Saturday, June 30, 2012

A Year of Firsts!


I am making plans for the remainder of 2012 and a lot of the plans are firsts.

·        Attended my first Boot Camp class – kicked my bootie
·        June dinner cruise around the Bay
·        Donating blood in July
·        Going to NYC in September
·        Meeting 3 of my cousins spouses and their 5 children for the first time
·        Running a 5K in September
·        Going to Hawaii in October
·        I think this is the first year in at least 10 years that I haven’t dyed my hair within a 6 month period.  As crazy as that sounds it is true. I usually dye my hair every 3-4 months. I dyed my hair on December 31, 2011 and did a touch up around the first week of January.

Do you have any firsts on your list of things to do in 2012? 





Marriage!


100 Ways to Make Your Marriage Rock

I stumbled across this blog through Pinterest. I really liked these 100 ways to make your marriage rock.

  1. Write him letters
  2. Go on regular date nights
  3. Write his name on lipstick on the bathroom mirror
  4. Revitalize the romance with intimate dates
  5. Pray together
  6. Hide notes in secret places
  7. Go to bed at the same time
  8. Listen to music together-share earbuds
  9. Send him on a scavenger hunt in the house
  10. Buy him gifts he will love
  11. Hide a treat in his glovebox or desk at work
  12. Read the Bible together
  13. Wear shirts that tell the world you love your spouse
  14. Praise your spouse to other people
  15. Let them overhear you
  16. Read a marriage devotional
  17. Porn-proof your home
  18. Be best friends
  19. Sleep in his t-shirts
  20. Look to him to make the big decisions (see comment section for my opinion on #20, #21)
  21. Let her make the small ones
  22. Don’t nag him
  23. Put down the seat, pick up your socks for her
  24. Renew your vows privately with whispers and memories
  25. Renew them publicly with cake and bubbly
  26. Fight naked
  27. Tell him you like him
  28. Receive his compliments
  29. Pick your battles
  30. Show her you love her and tell him you respect him
  31. Go away together at least once a year
  32. Frame your wedding vows
  33. Her: Read For Women Only
  34. Hang pictures of the two of you around your house
  35. Kiss in front of your kids
  36. Make his favorite dessert
  37. Have pictures of just the two of you made
  38. Make sex a priority
  39. Spend time apart occasionally
  40. Learn to enjoy something he loves
  41. Surprise each other
  42. Meet him at the door
  43. Dreamstorm
  44. Text each other from across the room
  45. Be accountable to each other
  46. Set reminders on your phone to remember him/her throughout the week
  47. Call him right now and tell him you appreciate him
  48. Be affectionate
  49. Him: Read For Men Only
  50. Leave work and come home early
  51. Wash, vacuum her car. Keep it full of gas.
  52. Give each other romantic coupons
  53. Engage every day in meaningful conversation
  54. Compliment each other
  55. Touch your spouse several times throughout the day
  56. Take one day a month to make your spouse your total focus
  57. Let each other sleep in
  58. Be spontaneous!
  59. Argue fair: avoid these words “you always” and “you never”
  60. Kiss every day
  61. Find tangible ways to serve your mate without complaining
  62. Forgive quickly
  63. Be honest.
  64. But not hurtful
  65. Get on the same page: plan your budget together
  66. Look your best as often as you can
  67. Guard your marriage
  68. Get out of debt (and stay out)
  69. Laugh together
  70. Have a date night in
  71. When your together-BE TOGETHER (take a break from phones, technology, etc)
  72. Talk about your favorite memories together
  73. Tell him he’s sexy just because
  74. Tell her she’s pretty, especially when she’s not feeling it
  75. Make him breakfast in bed
  76. Do her chores for her
  77. Get a couple’s massage or host your own privately
  78. Read a book out loud together
  79. Dance together-soft music (alone) or rocking music with the kids
  80. Bring her/him a favorite drink during the middle of the day
  81. Exercise together-hikes, bike riding, etc
  82. Choose not to be annoyed by an irritating behavior/disappointment
  83. Tell him a secret he doesn’t know about you
  84. Thank your spouse just because, often
  85. Sit on the same side of a booth at a restaurant
  86. Lay in bed together and stare into each other eyes, without talking
  87. Learn something new together-take an art class, cooking lessons, etc
  88. Leave a sweet comment on the Facebook wall
  89. Teach your kids about marriage
  90. Stop what you’re doing, look them in the eye and listen to their answer
  91. Create art together
  92. Support each other’s goals
  93. Know when to talk and when to hush
  94. Consider counseling (even if there’s not conflict)
  95. Doodle his name
  96. Bring her flowers (even when she says they are too expensive)
  97. Wear something he loves
  98. Share furniture-sit in his lap
  99. Fight for your marriage
  100. Remember your spouse rocks-even when they don’t



Friday, June 29, 2012

Garage Sale Deal

I put myself on a shopping hiatus last week. Well it isn't working too well! Why do all the stores need to have awesome clearance right now? My first mistake is even trying to just window shop on my lunch at work. lol 

On Saturday Art and I stopped by a large garage sale. Of course I made an exception for a garage sale. Hey I should be able to get a great bargain right? 


