The Nail Files

I branched out of my nail color comfort zone this week. And I actually really liked it!!

This is Mackenzie by Julep. 

I've had her a couple months but have been working up the nerve to try her. Since I had no where to go this week but around town, I decided I wanted something different this week.

So what are you doing with your nails this weekend? Come show them off with the rest of us by joining with Tara and Vicki for



Happy Friday, y'all!!

Weekly Weigh In - Week 24

24 weeks! It doesn't seem like it's been that long. I'm almost half way through the year! And, unfortunately, I'm not where I thought I would be by the time I got here.

Today's weight:  233.2
Difference from last week:  +.06
Total since 12/31/2012:  -16.5

This week I kept to my plan. I actually got three days of exercise in! WOOHOO!
Monday:  20 minutes Dance Central on the Xbox Kinect
Wednesday:  Walking around for about an hour at a very slow place (translate shopping)
Friday:  I ventured to the gym here at the complex for some mechanical stuff - stationary bike and elliptical. I was there for about 30 minutes actually on equipment.

Bonus day: Sunday in the in-laws pool playing with little bro (who isn't so little anymore) and little sis.

I know, shopping really isn't a work out. And to you, it may not be. But I sit on Bootay ALL.WEEK. If I'm up walking around for longer than an hour, even if it's a slow stroll through the aisle of Target, I'm going to count it. Now if I'm only there for 10 minutes, it doesn't count to me. I do more sitting in the car to get there than I did actually walking around. But I'll count anything over a half hour. Especially if I'm walking at the Mall or Disneyland cause I'm usually at a faster pace there than anywhere else.

I did pretty okay with my points, too. I went over on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday & Sunday. But I think having the exercise points helped. I have it set to pull from those before it pulls my extra points for the week. I also drank a lot of water. More than usual. It was actually a little annoying cause I'm not much of a water drinker. But it was good, too.

This week I want to keep up what I've been doing. Mr S is gone still, so I need to find something to keep me occupied. And why not take myself to the gym more. I'm pretty sure I get more activity points there than I do walking around the mall for an hour.

Besides, I actually feel less hungry and more stasfied when I've worked out. That's kind of a good thing, right?

Happy Monday, y'all. Hope everyone has a fantastic week!

Nail Files - Week 76

I finally decided to get back into doing my nails. I took a couple weeks off and had no polish on them (GASP!!). The natural look didn't really last that long...I was over it after a week, but I just had no motivation to do anything about it. Until today:

VIOLA!!

You can see where my inspiration came from - that is the cover to my iPad mini (birthday present from Mr S). Two coats of Julep Claire. And I added two lines of the silver stripe between the white. My lines are crooked, or not pointed at all, but they're supposed to be chevrons.

While I'm not impressed with my lines (I need to practice), overall I like the look.

Come show off your nails with the rest of us in the link up:

Oh, and HAPPY FRIDAY, y'all!!  I know I'm glad it's the weekend!

Never Ever Ever - Week 2

I wanted to do this last week, since that's when it started. But I kept putting off posting and putting it off...and putting it off. And then I just forgot.

And here we are with week 2 of the link-up already.

I probably won't be consistent with this. But I wanted to give it a shot. So here we go....

Never Ever Ever Will I...

* Say I saw the department changes coming that we just went through.
* Say I have too much nail polish.
* Not miss my husband every day until he comes home from Alabama.
* Enjoy going to the dentist.
* Love going through TSA Security.
* Enjoy shopping for jeans or swimsuits.
* Stop asking Mr S for a puppy (when we get a house).
* Get tired of going to Disneyland or California Adventure.
* Stop trying to take pictures of Mr S & I together.

  - feel the need to explain this one:  jeans and swimsuits. I have the worst time EVER when it comes to jeans shopping. I don't know why. Even when I go to the same store for the same brand for the same size, it is always drama filled. And I refuse to take Mr S with me anymore. The last time he went with me jeans shopping, I had gained weight and didn't fit into the my old size. Going up a size cause a tear-filled break down in the fitting room. He was not prepared for this and I think I scarred him for life because of it. And I was traumatized, to say the least. So he is banned from jeans shopping trips with me. Other than jeans and swimsuits, I love shopping...especially shoes!

 - should also explain the last one:  picture taking of Mr S & I. He hates taking pictures. It's like pulling teeth to get him to smile, even smirk a little, when I want to take a picture of him with me. But I will never stop!

