Get pampered for a cause!

We've all heard about Mary Kay Cosmetics, but what I didn't know is just how much they donate to charities.  They focus on domestic violence prevention programs in all 50 states and have donated more than $31 million dollars.  You can learn more about their efforts here.

Currently, they have a contest going on that gives you the chance to win a $5000 donation to the charity of your choice PLUS a vacation for you worth $5000 just for getting a makeover through May 10th, 2013.  Get all of the contest details here.

Eat, Play, Love Des Moines' great friend Beth Casady is working hard to make sure the winner is from the Des Moines area.  She is a super awesome person and her customers rave about how how awesome she is as their Mary Kay consultant.  

I had the chance to sit in on a few makeovers the other night and I was SO impressed!  Even if you don't win the contest, you'll still end up with a great new look! Look at these before and after photos!


If you don't want to get a makeover but still want to participate in giving to a charity through Mary Kay, when you purchase a Miracle Skin Care Set, you have the opportunity to purchase a second travel-sized Miracle Set to donate to a woman in a local domestic violence shelter at a significantly discounted price (instead of $44, you pay only $15). The recipient of the Miracle Set gets amazing skin care products and, more importantly, she knows someone cares about her.

To schedule your makeover or for more info about Mary Kay or the contest, contact:

Beth Casady (or the consultant you are already working with) at:

515.419.3937 
email: bcasady@marykay.com 

www.marykay.com/bcasady
or on facebook: Beth Casady, Independent Beauty Consultant 

On Beth's facebook page you will find interesting skin care tips, new inspiration for color ideas and techniques, and specials.  Check it out!

Join the Dishcrawl!

Discrawl Ambassador
Mandi and me.

If you missed Dishcrawl's first Des Moines event on March 20th, you missed out on some great food and fun.  But not to worry, there is another Dishcrawl event coming up on April 23rd.  

If you've never heard of Dishcrawl, basically all participants meet at a restaurant in a specified area of Des Moines (the first event encompassed the Western Gateway, and the April event is in the East Village) and sample meals from 4 restaurants, moving to the next restaurant after each meal.  If you've ever done a pub-crawl, that's kind of how this works.  The fun part is that you don't know which restaurants you'll be visiting until the week of the event!  They do these events all over the country and it's so cool that it's now in Des Moines.


The first Des Moines Dischcrawl event started out at the Gas Lamp bar with food from The Hole in the Wall restaurant.  I had never heard of The Hole in the Wall, but their regular menu looked pretty awesome including pb&j made with almond butter and goat cheese and specialty mac & cheese.  While we were excited to try one of those items, we had an interesting combination of watermelon salad, deviled egg and head cheese.  Yes, I said head cheese (google it).  I'll be back to try the regular menu items, but may opt to skip the head cheese next time.


We then moved on to Gusto where we enjoyed specialty pizzas like corned beef and cabbage and one of their most popular pizzas, the Spartan.  Gusto's pizza is always really good and it was fun to chat with one of the owners and learn that they are opening up a new location in Waukee near Jethro's soon!  How exciting!  

The third stop was Exile Brewing where they served lamb sliders with German potato salad.  Really tasty!  Their beer was really popular with the other diners and I opted to try the "float ur' boat" cocktail and it was AMAZING.  An alcoholic root beer float.  So good.  I'm excited to try more food from Exile and see how much they grow in the next few year as they focus on their craft beers and getting them known nationally.  


We stayed there for the final round which was cupcakes from The Sweet Tooth Bakery.  Truly impressed with this new bakery.  The peanut butter frosting on the peanut butter cup cupcakes was perfect, not overly sweet with the right amount of peanut butter.  My hubby tried the strawberry cupcake and it was the first time he had a cupcake with a whole fresh strawberry in the middle.  Very creative and super good.  

They even had photographer Brianna Dawson taking photographs and she set up a photo booth at Exile to take pictures of groups and couples.  You don't always have the opportunity for professional photos at social events so that was a great idea.

What an awesome way to meet some new people, discover new places and enjoy some food you might not normally try.  If you're interested in purchasing tickets for the April 23rd Dischcrawl, you can buy them for $45 here.  All ages were present at the first one so this isn't just for younger people.

The main idea is to walk from location to location, but at 20-ish degrees on the first day of spring, most decided to drive.  Hopefully the April event will get some warmer temps.  Either way, you're going to have fun, meet new friends and enjoy some great food.  Get your tickets before they are sold out!

Backyard Adventures for some indoor fun.

For $5, your kid can have some fun checking out the play structures at Backyard Adventures in Urbandale.  Perfect for a rainy day or any day really.  Their open play times are Monday through Friday 10:00am to 5:00pm.  

They have lots of play sets, swings, a basket ball court set-up and playhouse all for display and for playing on!

This is also a really great birthday party spot for winter birthdays since you can invite up to 26 kids and they have a nice party room to use.  The price is reasonable, you can bring your own food and they provide bottled water.  You can rent out the entire place on the weekend for a two hour party.

They are of course in the business of selling their play sets and other outdoor equipment, so you can shop while you're there too! 

