Friday, February 27, 2015

Tackling the black hole and what I'm reading this week

It's the weekend, yo!

I'm so ready for it.  I finally started tackling the office.  The desk was so covered, absolutely no work could be done.  It was just bags and bags of crap in there so I started going through those and then kicked up so much damn dust I had to leave.  The nasal steroid is doing it's job but then I got a huge allergy attack.  Up to this point I've always considered my allergies pretty minor but I think they've kicked up a notch.  But I'll cover all of that next week.

Right now, let's get to...




19 Brilliant Car Hacks to Ride In Style (and Save Money!)  (We can vouch for #9.  Nothing like the looks you get when you're plunging your car outside a Maui supermarket after a hit and run.  Incidentally, this is why you always get the LDW for rental cars, we've been hit twice.)

10 Unexpected Stressors That Are Wrecking Your Health  (Good stuff in here)

16 Stunning Portraits From The Vanity Fair Oscar Party  (Some seriously stunning pics.  I love the one of Jennifer and Justin)

35 Body-Positive Mantras to Say in Your Mirror Every Morning   (Some very good ones in here sprinkled with the cheesy ones)

This Friendship Between a Toddler And Her Piglet is Almost Too Adorable to Handle  (Make sure you watch the video.  Cute overload)

Deleted SLEEPY HOLLOW Selfie Scene (For those who want to see the whole "selfie" video from the finale.  It doesn't have spoilers, just a super fun video to watch.  The Sleepycast may have spoilers but I haven't listened to it)

Lemon Water For Digestion: Legit Or Quit?  (Good info for those who imbibe)

Signs That You Might Be Dorothy From The Golden Girls  (Um, holy crap.  Every line of it is me!)

The Best and Worst Foods to Eat Before Bed  (I've been thinking about adding tart cherry juice.  Anyone try it?)

Are These the 21 Best Fried Chicken Spots in America?  (I can vouch for Gus' and about blew a gasket when I saw they're coming to Chicago!)

3 Things You Didn’t Know Dry Shampoo Can Do   (Pretty cool tricks!)

Real-Life 'Notebook' Couple Dies Hand-in-Hand  (Good Lord, grab the tissues.  I so related when the man said to "fix her."  Grandpa was two years in thinking Grandma was somehow going to be "fixed" as well.  It's like the older generation doesn't get that dementia patients don't get better)

6 'Unhealthy' Foods That Blast Fat (I always lost weight when I ate baked potatoes.  I'll never cut those babies)

Nutella Jar Sparks Tragic House Fire  (Good info to know if you have glass on your window sills)

Here's What Really Happened To The Cars From 'Pimp My Ride'  (Wow)

Badass sea lion crashes family kayaking day  (My dream come true!  As long as it doesn't bite me!)

We don't really have anything planned for this weekend that I'm aware of.

How about you?  Anything fun planned?

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Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Romantic Coastal Mantel Refresh

Just before Valentines Day, I decided it was time to give the mantel a refresh.  I thought it would look nice in a spring motif that I could keep up for a bit.  I couldn't decide if I wanted to have a coastal feel or a romantic feel and then I decided what the heck, go for both!


I've decided to keep the window there for now so I needed something with a little height so I grabbed these upcycled candlesticks I made from old spools that didn't sell in my shop.  I told myself if they didn't sell after two renewals those bad boys were mine.

SNATCHIES!


The shell candle is a rogue gift my mom got me for Christmas that ended up looking nice there so I scattered some of the shells we got from Bar Harbor around it.  The light pink vase and flower were a clearance item I picked up from a vintage shop I loved that closed its doors.


On the other side is something I picked up specifically for that space for a little height and interest.  I was at a vintage store in the city and came across this beautiful stack of books (obviously de-spined) wrapped with antique crocheted lace and secured with a brooch.  For $24, I couldn't pass it up!  I needed something to bring a tad more height and I seem to be in love with tureens when I shop at antique stores so I couldn't resist this pretty tea rose tureen for $8.  They had a really bad faux plant in it that they were just going to give to me but I told them to keep it because I had a plant that would fit.  I didn't have a plant at the time but when we went to Trader Joe's later that night, I saw this white hyacinth for $2.50.  They had a brown crappy wrapper around the plant so I just used a piece of antique sheet music to wrap around it.  The Waltz in G never looked so good.

I can reuse the books over and over by just adding some new piece to the top of them or tuck some greens under the lace with an ornament or two at the holidays.  I love the romantic look of it all so I'm happy with my romantic coastal mantel to get me thinking spring even in the dead of winter.

Have you started putting any spring touches around your home?

Linked up with Bless'r House, French Country Cottage, Tater Tots and Jello, Sand & Sisal, Memories by the Mile, The Crafty Blog Stalker, Home Stories A to Z, Savvy Southern Style

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Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Challenging your body vs. breaking it

Exercise has been a consistent part of our lives since 2009.  Like I'm talking not missing any days unless we were on vacation and were just more active in lieu of "formal" workouts or we were severely sick and even that probably adds up to a week over that time.  It's a habit for us.  It's like brushing our teeth.  I'm not saying we always love doing it.  There are nights where we go down and ask "what do you want to do?" and the other answers "honestly, nothing" and the other agrees and then we pick something and do it.  Those are the times when you need to do it the most...when you're both on the same page in your lack of want and motivation.

After a while, the workouts that used to challenge you are now easier and burn less calories.  You begin searching out newer, harder workouts to get the calorie burn up and give you that soreness that you both love and loathe.  We went from doing things we thought were hard back in the day like Tae Bo, Powerstrike, Turbo Jam and even a few of the higher impact Gilad videos to upgrading to higher impact.  HIIT and tabata workouts became the goal.  They put your body through the paces with high impact for a shorter amount of time.  We added things like Turbo Fire (which have workouts varying from longer medium impact workouts to HIIT workouts up to 30 minutes), Supreme 90 Day, Power 90, Amy Dixon and others. For a while, it seemed to be working but instead of losing weight, we were leaning out.  That's fine when you're closer to your goal but when you're still close to 300 lbs, a lean 300 lbs isn't gonna get you on a zipline with a weight limit of 240 lbs.  The Mr and I would throw ourselves into these workouts and give it our all.  If we weren't soaked in sweat and feeling like a rag doll afterward, it didn't feel successful.  The problem was then we'd spend the rest of the week feeling broken...literally broken.  Hobbling around, sore every day to the point we uttered the phrase "I feel like I've been hit by/dragged behind a truck" more often than I care to recall.  Even a full rest day wouldn't give us the relief we hoped for.

Everything in the media was telling us that unless you were breaking your body down to build it back up and make it harder, faster and stronger, then you weren't doing exercise right.  Well that was fine...until it wasn't.  I finally broke my body when I got Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome and muscle issues.  I was forced into non-weight bearing exercise for a time and then a slow build up with low impact.  When I wasn't blowing it on the weekends, I was actually losing weight.  Could this crap we're being fed about exercise needing to be extreme and all pain for gain not actually be right for the average person?

