As you read from the Wednesday review of Schmidt’s Pastry Cottage, we all came away HUGE fans.  Ever since that night we’ve been dreaming of their eclairs, rolls, cookies and more.  Basically our bags are packed and we’re ready to move into Schmidt’s Pastry Cottage forever.

Turns out, you CAN buy happiness:

Fantasizing about three-tier cakes can be almost as enjoyable as eating them (fewer calories, that way, too):

While we did get to sample lots of tasties, we couldn’t eat everything in sight (major bummer):

However, we did get to take a yummy assortment home to savor… YAY!!!

And… {insert drumroll}… we get to share the baked delights of Schmidt’s Pastry Cottage with one VERY lucky reader!

Just comment for your chance to win a quarter sheet cake from Schmidt’s Pastry Cottage!!!

Winning would mean you could be the hero of your family; you could share your sheet cake with them and make their dreams come true.

… or it could be a “ticket for one” to the most fabulous tastebud adventure you’ve ever been on. It’s your choice (we won’t tell if you don’t want to share).

Either way, you better hurry and comment so you don’t miss this chance! Meanwhile, run on over to Schmidt’s Pastry Cottage for a quick sweet treat while you wait to find out if you’ve won!

P.S. You can find Schimdt’s online and on Facebook.

It’s the holiday weekend and I’m avoiding the computer as much as possible. As a result, I’m going to make this short and sweet.

FotoFly is a new portrait studio in Draper and it is AWESOME!

Our family has a session booked next week and I couldn’t be more excited. I was able to meet with the owners and see the place firsthand. They had no idea I was one of the Sassies or even that I had a blog, so it wasn’t like they wined and dined me (okay, there was a chocolate fountain but I only had like three strawberry wafers and a couple jumbo marshmallows) in return for this review. I honestly was so impressed I just had to share with our readers, especially because their FABULOUS PROMOTION is good only through JULY 9th!

To read more about my experience and my top ten reasons why I love FotoFly, check out my post on isthisREALLYmylife.com. You can also view more pics of the studio with links to gallery images on their Facebook page. But don’t take too long to read it or you might miss the opportunity to get your photo session plus CD with ALL your images for ONLY $49 (regularly $79)!

The sessions really are booking quickly; apparently even a woman in labor on her way to the hospital called to schedule her newborn pics!

For more info about FotoFly you can visit their website (it’s still a work in progress). For info on how to schedule your appointment and why you need to support this local business (they’re awesome–or did I already mention that?), you can check out my original FotoFly post.

Happy booking!

After so many years wondering about and trying different season passes to local Salt Lake City venues, the Visit Salt Lake Connect Pass has been our answer!  We’ve been able to keep things fun and exciting by going to different venues.  Then, we’ve been really able to see which locations our kids prefer in order to make a more informed decision should we go to purchase any season passes for any of the places included on the Visit Salt Lake Connect Pass.  There are so many great places to explore here in Salt Lake City!

Our family loves all of the venues offered on the Visit Salt Lake Connect Pass.  Here’s a quick list of some of our favorite things at the venues on the Visit Salt Lake Connect Pass:

