The Traveling Housewife...

Since my last post I have officially become a stay-at-home wifey-poo.  The running joke is that I'm a Trophy Wife, but that's certainly not the case, lol.  With the honey's job allowing us to travel more frequently between our two homes in GA & FL, we decided that I try my hand at my newest role... the Traveling Housewife.  Things are going great, but I'm still 'learning' how to be a good housewife, lol.  Don't get me wrong, I know how to clean, do laundry, and all the other domestic chores, and I'm good at them... just not good at getting around to doing them, LOL.  I'd much rather be creating stuff :)

I have more projects going on in both houses then any of you would want to know about.  From repurposing furniture, painting walls, and sewing curtains to photography, blogging, and EBay & Etsy sales!  I have so much free time and too many options of filling it!!  It's like looking at a huge menu at a restaurant... there are so many choices, you just can't pick one!!  Well, I need to pick one.  The slight chaos in BOTH houses is a bit too much for the honey (and on occasion, me too!).  Sure, when he comes home things are tidied up and inconspicuous, but hiding in every nook, cranny & spare room is a pile or box of half finished something-or-other.  And lately I've fallen off my 'list' wagon that helps me stay focused.  Come on, you remember about me and my lists, right??  Yeah, well it's time this gal makes a priority list of projects (which should include sweeping more often, lol).  Over the summer I even made some really great daily chores lists to keep me on track.  Laminated them and everything so I could write, wipe and reuse.  I think I lost them under a pile of fabric, lol.  I guess it's time to dig them out.

Cheers to fighting the battle of self diagnosed ADD and trying to stay organized, lol.

Oh my aching head...

hang·o·ver

 [hang-oh-ver] 

noun:the disagreeable physical after effects of drunkenness, such as a headache or stomach disorder, usually felt several hours after cessation of drinking.

In the past month or so, I've sworn off drinking... well, I've sworn to keep it to a minimum, lol.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not a big lush or anything, but I enjoy a glass of wine (especially red) with my hubby at dinner.  And the occasional beer at a ball game or cookout.  And maybe a nice gin & tonic on date night.  You get my drift.  Anyway, it's come to my attention that A) I'm allergic to sulfites in red wines (NOO!!!), B) alcohol depletes your body of vitamins & minerals, and C) drinking makes me a fat-ass, lol.  So, to alleviate all of these I've limited myself to the occasional glass of white wine or a beer on special occasions and/or once or twice a week.  That's it.  And I've been such a good doobie; I honestly have.  I notice how great my body feels without having adult beverage running through my veins on a regular basis, lol.  I'm more alert & aware, and full of energy.  One night after a week of having nothing alcoholic, I had two glasses of red wine with the hubby.  Having to cut out all red wine is a HUGE deal for me, so I had to 'test' my sulfite theory to be certain.  OMG, my head was a hot mess the next morning.  My sinuses were filled with snot (gross, right?), and I felt like I had been hit with the ugly stick.  Really?  Two measly glasses of wine?  Enjoyed over a 3 hour time frame??  Sigh, yep.  Goodbye my old friend, you'll be missed.  And sure I know I can buy sulfite-free wines, all organic and actually good for my body... but damn, they're pricey and limited in selection.  I guess every now and then I'll still indulge in a red... can't hurt, right??  Wrong.

Fast forward to current day.  OH MY ACHING HEAD.  Yup, my indulgence was last night and boy am I a stupid girl.  Really?  Should I really consider it as 'treating myself' when it's to something that will hand me my ass the next morning??  Now don't get me wrong, I wouldn't take back last night for a second.  It was a fun, laughter filled date night with just me and the hubby.  We enjoyed dinner at home, with a bottle of Zin (delish) and watched an episode of The Office.  One bottle between two people is not terrible.  It breaks out to 2 - 6 oz glasses of wine each.  Well, I should have known better than to have that second glass, since I was already getting congested and sniffly after glass number one... but noOOOOooo, I had the second glass.  What's that?  Why yes, we DID end up going out afterwards.  Yep, to a bar to 'treat' ourselves to a tasty beer.  Yeah, me who hasn't been drinking a whole lot, decides to pour beer down her gullet on top of the two glasses of red wine already in there... did I forget to mention that I had a glass of white wine before the 2 glasses of red?  No??  Yeah, I forgot too.