That mentality seems to dominate our exercise culture these days.  I see stuff like this pop up in my feed all the time...

(via)

I might've believed that even as recently as a year ago but I'm sorry that mentality does not fly with me anymore.  While I get why some people respond to that kind of message, I feel it's actually a little irresponsible to promote it.  I mean look at her.  How many people do you know that look like that??  How many extreme athletes do you know?  I'm pretty sure the majority of us are just looking for workouts we can easily fit into our busy schedules and if they can be fun over feeling like exercise, then bonus for us.  But instead we're spoon fed this mentality that we're not exercising with some extreme attitude then why bother?  That mentality may be how true athletes train but not the average person.  I'm not saying do something so light that you're not out of your comfort zone and sweating but I don't need to "put my body through the pain", thank you.

I'm finally over that injury I gave myself from our New England vacation and know how to keep it at bay.  I'm not going to go back to some batshit mentality of 'break it down to build it up' again.  Frankly, I'm too old for that crap.  Maybe if I had the joints of a 20 year old it would be okay for a time and if I gave a crap about being 10% body fat.  But I don't.

If I put intensity in my workout without doing box jumps, slamming down on my knees like a jackhammer and trying to see how far I can push my body before I end up back at the chiro...I can still lose weight.  I have been doing low to medium impact and three strength sessions with focus on legs and upper body without feeling like being dragged by a truck and seeing results.  Adding speedbags or punches in places where an instructor is babbling or there is a lull does a lot to keep my heart rate up and burn more calories.  It also helps that I've cut 100-200 calories daily in places I didn't need extras.

I still do Turbo Fire (not the HIITs), Walk Away the Pounds, Power 90 (modified if need be), Tae Bo, Gilad, Powerstrike and Fitness Blender workouts and while we do feel a little burnt out since we can recite dialogue...they get the job done.  Over the summer, we plan to add more outdoor activities to shake things up but when it's zero outside, we can't even think about that right now but it's something to look forward to.  No...they won't be high impact but I can assume we'll be sore and work our bodies in new ways.

It's fine to try out fitness trends to see what may and may not breathe new life into your fitness routine but it's not worth breaking your body over.

Have you ever tried a more extreme workout or fitness fad that was detrimental instead of helpful?

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Monday, February 23, 2015

Snowy Winter Fun

Happy Happy Monday y'all!!!

Our weekend got thrown off kilter because our company we were supposed to have cancelled on us.  We had a nice little downpour of snow and we knew the likelihood of them showing up was next to nothing even though the snow stopped by the time they would've been due to arrive.  So then that left us up to our own devices.

We got a burger for lunch and when the Mr got back, I informed him my battery was dying as my remote starter was putzing on the turnover.  We replaced our old clunky car battery charger with a newer car jump starter and this would be our first chance to use it.  It was on there for as long it took him to hook it up, walk to the drivers seat and turn it over.  BOOM!  This will come in handy for sure on road trips for that added peace of mind especially if we go somewhere in colder weather.  I think it also charges electronics and stuff too.  It's so much smaller than our other one that took forever to charge and rarely held its charge for long periods of time.  Thumbs up!

Then watched an ungodly amount of HGTV and the Mr said he was getting cabin fever after he shoveled the driveway and our sidewalk and both neighbors sidewalks.  I checked sunset for our area and told him to grab the thermals and skis.  After we WAY overdressed, we headed off to the state park and got in our first (hopefully not only) round of snow shoeing and skiing!




I may have gotten mah jeans a little wet!


Thankfully I was wearing my calf compression sleeves (affiliate link) and thermals underneath so the wetness never even got to the sleeves!  Oh and for any Beekman Boys fans out there, I got their alpaca shoe inserts for such adventures in the snow and they kept both of our feet toasty warm!   Woot for warmth!

The Mr was quite pleased with our burn.  (I burned the same.  I wore my HRM)


Sunday was a pretty laid back day.  We didn't get to bed until about 3:00am so we stayed in bed until about 11am.  Luckily we did most of our grocery shopping Friday night so we just had to grab produce from the last store so we did that after our strength workout.  I don't know why but we just weren't into it.  I do so much better when I have someone telling me what to do so no more freestylin' free weights.

We tuned into the Oscars later just because no other shows wanted to go up against it.  Tonight is the Sleepy Hollow finale and it's supposed to be epic and is directed by the same person who did the pilot.  We are praying that it gets picked up for season three because the twist in last week's episode would make for an AMAZING season.  So you know, if any of you want to turn on one of the TV's in your house tonight to Sleepy Hollow to help up the ratings, I wouldn't be mad at ya!  ;-)

What did you do this weekend?

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Friday, February 20, 2015

No decor and what I'm reading this week

Well howdy do, Friday.  Nice to see ya.

As usual, we have company coming tomorrow and a house to clean today.  Oy.  What's worse is since I finished up the remodel last year just in time for fall decorating, I realize that I don't have much in the way of every day decor for the armoire.  So I have to find some stuff to throw together to make things look presentable instead of stark.

But enough of my lack of accessories, lets get to...



10 Secrets the Airlines Don't Want You to Know  (Don't fly without a copy of this with you!)

Being Thin Didn't Make Me Happy, But Being 'Fat' Does  (A great point of view)

Feeling Frozen? These are the Best Beaches in the World According to TripAdvisor  (I've been to a few of those!)

Here's How To Avoid One Of The Most Common Life Regrets  (That's why we do it now in case we can't later)

9 Jaw-Dropping Home Exterior Makeovers  (Some in not so good of a way but most are beautiful!)

Want To Work Out More? Think Of Yourself Like This  (I am a fit person who ziplines regularly after doing low impact workouts and watching my diet 6 days a week.  *poof*)

Phil Hartman's Daughter Attends 'Saturday Night Live' 40th Anniversary in Her Father's Honor  (Wow, she is a STUNNER!  Her papa would be so proud)

The Bright Side of Negative Thinking  (I knew my way was right!  HA!  Actually a lot of this makes sense especially the part about visualization vs. effort)

The Real's Loni Love Breaks Down While Discussing Her Body: "I Don't Feel Good About Myself Sometimes"   (Never heard of this show but I love Loni and wanted to give her a big 'ol hug after I stopped blubbering in empathy)

This Happy Hour Fave Could Shrink Fat Cells  (I added this this week.  We'll see if it does anything)

Oliver Sacks on Learning He Has Terminal Cancer  (Courtesy of the Mr)

Why "Eat Less, Move More" Is the Least Helpful Diet Advice Ever  (A to the MEN brother!  I want to punch people in the teeth when I hear that.  It's usually uttered by a-holes who have never been on a significant weight loss escapade)

5-Ingredient, 25-minute chocolate chip cookies are insanely easy   (I want to try these!)

27 Awesome Vintage Behind-The-Scenes Photos From 22 Years On “SNL”  (Lucky bastard)

We're supposed to have more snow.  I hope to get out and play in it before the temps drop back down to zero Monday.  Yeah.  Kinda over it.

Whatcha'll doing this weekend?

