Gettin' Hitched!

Well, mostly everyone knows that Mr. S and I are F-I-N-A-L-L-Y engaged, which is so exciting (and stressful)!  He proposed on November 5th during our trip to New York right on the steps of the NY library!  For an English major and book nerd, that was probably the cutest place he could have ever picked.  We didn't realize for a while that it was also Guy Fawkes day, which is also perfect for my anglophile self.

Before you ask: no, we don't have any plans yet.  I'm almost done with the registries so that I can finish a website.  A local friend just picked up photo as a hobby, so we're going to help her build a portfolio and I'm very excited to finally get some pictures of us that I didn't take with a tripod.

My good friend C really wants to see the ring, but I didn't want to be "that girl" who posts all these things on her facebook, so I'm going to post them here.  He went a little bit crazy...I would have just been happy with a cracker-jack ring, but, well, it speaks for itself:

Yeah, how about them apples.

Clarisonic: A girls "real" best friend.

A sweet friend told me the other day that my skin was looking fantastic.  Who doesn't like to receive a compliment like that out of the blue?  Since this sweetie is in the market for some new skincare ideas, I have a little secret to share.

This summer my skin decided to switch sides and start batting for the other team, if that sports analogy makes any sense.  I've been breaking out on my forehead, my neck, my chin: it has been a regular solar system on my face lately.  Since I'm obnoxiously pale, this will not fly. 

I blame it on the weather first and foremost, as well as trying out some new products.  I thought that I'd try the yes-to-carrots line since I had heard some good things about them and they're au natural.  I really wanted so much to like them!  I tried so hard because they make such adorable products with amazing phrases and clever directions on the bottles.  It was not meant to be because my skin freaked out on me.

It has literally taken months to get my nice skin back and I'm still working on it.  I got my first facial (love) and got some good tips from the esthetician and I've added toning and moisturizing to my cleansing.  I never knew I actually had dry skin...whoops.  During my facial they used a fantastic machine by Clarisonic (from the makers of the sonicare toothbrush).  The Clarisonic machines get regular cleansers deeper into your pores (6X better make-up removal) and it feels lovely!

Luckily, there are a few versions that you can get at Sephora and you can use any cleanser with the Clarisonic.

Obviously, I rushed directly to Sephora and got the Mia in a bright sunshiny yellow, because washing your face should be fun when you have to do it so much.

It was $149, but they just reduced the price to $119.  That might seem like a lot of mulah, but it is so worth it!  My face is softer, has a more even tone, and it has cleared up a ton of the smaller bumps, as well as a lot of blackheads (arch nemesis).  I'm not even using it every day and I've noticed a huge difference and I'm only using Cetaphil.  It's waterproof so I can use it in the shower, which is my favorite place to wash my face.

The absolute best part is that I didn't have any menstrual breakouts on my face this cycle, which is normally the worst time for my face.  My body did compensate with some zits on my ear and right under my hairline, but there were no landing pads on my face, so I'll take it.

Come to think of it, I can't think of any new breakouts on my face since I've been using it almost daily. 

That's such a big deal, ya'll!

Summer DIY

Well, it felt good to get all that Austen-ranting off of my chest, but it you don't care two winks about my dearest Jane, then we've also been up to some Summer DIY.

I know that I've shown you my Laundry Closet before and some of the organization I've gotten up to, but we made a new and fabulous addition that I think you'll like.

Because our "twins" are front loaders having them on the ground was no bueno!  Mr. S is 6'5" so if it was hurting my back, you know it was hurting his to have to bend down to switch laundry.  For some reason our house is set up with the washing attachments on the right and the doors to our appliances were opening into the middle.  Since this closet sits on a hallway it took up a lot of space and to switch the laundry because we'd have to go around the doors. 

Pedestals for front-loaders are almost the price of new appliances: atleast, $200 for each one.  I'm sorry, but we are not made of money.  So...off to the internet I went!

A lot of the laundry raisers with tutorials online are not very attractive, to be quite honest.  I know it's just going to be put in a closet, but I still want it to look somewhat professional.  It wasn't looking good until I found this tutorial from the author of Show and Tell.

My handsome honey got to work and it took him 2 weekends and about $150 for all the supplies.  I helped by painting it.  We also flipped the sides they were on.

The lettering and clothespins are brought to you by my fancy splurge for this project: a Silhouette Vinyl/Paper cutter.  I'm so in love with this machine and I've gone a little label-crazy in other parts of the house.  The baskets are from Crate and Barrel (online only).

Most of the credit does go to Mr. S because he did all the heavy lifting with the help of his dad.