What will you Never Ever Ever do/say? Join with the rest of us this week and share your stories!

Weekly Weigh in - Week 23

I am so excited!! All that weight I gained during my vacation...I lost it! And the weight I gained the week before (the week that ended with me at my parents for three days)...I lost that too!!

Today's Weigh in:  232.6
Difference from last week:  -4.5
Total lost since 12/31:  17.1

With this loss comes a change in daily points. My allotment for each day has dropped a point. I'm not working with 36 points a day. This is probably the hardest part of losing. It usually takes me a week to adjust, which also means a bit of a gain. But I've got fruit in the fridge that I'll be using for snacks, instead of other stuff. And I'll be making a grocery trip today or tomorrow to restock for the rest of the week.

And, starting this afternoon after work, I'm officially declaring to you that I'm back on the exercise wagon! There...it's out there...no you get to hold me accountable. I'll know that each week you'll be reading my report to see what I've done. Feel free, in future weeks, to tell me when you don't see anything about what exercises I did the previous week! I need that accountability.

My plan is to utilize the wonderful work-out games we bought for the Xbox Kinect. I also have a Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred (I've done this before for a few days...killer workout!). I would also like to make my way to the apartment gym once or twice to get on either the elliptical or treadmill and the stationary bike.

All of this will help adjust to my new daily points balance!

I'm just so thrilled! I love to see the weight come off. And last week was a bit of a blah week, so that makes me feel even better about it!

Well, back to work for me. I hope you have a wonderful day!

Subscription Box Share - May 2013

I'm a little late on this as life has been a little crazy lately. But I didn't want to miss out. So here are my boxes from May!



Julep:

I did my regular box - Classic with a Twist. The barrettes are adorable, but I've not used them yet. My nail colors were Zora (A pale, shimmer pink) and Myrtle (a deep red). I've not tried them yet, so I don't know how they look on my nails.

The Lipsticks were Charleston (a cranberry looking color), Sweet Lorraine (Pink), and Lady in Red (red) (Please forgive the shoddy appearance of my nails) I've worn Lady in Red and it looks okay on me. It's a little more red than I'm used to, but overall I like the look. Sweet Lorraine is too pink for my skin tone, and Charleston is a little dark but could still get some use once toned down some.


Birchbox
Unfortunately, because my box came the weekend before I headed out of town for three weeks straight, I've not had a chance to use my goodies. But I did like what I saw, for a change!

* Coola - Classic Face SPF 30 Cucumber Moisturize for face:  This mineral sunblock is infused with organic, anti-aging ingredients like evening primrose extract and borage seed oil.
* DevaCurl - 3 Step System:  This foam-free formula trio includes a nourishing grapeseed oil shampoo, curl taming conditioner, and an award-winning, soft hold gel.
* Sumita - Color Contrast Eyeliner:  Inspired by traditional Indian formulas, this velvety liner glides on easily and lasts for hours.
* Whish - Shave Crave Shaving Cream:  The organic shea butter in this shaving cream leaves your skin incredibly soft and your shave insanely close. Plus, we love the exclusive blueberry scent.
Bonus item - Pilot Acroball pen and coupon.

I'm actually looking forward to trying the DevaCurl products as I have naturally curly hair. I'm always looking for good stuff to calm the beast. And I'm a pen snob, so finding one I like is a good thing. And I like the Acroball...so much so I used the coupon yesterday to get some more!


Are you getting any goodie boxes each month? If so, come share what you're getting with the rest of us. Brag about your finds!

Hope you've had a great weekend so far!

Catching up

This is going to be a post about as many random things I can think of to catch you up on the happenings of Ring Manor.

* Mr S is currently in Andalusia, AL. He was chosen to help train a new outsourced call center that will be based there. So for all of you that HATE getting someone that doesn't speak fluent English when you call their call center (including yours truly), I can assure that Cox Communications doesn't outsource overseas!

* I feel like I did when I was single...trying to fill my days with activities so I'm not bored. The only difference is I'm not single. I'm married and my husband is in the South, which is, ironically enough, where I was born and raised.  Weird.

* I am LOVING the song Remix by NKOTB! I mean, seriously, how have I not heard this yet? Oh that's right...my car radio doesn't work. And I didn't actually hear it on the radio, I saw the video on the morning videos of MTV while in Alabama for a day for training. Yes, MTV does do videos...if you're up early enough for them.

