Wednesday, August 31, 2011

things i am a fan of. things of which i am a fan.

Here's some things I'm enjoying right now..

1)The weather. July sucked, August has been glorious, and I love September.
2)My wardrobe. I may have reached a critical point where everything matches at least two other things. This is lovely.
3)"Window" shopping (via internet) for fall clothes. It all looks so darn comfy.
4)2 Crunch exercise videos - a pilates one and a cardio blast one. After seriously disliking the cardio dance one, I am quite pleasantly suprised. And sweaty.
5) Grapes.
6) Italian Soda
7) My new turquoise ring.
8) New projects at work!

Some things I could do without..
1) All my outdoor furniture is still inside from hauling it in from the hurricane. I have to move it back out. Small, meaningless complaint, I know

Back to things I'm enjoying...
9) I have a hard time thinking of much to complain about =)

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

wedding

Fred and I have been engaged since November. So, we're coming up on a year here. Neither one of us is much enthused on the whole planning of the wedding bit. Is this weird?

I think my parents are trying incredibly hard to restrain themselves from asking when when? They are doing an admirable job.

Here lies the heart of the problem, I think. Fred is not inspired to plan anything. I could be inspired to plan, but I'm not going to 1)make decisions without his input, or 2)nag him for input. But I am minimally inspired to plan, myself.

Let me be clear...I am perfectly happy, nay, overjoyed, with a city hall wedding. There still requires some minimal planning, and I won't be doing that solo either. We may have a party to celebrate at some point, maybe not.

Neither one of us are about the wedding itself. Basically, I need a sweet little suit (thanks Carrie)or dres and a birdcage mini veil, and some amazing shoes, and I'm good. Fred needs some clothes of some sort. I may try to convince him to wear a bow tie. We need a marriage license.

My parents wouldn't be pissed, they'd be invited. I seriously doubt there would be hard feelings.

So, I think what I'm saying is...just expect me to show up married one of these days =)

Is this weird?

Saturday, August 27, 2011

i need time to look through 400 items

so, I MAY have taken my week's vacation to coincide with the release of Missoni for Target's line. Maybe. Now I just need to figure out which Target I want to go to. I'm thinking Fair Lakes.

Honestly, I am really looking for to the next 3 weeks. I have one full week, then a 4day week, then a full week off. And when that is all over, it will be fall. That makes me a little sad.

Friday, August 26, 2011

my twin's mustache

I just read a little post on Hello Giggles about a girl's father's mustache..

It got me thinking about my own father, my twin really, and his mustache. I think I've only seen him once without it, in the late 80s or early 90s, very early in the morning while getting ready to leave for the beach. Scared the ever-lovin crap out of me cause I didn't know who the hell this person in my house was. Definitely took a good minute to adjust.

He may have taken it off since then, but I honestly don't know. I just had to look at his Facebook pictures to confirm its current existence. It is that engrained in my mental picture of him, that much a permanent fixture, that I don't even notice it.

I, for one, like the mustache look. I'm going to make Fred grow a mustache. He can shave it off immediately afterwards, I just want to see what he looks like.

My father and I, we look exactly alike. I'm not kidding even a little bit. I have a picture of him in profile when he was 16, and you put it next to a profile of me, and we're identical twins.

At the very least, I know what I'd look like, should I ever be compelled or able to grow a mustache myself (gosh, I hope not).

So, here's to Dad, and to Dad's mustache. I love ya.

The mustache in the 70s



Present Day Mustache


Thursday, August 25, 2011

link love

I just checked in on Busy Bee Lauren, and I adore her Tumblr Tuesday for today! Look at those adorable Hobbits! And Paul Newman..I'm fairly well convinced he's the most attractive man ever, the end. Check it out!

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

8/15 - 8/24 365

Aug 15th
Q: What do you like best about your body today?
A: That my legs feel strong.

Aug 16th
Q: What question (or questions) do you love to answer?
A: What are your favorite books? What is your favorite music? What does your dream house look like?

Aug 17th
Q: If you had to spend five years in prison, what would you finally have a chance to do?
A: Write a book, and get into the best shape of my life. Still, not a great option.

Aug 18th
Q: What's your favorite piece of clothing?
A: Right now, for work, my navy Talbot's slacks. I'm going to wear those things out. Not for work, jeans and any of my grey american apparel ts

Aug 19th
Q: _____________ really bothered you today.
A: I know lately I've been mighty peeved with those not following instructions

Aug 20th
Q: Whose team are you on?
A: Whatever team Coach Taylor's leading. Haha. No really.
Also, I'm on team Mallory-Shahidi. Its a good team.

Aug 21st
Q: In 140 Characters or fewer, summarize your day.
A: I wasn't feeling well, so spent most of the day on the couch with FNL.

Aug 22nd
Q: What can't you forget?
A: The words to I Remember by Skid Row.

