MY UNTITLED BLOG

Fit Test 3

2012-02-07T21:54:00.000-05:00

I have made it to the 3rd fit test for Insanity!!! Here are my results. Month 2 has officially begun and all I can say is OMG. Please wish me luck.

Fit Test	Day 1	Day 15	Day 36
Date	1/2/12	1/16/12	2/5/2012
Switch Kicks	94	108	106
Power Jacks	52	63	65
Power Knees	80	105	112
Power Jumps	23	31	41
Globe Jumps	5	8	9
Suicide Jumps	13	14	20
Push-up Jacks	15	26	29
Low Plank Oblique	32	47	56

Wet N Wild Sparked

2012-01-27T17:28:00.001-05:00

Pretty, pretty, pretty. I love glittery polishes but rarely wear it because of work. But now it is the freakin' weekend so my nails are getting some glittery love.

Once the first coat went on I was a little scared it was going to take forever to get a nice glitter packed coat. User error. I just wasn't dispersing what was on my brush properly. You can see my pinky and ring fing don't have to much glitter but after angling the brush better things seemed hopeful.

By the second coat I was convinced to press on. Looking good right?

Third coat is a charm and the good thing is this dries pretty fast so I wasn't waiting to long between coats.

I'd say this took about 20 minutes from start to finish but mind you I typed this blog post during that time as well. Mulit-tasking at its finest.

Thanks for reading. Have a great weekend!!!

Kleancolor Meet NK

2012-01-21T23:10:00.000-05:00

Yes, it is another purple polish. Yes, it is another way to show my support for the Ravens. This is 2 coats of Kleancolor Purple (no points for name originality) with a layer of NK Sparkling Gold (no naming points for NK either).

This Kleancolor polish took forever to dry but I was in no hurry. Once I put 1 layer of the NK Sparkling Gold on I knew I was done. This was headed for a sticky, goopy mess. I only need to leave it on for football Sunday and I doubt it will last to much longer.

Have fun watching football tomorrow!!!

Fit Test 2

2012-01-16T19:01:00.000-05:00

I am still going strong with INSANITY. Today was my 2nd Fit Test. I am pleased to see my work is paying off.

I think I have another one 2 weeks from now so I really have to continue to push myself.

Hat Attack!!

2012-01-13T15:53:00.000-05:00

Who doesn't love a cute hat. I picked this one up a few days after Christmas and it is on my shelf waiting to be worn.

Now I just have to figure out what I want to wear it with :-)

NYC Prince Street

2012-01-12T20:51:00.003-05:00

Whoa... a nail polish post.. get outta here!!! Yes, it has been quite some time and my nails have been naked for the most part. It has been long over due so I am just doing a simple mani to say:

GO RAVENS !!!!!

This 2 coats of NYC Prince Street without a top coat.

I feel happy having my nails painted. For $1.72 this is probably one of the cheapest ways around for a quick mood booster. Hopefully, I will be back soon with another color. There are a lot of unused polishes in my stash.

On the Bookshelf- Knit and Be Fit

2012-01-05T15:23:00.000-05:00

A quick peek at the latest books I checked out from the library.

Fitness and Knitting. They go hand and hand right :-)

I have gotten a chance to flip through all of the books and have actually read a good bit of the High-Intensity training. When it comes to health and fitness there is soooo much information out there it is easy to get confused. I am a keep it simple kind of person so cardio, weights, eat right should do the trick. I like to thumb through the fitness books to find new exercises. Yes, I know anything can be found on the Internet but there is something about having a book in my hand and turning pages. I wonder if in my lifetime books will be obselete.

The Christmas Balls book has some cute ornaments that can be knitted up. I probably should have checked this out well before Christmas but it isn't to late to make a couple of ornaments for next year. We'll see. If anything I can revisit it in October or November.

Utter INSANITY!!!

2012-01-01T21:38:00.000-05:00

That's right. The first 60 days of the year is being dedicated to INSANITY!!! This was a Christmas gift and I couldn't be more excited about it. Should I be scared? The month of December was great getting back into the gym but now the time has come for me to kick it up a notch.

Before I started I knew I would need some new shoes. The sneakers I have now are about 2 years old and I really shouldn't be wearing them at all because there is absolutely NO cushion left in them. Bad, bad, bad.

Talk about a rude awakening taking pictures of myself. I want the t-shirt which means I have to show someone else those pictures.. oh geez. If anything they will be a great motivator because I refuse to look like that.

If you have done INSANITY before and have any advice please share.

TakiJ's Year In Review

2011-12-31T15:41:00.009-05:00

Happy Almost New Year Everyone. Can you believe it? 2011 is gone and 2012 is staring us in the face. I decided to take a look at the year and see what I have accomplished. Looking at the amount I have posted it really does not seem like much. Only 24 posts (this will be 25) compared to 195 in 2010. What happened!!!

Let me sum that up really quickly. I started a new job in February. No further explanation needed. Yep that will suck any extra time dry. It looks like I managed to paint my nails a few times and work out a little bit. But geez I have got to do better in 2012.

It is always fun to look back on what you have posted. I had the same conversation with my friend a few days ago about running a 10K and once again he told me I have 4 months to train. LOL. We'll see how it goes this year.

That post about things I wanted:
I did get a new phone,
the wardrobe thing I am slowly but surely working on,
no tablet or spa day as of yet but.....
I do have a trip planned for 2012.

I am not really setting a New Year's resolutions since I have my crazy long list of 101 in 1001. It is funny how I made that list almost a year ago however some of the things on it one year later I am not really to keen on. Am I allowed to change that list any? Of course, it is MY list. Maybe I will write a new one and see what overlaps.

I hope all of you had a great 2011 and hope that 2012 will be even better.

Thanks for hanging in there with me through my lack of posts. 2012 will be much better I am sure.

Sidewalkers

2011-10-15T21:57:00.000-04:00

This was a quick polish a few nights ago. Two coats of NYC In A New York Color Minute in Sidewalkers that dried pretty quickly. At least for the most part. I had a few sheet impressions in the morning so it obviously wasn't completely dry. This polish is very thin and runny but the upside is it does seem to dry fast enough so to do two coats or three isn't that bad. Next time I will do 3 coats and not fall asleep.

New Shoes

2011-10-11T12:57:00.000-04:00

Shoes are on my mind as of late. I need shoes. Seriously, I do. This isn't a I want shoes type of thing. The shoes I am wearing I have had for probably 6-7 years. Yep. Some of the stores have even gone out of business. Trying to revamp my shoe collection isn't the worst thing in the world. Except, now I DO want everything. So here is a look at a pair I picked up the other day. A little outside of my "Plain Jane" box but easy enough to pair up with a pencil skirt or slacks.

Excuse Me While I Get My Life Together

2011-10-09T22:21:00.000-04:00

Chaos seems to be an understatement at this point in my life. I feel like I have a zillion things I am doing while still feeling like I am actually doing nothing. NOT GOOD. This has to stop and stop now. I don't want to constantly feel stuck and look back with the "I-wish-I-would-have's".

So what can I do? Get my act together I guess.

Step 1 will be to take some time for myself. Like actually do it and not just say I am going to do it. Real time for myself to relax, regroup, and just enjoy the moment with no worries about what I need to do. Time where it is all about ME (can that actually exist)!!

What should go into this chunk of time? I don't even know. Maybe go get a pedicure. I haven't done that in ages. Help me out here people!!! No studying. No planning. Fitness stuff doesn't count. Washing my hair doesn't count either. A happy hour would count I think. Tackling some of my 101 items will count as well.

It all starts this week. ME TIME 101. I'll start small with saying 30 minutes a day for me to have only for me. I know this is going to take me a while to figure out so please excuse these random posts. Sometimes it just helps to put your thoughts out there.

Just curious, how do you keep your life in order?

Just Take A Hike

2011-08-07T07:34:00.002-04:00

Really. It was hot, sweaty, ankle twisting. bug swatting, "are-we-there-yet" fun (to me at least). We, the hubby and kids, went to a mountain resort a few weekends ago and I was able to convince everyone to go on a hike with me. I think we only did about 4 miles but it seemed like a LOT more than that. We took several breaks but it was a great workout and it made me realize how nice it is to be outdoors.

On the way back my hubby and youngest child forged ahead while my oldest and I chatted and made our way at a more leisurely pace. It was really nice to have that one-on-one time just walking and talking. One of the topics of conversation was the 101 in 1001. At the time I was wondering if hiking was even on my list but when I came home and found out it was I was happy to see it was.
I haven't made much progress on the 101 in 1001 but I am currently working on my pushups and one of my IT certifications. I might try getting in the blog posts this month and I did try t0 give blood once again and once again my iron count was to low.
I hope everyone has been well. Nice to be blogging again.

Another I Am Alive Post

2011-06-30T22:37:00.001-04:00

...cuz I am alive. I haven't made any progress on my list but the job thing that I made progress on has put a lot to a grinding halt. Excuses, excuses, excuses. Pretty much. I am about to go into hardcore study mode for some of my certifications. Yeah!!! Kind of excited about that. Otherwise, I hope everyone is well and I have been peeking in at your blogs when I have a chance.

Week 3- Seriously?