• Clark Planetarium – My kids LOVE the movies on the big dome screen (movie pass included on the pass, as well as a ticket to the IMAX theater).  They also love walking through the exhibits, learning about stars, planets and space exploration.
• Discovery Gateway – What’s not to love there?!  My kids have such a great time with everything at Discovery Gateway.  I love how everything is an educational experience.  We’ve also really enjoyed the art classes.
• The Lion House Pantry Restaurant – The food, the food, the food!!!  Gourmet home-cooking in a family-friendly atmosphere, nice for adults, while also comfortable to bring kids.  My favorite is their tapioca pudding.. or maybe the banana cream pie… hmmm… too many good things to choose from (Visit Salt Lake Connect Pass includes one Pioneer Meal – $9.99 value).  In the warm weather, we love to eat on the patio and then check out the flowers at Temple Square.
• The Living Planet Aquarium – Dim lighting (my fave, since it makes it so relaxing!), bright fish displays and interactive experiences have made this an absolute favorite location of ours to visit.  My kids especially love petting the sting rays and watching the sharks, penguins and octopus.
• Red Butte Garden – I’ve been so excited to take my kids here to see the gardens, especially because of how educational the experience will be!
• Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort – The tram ride (included on the Visit Salt Lake Pass) is going to be a highlight of my kids’ summer outings!  I can hardly wait to take them there!!!  I remember going on the tram as a child and loving it!
• Thanksgiving Point – Hands-down, my kids love the Dinosaur Museum the very most, though I’m hoping to win them over on the gardens in the very near future. ;)
• This is the Place Heritage Park – Our family especially loves visiting this venue during the month of July.  It’s such a fun, interactive way to teach our kids about our State’s historic legacy.
• Tracy Aviary – We are bird lovers, so going to Tracy Aviary is always a real treat!  So many varieties of birds in one place.
• Utah Museum of Fine Arts – As someone who considers themself an artist, I’m constantly looking for ways to educate and expose my children to the arts.  The Utah Museum of Fine Arts is the perfect complement to this effort.
• Utah Museum of Natural History – My son LOVED the summer day camp we did and so I’m certain he and my girls are going to love going to the museum soon, too!  Once he finds out there are dinosaur bones there, he’ll never want to leave! ;)
• Utah Olympic Park – Since my kids weren’t born when the Olympics graced Salt Lake City, I’ve been excited to take them here to teach them about the sports and the camaraderie, while helping them catch a vision of the spirit of the Olympics!
• Utah’s Hogle Zoo – Lions, tigers and bears – oh, yes!  We love to see them all!  My kids especially love the giraffe house (one of the giraffes bent down and licked my brother’s camouflage jacket on one of our most recent visits, lol!).

Here’s a fun video from our family’s latest outing to the Living Planet Aquarium:

And now…

IT’S GIVEAWAY TIME!!!!

Visit Salt Lake is giving one lucky reader two 2-day Visit Salt Lake Connect Passes! All you have to do is comment to win, then you and your family can get out exploring all of these exciting Salt Lake City venues!

p.s. Anxious to get a Visit Salt Lake Connect Pass right away?  Be sure to take advantage of their special right now to Buy a 2-day Pass and get a third day, free!  And you can’t beat their always-low-rate for year passes.  Have fun exploring all the Salt Lake has to offer!

Are you ready for some serious Salt Lake City fun? How about 13 attractions for one super, duper awesome price? This week Vanessa, Quinn and I are talking about the Visit Salt Lake Connect Pass and all the great things you can do/see/experience with it.

They have a great promotion going on right now!

Buy a 2-day pass, get a 3rd day for FREE!*

*Free day in the form of a 3-day Connect Pass for the same price of a 2-day connect pass. Offer valid through July 19, 2010.
Promotional passes can be used throughout the 2010 calendar year.
Once activated they are valid for 3 consecutive days.

You can read Vanessa’s post for details on the pass and pics of her girls enjoying Red Butte Gardens, Hogle Zoo and the Utah Museum of Natural History.

As for me and my family, so far we’ve hit up 3 of the 13 attractions: Discovery Gateway, a hands-on science museum for kids; Thanksgiving Point’s Museum of Ancient Life; and the always beautiful Thanksgiving Point Children’s Discovery Garden.

My kids LOVE Discovery Gateway. In fact, my two little ones continually ask if we can go to “the Gates” so they can hang out in the helicopter…

Play with the crazy ball-and-pipe system…

Or build super cool things out of magnets…

Even my older two love going there. You can see them enjoying the newsroom studio, rock wall and even the gift shop in the slideshow below:

As for the Museum of Ancient Life, who doesn’t love a few ginormous (aquatic) dinosaurs…

And a shark that makes the star of Jaws look like a guppy…

Oh, and endless riverways filled with sand, flowing water, palm trees and dinosaurs…

The Museum of Ancient Life has a yummy little cafe (though the grilled cheese left something to be desired) and lots of hands-on fun. Anyone want to dig for fossils?