Aug 23rd
Q: Yes or No: Everyone should have a backup plan.
A: ehhhhhh Yes. It is important to have goals, and to have stretch goals.

Aug 24th
Q: Write your recipe for creativity
A: 1 part time, 1 part inspiration. Stir, mix, whisk, etc.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

earthquake day

It would be a shame if I didn't mention here that I experienced my first earthquake today. I mean, sure, there have been earthquakes, but I've never felt one. We had a 5.9 about 70 miles from me today, and wooo boy, that was weird.

My thoughts went..what ARE they moving down the hallway? Ok, that should NOT be shaking the building like that. By the time I got to my door to look out in the hallway..it was over.

The hallway filled with a couple of people..all of us like, wtf? I was really worried at that point that it was localized to our building, some explosion in the garage or something. We fairly quickly decided it was an earthquake, and i said, HEY! let's go to the break room and check out the news.

We beat the news by 2-3 minutes. Yep, earthquake. 5.9

They decide to evacuate our building. I packed up my stuff and headed to the garage, went to my car, drove home. Called my team and my boss on the way. They were standing outside the building, across the street. Oh right, that's what evacuation is. I live so close, I just default to home. Turned out to be the right call, everyone was sent home soon enough.

No aftershocks yet, at least not this far away.
The cats seem unbothered.
I still worked until 6.

Earthquake..yep, good to know what you feel like, don't do that again though.

crunch

i did a little netflix browsing yesterday for new exercise videos and I came upon some options from Crunch gym.

This morning I did the Crunch Cardio Dance Blast. It was a little longer than my 30 day shred workout, but infinitely less satisfying. I mean, it was fun trying to do the dance moves gracefully..and I did work up a nice sweat, but at no point did I think I was going to pass out. In my book, that's a fail. Maybe this will be something for my break days. Moving on..

Anyone have any suggestions for workouts between 1/2 hour and 1 hour long?

Monday, August 22, 2011

oh yeah, goals

so i kinda of forgot i do goals for a bit there. whoops. that's ok, just time to pick it back up!

Week 15 Goals

1) Make goals (and, done!) haha.
2) Find another exercise DVD I like as much as 30 day shred that I can switch up with Ms. Jillian. Or it could be another Jillian DVD. Despite having 3 30 day shred workouts I still would like more variety. Plus, Level 1 is already kind of easy. PX90I suppose.
3) Plan a little one day getaway for Mr. Fred and I. Maybe back to the B&B we went to last summer.
4) Pull another round of clothes for eBay from the closet - anything I passed up last time with the thought that I might wear it? That I haven't still? Up it goes.

Sounds good to me=)

in my mind

i have a beach house in my imagination. do you? a beach house, or perhaps a country farmhouse, or maybe a paris pied a terre? Mine is a beach house.

sometimes i think about decorating my beach house..it involves a LOT of white paint and weathered hardwood and lots of soft fluffy cloudy white linens and towels and basically a lot of white, and a lot of brown, and a lot of tan. with a tiny bit of red.

also, an outdoor shower. with an army of kiehls products.

anyway, i don't know about you, but i pretty much refuse to drive at my beach house, what with the little grocery market and the coffee shop and the bookstore and the sub shop and the candy store and the surf shop all being right there and all. so i need a bike. and a vespa for the longer trips.

This is the bike i need for my beach house. you likey?



one day, i'll have my beach house. it won't be too far along. one day, i hope i only have a beach house. ya'll can come stay.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

OMFG

i'm so hungry. I guess that's what cutting sugar out will do? i'm going to go eat all of the bananas in the fruit bowl.

Prep Tastic

Prep Tastic

Marc by Marc Jacobs silk blouse
£250 - matchesfashion.com

Jason Wu wide leg pants
$645 - stylebop.com

Elizabeth and James sandals
£173 - theoutnet.com

Banana Republic leather tote
$120 - bananarepublic.gap.com

Gold bead necklace
$20 - target.com

Early Fall

Early Fall

IRO racer back top
€44 - youheshe.com

Cami top
$50 - modcloth.com

Forzieri zipper jacket
$648 - forzieri.com

True Religion capri jeans
$395 - stylebop.com

J Crew wingtip shoes
$250 - jcrew.com

Coach leather bag
$298 - coach.com

egg lessons

egg cupcakes? they are delicious warm. disgusting cold. go figure. must find food that will travel well OR eat breakfast at home. dilemma. lara bar!

egg cupcake = spinach, zucchini, green onion, bacon, eggs, pinch of salt all chopped and mixed up and cooked in a cupcake tin.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

adjustments to the diet

afternoon!

So, I've decided to make some dietary adjustments, and I'm recording them here for posterity and for accountability's sake.

First up..breakfast.