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Thursday, February 19, 2015

When goals change

The first thing people typically do when they decide to lose weight is they set a goal weight.  Various factors usually go into determining this number.  It can be a number you remember feeling and looking your best.  It can be what the doctors deem a healthy weight for your height.  It could be throwing a dart at a number and leaving it up to chance, see if you get there and go from there.

When I started, I was 494 lbs.  (Damn it still feels weird to type that.)  What's also weird to type is at 283 lbs, I'm also at a weight that are many people's "before" or that number that makes them smack themselves in the forehead and say "damn...I've gotta do something."  That kind of sucks.  It kind of makes it feel like that 211 lbs off doesn't mean much when people don't know your back story.  But I can't compare myself to someone else's expectation of what I should weigh.  I know how hard I've worked up to this point and the maintenance that's happened to keep most of it off.

When I began, I chose my "goal weight" as 170 lbs.  It was the high end of normal for someone my height and I would probably teeter between normal and overweight on the doctors scale for the rest of my life and that was something I was totally fine with.  As things have slowed to a crawl over the past few years, I've had to reassess whether or not that elusive number was something that was something I wanted hanging over me.  In the past getting into the 100's was something that I felt like I had to do just once in my married life.  Like somehow hitting that set of numbers was going to make unicorns fly out of my butt.

When I think to a time when I was happy with my body, that number was 220 lbs.  That's what I weighed when I went to prom and when I look at prom pics, I would love that body again.  Yes, I know it will be older, more wrinkled and baggy and such and that's okay with me.  When I was in high school, I dieted and lost 35 lbs before prom and felt good.  The Mr has always liked a girl with more meat on her bones (I bet he didn't count on having the whole butcher shop at my heaviest but God love him, he stuck with me) but he's always said he's not sure he would like me at 170 pounds.  Boy wouldn't that be a kick in the butt to get to that elusive "goal weight" only to have your hubby wish you had another 20-30 pounds on ya?  HA!

I've still got that prom dress and my goal is to get back into it.  At 220 lbs, a LOT more options will open up for me as far as activities we want to do that have a weight limit.  Ziplining on Maui is something we've always wanted to do and the weight limit is 240 lbs.  I can't zip nekkid so I need to give myself some cushion between wearing clothes and salt intake of Hawaiian food.  Parasailing would be nice and the weight limit is similar.  If we want to do tandem we both couldn't be over 225 lbs each.  I'd like to be able to rent any kind of kayak I want on vacation and those usually have a 250 lb limit.  Indoor skydiving, horseback riding...all of these things have similar weight limits and I'm tired of my weight limiting me.

I may never see the 100's and in order to live a fulfilling life, I don't need to.  But to live the kind of life I want to live without limits, I will need to get 63 more pounds off and trust me that sounds way better and more doable than 113 more pounds.  Once I get to 220 lbs, if I lose more, I lose more but I'm not going to feel bad about myself for never getting to Hundie Town.  (I refuse to call it "Onderland"...that phrase makes me want to puke)  I just want to break through that last barrier that is holding me, no, us back.  When I was dreaming about being that person kayaking the Hanalei one day and then that dream came true, I should've used that inspiration to kick myself in the ass two years ago.  But I need to remember how that feels and how wonderful it would feel to do all of those awesome things I'm still dreaming of doing in Hawaii.

Do you have a goal weight?  Has it changed as your journey has changed?

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Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Heavy snow but too cold, lightening up and movie night



Okay, I'm a winter person but if this snow crap is going to keep happening and it's too friggin' cold to go out and enjoy it, then I guess I give up on snow shoeing this year.  GRRRR!!!  I think the only time we *might* be able to get out there is on Saturday morning but it'll still be colder than the arctic in the morning and not close to freezing until 3pm.  We've got company coming not too long after so we can't wait that long.  Wah wah.

I had to take it easy on the exercise front yesterday.  I don't know what the heck I did to my hamstring on the back of my right knee but it hurt like a mutha.  No amount of rolling or icing really relieved it much.  All I did the night before was our version of Walk Away the Pounds.  I think it didn't like me running the outline of the mats a few times because that's the only thing that isn't in the DVD version.  So I guess I'll have to be careful with that in the future.  I'm done killing myself for the sake of an 'X calories burned' badge vs. a 'can you walk the next day' badge.  A resistance band workout was just the ticket and still mixed it up for us.  Dinner was rosemary orange langostinos over thai lime rice and Parisian carrots.  Yum!

We decided to rent a few movies...Birdman and Dumb and Dumber To.  Honestly, I had no expectations for either movie.  Despite loving the original Dumb and Dumber, I assumed from the trailer that this sequel could likely be a mistake of gargantuan proportions.

When a movie ends and you both roll your eyes and say "are you effin' kidding me?" in unison, then you know you have just wasted a few hours of your life you will never get back.  No, that was not Dumb and Dumber...it was Birdman.  Top five worst movies I've ever seen.  I hexed the DVD to explode into a thousand tiny shards in the case once the video store scans it back and we are no longer liable for it anymore just so others wouldn't be subjected to it.   If you're one of the people who loved it, good on ya.  You're more elevated than we are and I'm totally fine with that.

Then it was on to Dumb and Dumber To .  (affiliate link) I have to say while there was no way it could live up to the original, it was funnier than I thought it would be.  Some great cameos as well...(hello Bill Murray!)  The credits were a nice throwback and make sure you watch until after the credits if you rent it.  There was a nice 45 minute bonus featurette on the rental.  Of course you have to own it to see the gag reel, deleted/extended scenes and alternate opening.  The score was disappointing especially when you had such great songs like Boomshakala and Short Skirt, Long Jacket from the original.  But they don't make music like they used to.  Sigh.  But it was nice to see the Mutt Cutts mobile again, especially since the Mr and I sat beside it in person at a Planet Hollywood gala back in the 90's.  It's sad that it was left sitting out in the elements.  Talk about disrespecting a piece of movie history.

Do you typically like critically acclaimed movies or are you always in the opposite camp of the critics?

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Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Numbers game



Ever since we got serious about weight loss, numbers have been the mainstay in my life.  How much do I weigh?   How many calories did I eat?  How many calories will I eat tomorrow?  How many calories did I burn during that workout?  What is my heart rate?  I need to get my heart rate higher.  How many inches did I lose or gain?  How many grams in that serving?  What is my blood pressure?  It is completely draining to think about those numbers almost every single day.

Ever since we've come back from Chicago, I've been reluctant to jump back on wearing my heart rate monitor and tracking my food.  I don't do it the first week back, ever.  I just like getting back to normal eating and exercising without the pressure of those numbers beating down on me.  This time, I'll admit, I just wasn't feeling getting back into that on week two.  I feel like I may be doing damage to the Mr by not tracking because I know it helps him when I have dinner pre-planned and with this illness, I've just felt like I'm lucky to even get dinner made.  It's like I don't mind making it but I don't get excited for dinner because I can barely taste it so meal time has just become this reminder of being sick.  Then I think "well, maybe you're being punished for all the years you've used food for recreation and now you'll never fully taste anything again."  But if nothing else, I need to pre-plan dinners to help him and encourage him to track because I know he's very successful when he tracks.

