Goals for 2010- Update

Now that we are six months into this year, I thought I would update you on my goals for 2010. Some I have been doing very well on and others....well, not so much.

1. Read 25 books for fun-Making progress
I have been doing pretty well with this goal. So far I have read 10 books for fun. I haven't been good about updating this as I read them but I'm pretty sure that is accurate. I do need to pick up the pace a little bit but in these past two weeks I have read two books so I think I will catch up soon. Now that it is summer (almost) and David is racing motocross, I have a great deal of time to read. I have been known to read an entire book on a race day.

2. Lose enough weight/inches to fit into my size 4 pants again-Achieved
A couple of simple changes in what I've been eating and walking Charlie a little more at night and I have achieved this goal.

3. Create and Start a 101 in 1001 list- No progress
I really like the idea of one of these lists but I have yet to sit down and really think of some things that I would like to do.

4. Do at least 30 minutes of housework each night after work- Some progress?
I have not been doing 30 minutes a night but our house has been much cleaner. I need to step up my game a little now that the weather is nice and we have stuff to do outside as well.

5. Reconnect with 2 old friends- 50% Achieved
I have been able to reconnect with one of the friends mentioned. Shortly after writing this goal, she contacted me on Facebook. We talked a couple times after that. Unfortunately, he mother passed away a couple of months ago. I felt very strongly that I needed to be there for her so Dave and I went to calling hours. I am so glad we did because I could tell that it meant a lot. About a month later, we met for drinks. It felt really good to hang out with her again. We need to do it again very soon.

As for the other friend, she also reached out to me on Facebook but we have yet to really talk. I am really going to make a point to reconnect with her this summer.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to my wonderful mother. I appreciate everything you do for me. I'm not sure I would be sane without you.

And to my mother-in-law, Donna, thank you for raising a great son. I feel blessed to have you in my life. We may not be extremely close but I know I can always count on you.

For Mother's Day, we decided to get our mothers hydrangeas. My mom specifically mentioned last week that she wanted one. My mother-in-law is an avid gardener so flowers or plants are always a great gift. When I gave my mom her plant today she was so excited and said that she hoped I had been listening when she mentioned it last week.

The one on the left was for my mom. It is a bluish purple. I know she wanted a blue one so I got as close as I could. Here is a closer look at the color of that one:

My mother-in-law's is on the right. She almost did not get this plant. After driving around with it in my car today, I fell in love with the color of this one. I even went as far as going to the store to see if they had anymore that I could give her. Unfortunately for me, they were all gone by this afternoon. Oh well, I'll just have to enjoy it at her house. Here's a better look at the color:

We spent the afternoon at my grandparents' house. I made some awesome strawberry cupcakes to share. I will make sure the post the recipe this week as they were seriously amazing. My mouth is watering just writing about them.

I hope all you moms, moms-to-be, and future moms had a fantastic day!

Product Review: Neutrogena Healthy Skin® liquid makeup & SkinClearing Blemish Concealer

(image source: neutrogena.com)

Before my wedding I took a trip to Sephora for makeup. I chose to do my own makeup instead of paying for someone to do it. I walked out with $250 worth of makeup and perfume including Stila Illuminating Liquid Foundation. I love how that foundation makes my skin look until it's time to take it off. Then, I tend to break out. As a result, I went on the hunt for a new foundation. I was intrigued by Revlon Colorstay but I've heard it's thick which I didn't really want. I decided to try a Neutrogena foundation since I usually have pretty good luck with their products (see my review of the makeup removing cloths). After spending what had to be an hour staring at the different foundations, I decided to try the Healthy Skin foundation. I have trouble with little bumps on my face and was hoping that this would help. In general I like this foundation but it doesn't have a wow factor for me. So far I haven't seen a change in the texture of my skin. Also, I find that my T-zone feels a little oily as the day goes on. I have pretty dry skin so this is out of the ordinary for me. I plan on using up this bottle, but I'm not sure that I will be purchasing this one again.

The other product that I decided to try was the Neutrogena Skin Clearing Blemish Concealer.

I LOVE this product. At the time I had this annoying blemish forming under the surface of my skin. The stupid thing had been around for like a week. It couldn't make up its mind whether it should come out or just go away. I had putting my favorite acne spot treatment on with no luck. My usual concealer was not doing a good job of covering it up either. Finally, I decided to give this a try. I am so glad I did. Within a day, my blemish had shrunk to almost nothing. The best part is that it also concealed it while looking completely natural. This is think enough that it does not look cakey but thick enough to actually cover up the zit. This isn't a miracle product but I am sold.