This is great for kids over two and who are comfortable climbing and sliding.  Check it out for a day you need the kiddos to get some exercise and burn off some energy, they love it!

Mustards...Not to be confused with Ketchups

I wouldn't have thought of Mustards for a family-friendly lunch spot, until friends of ours said they love it.  It's convienent location in Windsor Heights and their large dining room make for a comfortable, quick place to eat.  

You order at the counter and they really have a lot of choices from BBQ to pizza and sandwiches to salads.  They have kids meals and seem to run deals on Groupon, Living Social and Deal Chicken often, so check for a coupon before you head over.

The servings are huge and the food is good.  I'm not going to compare it to say, The Flying Mango.  But, the prices are great, the service is quick and you'll like your meal.  Oh, and those little sugary donuts they serve with BBQ entrees are pretty addictive.  I would visit just for those!

The ribs were really good.  Not fall-off-the bone tender, but really tasty.  Josh said his chicken was moist and seasoned well.  My kid is a fan of the pizza and the one pictured to the right is a kids-sizes and runs about $5.  My hubby and I both agreed the potato salad was better than average.

If you're looking for a family-friendly lunch or dinner spot or a place to relax and watch the game with guys, check out mustards.  Good food at reasonable prices in a relaxing atmosphere.

Sunday Tunes at Summerset

We LOVE to visit Summerset Winery in Indianola on Sundays from 3pm-6pm for their "Sunday Tunes".  $3 per person (or $10 per car load) gets you admission to the concert and a great time.  Concerts are year-round and on the colder Sundays, they hold the events indoors, while during the summer months, the concerts are outdoors.

You can purchase wine, beer or whatever special they have that evening like sangria (yum), some cheese, fruit, meat and crackers and just sip, snack and relax.  You can also take your own snacks or a picnic basket with you!  Just don't bring any outside alcohol.  Kids are welcome too so you don't even need a babysitter!

They have have local bands playing each week and you can see the schedule of who's playing each week here.  This is such a great thing to do on a lazy Sunday afternoon.  They can get pretty packed, so if you have your own lawn chairs, bring those with you in the summer months. They supply ice and ice buckets, cups and meat/cheese trays with knives too.  They also sell chips and candy along with meat, cheese, and fruit.

They make great wine to begin with and add in music and snacks...perfect.  I'm a big fan of the Caba Moch.  It's sweet and fruity and very easy to drink.  You can have some samples before you buy a bottle, or five =) We love the winery and Sunday Tunes and think you will too!

Try something different at Gusto!

Gusto Pizza on Ingersol Ave in Des Moines is not your typical pizza joint.  Have you tried pizza with jalapeno creamed corn as a base instead of tomato sauce?  Well, it's changed my world.  Gusto Pizza has some of the wildest selections of toppings around and it makes for some super awesome combinations.  

The restaurant is a good size, but can get busy on the weekends.  They offer pizza in specialty creations like, "shrimp scampi", a "west of philly" including cream cheese and steak, "hello gourdeous" with coconut curry pumpkin sauce and many more exotic combinations, as well as salads, appetizers, pastas and desserts.

They have a nice wine and beer selection as well, even offering Iowa craft beers from local breweries like, Peace Tree, Madhouse and Millstream.  They offer gluten-free beer too.

Gusto pizza is open every day and often run specials like buy one get one free pizzas on Mondays.  They offer dine-in or pick up, but not delivery. 

Gusto has only been around since 2011 and has already won Cityview's best gluten-free menu award (they have fantastic gluten-free pizza) this year and best pizza award last year.  They lost the title this year to Jersey Guys Pizza in Beaverdale.  In our opinion though, it's hard to compare these two types of pizza.  Gusto pizza is very different from east coast pizza, but both are really good!

If you are looking for some of the best, local pizza in town, visit Gusto Pizza and try something new!  Great for a casual date-night or a family-friendly option.  We love it an think you will too!

Creative Treasures

I have two boys and therefore don't get as much "crafting/creating" time as I wish I had. I'm blessed with three goddaughters who are perfect for doing such outings with!

I gave one goddaughter a gift certificate for Creative Treasures in Ankeny for her Christmas present. We also took my oldest son (6yrs) with us and we had a blast! The staff was very helpful and their projects turned out beautifully. 

Here's the basics. First, you pick out your project. Do you want to make a mug, plate, cup, magnet, wine holder, or something a big more complicated? Then you select your paints and paint your masterpiece taking as much time as you need. Next, leave it for the staff to fire it in their kiln. One week later you pick up your creation and take it home to enjoy. 

They also have a jewelry-making area. I've used this area before to make a grandmother's bracelet for my mom. And I used them again after the latest grand-baby was born. I took back the original bracelet, added the new name/birthstone, and they restrung it for me (at a small cost). 

Need a birthday party idea? Check out Creative Treasures! Need a wedding gift idea? Check out Creative Treasures!

Hint: 

Jewelry Section--
thousands of beads!

• Be sure to check their weekly schedule. Some days they have free or 1/2 price studio fees which can save a lot of money. 
• Need collegiate or high school accessories? They had some ideas that would be great gifts for any type of fans. 

Paint Selection

Party Area

Finished Projects!