I don't think it will be a permanent thing for me as far as not tracking food and calories burned because I admit I'm sure there will be a point it's going to bite me in the butt and I'll be frustrated when I don't have any notes to look back on to see a pattern.  I guess I'm just trying to see how long I can get away with it and keep that stress off of myself and hopefully be successful.  I don't ever see myself being one of those "intuitive eaters" but who knows, stranger things have happened.  I just know what we've been doing hasn't been working and something needs to change but I don't quite know what yet.  I can only see how this goes and then start the tweak game if things head south.  It's an approach I've never really done before but I need to make it work in a way that will benefit both of us.

Do you find yourself stressed out by all of the numbers you need to keep track of while trying to lose weight?

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Monday, February 16, 2015

Thieves, Valentines Day and SNL immersion

Picture it...Sicily, 1922.

Wait, wrong scenario.

Picture it, Friday, chiropractor.  I'm done with my last visit for a month and I go to pay.  She swipes my card, gives the machine a puzzled look and says "I've never seen that before.  Can I swipe it again?"  I was a little nervous because I didn't want to get charged twice so I let her swipe it again and she said "it's asking me to force a sale and I don't feel comfortable doing that."  I had my checkbook on me, thank God, so I paid with a check but there's nothing like that feeling you get when everyone is judging you for being a deadbeat.  We pay off our balance every month so I knew that being declined being my fault wasn't a possibility.  The woman said to call the credit card company when I get home just to see what's up.  So the Mr called.  Come to find out our card number was likely sold and when it came up trying to be used in France, Oklahoma and Missouri in the same 24 hour period, the credit card company flagged it and declined it.  Son of a BITCH!  Only two charges went through and for under $60 total which we'll have to dispute but we're not responsible for.  We had to change our card when the Target breach happened and I wouldn't be surprised if this is related to the Home Depot breach where they sit on peoples card numbers just long enough for them to stop checking their statements regularly and then release the hounds.  So here we are AGAIN having to get a new card.  So irritating.  Check your statements regularly people.

Valentines Day we were basically snowed in and that was fine because we didn't have plans anyway.  I did gift the Mr a spa day.  He looked horrified at first but when I informed him I would be the one administering it, he loosened up.  Mani/pedi and massage.  His shoulder has been hurting him pretty bad lately and to save us in chiropractor bills, I thought I'd give it a go on working it out.  He said it's much better so I'll work it out for him over the next week or two daily if he wants to keep it from kinking back up.

Speaking of kink, anyone see Fifty Shades of Grey?  I haven't read the books and the snippet I did read online I couldn't get past the incredibly bad writing style so it just didn't appeal to me.  I hope that the movie is good for the sake of the people who are seeing it simply based off the enjoyment of the books.  The main characters cast in that movie look like they just hate each other in the press junkets I've had thrust upon me.  Jamie Dornan (whom I loved in Once Upon a Time back in the day) almost seems like he is irritated to be in it from all of the interviews I've seen.  Too bad David Beckham didn't want to transition into acting because I think I'd have camped out to see it then.
Me-ow.

Last night we indulged in a night full of Saturday Night Live and their 40th anniversary.

(via)

Mr. Robinson's neighborhood ("WHO IS IT??"), Bill Murray as Hercules ("That boulder is too large. I could lift a smaller one"), Billy Crystal as Fernando ("you look mahvelous")   I don't know why I remember a particular sketch with Father Guido Sarducci where he would throw spaghetti on the ceiling to see when it was done and when it fell he'd call for his dog Sport.  I thought that was the most hilarious thing I ever saw as a kid.  Well that and Ed Grimley ("I must say")   I annoyingly imitated the Church Lady, Hans and Franz and Wayne's World throughout high school and the Mr and I bonded over those classic moments during our dating years.  Of course our newer classics like Colonel AngusStefon (my FAVE!), Dick in a Box (a Christmas classic!) and others.  It was a great night long celebration.

What were some of your favorite SNL skits?  If you never watched, what did you do this weekend?

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Friday, February 13, 2015

Thanks and what I'm reading this week

Happy Friday all!

Thanks so much for your great comments on our posts this week.  Bear with us as we take our time to come up with a plan that we think will benefit us going forward.  As soon as we know, you'll know.

Until then, let's get to...



17 Ways To Age-Proof Your Brain  (Exercise that grey matter!)

80-Year-Old Woman Sets A Half Marathon Record  (Get it, girl!)

Cat Mourns His Dog Friend in the Sweetest Way  (Awww, nugget)

10 Google Maps Tricks That Might Surprise You   (I'm definitely using some of these)

Man Misses Whale 2 Feet Away Because He Was Glued to His Phone  (A good reminder to put your damn phone down!  Video starts on landing)

A Global Message From Leading Plus-Size Fitness Experts and Athletes  (Good stuff!)

Nightmare Home Renovation: What HGTV Forgot To Tell You  (I would be so not good in a home reno situation.  They would hate me.  But the workers would love me because I'd feed them.)

What It Really Means To Have A Panic Attack  (Stressed out people, please stop saying you're having a panic attack if you've never actually been through one.  Trust me, you wouldn't throw the term around if you had)

6 Reasons You’re Not Getting a Good Night’s Sleep  (What I wouldn't give for one complete night's sleep without getting up even once to pee!)

You can now choose who will manage your Facebook account after you die  (This is a good idea as long as they don't mess it up with privacy stuff.  I knew a 17 year old who didn't expect to get in a fatal accident and I'm sure she would've wanted her mom to have control over her page)

The History of the Conversation Heart  (Interesting tidbit on this pre-Valentines day!)

Why The FDA Is Warning People About Dark Chocolate  (Those with milk allergies, listen up!)

10 Future Stars Who Appeared on 'The Office'  (Man I miss the early days of The Office.  Pam and Jim in the flirt stage forever!!)

Dog Shows Up at Hospital Where Owner Is Battling Cancer  (OMG, this is so amazing!)

We don't really have any plans for the weekend.  Cleaning maybe?  I know, romantic.

Any plans for the weekend?

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Thursday, February 12, 2015

The Mr's perspective



Recently the Mrs. shared some insight with everyone about how we've started to finally get real with ourselves about the recent lack of “success along the weigh” and how we’re in the early stages of righting the ship so to speak. I wanted to provide a bit of my own perspective on things as maybe it will help some of you out there who either need to lose some weight or just have other goals they've been working towards that have continued to elude them.

When we started losing weight (not for the first time but for the first time we’d had any real success) I weighed 455 lbs. I had a lot of reasons to lose weight but the one reason that mattered most wasn't one of them at first - Me. I was frustrated, of course, with my weight but always kind of blamed it on other things. Outside forces. When we really got going with the weight loss it was after I’d had a bit of a health scare, a fatty liver. I don’t smoke or drink and yet here was proof that fat kills and it finally kind of kicked my arse into gear. We did so amazingly well and I owe a ton of that success to the Mrs. because she not only lost more than me but it was her amazing cooking, unwavering attitude and resiliency that helped get both of us through some of the tougher times at the start and through it all.

