Who doesn’t love a good storyteller? I can sit entranced for hours thanks to the storytellers behind books like The Poisonwood Bible, The Book Thief and yes, even Can You Keep a Secret? I can also sit and listen to my husband for hours as he tells stories from his childhood or even better, the rated R movie I was too scared to see myself. He is a great storyteller.

My mom reading books to Madison (now 14) and Lauren (now 12).

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Me? Not so much. Once in a while I can bust out a good story like the one about how we went from non-pet people to dog people almost overnight. But for the most part, my storytelling could use some help. My kids ask me to tell stories all the time and I always defer to their father (due in part to my very “normal” childhood) or their older sister who can weave stories like they’re going out of style.

That’s why I’m super excited to attend the Story@Home conference sponsored by CherishBound and FamilySearch. The conference has three tracks: Blogging, Storytelling and FamilySearch (family history). Though I’d love to attend the Blogging track, I’m actually thinking the Storytelling track would be a great way to exercise my creative side…and maybe lead to better writing on my site.

No matter how you tell your stories – through your family history, at your child’s bedside, on your blog, or from a stage – your stories matter. Join us for a conference that will change the way you see your stories and the world, and help you connect in new ways with those you cherish most.

Workshops and performances by award-winning storytellers, performers and speakers, will help you explore ways to use the power of story in your home. You’ll be able to record your own story, start on some research to learn more about your family’s history, get started on a blog and learn how to tell your story through social media.

I’ve seen the agenda and it is full of phenomenal speakers and workshop presenters. We’re talking C Jane Kendrick, Rustin Banks of BlogFrog, Rachael Herrscher of Today’s Mama, Heather Madder and even our very own Tauni Everett. And I’ve heard from a pretty good source (that would be me) that our very own Sassies Kim and Lindsey will be hosting a special box lunch keynote during the Blogging track. (You better believe I’ll be hopping over from Storytelling to be there for that!)

I have my ticket already, how about you? At $79 (meals not included but coupons/discount cards will be in attendee goody bags) for the two-day conference, it’s a total steal. And it’s in downtown Salt Lake City—that’s right in your own backyard! If you’d like to make it an overnight getaway, the conference has secured a special room rate at The Plaza Hotel downtown; rooms are only $79 a night! SLUMBER PARTY!

I’d hurry and register. Seating is limited and the conference may sell out before a winner of the giveaway is announced. If you purchase a ticket and then win, you will be issued a refund for your ticket price.

SassyScoops is giving away one (1) full-conference pass to Story@Home!

To enter, leave a comment telling us which track you’d most like to attend.

For extra entries, do any of the following. Each counts as an additional entry. Please leave a separate comment for each one you do.

~ “Like” Story@Home on Facebook.
~ “Like” SassyScoops on Facebook.
~ Follow @SassyScoops on Twitter.
~ Tweet about this giveaway with @SassyScoops in your tweet.
~ Update your Facebook status with a link to this giveaway.

Giveaway ends Monday, January 30th at midnight.

All SassyScoops winners are notified via email.

P.S. For another chance to win, head over to Not Just a Housewife where our friend Stacy is giving away a full-conference pass as well!
P.S. Story@Home is offering a Sweetheart Special. Everyone who registers by February 14th will be entered into a drawing. The winner will receive 2 tickets (one refund for her and a ticket for someone she loves). LOVE that!

Because we took a little vacay during the holidays, our recap of our Halloween girls’ night out is a bit overdue, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a super fun evening full of good food, games, prizes, new friends and a tour of Jordan Valley Medical Center’s new Breast Care Center.

We loved hosting a Halloween party and seeing everyone arrive in costume. I don’t think we saw any repetitive outfits in the entire group!

And of course there was plenty of partying to go around. (We like it that way!)

We were all exhausted by night’s end (some of us more than others).

We have lots of fun photos from that evening, including shots of the great appetizers the Breast Care Center provided for our little shindig. You can view them all and get some costume ideas for 2012 here.