2011-05-20T23:24:00.000-04:00

This DVD (Jillian Michaels Ripped in Thirty) is off the chain challenging. If you can make it straight through any of these workouts at the advanced level you are a BEAST. Therefore, I am not a beast. But that is okay, I am trying my best. The week 3 workout will make you want to run to your room crying. I really liked it though. This series of exercises seems to go by faster than the other weeks. I am not sure what it is but in the blink of an eye you are sweating bullets, screaming for mercy and then done.

Next week is Week 4. I am proud of myself for sticking with this. At this point I need to focus on my eating too. Baby steps I guess. The measurements I was supposed to take at the start of this were never taken but I am starting to see some changes in my body. I will stick with this workout DVD well past the 4 weeks I am sure.

NOLW- Sinful Colors Nirvana

2011-05-15T21:41:00.000-04:00

That would be Nail of Last Week since I have been busy doing other things and not getting the photos off of my camera. This color looks brown in the bottle but on the nail I couldn't figure out if was brown, gray or some weird mix in between. I picked this baby up for 99 cents and it was well worth it. Two coats will do just fine but I did a third because I didn't put my top coat on and did some cleaning around the house. Not a good idea so it was only to touch up a few self-inflicted nicks.

So what color IS this?

Week 2

2011-05-08T22:46:00.000-04:00

I made it through week one of Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30 and let me tell you I am liking it. By the end of the week a was comfortable yet challenged. I started Week 2 this morning and it is pretty much as if I did nothing all last week. Oh my!!!

The Week 2 warm up is great. I really like the moves to get you stretched out and ready to go. Be careful and get familiar with the moves for Week 2. I needed to put the weights down and focus on getting the proper form and pefecting the move. Tomorrow I am going to pick up the weights I need to do this.

The abs portion of Week 2 is tough. I haven't seen some of these ab moves before and it is always nice to see something new. They are killer but its all good. Truth be told I have no clue how am going to make it through this week but I thought the same about Week 1 so I am seriously crossing my fingers.

As great as this workout is I don't think 30 min is enough for my to achieve the results I am looking for. It feels like I should be doing another 20 min. I am seriously thinking of doing one workout in the morning and one in the evening. I might even try hopping on the treadmill for 20-30 min after. We'll see.

I meant to take my measurements last week so maybe at some point tomorrow I'll get around to dealing with those pesky numbers.

Why Am I Buying Nail Polish

2011-05-05T19:21:00.001-04:00

I am not even painting my nails on a regular basis but when I went in Walgreens a few days ago there it was staring me in the face. Sinful Colors and Wet N' Wild were on sale. Who can beat 99 cents and 69 cents for a bottle of polish. They were pretty much cleaned out but I did manage to snag a few that I wanted to try.

From left to right:

Sinful Colors Nirvana, Sinful Colors Glass Pink, Sinful Colors Fig, and Wet n Wild Rain Check

I can't wait to try the Fig and Nirvana. Those are my 2 faves out of this group.

The What I Want Post

2011-05-04T23:18:00.000-04:00

Here is my random, it is late, it is to dark to take nailpolish pics for my other post, what is on my mind post.

WHAT I WANT

1. iPad- I have an iPad on my mind 24/7 now. I could be in the bed surfing the net, checking emails, and being productive

2. new cell phone - nothing out that I am CRAZY about but I need something ASAP, perhaps an iPhone or Blackberry

3. new wardrobe - like throw everything in my closet out and start over

4. spa day- who couldn't use one of these, massage, facial, pedicure

5. trip to somewhere warm with a beautiful beach- please and please

What is on your wish list these days?

My Quads are DONE!!!

2011-05-01T23:03:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Jillian Michaels I am hurting. This was Day 1 of the Ripped in 30 program. Somebody give me a massage now. The initial plan was to get the Beachbody Insanity workouts but I didn't get them yet so I needed to get started with something. Lots of people recommended Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred but the store didn't have that either. The Ripped in 30 came out this year and for $10 I had nothing to lose.

Day 1 Thoughts

Pros- the workout is between 20-25 minutes so you don't need a lot of time to fit it in, you hit a lot of muscle groups, variations of each exercise

Cons- none yet other than the pain I am in, requires weights and I didn't see that mentioned on the packaging

There is a meal plan that goes with this that you have to download. I haven't decided if I am going to follow that or not. Once I get out of this stupor I am in I'll check it out.

Anyone else on a get in shape for the summer kick? What is your workout plan?

Ms. Fix It Strikes Again

2011-04-19T19:47:00.000-04:00

Oh, how I love to take broken things apart and hope I can get them working and back together. In todays episode of Ms. Fix It lets talk about my kids shower. For about 2-3 weeks now it has been broken. They came to me one day and said it would not turn on. Fortunately they were able to use my shower but before I ventured into their bathroom they had to clean it up.

Finally, I looked at it tonight and found a cracked something or other in the knob. It was some type of cylinder that slips of some other part. This meant the knob didn't secure firmly around theother part so when you turned the knob instead of turning the other part with it the knob just slipped around the other part. Um yeah, I went to plumbing school!! NOT.

I couldn't find any glue and yes I even tried nail glue but it would not hold. Alas, rubber bands are your your friend people. I fit the cracked piece back in place and wrapped a rubber band around it as many times as I could. Everything is screwed back together and ta da, a working shower.

I Am Still Here...

2011-04-17T14:02:00.000-04:00

Kind of. Let me just say I miss getting on here and chattering away in my own little bubble about whatever I want. I miss reading all of the blogs by everyone else and have just recently started to catch up. You know the 101 in 1001, well #29 (get a job) has pretty much put everything else to a grinding halt. I am determined to get back to it though. JUST DO IT!!! is what I always say. So I am stopping with the I am tireds, I don't have time, blah blah blah and getting back to it. I can't let life pass me by.

I miss you all and hope you have been doing well. Maybe a nail polish post soon!!! Yea!!!!

Ouch #86

2011-03-01T21:12:00.000-05:00

I am actually about to paint my nails. Somethng you have seen before (Sally Hansen Gunmetal) but I thought that while waiting for my base coat to dry I would take a look at my 101 in 1001 and see if there was anything I could knock off my list.

March 1st. Great day to start one of the monthly tasks. Pushups how I love thee, how I hate thee. Try doing pushups after doing no type of arm exercise for the last few months. We'll see how this month of at least 10 pushups a day goes. The first 10 were agonizing but I did all 10 and realized how much room I have for progress.

If I do this every day for a month and get better my arms may actually look decent for the summertime!!!

Corporate Nails- What Color Do You Wear?

2011-02-26T15:55:00.000-05:00

Okay folks, I need you all to chime in. Having started a new job I am pretty much scared to paint my nails. I am still trying to figure out what exactly is okay for my work environment and where the line between okay and not okay is. Trust me I will always err on the side of caution which is why even though I want to paint my nails for work I haven't yet. I thought I would come to you my dear readers for advice.

I tend to probably dress up more than I need to but that is just me. I like to dress up and isn't there a saying about dressing for the job you want instead of the one you have. With that being said I wear pants suits, slacks with blouse, skirt and blouse, always heels. Come to think of it I don't even own flat dress shoes. But back to the nails.

Light pinks and neutrals are fine I am pretty sure. What else though? Would a gray be okay? I know, no glitters (sad face). What else? French mani is always classic so I know that would work. Can I do any kind of design (maybe only one nail)? If you kind readers could point me in the direction of some great corporate friendly but not blah colors it would be so much appreciated.

Day One of 29

2011-02-14T22:30:00.000-05:00

No, no, no, don't worry we are not down to day 1 of 101 in 1001, although it does seem like time flies at times thank goodness it isn't going by that fast. Which is funny because when day 1 actually does come I will be wondering how time went so fast. Anyway, enough of my rambling.

Today IS day 1 of something else though. My new job (see #29). The first day of a new job is always exhausting and I am beat. It is 10:15 and I am about to turn it in but first I just wanted to send a thank you to everyone who helped me get through this process. You don't know how much your support means to me.

Thank You, I Love You, and Happy Valentine's Day!!!

The Image Says It All :-(

2011-02-09T17:48:00.000-05:00

Once again I went to donate blood and my iron levels were not high enough. Drat. I feel bad. Seriously, I hate when this happens. My diet was pretty good and I was taking iron supplements. In this day and age they should be able to infuse some iron into the blood after the fact. Oh well, I am going to give it a week and try again. I think I may have to take a multivitamin AND an iron supplement. I'll check with my doctor and see.

Pru + Bryant Park

2011-02-08T22:23:00.003-05:00

Nail polish. What!! A nail polish post from me. Yes, it has been ages. My nails were not so healthy and I wanted to get them back on track hence limited use of polish. You have seen Zoya Pru before on here so I am just going to show you what I did when I was supposed to be doing something else!!

Zoya Pru

NYC Bryant Park

Unsuspecting Bobby Pin

I had already painted my nails on Sunday with the Zoya Pru but as I was sitting at my desk, no doubt procrastinating, a bottle of NYC Bryant Park and a bobby pin caught my eye. Hmmmm. Having no idea how these colors would look together I just went ahead. Not horrible. The bobby pin as a dotting tool was so-so but I will say it was actually better than the dotting tool I have which was made to be a dotting tool. Funny how that works. I’ll be taking this off in the AM though since I’m really not feeling it.