When the weight was really rolling off of me people took notice. I was like some kind of celebrity at work, constantly getting compliments from people and secretly loving every minute of it to the point where it started to go to my head. Actually it did go to my head. I had every reason to be proud but I started to believe I was already at goal the way people were talking.  They’d say “you look skinny now” and stuff that honestly makes no sense for someone who, even at my lowest weight, was still 6 feet tall and 265 lbs. What’s funny is how all those same people not only stopped commenting but I get the feeling like they’re afraid to say anything at all since I've gained back 30 lbs. Sure I haven’t gone on some huge backslide. The Mrs. pointed out that we kind of have our vacations (mostly) to blame for our lack of progress but deep down I know it has even more to do with just how comfortable I got being 265. I was pretty happy there to be honest and I was more than willing to stay there and maintain that if I couldn't get the weight loss engine to budge any further.

It’s when the compliments stop that you first start to realize what should have been obvious all along. I’d gotten complacent. We were still doing all the right things during the week. From time to time we’d go a bit overboard on our cheat day and know we screwed ourselves a bit and then we’d make adjustments. I still believe the cheat days are important but I think we both know there are adjustments that were made but not entirely followed. We both know we can and will do better there.

Ultimately, though, we've spun our wheels for a few years now and it’s finally caught up to us. The good thing is we are taking notice of it now before it’s too late and back to square one again. I think that is the point I’d like to make. The whole idea of success, at least in my journey, doesn’t always come from meeting your goals 1-2-3. Sometimes you have to adjust things as you go and real success comes from learning from your mistakes, quickly if you can, making the right adjustments and tweaks, and getting right back to the goal you made. I firmly believe we are doing that now. We have a lot to figure out yet.  We’re still in that adjustment phase. I know the Mrs.will share what we learn from this and hopefully all of you can benefit from it too.

In a way I finally realized that after all the initial weight loss success, all the compliments, all the glory, I still have to finish this and it’s really all within my power to do so. I know that the person
beside me through all of this will help me and I know I will do whatever it takes to help her too.  I think we’re finally waking up from a slumber of complacency and that has me as excited and focused as ever!


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Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Make a new plan, Stan


I saw that little gem on Kelly's blog and I had to share it.  Mostly because it really hit a chord from a talk the Mr and I had the night before.  It's something I need to remember but slowly has also become practically a stand still over the past few years and that's not okay.

We'll call this post the "coming clean" post for those of you wondering why the hell someone who still has about 80-100 lbs to lose has basically stop consistently blogging about weight loss.

Monday night, the Mr and I were both in an emotional funk.  A glance over last years workout calendar showed that we both had basically been bouncing between the same 10 lbs all year.  He ended the year the same weight as he entered it, I ended it 3 lbs higher than I started it.  This has been the trend the past two or three years.  Pretty much since we began adding a fall vacation.  While we feel blessed to be able to take multiple vacations in a year, it doesn't do much for our waistlines ever being able to do more than catch up to the previous pre-vacation weight (if we're lucky) before we go on the next one.

It was so "easy" when I was almost 500 lbs because I could do something as easy as cut my portions by a third and 40 lbs dropped off with no exercise.  I could do relatively light to moderate cardio and have an entire weekend of eating out if I wanted to and lose 2 lbs per week like clockwork.  I ate crap like Lean Pockets and no salt tortilla chips for lunch and somehow thought that was healthy and lost weight on it.  Then when I got under 300 lbs, the weight I pretty much spent a good deal of my life, it was like my body settled there and didn't want to leave that spot.  We ate healthier (whole foods over processed crap), only one day of indulgence, upped the cardio and strength and it was two years of something working for two weeks, not working for three.  Losing three pounds, gaining one, staying the same, gaining two and a month's work would be down the toilet all to end the month the same weight I started it.  Yes, I measured.  No, I lost nothing.  Yes, we had medical tests run.  No, no medical reason for the stand still.  This cycle just bred an indifference in us that still made it so we exercised and ate right 6 days a week but honestly, we had no expectations anymore.  Because every time "on paper" it looked like we should've lost 1-2 pounds, we'd either lose nothing or worse, gain.  Examining every number from calories in to calories out was a part of the routine but also maddening.  I became obsessed only to be disappointed and feel hopeless.  We are not one of those people who are going to jump on a fad diet that has been repackaged for a new generation because we need something that we can do for life.  I refuse to "jump start" only to gain weight back when I go back to whole grains and, gasp, fruit.

There was a time where if you asked me "if you didn't lose another pound, could you be happy at this weight?" we both would've said yes.  That was 20 lbs ago from my lowest ever recorded weight and 30 lbs for the Mr.  I still have stayed on the right side of that 200 lbs lost mark which means a lot to me but I'm tired of looking at pictures taken and not liking what I see again.  I'm tired of clothes I bought for a trip back in 2011 being put in the "too tight" drawer because they now cling instead of have a 'form fitting' appearance.  I'm tired of the pair of jeans I bought three years ago from Old Navy that are the perfect cut, wash and amount of stretch still taunting me with the tags on.  I can zip them but if I sat down the button would probably fly off and kill someone.  I don't care to do time for involuntary manslaughter.

We are both getting depressed over the weight and I'll be honest, 2014 was just a year of indifference from me all the way around.  From my weight to my business to my happiness.  I was blessed enough to be able to have a wonderful getaway to San Francisco and Carmel for a few weeks and then our almost two weeks away to New England in the fall.  We reached milestones we never thought we would in walking the 12 miles in San Fran and it felt like a new world opened up, at least to me.  But again, there was that cycle.  No longer does vacation weight fall off in 2-3 weeks like it did in the past, it can take 2-5 months and then we're off to the next vacation and repeat the cycle and then of course there's the holidays.  You can't make cookies for others without taste testing them first right?  Then you make cookies for yourself for Christmas.  Then that whole week of Christmas is ridiculous with like 4 gatherings for us so we didn't even bother weighing in that Saturday after Christmas.  I just couldn't do it.  Our psyches are vulnerable.  When we came back from Chicago, I didn't want to weigh in either.  I couldn't do it especially knowing I couldn't taste half of it and thinking of all of the weight (half of it water weight, I'm sure) I put on basically for nothing.  When I weighed in a week later, I was only up a pound which I was happy with and am now back to what I was before the trip but still up 20 lbs from my lowest.

I remember a time when I thought how toned my forearms were looking and now all I can see is how hammy they look.  Those compliments that used to flow from people have stopped and then the few times you get them from people you haven't seen in a year or two feel like it was said out of politeness because you KNOW you've gained weight since you saw them last.  Now it feels like any compliment is unwarranted and I hate feeling that way too because it all stems from lack of pride in myself and my lack of progress.