I'm very consistent with my breakfast. I go to Starbucks every morning, and I have a grande decaf sugar free hazlenut soy misto, a small square of dark chocolate (i'd guess 65% or so, really more semi-sweet), and a protein plate. A protein plate is grapes, apple slices, a muesli, well, I don't know what to call it, its not a muffin or scone, but a small slice of bread with nuts and fruit, about the size of a normal muffin top, a hard boiled egg, and cheese. I don't eat the cheese, and I usually save the egg for a mid-day snack.

This sounds reasonably okay, yeah? Well, I want to cut out a few things. First, the soy milk and the artificial sweetener in my coffee. I've heard coconut milk is good in coffee, I'm going to give that a shot.

Second, the bread. I just want to see what not eating bread will do, and this is really the only place in my diet I eat it.

Third, that chocolate content needs to go up to 80%+

So, new breakfast!
Egg cupcakes (recipe here)
Grapes
Apple Slices
One square dark chocolate (80%+)
Decaf coffee with coconut milk.

This also means I won't be going to Starbucks. They'll miss me, and I'll miss them. I may still visit occasionally. I am, after all, a Gold card member, haha.

Lunch and dinner, well...they can pretty much stay the same! I generally have a salad from the Whole Foods salad bar for lunch (I may start making these at home, its pricey for a daily thing), and some kind of meat + veggie for dinner.

Other things to go:
Diet Coke. I only have one a day. I kind of love Diet Coke. I drink the caffeine free version. But, I want to try to cut out artificial sweeteners for a while.

Along those lines..Fruit 20 waters. Delicious, and I crank through them throughout the work day. Again, want to cut the artificial sweetener.

Now, I really truly hate sparkling, unflavored water, so I think I'll just go plain water for a while.

Small adjustments, could have a big impact. We'll see!

In other news - I've been doing Jillian Michael's 30 day shred, and I kind of love working out in the morning before work. Who knew?

Sunday, August 14, 2011

8/1 - 8/14 365

Aug 1st
Q: Do you need a cold shower?
A: No, I'm good.

Aug 2nd
Q: Describe the room you're in right now.
A: Well, its less one room than many. I'm in the kitchen sort of. Ok. So, I'm sitting on the couch in the middle of this room. Behind me is the kitchen island, with the sinks and dishwasher. In front of me is an ottoman and a TV, and a fireplace. To my left is the staircase leading upstairs and farther to the right is the dining room. To my right is outside..or the door leading on to the deck. The room is painted yellow in front of me and olive behind me (this isn't going well). There is a Pollock print in front of me and a Robert Bechtle print to my left. Its sunny outside. There is a side table next to me with smart water and some remotes on it. The cat is napping on a whole foods bag on the floor next to the table.

Aug 3rd
Q: What do you lie about?
A: Hmmm. Not much. Can't think of anything right now.

Aug 4th
Q: When was the last time you were on an airplane?
A: Wow, too long ago. Summer 2007 I think, to Chicago?

Aug 5th
Q: Today you destroyed...
A: weeds, crabgrass, lots of weeds

Aug 6th
Q: Who are you?
A: Me. I'm keeping it simple.

Aug 7th
Q: What was your last great meal?
A: I have lots of darn good meals - and I really enjoy cooking. But the last truly transcendant meal was probably breakfast at the L'Auberge Provencal B&B. So sooo so good. I mean, eggs laid by hens that morning. Melon berry sorbet soup. Polenta. Sausage, made there. Croissant. Best coffee. Yummm.

Aug 8th
Q: Do you make enough money?
A: Enough for what? Yeah, I make plenty, but I have a lot of bills, too. Trust me, I'm not complaining about my salary nor my standard of living, I'm paid well.

Aug 9th
Q: Write down your last sent text message
A: "I'll be home in about an hour"

Aug 10th
Q: What are you running from at this moment?
A: Nothing.

Aug 11th
Q: How many stamps are on your passport?
A: I don't have a passport (hangs head in shame)

Aug 12th
Q: What is your resolution for tomorrow?
A: Soak in the weekend.

Aug 13th
Q: What is your favorite thing to do on a Saturday morning?
A: Did I not answer this before? Ok then. Head out to pick up coffee and bagels. Come back and have a nice breakfast and do first the Soduko, and then the Washington Post crossword. This should take til 11 or so. Absolute perfection is to do all of this at the beach, with the deck as the venue and the ocean as the view.

Aug 14th
Q: Did you complete your to-do list for the day?
A: Don't have one today, so yes.

Tuesday, August 09, 2011

Grampy

Today marks 25 years since my Grampy passed away. Clarence R. Fernald. He was 70 years old, and I was 8.

Last night, my parents hosted a get together in his honor with my Grammy, her kids, all the grandkids and a great grandbaby on the way. We looked through old albums, his medals and badges and dogtags from his 30 years in the Army, through WWII. His passports. The man saw the world. His college yearbooks. His wedding portraits.