Later,

Happy February

2011-02-01T11:20:00.001-05:00

Are you wondering where January went? Me too. I will have to say the start of the year has been pretty good. I started the 101 in 1001 which really makes you aware of how you are spending your time. I would love to spending my time relaxing on a boat on a beautiful day in Bermuda but that isn't happening. Not this month at least.

So let's see what is actually on tap for February.

- Get back on the treadmill. The first 2 weeks of January went great. The last 2, well, let's not talk about them.

-Start Fat Smash again. I have mentioned it before but I really do think the Fat Smash program works well. You have to be committed but in that first week you can feel your body changing and getting all the nasty evil sugars out of it.

-Make a couple of shirts perhaps.

-I have already started my Bible reading. As always a little behind and hoping to catch up this first week of February.

-Tackle 1 or 2 new recipes.

-I have GOT to finish knitting this sweater for my daughter. It has taken forever. It isn't hard it is just hard to knit sometimes when you don't really feel like it.

-I have a blood donation scheduled.

-Start painting my nails again. Maybe once a week or every other week. I have laid off the nail polish for a bit because I noticed they were not growing as long and strong as they used to.

-Limit the amount of time I spend reading blogs. They are addictive. I love seeing what other people are making and doing but that can really cut into my making and doing time. Maybe only read midweek and weekends. IDK.

-Ah, The Great Office Cleanout that never happened. I need to devise a gameplan for this. Seriously, we have that much paper and filing.

-Start studying for my IT certification. I have been reading general content but not a test specific study guide so I think I need to switch gears once I finish this book and start looking at books geared towards the tests in addition to the general reading.

Okay, I am stopping here...this list is starting to overwhelm me. It may not all get DONE in February but at least I have some concrete items to focus on.

Snow, Snow Angels, Snowman = FUN

2011-01-26T20:58:00.001-05:00

The blizzard season is upon us once again which means no happy campers here. Cold, messy, crazy roads. Kids out of school and driving each other crazy. Cabin fever. Sounds fun!!! Okay, I am making this sound terrible when it only started last night. We woke up to no school and roads coverd in snow. I still had to work but that really consisted of studying. Reading 190 pages of IT material isn't the worst thing but in order to give my mind a break I suggested to my youngest (DD#2) that we tackle the driveway. She was game so off we went.

Really I wanted to make my snow angel, #80 on my Day Zero- 101 in 1001. Yes, that is me being crazy in the snow!! The snow should have been deeper but tomorrow it will be. I'll go out tomorrow and do it again. Darn :-)

The interest in shoveling was diverted pretty quickly into making a snowman. FUN!!! She made the initial ball and we rolled it back and forth across the driveway to at least make it look like we were getting some snow out of the way.

It was perfect snowball snow. So fun, but my oldest (DD#1) was missing out on the action so we told her to get something on and come out. Seriously. This ball of snow grew fast and that thing was heavy. We got it out of the driveway and rolled it all through the yard. Our neighbor even came out to help AND my husband got in on the action.

It started hailing while we were out there but everyone was determinied to finish the snowman with whatever we could find quickly. Scarf, sticks, carrot, banana peel, and racquetball balls. Resourceful!!

It is the little things that turn into the best memories. I think my kids and I will remember this for a long time. I know I will.

Baked Apricot Chicken

2011-01-25T01:29:00.002-05:00

One recipe down and 29 to go. Baked Apricot Chicken was on the menu tonight. Allrecipies.com shot this recipe of the day to my inbox over the weekend and it seemed like a winner. I didn't follow it to a tee but it turned out pretty good. From the comments it seems like most people switched up the dressing they used. The original calls for Italian but I used Catalina. It gave it a very sweet and sour sauce kind of flavor.

The verdict:
Me: liked it, will try the original recipe next time
Husband: for some reason he said it smelled like pork so he didn't want to go any further
Child 1: edible but she isn't big on sweet and sour but she did eat a piece or 2
Child 2: at first didn't like but then it grew on her and she kept going back for more

I made it with brown rice and brocolli. The sauce tasted great on the rice as well.

2 out of 4...I won't add this to the full time rotation in its current state, tweaking will need to be done

Day Zero Project- 101 in 1001- Let's Go!!

2011-01-21T23:46:00.005-05:00

The countdown begins. In 1001 days if everything goes as planned I will have done lots of things that I have wanted to do. Things pertaining to my health, my career, my family and friends, giving back to others, and just other randomness that I want to do.

You may have heard of this referred to as the Day Zero Project or 101 in 1001. I first heard of it a few weeks ago on a blog and my intial thought was AWESOME!!! I didn't make any New Year's Resolutions this year but once I heard about the Day Zero Project my list was started. I also tried to get my kids on board and write lists. One did and one is partly there. My list is one of the tabs at the top of my blog. I'll be updating it as I progress.

Coming up with 101 goals seemed a bit daunting at first. About 1/3 of the way through I got a little stuck but in no time I was at 101 and then 106. The list was pared back down to 101 just to stick to the program. What is great about this is it allows my to tackle short and long term goals. Some may take a day, a week, a month, a year, or all 1001 days.

Looking at the list some of them may seem trivial but the seemingly trivial ones will probably be some of the most meaningful. There a couple things on this list that are scary to me (i.e speaking in front of a group) but I am purposely trying to push myself out of my comfort zone. For me it all about growth. I have so many things to work on and when I look at this list it will surely promote growth in all aspects of my life. I love who I am now but I am so excited about who I am becoming.

If anyone cares to join in and write a list please send me a link or share your list. Reading others lists was fun and it was inspiring to see how many items they were able to accomplish. Also if you have every done this before please share your story.

So this is it. I am tackling my list 1 day at a time.

THIS IS DAY 0!!!

My 101 in 1001 List

Do You DIY?

2011-01-11T20:07:00.005-05:00

Any DIYers out there? Of course there are. Hopefully in 2011 I will rely more on my DIY spirit than just buying what is available. With my recent venture into sewing and knitting I think I am finding my inner craftiness and am wanting to go the DIY route more often.

The next major project I am undertaking is redoing my daughter's bedroom. Yikes. We were brainstorming last night and came up with a few ideas.

1. Take the doors off of her closet and use curtains instead.- By doing this we don't have to worry about what her closet doors will be hitting when she swings them open. Plus by picking the right fabric she will have the exact look she wants. I love looking at fun fabrics

2. Vanity and desk.- Yes the little diva wants a vanity for all of her makeup and stuff. She needs a desk too so we are thinking of just doing a long table/counter type thing that one portion can be her vanity and the other her desk with some type of shelving in between.

Love this that I found at Kobbleit.com:

(Photo Source: Kobbleit.com)

And this with so many options and so much potential to customize:

(Photo Source: Instructables.com)

So there you have it. It looks like I want to become a master carpenter in 2011. Power tools, safety goggles and all. Looks like fun!!!

What is your DIY obsession?

10K.. Who Me?

2011-01-02T13:27:00.000-05:00

What? Run a 10K? I have never even done a 5K!! I haven't been to the gym in 6 months!! It's to, cold!!

In other words, every excuse in the book. Those were my response to a New Year's Eve call from a friend telling me that he wants me to do a 10K with him in April. His response. "You have 4 months."

So it looks like I will be training for a 10K. I really need to lay off all of the reasons why I can't do something so on the first day of 2011 I found a 30 day plan to get me to 3 miles. Not 30 consecutive days but what you should be doing for each of 30 workouts. I'll start with that and see how I do.

Cross your fingers for me. I am going to need some good workout vibes on this one!! Workout 1 is done and I don't feel bad. I know that I am not in the shape I used to be but that is all in the past. I am looking forward to wiping the slate clean and starting 2011 fresh. It will hold great things for me. Nothing like taking a good thing (me) and making it better (a better me)!!

Happy New Year

2010-12-31T22:48:00.004-05:00

WISHING YOU AND YOURS A HAPPY 2011

With Love,

TakiJ

Kakuro Contest

2010-12-26T15:09:00.000-05:00

For ages I have loved doing Kakuro puzzles. I like numbers. It is funny to me how all of a sudden Sudoku became all the rage yet it has been around for ages in puzzle books. In those same books they would have Cross Sums also know as Kakuro. Anyway, if you have never tried Kakuro give it a shot. It helps keep the mind quick with numbers. I highly recommend it for kids because it not only helps with getting faster with addition but it involves logic as well.

My daughter and I have spent the better part of the morning having a Kakuro contest. Needless to say I am whipping her however she doesn't seem to mind.

These days I play on Facebook but I used to have a big book full of them. Recently, I haven't been able to find any of the puzzle books in the stores so playing online will suffice.

Killer Abs

2010-12-21T22:22:00.000-05:00

Oy!! My abs hurt. My daughter has me doing this with her. Eight minutes of pain. No pain, no gain. This is supposed to be part of my slow road back to working out.

No Words Just Hope

2010-12-17T14:46:00.000-05:00

Sorry. I just don't really have much to say as of late. The holidays really aren't my thing. I am desperately looking for a job. This cold weather and dark at 5 PM thing is driving me crazy. Lots of let downs and stress. I am trying to turn things around for 2011 but the light at the end of the tunnel...let's just say someone has told me it is there but I am really starting to wonder if it is. Hopefully I can catch a small glimpse of it soon just to see for myself but if anything I know that I have to believe it is there. Once I lose any hope then it will be that much harder. I know that struggles make success that much more appreciated so I am looking at this time as a period of learning so I can appreciate the success I will have.