Well I found 2 items for $8 total. The green shirt this lime green paisley shirt. I really like it! I also bought a white suit jacket that I will be blogging about in a couple days. 



Have you found any deals lately?

Thursday, June 28, 2012

People Watching.....

People watching has always been one of my favorite things to do. People are just so interesting. Check out this family below. They were doing these weird moves at the fair, while we waiting for the racing pigs to start. They would act like they were going to punch each other. 


Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Fair Food!

On Friday night Art and I went to the county fair. I had been waiting all day for a corn dog. Well boy did I get a corn dog. These things were HUGE! They were at least a foot long. I couldn't even finish the entire thing. It sure was yummy!


We had walked through numerous buildings. Art asked if I wanted anything else to eat. None of the other fried food sounded good. I did mention I would like something sweet. Well we walked out of one building and there was a food vendor selling deep heart attacks ie: fried Snickers, Oreos, Twinkies, peanut butter cups and who knows what else. My eyes got very big and I said Oh we have to try a deep fried snickers. Well it sure was yummy! It wasn't anything like I expected. It had a yummy sweet batter with melted chocolate and peanuts inside. mmmmmm


Us watching the fireworks!

We are planning to go back this week one night. I think I will stick to a normal size corn dog and stay away from the deep fried snickers. lol

Monday, June 25, 2012

Menu Monday

I made some different breakfast items for this week. Last week I ate breakfast cookies every single day. Oh they are amazing! I heard about them for a long time before I tried making them. I am HOOKED! My suggestion with a breakfast cookie is to make them in a small bowl, spread it out, put a lid on it before you put it in the fridge. I did not like them spread out on a plate over night. I felt they got dried out and hard. I loved blueberries with the cookie. 


This week I made multi-grain pancakes for a couple breakfast with turkey bacon. Another breakfast choice this week is granola with yogurt. 


Lunch - I am going to be sticking to spinach salad variations. Quinoa, turkey bacon, tomato and onion for Monday. I might throw some fruit on my salad other days.  
Art is having egg salad sandwich's. yuck! I am not a fan!


Dinner

  • Sausage and oven fries
  • Quiche 
  • Veggie shepherds pie
  • Chicken quesadilla 
What is on your menu this week?  




Friday, June 22, 2012

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Wal-Mart Adventure

My cousin Liz wrote about her latest Wal-Mart adventure on her blog Real Life Ramblings.  This is the BEST EVER Wal-Mart adventure put into words!!!! I couldn't stop laughing as I read through the adventure. 


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Wal-mart Circus

I try to avoid Wal-mart as much as possible. Unfortunately there are certain items that are cheapest there, so every once in a while I make a Wal-mart trip. Today was an especially fabulous day... I got to see every type of sideshow.

Now parking at Wal-mart was difficult enough in my Corolla, but in my Explorer it's a whole new ball game. I had to park in the farthest end of the parking lot. Compact parking is out. I drove around for a few minutes before accepting defeat. I'm sure the extra walk did me good.

As I walked into Wal-mart I got stuck behind my first group of predictable Wal-mart shoppers. These are three or four women that are together, making a collaborative effort to stop traffic. They usually manage to block the entire Wal-mart entrance and they walk as if they can barely muster up enough energy to put one foot in front of the other. Today I slipped in front of this herd, managing to enrage one of them enough that she called out, "take time to smell the roses, Honey!" I don't know what roses she is smelling, but I could likely sniff my way through an entire planet of roses, attend a meet and greet with the gardener, drive home, and make dinner for 12 before she even gets through the check-out line.

Then there is that shopper that I call the chronic toucher. She is the one who gets in front of you as you are walking from one end of the store to the other. Every time you gain a little speed, she stops to touch something on an end cap. A t-shirt. A sun dress. Flip flops. Bath rugs. Hand soap. And on and on she goes, inspecting random items but buying nothing.