Are you ready for the fun that is Thanksgiving Point’s Children’s Discovery Garden? Even in the almost 90-degree weather, we had a fabulous time splashing in the water…

Playing peek-a-boo in the lighthouse…

And making our way through the topiary maze…

And having a screaming-good time in the tunnels…

Who knew you could have this much fun in a garden? (I sure don’t have this much fun in ours!)

And how do I know it was a successful visit? Because this happened no later than five minutes into the drive home:

Why are you still sitting there reading this post? Get your Visit Salt Lake Connect Pass and get visiting! No better way to spend the summer than attraction-hopping through Salt Lake!

Don’t forget about their current special, which would be perfect for spending a weekend in Salt Lake City with out-of-town guests OR as a “staycation” for you!

Buy a 2-day pass, get a 3rd day for FREE!*
*Free day in the form of a 3-day Connect Pass for the same price of a 2-day connect pass. Offer valid through July 19, 2010.
Promotional passes can be used throughout the 2010 calendar year.
Once activated they are valid for 3 consecutive days.

This week three of the Sassies are going to feature the Visit Salt Lake Connect Pass, which can be used by those of you already living in Utah OR by families who like to visit Utah for vacation!

What is the Visit Salt Lake Connect Pass?

It is a “pass” that offers admission to 13 Salt Lake City attractions: Clark Planetarium, Discovery Gateway, The Lion House Pantry Restaurant, The Living Planet Aquarium, Red Butte Garden, Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort, Thanksgiving Point, This Is The Place Heritage Park, Tracy Aviary, Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Utah Museum of Natural History, Utah Olympic Park and Utah’s Hogle Zoo. You can see exactly what you get with the pass on this page. For most of the places your VSL pass allows you free entrance into the attraction, and using the pass ends up saving you TONS of money while taking you on a great tour of the best places in Salt Lake City.

What different Visit Salt Lake Connect Pass options are there for visitors?

We recommend the 1-day ($24 for an adult), 2-day ($36 for an adult) or 3-day ($48 for an adult) for friends and family who visit Utah depending on the length of their stay.
Right now they have a great SPECIAL for this pass:

Buy a 2-day pass, get a 3rd day FREE!*

* Free day in the form of a 3-day Connect Pass for the same price of a 2-day connect pass. Offer valid through July 19, 2010. Promotional passes can be used throughout the 2010 calendar year.
Once activated they are valid for 3 consecutive days.

It gives visitors a great tour of Salt Lake City and takes them to the perfect places to visit while here in the area. Plus, it’s also a great way for locals to have a less expensive “staycation” this summer!

What option do they have for us local Utahns?

This is the pass that my family, extended family in Utah, friends and neighbors use: the 365 Day Pass. The cost is $69 (for an adult) and you can visit the 13 attractions listed above during the course of a year, which works perfectly for us because we usually plan fun outings once a month. We love going with  other people we know who have this pass and enjoy trying something new in Salt Lake City! If I were to visit all the attractions and pay the regular price, it would cost me over $120! With the 365 Day Pass, I save 50%, which is HUGE!

Here are some of my family’s favorite attractions included in the Visit Salt Lake Connect Pass:

Red Butte Gardens: I can’t believe it took us so long to make it out to this Salt Lake City attraction but we just loved it! My kids learned so much about all the different plants, and the trails in the gardens are beautiful and shaded for hot summer weather. They have many places to sit; you can have a picnic or sit at a table for lunch. The children’s gardens are very fun and interactive, and that part of the gardens alone could have filled  our day. Check out our fun video of our favorite parts of Red Butte Gardens:

Utah’s Hogle Zoo: Here we love the giraffe house. You can go up to the second level so you are VERY close to the beautiful animals! We love going up there and watching them eat and come in and out of their houses.