My grandmother brought over something so very incredible, that I had no idea existed..cassette tapes of our family, from 1978 to about 1985. It was incredible to hear. There are tapes of my sister and I playing, as little girls do, making rules for this and that. I heard 3 year old me call for my dog Orson..and tell my Grammy, "Orson's not a boy!!". I heard the softness in my Grampy's voice as he said my name. I had forgotten that sound.

I heard the voices of my mom and dad, who were then the age I am now. I heard the voices of my dad's parents, which I haven't heard for 7 years. I heard the voices of my great grandmothers. I heard some strong Maine accents and some quite funny little girl southern virginia ones. My mom then, she sounds like my sister now.

I am very very conscious of my role in the continuation of this amazing family of mine. Late into the night, my mother, sister and I were talking children. My sister and I, we are apprehensive and we no longer have the luxury of time. We talk about having children a lot.

My mom told us last night, that her mom asked her..will anyone care about your albums, your things? That broke my heart in two, right there. I know my grandmother wasn't asking it to be pointed or to be cruel. But I so very much want my mother to have a chance to be a grandmother. I'm just not sure I'm going to be a mother. And you can't have one without the other, can you?

It is deeply important, isn't it? Passing love and knowledge down through the generations. Last night, it was a reminder that life moves. And that you shouldn't spend too much time waiting for what you want. Now what?

Monday, August 08, 2011

frustration nation

oh, i am sooo very trying to be a patient girl. but I am frustrated with a capital F.

some stats:
Last time I ate anything fried: 2009
Last time I went to McDs: 2009
Last time I had milk chocolate: 2010
Last time I had caffeine: 2009
Glasses of wine I've had since 2009: about 8
Months I've been working out 3-5 days a week: 18
Months I worked with a personal trainer: 5
Net loss/gain in those 18 months: -5 lbs
And, just so you know I'm not a skinny girl fretting over a weight loss that doesn't need to happen...lbs away from a healthy BMI: 30

Some more recent stats:
Days I've been within my points on WW in the last week: 7
Days I've done 30 day shred within the past week: 4
Pounds I've gained in the last 7 days: 3
WTF, dude. WTF.

So, honestly, really, truly. I need to have a come to jesus with myself. Am I really doing everything I can? Am I being honest with myself about what I'm eating? Am I working as hard as I can?

Obviously, I should not be having this much trouble. However. I need to know if it something I'm doing or not. So, I'm going to do something I really don't want to do, but so it goes.

Goal for this week, 8/8 - 8/15. No dark chocolate square. No fat free chocolate sorbet. Just fruit for sugar's sake. Just fruit. Its kind of the last thing I can think to change.

And I know. Patience. Patience. Patience. I feel good and my clothes fit well. This is what truly matters. But damn hell is it hard to keep motivation up like this!

Wednesday, August 03, 2011

update on the health front

Hi!

Just thought I'd give a little update on the diet (not a diet) and the exercising front. This morning, I did Jillian Michaels' 30 day shred. That is deceptively hard. I'm all, oh yeah, Jillian, bring it on, jumping jacks and squats, I've got this covered. After 15 minutes, yeah, covered in sweat. Good way to start the day though, thumbs up.

I decided to add in a little at home, early morning kind of workout to my routine, to kind of cover me on those days where the last thing I want to do after work is go go to the gym. I still plan on heading to the gym 4-5 times a week, but getting the 30 minute workout done in the AM is a good way to ensure I get it done, no matter what else my day throws out at me.

As for diet - still following along on my plan to eat mostly Paleo. I've been getting a little bored, so I picked up Tosca's Eat Clean cookbook (the first one I think) and I've been trying out some recipes. Had fajitas last night, marinated in lime, lemon, pineapple juice, chili powder, garlic, a little salt and pepper. Delish.

So, its going.

Monday, August 01, 2011

Week 13 recap / Week 14 Goals

Really, its August? I'm not sure I'm ready for it to be August. I need to take a vacation, immediately. Well at least soon. The week after Labor day, I'm thinking.

So this week was pretty light on the goals..let's see how I did.

Week 13 Goals

1) No processed crap (again)
Done!

2) Daytrip to Richmond
Wasn't feeling Richmond. Went to Middleburg instead.

3) Try to finish the shirt I started sewing (patterns make me stabby!)

Patterns still make me stabby. However, I made my own pattern, for a wrap skirt, busted that thing out in like 3 hours on Friday night, wore it Saturday. I'll call this a success. However, still going to tackle that silly shirt.

And for week 14.
A break from goals! Just a little break. One week only. Don't worry, I'm not going to go all wild and lawless =)

edit: almost forgot, I have to make a "going somewhere" goal. I think I need a free going somewhere goal, so I'm going to make it a day at Great Falls. its been too long!