The Nail Files

This past week I was out and about locally for work. My hours were crazy and I just wasn't in the mood for blogging (gasp!). But I did do my nails, as they looked horrible going into Monday and I couldn't go out with un-professional looking nails.

So I kept it simple:

Glass Pink by Sinful Colors

It's a shimmery, PALE pink that is great for the subtle look. It's, honestly, not one of my favorites. But it's good for the weeks I have to deal with students and other professionals.

FYI, to those that wonder why I tone down the colors when I'm on the road for work...I had a colleague tell me he didn't think my navy blue nails were very professional looking once. And since he was kind of a manager, at the time, I figured I should listen. Anyway, it's just kind of stuck with me even though I know there are TONS of professional ladies out there that rock the dark colors or the mixed colors or the fun looks.

What are your thoughts on "professional" looking nails?

Come join up with the rest of us who want to brag about our manicures:

Happy weekend!

Weekly Weigh In - Week 2

I am so excited! I have hit the 5 pounds lost mark!  WOOT WOOT!!

Today's weigh in was exactly 244. That is 5.7 pounds down from when I started. It also means my daily points allotment has decreased.

On to what worked and what didn't work this week.

Most of the days, I had points left over. Four out of 7 days, that is. Tuesday, Saturday, and Sunday I went over my points. Tuesday because I cooked some of the bacon Mr S received in his first shipment of his Bacon Of The Month Club (Christmas gift from his dad & step-mom). That stuff is NOT diet friendly! And then the weekends are always hard for me. We aren't that great at meal planning for weekends. We're both off and we both kind of see it as two "come what may" days. Again, NOT a diet friendly attitude to have.

I did, kind of, meet my goal of last week for more activity points. I managed to get 6. Unfortunately, I only did two work outs last week. I need to do more than that if I'm going to really do this properly.

Creating my own activity will be helpful. We purchased an XBox 360 with Kinect just before Christmas. I am really enjoying Dance Central. I also just purchased Dance Central 2 and a work out "game". I kind of like using the Xbox to work out with. So far it doesn't really feel like I'm working out.

When an activity, like Dance Central, is not listed on the activity list, there is a guide for creating your own based on intensity and time performed. Low intensity means you don't break a sweat, you can talk/sing, and your breathing is regular. Moderate intensity means you can talk but not sing, your breathing is often and deep, and you begin to sweat after 10 minutes of the activity. And high intensity means you can talk briefly but not sing, your breathing is rapid and deep, and you begin sweating after 3 to 5 minutes. Depending on the songs I choose, Dance Central is a Low to Moderately Intense work out for me.

What I really need to do is get on the treadmill in the fitness room for the complex we live in. I just hate going alone. And I get SO BORED just walking and listening to music. I have TV shows I've downloaded to work out with, that's how bored I get. I've tried audiobooks, random music (fast and slow), and podcasts. Nothing really holds my attention. The TV Shows aren't that great, but they give me something to focus on rather than looking out the window.


Goal for the week:  Figure out how to travel and be "good". Today was a bad day. I decided to do Sonic for lunch...and that took all but 4 of my points! So I'm trying to figure out how I'm doing dinner tonight. I'm leaning towards a large, green salad and/or a lot of fruit for me. Mr S will just have to fend for himself. But I need to figure out how to do this, especially when I'm not local like I am this week. Because being out on the road is what's done me in last time, and I don't want that to be my downfall this time.

Motivation:

(I have to remind myself of this when I only do 20 minutes of work out)

Well, that's all for today. Tomorrow I'll be posting a recipe (the one I was going to post last week and forgot to do). It's a healthy, good to eat, husband approved recipe. And, with the Super Bowl coming up, it's a great one for game day.

Happy Monday!

The Nail Files

Well, as promised, here is what I got in my Julep Maven box:

 I love the little quote cards the put each month. I have them on a picture board by my bed.  

These are the latest hair-tie craze. They, supposedly, don't kink your hair when in a ponytail. I've not really noticed, either way. But I have noticed a definite lack of hair wrapped around it when I pull it out of my hair. That is an accomplishment for me!

 The theme this month is Neon colors.

 I opted to stay with my "Classic with a Twist" box as I am not a huge fan of neon. These were much more subdued for me. The coral, aka Madison, will be great in the summer, especially on the toes!

 And this shot includes my add-ons...the white in the middle, aka Eileen, and some extra swatch stickers (to help with polish organization/selection). Oh, and the pink box is a Hand & Cuticle Stick. Honestly, I'm not sure what it really does other than make my fingers greasy.

 So here's what I did - Eileen as a base. Then a Madison flower with a little Grace and Eileen center

.

Here are all three colors. The far left is Grace and she's a sheer pink. I have way to many colors like this and probably won't get much use from her. 

I didn't go all crazy this week with my nails. However, I've had success with how long they've last this round. I did my nails on Monday and I've only had a little chipping on three finger tips. That makes me very happy, cause I can't keep a manicure very long unless it's gel polish or professionally done fakes.

Anyway, come show off your nails with the rest of us:

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

So What Wednesday

One of the things I like most about linking with



is it, kind of, gives me a chance to vent a little about anything and everything.

So What If:

* I haven't finished Operation Christmas Take Down (OCTD). I only started last night! (besides, it's just the lights on the tree that are left to take down...this is where a fake, pre-lit tree would be nice)

* Despite all my begging and "diplomatic" talk about a pre-lit fake tree, Mr S refused to budge. If I want a tree I have to have a real tree or there's no tree at all!

* Secretly, I really do like the real tree...I just don't like that it's high maintenance.

* I'm talking Christmas in January. It's what's on my brain thanks to OCTD last night!

* I'm a more than little annoyed that people don't stand up for other people when they should.

