Favorite Beauty Products - Video!! And a Giveaway!

I decided to record a video of my favorite beauty products!!

Enter to win your own set of everything in the video by becoming a follower and then comment to this post with a beauty product that YOU love. Giveaway will end Feb 9th.


Good Luck!!! :)

Fashion Friday: Style Evolution

I'm joining Kelly's Korner blog today and we're discussing an issue close and dear to my heart. FASHION!! Ha!!

Well, my style has evolved a TON over the last few years. I used to be a college student and dressed like a SLOB. I did not go to a university (OU) and I wasn't in a degree program (engineering) that called for much style. So I pretty much looked like this 24-7.


Then I took a job where I sat at an office a great deal of time, and I invested in lots of cute business clothes and heels.





Then, I started traveling for work. A LOT. And I have struggled to find a cute way to dress when you spend so much time at the airport. Here are some ways it CAN be done!!



I do have some basic style RULES I try to stick to though!
1) Everyone needs a great pair of nude heels. They make your legs look a MILE long and they go with everything! These are my favorites, from Target.

2) Accessorize!! Bags, rings, necklaces make simple clothes POP. Look at that purse!

3) A belt makes it better.

4) Most important: wear what you LOVE!! It doesn't matter if anyone else likes it. If you feel cool, confident and happy in something OWN it!!


*Note* These pictures (unless otherwise obvious) ARE of my past outfits. I used to take a picture of myself everyday because I thought it was fun to look back on my past "styles". Haha!!

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!! I'M POSTING A GIVEAWAY SOON (when my camera will decide to cooperate!)

The State of the State of the Union Address

Did y'all watch the State of the Union tonight? We did and I wonder if you were thinking the same thing as me...

Nancy, the lavender suit isn't working. I would prefer navy or black with a punchy blouse underneath.

Joe, you're looking kind of tired. It must be weird to sit behind the President during the State of the Union. Talk about having to be aware of your facial expressions for a full HOUR and TWENTY MINUTES.

Michelle, you got purple right!! And I cracked up when she told the audience to "sit down". Haha!

It was fun to see whether the Democrats or Republicans would give a standing O for each topic. But I think they should join together in a legislative kumbaya and start a good old fashioned crowd wave! Go USA!

Seriously though, I was interested to see what Obama had to say regarding healthcare, obviously Joe works in the field so we feel strongly about that topic. And my job is contracted through national defense so those topics hit close to home.

Did you watch the Address?? What topics are important to you and your family?? :)

P.S. I really want you to come back tomorrow (maybe Friday) - I'm going to do a really fun giveaway!! Yay!!

Run

I thought I would give an update on how my running was going. And YES it's GOING!!

Last weekend I went to the mall in search of some new running shoes. I had worked up to running 1.3 miles and I think that deserves a treat - don't you!?! (I realize that some of you may actually be "runners" and you're thinking 'you really think it's a big deal to run 1.3 miles?!!?' but for someone who could barely run a lap on the track several weeks ago, this is a big step! 26 miles means nothing to me (my legs quiver at the thought) and I don't think I will ever run a marathon but hopefully by Fall I can do a 5K FOR CHARITY!


Also, I hope there are some "runners" who will read this because there are some things you don't realize until you start running. Let's join hands in sisterhood for a moment.

And I think you'll know what I mean when I say

I never understood why porta-potties were so frequently placed on marathon trails...

Anyway, so far so good! I can't wait to be able to update you and tell you I can handle a whole TWO miles. Or THREE POINT ONE!!

I also have something very exciting I'm going to do later this week. I'm going to do a video-blog ("vlog"?) on my favorite beauty products and then a GIVEAWAY and give a lucky follower a set of everything I love for herself. Fun, huh?

Happy Wednesday to you!

Grocery List

I thought it would be fun to do a post on things that I'm eating now that I'm on "The Slimdown of 2010 Because I'm Taking A Cruise With My In-Laws And Don't Want To Look Flabby"!! Ha! I'm eating a lot of the same things as usual but I have switched up some things too. Here's what I'm buying now. I'd love to know what kinds of things you eat when you're being healthy :)

Breakfast - the most important meal of the day!!
1. Quaker Oatmeal. I eat A LOT of oatmeal. I read somewhere oatmeal is one of the best foods you can eat because it's high in fiber and protein and low in sugar and calories!

2. Nutivia protein shake - I get this at Whole Foods. It's packed with vitamins.


Lunch:
1. Lean Cuisine French Bread Pizza. I'm not a big fan of most freezer meals but this one is YUM.

2. Tuna salad. Low in calories as long as you don't load it up with mayo!

3. Lean Cuisine Chicken Parmesean. My friend just introduced this to me. She's a major foodie and she called it "restaurant quality" and it IS that good.

