The Nail Files - New Year's Eve/Day Mani

I did these Tuesday, New Years Eve, while I binge-watched Downton Abbey. Aside from running the dishwasher and cooking dinner, doing my nails was the only thing I did all day while sitting on the couch with one of my favorite British shows. And, since I was having a lazy day, I kept it simple:

Julep's Claire under Sinful Color's Ice Dream.

Before settling on Claire, I actually had four different blues on four fingers trying to decide the right shade to go under Ice Dream (from my Christmas haul). I think Claire was a perfect choice. Ice Dream went on very well. It's a clear polish with tiny silver glitter and larger blue flakes. The picture doesn't do the silver justice, but you can kind of see it there. And it has nice coverage, for a glitter polish.

Now, come join the rest of nail polish junkies and show off your manicure from the week!

Happy Friday, dolls!

Weightloss Journey

As the first day of 2014 I thought I'd keep with tradition and do the usual weight loss goal for my year. I know, everyone sets out at the beginning of the year with a weight loss or healthier lifestyle goal. And about February, everyone has given up on that goal.

I did the same thing last year, only I made it to about June or July before throwing in the towel, for the most part. I didn't fully give up...I was still paying for weight watchers and I was still keeping track of my food (most days, or maybe two - three days a week). But I wasn't really enthused about it anymore.

I lost about 15 pounds the first three to four months last year. Which, when you think about, is pretty good! I was okay with that. But then I hit a wall. I gained a pound; I lost a pound; I lost another pound; I gained a pound back. No matter what I would do, including boot camp twice a week at one point (only for a month, though...might have been the problem), I couldn't push past that mark. And I need to push past it...I'm still about 50 pounds over weight (based on medical information).  *Thankfully, I'm tall and can hide it very well...but I feel it, so it doesn't really matter that much.*

So while my goal is lose weight and get healthy this year, it's more about pushing past that wall I've hit. I'm going to make a  more conscious effort to do more activities and be more active. I bought some work out stuff the other day at Walmart that I'll be testing out later today...I'm actually excited about it! And I've done some research for stuff I can do at home...squat challenges, ab challenges, etc.

Don't get me wrong, we have a gym here at our apartment complex. And I plan to use the treadmill from time to time. But if you've been around this blog long enough you know that I get extremely board walking/running in place. And I have no workout partner, so stepping out on the street isn't in my plan. I'll need to do what I can here at home. On the flip side, Mr S is back on his call center schedule, so he'll be home when I am and we can go to the gym together (when he goes). That will be nice and some helpful motivation...since I HATE going alone!

I'm still going to do weight watchers as it seems to be a good method to keeping track of my food. I'm also going to pick back up with my weekly posts. I want to stay accountable to someone...and you, my blogging dolls, are the winners for that category! I also have a co-worker that is getting married in May and she is stepping up her game too. That will help with encouragement on the work front...we just work different hours and can't work out together, usually.

But I'm determined to make this work. I'm tired of being heavy. I'm tired of one flight of stairs winding me. I'm tired of rolls, muffin top, and back fat rolls! I want to be able to wear my swimsuit and not feel uncomfortable about my hips, belly, and thighs. I want to wear skirts and not feel ashamed of my legs. I want me knees to not hurt when I walk all day because they've been carrying around an extra 50 pounds that they shouldn't have to carry.

I want to be healthy!

The Year in Review, And a Look Ahead

I've been fairly consistent in not posting lately, since about June/July is when I started slacking off. There really hasn't been a good reason, especially since I found myself with some much time after the beginning of July (see This post for why). You'd think that having more time on my hands would allow for more blogging. But I think I just didn't feel like it.

Despite a new job, that I love, I think the last part of the year was a bit of a funk for me. I was holding steady in my weight loss, but not losing any more. I was training for a new job. And then I was in school, too. I don't know that I really felt like writing anything, despite having plenty to write about.

But 2013 was a good year. I am no longer traveling on a bi-weekly basis. I'm not longer traveling at all! I work a half mile from my current home. And Mr S had a couple of great opportunities pop up at his job as well that sweeten his resume up nicely should a promotional opportunity come about.

