Lucky Red Hen —

Cinemark & Utah Movies

by Lucky Red Hen on June 11, 2013

Do you love learning back stories about movies like I do? Click here to read all about the Top 10 Movies Filmed in Utah and some fun facts! It forgot to mention one of my favorite motorcycle movies The World’s Fastest Indian.

Have you seen Anthony Hopkins (he was SO good) in the recent film Hitchcock? The behind-the-scenes story about how Psycho was made fascinated me and my husband. He’s a big movie buff, so he was more interested in the lighting and I dug how “Hitch” helped the Scarlett Johansson shower scene come to life!

Want to know another cool movie tip? Okay, I’ll tell you… Cinemark has an app that REWARDS you for good behavior! I’ve used it once and already have a “Free Medium Fountain or Regular Frozen Drink” coming to me (and with the price of concessions topping eleventy-hundred dollars…) To earn your reward, simply:

silence your phone
tap CINEMODE in the app
tap Turn CineMode On
put away your phone
tap Turn CineMode Off when your movie is finished

This worked really well during our family movie day seeing Epic with the kids. I’m glad we earned something free because the wailing of a kid whose parent wouldn’t take them out (they finally did once or twice after many minutes of the shrieking disturbed our movie watching) less than pleased me.

There was also a group of 12+ kids with four adults in front of us that ruined it for us, too. The kids were fine, it was the rude adults who kept standing up in front of us during the movie to tell their friends where they were sitting (the rest of their party kept coming in after it had started) and moving seats leisurely like nobody was sitting behind them trying to watch the show.

Note: especially if you have a large party of people to manage, get there early (or at least on time) to get everyone settled in their seats.

After the third time one of the adults stood up blocking our view, my husband leaned forward and said, “Would you please sit down so we can see the movie?” She snapped back, “I’m working on it!”

It’s a good thing I’m not a violent person because I would’ve punched her in the throat. But I didn’t.

Following the movie and as we tossed our trash in the garbage, I thanked the employees who were about to head in to clean the theater and asked who was in charge so I could discuss my experience. Ms. Fisher was the manager on duty and professionally listened to my gripes and suggestions as well as my praise for the Cinemark app that rewarded me for good behavior. Yes, I can be bribed.

Here’s what I think: prior to a G or PG movie starting, theater staff could remind people in person (live, in front of the screen or outside the door as customers enter) to remove noisy children. She explained that they have a policy of giving those parents who end up in the hall a free movie voucher for their courtesy; I dig that. Staff should patrol the theater more often to remove patrons AS THEY SAY THEY WILL IN THE PREVIEWS.

It’d be nice if parents would be courteous to others in the theater and teenagers would be taught to behave during a movie, or I should be a gazillionaire so I could rent out the theater and have a private viewing without the distractions. Wouldn’t THAT be something?!? I’d totally invite you to join me, if you would behave, of course.

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Movie Nuisances + Phlegm

by Lucky Red Hen on May 17, 2013

As a society, we are on a downward spiral when it comes to public behavior.

Back in the old days, men wore suits in public, ladies had fancy hats, we minded our p’s and q’s, kids were taught to be respectful of things and people, and trash wasn’t strewn all over the place.

Jump forward to today where guys show more underwear than pants, gals advertise on their derriere, cussing is overheard and seen everywhere, kids are given free-reign by their lax parents, and some people have no qualms about tossing garbage out their car window or onto the ground.

Remind me not to attend a movie opening weekend unless I want obnoxious teenagers trying to impress each other to ruin my experience (also remind me to always sit on the back row so I won’t have a kid kicking the back of my chair throughout the movie).

Iron Man 3 opened on a school night and we thought the 10:40 pm show would be late enough to avoid the crowds. Not so with two-thirds of the audience filled with loud, cell phone using teens (I understand using it up until the movie starts, but during the show I shouldn’t have to see it, thus the messages before every movie that says turn off your cell phone).

The other thing that shouldn’t be at that movie? A baby. With a shiny helmet. That poor little thing jerked at the loud explosions and shooting (it’s Iron Man, there is always LOTS of exploding and shooting) with scared-looking wide eyes taking it all in. Thanks to the parents for the baby sneezing our direction, all over our straw and into our bucket of popcorn… mmm, baby phlegm.

It’s not the baby’s fault it doesn’t know proper public sneezing etiquette (away from others and into your elbow if not a tissue or inside your shirt/jacket). And every time the baby would move it’s helmeted head the glare off it from the giant screen would flicker our direction, like the sun glazing off a mirror. Awesome.

