What great adventures Patti, Jeff, Doug, and Judy had today!

It’s Sunday and truly is the day of rest. It’s our first day at sea and I didn’t get out of bed until 12:00 noon when Jeff wanted to go get some lunch! Today we ate at in the Solarium, which is an adult only location on the ship and the dining offers a variety of healthy selections.

We then ventured to the back of the ship to make a future reservation to ride the zip line that sends you flying from deck 14 down to the lower decks. This is a very popular activity and reservations fill up quickly, so this will be one you want to register for the first day. I’ll let you know how it goes.

After a leisurely walk around the ship checking out all the sites, it was back to our room for a quick nap again. Can you believe we slept again until it was time to get ready for the first formal night?

Tonight’s dinner was great. Jeff had a seafood skewer with vegetables and I had Shrimp Cocktail followed by a Beef Medallions with vegetables. For dessert we both went for the strawberry cheese cake.

Judy and Doug enjoying dinner.

Tonight’s show was Frozen in Time, an ice show. On the Liberty this was one of the best shows. It was just as good on this ship, but with a different theme. Imagine ice skating on a moving ship!

After the show we went to check out the Boardwalk, took a ride on the Carrousel, and then a visit to Johnny Rockets for a chocolate milk shake and a root beer float. There was plenty of dancing, karaoke and ship board games going on.

Well, it’s 1:00 a.m. and time for bed so I can get up early enough to get a great lounge chair. Maybe tomorrow we will give the flow rider a try or climb the rock wall. It’s another day at sea so relaxing is the primary goal!

Husband Corner—well this morning I was up early so I could practice on the flowrider, the ship as you may know has two flowriders, one is for surfing and the other for buggy boarding. My form still needs some work, but I had a blast. By the time I was done with that it was lunch time. If you have cruised with Heritage Makers before you might know that I try to eat things for dinner that I would not cook at home. Well I’ve come up with a new challenge for myself and that is to eat at every dinning location on board and I’m happy to let you know that I’ve found the food is very good so far. I’ll keep you posted through out the week.

jennifer Company News

Join Heritage Makers President Doug Cloward, his wife Judy, Director of Sales Patti Gardner, and her husband Jeff on an amazing cruising adventure!

We are finally here! Can you believe this ship? It is amazing. Today is Saturday and we are at Port Everglade waiting to board the Oasis of the Sea. We get advanced boarding so we’ll be sure to take lots of great pictures.

Boarding the ship went smoothly and, let me tell you, this ship is amazing. We boarded around 11:00 a.m. and have been walking ever since. Of course, we stopped to get a few bites to eat here and there. I’m trying to type quickly so I can get this first post off before we set sail. So let me give you a brief overview.

When you board, you enter on deck five, the Royal Promenade, which is full of restaurants, lounges, shops and more. The scenery is amazing. There are live plants everywhere. It’s like a floating city.

The rooms are incredible. We are in an outside balcony on deck 10 forward. A little more forward than I would like. I will let you know how the ride is later.

Today we will spend most of our time touring the ship, signing up for shows, and selecting our dining times. This ship offers My Time Dinning. When we come as a group, we will dine together most night but give you the opportunity to dine whenever you would like on other days.

What’s on the Cruise Compass today?

Welcome aboard party

Rockin’ Rhythm Parade

Welcome Aboard Show

Fountain Shows

Dance with Muzik Xpress

Comedy Show

Hairspray Broadway Musical—This is the one we are going to see tonight. I heard it is amazing.

Karaoke Kick Off at On Air

Latin Dance in Boleros

Motown Dance Party at Dazzles

Dining tonight is casual in the Opal Restaurant. We are on My Time Dining, which means we can go whenever we want. We only had to wait a few minutes before we were seated at a table for eight. I had a delicious slow cooked Prime Rib with steamed snow peas, carrots, and sweet potatoes. Jeff ordered the baked Sea Bass with rice and lintels. Of course, he ordered two main dishes…his second was pasta in a mushroom truffle sauce. Simply scrumptious! For dessert we had the peach and blueberry cobbler with vanilla bean ice cream.

Keep following as there is more to come!

jennifer Company News

One of the wonderful perks of being a Heritage Makers personal publishing consultant is the amazing trips! Our top achievers will be heading out on the Oasis of the Seas on a luxury Caribbean cruise this January. To show you how much fun Heritage Makers is, take a first hand look at the cruising action.