I also chopped off my hair today.  It was down to below my chest and it was just getting in the way of everyone in the house.  S would even get stuck in it while getting out of bed in the morning and that is not a peaceful way for me to wake up.

Why Girls (more specifically, me) Go Apeshit For Austen

Over the summer, I was staying with my bestie and we finished off a bottle or two of wine while watching the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice.  Needless to say, it was a fantastic evening.  Her flatmate, a self-described viking, asked me: "What's deal was with chicks and this movie?"  He just didn't get it.  My answer was less than stellar--deer in the headlights comes to mind.  I was drunk and it never occurs to me that everyone isn't Apeshit for Austen like I am.  To me it hardly bears explaining, it just is, like breathing: obviously.

I devoted the majority of my studies to Romantic Literature.  Austen falls right before this genre started, but a lot of teachers still include her.  I avoided Dickens in college (mistake) and took every class that offered any of Austen's books. Since everyone in my classes was also into Austen (especially my All Austen class), I only ran into one person in college (also a guy) who wasn't into Austen.  How my professor, Prof. Peter Graham, who has written TEXTBOOKS on Austen didn't fly across the room to throttle this gentleman in the face...I've never quite known except that he is a gentleman of Austenesque standing.  Long story short, it is very rare that I find someone who doesn't get "it" since most of my peer group waxes euphoric about Jane.  I guess I shouldn't be surpirsed, the Bronte sisters really didn't like Jane Austen.  I like both Austen and the Brontes, so I'm excited to read an Austen Spin-off where Lord Byron turned her into a vampire and Charlotte Bronte is her vampire archenemy through the ages.  (Are you really surprised that storyline exists with all the spin-offs and vampire books popping up?  There is a market for everyone.)

Anyway: So, what is the deal with chicks and this lady, Jane Austen?

Allow me to break down what I think attracts women to Pride and Prejudice and then Austen in general.


Since Pride and Prejudice is the most universally popular/viewed/read for school it only makes sense that there are a lot of different types of P&P fans.  Is P&P my favorite?  No.  That distinction goes to Persuasion, Austen's last book.  However, there is a lot of great character development and gooshy love-stuff in there.  In fact, P&P was what originally did "it" for me.  I read Sense and Sensibility in high school and loved it (I'm a bit of an Eleanor), but it wasn't until I watched P&P on my freshmen exam sickbed that I really got "it."

So what's the deal?

1. Yum...Darcy--The Darcy groupies are probably the classic example of the followers of P&P.  This has everything to do with the BBC mini-series and Colin Firth.  I'll admit it: Darcy will always be Colin Firth in my mind, even when I'm re-reading the book.  I've never met a lady that didn't love a tall, dark, and handsome, brooding sort of guy.  It's the mystery and the knight in shining armor bullshit. Austen's world is stocked full with social boundaries: not touching, dressing from head to toe, and all out sexual repression.  So when Darcy takes a dip in the lake on his way back to Pemberley, all the while fighting with the inner turmoil over Elizabeth's rejection and chastisement...well, it's basically wet, t-shirt Regency porn.  True story.
   
2. Pair Darcy with his foil Wickham and girls go nuts.  We all have that guy in our past who is our Wickham, the one we thought was great or "the one" and it turns out that he was a dead-beat.  So we love to watch Lizzy figure out Wickham isn't all he's cracked up to be, because we feel vindicated.
3. The Crazy Mother-- If you made Mrs. Bennet a religious zealot and gave my mother a lace cap they would be the same person.  "Why aren't you maried yet?" or "Why aren't you better at x, y, z" are pretty much my daily bread and butter.  Austen is in true form in P&P with relate-able characters, which brings me to number four:
4. Relate-able characters--Most women can sympathize with at least one of the Bennet sisters. My Austen prof actually wrote a book comparing the Bennet sisters to Darwin's theories about birth order in the animal kingdom. Brilliant.
1. Jane: pretty, shy, gets walked over 
2. Elizabeth: considered pretty (but she's no Jane), witty, bookish, daring, and honorable
3. Mary: homely, misunderstood, blacksheep
4. Kitty: always outdone by her younger sister
5. Lydia-rude, impulsive, notorious flirt
5. The language can be a little obtuse at first, especially if it's your first time reading literature from this period, but as you become more accustomed to the syntax, the language becomes a main point of attraction.  Especially the absolutely biting, subtle, and polite way the characters tell each other off.  Lady Catherine's visit to Elizabeth at Longbourn is probably my favorite example.  It's delightful because if I ever said this to another woman, they probably wouldn't even understand what it meant.  Oh it's so delicious!
6. The costumes are fantastic in the movies and the descriptions are very detailed in the books. You can tell a lot about a person in Austen's world by how they dress as well as their titles.  A knowledge of the history of social titles and dress can explain a lot about personalities in the books.