Old Navy and Target Haul

Dave races motocross every Sunday. Most of the time I will go with him unless the race is really far away. I really hate when they are far away because the races take up the whole day as it is. Today the race was about two hours away so I decided to stay home. I did a little cleaning this morning but decided to do a little shopping this afternoon.

I have been looking for a dark brown cardigan for a while now. I felt like I had looked everywhere with no luck. Last night when I browsing The Nest Fashion & Beauty board I saw rave reviews for Target cardigans so I decided to check them out. I checked the website to make sure they had a dark brown (which they did) then decided that I would go to the store today. I was happy to find that they had the dark brown in stock. While I was there, I also got this dress. I found the sizing a little bit questionable. I tried on a size 4 to start with. That was definitely too big but I loved the dress so I decided to try the size 2. The 2 fit much better but it is still a little big in the chest but that isn't out of the ordinary. I chose to buy it in the end because we have two weddings to go to this summer. I know that if I wait until the weddings, I won't find any dresses that I like. (Sorry about the lack of pictures. I couldn't get any of these two items.

After Target, we went to Old Navy since they were having 30% off of everything. My original plan was to get more of these t-shirts:

I have this shirt in four other colors (white, yellow, pink, and blue) and I love them. They are affordable and great for layering.

I couldn't resist getting these pj shorts:

I have another pair which I love. They are cute and comfortable.

Finally, my impulse buy:

I saw this and fell in love. I have two other bathing suits but only one that I really like. I've had the other one for at least five years so it was time to replace it. A few of our friends own boats and we spent a lot of time on the lake last year. I am looking forwad to sporting this on the lake this summer.

I hope you enjoyed my weekend haul. What did you get this weekend?

What's In My Purse

A while back (while I was being a crappy blogger), I kept seeing these posts pop up in my Google Reader. At the time, I thought it was such a great idea and ran out to take the picture. Then, the picture just sat on my camera. Now that I'm getting back on the blogger bandwagon, I decided to make this my first post.

So, what's in my purse? The top row features most of the medications that I carry. My favorite is the Claritin eye drops. My first sign of an allergy attack is itchy eyes and these work almost immediately. I also carry Ibuprofin (for the husband) and Tylenol (for me since we are TTC). One of my must-haves is New Skin. This is a life saver when breaking in new shoes or wearing shoes for the first time in a while. A little dap and the irritation is gone. The top row also contains some hand sanitizer, a travel size hairspray, mirror, and iPod earbuds.

In the middle we have some winning lottery tickets that I have yet to redeem (from Christmas), my wallet, Petco reward card, $5 (amazing since I don't usually carry cash), Smashbox O-Glow (for when I need a little color in a pinch), various lip glosses, nail clippers (another must have for hangnails), chapstick, lotion, and Metro Chic nail polish).

At the bottom we have an old grocery list, a card for the dog groomer, a bracelet, my thumb drive, an Easter pencil, my husband's coin for serving in Afghanistan, a Listerine whitening strip, a hair tie, a mini nail file, and my sunglasses.

As you can see, I have TONS of stuff in my purse. The really good thing that came of this was that I was able to reorganize when I put everything back in. I threw out the old grocery list and put all of those lip glosses and other makeup items in a pouch.

I hope you enjoyed seeing what's in my purse!

I suck

Apparently I lied when I said that you could expect some good posts from me. This past month totally got away from me. Right before spring break I was faced with some possible career changes and I have spent the time since then deciding my course of action. This week it became official that I will be leaving my current teaching job at the end of the school year. I will definitely miss my kids and colleagues but I think this was the best decision for me. I am not exactly sure where the road will lead from here. I currently teach special education but I would really like the opportunity to teach general education. Unfortunately, there are not any general ed. opportunities right now at my school. I have also been investigating some alternative career paths, some of which I am very interested in. Whatever happens, I know better opportunities are ahead of me.

I don't want to promise a bunch of great posts ahead and have it turn out like last time. So, I will just say, keep an eye out for some more frequent updates as I get my head back on straight. Thanks for sticking with me!

Happy Easter!

I have been a terrible blogger lately (no posts in over a month!). I'd like to say I have a good excuse but I don't really think I do. Anyway, there has been so much going on lately and this week is spring break so expect at least a few posts this week. What can you expect? A recipe for some awesome cupcakes that I made for Easter, some recent clothing purchases, book reviews, and maybe a product review. I hope some of you are still with me! I will leave you with some Charlie cuteness since this post doesn't warrant any other pictures. Happy Easter!

Product Review: Neutrogena® Make-up Remover Cleansing Towelettes

(image source: neutrogena.com)

The description at neutrogena.com says: Make-up Remover Cleansing Towelettes effectively dissolve all traces of dirt, oil and make-up--even waterproof mascara--for clean, fresh skin in one easy step.