As for the Breast Care Center, I don’t know that our guests knew what to expect when it came to the short presentation by Dr. Jane Porretta, medical director at the center, but her presentation was awesome. She spent just a few minutes helping all of us “think pink” (October is Breast Cancer Awareness month) and talked about the signs of breast cancer in thirty-something year-old women and the importance of early detection.

Believe you me, that early detection is super important.

Many of the ladies went on a tour of the new Breast Care Center at Jordan Valley, which truly is amazing.

I was able to tour it in June and wrote a post about my experience including photos to try and show off its spa-like atmosphere (an important aspect of the center). My favorite part of it all? Having a nurse advocate who works with you and the doctors. It sort of streamlines everything. And that’s another awesome thing about the center: seriously reduced wait time on tests.

You can get a behind-the-scenes look at the center and read more info about it in my original post on isthisREALLYmylife.com.

Can you tell we had a really, really good time. It didn’t hurt we had some fabulous prizes: Sweet Tooth Fairy cupcakes and cake bites, Utah Truffles gift baskets, jars of delicious candy and even a gift card from Fotofly for one of their new outdoor sessions.

Oh, how we love to party!

Now the Sassies are back from their holiday break and already have some great local business reviews for SassyScoops.com. Next week we’ll feature One Sweet Slice, a new bakery in South Jordan. It was divine. DIVINE.

Wishing you a wonderful 2012!

Check out our sidebar—we have a new sponsor! We extend a warm welcome to Battlecreek Boutique, SassyScoops.com newest sponsor and would love to tell you a bit more about this Utah County boutique.

Utah has always loved its boutiques and craft shows. Battlecreek was the FIRST boutique in Utah County and has been around for 31 years! I remember going years and years ago with my mom—it might have started my love (and obsession) with all the craft shows in the area.

The Battlecreek Boutique has shows three times a year in the Spring, Fall and Winter. All of them are location at the Pleasant Grove Recreation Center. Lucky for us, their Spring show is just around the corner:

Spring Splendor

April 28 – 30, 2011

Thursday & Friday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Pleasant Grove Rec Center
41 East 200 South
Pleasant Grove, Utah

http://battlecreekboutique.com/

They have over 55 crafters who sell everything: home decor, clothes, goodies, baby items, books, jewelry and everything in between. Be sure to check it out!

Be sure to “Like” them on Facebook to keep up on all their news! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Battlecreek-Boutique/116503611696318

If you’re from California, Las Vegas or Arizona you have most likely heard of Yogurtland. Yogurtland has taken the frozen yogurt world by storm and garnered a very loyal following. No wonder Michael Alger and James Schaaf decided to open a Yogurtland in Utah!

At night the lines are out the door at the new Orem location (across from University Mall next to Rubio’s)—proof that this frozen yogurt is the new local favorite! California, Las Vegas and Arizona transplants have flocked to the shop and are getting their Utah friends hooked as well!

When Yogurtland of Orem became our newest sponsor, their goal was to introduce moms to the sweetness of their yogurt—and their low pricing—and keep the yogurt flowing during daytime hours. You know, the hours between 11am and 4pm when you’re looking for something to do with your kids because they’re driving you crazy you love them so much.

A few of us visited Yogurtland in Orem to see how it compared to other Utah frozen yogurt shops…with six kids in tow. We were surprised to find out:

• How inexpensive it is for kids. Our kids’ bowls (a good size that would fill them up) of frozen yogurt with toppings only cost $1 to $1.50. That is as much as a kid’s cone at a fast food restaurant and even less than a cupcake at a local bakery!
• How inexpensive it is for grownups. We didn’t feel guilty eating it because of the price and all but one of the options is non-fat. Our very full cups cost between $3.00 and $4.00.
• How fun a place it is for hanging out with or without kids. Yogurtland is roomy, doesn’t have breakable things that would make you feel guilty if your kids acted like…well…KIDS while eating their frozen yogurt. It really would be a fun place to meet other moms for a treat with the kids. OR it would be fun to grab a sitter and run away with some girlfriends to get some yogurt like grownups do sometimes.