Austen is nothing without her social commentary.  She is a subtle wit who takes to task society, women's issues, the education system, and the social ladder.  She was a huge champion of education and sense for women.  In fact, she was so biting that her sister destroyed a fair chunk of her correspondence after Jane's death to cover up some of the things she said about people.  I really wish Cassandra hadn't done that, but I guess she had as much prophetic understanding as her namesake.

Austen also bears the attraction that she died very early.  I'd love to see what she would have written if her career had continued, yet at the same time I don't because I fear it might not have been as good.  She was a formula writer, which might sound boring, but even though you always know the book is going to end with a wedding, each time you read her novels you're always in agony about whether they really are going to get together in the end.  She's very good at delayed gratification in multiple ways, again, it's the sex or lack there of.

Even though she might be "old hat" in a modern world, it is her nuances and woman's intuition about people and situations that continues to draw modern readers to her novels, as well as, her extremely detailed characters that continue to hold our interest and parallel people we know.  She reinforces that even 200 years ago, individuals were still yearning for the same things: Love, Happiness, and Social Justice.

Don't you love how this started as a blog post and ended with a conclusion paragraph?  Psh, you don't want to read those college essays.  2 years later I still haven't brought myself to read the solid, gold crap I turned in for my seminar class.

Expansion

Isn't it funny how your life gets in the way of your blog about your life?

I've been doing a heap ton of projects and "fun" reading this summer that the relevancy of updating my blog has completely slipped my mind...and I feel bad to have to go back a few months to go over it all. So in my guilt, I just don't post or I half write posts and never publish them.  For instance, I have a magnum opus locked in my arsenal from an occasion where a viking asked me why girls love Pride and Prejudice.  Really, it should probably be turned into an article or a formal essay, but I might just pull out the stops for you all.  Really, it's amazingly nerdy.

While I've been whiling away the remnants of my summer and being blissfully ignorant of my blog, I was suddenly blindsided by a request that I update my blog...from someone I would not in a million years have thought knew my blog existed.  Every time this happens, I'm always taken aback and very grateful, but always guilty that my blog is lacking so much of its "muchness."

So my wonderful friends, a brilliant idea popped into my head...concerning facebook.  I'm sure a lot of you are like me and live on the FB most of the time.  I have a few friends who can't figure out how to comment using blogger (tutorial needed?) and will tell me something on facebook.  Many folks may not have me in a blog-feed so they aren't aware that I've updated.

There are so many reasons and they all boil down to "I need a page to be able to have another way to communicate with people because I really have no idea who really reads this or cares and I just need to know someone cares...damn it"

So...go add Ms. Domestique on facebook (two of you already jumped the gun on that--Thank you!).

Ms. Domestique on Facebook

 I'm really looking forward to being able to link to post on there without everyone I knew in highschool stalking me (pseudonyms are fantastic things), being able to conduct polls/gauge how the website is functioning, and you won't miss posts.  I've changed the homepage of Ms. Domestique to only show one post at a time since I tend to, shall we say, ramble and that makes me have to scroll to find my favorite blogs at the bottom.  Since I also tend to post a lot all at once, with only one post showing something is going to fall through the cracks.  I know, I need a posting schedule, but sometimes you can't control when the muse descends.

So please do me the honor, nay the condescension of your "like" on Facebook and I will try to be more interesting.

A Newfie Breakfast

My goodness, I've been obnoxiously domestic this weekend! Not that I'm complaining--at all.  I mentioned yesterday that I'd dipped my toes into homemade dog treats and I doubt I'll be able to buy him treats ever again.  I'm ok with this since Petsmart isn't really that close or cheap or big enough.

Mr. Puppy has been following me around begging for these bars all morning!  He came back for seconds, thirds, and fourths before I finally cut him off.

I found the recipe here:

Homemade Dog Treat Recipe

Newf Breakfast Bars

12 c. oatmeal
4 c. whole wheat flour
>8 eggs
3/4 c. oil
2/3 c. honey
1/2 c. molasses
2 c. milk
1 large can solid pack pumpkin (optional)
3 to 4 mashed bananas (optional)
Preheat oven to 325. Grease 2 cookie sheets
Dump everything into a VERY large bowl. Mix this whole mess together (I use my hands, AFTER I take my rings off, another story), pat onto greased cookie sheets & bake at 325 for 1 hour. After 1 hour turn oven off, crack oven door & allow cookies to cool in oven. Break into whatever size you want (mine like LARGE).
These freeze really well. My guys love these, they sit in front of the oven waiting.

This recipe does make an extremely large amount of bars...I filled up 2 gallon zip-lock baggies to give you an idea of the quantity.  I'm going to freeze the rest since there aren't any preservatives in these puppies.