Library Junkie

2010-12-08T20:32:00.000-05:00

I absoulutely love the library. Browsing through books of so many different subjects is so relaxing. Right now I am in a knitting phase so I hit that section up first. Sometimes it may be cookbooks, sometimes it may be the health and fitness sections. So many options.

Last time I went this is what I got.

I learned how to knit about two months ago and it has been such fun making new things. Looking through all of the books finding thing you want to try is great. Books will absolutely lead you into a whole new world of things you never knew existed. Next time you go to the library go to one of the sections you don't normally go to and thumb through a few books. You never know what might happen.

Sally Hansen Laser

2010-12-06T21:15:00.001-05:00

It has been a while since I have posted a mani pic. I have been painting my nails but by the time I have a chance to photo it is chipped and I am ready to move on to the next color.

This is from my untrieds just because I have used I have only every used it to layer over something else but never on its own. Two layers is enough but three adds a lot more for this mani. If you have time go for 3 coats. Give yourself plenty of time because it dries slow. It may look dry but don't believe it!

Hey Hey Hey What's Happening!!

2010-12-01T17:26:00.000-05:00

I am not sure if any of you remember that show from back in the day called What's Happening. Dwayne would always say HEY, HEY, HEY. Find a few clips on YouTube and you will be guaranteed a laugh. Netflix has it too!

Anyway just coming back to say HEY, HEY, HEY!! You know how I do. First few weeks of the month blogging is regular then I drop off. So here it is December 1st and I am back.

Not to much is new but I did get back into the swing of thing with donating some blood yesterday. They told me I couldn't because my iron was to low and then they retested and I was where I needed to be. Those little fingertip pricks hurt more than the needle going into your arm.

As a thank you they gave me a cookbook full of recipes from famous people, local news people, Red Cross staff, and donation recipients. There are a few recipes in there that I would like to try. Banana Pound Cake, Cucumber Soup and some other ones look pretty good.

With the holidays around us and many places asking for monetary donations remember that donating blood is just as valuable. Donate if you can, you will be glad you did.

Well that's about it for now. Hopefully I'll have something to talk about this month.

Devoured- Cheesburger Meatloaf

2010-11-20T13:52:00.000-05:00

Another meal my daughters liked. Liked as in there was nothing left. I love when that happens. Since declaring my cooking struggles I signed up at allrecipes.com to get a daily email. I would peruse the site to get ideas but the daily email helps a lot because there are lots of things I am sure I would miss. That is how I found the recipe for this Cheeseburger Meatloaf.

(Source: allrecipes.com)

I didn't take a picture because I didn't even think to but it didn't look like the picture on the website. Somewhere along the way I didn't seal the cheese in and it started leaking out a little hole in the side. Oh, well. All was not lost, just some cheese which I had extra of. I broke my Fat Smash Diet and tasted it. Very tasty. It is nice when you surprise yourself.

Here is the link in case you want to try it.

Eggnog Fudge- Who Knew?

2010-11-17T18:22:00.003-05:00

Whoa!!! What!! While I was reading a blog today I came across a link to this recipe for Eggnog Fudge. I just have to share and encourage people to make this. The goodness of eggnog and fudge rolled up into one. Mouth watering. Sorry no pictures, plenty on the orginal site.

I am definitly going to try making this in the very near future.

Wet N Wild Through The Grapevine

2010-11-17T14:58:00.000-05:00

The unused polishes are finally surfacing. I am trying to paint my nails only with colors I have never used before. Since I don't have them separated it always takes me a while to figure out what is unsed and then from those which one I want to use. There should only be about 10-15 unused polishes if that so hopefully it won't take forever to work through them.

Wet N Wild Through the Grapevine is pretty, pretty, pretty. I am kind of upset it took me so long to use it. The camera and color are not friends, as much as I tried, they refused. I have taken at least 60 pictures and none of them look quite right as far as the color. I think this is the best representation of the color though. It is a tad darker.

Pictured is 3 coats but two coats is fine. If you are like me and have throw on one more for good measure then go for it. I don't have a top coat on in this pic. I should really put one on so it will last longer. Do you ALWAYS wear a top coat?

Claire's Under the Sea

2010-11-13T01:37:00.000-05:00

Claire's Under the Sea has been in my stash for quite some time. In the bottle it appears more green-blue but on the nail my eye picks up more blue than green (it all depends on the light I guess). This polish goes on easy and is opaque enough for one coat. There is a big IF though. That being, it takes forever to dry which pretty much makes the fact that it is a one coater pointless. Here are 2 coats with no clean up because I am sure they are probably still wet here.

Ooooh Puurrrrty

2010-11-09T10:57:00.001-05:00

Looking at makeup and beauty products in magazines, I love it. Everything about how they lay it out to entice you to want it. It doesn't take much, as soon as I thumbed through the Sephora catalog I saw this and my eyes popped out!!

I wish they weren't minis though!!

100 Pushups Revisited

2010-11-08T08:53:00.001-05:00

So many excuses for why I haven't be working out lately (last 4 months) but I won't even bother because they are just that, excuses. Instead I am going to try and get my butt in motion by doing the 100 Push Up Challenge again. Yes, again. I have done it several times even though I have never made it all the way through the program. Maybe this will be the time.

This morning I did my initial test and I was able to do 12 pushups. Looking back that is the same amount I did on my initial test last year. Don't laugh. Hopefully muscle memory will kick in and it won't be too hard to double or triple that number. I have got to start somewhere.

For more information take a look at the program website. They also have a squats, situps, and pullups program. Would it be to much to do all three? I think not. I'll have a go at the squats tomorrow.

Anyone want to join me?

Sinful Colors Innocent Konad-ing With M60

2010-11-04T19:39:00.000-04:00

I am trying to get my nail polishing back on track. The last time I did a Konad was...ummm...oh my...back in August. That doesn't seem right but the pictures and dates don't lie. But that is the past let's talk about the present.

I love argyle and I have done this print before with different colors but argyle is what I was in the mood for so here you have it:

Sinful Colors Innocent- base
Zoya Veruschka- argyle print
Konad Plate - M60

You can see where the stamping didn't quite make it in some areas but overall I am pleased. Who really ever gets all that close to my nails anyway.

It Is More Fun To Give

2010-11-03T16:53:00.001-04:00

Yesterday schools were closed and my Mom came over to do a community service project with my kids. The objective is to fill a shoebox with goodies for an underpriviliged child. My youngest daughter and mom went to the dollar store to pick up some fun things. I knew that we had some things around the house as well so I decided to get involved in that action. The amount of joy I got finding brand new, nice things that someone else would appreciate was amazing. You really get into it.

They made three boxes and I was so excited to contribute to some of them. We had some clothes with tags still on them that were for an older child. A few little girls purses with tags still on. A new shirt and skirt, a MAC cosmetic case, some Incoco nail polish adhesives (liquids weren't allowed), a ring, 2 pairs of earrings, candy, and some other personal items. Woo hoo. These are things that I would have kept but goodness if haven't used them by now I think they deserve a better home.

It is so fun to give and the girls really enjoyed it too.

Sinful Colors Innocent

2010-11-02T23:41:00.004-04:00

Sinful Colors Innocent is one of those colors I had to try. It just looked so odd to me and not like something you would wear on your nails. I am still trying to figure out whether I like it or not. All day I find myself glancing at my nails trying to decide if I like it and how to Konad it. I like polishes that throw me for a loop.

Lately I have been particulary hard on my nails and hands all together. As if you can't tell from the nubbins and dry hands. Lots of cleaning and a bit of stress is no good for my hands and nails. I know I should wear rubber gloves but always forget. Bear with me as I try to get them back on track.

Charla Never Disappoints

2010-11-01T06:18:00.002-04:00

Zoya Charla made an appearance for my daughter's Homecoming dance. She was mucho excited and wanted some sparkle with a pop of color to go with her outfit. All of the girls looked so pretty. I say girls but I should probably be saying young women.

She spent the night at her friends house but when I picked her up her first words were, "I had so much fun!"

All I could ask for.

Smack Me, Please!!!

2010-10-26T16:01:00.003-04:00

Have you ever been in a "mood" and aren't really sure why? Right now I am feeling kind of glum but I can't even pinpoint when it started or what triggered it. It may have something to do with the cloudy, gray day outside because when I woke up this morning I was fine. Then I went to run errands I started to get more and more down as the day dragged on.

Somebody PLEASE come smack me out of this. I can't stand when I get like this. Ugh!!

2010-10-25T15:02:00.004-04:00

I posted this on my other blog as well but want to just put it here too.

This Really Bugs Me

2010-10-13T14:36:00.000-04:00

I have no idea what the scientific name of these things are but there has been an insane influx of them this summer. The kids call them “stinkbugs” but thank goodness I haven’t had to be the beneficiary of the odor they emit. Apparently when they feel threatened or are smashed they release something that is quite offensive. This was demonstrated by one of the soccer dads shaking one up in hands and telling us to “smell my fingers”. Umm, no and thanks. After a few jokes he even showed a trail of “stink” that the critter left. YUCK.

They are everywhere. Hanging out by my front door. Diving toward me when I am entering and exiting my car. Don’t be caught standing still. It is almost like they are out to get me. I hate bugs. I have said it before and yes, here, I have posted about my weapons of choice when trying annihilate these suckers from afar. I did find out that the ant spray works pretty well. It isn’t an immediate death. It is slow and torturous which I feel they deserve for all of the fear they inflict upon me.