Looking forward to 2014, I have a lot of plans. I start back to work on the 2nd. I start back to school on the 6th. I'm working on a budget to reduce our debt. We'll be moving...not sure to what yet, house or apartment (our rent is going up and this place isn't worth the increase). It just feels good looking forward.

I'm not giving up on my weight loss goals. I am, however, starting fresh. I'll still be doing weight watchers, and I'll get more focused on what I'm doing. I'm also working out with a co-worker and her roommate twice a week. And I'll start supplementing in between with my own stuff at home or at the complex gym.

Hopefully you'll see me on here more often. I've changed schools, though, so I don't know what my work load will be like with my new classes. But I want to be more active on here. Not so much for you, though I do enjoy the interactions I get from time to time, but for me. I want to document my life, and writing by hand just exhausts me thinking about it. LOL!

Here's to a new year and new beginnings and great things for all of us!

Happy New Year, dolls!

A year in review

I had high hopes for 2012. Unfortunately, I can't say that I accomplished much this year. I'd love to say that I lost the weight I wanted to or that I am no officially out of debt. But those just aren't things I can say. Which means you get to hear them as goals again for 2013.

Mr S and I decided last week that we would stay in our apartment for another year. While I long to have a house of my own to do with as I please, I am okay with this decision. We are not, financially, where we would like to be. A house is such a huge step for anyone that we want to be a little more financially stable before we make that leap. Mr S has done a FANTASTIC job getting his debt reduced. I, on the other hand, haven't done so great. I can brag that I did reduce my debt by about 25%! But it's not quite enough, in my mind. This is one of my biggest goals this year.

Two weeks ago I put in to be re-evaluated for a different degree plan. I want to make myself more marketable, should I ever leave my current position, and decided that a BS in Business with a Marketing concentration would be a good option. I got my evaluation back last week and I have 54 credits (18 classes) to complete my Bachelor's degree. I'm excited about this, but it also a goal that will take longer than the debt reduction. Because of my travel schedule for work and other personal obligations, I've only been able to take once class at a time every 8-10 weeks. If I continue this route, it'll take me over three years to complete. I am okay with that time frame, but I would also like to speed things up a bit. So I may double up, when I feel like I can.

And my final goal, the one that is the most popular among goal setters, is to lose weight. Let's just break it down and be honest with each other. I weighed in yesterday at 248.7 pounds!! I am not a happy camper! That is over 15 pounds more than when I got married in 2011. That is 50 pounds more than when I moved to California at the end of 2008. And that is almost 100 pounds more than what I weighed when I graduated high school in 1997! (I wish I could talk to my high school self and tell her that she needs to be careful and that she's not fat and to value herself where she is and work to stay that way.) So I bought a new scale the other day (it measures the tenth) and I bought a new blender (for smoothies and such). I'm signing back up for Weight Watchers. I'm going to work on a better grocery list for future meals. I'm going to pick the brains of my friends who are on, or have been on, WW for recipes that are husband friendly. I've already started going to the fitness center on site with my husband, so I'm going to keep that up. We got an Xbox with Kinect a couple weeks ago and I've been trying my talent level at Dance Central. While it may not seem like much, anything that is physically challenging over a period of time and makes me work up a sweat will be counted as exercise (until it is no longer a challenge). And when I'm on the road, I'm going to do my best to book hotels with fitness rooms (at least a treadmill or elliptical) and find restaurants with dieter friendly menus. I'm not looking to be the weight I was in high school. I am, however, looking to drop around 50 pounds. And I am also looking to be more healthy, in general.

While I do plan to still post fun stuff here, like So What Wednesday and Nail Files on Fridays (provided those link ups continue into 2013), I'm also going to be adding some personal updates. I haven't decided how it will be formatted yet, but I think Monday will be my weekly update on all things weight loss related - what my weigh in is, what amount and kind of exercise I did, maybe a food journal from the past week, and possible a favorite recipe of the week (if there was one).

So it's on to a new year and new goals and new adventures. I hope 2012 was all you ever wanted and I pray that 2013 is full of even more great and wonderful things for each of you.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

xoxo

Resolutions

I know I've already posted about what I want to do this year...but I edited that post and decided to make them one of their own. I've really been thinking about what I want to accomplish this year and the few I listed the other day just really weren't enough.