Doggie "ice cream" might be in my future soon too.  Have you met a more spoiled dog then my newfster?

I didn't think so.

Crafty Saturday

I've been wanting to make a camera strap for my DSLR practically before I even upgraded cameras.

There are tons of really cute straps on Etsy and many of them go for $20+.  I was able to accomplish mine from a tutorial at lbg studio.  It was super easy and included a pocket for the lens cap.  Isn't never knowing where to put the cap the absolute worst? (Especially when you're oh...I dunno...at the zoo or some such place.)

The best part was that it only cost me $8 for enough materials to actually make two.  If anyone is interested in a twin, let me know.

Say "Hello" to Mr. S sitting on my desk. <3

I did the stitching in teal for a little color pop.  I'm on a yellow/gray kick at the moment.  The only thing I think it needs is something on the pocket.  Buttons, maybe?

There are so many cute fabrics that you could choose to make your own!  Oh-my-gosh, fabric stores are so much fun to wonder around in.  Lots of trouble hidden in there.

This little button will take you to lbg studio so that you can check out some other fun/inspiration tutorials.  I really love her set-up and her instructions are very non-technical--so go check it out!






PS-I also entered into the world of homemade dog biscuits today...more to come on that and I hope to get the Bramston seal of approval.

Invisalign Reveal Day!

It's finally that time.  The time for the big Invisalign reveal!  Today I ordered my retainer and I got all of my little nubs taken off.  I'll still have to wear the retainer 24/7 for the next 3 months until I gradually wean myself to wearing them just at night, but I'm so amazingly/ecstatically/genuinely/in-awe happy with the results.

Once again, if you're thinking about doing something to fix your smile, I 100% recommend Invisalign and you can know I mean every word because no one is paying me to say that.  You're welcome for the free, word-of-mouth advertising Invisalign.  If you wish to pay me that would be aces!

I wanted to find you a really good "before" picture, but I realized that I haven't smiled full-on in a photo in a very long time, years even. Thanks to facebook I can literally track that.  There were an alarming amount of duck-lip pictures that made it to profile status, though.  I might need therapy.

This is the best/worst one I could find, which was taken right before my graduation 2 years ago:

Photo compliments of Lady Di.

Um...hello, Snaggle-Tooth and Roller-Coaster Bottom Teeth.  What's up?

Please, let me introduce you to Ms. Sexy-Straight and Gradual Slope.  They're new to the neighborhood.

Lovely, right!  I like Ms. Sexy-Straight and her sister Gradual Slope.  They can come to my house to party any time.  I also think my teeth are whiter...maybe that's all in my head, but I'll take it.  I've been using a little trick I picked up from one of the challenge participants about adding baking soda to my toothpaste. It doesn't taste that great, but I'm excited to see how it works.

Here's the side-by-side before and after:

Well thanks for sitting through that. 

If I happen to see you and I take out my aligners to show you, please don't think I'm too weird.  I'm just excited.

Stoked- Love People More Than Things

Monday was the first time, I think ever, that I actually enjoyed going to the grocery store.  Normally, I spend the entire time in agony because what I want to get and what I talk myself into getting because it's healthier is always in conflict.  I'll even go back and forth several times over the same thing hoping that my reasoning might come to a different conclusion, so by the end I'm stessed out and feeling really unfulfilled with what I've gotten.

However, this week was different due to all of the things I've been putting into play with this challenge.  I've made Mondays my grocery days every week and I've added a reminder to my calendar at work that reminds me 15 minutes before I leave that it's grocery day.  This has helped me keep healthier options around to snack on and I even feel like I'm spending less over all.

Food has become a thing that I can explore instead of something dull I have to pick up.  For instance, this week I brought home:

• Kiwi- they were 5 for a $1 and I've never bought them because I've been terrified of how to prepare them.
• A complete pineapple- I've never bought one of these either because I've also been terrified about how to prepare it...which, was not nearly as hard as I thought it would be.
• Beans!  I went to the bean aisle and picked up lentils, which I've never made, but I'm excited to try (recipes welcome).
• Buckwheat
• Non-dairy yogurts, which I never knew existed until this challenge and I find that to be incredibly sad.
• Gluten-free Granola from Trader Joe's that is kind of rocking my world right now with sunflower seeds, flax seeds, pecans and cranberries.
• Cilantro and Jalopeno hummus-normally I'm a more traditional hummus eater or I just got with spinach, but this one is soo spicey and wonderful
• Banana Buddies-frozen banannas covered in dark chocolate so that I get the ice creamy feel without the upset tummy later.

Doing good, right?