This is really just kind of a coming clean.  We're in the process of trying to decide what direction we want to take.  I have been doing a little experiment since we came back and I'm waiting to see if it either bites me in the ass this week or if the steroids I'm on to get better are going to throw a big fat wrench into things.  I'm going to try to stay positive since there's nothing I can do about the meds right now.  So I'll elaborate more as we muddle through a few more conversations.


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Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Golden arches, faux stick and bottomless pit

Top of the mornin' to ya!

I think this week may be my final appointment with the chiro.  I don't want to jinx myself but when I thought the tendon problem was coming back after walking almost 40 miles in Chicago, I saw that as long as I do 2 really good digging sessions in my arches to keep them pliable as well as a rolling session on the arches and lower leg, the tugging has been kept at bay.  Then they'll truly be golden arches.  Of course I haven't done any really hard core workouts either because I didn't want to jack myself up right away.  I will add some more normal cardio back into the routine this week and continue focusing on the legs more during strength workouts and hope for the best.  If I do that and if my pain level keeps up as it has the past week, he likely won't order any more visits except for an as needed basis.  Woot!  I will continue to go to him right after a vacation where my routine has changed for a week or more just to make sure he makes sure I didn't do any damage and can work out any potential kinks.  He agreed that was a good idea when I mentioned it to him.

When we went to Chicago and I forgot my "Stick(affiliate link) (hard roller), I freaked because it would've saved me a lot of pain and my weenie little tennis ball just couldn't work out the kinks.  So I ordered a version to keep in my suitcase all the time so I won't ever forget it.  The Stick's price went up a little and I'm too cheap to pay more for an extra one.  So I found this one:

Massage Stick (affiliate link)

It'll do for a vacation but it's not flexible like my regular one so I'd say for the extra $8, if you're considering it, get the original.  I love that baby.  But this will be fine to keep in the suitcase so I never find myself without one and now that the Mr needs to roll regularly now (a fact he's desperately trying to deny), we'll both be glad it's with us.

I was ravenous about an hour before my usual lunchtime and I wondered if it was due to the steroid treatment or not.  I held out and chugged water to try to appease the beast.  Even as I type this and have had my dinner and snack, I find myself wanting something else and it sucks to feel that way.  Is this why they say people gain weight on steroid therapies because of this bottomless pit feeling?

My smell was a little diminished again yesterday which got me whining.  I know I'm early in treatment (day four) but when you're on week seven of dealing with it as a whole, you just want everything to be done.  I made chili for dinner and I couldn't smell the onions I was cutting or even the serrano and jalapeno peppers!  I think that early kick of 70-80% smell on Saturday was a 'gift' as the Mr called it.  A hint of relief to come I think.  I must be patient.  HA...fat chance.

We went down and ended up gabbing for about 45 minutes.  It was a good talk and I'll likely share a bit of it tomorrow.  Then we did Power 90 and it was time for dinner.  The chili was good, I think.  The Mr seemed to love it so I guess that's a plus.  We settled in for Sleepy Hollow (which is thankfully righting itself after 70% of the season going a little sideways) and then I flipped to Tom's (Ichabod's) favorite show the Great British Bake Off just after Sleepy Hollow.  It only seemed right.  They were making pasties (pass-tees).  We had some of those in Traverse City and while I wanted to love them, we both found them bland.  I hope these people had better luck with theirs.  Thankfully my not so savory experience with them didn't make me want to eat them or attack the fridge.  Why is it when we're hungry many of us watch cooking shows?

Makes sense...*rolling eyes*

Are you patient when recovering from an injury or illness?  Do you find yourself inadvertently watching cooking shows when you're hungry?

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Monday, February 9, 2015

Face flossing with Dr. Awkward, retail therapy and Sunday not so fun day

Happy Monday you sexy beasts!

Well Friday I went to my ENT appointment.  I grew up in a family of nurses and I think their complaining about how patients forget some critical pieces of info during exams has always stuck with me because I go in with a detailed list of my illness.  I'm talking a timeline when things started, any symptoms I've had, any methods used to treat them, when I would start to feel better and/or worse, etc.  90% of doctors or nurses always mentioned how incredibly helpful that information is and how they wished all of their patients were as thorough.  The nurse commented on it and thanked me for the info.  She took my weight, oxygen levels and blood pressure.  I told her it would probably be high as I had "white coat syndrome"  (aka nervous) but it was actually 124/77 which is pretty close to my usual 115/70 so I was happy with that.

When he came in, I could instantly tell he hadn't read a thing.  He skimmed and basically thought my one page of info with attached Doctor on Demand notes were a detailed list of the many sinus issues I've had.  Asshat.

*shaking head*

His bedside manner was a little awkward and he seemed kind of like he wanted to shove his theories on me over actually listening to what I was saying and he also talked to the Mr more than he talked to me.  Hello...I'M the patient!  Don't get me wrong he was nice enough but I prefer a doctor who actually listens over asking me a bunch of questions I already wrote down for him.  He packed my nostrils with anesthetic soaked gauze and I didn't even know he left them in there because my nose always felt that way anyway.  He pulled them out and then did the spaghetti scope.  I barely felt anything at all.  It just felt like he stuck a limp swab at the top of my nose but after the fact, the Mr said he put about 60% of the hose all the way in both nostrils.

Glad I didn't know that at the time!  HA!

But he said everything looked good and my nose looked healthy, no signs of infection or polyps or anything.  He did note a slight deviation of the septum on the right side which is likely why the right side felt more full to me.  It didn't seem enough to warrant concern from him but it does explain a lot for me.  For the past 2 years, I've noticed a significant decrease in functionality on my right nostril.  I'm always way more congested on that side and sometimes I've even had to use all natural nose spray to even attempt to open that nostril to breathe and taste especially this past year.  It's really scared me and now that gives me a bit of an explanation for it.  He said since I had sinus pressure, ear fullness on the left side and the diminished taste/smell that he thinks it's due to inflammation that happened when I initially got sick and it just never went away.  So I'm on a week long course of oral steroids as well as a nasal spray steroid which I take until I see him again in a month after I have a CT scan of the nasal cavity done once treatment is done.  I'm assuming if I feel better, it comes back clear and only if I'm still having issues could there either be something more serious or if there is some kind of damage done where I'll have to deal with this long term.  (A possibility he mentioned but he seems to think it's more inflammation related)  I got a little dizzy after the first dose of roids but I'm wondering if it was my ears equalizing because after a month and a half of being all weird in there, it may take a few days to re-orient stuff.  I did notice an improvement with the first dose so it if keeps up like that and I can get the all clear in a month, I will be one happy wench!

Saturday was a good day and my taste and smell were probably about 70-80% depending on the time of day with my right side not wanting to fully open.  We walked and shopped the city for about 3 miles.  I got some stuff to fill a spot in the mantle that needed a little somethin' and we stopped in this closing store on a whim and found this adorable print that we were going to buy in Traverse City two years ago but passed on due to price.



With the going out of business sale percent off, we scored it for $10!!  It'll go in the office to remind us of our pup and the fact it's listening to smooth jazz is a plus since I'm a smooth jazz freak.

