Saturday, July 28, 2012

Let the Games Begin!!

Once again, it is time for the summer Olympics. I'm excited. Who isn't?? The swimming, the gymnastics, the ping pong . . . ok, I'm kidding about that last one (but it IS an Olympic sport!). It's so neat to watch as the world comes together peacefully to compete -- wouldn't it be wonderful if we could live like that all the time?

We've been touched a couple of times by the Olympics. I was at the announcement party when it was announced that Salt Lake City would host the 2002 Winter Olympics -- and of course, we lived here during that time, so it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be able to attend some of the events. This year, we were touched by them in an out-of-the-ordinary way. My husband works for, and has worked for, Kennecott Utah Copper since we moved here in 1995. This year, Rio Tinto, a world leader in finding, mining and processing the earth's mineral resources that is based in London and the parent company of Kennecott, is the exclusive provider of metal for the 2012 Olympics, with most of the metal coming from Kennecott. You can read more about their process if you click on the link above.

My sweet hubby holding the 2012 Olympic medals provided by Rio Tinto.




Here are a few interesting Olympic Medal Facts you might not know: 
  • This is the largest medal (size and weight) in the history of the summer games. 
  • The IOC requires a minimum of 6 grams of gold per medal. 
  • The front of the 2012 Olympic medal features Nike, the goddess of sport/victory; the back of the medal represents an amphitheater crossed by the River Thames, as well as the 2012 Olympic logo.
  • The front of the 2012 Paralympic medal depicts the wings of Nike and the depicts the area close to her heart and represents the heart of a champion. 
  • The last pure gold medals were awarded in 1912.
  • It wasn't until the St. Louis Olympics in 1904 that the gold medal was introduced as the prize for first place.  
  • The gold medal is made up of 92.5% silver, 1.34% gold, and the remainder copper.
  • The silver medal is 92.5% silver and the remainer copper.
  • The bronze medal is 97.0% copper, 2.5% zinc, and 0.5% tin.  
  • The Olympic medals are designed especially for each individual Olympic games by the host city's organizing committee.  
  • The ore for the 2012 medals was mined on opposite sides of the world -- the Kennecott Mine in Salt Lake City, Utah, and the Oyu Tolgoi project in Mongolia.  The metal's journey, from extraction to production, took a month and a half and involved a team of over 2,000.  
Photo of the front side of the Gold, Silver and Bronze medals, for the Olympics (top) and the Paralympics (bottom).




We are proud to be part of the bigger picture, and proud that Rio Tinto was given this opportunity.  We are also proud of all the athletes who have trained so hard to participate in these 2012 Olympic games.  So, we'll see you there, I suppose, in front of the television these next two weeks, as we watch with awe and admiration these athletes who have given so much to be the best at what they do.  Let the Games begin!  Until next time,


 siggy

Monday, July 2, 2012

Hello Monday!

Ah. Hello, Monday! Hello July! Here are some things I'm saying hello to this week: 

Hello, yummy Bountiful Basket! I wish I had taken a photo -- we have cherries, cantaloupe, squash, bananas, mangoes, grape tomatoes, lettuce, celery, grapes, onions, LOTS of numminess!!  I can't wait to try out a few new recipes to use up this harvest!!  If you haven't heard of Bountiful Baskets, click on the link above and see if they're available in your area!!

Hello, sweet friends!!  We have visitors this week, friends who moved to TX several years ago and whom we haven't seen in about 5 years!!  I'm so excited to see Amy and her beautiful girls -- who are growing SO big!  We're getting together tomorrow night for dinner.  *Happy Dance!*


Hello, Independence Day!  Of course, here in the US, July 4th is our Independence Day.  So excited, because it means my hubby gets a day off, and we can just veg.  No plans, really, except to bar-b-Que with a close friend and then set off fireworks after dark.  I'm excited for the sparklers, and for trying some fun new DSLR Camera techniques to try to capture some awesome fireworks photos!

Hello, Coffee Date!  Looking forward to meeting my good friend for coffee on Thursday, catching up on life and sharing some laughs. 

Hello, Hoard.  Yes. You read that right.  Have you seen this?


Unfortunately, it works the opposite on me.  I watch that show, and realize I have those tendencies!  So, I'm in the process of purging my house, one room at a time.  Donating, throwing, shredding, reorganizing; whatever it takes to NOT be invited onto the show!  LOL! 

Hello, heat.  Blerg.  I don't like when it's so hot -- especially when said heat (and resulting dryness) leads to the horrific wildfires that are burning all over the western U.S.  Our hearts and prayers go out to those who have lost everything -- or anything -- and pray for cooler temps and cleansing rain. 

What are you saying hello to this week?

Hello Monday is a Lisa Leonard inspired practice.
Hello Monday header is provided by Katrina Simeck

Until next time,

siggy

Welcome to July at Close to My Heart!

It's July! It's summer! It's HOT! And that means we have some "hot" specials this month with Close to My Heart! Of course, there is the AWESOME new SOTM, titled "Live Out Loud." (Is that good advice, or what?) Here is an amazing card, made by the talented Annette Green -- a fellow consultant and someone I want to be when I grow up: 



You can, of course, get this wonderful set for only $5.00 by shopping my website and ordering $50 worth of qualifying product -- or, you can purchase it outright at the low price of $17.95.  This is the final month for ordering out of the Spring/Summer 2012 Idea Book, so this is a great time to buy those stamp sets or ink colors that you've had on your "rainy day" list!!  BUT WAIT!  It only gets better! 


The Perfect Pair


 Spend at least $75 before shipping and tax on my CTMH website and you'll qualify for a popular paper packet and coordinating accessory for FREE! (A retail value of up to $17.90) Pairs are available on different dates throughout the month, so you'll want to place more than one qualifying order to snatch several Perfect Pairs. Here are the dates and freebies for each:

July 1 - 5 Mischief Paper Packet & Midnight Felt Shapes

July 6 - 10 Dreamin' Paper Packet and Harvest Charms 

July 11 - 15 Fanfare Paper Packet and Fanfare Level 2 Assortment

July 16 - 20 Lucky Paper Packet and Lucky My Stickease 

July 21 - 25 Mayberry Paper Packet and Mayberry My Stickease 

July 26 - 29 Sophia Paper Packet and Sophia My Stickease

July 30 - 31 Believe Paper Packet and Holiday Pockets
 OR 
 Wonderland Paper Packet and Wonderland My Stickease.

I hope you'll join me in celebrating summer this month!  Until next time,

siggy