Utah Museum of Natural History: Boy, do we adore this place! It is definitely a place where it is not only entertaining but educational as well. We really do have such a blast at the museum with my girls. They spend a crazy amount of time studying all of the minerals, fossils, artifacts and dinosaurs!

We’ve loved being Visit Salt Lake Connect Pass owners this year and have had a blast around Salt Lake City!

Don’t forget about their current special, which would be perfect for a weekend in Salt Lake City for family coming to visit OR a “staycation” for you!

Buy a 2-day pass, get a 3rd day for FREE!*
*Free day in the form of a 3-day Connect Pass for the same price of a 2-day connect pass. Offer valid through July 19, 2010. Promotional passes can be used throughout the 2010 calendar year.
Once activated they are valid for 3 consecutive days.

The Utah Museum of Natural History has quickly become a favorite for the Sassies and their families. We have featured the museum, their birthday parties  and now we are featuring their Spring & Summer Camps!

Can you tell these two little gals were beyond excited they got to try out the spring camp at the Utah Museum of Natural History?

Well, we were excited as well! We couldn’t wait to tell you all about how our kids enjoyed the spring camps at UMNH and let you know all about the upcoming summer camps.

Their Summer Camps begin TODAY Monday, June 7th, and run all the way until the week of August 9th. They have options for ages from Kintergarden up to 9th grade and you can chose to have them enrolled in half day or full day options. Every single detail you want to know is on this page of their website: http://www.umnh.utah.edu/summer

Here are just SOME of the Summer Camp Options that stood out to us and we thought out readers would enjoy as well:

• In the spirit of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, we are offering three “food and kitchen science” camps this summer
  • Countertop Chemistry for 2nd & 3rd Grade (June 28 – July 2)
  • Know Your Food for 2nd & 3rd Grade (July 6 – 9)—this course is taught by Slow Food Utah director Christi Paulson, recently nationally recognized as an educator who is using food (where it comes from, how to grow it, organic and local food production) as a way to engage kids not only in better health, but in science in general!
  • Science Chef for 4th & 5th Grade (July 12 – 16)

• Summer is also a great time get outdoors! One of the benefits of camps at UMNH is the field trips, especially for the older kids. Some camps that provide unique outdoor exploration and field trips are:
  • Great Salt Lake Field Camp for 4th & 5th Grade (June 28 – July 2)—this camp is taught in partnership with the FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake and the kids are near the lake all five days of camp. I actually have photos of past campers at the lake if you want to see them!
  • Kids in Nature with Christy Bills for 4th & 5th Grade (July 6 – 9)—Christy is the entomologist here at the Museum and loves bugs, nature, climbing around, being outdoors! She’s a mom with two girls and my kids love her. This camp is focused on letting the kids be the guides, with emphasis of helping them build their confidence and observation skills when out in nature. And with Christy, kids hike and don’t complain! Go figure!
  • Campus Explorations for 2nd & 3rd Grade (July 6 – 9 )—in this camp, kids are all over the campus and go indoors a lot but they see incredible things that most people don’t get to see. It was through this camp that my kids have been to the campus observatory, seen the amazing pipe organ at Libby Gardner Hall, and even felt the sound vibrations in the ceiling ABOVE Gardner Hall! I can find out exactly what’s planned for this year if you want to know more.

• Science Workshops for 6th – 9th grade — Face it, at this point older kids don’t want a traditional camp, but these new programs enable kids to go way beyond the science that they traditionally get in school.

Camps at UMNH provide kids with a hands-on experience in the natural world. Kids who spend multiple weeks at the museum end up with this incredible knowledge base about natural science. They also pick up some great scientific skills like observation, hypothesis and simply paying attention to what is happening around them! Spending time at UMNH can really make summer count for kids; they are having fun while learning about things like botany, water, sound and electricity, weather, motion, earth, space…you name it!