Yum yum, one tasty beer, some chips & salsa, and a couple of trivia boards in front of us.  Flirty, laughing couple we were, just enjoying each other's company and that tasty beer.  I opted for a Guinness since we were just staying for one.  Man, this place has a damn great selection.  Sure, I'll have one more.  It's been a while since we've been out like this.  Can't hurt for just one night, right??  Oh YUM!  I love Magic Hat #9!  So fruity and light!  perfect with these fattening chips & salsa that we didn't need, but were craving because we're drinking beer.  YAY!!  I love trivia!!  Especially when it's movie/TV/entertainment stuff!  Wow!  We already went through those beers?!  Damn straight I'd like another one.  No no, not the same, something different again, but in a larger bottle so I can fully kick my own ass here tonight.  Sweet, Tucher it is!!  Oh, how I love the taste of good beer.  I actually don't like the buzz/drunk feeling, but it's a small price to pay to enjoy great tasting beers.  What a fun night!  Slept like a stone, too.  Until...

Morning, you suck.  Well, now wait.  I'm a morning person.  I LOVE mornings!  Waking without an alarm is thee best feeling and I have that luxury this week.  But... drinking has foiled my day and I haven't even gotten out of bed.   Hell, I hadn't taken my head off the pillow yet and I was already sad.

So, why then do I still deem it as 'treating myself' when I indulge in the liquid devil??  Drinking (more than one drink and/or red wine) makes me feel yucky.  It makes my face red & splotchy and prone to breaking out; it makes me feel like I have a cold, all congested and icky; it makes me fat and bloated, packing on unnecessary pounds while I'm working my heart out at the gym; and makes the next day (sometimes the whole day) a big worthless mess.  So, really, am I treating myself?  Lol, geezus, I can think of lots other fun ways to treat myself.  Hello?  Mani/pedi... massage... nap... chick flick... ice cream...

Yup, lots of other ways to treat myself, lol.

Write it down... EVERYTHING!

Oh Accountability, you and I have been dancing around each other for a while, but last week I got a hold of your coat tail and I'm trying my best to hang on!!  If any of you reading this has ever felt out of control with anything... not completing tasks, loosing weight, cleaning the house, ANYTHING... all I can say is write everything down!  Seriously, journal about everything.  If you actually see in black & white what you're eating, feeling and doing (work, gym, etc) than you can see how far you've come and be proud of your accomplishments, or have the proof that you need to 'adjust' your habits a bit to get the results you want in life.

Last week I started my Accountability Journey as a result of a good hard look.  A look at my house, my yard, my fridge, my body.  Every idea or project I have had in the past year (or five!) has been started with excitement, but then petered off when my self-diagnosed ADD kicks in and I turn all of my energy to something new.  I told you many blogs ago how shiny I think everything is, right??  And you already know I'm a list lover, so I made lists.  LOTS of them.  Chores lists for my day to keep things 'flowing' that need to be finished and kept on top off.  I know, it sounds too structured, but it's a starting point until I can train my brain into a new daily routine.  It goes hand in hand with my food intake.  And here's where I start to stress how we should write things down. I'll share the chores stuff later :)

About 3 months ago I started training at the gym, with a trainer and a nutritionist by my side.  They keep me accountable while I'm there, but only I can be held responsible for what I eat.  I started using one of my favorite things... My Fitness Pal.  It's one of many free online food & exercise journals offered and I love it.  I downloaded the app on my phone and have been super strict about logging everything... food, water, work outs, unplanned snacks; even the occasional naughty beer swilling at a Red Sox game (you know you would too!).  It honestly only takes minutes to do and the benefits are YOUGE! (spoken in my best Donald Trump voice).  I can see that I'm not that perfect of an eater (no shit Sherlock) and that my 'eye-balling' of portions is about as off as you can get.  Another thing it offers is the recipe maker.  It allows you to enter in a recipe and it breaks it down for you... calories, fat, carbs, etc per portion.  SWEET!!  Try it.  You'll love it.