“Wah, get over it,” you say? Yeah, I know people who are pro-baby’s-at-movies and pro-teens-doing-whatever-in-public that think I’m uptight or overly sensitive. But I don’t think it’s bad to wish there was more common courtesy in the world. I’m not at a playground expecting kids to be quiet or at the swimming pool wanting more coverage (come on already with all the side boobage and nipple slippage). In a movie that I’m paying for, I’d like to enjoy it without unnecessary distractions and phlegm.

Speaking of phlegm (how many times can I write phlegm in one post?)… We were at a scarcely attended movie a while back with a continual cougher; like he had bronchitis kind of cough, over and over and loud. It was obnoxious and annoying to miss movie dialogue because his coughing drowned out the sound. Not fair. He did this throughout the entire movie, not like when you get a coughing fit and leave to cough it out… he never left, he stayed and coughed. If I have a cough, I stay home until I don’t. If I get a coughing fit during a movie, I get rid of it by leaving and getting a drink. If that doesn’t work then I ask for a movie voucher to come back later.

People are expected to be quiet (whisper) in libraries, so we should teach and expect similar manners in other public places.

Don’t get me started on the screaming/crying kids at Old Navy every time I am there. Every. Time.

EDIT: The next Sunday after this post, I happened to sit in front of some kids at church who couldn’t not kick the back of my pew. What a coincidence.

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10 Tips to a Successful Blog Conference

by Lucky Red Hen on April 26, 2013

SNAP Conference and Queen Bee Market 2013 at Thanksgiving Point, Lehi, Utah was packed full of information, fun, fantastic sponsors and crafty bloggers. Here are some of my tips to make it great…

That’s a LOT of hot air, Amy!

Tip #10: Stay at the hotel with other bloggers, even if you don’t know them. I knew two of our six roomies, so at least I was pretty sure I’d wake up the next morning ;) Staying at/near the conference location gives you more opportunity to meet and mingle with others, talk about and share what you know, cuts down on travel time (although it also cuts down on sleep time), and saves gas. See, it’s earth-friendly to stay at the hotel!

Seeing old friends and meeting new ones!

Tip #9: Make it a point to meet new people! I had met Pink Cake Plate (the cutie with the glasses) briefly at a previous blog event then met her photo bombing roomie and Treasured by Holly as I walked to other open-doored rooms with a box of Station 13 Texas Donuts. If you want to make friends fast, share donuts.

SNAP Conference 2013 door decorating yearbook

Springhill Suites let us decorate our doors using safe and approved 3M sticky stuff.

Tip #8: Come up with a reason to talk to people. Our idea was to make our door decorating contest interactive. When we met new people, we asked them to come sign our door and leave their business card so we, and other attendees, could get to know them. At least it was an excuse to talk to someone. We LOVED the interaction and visitors to our room/door!

SNAP Conference reupholstery chair All Things Thrifty

Brooke and her hubby did an amazing job teaching us how to reupholster a chair.

Tip #7: Ask questions you think others would want to know when the instructor(s) are talking about that subject (instead of asking questions that will probably be addressed later in the presentation/lesson, which can throw off the class)… especially if you ask the kind of questions like mine. What can I say? I have a knack for questions. If you have a specific-to-you question, write it down and ask the instructor(s) at the end of class or email them soon after. Brooke and her hubby from All Things Thrifty did a wonderful job explaining their reupholstery process!

I didn’t look close enough at this package of not Bleu cheese :D

Tip #6: Know when and what foods will be provided and plan for drinks and snacks so you have enough fuel to carry you through all the fun you’ll be having. Our hotel, Springhill Suites in Lehi, provided a complementary Continental Breakfast every morning. However, the packed hotel made for a packed breakfast area so we walked across the parking area to the deli at Thanksgiving Point for steel-cut oatmeal with fresh fruit and breakfast bagels in a spacious and vacant seating area. They also had coffee, tea, and other beverages (pebble ice!) for those needing their caffeine kick ;) I also brought fresh-cut veggies, cheese, and fruit for mid-day snacks and kept them in the hotel room’s mini-fridge. If you don’t have a mini-fridge in your hotel, I recommend buying a plug-in cooler like truckers use (it plugs into the car cigarette lighter and a wall outlet). I bought ours at Walmart years ago for about $50.

