Tuesday, April 29, 2008

five new discoveries

Usually I don't endorse advertisements on my blog, but today I feel it is my duty to write about five products that almost EVERYONE would benefit from. Each have made my life a little happier in the last month and I fully support them!

  • Settebello's pizza










This is a new restaurant in Salt Lake City, just off of 260 south and 200 west. Honestly, this is the best pizza I have ever had. The owners belong to a group called VERA Pizza who believe in keeping pizza as authentic to the Italian way as possible. This pizza is thin and baked in a woodfire oven at the center of the room. Toppings are never heavy and thick, but just perfectly accenting the flavor of the pizza. Plus, the gelato is heavenly! My suggestion, call ahead, put your name on the call-ahead list and when you get there... order the Bianca pizza. It is a cheese pizza (no sauce) with fresh slices or prosciutto, Parmesan cheese and arugula. Add some Balsamic Vinegar and you will swear you are in Italy.



  • Ray Lamontagne's album, Trouble

ok, My Boss was the one who introduced me to this amazing Musician. Ray Lamontagne has one of the sweetest, smoothest voices in the world and it WILL make any woman melt. But, my brother's roommate's best friend was the one who convinced me to look into this first album. It is filled with songs that comfort and talk of the true nature of love. It is surprisingly positive and still sensual. Sort of a cross between Iron and Wine and James Taylor. It is a must-have. For those of you who love itunes, pick up songs: Jolene, Shelter, Forever My Friend, and All the Wild Horses.




  • Bare Essentials make up


    I am not one for make-up gimmicks, but this one isn't a gimmick. Or at least I liked it enough to stay with it. My mom was the one to suggest this. So... I hate foundation and I hate uneven skin... but this make-up is so thin and it takes the place of foundation. It just gets fluffed on your face by a big soft brush and it covers all day. (ugh, this totally sounds like a commercial.) But, I really liked how light it was, and it didn't look you were caked in gunk. I think it healthier for your skin too. Mineral make-up. Just do it!





  • Audible.com
So, I am not a very busy person right now at my job. The housing market is pretty slow and pretty bad. And, when it is busy, I still spend a lot of quality time with my ipod because I could do this work in my sleep. But, dare I say it... music only goes so far. I need intelligence. I need books. My boyfriend's sister was the one who really encouraged me to sign up with Audible.com. This is how it works: You fill out some info on-line and choose the plan you want and then for a monthly fee, you can download a book or two to listen to on your ipod. Some would argue the library is better, but I like having the book on my computer. Plus, if you sign up now, you can pay like $7.50 a month for one book credit for the first three months (then it goes up to $14.00). It is a good deal.... and so far I have been super pleased! I read Austenland Shannon Hale and am now into Life of Pi. For the ipod generation, it is a miraculous idea!

  • Gaiam cardio fusion dvd
Those of you who know me, know I LOVE Billy Blanks and Taebo. However, sometimes I get bored. But, while I have always loved Yoga, and even at times Pilates, I have never gotten the good cardio work out Billy offered. But-this DVD is awesome. Mostly because it has a little bit of everything.
It starts out with good stretches and light yoga, then you do awesome cardio with squats that are REALLY effective. Then you do some Pilates and finish with Yoga. It touches everything and you feel so healthy afterwards. AND- the instructor is kind and does the whole workout with you. She is not obnoxious or rude. In fact she is Swedish and I feel like we could be friends.
Then to top it all off in true granola fashion, the dvd comes in an eco-friendly recycled cardboard box. priceless. Actually at Target it is about 15 bucks. Not bad for a good workout DVD you can do at home without a mat or weights or blocks.


So, there you have it. Ads on my blog... but only for products I believe in because they have improved my quality of life. Now, maybe I could get some compensation from these companies!


    5 comments:

    Blaine said...

    I am so interested in all of these discoveries! (Especially in the pizza, probably because I am hungry right now!)

    Next week would be a good time to do something. I will call you.

    Oh and Austenland is so great! I loved it as well.

    The Hodsons said...

    Thanks for the info Katie. It's always good to learn about new products especially things that are "tried and true" by someone such as yourself.

    Lady_Luke said...

    Oh how I love mineral based makeup! It's the first makeup that hasn't made my skin totally freak out. Three cheers for looking decent!

    Also, I am DEFINITELY going to purchase a Ray Lamontange album! I went to iTunes and checked him out and my goodness he's GOOD! Thanks for the suggestion! We need to have a music night, I think, where we all share a new musical discovery. (mine will be The Elders. No, they are not LDS --it's Irish rock.)

    Sarah said...

    I think I might try out that makeup powder ... thanks for the tip. And I read "Austenland", too, and LOVED it. You should read some of the other books by Shannon Hale - like "Princess Academy" that we are reading this month for book club. I really like her as an author!

    sNick said...

    AHH!!! I'm so obsessed with Ray Lamontagne's Trouble CD! My friend from France sent it to me. I can't pick up my guitar without taking time to belt out my own watered down version of Forever My Friend. Oh Katie, it was meant to be :).