But the one thing that I always do when starting a new exercise/diet regimen, and did not this time around, is take body measurements.  You look at yourself in the mirror all the time and you may not notice the changes that are happening.  I was reminded of this when my best friend mentioned how defined my face looked in a photo and "how much weight I've lost".  Umm, no, my clothes are still fitting the same and no, I still look and feel like a fat-ass.  Well, umm NO right back at myself.  It seems that I've lost more than I realized.  I measured my bod yesterday and compared it to my last measurement (Oct '11) and I'm thrilled to report that I've lost an all over total of 16.5 inches (WOW!!!), with the majority of it gone from my waist & bust.  YAYAYAYAYYYY!!!!!!  As for the clothes still fitting the same, I'm forgetting that I've slowly removed an item or two along the way and am weeding out the stuff that becomes too loose... hence my clothes seeming to still fit the same :)

So I stress... WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN!!  You will be surprised, sometimes pleasantly, at what you end up seeing!!  And with that said, I'm off to the gym!  I'll write later and share the lists I've created.  They're keeping me in line pretty well ;)

Until tomorrow...

A migraine, green tea and Under The Tuscan Sun has taken a hold of my day. See you tomorrow, my Bloggy friends :)

Wax me once, shame on me. Wax me twice... NEVER!

I know, two posts in one day!  But I had to share...

I've been looking into options for permanent hair removal.  The golden egg of course is electrolysis... but I don't have a few grand lying around to make me the smooth silken goddess I'd like to be.  Home laser therapy  is always a second option, but once you leave the electrolysis column you're treading water in the 'non-permanent but long-term removal' waters.  I figure that's not too bad, since everything I've been reading says most people with medium to fair hair like mine (color, thickness & growth) may actually damage the hair follicle over time, with enough repeated laser or waxing treatments, that it won't grow back.  I'm cheap...err, I mean frugal enough to take that bet!  I'm a fairly smart chick, am a fast learner and I can figure out how most things work.  This will be a piece of cake.

There are two top rated home hair removal laser products, both approved by the FDA... Tria and Silk'n.  Both range in the $300 - 400; less if you shop around (Amazon, etc).  Both sound great and get decent reviews, as long as I keep in mind that it's not "permanent" removal.  For pennies on the dollar of the price of electrolysis, I'm all in.  But wait!  I'm even more frugal than that!!  Why not start simple and use what's readily available to me!  That's right, a home wax kit.  Duh!  Right in my neighborhood pharmacy... how convenient!

So I buy my kit (which was on sale AND I have a $1.00 off coupon- score!), and I wait.  Well of course I waited; you've got to grow hair to wax it, right (smart cookie here).  I'm not a patient person, nor a hairy underarm fan, but I wanted to do this right.  I gave it 4 days.  That thankfully was enough, because I was starting daydream about hemp, mushrooms and Jimi Hendrix, lol.  I even waited until mid-afternoon, after I had gone to the gym, done house work and got in a good shower.  Step 1 - cleanse & dry the area...Check!  I got everything I would need laid out nicely on the over-sized bathroom counter... wax, strips, tongue depressors, scissors, talc.  Step 2 - be prepared... Check!  Step 3 - heat wax in micro... Check!  The microwave dings, I wait the instructed minute before taking it out, bring it to the bathroom, and I "stir from the bottom"... man this is going to be a no brainer.  I just hope it isn't too uncomfortable.

Pre-wax. No pics were taken post-wax, lol.