SNAP Conference Brassy Apple Trinkets and Butterflies earrings

Watch out if Brassy Apple is hungry, she just might munch on your Trinkets and Butterflies earrings.

Tip #5: If there is a place for shopping (like the Queen Bee Market, with loads of handmade vendors), budget to buy yourself or loved ones a little somethin’ somethin’. I lucked out with those green Trinkets and Butterflies earrings that Megan wanted to eat then ran out of money when I wanted some potently delicious Rosemary & Mint soap from Karol’s Handmade Soap, a Brush Your Teeth sign from Evie Ivy, and a cute fox purse (for my daughter, shh). I DID get their cards and will be hitting up their websites, but I’ll get stuck with paying shipping because I didn’t budget for more.

Flora Craft Smooth Finish looks like wood

We got to try out new-to-us product, like this Flora Craft smooth finish (these are styrofoam that look like wood – great for kids bedrooms, especially the walls above their beds).

Tip #4: Take advantage of the wealth of knowledge at your blogging conference. Sponsors, vendors, and speakers are there to share their love of their product/knowledge. Ryobi was there with tools we could try out safely and ask experts how to use them (I found out our drill has a clutch… what?!?)

While we’re listening and learning at Snap Conference, we are also spreading it via social media.

Tip #3: Keep track of all the hashtags, Twitter handles, and website names so you can pimp out things you learn. We had a #snapsnippets hashtag on Instagram that kept us plugged into each other as we were spread out across the conference grounds at Thanksgiving Point.

This guy, Bruce Johnson of Minwax, KNOWS all about staining, protecting, and refurbishing wood.

Tip #2: Sit in a spot that’s best for your learning. For Bruce Johnson’s Minwax presentation, Kaylynn and I chose front-and-center so we could not only hear what he was talking about but see and touch the demo products. And if I were sitting further away, I wouldn’t have gotten this great pic of him with my iPhone! In other classes in this theater room that used microphones and Power Point presentations, I sat up higher and in the middle so I could get clearer pictures of the screen.

Becki of Whippy Cake gave me great styling tips for my ‘do, but she’s got even more info regarding fashion, image, and make-up through her site and with one-on-one styling.

Blogging conferences offer opportunities to get to know people on a personal level, too. One night I happened upon a couple attendees that are frustrated with their health. Sharing my experience with them gave them hope that they’ll feel better and get the relief they have been needing for a long, long time. #healthproblemssuck

Treasured by Holly, Trinkets and Butterflies, SNAP Conference

Treasured by Holly, yours truly, and Trinkets and Butterflies at the very last minute of SNAP Conference

Tip #1: Be open, meet people, introduce yourself to those you’re sitting near, talk to strangers, offer your assistance, be real and honest, and expect the unexpected. Okay, those are all lumped together but they’re part of the same theory. Big conferences can be intimidating and cause anxiety, especially if you’re not used to them. Even though I am pretty outgoing, I still have moments where I wonder if I sound like a dork, if my breath stinks, or what I’m saying doesn’t make sense. But more than likely others feel the same way and won’t notice those things and will appreciate your friendliness.

If I had a gajillion dollars, I’d attend every blog conference that’s put on. Because I have the opposite of a gajillion dollars, I try to make the best of the events I attend, hoping to gain knowledge to improve and experience that will last. Meeting new friends is like having a gajillion dollars!

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Katherine Nelson : What’s Mine is Yours

by Lucky Red Hen on March 25, 2013

Katherine Nelson‘s “What’s Mine is Yours” song is a poignant and empowering song relating to losing a child through death or adoption. She isn’t labeled a gospel or religious singer (she’s listed under Country), but as a believer in Christ, this song reminds me that all I have been given is from Him. When I feel heavy with burden, I know I can turn to my Father in Heaven for guidance, strength, understanding, and love.

(the above script from her album, in case it’s hard to read)
Women of the World…
the odds are stacked against us. There is an adversary who knows all too well that the annihilation of the spirits of the Daughters of God will destroy families, communities and even nations. Women have been born with the ability to reach inside for that instinct of survival, both physical and spiritual. Whether being passed down in our hearts by the countless women and mothers who came before us, or born out of our darkest hours of struggle.

THERE IS A DEEP WELL OF STRENGTH THAT LIES WITHIN US
that fuels our capacity to exercise courage, to face the unfaceable, and to rise above every circumstance. We carry the banner of faith, love, perseverance, and HOPE to all those whom are within our circles of outreach in life.