But what about the TASTE? The QUALITY? The customer service? The variety? We put all those to the SassyScoops.com test, and in a few weeks we will tell you all about it!

Until then you should try it so you can join in during our review week with YOUR opinions. And because we (Yogurtland and the Sassies) love you so much, we have the perfect opportunity for you to do so:

Yogurtland in Orem, Utah is offering SassyScoops.com readers the tastiest of BOGO (buy one get one) deals!

Visit between the hours of 11am and 4pm and you’ll get a free frozen yogurt for every yogurt you buy! Just click on the image below (or click here) to print your coupon!

(Offer expires April 30, 2011…get your fill of froyo while you can!)

Yogurtland of Orem is located at:

534 E. University Parkway
Orem, UT 84097
801.225.5440

Yogurtland Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/yogurtland
Yogurtland Orem Twitter: http://twitter.com/YogurtlandOrem

Another reason to stay tuned? As our sponsor they will have AWESOME deals and coupons for our readers!

We will keep this short and sweet for now and provide more details and in-depth posts in the near future. We just could not wait a second longer and wanted to tell you how excited we are for two huge announcements!

#1 Our $300 contest! A few months ago we held a contest on Facebook and one lucky follower won $250 in Visa gift cards. It was so much fun and spread the word so quickly about SassyScoops.com that we are doing it again and upping the stakes to $300 CASH!

Want to be the lucky follower who wins?

It is super simple; just think of your friends that you think would enjoy learning about new local places and message them our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/sassyscoops telling them what it is and that they could win $300! When we reach 5,000 “Likes” we will pull one person to win $300!

#2 Our Spring Sassy Girls Night Out! This is the one event *EVERYONE* is invited to! Here is a little bit about it so you can mark it on your calendars now:

Twice a year, 12,000 women come out to the Utah Valley Women’s Expo. It really is the place to be—what a perfect reason to sneak out for a great time with the girls!

SassyScoops.com will have a booth there and we cannot wait to meet you IRL!

When: April 23rd & 24th, 11:00  am to 8:00 pm (both days)
Where: McKay Events Center, UVU, Orem, Utah (directions)

We have a free ticket for you to use; just print it right from this post:

SimplyUT.com is Utah’s cutest new website and they were sweet enough to feature us today on their site!

SimplyUT.com has a fun and informative online directory for creative businesses within the state of Utah.  They highlight a different company each week, Monday through Friday, and the highlighted company provides a product or service at a discounted price for the day. Soon they will be doing GIVEAWAYS too, which we all love! They also have a great EVENTS tab for fun events going on in Utah and a Local Bloggers tab&mdashyay!

Be sure to add that blog to your list; we love those who help support buying local.

Thanks for the feature, ladies!

The Sassies were recently interviewed and written about over at Utah People’s Post (UPP) which is a site that all of you living in Utah need to be reading. The website is an “online-only news organization with in-depth local coverage and civil commentary provided by public journalism.” I know for a lot of us as busy mothers we want to know what is happening in our community, how we can become involved and also where we can get unbiased informational news. But some of us feel lost on how to make that first step or where to go to do it.  This is a great place to start. UPP is the place to stay informed, become involved and feel a part of the Utah community. A lot of the articles are in written form of course, but there are also some in audio and video form. Those are my personal favorite.

You can read our full article here. Thank you so much UPP for helping spread the word about us! Now, all of you be sure to add UPP to your reader as well!

We are loving all of the blog shout-outs around the web helping us spread the word to fellow Utahns about SassyScoops.com and wanted to share them with you:
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The ultra amazing and beautiful Lindsey from The R House put together a post featuring Sassy Scoops and we love how she shares our obsession with buying local!

Jessica from Utah Deal Diva helped us with a fun giveaway and a shout out on her fantastic blog.

Over at My Giveaway Today they did a cute feature and giveaway with us, they feature lots of Utah companies over there, great site!