The UMNH Summer Camp Sassy Scoops Promotion: Get $25 off your first two UMNH Summer Camps this summer! When registering for camp at www.umnh.utah.edu/summer enter “SASSY” in the promotional code box.

Terms & Conditions

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We can’t wait to tell you on Wednesday what our kiddos thought of their UMNH Spring Camps. As you well know, sometimes kids are the hardest ones to win over!

Today’s giveaway is all about sharing our mission by spreading it far and wide.  Remember those fabulous SassyScoops necklaces the lovely ladies from the r house couture created (we announced them at our recent GNO)?  Well, today is your chance to win one for yourself!

As you may remember, SassyScoops’ mission is three-fold: support local business, strengthen the community and make connections.  The r house couture created amazing necklaces that coincide perfectly with our mission and also provide some sass, because the world can always use more of that!

Each SassyScoops necklace has three ice cream cones stamped into the silver representing our threefold mission.  When you wear your necklace, you’re showing the whole world just how important supporting local businesses is to you.  If we are all united in our efforts, we will not only help local business survive, we’ll help them THRIVE.

You will adore the coveted SassyScoops necklaces by the r house couture! You’ll look and feel oh-s0-sassy supporting local business in your new, fabulous necklace!

It’s GIVEAWAY time!

One lucky SassyScoops.com reader is going to win a SassyScoops r house necklace!

It is easy to enter. Just leave a comment telling us your favorite local business.

But that’s not all…

You can earn EXTRA entries:

2 entries ~ Tweet about this giveaway and include a link to your tweet in the comments.

2 entries ~ Facebook about this giveaway and include a link to your update in comments.

5 entries ~ Blog about this giveaway and include a link to your post in comments.

Good luck! This giveaway will end on Friday, June 11th at midnight!

P.S. All SassyScoops giveaway winners are notified via direct email.

We originally featured Rock Creek Pizza Co. almost a year ago last July. Here’s a quick bit of info about this fab pizza parlor (do they still call them that?!?!) in Riverton from our preview post:

If you’re in the mood for deliciously fresh pizza tonight, Rock Creek Pizza Co. is the place to go. … You can order your own pizza to be served at your table or you can have the buffet and eat to your heart’s content. With the buffet you get pizza, salad and their to-die-for dessert pizza—YUM!

And if you’ve got a large party to entertain, they have your private room ready. It comes with a projector screen and free WiFi so your business can enjoy yummy pizza while still staying connected. Rock Creek Pizza Co. has great service with that family owned feel. They want your stay to be worth your time and are ready to serve you with a smile.

Want our honest opinion on the place? Check out our official review—scoops and all— of Rock Creek Pizza Co. here. Ready for some fun photos and behind-the-scenes details? Catch Rock Creek Pizza Co.’s Follow-up Friday post. That Rachael knows how to wield a mean pizza spatula…or whatever that giant, flat, silver thingy is called!

Rock Creek Pizza Co. is located at 1276 West 12600 South in Riverton.

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It’s GIVEAWAY time!

One lucky SassyScoops.com reader is going to win $50 to Rock Creek Pizza Co.!

It is easy to enter. Just leave a comment telling us your favorite style/type of pizza.

But that’s not all…

You can earn EXTRA entries:

2 entries ~ Tweet about this giveaway and include a link to your tweet in the comments.

2 entries ~ Facebook about this giveaway and include a link to your update in comments.

5 entries ~ Blog about this giveaway and include a link to your post in comments.

Good luck! This giveaway will end on Friday, June 11th at midnight!

Boy, oh boy, was I  invited to a fun event in Utah a few days ago. I had no idea that the Mrs. Fields’ headquarters, containing everything from the marketing to the shipping, was just down the street from me!