My next shopper I have dubbed "mom by mistake." This woman can be of any age, and is usually the one with AT LEAST five kids under the age of 10. She seems convinced that the children were dropped off via space craft in the dead of night and acts like they are completely unpredictable aliens. You identify her by the string of loud commands that she screams futilely as she attempts to maneuver 2 loaded carts through the store. "Don't touch that! Stop hitting your sister! Put that down! Don't hit Mommy! No you cannot have that toy! You NEVER even pick up the toys you have!! STOP CRYING!!!" If this Mom ever realizes that there are other people in the store, she'll usually default to some comment to let you know that kids are about the worst thing on the planet.

Then of course I always end up in line behind someone whose purchase(s) make me laugh for a stupid reason. Today I'll call this shopper Lasagna Party Granny. Single servings of just about everything on the grocery aisles filled her cart. One yogurt. One apple. Then, at the bottom of her cart I see her pull out world's largest lasagna. "Party sized" is written on the box. I couldn't help but wonder how much partying Granny plans to do.

With Party Granny in front of me, Pizza Mom got in line behind me. I couldn't help but notice that her entire grocery selection was pizza-related. I'm not sure she realized that there are other food groups. Pizza bagels, frozen mini pizzas, pizza pockets, pizza combo pretzels, Totino's pizza, I mean all kinds of every pizza item that is made. Of course she was the skinniest person I've ever seen in my life. Go figure. Forget the gym--I'm going to lock myself in a house full of pizza products and slowly eat myself out. I should be a size 0 by then, judging on pizza mom's bod.

After all that I wasn't even able to get one of the items I had really wanted- a sun shade for my windshield- which means that I will be headed back in the near future!




Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Sunday Funday

Art and I took 2 of my father in laws toys for a spin.  My MIL bought my FIL the three wheeled bike for Father's day. I took it for a spin down the street. It was rather fun!  While I was riding down the street I hear a beeeep beeep and turn to see Art chasing me on the motorized go cart. 

MIL was cracking up laughing. She said a little old man is chasing the teenager down the street. I guess I look like a teenager to her. lol




Monday, June 18, 2012

Menu Monday

I haven't been very good about planning the menu out for 2 weeks. I need to get back on track. 
I am really trying to avoid carbs and sugar. Try planning a meal without carbs. It can be hard! It is hard to retrain your mind on what you should cook without rice, pasta or potatoes. 


Menu for this week is as follows:

Veggie Curry
BLT Salad
Chicken Breasts and Green Beans
Tilapia
leftovers



Saturday, June 16, 2012

Saturday Haul

Last week my friend Cindy and I went to the Gilroy Outlets. The entire week before we were counting down the days until our shopping adventure! On Tuesday I found out there was a Lululemon outlet. Well I went bonkers! 

As much as I was looking forward to spending my heart out at the outlets I came home with a small loot of stuff. I just wasn't that into spending a bunch of money on Saturday. SHOCKING - I know! 

Here is my loot!


Bass: Nude and Black Shoes - they were 70% off. SUPER comfy, so I bought them in 2 colors
Adidas: Tennies for $19.95!!!! STEAL! 
Ann Taylor: White and Green stripped tshirt
New York & Company: Black pencil skirt (not pictured) It is just a plain skirt that zips up the back

I have really wanted this chunky bracelets from J Crew, but they are $88-118 each. Ummmm that just doesn't fit in my budget. I believe J Crew had the matching necklaces too, but I can't find them on the web now.  I have been on the outlook for some knock offs. Well imagine my surprise when I was at Forever 21 a couple weeks ago and found the necklace! I snatched it up FAST!  This past Saturday I found the matching bracelet...Eeeeekkkkk!!!!!  The necklace and bracelet cost me about $15 bucks!


Forever 21: Bracelet (pictured above) & plastic headbands (not pictures) grand total of $8

After all my screaming of excitement about Lululemon I didn't buy one thing there. The entire store was all sales are final. I was a little concerned about that, so I decided to wait to purchase anything. Once I meet my weightloss goal I will be heading back to purchase a few items. 

What did you buy this past week?

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Bart Happenings

On Monday this guy gets on the train in Oakland. I was standing in front of the map indicating where each line of trains travel too. He asked me to step aside, so he could see the map. Then he says SUPER loud I need to see where I am going so I don't end up in Temecula. I normally do not pay attention to what people say or make any comments, but today I did. I said oh well I am sorry to tell you this train isn't going all the way to Temecula. Oh here goes a conversation for about 10 minutes......


Crazy man: Oh we have some world travelers here. You actually know where Temecula is? 
Me: shake my head yes. 
Crazy man: he turns to my CW - do you know where Temecula is? 
CW: I have heard of the place


He turned around and wasn't paying attention to us for about 5 minutes. All of a sudden he whips around and starts the most random conversation. 