4. Mr. Goodcents. I like their sandwiches better than Subway or Quiznos!


Snacks:
1. Emerald Cocoa Roasted Almonds, 100 Calorie Packs. Mmm.. chocolate... need I say more?

2. Blue Bell Fudge Bars. Only 110 calories and it's NOT a "diet" ice cream.

3. Fruit. My personal favorites are grapes, kiwi and grapefruit.

4. Cereal. I snack a lot on dry cereal like Cheerios.


Dinner:
1. Salmon. Love it and SO good for you!

2. Chicken breast with steamed fresh green beans.

3. Soup and Panini. I got a panini press for Christmas and I'm using it a lot!!



Now I want to know what YOU eat when you're healthy!! I can't wait to see your ideas!

Fly Away

I'm in the Denver airport waiting for my flight home!!


Did you know that there are TONS of Orange plantations in southwest Arizona? They also grow lettuce. Never knew that!

I've got a little date night planned for tonight. It's Wednesday - the magical day our local movie theater sells tickets for FIVE dollars. Have you seen Leap Year??

Makeover

You know what I want?

Well. Besides this cake.

I don't know if it's because I haven't eaten solid foods for a week now (wisdom teeth rock) or what. But if I could dream up my perfect cake this would be it. I was looking through the pictures on my phone and I had totally forgotten I had taken this pic from a wedding magazine. Don't ask me why I was actually looking at a wedding magazine since I've been happily married to my husband for 3.5 years. Ha!

Anyway.

I would love a Master Bedroom makeover. And I don't know if you're allowed to call it a "makeover" if it was never made to begin with. I've never posted pictures of our Master because it's horrible. I hate it. The fancy design shows on t.v. say you should make your Master your sanctuary. A sanctuary would slap my Master bedroom in the face.

So, I went to Hobby Lobby to look at fabrics. My whole house is blues and greens. So here's what I liked right off the bat...




But then.

I was in Kohl's last week and fell in love with this glorious bedroom set. I love it. It's rich and dark and warm. It's also $200 for the comforter alone (what are you thinking Kohls?? You are no Macys!) so I didn't pull the trigger. Yet.


Do you think your Master Bedroom should match the same design scheme of the rest of your house?!?

Medical Advice 101

People are always asking Joe medical questions. My grandparents literally cut out magazine ads for new drugs and bring them to family dinners to discuss with him! Ha! I feel like he says a lot of the same things over again when he's talking to people so today I'm giving you FOUR pieces of medical advice I have learned from him!!

1) If you don't have insurance, find out if your city has a free clinic or a clinic that pro-rates fees based on income. So many people don't know there is an option like this out there!

2) If your doctor prescribes you a medication (and especially if you don't have insurance), you should ask if it's on the $4 list at Walmart (if possible - not all meds are included). Also, Target, CVS, Walgreens and many other places have low cost prescriptions too and good doctors have at least some of those lists memorized. Some people think you have to have insurance to have access to the $4 rates - you don't!

3) You have the right to request a medical student NOT provide care to you. Also, keep in mind new residents start in July. My husband did stitches on someone's EYEBROW in medical school (that totally freaks me out!). Do you feel comfortable having a student deliver your baby or provide your exams?

4) Your doctor WANTS you to ask questions and be HONEST! It's bad news if you're dishonest about which prescriptions you're taking or especially if you're inaccurate with what dosage you've been using.

I usually try to tune Joe and his colleagues out when they're talking about medical stuff because EWW (kidding). But these things have stuck in my head. Hopefully they help you or hopefully you already knew them!!

Also, I'm in Arizona through Wednesday for work and can I just say.. it's 75 degrees here! And get this, I saw children with COATS on today. WINTER COATS were sported and I'm literally five miles from Mexican border. I can't imagine what they would do if they encountered Kansas or say, Canada, in January. Yipes.

Have a WONDERFUL week!!

Who Dunnit??

Tonight Joe had one more Christmas party for his work and it was a "Who-Dunnit" theme, Italian mobster style. (I tried to talk Joe into wearing a fedora but he wouldn't do it)


It was held at a villa connected to a huge church in town. Have you ever seen a church with an attached villa like this?!?

We ate a buffet dinner while the characters came in and out and talked about a "murder" that had just happened outside. At the end, we had to guess who the murderer was. We totally got it WRONG!! Ha!

Look at these characters! I've never seen so much animal print in my life (although I did have a leopard print belt on - what a coincidence!!)



We had to leave early because tomorrow morning I have a 6am flight to Arizona for work. I looked up the weather and it's supposed to be in the 70s!!

Have a wonderful weekend!!!

Weight Loss Tips

I could probably put a book together on weight loss tips and ideas I've gathered over the years and I have literally been pretty much every weight on the scale! ha! When I got married in 2006 I had a huge wake up call and realized I wanted to look good AND feel good on my wedding day!

So... I'm joining Kelly's Korner Show Us Your Life tour and sharing my own weight loss tips and things that have worked for ME.