We’ll give you a play-by-play as some of the home office staff checks out the incredible Oasis of the Seas. Tune in daily to see what fun adventures they are up to!

jennifer Company News

Submitted by Marshyl Cloward, Consultant Services Manager

Step 1 – Potatoes
8 – 10 medium Red Potatoes (we use Yukon Gold with Red skin - precooked if you have them)
5 – 6 tablespoons butter/coconut oil
1 bunch chopped fresh Basil or 4 teaspoon dry chopped Basil
Seasonal to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon lime zest
Dash of lime juice

Chop/dice potatoes into ¼ to ½ inch cubes; do not peel unless you prefer skinless.

Boil potatoes for 8 – 10 minutes or until potatoes can be easily punctured with a fork.

Drain and rinse potatoes.

Melt 4 – 5 tablespoons butter or 3 - 4 tablespoons coconut oil in a large frying pan on med-high heat. Add potato cubes and stir to coat potatoes in melted butter/oil. Turn/fold in Basil. Sprinkle lime juice.

Turn heat to medium. Sprinkle Seasonal over potatoes and stir/turn occasionally (not too much as this can “mash” the potato cubes) ensuring a light brown appearance on the potatoes.

Step 2 – Sauté (the secret)
2 – 3 tablespoons butter or coconut oil
8 oz (1.5 – 2 cups) sliced fresh mushrooms
1 large sweet onion (we use Mexican sweet)
1 large fresh garlic bud (or 5 – 7 garlic cloves)
1 – 2 medium red bell peppers, chopped

In a medium frying pan, melt 2 – 3 tablespoons butter or 2 tablespoons coconut oil. Peel and dice sweet onion. Slice mushrooms. Core and dice red peppers.

Peel and crush garlic cloves into the melted butter/coconut oil. Sauté on medium-high for 1 – 2 minutes. Add onion, mushrooms, and peppers into garlic melted butter/coconut oil and sauté on medium to medium-high heat until onions are translucent (about 5 minutes)

Step 3 – Cheese
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan, Asiago, Romano, or aged Provolone cheese (we use a blend mix)

Combine sautéed ingredients with potatoes and gently mix well. Heat through potatoes and combined vegetables on medium-low for 5 minutes. Sprinkle shredded cheese over the top of the potatoes and mix well. Cover with a lid. Remove from heat.

Serve while hot and add garnish if desired.

Garnish
½ bunch chopped fresh cilantro
2 whole chopped large avocados
1 large diced tomato (Romas are excellet)

Excellent with an all-fruit smoothie or fresh fruit on the side.

Sara Storybooking breakfast, potato, recipe

Heritage Makers has received another incredible honor! We’ve reached #19 on Utah Valley Magazine’s list of fastest growing companies! We’re honored to be a part of such a wonderful community of personal publishing consultants and friends. Thank you for making Heritage Makers so great!

Heritage Makers is the place for personalized storybooks, canvas prints, photo books, greeting cards, and posters. Check out our incredible assortment of products at www.heritagemakers.com.

To see our ranking in Utah Valley Magazine, go here.

jennifer Company News

Submitted by Debbi Heaps, HR/Executive Admin.

Prep Time: 15 min
Total Time: 58 min
Makes: 6 servings

 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
4 medium green onions, sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 package (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed to drain
½ cup small curd creamed cottage cheese
½ cup Bisquick® mix
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon pepper
3 eggs
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease 9-inch pie plate. Melt butter in 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Cook onions and garlic in butter 2 – 3 minutes or until onions are tender. Stir in spinach; spread mixture in pie plate. Spread with cottage cheese.

Stir Bisquick® mix, milk, lemon juice, pepper and eggs until blended. Pour into pie plate; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and nutmeg.

Bake about 35 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Sara Storybooking easy, pie, recipe

Submitted by Debbi Heaps, HR/Executive Admin.

Prep Time: 10 min
Total Time: 45 min
Makes: 6 servings

1 ½ cups frozen broccoli florets, thawed, drained (from 12-oz bag)
1 cup shredded reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese (4 oz)
1 cup cut-up cooked chicken breast
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
½ cup Bisquick® mix
1 cup fat-free (skim) milk
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 eggs or 1/3 cup fat-free egg product

Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 9-inch glass pie plate with cooking spray. Layer broccoli, 1/2 cup of the cheese, the chicken, and onion in pie plate.

In medium bowl, stir Bisquick® mix, milk, salt, pepper, and eggs with wire whisk or fork until blended. Pour into pie plate.