These gentle, ultra soft cloths contain superior cleansing technology so effective it removes even waterproof mascara. With one step, it leaves skin thoroughly clean with no heavy residue, so there's no need to rinse. And it's gentle enough to use around the sensitive eye area, even for contact lens wearers.

Make your skin make-up free the easy way.

My review: I absolutely love this product. I have tried a lot of cleansers but I have never really felt like they have removed my make-up. I don't remember where I first read about this product but after seeing them in the store, I decided to give them a try.

These towelettes do exactly what they claim. They remove all of my make-up including waterproof mascara. I don't wake up the next morning with black circles from the left over mascara.

I also love that they are very gentle. My face used to get very red after washing. This was a problem if I was trying to wash my face in order to change my make-up. With these towelettes, I can reapply make-up immediately. My skin is very sensitive and it has not felt dry and itchy at all with these.

Finally, my skin has been incredibly clear lately. I have been able to wear my liquid foundation (which usually makes me break out). I have been using this product for about a month now (each package contains 25 towelettes) and my skin looks great. I would definitely recommend this product.

Nail Polish Review: Essie's Tart Deco

I decided to buy this polish after seeing reviews on many of my favorite blogs. This is unlike any color I have and I decided to give it a shot. I bought this and another color Saturday night and painted just my pinky with this color to decide which one to use. It went on so nicely and was such a great color that I painted all my nails this color the next day. I used a top coat which apparently was a mistake. When I woke up Monday morning, all my nails (except my pinky) had turned orange. The nice pinkish coral color had transformed into neon orange. I promptly took off the polish (but not before taking a picture). Here is a not-so-great picture:

It is kind of difficult to see but the pinky is more of a pink color and the rest are orange.

I decided to give this color another try this weekend without a top coat. The results were much better this time but I'm still not completely sold. I do like the color. The best way I can describe it is the color of an orange candy heart. I wish it had more of a pink undertone than it does.

                                

(This is a true representation of the color)

(This is what I wanted it to be like)

The formula has also been inconsistent. When I painted my pinky, I was in love. It went on smoothly and only required two coats. When I painted them yesterday, it went on quite streaky and required 3-4 coats in order to look smooth.

I still like the color and will use it again. However, it has not earned the titile of Nail Polish Love. Has anyone else tried this color? What were your results?

No exuse

I don't have any good excuses for not blogging earlier. Well, maybe that isn't true. After I typed that, I remembered that report cards and IEP progress notes were due this week, my husband left to go to a school for a month, and I got sucked in by this book:

(image source: amazon.com)

This one was just as good as Sloppy Firsts. I bought this on a Saturday and had it finished by 8:30 Sunday night. I became even more intrigued by these books when I realized that Jessica Darling was the same age as me. I made this connection when she described 9/11 happening in the fall of her senior year. Her story was just like mine. She had decided to go to Columbia University when suddenly our country was attacked. I couldn't believe it as I read this. I was actually scheduled to go visit a college on Long Island the week after 9/11. The trip was obviously cancelled and my world was shaken. Her story continued to parallel my life throughout the book. I can't wait to buy the third book today.

On another note, I have decided to buy a Kindle. After I finished Second Helpings, I found myself wishing that I could instantly download the next book. I think I have convinced Dave that I need one so I think that will be my Valentine's Day present. I did a little research and I think I have decided on the Kindle over other e-readers. If you have a Kindle or another e-reader, let me know how you like it. What are the pros and cons of the one you have?

Book Review: Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty

With the month of January almost over, I have finished my first book of the year. I was given a Borders gift card for Christmas. Usually I spend those immediately, but I held off in order to make an informed purchase. As I stated in a previous entry, I have quite a few books that I need to read. For some reason, I just have not been motivated to read them. Anyway, I finally spent my gift card two weekends ago. I decided to buy Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Both of those books were on my TBR list.
I decided to read Sloppy Firsts first. I wanted a light-hearted read to ease me into the goal of reading 25 books this year. This book was a great choice. There was a smile on my face the entire time I was reading it. When it was over I literally yelled “What? It’s Over?” out loud. If it hadn’t been 8:00 on a Monday night, I would have gotten in the car and driven to the bookstore (which is 30 minutes away).

Sloppy Firsts is about sixteen year old Jessica Darling whose best friend, Hope, has just moved away. Jessica has trouble relating to her “friends” aptly nicknamed the Clueless Crew. Jessica struggles to decide if it is better to have acceptance and be unhappy or express herself and lose acceptance. She finds an unlikely ally in Marcus Flutie, a socially unacceptable druggie.