Oh and then there is this thing on my back screen door.

Can I scream now?

Think Pink

2010-10-11T10:58:00.002-04:00

As everyone knows October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Now is the time when a lot of companies put out special products and the proceeds are donated to one of the many, many foundations, hospitals, local groups that are involved in fighting breast cancer and its effects. I somewhat opted to not buy anything this year and send donations directly to the association of my choice and support friends who are doing walks, runs, etc.

This mani is a few days old now so I am only showing 3 out of the 4 fingers I usually show and hiding some of the tip wear. I chipped my index finger while knitting. Yes, I learned how to knit!!!

I used 3 coats of Claire's Mood Polish in Fabulous/Funky with a coat of NYC Love Letters on top. For 97 cents this Love Letters is well worth it. The shimmer it adds is beautiful.

I did try to capture both colors of the mood polish but the flourescent color it produces with warmth would not translate for my camera. I am thinking Love Letters with all my manis for the rest of the month!! Maybe :-)

Mrs. Fix It

2010-10-07T11:33:00.001-04:00

I am the handyman in my household. If it is broken and can be taken apart then that would be my job to get it fixed. Unless it is something ~~really expensive~~ I don't want to be blamed for breaking even more I will typically try to fix it myself.

Well what do we have here? Any thoughts on what this is before I tell you?

Give up? It is a garment steamer, flipped upside down awaiting surgery. I had used it for about 2 minutes and then lots of cloudy dripping water then nothing at all. Mineral buildup was the culprit per the troubleshooting guide and the resolution was to run a water-vinegar solution through it. That's no fun so I opted for the learn-something-new-everyday approach.

There was a ton of sand-like buildup that was clogging the tubing and the heating well impeding proper water flow through the unit. Water and vinegar was not going to fix that amount of deposit. With lots of meticulous unscrewing of this and that I was able to flush the buildup from the tubing. Trust me, it was far easier said than done. In the end there was water everywhere but mission accomplished. Needless to say this wasn't the best project for my hands and nails. Lots of chips, scratches, and a few almost burns.

At times I really think I should have been some type of repair person. I really enjoy taking things apart. It is even better when I can actually fix it and get it put back together.

Finger Paints Art Appreciation Apricot

2010-10-05T23:27:00.000-04:00

Pleasantly surprised are the words I'll use to describe Finger Paints Art Appreciation Apricot. I got this quite sometime ago on the clearance table at Sally's. It has sat untouched and untried because it seemed like such an odd color. Today I finally went at it and was shocked that I really like this color. It is dark rusty, orangy color with a tinge of gold shimmer. This is the second Finger Paints polish I have used but I'll consider it the first because the other was just a layering polish. The formula was thin but it gave a great coverage. Two coats is sufficient but if you have read any of my other posts I get antsy and do a third to cover up any damage I have done in the first 10 minutes.

The weather here was pretty cloudy so I'll see if the sun will come out tommorow so I can get a better picture. This picture does not pick up the shimmer. Another thing I liked about this polish was how shiny it dries. This is 3 coats no top coat.

Fall- Hayrides, Bonfires, S'mores!!

2010-10-04T08:40:00.002-04:00

It seems like there was an immediate jump from hot summer to cool fall days where I am. One of the things we look forward to every year is going to a get together hosted by our real estate agent at a local farm. I haven't been in 6 years because of scheduling conflicts with soccer but this year the whole family was able to go. Yea!! That doesn't happen to often.

We went on hayride around the farm and then had a bonfire with S'mores. Yummy!

Here a few shots I took:

View of the lake

Animals doing what they do!

Hayride-- our wagon was very creaky. It sounded like we were going to be disconnected from the first wagon.

S'Mores-- don't mind my daughters nails. I fussed with her about taking that polish off. BTW it is Zoya Suvi.

Messy, messy, s'mores!!

We had a good time. Can you believe I have never made S'mores before. It was so much fun. Figuring out how much I like my marshmallows toasted. Some people had their marshmallows burnt to a crisp on the outside. I like mine to be browned but not black. It was quite messy but who cares. That is part of the fun.

Thanks for letting me share our little outing with you. We all had a great time together.

Let's Meet Meets BM21

2010-10-01T12:56:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday!!!

I decided to try and tone down the brightness of the yellow by using China Glaze Side Saddle with Bundlemonster plate BM21. It didn't really work though. Maybe a different image that would have transfered more brown onto the nail would have toned it down more. I do like the combo but goodness I need to keep practicing with the alignment. You can see how the image is crooked.

I used the upper left image. When I chose Side Saddle I knew it was brown but when I put it on the plate it looked purple. I had to double check and roll the bottle a few times. Then the brown goodness came out.

Bye Bye Dairy Queen!

2010-09-30T20:54:00.000-04:00

If I order an Oreo Blizzard at Dairy Queen the is it wrong of me to expect...hmmm...let's see, some Oreos in it. What is going on DQ. I remember the days of ordering an Oreo Blizzard and barely being able to see the vanilla ice cream because there were so many pieces of Oreo in it. I know times are tough for everyone but if I am going to for over my $$ for an Oreo Blizzard then serve up the Oreos.

What I got today was so bad I just had to say something. He handed me what looked more like a cup of blended vanilla ice cream with one Oreo blended through out. I asked him what was going and told him it seemed like they aren't putting any Oreos in. He said that when the Oreo bits are really small you can't see them. Well if it tastes like vanilla ice cream and you are calling it an Oreo Blizzard then there is a problem. I just remember how they used to be. He did offer some extra Oreos for me to put in myself but goodness for $4.20 don't you think it should have been an actual Oreo Blizzard to begin with.

I think Dairy Queen has lost a customer. More often than not I come away disappointed. My money is better spent elsewhere

I Am Back With Sinful Colors Let's Meet

2010-09-30T00:34:00.000-04:00

First and foremost let me thank you all for the well wishes. Death expected or unexpected is something that as I get older seems to be harder and harder to deal with. I feel so deeply for the wife and son that were left behind and my heart just aches for them. Monday was the funeral which my husband and I attended and then yesterday I felt like I could not function. This is not someone who I was super close to, we went to college together. I have seen him off and on through the years. The fact of the matter was he was such a friendly and nice guy. Always positive, always respectful, always funloving. When someone like that dies there is always the question of why. One of which I have racked my brains with for that past week and know I won't come up with an answer but still try. Sorry for being long winded but I think I just needed to get it out.

Moving on to brighter and happier things I decided to do a bright color on my nails. This is Sinful Colors Let's Meet. You can still see my nail line after 3 coats but I like this color.

I haven't done a Konad in ages and am clueless as to what colors might go well with this. Any thoughts?

Zoya Raven

2010-09-22T22:17:00.000-04:00

It's is black. Like my mood. Death sucks. Unexpected death of a young person sucks even more. I couldn't bring myself to do any other color. I am human. It always takes me a while to process things like this. As much as I know I shouldn't question things I just don't get it. It seems so unfair. I wish someone would tell me there has been a mistake but it seems I am out of wishes. :-(

Blue Gradient Attempt

2010-09-18T21:14:00.000-04:00

Not to many words because I am not sure how I feel about this. So much so the left hand is done and I am probably going to remove it in the next hour. Gradient manicures are so pretty and since I have never tried one I thought I'd give it a go. Total failure because I didn't have the makeup sponges to do it. What else do people use or is that pretty much it. I just used a regular sponge, lol, and hoped for the best.

Not horrendous but I will get the makeup sponge and try it again another time. I took the picture close enough but far enough!!

From the cuticle to tip I used:

Zoya Ginessa

Funky Fingers Mad Hatter

Funky Fingers 220 Volts

Funky Fingers Alice

Zoya Ibiza

Hmmm...Lot's of Sinful Colors Posts.

2010-09-16T21:08:00.000-04:00

Isn't it funny that I was clued into the fact that Sinful Colors was on sale be the sheer number of blog posts this week swatching Sinful Colors polishes. I haven't been buying much polish lately which means I haven't even been checking for sales. When I noticed so many Sinful Colors post in my blog stream I immediately pulled up the Walgreens flyer for this week and my theory was correct. Sinful Colors $.99 this week. I put $5.30 in my pocket and headed to Walgreens. I allowed myself 5 bottles but only ended up getting 4.

Here are the lovely new additions to my collection:

From left to right: See You Soon, Let's Meet, Under 18, Innocent

Thank you to my fellow bloggers for the subliminal notice that it was time for me check out the sale.

Water Marbling- It Has Been A While

2010-09-15T09:33:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone, hope your week is going well. In my previous post I showed a quick swatch of Sinful Colors Snow Me White. Perfect base for water marbling. I went with a purple's theme this time. I really like water marbling but usually don't have time for it. Hence only one hand was done and I was off to something else.

Either way I am sharing the one hand with you.

Colors used:
Sinful Colors Snow Me White base and marbling
Zoya Perrie- OMG!! I have never used this before..I have to go check my pictures and see.
China Glaze C-C-Courage
Sinful Colors Let's Talk

Sorry no clean up. Like I said sometimes it is off to something else.