Sunday, I was just in a grumpy mood.  At 2:30am (about 10 minutes after we came to bed) we were jolted by the sound of six gunshots right in a row going off close enough to be of serious concern.  We called the police and 30 minutes later they showed up in the area.  Yeah so to whomever kicked the bucket waiting for them to get there...we tried.  It seems like there are so many flags trying to tell us it's time to move on.  Asshole neighbors on either side, barking dogs completely surrounding us so that I now have to blast the TV in an attempt to cover the sound, jerk neighbor across the street, a peeping tom incident was reported a few months ago, the Christmas vandals (kids), the constant traffic where we can't even get out and when we do, we wait for 10 minutes to go two miles.  Ideally, we'd start looking seriously toward the end of next year when we've got a year of mortgage saving under our belt and then pray that something we love pops up.  I'm not moving for anything less than awesome (meaning I can overlook cosmetic but has to be something I love from the outside with good bones) because this will be our last home unless we decide to move somewhere to retire.  I also will not move to a place that will bump up our expenses by more than $200/mo.  We are accustomed to our lifestyle and if that means we have to save another few years to get there, then I'll have to find a way to deal with it.  I'm not going to move somewhere so that we suddenly can't take vacations or anything like that.  Call me greedy...I like our lifestyle.

We had to do our grocery rounds and got to it late so Trader Joe's was a mad house and I feel like I forgot something.  It was sad to pass up my stuffed flounders for the first time but it had to be done.  Quality has gone too far down to be worth the money.  Then when we got back, it was tax time.  We got a refund so there's nothing to boo hoo about but it's just a pain in the butt to get everything together.  I picked up a little organizer for a buck at Target to hopefully keep me on track this year with receipts and such.  I'm tired of throwing everything into the black hole and hoping it doesn't get sucked into the abyss.

Oh yeah, I did hear back from the VRBO place that we liked the best so I think we're booked for everything and now it's time to start planning stuff!  I'm hoping we can meet up with my old boss who lives about 2 1/2 hours from our southern most stop.  She was like a mom to me before the bureaucracy of higher ups got to her just before retirement but I don't blame her for all of that crap.  I'd just be glad to see her and her hubby and catch up in person for once instead of email.  We don't carve out much time with others when we vacation as a rule but I fear this could be my last chance to see her.  Friday I found out the nicest man I ever knew that I used to work with died last year and he was only 51.  I can't live my life in the haze that there will always be another year to catch up, get together, etc.  Someday isn't promised and I want to take advantage of opportunities when I get the chance.

Sorry, this was a rather long winded recap!  If you got this far, pat yourself on the back.

Go ahead...I'll wait.

What did you do this weekend?

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Friday, February 6, 2015

ENT day and what I'm reading this week

Well, today is the day.  If some of you read this when you get to work, then I'll probably have a hose in my face right now.  You know, that's not even what I'm nervous about.  I'm more nervous of what he's going to try to put me on.  I really do NOT want to go through these horror story instances where someone has been through 3 rounds of antibiotics that didn't work then multiple sinus surgeries that may or may not work.  I hope I'm wrong and there's some miracle he can perform with no meds/procedures to get me better.  I'm hoping this Oil of Oregano everyone swears by will do something (I'm on day 3), I just don't want scary meds.

I know, I know.  I said I wasn't going to go on the internet.  

I did.

While I'm getting my nasal passages flossed, how about you catch up on...





Best Injury-Preventing Exercises  (Excellent ones in here)

Harold Ramis Auditorium dedicated in Woodstock, IL  (We were in that theater a few weeks ago!)

Stop the flu: Wash your dirty winter gloves  (Did this after Chicago when I realized how many disgusting things I touched over the course of a week)

The Time of Your Life — the Most Famous Dance Movie Locations Unveiled  (You know I just added some locations to future vacation lists)

How Much Should You Exercise to Lose Weight?  (Ugh, if I must)

16 Packing Hacks from Travel Experts  (Good ideas)

To Stay Well In A Room Full Of Sick People  (I could've used this 6 1/2 weeks ago)

We Actually Fear for Your Life: Confessions of Adventure Guides  (Kind of interesting if you're into vacation adventures)

18 Winter Car Hacks That Are Borderline Genius  (Hot water + frozen windshield = oh $&!t!)

10 Sustainable Tips to Keep Weight Off For Good   (Word)

Tonight Show Celebrity Photobomb  (Flippin' hilarious)

A surprising visual of Bradley Cooper’s American Sniper bulk-up plan.  (Proof that every meal doesn't have to be a "bad" one to put on the pounds)

5 No-Cost Home Staging Tips  (Very good tips.  Nothing worse than going to an open house and seeing gross crud or cobwebs in people's homes)

12 Sweet and Simple Valentine’s Day Ideas  (Ahhh, cute ideas!)

19 Frustrating Things Today’s Kids Will Never Experience   (I crossed out frustrating because I consider all of these things "character and patience building exercises" and something today's youth are sorely lacking.  Yep...I just made an old lady statement way too young)

Jimmy Fallon Went to Bayside High with "Saved By The Bell" Cast  (I'm sure you've already seen this but if you haven't...10 kinds of awesome.)

What kind of trouble you guys getting into this weekend?

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Thursday, February 5, 2015

Forehead bruising, floaty and tunes of the past

Do I have a bruise on my forehead?  

I thought I might from banging my head against the wall in frustration from multiple home owners who are refusing to get back to me about booking their homes on the last place I need to book so I can start planning.  I mean really, FOUR of you don't want our money?  VRBO owners...DO NOT list your home if you have no intention of getting back to people inquiring on your properties.  It's rude and cruel when you've finally narrowed down your few favorite places that you want to lay your head and then you get ignored.  Jerks.

Then as if to taunt me, I saw "The Trip 2015" on the Travel Channel last night and of course it's Hawaii.  If you want to watch the full episode, click here.  The Mr said it will only fuel our aloha for the 20 year anniversary trip next year.  Sigh.

One of my necessities for summer tomfoolery arrived yesterday.

MTI Adventurewear Women's Moxie PFD Life Jacket (affiliate link)
I tried it on at a sporting goods store, bought it and then got on Amazon and found they were selling it for $17 less.  So back it went and I ordered it online.  Sorry, mama's gotta count her pennies and the sporting goods store wouldn't match the price so pffft!

Last night's workout was Turbo Fire 45 EZ.  Soreness started to settle in pretty quickly so I rolled my legs a little and did some deep tissue massage on the arches.  

Dinner was chicken tacos and a side of brussels.




I was waxing nostalgic yesterday and looking at songs listed by year and came across this gem.  I used to blast this when the Mr and I first started dating.  It is the perfect song to bliss out to and the fact it features Spandau Ballet's Tony Hadley toward the end of the video makes me lurve it even more.  It was one of the first introductions to the Mr that his days of listening solely to Iron Maiden were over.

If you were taking a big trip in 2015 and money was no object, where would you go?  For extra points, go to VRBO and come back and post your dream rental.  

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Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Hoarding required and movie streak continues

Happy Hump Day, all!