I truly believe that
WHEN WE STRENGTHEN WOMEN, WE STRENGTHEN THE WORLD.

WE ARE ALL BORN BRAVE.

– Katherine Nelson

I was lucky to be a part of a private album release in Salt Lake City, getting to hear Katherine’s beautiful voice in person as she sang this song live.
Katherine Nelson What's Mine is Yours

You can find Katherine Nelson’s website and social media links here:
Website: http://www.katherinenelson.com/
Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/katherinenelsonmusic
Twitter: http://twitter.com/knelson_music
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/katherinenelsonmusic
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/katherinenelson/

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Woops! I Cut My Hair plus giveaway to the SLC Home and Garden Show

by Lucky Red Hen on March 9, 2013

Last minute schedule change… I’m going to be assisting the great Jet Set today at the Salt Lake Tribune Home + Garden Festival Cupcake Competition from 2-3pm today at the South Towne Expo Center in Sandy, Utah. My man and I went last night (the parking lot was FULL, the place was PACKED) and put aside FREE-ENTRY TICKETS for four of my Lucky Red Hen fans!

Want one (two, three or four)? Leave a comment specifying how many you would use (today 10a-10p or tomorrow 11a-6p) and I’ll put your name(s) on the first four to pick-up at Will Call. (Hurry, because I will be leaving in a few hours and won’t be able to check my comments while I’m cupcaking!)

For anyone else who’d like a $3 discount (making the $10/person tickets only $7/person), use the promotion code “SWEET” during checkout!

On to my hair. It might look different during cupcake assisting today… we’ll see!

I want to look as gorgeous as my sweet friend Mama Leisha
(even when she makes funny faces she’s still beautiful)…

And my cut looked like hers, but didn’t act like hers (bangs made me sweaty)…

Even with the bangs shoved away, sweat still happened so I decided to whack it…
HAIR_before

by myself, in the mirror (you know that thing REVERSES the image?!?)…

which resulted in several accidental cuts of my FLESH instead of HAIR…

and a messy mess all over the bathroom (I’m one person,
why do I have so many scissors out for my hair?)

The day after my solo hair cut, it looked like a duck butt
when I took a pic with Studio 5’s Brooke Walker.
P.S. I don’t want to look like a duck butt.
But remember, I don’t know how to cut my own hair so no laughing!

Then I got a wild hair/hare to go platinum.
Luckily yours truly was smart enough to go to a professional.
Sitting in the bleach stings. But NO PAIN, NO GAIN, right?!?

Then under the dryer makes it hot stinging…

But Brooke and her Blue Steele face made the pain worth it.

This is my chop job before, and Brooke’s fix and style after.

If I want, I can resemble The Incredibles villain, Syndrome…

or Guy Fieri…

or Jimmy Neutron.

See? Very Jimmyesque. HAIR_jimmwannabe

But it really doesn’t matter what it looks like, right? We’ve all looked at someone’s hair and thought, “Hmm, I don’t like it.”

So what if I don’t like how you do your hair, what you wear, or the other choices you make? As long as it’s not hurting or affecting someone else, it is not my business. Unless you ask for my opinion, I should say something nice or keep it to myself. Do you agree or am I way off base?

The other day on The Talk, Sheryl Underwood ripped off her wig (man her wigs are cool) and I shouted HOORAY! Good for her to be transparent and real about her beauty. That moment was my confirmation that I’m not the only one who feels comfortable enough to not care what other people think of how I dress, what my hair looks like, and the choices I make. I’d rather dress comfortably and not worry if my hair doesn’t look amazing.

Moral of the story: be yourself, do good things, and worry not about the opinion of others.

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Adventures of Stalker Dog

by Lucky Red Hen on March 6, 2013

Shih Tzu’s have been pampered lap dogs for eons, so why am I surprised that our pooch follows me around… Everywhere. All the time. No matter what.

Wait, that’s not true, if someone has food or there’s the potential of food to fall within her grasp then she’s not on top of me. Other than that, she’s my barnacle dog.

This is what she looks like when she’s sneaks in behind me and waits while I potty… only looking up when I giggle at her. Doesn’t she look guilty to you?

Today’s adventure includes an annoying smoke detector battery warning (which freaked her out to the point of shaking – don’t worry, we went to Costco and got replacements for all the alarms so it stopped), nudity, and Stalker Dog.

Yes, I said nudity. As in, I was nude today (getting ready to shower; I don’t think I’m alone in the fact that I get nude in order to shower) and I took pictures while in the nude, even getting part of my body in a photo.