My first area of attack is my right under arm.  Eww, I hate a hairy under arm; especially on me.  I guess it really wasn't much but, eww just the same.  I evenly spread the wax over a section, press a piece of the paper/cloth strip over and rip... OH MY F*CKING WORD.  Are you shitting me with this?  Not a hair came out and my pit was covered in gooey wax.  So what should you do in this case?  I press the strip back on the same spot, rub it in and rip.  MOTHER OF GOD!  I look at the strip... nothing.  Seriously, ARE YOU SHITTING ME??  I lower my arm a bit then realize that it's still all waxed up and now my tricep is sticking to my boob.  Jesus, what a mess.  I begin to think back to am email I got a million years ago about a woman who waxed and wrote just the funniest story, and how that couldn't have really happened.  I need to speak to her.  She needed to take that story to press so we would ALL know the truth.  Okay, I'm a thinker and realize that baby oil gets out sap, so I go for the bottle, pour it over a cotton ball and dab.  Um, no.  Now I'm covered in underarm wax with chucks of cotton ball stuck to me... and I'm laughing hysterically.  Towel in hand, I hang over the sink, douse my pit in oil and rub feverishly.  That did the trick!  Yay me! 

What the hell went wrong?  I know, I'll go watch examples on You Tube.  Three videos down and I'm a pro.  Here I come left arm pit.  Dry, spread, rub and rip.  MUTHA FU$@#, how the hell did I do it again?  This stuff sucks!  At least on this side I tried a much smaller area then my gung-ho approach of last.  I decide that arm pits are too hard to do as my first try with waxing, so I repeat the oil pit bath on the left side... and grab a razor.  I may be waxing my legs next, but dammit to hell if I'm going to keep my shaggy pits.  Funny thing is that's the best shave I've ever gotten!  My underarms are smooth... and a festive sunburn color.  Damn you wax.

So I throw a leg up on the counter.  Yes, this will work much better.  I can see everything up close and personal.  The arm pit was too far away in the wall mirror :-/  I rewarm my wax and take a look at everything I have laid out.  Oh crap, I never used the powder.  Maybe that's why it was sticking so bad?  Trial & error and off I go.  Spread... ooh shit, I forgot the damn powder (I am not exaggerating)... oh well, I already have this crap on my leg.  Press the paper and RIP!  Not a hair was in the paper, but they were all sticking every which way in the Elmer's Glue on my leg.  OMG, I was ripping the wrong way.  "Smooth the wax in the same direction as the hair growth and rip the strip off in the opposite"... damn.  (did I mention how very smart I am?).  Oh my aching pits; it was all my fault.  I clean the goop off my leg because, well I'm a waxing virgin (other than my brows) and I was about to pass out by this time.  But goddammit, I was going to master this, so next time I would be a pro... a silky smooth goddess pro.

Next leg on the counter.  I've got this.  Powder (ahhh!!!), spread, paper strip and RIP!  YES!!!! We have lift-off!  And all I have to say to you regular waxers out there is ARE YOU ALL  $@!%;#* INSANE???  Do you one day get used to the pain or does the layer of skin with all of the nerve endings tear off after enough waxings?  Oh my cheese and rice!  I felt like I needed a safe word or something.  DINOSAUR DINOSAUR!  MAKE IT STOP!!  I can't even begin to think about the women (and maybe men??) that get Brazilians... WHAT THE..... no fricking thank you.  Wax 1, Me 0.  Game over.

This all took place less than one hour ago.  I had to write to you while the pain was fresh and the tingling on my skin was still active.  Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go and happily shave my legs.  Anyone want a gently used wax kit, lol?

I heart my new sneaks :)

I have a new favorite thing... my running shoes!  Well, and rice vinegar, but I'll tell you about that some other time.  I found these beauties about a month ago and OH EM GEE.!  My feet have never been happier!  They've got everything I want... squishy lightweight comfort, a no-slip tongue, great arch support and a color that'll make your eyes POP!  They're a combo between regular lightweight running shoes and those weird toe separating shoes that freak me out.  And they're by Skechers... really?  I always thought they just made sneakers that were for fashion not exercise, and I'd need to wear my cap sideways, yo.  Turns out I was dead wrong.  I have no idea what else they make, but I do know that these rock!