1. Eat better, lose weight, get healthy
2. Focus on School and get at least 5 classes successfully completed off my evaluation
3. Work on getting rid of debt
4. Start saving WHILE getting out of debt ($25 a month is better than nothing a month and that's $300 more at the end of the year than when I started)
5. Get a house cleaning schedule going so I'm not scrambling to clean when we have visitors
6. Be more consistent with church attendance and maybe even get more involved
7. Work on my cooking skills (Mr S is the cook in this house...I do the easy, meal from a bag stuff...or pasta. I can cook pasta!!)
8. Better time management! Now that I'm taking a class I need to make sure I'm doing that instead of planting my butt on the couch in front of the TV after work every day.

That's all the big stuff. There are also little things on the list that I'd like to do: be more thorough on my crafts; finish what I start; hang with friends/family more, etc. I'm also thinking of joining with a Direct Sales (like Scentsy or 31 gifts) company to help supplement the income some. But I haven't fully decided which one, or two, I want to invest in. It's a fairly decent initial investment and I want to pick something that I'll have good returns on. I'm also not sure if it will fit in with my new schedule now that I've added school. It may be something I wait until the spring to do so I can see how I do with school, work, wife duties. So, the jury is still out on that one. But stay tuned, because you'll see it/them here when I do decide.

Most of what I want to accomplish this year. It doesn't seem like a lot, but it will be some changes for me. I am a procrastinator at heart...so a lot of this (cleaning, cooking, school work) will take more effort than what you would think, for me at least. Which is why time management is on the list.

Well, here's to a wonderful New Year! I'm looking forward to all this year has in store!

Hugs...

A look back

It's so hard to believe that tomorrow is the last day of 2011. Where did the time go?!?!

I went back through my old posts and found this where I said what I was going to do this year. HA!! Sometimes I wonder why I even bother with a resolution. However, in my defense, there were two that I accomplished...well, one and a half.

Apparently I like to start at the end and work backwards, because that's the one that I did accomplish: #5 - Blog more. And my #4 is my half - read more. I did the 100+ book challenge (here and blogged my list here) and I'm not quite done with book number 50. But I gave it a good shot. And if she does the challenge again, I'll join again.

As fore #3, #2 and #1...well, looks like those will be on the list again. I did do a couple classes towards my BS, but not enough to really put a dent in my required balance. My first class of 2010, Theories of Personality, starts on Wednesday! #3 got put on hold due to the paying for our nuptials, and all that entailed. But I'm already back on track with that one and I even have a head start - I paid off two store cards last week!! And my lovely Mr S has paid off two of his cards as well (unfortunately, we brought some debt into this union). See...we're well on the way!!

And then there was #1. That is still my #1 priority this year! I joined Weight Watchers about four months before the wedding. I lost 10, gained 5, then have maintained since then. Which was great at the time - no alterations needed on the wedding dress is ok by me!! But this is not ok any more. I am over weight. Those that know me or have seen me in person may not think so, but I'm a tall chica and can hid those pounds very well!! According to what all the nutritional stuff says (based on height, age, bone structure, etc) I'm 75 pounds over weight. However, based on me and what I know about myself, I would look anorexic if I lost that much weight! So I'm shooting for a loss of 50. That will put me down two sizes, too, which will be nice! My biggest hurdle is exercise. I hate it!! Eating right, I can do that all day long...but exercise and I are not friends.

This is how I feel about running:

I'm not sure where I'll start on the exercise regime...but I know I'll start somewhere. To be honest, the Wii Fit was nice...when I was doing it. There's also the Wii Dance Party we currently have through GameFly...but that has to go back soon. (the game may turn into an investment...that or the Zumba one) I've thought of C25K...but if you would look to the above picture, you'll see how I really feel about that!! I've got a ton of ideas on Pinterest for different exercises and plans and such. I guess it's just picking one and going for it.

Anyway, enough about all that. Back to goals and looking forward. I really don't think my goals have changed and I'm not sure about adding anything. But I'll give you more about that in my next post.

For now...I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year's weekend!

Hugs...