Today we got the e-mail for what's next on the challenge and my first thought was "oh no, what next" but I'm surprisingly pleased with what's to come!  De-junking!  My absolute favorite.  I have a very strict opinion about stuff I don't use: if I haven't used it in a few months then I don't need it.  While our house has an attic, I'm of the opinion that I don't need to store things for a long period of time nor do I ever want to move anything I don't need. So I have designated good-will boxes around the house, which currently need to be taken.

Clutter stresses me out to no end!  My vendetta against this goes back to my childhood: My mother gets overly sentimental about posessions.  She never gets rid of anything because so and so owned it or she has a fond memory of something a long time ago.  A perfect example of this are the two lava lamps currently in my foyer.  Why are they there, you ask?  Because my mother came up to see me for my birthday and for some reason she decided to bring two lava lamps that were in my bedroom when I was 12.  And now I'm stuck with giving them away.  Want one?  She also keeps furniture she admits to hating and thinks is horribly uncomfortable just because it was my Dad's mother's. She keeps every paper: ever.  However, she is organized about it, but I don't need to keep things to remember or feel them.  I'll always have the memories of that time without keeping the t-shirt.

Random junk particularly runs rampant during holidays/birthdays.  People don't know what to get you so they just grab some nice random thing.  I personally am not offended by gift cards or cash or making a donation in my name to a charity.  Just get me anything other then something useless/random/cluttering that I feel burdened with.  I still know you love me without it. <3

Ms. Crabby Cakes

 Oh Lordy, I'm so behind!  Forgive me!  I went on vacation for my birthday and I've been feeling like I've been playing catch-up since we got back.

Our trip was wonderful!  If I ever get a chance to unload my camera and edit those pictures, I'll give you a little tour of what we did.  Until then, I'll leave you my little, insanely cheesy "postcard."

As far as the challenge went I wasn't entirely on the bandwagon since it was our vacation, but I did have a lot of stress-free "me" time.  S and I tried out a lot of great mom and pop restaurants and some amazing seafood.  Because we were eating out so much, I really focused on stopping when I was full and not feeling guilty about leaving food on my plate.  I think I did really well with that exercise and I felt great for doing it.  I also went grocery shopping while we were there for in-room snacks and that helped.

Last week the challenge group eliminated gluten and I have failed, oh-so-hard, at this.  I've never, ever, ever had to think about it and it is completely out of my train of thought when I'm planning meals.  If I got diagnosed with a gluten allergy tomorrow, I don't know what I'd do.  Obviously, I would start to become more aware of it, but right now I don't even realize I've eaten it until it has already gone down the hatch. Right now, I'm just trying to be as aware as I can and if I do happen to eat gluten I'll try to notice if I feel any difference.

I don't know if it was all the seafood I ate on vacation or just having to go back to everyday life, but I've been in a crabby mood this week.  The newest part of our challenge has arrived at just the right time: positive thoughts and affirmations.  The past two days it seems like as soon as I walk in the door in the afternoon nothing goes "right" one thing after another has happened or gotten on my nerves or cause me to nit-pick.  By the time I got on the call last night I hadn't eaten since noon, I'd cleaned and had a dust reaction, I'd work myself into a migraine and we were talking about self-love and balancing multiple aspects in your life to create an even harmony.  It SO was not what I wanted to talk about.  Luckily, I was at least smart enough not to do some of the exercises during the call because I would have just said "everything about my life sucks and here's the laundry list."  That is not effective and I realize that.  Perception is half the battle, right?

Tonight the biggest blow came when one of my personal goals in life and for the challenge just exploded.  I've been working so hard to get my 1 year old dog to walk on the leash without pulling, without lunging at other dogs, and without getting super excited at anything that strikes his fancy.  I've taken him out every day this week except yesterday because it rained.  He did marvelously!  No pulling what-so-ever and he didn't care about any of the other people out walking, any smells, any other dogs or kids or bikes.  Such a proud fur-baby moment!

Tonight, on the other hand, was the complete reverse.  I took him for a warm up just down our street to work off some energy before we went to the other neighborhoods.  S joined us, which rarely happens because I'm the one with this vendetta that our dog must be a good walker.  So Bram got super excited that "daddy" was walking too and instantly started pulling.  I corrected that and he was doing ok as we left the neighborhood.  Then some middle-schoolers were walking their large-ish dog and he went crazy, I tripped, fell, ripped the only 1 of 2 pairs of jeans that still fit me, and got a 6 inch gash on my knee and busted some knuckles.

Let me tell you, I was the little piggy that cried all the way home.  I wasn't crying because I was hurt I was crying because I just want to enjoy a nice walk with my dog and he was doing so ,well, perfect!  So frustrating.