Crazy man: 
Do you girls follow fashion? 
Have you watched Anderson Cooper lately? 
Well the newest and hottest thing in LA is belly chains. 
Did you see them on Anderson Cooper?
I am a comedian from LA and I KNOW what is the latest fashion. 
You girls are married I see. Your husbands would go CRAZY if you put on a belly chain. 


CW & Me: ok....we aren't into belly chains


Crazy man: 
Your husbands would think you have been watching too many Lil' Wayne music videos if you came home with belly chains. 
Kept women should spice things up by wearing belly chains
Even big over weight people be wearing some belly chains in LA. They can get a big ol' chain to wrap around themselves.
You girls need to find a little dainty chain to wear though. 


bahahahahaha - from the Crazy Man - the entire train then REEKS of alcohol. 


Uh huh! That explains his crazy behavior he is drunk.


Luckily he got off at the next station. As he was getting off he yelled you ladies have a great evening and don't forget to get yourselves some belly chains. 


We just look at each other, shook our heads and said belly chains are so Janet Jackson. lol


Just another day in Bart Land!


Tuesday, June 12, 2012

J Crew Knockoff

I bought the bracelet combo from Forever 21 a couple weeks ago for about $6 bucks. I really liked the pink one. I am LOVING electric pink accessories! I was on the J Crew website this week and found a hot pink bracelet for $28. I was super excited to see my bargain!

Forever 21 bracelets - above

J Crew bracelet - above

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Make-Up Routine

 Lets talk make up.....I wanted to share the make up products I am currently using on a daily basis. Here is my routine for each morning. 


1. 
I wash my face with Clinique mild facial soap every morning. I love this cleanser! My face is very sensitive and this cleanser really cleans, but isn't harsh. My mother in law bought it for me the first time probably 3-4 years ago and I have been using it ever since. I go through a bottle probably every 10-11 months. I am usually pretty cheap when it comes to products, but the amount of time it lasts is worth the extra money. 
2. 
I put Milk of Magnesia on a cotton ball and rub it all over my forehead and nose each morning. I talked about it in a whole blog post HERE. I have been using it daily for a month and I still L-O-V-E it! My face doesn't get oily or shiny at all during the day. It keeps my face very matte. Once in awhile on the weekend I will skip it and my face just doesn't feel the same.
3.
Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circle is truly amazing! I have always had issues with dark circles under my eyes for as long as I can remember. The dark circles comes from the Italian side of the family. =)  I dab this under my eyes and pat it in with my pinky finger or a foundation brush until it is blended. 



4.
Benefit Eye Bright pencil I put on the side of my eye next to my nose. Anything that is remotely dark is covered up by this little beauty. I have been using the pencil for about a month and I haven't had to sharpen it at all. This pencil is going to last a very long time. I bought this pencil on Amazon from a seller for $5. It costs about $20 from most department stores. 
 
5.
Elf Eye shadow Primer I put over my entire eyelid up to my brow line. I really didn't think primer would make that big of a difference with eye shadow. Boy was I wrong! Usually about 3-4pm my shadow would start to fade closer to my brow line or would start smudging as the day went on. 

I have read a lot of great reviews about Urban Decay eye primer. I didn't want to spend $20 on a product I wasn't sure I would really like. I decided to go cheap and try the $3 Elf eye shadow primer. Well I love the $3 Elf product and don't see any reason to spend $20+ on Urban Decay. 
6.
Ulta Eye Shadow Wisteria Lane Matte I have been using daily over my entire eyelid. I have received so many complements on this color. I've had 2 strangers stop me to ask me what color I was wearing and how beautiful it looked. 

I use to wear Sephora brand eye shadow for about 8 years. Sephora eye shadows run about $12 and one eye shadow lasted me for about a year. I recently needed a new eye shadow, so I decided to try out Ulta. Ulta sends coupons and has great sales on their products. I believe I bought the last 3 shadows for around $3 each. The quality is really good too. 
7.
Ulta Automatic Eye Liner Black is my go to eye liner. This stuff is awesome! It does not wear off at all throughout the day. The stuff stays in place even after I have exercised! I do not go anywhere without eye liner. I will wake up at 8am on the weekends to go to the gym, but my eye liner MUST be on. I buy the eyeliner when it is on sale at Ulta for about $3 each. Normal price is $10, but I suggest waiting for a sale.

8.
Elf Mascara - I will use any of their mascaras. I am not picky when it comes to mascara. I do not see the difference in the $20+ mascaras compared to the $1 or $3 Elf mascara. I also don't understand why people spend tons of money on mascara. I feel it all does the same thing. I am also very religious about replacing my mascara every 3 months. 