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm just an amateur runner and all I know is what I like and what feels good to me.  There are probably other shoes out there that are rated better, have professional reviews, blah blah blah.  Good for them.  My opinion?  Try these shoes.

They offer a  mid-foot strike that allows your foot to kinda roll when you hit the ground, rather than that hard hit on your heel (man, I almost sound like I know what I'm talking about), but not like that weird Frankenstein workout "butt lifting" shoe you see on some people.  I posted a couple of pics from the box insert for you, below.  What a difference!  It feels oh so great and it really helps support your arches.

They also claim to be great sockless shoes.  Tried it, didn't like it.  Totally a personal preference.  They are fine and comfortable sockless, but I like wearing ultra lightweight footie socks with them.  I love socks.  Did you know that?  :)  Well, except the ones that separate your toes.  Bleck!  And did you see the color???  BAM!!!!

Lastly, they ran me (ha ha) about $65.00.  Not bad, my friends!  I just bought an awesome pair of Nike's that were roughly the same price and these kick their ass.  And yes, I'm beginning to have a little bit of an addiction with running shoes.  We'll call it a healthy, guilty pleasure, lol.

So, what's your favorite running shoe?  Let me know!  I just might need another new pair ;)

ON-ON!

Accountability... and all that jazz!

To hold ones self accountable, they've got scream to the universe what their game plan is, so here we go...

I'm quickly finding that you lose track of time whist not working from a beloved list (oh, how I love lists)  or off a daily schedule.  For me, living without a list or some form of accountability has caused multiple projects to be started, not enough being finished, the ability to web surf way too often (SHINY!) and the inability to focus... which in turn leaves my household cluttered and unorganized... which causes this OCD chick to become scatterbrained, frazzled, and honestly a bit 'off' in every aspect of my life.  I need a list of some sort keeping me on track, and accountable of my time spent, to help me reach my goals.  Starting today I'm overhauling my daily routine to get a better hold on my time management so I can accomplish... well everything, lol.

My first and most important change is less time on Facebook.  Weird, I know, but I have to ween myself off of this monster that I never realized sucked so much precious time away!  I work on the computer a lot and just popping on to FB "for a minute" here & there... yeah, right, it's never for a minute!  And those comfy 15 minutes before bed that I could be indulging in a book... wasted surfing FB!  And I'm not accomplishing anything.  Sure, I want to be abreast of what's going on in everyone's lives and keep in touch... but I don't need to do it every day.  So as a starting point, my FB time will be limited to Wednesdays and weekends (with a possible location check-in here and there), and I'll tweak as needed, but not extend my time.  I am by no means deleting my account!  I have way too many friends and just about ALL of my family that are terribly far away, and FB is our touchstone.

So there's my scream to the Universe... well, the first one.  I'll be blogging a lot more, so stop by and visit me often, okay?  I promise to keep you giggling ;)

Spreading the word...

OH!  One very important freebie to take advantage of is creating a wedding website.  It's a great way to get detailed info to your guests; links to websites, maps, things to do, etc.  Very helpful.  I found that The Knot offers the most user friendly one.  It's totally free and part of a very resourceful website for your planning and idea inspiration!  Check it out!!  :)   http://www.maryannmatt.ourwedding.com/

Going to the chapel and we're gonna get married....

Well, not quite a chapel... more like a backyard.  Or maybe exactly like a backyard, lol.  Long ago we agreed that we wanted a simple and sweet backyard celebration and that's just what we're doing!  I'm excited for the day to arrive, when our families finally meet and I get to par-tayy with my closest family & friends :) 

My shopping & planning are moving along nicely.  I'm proud of my decisions and purchases; frugally budgeted, yet not infringing on my tastes or expectations of what I want the day to look like.  One thing I have going for me is that I was never one of those little girls who played wedding; which means I wasn't a teenager dreaming of being married, and I wasn't a twenty-something that already had a binder filled with plans & ideas of my big day.  The other thing I have going for me is that I'm cheap... err, frugal.  Here's the short and sweet of what I've done so far...