I'm not sure how I got into all that...kind of a ramble, right?  However, I'm going to be working on thinking about the positives a lot this week.  I used to be so good at that, but somewhere along the line I've gotten a bit jaded.  It really only takes my commute to work in the morning to get me frazzled.  I've been reading a lot of excerpts from Thoreau's Walden Pond the past two days, which is excellent reading to coincide with this part of the challenge.  I'm hoping that good old Thoreau will give me some insight and lift my spirits...except I really can't go build a cabin in the woods and live completely on the land...but, I'll use it as a metaphor.

The other part of the challenge is dairy, which I've got in the bag, except for cheese.  I'm lactose intolerant, but I love cheese.  I really wouldn't trust a person that doesn't like it.  :)  My vacation fully affirmed my problem with milk because I had one of the worst reactions I've ever had after eating handmade local ice-cream.  It was good, but I'm not even sure it was worth what came afterwords.

This Is What 24 Looks Like

I've been envisioning taking this picture for a while and I finally had time to myself today to get out my camera.  I miss snapping photos, but it's a hobby I haven't really gotten to play around with lately.

What I really want to point out about this picture is my teeth.  I know I haven't posted a picture of my recent invisalign adventures, but that's because I'm almost done!  Almost done, as in, I might be ordering my retainer next Monday.  Cross your fingers for me!  I'll do a big reveal post, don't you worry.

We've canceled the cable, so I fully anticipate having more time for my projects and doing more things for me, which also happens to be the next focus for my detox challenge.

 So how are you "doing you?"

The Human Pincushion

Monday I got my allergy test done!  I'm so relieved to get that over with.  Now I know what bothers me and I can avoid it.  Apparently, a lot of things bother me because I had a pretty large reaction.  I was tested for a total of 36 things!

Don't worry, I took pictures! (I edited them with a cross process so that you can really see how many places I reacted):

The verdict?

•  CATS!  

Basically, they told me I was allergic to my children.  The doctor didn't mention anything about getting rid of the cats, but he did say they are not allowed in our bedroom anymore...that's the thing that saddens me the most because bedtime is prime cuddle time and at least one of them almost always sleeps with me. :(  Oliver has had a hard time with this because we have cuddled every morning after the alarm goes off since he was a little kitten.  I also have to make sure I wash my hands whenever I touch them.  I knew they were out to kill me, but I didn't know they'd resort to biological warfare...geez!

• Feathers
• Dust
• Dustmites

I have to cover all of our bedding in special protective covers and wash the sheets in ultra hot water at the very least once a week.  I'm so not excited about more laundry, but I think a lot of my headaches/migraines will go away.  I went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond right after work (coupon in hand) to get a mattress cover and multiple pillow covers since Mr. S and I swap pillows unintentionally.  So far, I think it's working!  S thinks our bed feels like a hospital bed, but I'm sure that will go away once we wear in the covers.  I'm trying not to inconvenience him too much...I'm also trying to con him into hardwood floors in the basement since I have medical proof for my headaches every time I go down there...

• Trees
• Molds
• Grass
• Ragweed
  

The doctor gave me some bangin' nasal spray that has almost eliminated my sinus pressure.  For the molds and pollens I've decided to take allergy shots in the hope that one day I won't have issues any more.  It's going to be expensive at first, but as it stands now, I spend about $300 a year on allergy meds.  So if I'm allergy free for the next 50 years that's a savings of $15,000.  Plus my insurance is going to pay for 90% of the shots.  Score!

I really hate taking the over the counter meds because they really dehydrate me and I have to confirm twice a month with the feds that I don't have a meth lab in my kitchen.  That just makes me feel skeevy.

I actually got pretty upset at the doctor's office when they went over how many different things I was allergic to.  My initial reaction was to sucker-punch both of my parents in the face for negligent parenting because they never got me tested and for looking at me like I had 3 heads every time I mentioned allergy testing growing up.  Then I realized this was just more of the same from them and that I've done so many positive things for myself since I've become an adult that I'm proud of me.

Oh!  By the way, it's my birthday!

It begins...

So many thoughts about this so far--gee whiz!

I started my challenge yesterday morning by packing a huge lunchbox of healthy snacks and skipping the coffee.  I had a headache all day yesterday and I couldn't figure out if it was my insane allergies or if I was having withdrawals from not having my one soy latte in the morning (I''m lactose and alcohol intolerant, by-the-by).  For the most part, I'm really not a coffee drinker.  However, today no headache, so I'm leaning more towards allergies.  Although, I wasn't as groggy this morning without the coffee, so I'm stoked about that.