* I'm afraid I'm catching baby fever (much to the annoyance of Mr S). More than 5 friends have recently become preggo or delivered in the last month! And to top it all off, I had a dream the other night I was preggers. Mr S was not thrilled.


* I finally got around to cleaning off the bed in my office (sort of). There is still stuff on it, but it's things I need during the day that don't fit on my desk. It's so nice to have room to walk around the office now!

* I have more than enough materials to make about 15 rag wreaths, but I have lost all motivation to do so! It's time to get crackin'!

* I have no idea what I want to do with said rag wreaths when I've made them. Sell them? Give as gifts? And if I do sell them, where?? Maybe that's why I haven't started any more.

What are you saying so what to this week? Come link up with the rest of us and tell us all about it! 

Later...

Weight Loss Weekly - Week 1

Well, it's been a whole week of doing Weight Watchers. For the most part it's been fairly easy. So easy that there were three days I didn't eat all my points. Which is technically not the way this is supposed to work. However, I more than made up for that yesterday - I ate all my daily points and all but 10 of my weekly "freedom" points (the points you're allotted each week for when you splurge or have a day out or whatever).

Despite my mega splurge yesterday, I lost 3.9 pounds last week! It's not a lot, but I'm still excited that I'm making progress.

While I didn't keep a daily food log to post on here for you (I do log it, but online or via my phone to the WW points tracker), I'll break it down some. I'm allowed 39 points a day in regular foods. It's one of the things I love about doing the Weight Watchers program. You truly can eat whatever you want...it's just more about portion control. And you do need to focus on eating the right things, too. But it helps knowing that if I want a cookie or a piece of cake, I can have it (in moderation). I also have 49 extra points to use during the week. These are used when I go over my daily points (like yesterday) to give a little cushion.

Now, I've been weighing myself every day this week because I want to see the daily changes. This kind of gives me an idea of what works and what doesn't. And I discovered something that DOES NOT work for me - using my weekly points all in one day (like yesterday). When I weighed in yesterday morning I had lost 4.9 pounds. Then Mr S and I had two meals out (we were supposed to be at Disneyland yesterday, but because of the weather our plans to meet up with friends was cancelled and we had not prepared anything for back up meals at home). Those two meals cost me all of my daily points and most of my weekly splurge points. They also cost me a pound gained. While the weekly splurge points are there as cushion, I am not one who can use them and see the same results as if I didn't.

Another thing that helps is activity points. Depending on the exercise and the amount of time you do it, you can earn points. For example, a 20 minute walk on the treadmill set to 3MPH gives me an extra 2 points to use (if I want). I don't have to use them. And I can set my system up to pull from Activity Points before pulling from the weekly splurge points (which I do).

One of my biggest issues, no and in the past, has been meal planning. I need to eat healthy, low points food...but I need to make things Mr S will eat, too! I still haven't set a week's plan in place, and I probably won't until there is a little more grocery money (and we have food we can use right now). Eating healthy is not cheap!! But, with the help of a couple friends that are also on WW, we've found some various websites that have A TON of great, healthy recipes! Here's some of the sites I've been pulling from:

Emily Bites
Hungry Girl
Skinny Taste
Spark People Recipes

I've done three recipes from Emily Bites:  Buffalo Chicken Cupcakes, Slow Cooker Taco Chili, and Four Cheese Sausage Stuffed Shells. All have been approved my Mr S! In fact, the Buffalo Chicken Cupcakes will be making a reappearance today in honor of the BCS Championship Bowl Game! And since I'm making them again, I'll actually take pictures and post the recipe later (maybe tomorrow).

Since this post has gotten way longer than planned, I'll end here. Next week will be shorter with my weigh in, what I did this week as far as points usage and activity points, and a new recipe I tried this week. And I'll also include a goal for the following week.

Goal for this week:  8-10 Activity points earned!

To all those who are on this weight loss journey, regardless of the plan you're on, I hope you meet all the goals you've set for your self!

The Nail Files - Week 53

This week's colors are brought to you by Ulta.

Howl at the Moon and Cabana Coral.

This is a two day old manicure (by yours truly). The Cabana Coral dots are smeared because I refused to allow the to dry thoroughly before continuing my day. And there is no top coat...hence the already chipped edges. However, in Ulta's defense, this mani has lasted quite well without a top coat despite the hell I've put my hands through since painting my nails. I'm quite impressed.

Next week, I'll be sharing what came in my Julep box (which actually came yesterday but I wasn't in the mood to do my nails again).

Until then, check out the other lovely manicures out there, and share yours with us, over at:

Happy Friday!!

So What Wednesday

I'm attempting to start the year off on a good foot...in all things I do, regardless if it's part of my "resolutions". So far, I've only slacked in one area. Read on to know which one that is!

This week, as always, I'm joining up for:



So What If:

* I still haven't taken the Christmas tree, and all other decorations, down. The tree is clearly dry and dead. But I'm not plugging the lights in anymore, so is it really a fire hazard?

* My office is still a mess! I was going to clean it Monday. Then I was going to clean it yesterday. Now I've started back to work and it's glaring at me from the corner of my eye.

* Getting my home organized was not one of my resolutions!

* I'm avoiding registering for my first class. I really don't know why I'm "scared" to take that first step. I think it's because my track record (last year's classes) is HORRIBLE despite being almost straight A's in High School (top 14) and Junior College (Dean's list almost every semester). I really want to finish my degree...it's a life goal for me. But the motivation is completely lacking!

* I rang in the New Year sitting on the couch with Mr S watching Big Bang Theory! We did turn it off in time to watch the ball drop and get that New Year's Kiss. Then we shuffled off to bed.

What are you saying So What to this week?