TAMN from Seriously, so blessed! gave us a shout-out along with a fun giveaway!

One night a group of girlfriends were sitting in a restaurant booth during one of their too-few-and-too-far-between girls’ nights out. While sharing their takes on local businesses, Vanessa, Quinn and Emily stumbled upon a sweet idea: Why not make this happy evening a regular event and why not share it with all their scattered friends? Each Sassy was an accomplished businesswoman in her own right and passionate about supporting neighborhood establishments. The Sassies loved to call, email and tweet each other and just knew they could help get the word out about the latest tasty, local flavors. So slide into the booth with us…we’re sharing the scoop with you.

For information on how your company can be reviewed by the Sassies and featured on SassyScoops.com, please email sassyscoops@gmail.com.
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Meet the Sassies
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The “Scoop” on Vanessa, Co-Owner & Marketing Director

Favorite ice cream flavor: Mint Chocolate Chip
Blog and/or website: I Never Grew Up, Utah’s Natural Kids, Moms Make Money Blogging and A Kick In the Buzz
Yummy Things: Mom to two beautiful girls, wife to Ty the Dog Guy, wannabe foodie, photographer and hope to live abroad sooner than later.
Local distraction: Whole Foods in Sugarhouse, Beehive Bazaar and Cafe Madrid
Words to live by: “We have such a brief opportunity to pass on to our children our love for this Earth, and to tell our stories. These are the moments when the world is made whole. In my children’s memories, the adventures we’ve had together in nature will always exist. These will be their turtle tales.” ~Richard Louv
Twitter ID: @inevergrewup
Facebook ID: http://www.facebook.com/inevergrewup
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The “Scoop” on Quinn, Co-Owner & Creative Director

Favorite ice cream flavor: Lime sherbet
Blog and/or website: Limelight Food Photography & CreatedByChicks.com
Yummy things: Double fudge brownie ice cream in bed while watching The Office
Local distraction: I’m a HUGE Zupas fan – give me panini and chocolate fondue any day and I’m your BFF for life!Words to live by: “Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate, but that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, handsome, fabulous and talented? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us. It is not just in some; it is in everyone. And, as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” ~Marianne Williamson
Twitter ID: @limelightfood, @QuinnCurtis, @createdbychicks
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The “Scoop” on Emily, Co-Owner & Managing Editor

Favorite ice cream flavor: Breyer’s Brownie Mud Pie
Blog and/or website: georgie tees & freshly baked
Yummy things: Writing, blogging, good food, shopping, girls’ nights out, exercising, good food, movies, Diet Coke, dark chocolate, tweeting, good food (did I mention that already?) and napping
Local distraction: Five Guys Burgers & Fries followed by a trip to Anthropologie followed by dessert at Frogurt
Words to live by: “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” ~Seneca
Twitter ID: @emihill.
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The “Scoop” on Camille

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“The “Scoop” on Evonne

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“The “Scoop” on Michelle
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Favorite ice cream flavor: Ben & Jerry’s Everything But The
Blog and/or website: A Little Tipsy
Yummy things: Blogging, shopping, traveling, dessert of all kinds, scarfs, free stuff, TiVo, hot showers, that perfect pair of jeans
Local distractions: Lunch at Zupas and a trip to DownEast Outfitters followed by a big mug of Stephens Hot Cocoa
Words to live by: “Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” ~Abraham Lincoln
Twitter ID: @LittleTipsyBlog

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The “Scoop” on Kalli

Favorite ice cream flavor: Ben and Jerry’s Chubby Hubby

Blog and/or website: My Life as Kalli

Yummy things: Anything with my boys, football games, consuming fine baked goods, Cherry Coke, Ugg boots, a good read, the Internet, DVR, netflix, date night!

Local distractions: JCW’s, Shade Clothing, Aristo’s

Words to live by: “Be grateful, be smart, be clean, be true, be humble, be prayerful.” ~ Gordon B. Hinckley

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The “Scoop” on Stephanie