Bake 20 – 25 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake 3 – 4 minutes longer or just until cheese is melted. Cool 5 minutes.

Sara Storybooking broccoli pie, chicken pie, pie, recipe

A canvas doesn’t have to be just a canvas. You can easily turn it into another creation—a bulletin board or a magnet board.

Instructions for a bulletin board and magnet board are virtually the same. For our purposes (and because I like the idea of a magnet board better—no holes through the canvas), we are going to focus on a magnet board.

Items needed:
A Canvas print
A magnetic metal sheet 1 1/2 inches smaller than the canvas on all sides
Heavy-duty staple gun

Instructions:

1. Create a canvas, any size (I suggest the bigger sizes—not the 8×8 or the 8×20). Put any design and any photographs you want. Then publish and order it. Once your canvas arrives, you continue with the next steps.
2. Place the metal sheet behind the canvas. (You can get a metal sheet from a home improvement store—you may have to cut it down to size—or from a metal supply shop.
3. Staple the metal sheet into the canvas frame as you would a picture in a picture frame. You’ll want make sure the staples are close enough to the canvas to secure the metal sheet in place, but far enough away so you don’t puncture the canvas.
4. Optional: instead of stapling the metal sheet into the frame, you can use a strong tape (such as duct or gorilla) to attach the metal to the back of the canvas, as shown below.

Once you’re finished, place the new magnet board on your wall. You now have a decorative and useful addition to your home.

Sara Project of the Month canvas, magnet board, project

One of the best parts about My Studio is the photo storage system. And to help you make the most of your storage and use of photos, we’ve got a few tips from the home office.

Before Uploading Pictures
By Bryndi Cloward, Leadership Services
Because of the digital age and because camera memory is not an issue, we can take 100 pictures of some small-hour events. Many times we will take the same shot five to seven times just to make sure we get a good shot. But for a book, we don’t need all seven shots of Billy Joe eating his corn on the cob.

Before uploading to Heritage Makers, go through your pictures and clean them out.  Pick your one or two best sunset pictures. Don’t clutter your HM folder with 15 pictures of the same sunset. Choose the ones that are most vibrant to you. By doing this, not only will you clean up space on your hard drive, but you will make creating your book that much easier.

Manage Your Photos First
By Debbi Heaps, HR/Exec. Admin
Take the time to manage your photos before you take them off your camera. Doing so will help eliminate some of the overwhelming frustration of having to search through all your photos later. It’s that ole “take time to sharpen the saw” wisdom.

If Problems Occur
By Marshyl Cloward, Director of Client Services
When uploading your photos, if you get a 2038 error, or only a couple of images load while others don’t or get stuck loading, go to the original file on your computer and open it using an image view program. Resave the image as a JPG and re-upload the image to Heritage Makers.

Rotate Photos
By Lynda Angelastro, Project Manager
Before you upload photos to Heritage Makers, rotate images so they are set at the right angle. You can rotate inside Studio (not within your photos folder); however, when you submit a project as a template with photos that have been rotated inside Studio, new photos—if in the correct rotation before—will no longer be rotated correctly. Making sure your photos are rotated correctly before hand will help your design and other designs flow mush easier.

For Basic Account Members
By Megan Vernon, Client Services Rep.
With a Basic account, you have limited photo storage space (1 GB), compared to the space Premier members have. To help save space, only upload the photos you know you are going to use in the project.

Sara Studio Tips Heritage Makers, manage, photo, Studio

Submitted by Lauren Foutz, Consultant Service Rep.

Make that breakfast favorite just a little bit healthier. Still not exactly healthy, but an improvement. Mix in some berries to add a little something more. You can use other fruits as a topping, with whipped cream or syrup if you need that sweet taste.

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon common granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons oil
additional oil for frying

Oil a frying pan. Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in one bowl. In another bowl, scramble the egg, then add the milk and the 2 tablespoons of oil. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together, well enough to eliminate dry spots, but no more.

Heat the frying pan to medium temperature. Pour a pancake. The pancake will bubble. When the bubbling settles down and the edges are slightly dry, flip the pancake. When the pancake looks done, remove it and start another one.

It is my favorite with a little bit of natural peanut butter and sugar free syrup! Yum, yum!

Make a recipe book with a swatch book. Try a template like Holiday Recipes designed by Michelle Wolfley (Template ID: 20591). This one is holiday based, but you can adapt it to work for any season.

Sara Storybooking healthy, recipe