Happy Memorial Day! I hope you are having a great day with your loved ones. We have been spending our weekend hanging out friends and family, eating yummy food, and sharing favorite memories.

Thank you for entering the P&G products giveaway! And CONGRATULATIONS!! to commenter #6, Debi!! You are the winner!!

“Debi says:
May 21, 2011 at 9:16 pm  
Hi Beth, I am already a follower through google. I don’t have a facebook account and don’t wish to.
I would however love the opportunity to win the cute bag!!
Blessings!”

Debi, please e-mail me at freestylinbeth (at) gmail (dot) com, so I get get your bag of goodies to you!

Hope you enjoy the rest of your day, and check back on Wednesday for some more Free Stylin’!

Happy Saturday! Wahoo, I sure love the weekend.

When I visited with GE Appliances this week, they gave each of us a cute, personalized bag full of everyday Proctor and Gamble products that help the women at GE save time and stay organized.

Like the Tide Pen…seriously the best invention ever! So great for those little accidents when you’re out and about. (And, let’s be honest…with a 2 year old, this happens to me often.)

The Bounce Dryer Bar is so cool because you can stick it to the drum of your dryer and not have to worry about remembering to put in a dryer sheet. (I am personally thrilled about this one because it’s one I’ve been wanting to try.)

Cascade Complete pacs are helpful and fast because 1. they get rid of food that’s been left on dishes for 24 hours (What? You don’t wash your dishes immediately every time? Yeah, me either.); and 2. your cute kidlets can help you by putting the little pacs in the dishwasher…without adding too much detergent. Yay! Less work for you!  

I mentioned before that this week I was in Louisville (loo-a-vul) at GE Appliances Momsperience.

“21c Museum Hotel in Louisville, KY is the first of its kind—a 90-room hotel dedicated to accessible luxuries, Southern-style hospitality and contemporary art from living artists, exhibited throughout its galleries and public space. Among the many upscale offerings: iPods with a wide variety of music for guests’ listening pleasure, award winning design and décor, poster art, 42″ HDTV flat screen televisions, WiFi, luxurious bedding, silver mint julep cups, gourmet coffee makers, mini-bar refrigerators, Malin + Goetz bath amenities, and nightly turn down and Concierge services. The hotel also offers a full exercise facility with a steam room, sauna and spa services. And, of course, red penguins.”

I knew I wouldn’t be staying in a “regular ‘ol hotel” when we pulled up to this outside the front doors:

Art is literally located everywhere throughout the hotel including permanent installations and current exhibits.

An absolute favorite:

 

The one one the left is a boat made out of refrigerator parts, and the metal is literally freezing before your eyes.

21c is known for it’s “mascot”, the red penguins, who are also a permanent art installation.

 This beautiful chandelier hung in front of the elevators on my floor:

Some of the art I’ve chosen not to show you, because it’s a little more provocative than I’ll allow on my blog. So let that either be a warning if you choose to stay here or something else for you to see when you visit.

Given the one-of-a-kind art and decor throughout the rest of the hotel, I was excited to see my room. It did not disappoint! A combination of old meets new, luxury mixed with contemporary furniture and beautiful views.

Check out these two ingenious space saving ideas:

Each room comes equipped with a little shower “friend” that brings out the Ernie from Sesame Street in all of us.

Thinking of even the smallest details, each room provided its own silver mint julep cups and a recipe book in case you wanted to make one.

I don’t know what it is, but there is just something about old buildings that makes me smile.

More attention to detail: iPod docking stations replace conventional alarm clocks. iPods are located in each room, but I thought I’d try my own cute pink one on for size.

 

Proof on Main, 21c‘s restaurant, is upscale without being “snooty” and far from boring – more art installations hang above each table. The current exhibit at Proof is in-your-face photos of enlarged, pressed flowers. I would love to buy one of each, please.

Others recommend the Asparagus Risotto and Grilled Beef Strip Steak. 

Late in the evenings, when I returned from long, but fun-filled days, I’d find my bed turned down, decadent chocolates on my pillow, my robe ready and waiting for me, and the iPod set to relaxing music. And the most comfortable king sized bed with 6 pillows? I could seriously get used to this!!

And the word on the street is that they plan to build one in my town -Austin, Texas.

One of the favorite activities among the bloggers was making our own hats for the next evening’s dinner at Churchill Downs. Three enormously talented and lovely ladies from Dee’s Crafts came to help us each create the perfect Derby hat.

Here is the beautiful Christine from I Dream of Clean. This girl is seriously one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met, and she was so much fun to hang out with!

Thanks to the “gentle” direction from my talented Dee coach, this is my finished product…

(I’ve decided that, from now on, I will wear this hat just about everywhere…the store, vacuuming, running on the trail. You can start calling me crazy hat lady – I am in love! )

GE hooked us up with fun gifts in a super cute swag bag! And ***are you listening?***they may have just given me a little extra for one of you!! Giveaway details coming SOON!!

The wonderful people at GE invited us to their Monogram Experience facilities for an insightful day getting to know their brand and products.

I have so many cool things I want to share with you all about GE’s products that I’ve decided to make another post dedicated just to that. It is amazing the technology and creativity that is in our appliances!!

After spending the day at GE, we traded our laptops and business attire for our big, beautiful hats, favorite dresses, and sparkly jewelry for a lovely evening at Churchill Downs. This was THE highlight of the trip!

And I saw Anna Nicole Smith’s Kentucky Derby ensemble in the museum.

On our last day in Louisville, we were able to stop at the Kentucky Museum of Art and Crafts for a tour and some shopping.

As much as I wanted to, I could not figure out a way to get this beautiful vase on the plane with me!

Seriously, what a fabulous trip. I am so glad I was able to attend. Allison, thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing me to come along with you. I will always be grateful!