It is easy to say that I loved this book. It was not an extremely deep, thought provoking book. However, I could totally relate the Jessica’s internal struggles. I found myself thinking about my own teenage years and wishing this book had been around then. I asked myself many of the same questions that Jessica asked and had many similar experiences. I think almost any female that has lived through high school could relate to this book. If you are looking for a light, feel good read, be sure to pick this book up.

Trouble Focusing

I am having a very difficult time focusing lately. I am terrified that it is my anxiety coming back to haunt me. It has been at least 5 years since I was on any sort of medication for anxiety and I would like to keep it that way. However, I am finding myself worrying about little things lately. As I said before, I really don't want to go back on medicine. That feels like admitting defeat. I am hoping to combat it through things like yoga. If anyone has other suggestions, I would love to hear them.

Now on to what led me to post this in the first place. It is now the 17th day of 2010 and I have yet to truly start working on my goals. I am eating better but I still have to start exercising. The one I am really struggling with is the reading. I have started two or three books that I am having a hard time sticking with. The thing is, I was really excited to get these books. Now that I have them, I can't seem to focus for more than a couple of pages. I need to commit myself to reading these which means I need to start turning my computer off and get reading. Here are the three new books that I am excited to read:

(Image source: borders.com)

Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty

(Image source: borders.com)

The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman

(Image source: borders.com)

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I am starting with Sloppy Firsts because I've heard it is a nice light read. 24 starts tonight so I'm not sure how much reading I will get done. However, I have tomorrow off so I plan on doing as much reading as possible then. Hopefully I'll be able to focus.

Nail Polish Love: Sephora by OPI Too Good for Him

On New Year's Eve I decided to drive an hour to the mall that has Sephora and Forever 21. Forever 21 was a complete disaster. I have seen some really cute stuff from there but I can not handle digging through the piles of clothes to find the cute stuff.

After fleeing from Forever 21, I booked it to Sephora in search of Nars Orgasm blush and a fun nail polish to wear that night. Sadly, they were completely sold out of the blush so I went for my trusty Smashbox Soft Lights in Prism. I also happened to find a perfect nail polish for the night. I give you Too Good for Him:

Here it is shown by itself. This is how I wore it that night. I don't usually wear glitters alone but I really liked this look. This isn't the best picture but the polish is a pinkish purple, blue, and silver glitter.

A couple of days later I decided to try it over another polish. A couple of months ago I purchased OPI's Pamplona Purple. I really like the color but it seemed better suited for spring/summer. However, Too Good for Him toned it down perfectly. I LOVED this combination. It even got a few compliments at work on Monday.

Sorry about the poor quality of pictures. I really need to find a better location wtih good lighting to take them.

Goals for 2010

Sorry for the delay in posting my goals. The first five days of this new year have been insane. I will leave that recap for another day. Without further ado, he are my goals for 2010.

1. Read 25 books for fun- I love to read. This summer I spent a small fortune on books because I read them within a day a two. Unfortunately, I have not done much reading since September. Once school starts it is difficult for me to do much more than collapse on the couch when I get home. Lately, I find myself reaching for my computer and mindlessly playing on the internet for hours. Not good. I joined a book club that meets once a month so it should not be too difficult to meet my goal. If I read the book club book and at least one other book a month I will be set.


2.Lose enough weight/inches to fit into my size 4 pants again- This is a simple goal. My dress pants don't fit. That's a problem when you have to dress up every day. I have 4 pair that are big enough but that doesn't give me much variety. I don't have much weight to lose. In fact, when I went to the doctor today the scale said I had already lost 3 lbs. since last time. Now I just need to keep this up.

3. Create and Start a 101 in 1001 list-I have seen this done on a few blogs and I think it's a great idea. I originally wanted that done by January 1 but I just couldn't think of enough. Stay tuned for this one.

4.Do at least 30 minutes of housework each night after work- I hate to admit this but my house is often very messy. Between my husband and dog, it is a never ending battle. The bigger problem, however, is my motivation (see #1). I think I can realistically commit myself to 30 minutes of housework and still have time for relaxation. I am hoping this will result in a much tidier house.

5. Reconnect with 2 old friends- I will not go into details but there are two friends I have lost touch with that I really miss. They are great friends and I primarily blame myself for the distance that has developed. This is actually the most important goal for this year. Friendships are very important to me. With my two best friends on the other side of the country, I really need to work on my friendships here.

So there you have it, my goals for 2010. I think all of my goals are realistic and I look forward to accomplishing them.

(Stay tuned for another nail polish review. I've found another color that I'm in love with)