Sinful Colors Snow Me White

2010-09-14T15:46:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone.. it has been a while since I have done a nail post but I have a few coming. I have really laid of painting my nails so much as the acetone or something really seemed to be weakening my nails. I was itching for a quick mani so I just did a white polish that I haven't tried yet.

I remember when I was a child and me and my sisters would go to my grandmother's house for the summer. She was the church secretary so she had office space in the basement to get work done. Even though she had all sorts of nail polish upstairs there was nothing like painting our nails with a bottle of white out. That used to be the white nail polish when I was young..lol!!

Salsa Chicken

2010-09-08T21:03:00.001-04:00

Here it is. . I can't cook. No one ever really taught me how. On a daily basis I struggle with what to make for dinner. We have the same meals over and over and over. Tacos, grilled cheese, spaghetti, sausage and rice and there is of course breakfast for dinner night. Time is of the essence with so many schedules so I am on the lookout for yummy recipes that don't take forever to make.

As I mentioned before tacos is high on our list. We also like chicken. I found this Salsa Chicken recipe on allrecipes.com and gave it a shot today. Prep time was like 10 minutes max. Seriously that is my kind of meal. Looks kind of gross in the picture but hey, it is what it is.

The verdict is in: Both kids liked it. At least that is what they told me. They said it tastes like a chicken taco. Ummm...ye-ah!!! It was pretty good with a dollop of sour cream on top. How could anything smothered in chedder cheese and sour cream be a bad thing. I'll put this on the calendar to have again sometime next month. Now I have to find something to make tomorrow for dinner.

Any suggestions for quick and yummy meals. I am all ears!!

I Hate Bugs...

2010-09-08T08:02:00.000-04:00

And the more I hate them the more I see them. Call me a chicken if you want. I know I am 20 million times bigger than them but I am scared of them and they have no business showing up where they don't belong.

I have started seeing the craziest bugs that I didn't used to see. Growing up we had a damp basement so I was used to seeing the long bugs with 1,000,000,000 legs. Box elders in the windows, a daddy long legs here and there. Whatever, I got used to that. Somewhat.

Recently between spiders, thousand legs, and some other things I can't even begin to identify I am just paranoid. I don't even want to get close enough to squash them dead. That is how afraid I am of these things. Typically I'll call a braver family member to do the dirty work while they get their laughs in at my expense. That is fine as long as it is dead.

My weapon of choice when nobody is here to do it for me, anything that I can spray. Something that I can stand as far away as I can and kill it (or at least immobilize it). Hairspray, Lysol, air freshener, tub cleaner, ant spray, carpet cleaner are all in my arsenal of bug killing weapons. There you have it. I just killed a bug with some Scrub Free and watched it shrivel up and die. If it would have just stayed outside where it belongs then there wouldn't have been a problem.

High School Mom

2010-08-31T08:56:00.000-04:00

I sent my oldest to high school this morning. She has been quite excited and the day has finally come. I am officially the mother of a high schooler. Wow. You know how you know something is coming and despite what you do to prepare for it, for some reason you never feel fully prepared. That is how I feel right now. This day has come, we spent the summer talking about it, shopping, and getting prepared. Today was it. Now I sit here moment by moment wondering what she is doing, what she is thinking, how she is feeling. A typical mother I guess. Mother of a high schooler.

On a side note we painted her toenails with Zoya Charla last night!! You can't go wrong there.

Sally Hansen Byte

2010-08-31T07:46:00.000-04:00

Sally Hansen Byte is from the Hi-Definition line and let me say it is a beauty. This picture does not do it justice. In the past I have only used this polish for layering. I have several HD polishes and they take about 3-4 layers to get a nice opaque finish. Pictured below is 3 coats of Byte and one coat of Sally Hansen Top Coat.

On a side note this mani was done while I was in the car on my way to PA. Don't worry, I wasn't driving. Doing your nails in the car is sooooo hard. I am proud my mani looks this decent. Lots of bumps and braking to contend with.

Confetti Moonstruck-- Already?

2010-08-30T02:04:00.000-04:00

No doubt I loved the color and application of this polish. Not the wear though. It chipped the 2nd day I wore it. So sad. All hope wasn't lost though because I used Seche Vite top coat and for some reason that makes all of my polish chip ridiculously.

In need of a quick mani I used this color again because, well because, I love it. Instead of using the Seche I opted for my OPI and used some OPI drying drops. Well I am happy. This is what my mani looked like 5 days in.

Happy, so happy that it was probably just the Seche.

Packaging Hidden Treasure

2010-08-27T10:42:00.000-04:00

Recently one of my Twitter pals mention she was having a hard time finding Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure in her area. I had an extra bottle so I offered to send her one. I would be quite sad if it broke in transit so I made sure it wasn't. Here was my packaging process. Maybe a bit of overkill but hey, I wanted to make sure it got to here in one piece.

A few layers of bubble wrap:

Inserted into small box. Which happened to be an old box that perfume came in.

Inserted into larger box with lots of newspaper stuffed around it.

Now if that isn't Hidden Treasure then I don't know what is!!!

It arrived in once piece and I believe she enjoyed it for 1 mani at least. She tweeted that her son flushed it down the toilet with her contact lens case. Not sure if was able to be salvaged or not. Yikes!!!

Hiatus, Happy Happy Joy Joy and Other Random Babbling

2010-08-25T19:26:00.001-04:00

I started off the month being diligent with my blogging and then fell off the wagon. These little hiatus are basically when life has got me doing 20 bazillion other things so no time to blog, paint my nails, or do much else. By the time I have time to myself it is usually enough time to keel over and get a few winks of sleep. Anyhow, thanks for still coming around and checking me out. I love getting comments as well as reading your blogs.

On to other stuff I guess!

Well I was pretty happy when I got $2.19 a gallon for Premium Unleaded. Lookie here, lookie here!!! $1.87 (really $1.88 but whatever). I have a gas guzzling SUV. I am happy. Crazy enough to stand there and take a picture. It's the small things.

Life has been crazy this summer. With the kids home my attention has be devoted to them. They are fun kids to be around. School starts Tuesday so hopefully my blogging will pick back up again. It is tough to balance work, family, and time to yourself. It is the time to yourself that always ends up with the short straw. Oh well. No complaints though. My daughter and I picked up sewing in June so my attention has also been devoted to that. I love it!! We started another blog about it but haven't been doing the greatest job keeping it up to date. I am about to go do that after this.

I have so many pictures in my camera it is a crying shame. I want to blog about all of them but when will I find the time.

Purple Heart is coming on Friday. I have packed up 12 bags of clothes and shoes. Still not done either. At least I am getting rid of it and someone who can use it will. Plus I need to make space for all of my new clothes that I am making for myself.

I am feeling bad because that blood donation I couldn't do, I still haven't gone back to donate. I am completely off schedule. Bummer. I have to get back on track with that. A fellow blogger actually posted about getting a blood donation. It does make you feel good to know that you are helping someone, somewhere. Actually, it makes me feel AWESOME!!

The family went to Hershey Park earlier this summer, I am getting to old for those roller coasters. I am....wait for it....35 years old although my WiiFit told me I was 43 last night. In my defense we had added the WiiFit plus and I got some fitness test that I had never done before.

Well I could go on and on. I feel like I have been gone forever. I know it hasn' t really been that long but I do miss blogging at least once or twice a week. Hopefully once I get back on a normal schedule with the kids being back in school I'll get my flow again.

Family Game Nights? Bamboozle Anyone!!

2010-08-16T19:53:00.000-04:00

In my family we love to play games. Getting everyone to play can be a challenge at times but even if it is only 2 of playing we still have fun. Growing up I would ask my sisters to play games with me all the time. There were some times when they said yes but of course I remember the times they said no. That left me to playing games by myself a lot. Anything from I-DeClare War to Monopoly I would sit and play alone (don't judge me).

We had some family over and pulled an old game out the woodwoork. Actually the last time I played this game my kids weren't even old enough to play yet. This game will bring out the competition in everyone. A lot of laughs and fun to be had.

Objective: Be first to score required points.

Playing: Two teams try to guess the words the other team came up with for them. Shake up the dice, see what the letters are, make words that start with those letters. A timer runs while each team makes their list of words. That is the amount of time the other team will have to guess the words. The longer it takes for you to make the words, the longer the other team gets to guess them. The clue giver from each team swaps lists. The clue giver then has to give clues so their team can guess the words on the list. (Not the best description but hopefully you get the gist)

"WHAT" , "HURRY UP", "UMMMMMMM", "COME ON YOU KNOW THIS" always leads to lots of laughs and fun for everyone. As fun as it is, it gets quite competitive.

What are your favorites for Family Game Night?

It Takes C-C-Courage To Show These Nubbins

2010-08-16T18:22:00.001-04:00

I have had this polish for a while now and realized I have never done it as a mani. If I am not mistaken I have used it for a pedi and liked it very much. Have you noticed I don't show pedi pics on my blog. That is to spare you dear readers. My feet aren't horrendous but not great enough to share pics of either.

This is not new so most of you have probably seen China Glaze C-C-Courage before but just in case you haven't, here it is. You see how short my nails are. I have no idea when they all broke but over the weekend I found myself filing them constantly because they kept breaking. Oh, well, a fresh start is always good.

Purple, glitter goodness. I am glad pulled this one back out of the stash.

