alarm for 6 a.m. sessions with the gym.

About 2,500 miles east of here

2009-06-26T16:33:00.001-07:00

If I didn't live in Utah...I'd be happy with that.

Quote-y

2009-06-25T15:07:00.000-07:00

"You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else."

–Albert Einstein

Can i get a re-do, a substitute, game over...?

Dear Diary...

2009-06-24T21:51:00.000-07:00

As much as I try, I'm not a wordy person when it comes to feelings (thank you Dyer childhood). Sometimes I wish I didn't feel so silly expressing how I really feel. Like I was about to jump onto a stage, naked. ugh.

Coldplay, help me out here...I tried my best and I didn't succeed. I got what I wanted but not what I needed. I lost a lot that I can't replace. But I also gained a lot. Some may call it a mistake–even I have at times–but there's no way I'd have learned what I have if I didn't experience it all.

He even told me himself I deserved better. Why didn't I listen? Why...because I tried to control it all. If I can just stop trying to control how I will feel tomorrow and what is going to happen to me within the next year...then I might just make it. There IS a way to fix me, I just know it.

Oh My Dreamie!

2009-06-21T19:15:00.000-07:00

I think I want one of these. No joke. I could use an adult blankie. My toddler nephew has one, why can't I? I can take it camping with me, I can use it on the couch, on the floor, in my crib...uhhh I mean, in my sleeping bag. I need one NOW!

Quoties

2009-06-18T21:05:00.000-07:00

"Why does Sea World have a seafood restaurant? I'm halfway through my fish burger and I realize, Oh man....I could be eating a slow learner." –Lyndon B. Johnson.

En. Pea. Argh.

2009-06-18T16:39:00.001-07:00

I admit it. When i'm driving to and from meetings and running errands during the day, I listen to NPR not because it's a natural match to my sage green Subaru Outback, but because it makes me feel smart...er.

I blame it on Old Man Dyer who, I remember, would only listen to NPR when he took us on his business road trips as kids. The talk radio and the smell of a new car used to make me nothing but nautious then. Now, for some reason, I feel a sense of importance listening to the AM, out-in-the-middle-of-nowhere style broadcasts... like somehow all that info about world events, expert opinions, and inside marketplace news makes my brain more brainy. Go figure.

(And about the Subaru...First of all, you can't judge till you've driven one in the snow. And B: It was perfectly okay to buy when I was a married woman, expecting kids in the near future. Now, I rely on my hot pink, sparkly bumper sticker that says "Men are for Me!"... just to make sure people know which side of the rainbow I reside.)

Switch, again.

2009-06-15T18:56:00.000-07:00

Sighhhhh. So much for creating a custom blog. It's not worth the effort really. I'd like to put more time into the actual posts instead of managing the few bells and whistles.

So, I've given in and am here I am again on the ever-popular Blogspot. I had such good intentions for the old site too... I was even going to start an online T-shirt shop.

If you really miss the old Lolly Mixtures, you can find it here...shirtless.