The venue. Where better to host our family and friends than where we feel most at home? Our backyard. And it's free ;) What if it rains you ask? We have the luxury of having a large playground/park across the street that we reserved just in case. That was free, too. And by choosing to have an outdoor casual event, we opened the door to keeping the rest of our choices light, easy, breezy.

Save The Dates. Since we have people from out of state coming, this was a necessity. I have one word for you. Shutterfly. Zillions of options (well, lots anyway), inexpensive and fun. $20.00 for 25. Nice.  Postage = $11.00.

The cake. No way would I ever spend hundreds of dollars on a baked good. Bakeries, cakeries, and specialty shops all want too much. So, I stopped and thought, where would I go for a delicious cake any over day? Publix. They have a ton of styles & options for wedding cakes, a decorator to go over details, every color under the sun, and you can get as custom or as simple as you want. Cupcake tower with 8" cake on top, custom colors, serves 60... $125. Score!

The dress. I found a wonderful consignment bridal boutique in downtown Albany, where everything is either previously owned (worn once, gently), past year's designs, or items from unfortunate shops that had closed and needed a place to sell the remainder of their stock. I knew I had the right place when I was told by the woman assisting me that it made her sick to see so many women spend so much money (usually on credit) on their dress when there were so many perfectly lovely & beautiful ones to chose from outside of designer bridal shops.  Damn straight lady.  I tried on 5.  I bought the first one I tried on.  $199.00.  AWESOME.  This price is pre-alterations, which is one of the reasons why I set my dress budget so low.  Alterations can range between $50 to $150, especially for a midget like me, lol.
 
The rings.  The honey & I both wanted a simple, plain white gold band.  We price shopped at three local places; one local store and two national chains.  After confirming our ring sizes, the style we wanted, and having the three price comparisons, we did what any smart military couple would do... we went online and checked out USAA's website.  Another luxury we have.  We were able to order our rings, in a better quality, for under $500.  That was for both.  No tax.  Our rings should arrive on Valentine's Day... three years from the day we met.  Thank you, US Coast Guard :)
 
Invitations.  One thing that is always very important to me, with any event or party I'm involved in, is handcrafting items for a personal touch.  I feel that it shows how much the day and people mean to me, and hopefully shows my appreciation that they are there.  So, it was only fitting that I would make our invitations :)  It's harder to describe then than it is to show you, so I'll attach a photo.  With a little creative imagination, a printer and patience, they came out great!!  Invites and RSVP's = $30.00.  Postage is always what kicks the saving butt = $25.00.
 
So far, that brings our running total to about $900.00 for a large chunk of the important stuff.  SWEET!!!  Next is food & drink.  Oy vey!

Here's how the invites turned out...

WHOA!! Back that horse up!!!

What's that you say?  I never blogged about an engagement, getting married, ELOPING??? 

That's right, the Honey & I eloped on 11/11/11!  Who can resist the fun of a date that we'll never see again in our lifetime, right?  It was very simple, sweet, intimate & romantic.  My personal quote on that day "... a bride, a groom, a judge and a bouquet of red roses.  Perfect."  And it was perfect.

We most definitely wanted to include and celebrate with our family & friends, so on St. patrick's Day, 3/17/12, we're having a small ceremony & celebration... and that's where my last blog begins.

There, now you're caught up :)

Here comes the Frugal Bride...

Any of you reading this that have had a wedding of your own, already know what I'm learning... it's stupid expensive!  I've always heard that adding the word 'wedding' in front of anything bumps up the price threefold... or even tenfold, as I'm finding out.  What I'm not understanding is why so many brides allow themselves to be sucked in by it all.  Me?  I'm planning on a shoestring budget.  Not so much because I have to, but more because I can't stomach going into debt over a day that's supposed to be the happiest moment of my life.  I think I can live without the $2,000 dress and $500 cake.

So make way my firnds, here comes the Frugal Bride ;)