Confetti Moonstruck

2010-08-10T15:35:00.000-04:00

Confetti polishes have popped up a CVS's and therefore all over nail blogs too. Who am I not to give a $2.00 polish a chance. Confetti Moonstruck is a grayish color with hints of purple and some brown. I picked it because I can honestly say I have NOTHING in my collection close to this shade.

"Well, well, well Ms. Two Dollar Polish. Not bad, not bad at all." Appication was easy as pie. No issue with streakiness, runiness, thickness. No problem at all. Since this is only the first day I have worn it I can't attest to how well it will wear. Hopefully I won't be seeing chips tomorrow but I am happy to say the Moonstruck is a one coat wonder for now.

A few pics (one coat Moonstruck, one coat Seche Vite top coat):

outside

inside

flash

What is not to love

Interesting Find- LACROSS Nail Cleaning Sponges

2010-08-08T10:04:00.000-04:00

I don't know if these are old, old, old news but I came across them in Big Lots the other day. Since I have never seen them before it is new to me but since it WAS in Big Lots I know I am somewhat late. For 50 cents a pack I grabbed a couple to give them a shot. It is like a Q-tip on one end and a makeup sponge on the other.

Anyone ever seen or tried these before?

Diamond Cosmetics Pelican Peak Purple

2010-08-07T20:36:00.000-04:00

Purples. I have a thing for them but surprisingly enough I don't have a ton of them. When I received my winnings in the mail from ABOP I was happy to have a new purple for my collection. Diamond Cosmetics hit a homerun with Pelican Peak Purple as far as I am concerned. I will call it a pastel purple but a darker pastel, if that makes sense. Just look at how pretty it is and to top it off if you get a good amount of polish on the brush this is a one coater. My pinky nail which I always do first had a few streaks but I am always thinking I have to much polish so removed a lot of the excess from the brush. Here is 2 coats of Pelican Peak Purple.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥LOVE♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Isn't she a beauty? No question about it.

Nakey Nails and Cuticle Help

2010-08-06T15:52:00.000-04:00

After hearing great reviews of Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Balm I hemmend and hawed and finally picked some up. My hope is that it will help alleviate some of the horrendous hangnails that you have to see pictures of time and time again. I started using it at the beginning of this month so I haven't seen anything tremendous yet. I do try to put it on at night but admittedly sometimes forget so I am trying to use it throught the day as well. After one month we shall see what kind of difference it makes.

Naked Nails (gasp!!)

I really hope this works because I despise hangnails.

Claire's Neon Burst

2010-08-05T19:30:00.000-04:00

Wow, can you say bright. I can honestly say I don't think I have ever worn a color this bright. The funny thing is the pictures don't even show how bright it really is. The downside to all this brightness is it took about 7 coats to get it completely opaque but it dries really fast so. I did throw a coat of Wet N Wild White Creme on my index and ring finger to determine if the number of coats it would take was different. Maybe by one coat so I would just rather not do it since the Wet N Wild seems to take a while to dry. You can tell the diffence in the photo but I couldn't see as much of a difference in real life.

After doing this I thought it needed to be jazzed up a bit. Really? A color this bright need more attention brought to it!! Why of course. Why not set these fingertips ablaze. With a little help from BundleMonster plate BM12 and Konad Special Polish in Red I think I got a fiery fingernail.

This mani was a little over the top for me so it didn't even last a whole day. It was just something fun to do something out of my ordinary picks.

Mermaid to Order or Lagoon

2010-08-04T14:41:00.000-04:00

As soon as I got Sally Hansen Lagoon in the mail I knew it looked like something I already had. Ah ha, Sephora by OPI Mermaid to Order. Here a few pics of them in the bottle and a few pics in different lighting on the nails.

Can you tell which is which? Do you see any subtle differences. I don't. Are you wondering which nail has which polish?

Here ya go!!!

Again pardon my cuticles, I have gotten something that will hopefully help them.

Bummed - Low Iron Means No Blood Donation

2010-08-03T09:10:00.001-04:00

As you may have read in previous posts I am all for making sure those who can donate blood do so. Yesterday when I went to do my donation they told me I couldn't. Yep, my iron count was to low. In order to donate you have to have a hemoglobin level of 12.5 g/dL. My count was only 12.3. Waaaaa, I want to cry. They allow you to try twice and both times it was 12.3. This has actually happened before but when they did my second prick to get my level I was where I needed to be to donate.

Boooo, to me. I want to cry. For some reason I feel really bad. The nurse told me there are a number of reasons that can cause it but I can try again in 24 hours. I think I will try to make sure I eat really healthy this week and try again next Monday.

So what can I do. They gave me a list advising me to increase my intake of high iron foods. I think I see where I went wrong. Having been on vacation last week I wasn't eating the greatest but was taking an iron supplement. Obviously not enough.

Wish me luck for next week. Now all I have to do is find a place.

Oh, and they were really nice. They let me take a snack and gave me some flip flops anyway. I am pretty sure for the month of August if you donate you get a pair of flip flops. The flip flops are pretty cool too. If you walk in the sand it will leave an imprint that says Give Blood. Neat!!

Ooops..the flip flop is upside down. You get the idea. GIVE BLOOD.

Ruby Kisses Skittles

2010-08-01T23:59:00.004-04:00

I got these polishes quite some time ago at a local beauty supply store and hadn't tried them yet. Why not try them all at once!! Actually, I was initially was trying to pick which color I wanted to do my full mani with but I liked them all so ended up just doing just repeating the pattern across all my nails.

The brand is Ruby Kisses which I have not seen often on nail blogs. These polishes are thin but manageable to use. Each photo is 3 coats of polish and no top coat. Another great thing is that this polish dries pretty fast so three coats takes no time.

Beware...lots of pics.

Silver Bling

Steel Magnolia

Twinkling Mauve

Purplelicious

Flash

No Flash

What do you think? I like them a lot, lot, lot!!! Next time I swing by that beauty supply I will be picking up some more. My faves are the Purplelicious and Steel Magnolia.

MIA

2010-07-31T11:30:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone it has been a minute since I have posted. My family went to Ocean City, MD for a week. Gosh I love the beach. I have been going there every summer just about for the last 25 years. Diving through waves, jumping over waves, getting wiped out by waves. I love it all. Hitting the Boardwalk for some Thrashers fries and getting funnel cake at the same spot every year. Yummy!! We spent a lot of time in The Kite Loft. Some of those kites amaze me. Flying a kite seems so basic but they have the trick kites and everything. About 7 years ago we bought some kites from there and have had fun flying them. I want another one but since we don't even fly the ones we have very often spending $200 on a kite doesn't make sense to me. They also have a lot of cool games in that store that kids would love. I think that is my favorite store on the Boardwalk.

We have a lot of fun but now that everyone is getting older it may be time to do something else or just go somewhere else. We'll see what happpens. Anyhow, I am just checking back in with everyone. Hope everyone is doing great. I have about 500 blog posts to read so bear with me as I work my way through them. I really miss posting but between vacation and general business it has been tough. Thanks for hanging in there with me.

Zoya Bekka

2010-07-17T15:11:00.000-04:00

I am not disappointed with the color moreso the application. Zoya Bekka was unusually thinner than my other Zoya polishes which amounted to some flooding. Booo, I can't stand when that happens. For three coats this is less than stellar. Nothing that some nail art can't fix, but I really like this color and want it to stand alone. Maybe a coat of nude or white as a base may help. I will give it another go at some point because I still have hope for this beauty. Please also excuse the smudge on my index finger. I don't know how I did it but unfortunately I was in a rush and couldn't take the time to fix it.

Cake For Dinner

2010-07-16T22:17:00.001-04:00

Oink Oink but I guess if I don't do this to often I'll be okay. Who am I kidding, I am already kind of irked that I am so out of shape so this doesn't help the matter. My willpower is at an all time low and my daughter decided to bake a cake. It was delicious and as any good parent I had to do my part in making sure that cake was eaten so she knew just how good it was. Cake and milk. Yuuuuuuuuummmmmmmmmmm.

Yep, it didn't even make it out of the pan!!

Zoya Pru

2010-07-16T14:26:00.000-04:00

I have had this polish on but kept trying and trying to get the best pictures. Zoya Pru is a mystery to me. It is not a duochrome but it looks absolutely different in differnt lighting. It can go from a a brownish purple to a bright purple. Here are a few shots that I got. I am wearing 3 layers.

While these pictures aren't wrong they aren't quite right to me either. I can't stand when polishes give me photo troubles.

Essie Lifesaver

2010-07-08T13:50:00.000-04:00

A few days ago I painted my nails for the first time with an Essie polish. This pretty orange is Essie Lifesaver. It wasn't the worst polish but not the best. The picture below is three coats with and there is still a visible nail line. I do like the color very much though. The polish has a stronger odor than some of the other 3 free polishes I have used but it wasn't extremely overpowering, just something I noticed.

Three coats of Essie Lifesaver + Seche Vite Top Coat

Fourth of July Mani- I Did Do One

2010-07-07T18:24:00.001-04:00

Hey everyone, I am still polishing my nails just not as frequently. This is a quick shot on the mani I did for the 4th of July.

The red polish is Seche Zodiac in Scorpio. The white is this old, old Sally Hansen French Nail polish that works great for stamping. I had probably left the cap off at some point. It is nice and goopy. There is a coat of Finger Paints Floatin' On A Cloud on top for a bit of glitter goodness.