I don't know if I'm the only one who cares or am the only one over 21 who still bought Bonne Bell makeup but I read they're closing up shop and selling parts of the company.  I use their lip glosses and eye shadows exclusively so I was heartbroken.  The two places I know of around here that sell it were down to the bare bones so I grabbed what I could.



I think I'm set on the glosses until I'm 60 but the eye shadow was not a successful hunt.  I only found a runner up to the brown set I usually use so I grabbed it.  Sigh.

We did Walk Away the Pounds Firm 30 (free weights) and a nice stretch session afterward.  Dinner was sadly our last stuffed flounder from Trader Joe's as it's become too fishy, too mustardy and too small to warrant plunking down our dinero for anymore.  What is worse than when TJ's pulls your favorite item?  When they don't care that it's turned to crap and keep carrying it.  Errrrg!

We rented two more movies yesterday since it was new release Tuesday.  We rented The Best of Me and Hector and the Search for Happiness.  (affiliate links) The Best of Me was the Mr's penance for me having to watch Lucy.  Sadly, it was kind of punishment for me as well.  The younger versions of the couple were poorly cast, therefore I couldn't connect with them and didn't care as much when the big twist came.  The younger version of Dawson didn't remotely look like the hunky James Marsden so it felt like watching two different couples.  Hector was a good movie.  A good mix of comedy, drama and very thought provoking.  One of those life changers if you allow it to be.

What's your favorite brand of make up?  Have you ever hoarded an item when you heard it could be going away?

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Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Up my nose with a rubbah hose

Happy Tuesday y'all!

Well I bit the bullet yesterday and made an appointment with an ENT for Friday morning.  I asked people on Facebook what to expect of a nasal endoscopy since I'm pretty sure that's what'll be done and the verdict was "weird but not painful."

(via)

I'm cool with the top one but if I see the bottom one, I'm getting up and leaving...for real, yo.

All I know is I want whatever this is...gone.  6 weeks is way too long and my smell and taste that were at 80% last Thursday have decreased by half so I'm going backwards again.  (Unless it's that whole you get worse for the 50th time before you get better crap)  The only good thing yesterday is that my sinus pressure/pain was almost zero so there's that.

We got in an early workout for once.  We did Walk Away the Pounds and were done by 5pm.  BOOM!  Dinner was BBQ mahi burger, potato wedges and the last of peas and carrots in two wimpy freezer bags.  (Not enough for a full serving on their own but together a full serving of veggies.)

On the way home, the Mr stopped by the video store and picked up Before I Go To Sleep (affiliate link)  with Nicole Kidman and Colin Firth.  That was the movie we wanted from the beginning but it was out all weekend with a low supply.  Holy crap.  Rent it.  It was a great thriller and excellent twist with a satisfying ending.

I must give props to Sleepy Hollow for a great episode last night.  Even if you don't watch the show, you should totally watch it.  It was by far the best episode of the season!

Ever had a nasal endoscopy?  Verdict?

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Monday, February 2, 2015

Movie Bowl

This weekend, instead of imbibing in the usual bowls we made up a bowl of our own...the Movie Bowl.



We got a 'we missed you' email from our local video rental store and once activated, we get 50% off prices for two weeks.  So we rented eight movies this weekend.  Yeah, I said...E-I-G-H-T.  As I listed them, I realized they were all pretty much bummer in subject plot except for one.

The Longest Week   (affiliate link) (Jason Bateman, Olivia Wilde)  Even though this wasn't in our typical ring of movies, I think we can both say we really liked it.  There's a small part of me that wants to say it dragged longer than it should have but only by about 15 minutes.  Since it starred Jason Bateman, pretty much anything he's in, we get on board with.  I loved the score and the Parisian feel to the movie.  Even though Jason's character, Conrad was a selfish prick, there was a big change in a short time.  It's a good personal growth story though not in a schmaltzy kind of way.  I'm still not sure Billy Crudup was properly cast but I'm anxious to see his movie, Rudderless.  I'm hesitant to recommend this because I don't think its most people's cup of tea but if you like Jason Bateman, it might be a fun ride.

Stephen King's A Good Marriage(affiliate link)  (Joan Allen, Anthony LaPaglia) This movie was our fall trip come full circle.  Set in Maine, mentioned NH and VT and filmed in Sleepy Hollow!  This is based off of a Stephen King short story and the detective in the movie will definitely remind you of any classic King character.  This was one that 30 minutes in, we both were positive too much information had been divulged and weren't sure how you could possibly make it interesting.  It redeemed itself and the Mr and I both ended up enjoying it but I will say, they didn't do enough character building to make us feel much for either main player in the film.  An extra 10 minutes to show a truly good marriage would've done wonders to make this a much better movie.  If you're a King fan or a fan of that short story, might be worth a peep.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day -(affiliate link)  (Steve Carrell, Jennifer Garner) Very cute movie and we don't have kids so it's a fun one for the adults too.  Alexander is having a very bad day and for once, he'd like his perfect family to know what it's like to have a day as bad as his.  He gets his wish and there are some great laugh out loud moments in it.  I'm not sure the kid who plays Alexander was the right choice but still a good movie.

If I Stay -(affiliate link)  (Chloë Grace Moretz, Jamie Blackley)  It's no spoiler to say that the family in the movie gets in a car accident and the movie for the most part is a remembrance of Mia's life up to that point. Chloe is so amazing in this role and the kid they cast for her boyfriend was spot on, they made an adorable couple.  I was horrified to see the dad was Josh from Blair Witch Project only because he's not supposed to look as 'dad like' as he did.  I felt my age.  :-|  Very well told, beautifully shot and I'm sure we're the last people not to see it but if you haven't for some reason, rent it!

Lucy -(affiliate link)  (Scarlett Johanssen, Morgan Freeman)  Don't rent this.  Seriously.  There is nothing more to say.

The Judge(affiliate link) (Robert Downey Jr, Robert Duval)-  A tough movie but very good.  A gruff judge (Duval) is accused of a crime and his hard ass attorney son (Downey) tries to get him cleared.  If you like RDJ at all, you'll like this.  He delivers lines in ways that only he can and the plot and ending are all just pretty riveting.  Totally recommended!

Skeleton Twins(affiliate link)  (Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader)  While I wouldn't exactly call this the feel good movie of the year, I can see why it got acclaim.  It was nice to see these SNL alums in more serious roles.  There were some laughs of course but for the most part, a more serious film about two screwed up sibs with a strained relationship coming back together in an unusual way.  Worth a rent if you're looking to see them step outside their comedic box.

The Fault In Our Stars(affiliate link) (Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Laura Dern)- Again probably one of the last people to see this movie and it's as heartbreaking and beautiful as the commercials made it out to be.  Ansel (Augustus) was so completely enamored by Hazel (Shailene) that you wondered if they were a thing in real life.  Their story was so believable that the Mr said that is why he thinks we're here is to be loved like that by someone else.  At that moment, I realized all the other crap I'm going through doesn't mean a thing as long as I'm loved by him.

What did you do this weekend?

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