* Speaking of AL for a day, instead of coming home after my last trip, I headed to AL to spend a week with Mr S. He had actually left for AL while I was spending the weekend with my parents. I'm so glad I did. It makes this 4 week separation go A LOT faster. We're down to two weeks!

* I have a calendar in the kitchen where I'm crossing out the days until he comes home.

* I'm pretty sure I'm inching closer to having truth to the saying "Million Dollar Smile". (Is that even something that is said anymore?) I went to the dentist a few weeks ago for "routine" cleaning. I haven't been to the dentist in about 5-6 years (GASP!!). It was DISASTROUS!! The x-rays he did showed that I have about 12 cavities...yes 12!! With one of them being so bad he wasn't sure if he should fill it or just go straight for a root canal! It breaks down like this:  4 on the upper left, 4 on the lower left, 2 on the upper right (where the bad one is), 2 on the lower right. And they're all IN BETWEEN the teeth! Let that be a lesson to you all - FLOSS!!! I'm pretty sure I have flossed more in the last 3 weeks than I did my entire life. I hate flossing. It make my gums bleed. I know, if I'd do it more often, my gums wouldn't bleed. WRONG!! My gums bleed when I brush my teeth...and I do that every day. (okay, maybe wrong in my opinion...but that's what I'm going on here.)

* I had my first in a series of 3-4 procedures yesterday, costing me $370 (with insurance). Dr M did the fillings on the right side. It took a little over an hour. Thankfully, he has a nice flat-screen monitor over the chair and I could watch a movie. That helped take my mind off the process. And, thankfully, he used some MAJOR numbing agent. I didn't feel a thing! (I have a very high tolerance to these things...local anesthetics don't usually work so well on me.) I also don't do very well with having my jaw in certain positions for long periods of time. Needless to say I took some advil when I got home.

* The next two procedures, hopefully, won't be as bad since the cavities on the other side of my mouth aren't as bad. There's more of them, but they aren't as bad. But they'll also cost me about $350 each. And that's with insurance.

* The fourth, and final, procedure will only be if it is determined that I will need a root canal. Which, I guess, is based on if I have more pain in the tooth after the filling has had time to settle. I really don't understand it all.

* I treated myself to a Chick-Fil-A Cookies & Cream milkshake on the way home. It was 21 points. It was worth it after what I went through!

* It's my first weekend without my husband and I have no idea what I'm going to do to keep me busy for two full days! I might hit up the in-laws for some time by the pool tomorrow.

* I'm considering buying a "DIY" gel manicure set. I'm looking that Nailene's SensatioNail kit. I really like the Sally Hansen nail strip set because it looks a little easier and is cheaper. But the SensatioNail set has more colors avaialable. And I found a coupon online for $10 off.

I think that's all I've got...for now. I'm not sure where this blog is going just yet. I know I don't get on here as much as I used to, and I want to. I just don't seem to have the motivation lately. But I'm hoping that will change this week.

Stay tuned, y'all!!

HAPPY WEEKEND!!

Weekly Weigh In - Week 22 (?)

I have lost track of what week I am on. When I posted on the 21st it was week 20 and this is two weeks later, so I'm going with week 22.

Yesterday's weigh in:  237.1
Change since two weeks ago:  +1.4

I am totally okay with this gain!

I'm okay with it for these reasons:
* I didn't track after two days the week of May 20th.
* I spent Friday evening through Monday morning (May 24-27) with my family. That equals Momma's cooking, a meal or two out, no exercise, and snacks.
* I was on vacation in the south last week. THAT equals LOTS of fried foods, no exercise, and LOTS of meals out.

After all that, I only gained about a pound and a half...Thank you, Lord!!

But, I am back on the "wagon" this week. Technically, I should be down more than 20 pounds from when I started this journey. And I want to continue it, since I'm paying for it, and to keep going on my journey to get healthy and lose weight.

So my goals this week are as follows:
1. Back on track with tracking food
2. Exercise - I've got plenty of "nothing" time with the hubby gone for three weeks. NO EXCUSES!!
3. Drink more water!
4. Track. My. Food! (Did I mention that already?)

One thing that has been a slacker area for me the past three weeks is keeping the accurate record of what I'm eating. I think if I don't log it I'm not responsible for it. But in reality, if it's in my belly, it's my responsibility to own up to eating it. That is why that has two spots on my goal list for the week.

As always, thank you for tagging along in this journey with me.