Whenever I'm eating a lot more fruits and veggies I always feel like I'm a little rabbit because I'm literally eating all day!  Or it feels like that since I'm eating little bits at least every 2 hours, whereas I normally I would eat larger meals spread very far apart (4-5 hours).  It's challenging for me to eat the smaller portions because I don't feel like I'm as productive.  I feel like I'm spending most of my time fixating on food and my next little snack.  With that said, I feel a lot lighter throughout the day because I'm really only eating a little bit at a time and not gorging myself because I've gone 4-5 hours without food and I'm starving.  It takes a lot more planning, but it pays off.  Today I didn't feel like I was "starving" the entire day, which is good and I felt like I had more energy in the morning and maybe even now.

I had a big test of will-power today since there was a pizza party at work--with cookies!  Oh goodness...Normally I like when work provides food because I can get something quick and free and then I can work through lunch and leave earlier. But, I knew if I had pizza and then smuggled cookies to my office I would feel so guilty and sick that I'd get mad with myself.  So instead of perpetuating a guilt cycle, I went to Trader Joe's to pick up a salad.  Bad idea!  Normally when I go to TJ's I'm to the salad aisle and out the door.  Today, I literally noticed every cake, every cookie, every pie, every dessert--they were screaming for me!  I just kept telling myself: "I packed strawberries for lunch, I packed strawberries for lunch, I packed strawberries for lunch."  I made it out of there alive with a great blackbean salad, but that was tough.  The strawberries were delicious and I felt good about not taking home the sweets.

So far so good, but I fully anticipate the cravings for sugar to get stronger as the week goes on with a slight chance of headaches.  I'm not sure if I'll be able to tell if the headaches are from sugar withdrawals or my allergies because I have to discontinue all use of allergy medications for the next 3 days to get them out of my system before an appointment with an allergist next Monday.  Oh, I'm going to be such a hot mess, but I'm hoping to start immunization shots!  (I'm not sure why I'm so freakishly happy about that, but I am.)

Alright, off to go wash the dog.  He's barking up a storm in the backyard (and probably annoying the who-hey out of the neighbors).  I really hate when Mr. Boyfriend leaves him in the yard after lunch because there's nothing but mud for me to clean when I get home and that's just what I want after a long day at work.  Got to love those furr-babies...

How is everyone else doing?  Any cooking adventures this early in?

That's The Life

Oliver wishes you a very lazy Saturday.

Personally, I plan to do absolutely nothing and enjoy every minute of it!  It's one of those weeks where I really don't need any projects to stress over and I want to just be present in the moment and see where it all takes me.

Much love,

Second Order of Busniess:

I kicked Disqus comments to the curb. I was having a lot of trouble with people being unable to post comments on my page.  Lame! 

I at least figured out how to get blogger comments embedded in the page so that it looks semi-decent.

Happy commenting!

First Order of Business

I'm so excited to share a new program with you, that I've been asked to participate in and then blog about the experience!

It's a 28 Day "Detox" challenge that's being guided by Paige at Healthy Spirit Wellness.  I know Paige through a co-worker and all-around-lovely person, Emily, who owns Healthy Spirit Wellness and writes a wonderful, all natural food blog called Kisses for Breakfast.

Admittedly, I was instantly on my guard when I read the word "detox."  The trendy idea of drinking liquids and running to the loo every 10 seconds is not appealing to me, although I'm sure my bladder would enjoy the company.  I'm also very skeptical of anything that claims to be a quick-fix or cure-all.  I generally want to work with my filtering organs, not freak them out.  However, I know these people and they are sensible folks and I was assured it wasn't going to be like that.

So, what is it going to be like?

In 28 days you'll learn:

• How most of us are living in some kind of toxic environment, whether the toxins come from food, environment, relationships, work...and how you can discover yours.

I feel like this part of the class is going to be the most helpful for me.  I work in a fairly high-stress position--at least a position that can get me frustrated quite frequently and which keeps me at a desk most of the day--and I have a few relationships that I could cope better with since, as much as I would love to cut them out of my life, they're as close as kin can get.

• How to break away from those heavy winter foods and feel lighter and cleaner for the spring.

Looking forward to this part!  I fall prey to seasonal eating, so I'm always craving fruits and veggies come spring time.

• How to discover which foods work best for your body so you can feel better than ever this summer.

Each week is going to focus on a different type of food, (i.e. sugar, gluten) and I'm eager to see how my body reacts to giving up or limiting some things that I haven't tried before.

• How to really branch out with your cooking, but in a way that's still convenient to your lifestyle.

I'm always looking for recipes!  I'm a fatty, but I'm not a foodie.  I really don't like to cook at all, so anything that helps me learn to enjoy time in the kitchen is very valuable!  I'm also so nervous to mess up new recipes that I rarely try anything new without watching someone else make it first. 