Anyhow, my attention has been quite divided lately so polishing my nails once a week will probably be the norm. With my kids out of school we have been just hanging out, playing games, having girl talks and enjoying each other. My oldest has taken up sewing and I have been enjoying it with her. It is quite addictive as well. Looking for fabrics, patterns, notions, etc. My youngest who is ready to go back to school has been crying bored all the time. If a World Cup game isn't on she is moping around. I have given her a list of a million things to do but none of them will satisfy her boredom. In an effort to have her occupied I offered to do her nails so we will be doing that tonight.

I am about 400 blog posts behind so if I haven't commented in a while sorry. I haven't forgotten you and I will read your posts.

Doritos Mr. Dragon's Fire Chips

2010-07-06T21:42:00.000-04:00

My kids and I were in Walmart today and came across a couple of flavors of Doritos we had never tried. We don't eat Doritos on a regular basis but when we see new flavors it is always fun to try them together. We picked up a bag of the Mr. Dragon's Fire Chips flavor and the 1st Degree Burn Blazin' Jalepeno.

(Source)

My, oh, my. The Mr. Dragon's Fire Chips is one of the weirdest things I have ever tasted. When you first put it in your mouth your tongue burns. Then you move on to the other flavors. I couldn't pinpoint what I was tasting but after looking it up it was wasabi. Not my cup of tea.

The 1st Degree Burn Blazin' Jalepeno was pefect though. Nice kick to it.

Giveaways!!!

2010-07-05T21:07:00.004-04:00

I am way behind in updating the giveaway page so I am going to post and hope you see them and enter.

Nailin' It! Anniversary Giveaway

This is what you get:
Autograph Cerise
GOSH Gypsy Blue
OPI DS Vintage
Claire’s 163
Depend Nr. 197
Depend Nr. 199
Depend Nr. 54
Marks & Spencer nail colour azure blue
Marks & Spencer nail colour sherbet
Marks & Spencer nail colour jewel
nailstation péché mignon
nailstation la plage

Enter Here

I Was Tagged

2010-06-30T11:34:00.001-04:00

Tilly from Matilda's Manis was sweet enough to tag me with the Cherry On Top Award. Cool. How fun.

THANKS TILLY!!!

Acceptance speech shall commence.

First and foremost I would like to thank Tilly for tagging me with such a prestigous honor. I remember being a child and dreaming of the Cherry on Top Award and this day Tilly has made that dream come true. So with that being said I would like to pass this along to the following fellow bloggers:

Candace over at it's FRESH. (told me I should give blogging a try)

ABOP at Another Bottle of Polish. (inspiring and creative manis)

Reem at reemakup. (so many pretty things to look at)

ChaosButterfly at The Phalanges Files (love this blog name and great polish selections)

Sara at Daily Polish (almost to 365 manis in 365 days, wow!)

and I would give it back to Tilly if I could, I am so happy she decided to do a blood donatation!!

For those of you I tag here are the rules:
1.Now you have to copy the award onto your blog.
2.Thank me for awarding you with such an award!
3.Select another 5 recipients.
4.Include a pic that means something to you.
5.Write 5 positive comments about yourself.

Every year my dad takes a picture of the peonies that bloom outside of my childhood home. They have been there since the year I was born and are still coming back. I love getting a picture like this from him every year.

The positives about me:
Yikes this is kind of hard writing these things down.

1. I like to listen.
2. I am very supportive.
3. I think I have a pretty good sense of humor.
4. The happiness of others is important to me.
5. I like things to be done right the first time.

Thanks again Tilly. That was fun!

Borghese Cannoli Cream

2010-06-29T23:03:00.000-04:00

The clearance rack was where it should have stayed. Maybe that is a bit harsh but this polish is going to take to much work. First and second coats streaky. The brush didn't help. Third and fourth coat goopy. Four coats for goopiness. Maybe for something special but not this. I do like the color but I don't have the time for this one. I am glad it was 75% off.

And to top it off I can't find my hang nail clipper thing so I am stuck with these little hangnails all around my nails. I need a new hangnail clipper. Any recommendations?

The Power of Layering

2010-06-28T17:27:00.000-04:00

Ages ago I had no idea that people layered polishes. Oh what I had been missing out on. The Sally Hansen HD polishes I picked up are so sheer that layering is always an option with them. Since I was at the end of the road with my Magens Bay Blue mani I decided to top it with some different colors to see how it looked.

Sorry for the obvious cuticles and messy edges. I wasn't investing any cleanup time in this since I knew it was coming right back off.

With Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure

Pretty. I am really in love with Hue. Funny that this was my last choice to get. Some polishes can surprise you.

Tomatoes and Stuff

2010-06-28T11:19:00.000-04:00

I love salsa, absolutely love it. So what could be better than homemade salsa. Not to much. My mother came out a few weeks ago to help me plant some herbs she had picked up for me. Green thumb. Not me, not at all. I have the anti-green thumb. She knows it but we enjoy trying. She bought me some oregano, green peppers, rosemary, mint, marjoram and then we went to the store to get a tomato plant and some marigolds. We also got some jalepeno seeds for my daughter to plant.

The tomato is in a pot (actually everything is in a pot) so I could move it as needed into the sun. Plus the dirt in my area is horrible so I would rather leave it in the pot with so organic soil. We get everything in their pots, had a good laugh about the 5 pots sitting in the middle of the yard and crossed our fingers.

Surely if I planted it in the middle of my yard the guy who cuts the grass would have just rolled right over it to. When they came all I had to do is grab the pots and put them on my steps.

My poor tomato pot keeps falling over. Every morning it is on its side. And then the poor leaves looked so withered and sad. The blooms I had looked like they were dried up and about to die. My mom told me the blooms are where the tomatoes grow so I thought surely I had killed my poor plant.

I felt like it needed to be inside with me. Yes, I know, direct sunlight but we really do get a good amount of sun in our "sunroom". After some nuturing over the weekend I took it back outside this morning. It looked a little happier. And there was one tiny tomato on it.

When I went to take some more pictures I was pleasantly surprised to see another little tomato that I had missed.

I didn't kill it!! Yet :-( I'll try to enjoy this as long as I can. I love my plants and have always loved that my mother has a green thumb. She always laughs at my plant issues and gives me great advice to try and revive them.

Gas Prices..

2010-06-28T10:24:00.000-04:00

Gas prices drive me bananas. Thank goodness the grocery store I shop at offers discounted gas for shopping there.

Yea, for discounted gas. My gas guzzler takes premium so I was quite please to get such a discount.

Magens Bay Blue- Diamond Cosmetics

2010-06-24T13:01:00.000-04:00

This is my first time ever using Diamond Cosmetics and let me just say this polish is nice. I was one of the lucky winners of a giveway that ABOP did over on her blog ANOTHER Bottle of Polish. Thanks again ABOP.

First of all this polish can go on with one coat. My imperfect polishing technique had me put on two to cover up some minor streaks but I honestly think if you know what you are doing one coat is all you need. No problem with it being to sheer either.

It dried in a normal amount of time. By normal I mean I painted all my nails and when I went back to do the second coat they were all pretty much dry. The second coat went on with ease as well as the Sunblocking Top Coat that was also part of my giveaway prize. The polish already has a nice shine and the top coat amps it up to the next level.

So far 2 thumbs up for Diamond Cosmetics. I am definitely going to check out more of their colors.

I Totally Understand Now- Zoya Charla

2010-06-23T22:53:00.000-04:00

There are some colors that people rant and rave about that I don't see why. Zoya knocked it out of the park with this color. How could anyone be a hater of this beautiful, glittery, goodness. I was excited to get it and when I did actually didn't try it for some time. What was I thinking. Two coats of absolute amazingness.

Nothing more to say other than, Thank You Zoya!!

Ouch Ouch and Ouch

2010-06-23T18:47:00.000-04:00

Ok, it really was that bad physically but mentally it hurt to have to cut my nail off. I'll live. I think I was gardening or something and kept banging my thumb against something. Quite obvious that I lost that battle.

Mini Beautyfirst Haul

2010-06-23T17:58:00.000-04:00

Score!!! No not as in World Cup but as in BeautyFirst sent me a $10 coupon in the mail. When I get a coupon like that I am ecstatic. Ten free dollars is better than nothing. I went practical and got Zoya Anchor basecoat and my first ever bottle of Essie polish. Can you see the little 50% off sticker? This color sums up where I am mentally right now because the name of it is Need A Vacation.

I took the Zoya Anchor out of the packaging so you could see the bottle. Standard Zoya bottle. It seems like a environmental waste to even have all of that plastic packaging around the bottle.

My out of pocket total for the day was $2 plus tax. I was a happy camper.

Lots of Dots- Ginessa Bundlemonster Mani

2010-06-23T17:09:00.001-04:00

It has been forever since I posted a mani but I have been doing them, just no time to blog. I am going to try to catch up over the next few days with the older pics and manis and then get back on track I hope.

Remember a long time ago when I had Zoya Ginessa on my nails, here is the BundleMonster mani I did with it. The colors are Zoya Ginessa as the base. SallyHansen XTremewear in The Real Teal and Pacific Blue.

Looks like Easter eggs to me. I used two BundleMonster plates for this mani. The BM11 is the strip of dots near the base of my nail and the BM19 is for the polka dots. It was a little tedious to do the alternating colors but overall it was a fun mani to do.