Image Via Beautiful Kami from NoBiggie.net

Who doesn’t love a warm Mrs. Fields brownie or cookie while shopping in the mall? That’s where I usually buy my Mrs. Fields treats and I also love sending our grandmothers Mrs. Fields gift boxes through their online shop. Now I can tell them their packages are made just a few minutes away from where we live.

All of us bloggers were invited to learn more about the packaged gift side of Mrs. Fields, tour their facility, learn more about the different products and decorate our own cookie pie! Their gifts you purchase online can be shipped all over the country and are perfect for any occasion: sympathy, graduation, birthdays, get-well gifts or any special day!

Check out these adorable monogrammed cookies they made for my personal blog, INeverGrewUp.net—wouldn’t these be perfect for baby showers, weddings, company parties? And they taste quite yummy to boot!

Another really fun thing I learned is Mrs. Fields has a blog, a GOOD blog. We all know “other” companies’ blogs can be kind of lame, but not this one! The lady behind the blog does a fabulous job with recipes, baking tips, gifting tips and fun advice; this is a blog to add to your reader right now.

I was blown away by the efficiency, warmth, cleanliness, staff and precision of how every single aspect of Mrs. Fields is run. This is a company I am happy to support. Because lots of our readers DO live in Utah I wanted to mention they offer tours and have a great gift shop, ice cream shop AND outlet stores (at pretty awesome outlet prices, believe me) right here in Utah. Here is their contact info:

Mrs Fields Factory

1717 South 4800 West, Salt Lake City

But now to the fabulous part: Mrs. Fields has been gracious enough to let us host a Father’s Day Giveaway! They are going to let the winner pick their choice of these three Father’s Day Gift options:

Cookie Caddy (Retail) $74.99

DAD’s Trio Box (Retail) $49.99

Tackle Box & Treats (Retail) $49.99

It’s GIVEAWAY time!

One lucky SassyScoops.com reader is going to win their choice of one of the 3 Mrs. Fields Fathers Day Gifts pictured above!

It is easy to enter. Just leave a comment expressing how much you want to win.

But that’s not all…

You can earn EXTRA entries:

2 entries ~ Tweet about this giveaway and include a link to your tweet in the comments.

2 entries ~ Facebook about this giveaway and include a link to your update in comments.

5 entries ~ Blog about this giveaway and include a link to your post in comments.

Good luck! This giveaway will end on Friday, June 11th at midnight!

Professional Carpet Cleaning with Anchor Water Damage & Restoration:

Three (3) areas of carpet cleaned for $99 or five (5) areas for $145.00 Please mention SassyScoops when calling for these specials.

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Blend Fashions Deal:

Every Friday, bring a Gal Pal in to Blend Fashions and both of you will receive 15% OFF your entire purchase. (Valid on full-price merchandise only.)

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Rock Creek Pizza Deal:

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Shirley J Deals:

* Shirley J has a special going on right now for a 2/3 baking pan. Basically this pan will fit the entire length of a standard-sized oven. You don’t have to use two cookie sheets at once or waste oven space and time. It’s a great deal by itself for $24.95, but when you purchase any Shirley J Bakery Mix it is only $10.99. Here’s all the information:

2/3 Sheet Pan Deal: http://www.shirleyj.com/blog/23-baking-sheet-limited-supply-offer

* Shirley J recently introduced a new size of their best-selling product, Shirley J Universal Sauce. Called Shirley J Singles, they are 2-oz. packets and are perfect for anyone who wants to try Universal Sauce for the first time. Here’s a blog post and a new video that demonstrates the product and three recipes.

Shirley J Singles: http://www.shirleyj.com/universal-sauce-single-use-packet.html
YouTube Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tCRwhFOWcM

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Bodhi Yogi Deals:

They have a free online yoga DVD right now for SassyScoops fans. You can watch it by visiting:

Newest Class Announcement! Click on the graphic for more details!