If you’re a weirdo, you can look closely at my leg to see how often I shave my legs (the answer is: rarely).

Then I got into the shower and she followed me.
(Yep, I brought my phone into the shower with me. Don’t you?!?)

I closed the curtain AND liner, then she wiggled her way in between them……to continue to stalk me O.O

She’s been like this for a while, thus prompting me to start her own hashtag on Twitter. If you’d like to see more of her antics, type #stalkerdog into the Twitter or Instagram search box and you’ll find her silly stuff under @LuckyRedHen.

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Listen to Your Inner Whisper

by Lucky Red Hen on February 22, 2013

As I laid on the couch worrying about getting my son to his performance that night an hour before curtain time (the rest of us were sick, as is about 3/4’s of people in the United States), the doorbell rang. A neighbor girl came to ask if they could give him a ride… out of the blue… without a word from me.

After the performance I found out that it wasn’t her parents idea (those kind of things are usually a parents doing). Their daughter had a feeling she should ask. Now THAT is awesome when a kid listens to their inner whisper and does good for someone else.

A woman recently shared a story about a similar experience. At first, she didn’t understand the prompting because the person she was supposed to contact wasn’t someone she knew well. She kept getting a feeling that she should send her a message and ask how she was doing. She did with no answer. That made her feel a little awkward, especially since it took some time for her to build up the courage to step outside her comfort zone. Time passed and the voice insisted she try again, and tell her that God loves her. This time she explained a little more about how she felt like she was imposing because they barely knew each other and didn’t want to seem like a creeper (these days people are used to being left alone that any sign of caring seems strange). A reply came this time, assuring her that it was just what she needed and she understood the intent in which it was meant.

Do we stifle thoughts that come to mind because we feel embarrassed?
Would we welcome -or- question someone coming to us with their concern for us?
Where do you think these whispers come from if not from God? You don’t have to be religious to get whispers or promptings.
Have we gotten so protective of our hearts (because we’ve all had experiences of heartbreak) that we aren’t willing to let others share their love/feelings with us?
How do you think that makes them feel when they’re just as nervous to try as we are to let them?
Isn’t it a vicious cycle if nobody is willing to give/receive?
Would we push that whisper away to the point we can’t hear it anymore?

Thankfully, I have people in my life who express their love for me. It’s not always the fluffy, lovey-dovey, positive words of affirmation. Sometimes it takes a person who we know loves us no matter what to give us the nitty gritty negative.

Like one friend who will point out when I’m being inconsistent. The first time it stung because, I think, people are intimidated by my awesomeness (said tongue-in-cheek) so they keep their negative thoughts to themselves. But when I dig down deep and listen to her, I can admit when I’m wrong (which is super rare, by the way) and correct myself so I don’t make that mistake again.

Last point (because this is getting long and blah blah blah). I picked up the phone to hear my friend on the other end start out, “Now listen to me and don’t talk back. I want to tell you…” then he went on to point out specific things about me he’s admired, wanting me to know my actions don’t go unnoticed. All he’d let me say is, “thank you,” and then we hung up. I love him, and not just for that.

Who could you reach out to and share some positive vibes? It shouldn’t be hard to think of at least ONE person. Now go do it: call, email, send a letter or postcard, give love in person, drop off a surprise on their doorstep…

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Bee Mine, Valentine ~ Free

by Lucky Red Hen on February 1, 2013

My cute friend at Entirely Eventful thought it’d be nifty to share the same artwork with other blogging friends to see what craftiness we’d come up with and share it with you! Lucky you, right?

Who doesn’t like getting personally written love in their postal box? NOBODY, that’s who.

Designed in Illustrator (I’m still practicing) into 4 x 6 sized post cards, these little guys want to rush through the post office system from your heart to another’s.

Want one? Leave a comment at the end of this post and I’ll pick someone to receive a love note from ME :) Yay!

(You guys, I hope SOMEONE wants one and comments. At least ONE person, huh?)

Want to make your own? Download the following PDF file and print to your hearts desire! It’s all ready to be sent to your favorite printer so they can lovingly (I hope they’re gentle) apply the design to a 28 x 22 white poster board as many times as you want. Then you’ll cut, round the corners if you want, add some love notes, address it, stamp it with a postcard stamp (as of today it’s just 33 cents), and stick it in the mailbox. Easy peasy, lemon squeazy!

Click here for FREE PRINTABLE