9.
Elf Fuschia Fushion Blush. I haven't ever been a pink blush girl. I decided to give it a try for summer and at $3 if I hated it I could toss it without feeling guilty. I really love the pink and I feel it looks a little more natural. 


There you have it my daily make up routine. My routine takes me about 5-7 minutes every morning. I do not wear foundation, powder, tinted moisturizer or any other type of concealers other than what I put under my eyes. In my middle 20's I had major issues with my skin breaking out. I stopped using foundation and now I rarely have break outs. I also can't stand the feeling of having something all over my face. 

The products I use last me about a year and I spend about $75 a year.  I do replace my eye liner and mascara religiously every 3 months.  It is very important to replace those items to avoid bacteria building up and causing eye infections. When I find my eyeliner on sale at Ulta I purchase 4 of them at around $10 for the entire year. 

What products do you use on a daily basis?


Saturday, June 9, 2012

Big Lots Haul

On Sunday I made a stop at Big Lots. I had been hearing about some great deals some other bloggers were finding at Big Lots. I went to find the Philosophy cream blushes. Right when I was about to give up and figured they had sold out I spotted them! They were on a lower rack behind some other stuff. The lady beside me then starts pulling stuff out of a shelf. It was Sally Hansen waxing kits. Another item I had been wanting to try. 

I spent about $18 on all the items below. 
2 - Sally Hansen waxing kits
2 - Philosophy cream blushes
1 - Sally Hansen Salon Effect Nail - neon pink
3 - Luna bars
1 - travel bottles

If I had bought these items at Target or Ulta I would have paid about double of what I paid at Big Lots. I think Big Lots is going to be my new treasure hunting place!



Friday, June 8, 2012

Fitness Friday

Well it's time to get back into sweating off the calories! I took a week off from exercising while Danielle was here. Although we did walk about 2 + miles in San Francisco. That is a whole story of it's own!

Here are some things you can do at home. I am not sure if I believe the world's fastest workout burns as many calories as a 40-60 minute run. I bet you burn some calories, but I don't think you would burn a 1,000 calories. When I run I burn about 500+ calories in 30 minutes. 

{Source: here}

Planks are AMAZING! I have been able to see the difference from doing planks in my  core. 

{Source: here}

I have been following the Fitnessista for about the past 7-8 months. I have learned so much from her. I love her blog! I have the picture below of 10 ways to plank saved on my phone. Sometimes at night I will bust out a few planks. She suggested in one of her blog posts to do a plank for 10 seconds, rest for 3 seconds, plank for 10 seconds, rest for 3 seconds for a full minute. I find it MUCH more manageable to plank for a shorter period of time then trying to bust out a 1 minute plank. While they do not look hard boy does the time drag in plank position. 

{source: here}

Happy Friday!!!!

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Hottness!



On Saturday Lacey & Cliff went to a family wedding. I asked Lacey to send me a picture of them. Aren't they just adorable?

When she sent the picture I was at the gym....and I responded back with....


....bahahaha don't I look like a hot mess. 

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Marc Jacobs Daisy So Fresh


Oh I have a new WANT - Marc Jacobs Daisy So Fresh. O-M-G this stuff smells is AMAZING!!!!

I am not a perfume girl. Usually it is too strong or I am allergic to perfumes. A lot of perfumes are fine when I first spray them on, but after a few hours I will get a super bad headache, nose starts running and I feel sick!  

On Sunday I was walking through Macy past the Marc Jacobs perfumes. I picked up 1 smelled it and I didn't like it. Then I picked up So Fresh - A-MAZING!  I sprayed it on my arm to see how I would like it while I was shopping. I wore it for about 6 hours and it didn't bother me at all! 

This perfume is so soft and fresh smelling.  How adorable is the bottle? I love the flowers on the top! I think it would look really cute sitting out on my vanity. 

Wordless Wednesday


Tuesday, June 5, 2012

I Found it....

Remember this post about searching for a green dress like Zoey from The New Girl?  Well I have been searching for a green dress, since April 17. I thought I had found one on Oldnavy.com in the plus size department. I thought I would order it and see if it would work. No such luck! They didn't have my size left when I went to order it. Ugh I was so irritated I waited to buy it. 

I was in LA 2 weeks ago and went into Old Navy. Guess what they had the dress in the store - THE GREEN DRESS! I snatched them in different sizes to see which would fit best and headed to the dressing room. 


I <3 it!!!! 

It is super comfy, light weight for summer and adorable! I also bought some cobalt blue shoes at Target recently. I didn't have them with me in LA when I wore the outfit. I am pretty proud of my knock off outfit! I paid a lot less for the entire outfit including the shoes than the dress Zoey had on.