TIPS FOR EATING RIGHT:
1. My trainer used to tell me - NEVER deprive yourself of something you're craving. Have your splurge then get back on track. because the good Lord knows I could never live without chocolate anyway!!
2. Eat a good breakfast. Coffee doesn't count. Not even Dunkin' Donuts coffe, which is my personal favorite!
3. Diets that totally cut out carbs, sugar or any of the major food groups (and sugar is definitely one of my major food groups) usually don't work. No one can maintain that. You really think you're going to avoid bread the rest of your life?!
4. Take a multi-vitamin.
5. Don't OBSESS over your calories - I used to try to count calories and I would be so consumed by adding everything ("how many calories are in this tablespoon of ketchup?!?) and keeping a running tally in my mind that it would overtake my day. Now I try to make good decisions and just enjoy my food!

TIPS FOR WORKING OUT:
1. Find a workout that you enjoy. This has been SO life changing for me because I used to think you had to run an hour on the treadmill to be in shape. Well, honey, there are many, many other workouts out there! I get bored easy and I'm a little crazy anyway so I enjoy these:

BOSU (Both Sides Up), basically a half-ball that you jump, step and move around on. Fun and it keeps your core strong!!

Spin class - I love it.

Yoga Booty Ballet Cardio Burlesque DVD workout - so fun it doesn't even feel like you're working out!


2. Don't obsess over the scale. I'll be honest with you, I used to be so obsessed with the scale that I would weigh myself after a meal, after using the restroom, etc. Isn't that ridiculous? I got the scale out of our bathroom and I'm much happier.
3. It's important to lift weights too. Start with the big muscle groups and then move to the smaller ones. Or do compound moves (where you work several muscle groups at once) and get an even bigger bang for your buck!

If you've ever had to "get back on the bandwagon" you should know that I've been there too! I broke and dislocated my hip over a year ago and I had to start with learning to walk all over again. If I can do it, you totally CAN!!!

Ambush!

This morning I had a consult with an oral surgeon because I need my wisdom teeth out, and frankly I've been putting it off for years. When I went to the dentist recently they told me there was a cavity IN one of the wisdom teeth and I was forced to choose between drill or forceps and it wasn't easy. Joe was on call last night so he had the morning off; you know I drug him to the appointment!

We waited in the waiting room for an HOUR. I was beginning to wonder if it might make more sense to go ahead and get fitted for the dentures I'd need now that I was 92 years old.

They finally called me back, took the x-rays and the doctor came in to see me.

Two weird facts for you:
1) I have two baby teeth still in. Adult teeth were never behind them so I never lost my first set.
2) I only have the top wisdom teeth.

Then the doctor said something that made me think he was crazy, "Let's just go ahead and pull these right now." And here is where I'm not embarrassed to admit I turned into a blubbering crying idiot.

Before I knew it, I was like this.

The first one popped right out. But for the second, there was... definite grinding.

And now I'm nursing a chocolate milkshake and lying in bed with my PJs. And my cheeks are so puffy I look like I'm a chipmunk storing nuts for the rest of the winter.

Have you had your wisdom teeth removed?? Do you have any interesting dental stories??

Heat Wave

God answered a prayer today and a heat wave rolled through! It was *deep breath* FIFTY degrees here today!

I finally felt like I could wear something besides two shirts + sweatshirt + jeans + two pairs of socks + boots + coat!

Joe and I met for lunch at Olive Garden - it's becoming a weekly tradition and every single time I order the Zuppa soup. It completes me.


I've been thinking a lot about changing the name of my blog. For one thing, I don't want people to wrongly assume I can speak Spanish! Ha! I definitely CAN NOT! I went on a school/mission trip in college to Guatemala and really, it was embarrassing to try to speak to the local kids. Also, my new motto is "living life abundantly", which I mentioned in my new years post. So I'm thinking about changing it to something in that direction. Is it a horrible idea to change your blog's name? Or am I committed to it, like when you name your child or something you can't just change your mind after a couple years (?) What do you think??

Have a happy Wednesday :)

I Need A Palm Tree

This morning I woke up to a frosty and cold Kansas. I'm a little upset with the meteorologists because they told us it would be in the 40s today and also, while I'm at it, don't you think they shouldn't be allowed to call it a "high" if it's only TWO?? Ha!

The only thing I can think of is next week I'll be in Arizona for work and something tells me it will be a tad warmer there! I may even see a cactus!

And yesterday we booked tickets on a cruise in March. We're stopping in several Eastern Caribbean places and I think I'm the most excited for St. Thomas. I can't wait and I definitely need to buy some new swimsuits! My BEST swimsuit was cut off me when I broke my hip in a waterskiing accident 18 months ago. It was one of the most horrific experiences of my life and the hip wasn't too pleasant either.

Are you planning any vacations for 2010??