• How to break free of cravings for sugar, caffeine, carbs, and more...and feel better because of it!

This is something I've tried to combat my whole life!  Sugar and, often by extension, carbs, are my arch-nemesis: the Lex Luthor to my Superman, the Magneto to my Professor X!  I have a feeling, from what I've observed, that Paige is full of great tips to help with this, so I'm excited for what I can learn.

• How to take what you've learned and apply it to your life after the detox period for lasting energy and happiness.

You'll receive:

• A weekly packet of recipes and food resources to support you through each phase of the cleanse.
  
• Weekly group conference calls throughout the entire detox program, where Paige Lysaght, CHC will guide you through the next phase of the challenge and offer opportunities for questions and discussion.
  
• A workbook for each group call, complete with worksheets and journaling opportunities that will help you to really dig deep and determine what's holding you back from being your healthiest, happiest self.
  
• Access to an exclusive message board for program participants where you can discuss ideas, recipes, challenges, and successes throughout the program and beyond.
  
• An official challenge t-shirt (since you'll certainly earn post-challenge bragging rights). (What wouldn't I do for a free t-shirt?  Nothing!)
  

It sounds easy enough!  It doesn't include unrealistic food expectations or jungle juice and there is going to be a community of people to share experiences with and that makes me a lot less nervous.

Paige has also generously offered 50% off the enrollment fee if you drop my name (real or blog pseudonym) in the comments section of the Detox Sign-up page.  No pressure, but the option is there if you're interested and I would be stoked to have another friend participating.

Either way, I'll definitely share the good recipes that I find and let you know how things are going: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Cheers,

Spring-a-ding-ding

I'm so ready for some better weather!  Taking Caitlin's suggestion, I've been keeping a running favorites list on Etsy of cute summer dresses and then forgetting to post them.  Sorry! 

Don't you just love the colors?

I threw some work attire in there too, just for good measure.  I'm seeing a lot of Twiggy, Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor in my choices.

Last week I think I wore a dress twice to work.  That's probably because I need to do some major laundry.

Any idea what I'll be doing this weekend?

Happy washing and spring cleaning!

June Afternoons

I know that I've introduced you all to Beth at ishouldbefoldinglaundry.com before, but today she deserves a little special mention because she is combining my three favorite things: babies, Etsy, and Anthropologie.  I feel like we are shopping compatriots.

Her new Etsy shop, June Afternoons, will be donating all proceeds to James and Jake's March of Dimes Team until May 31st.  You can also donate directly to March of Dimes. 

Please go check this out and possibly order something, if it strikes your fancy (and donate to life-saving research that will save babies).  Also, check out Beth's blog (link at the top) if you're interested in more of the backstory of James and Jake.  As their mother, she puts things much more eloquently/beautifully/straightforward then I ever could and I feel like it would be an absolute disgrace if I even tried to summize.

For my part, I ordered this for my office:



Oh Pretty-pretty!  I cannot wait for it to arrive so that I can put it in a delightful picture frame!  I'm also debating going back and ordering the "Love" spelled out with hands picture...mayhaps.  Or since my birthday is coming up, maybe a fabulous friend will get it for me?  You guys know I love gifts that also give to great causes!

The Anthropologie portion (in the form of a gift card) is a little bribe for people to spread the word by posting the advertisement for June Afternoons.  The ad is all the way at the bottom of my page.  I'm sorry I don't have things laidout very well  for advertisements.  Since it's probably not going to get much attention down there, I felt like I needed to write a post about it.  So that post is now sign, sealed delivered.

Much love,

Wishful Thinking

Do you ever have "If I was ever" moments?

I just had a good one.

If I was ever a teeny tiny person I would only wear vintage dresses I bought on Etsy.  It's almost a crime that all my tiny friends don't--an injustice, even!

Yes, just like the guidance counselor on Glee:

Exactly like that...

I should probably point out that I had this epiphany while eating blueberry chobani yogurt, cause I'm being a good girl and taking my lunches to work.  But, how come all you people who love this yogurt never told me the aftertaste is seriously the same as after you throw up?

Or is that just me? Maybe I'm fortunate enough to have blueberry chobani tasting bile.

In The Kitch

I know that I've dropped off the planet recently and I wish I could come back and tell you about all the amazing things I've been up to...however, since we hired a cleaning lady, I'll admit I've been doing a lot of sitting on my bum and it has been wonderful!

We've been able to get a few projects done, but I've mostly been spending my time with the puppy.  Yesterday, we took him to the battlefields for a long walk and then he got to play with his cousin Archie while we did our taxes (let me just rant about how much it sucks to owe money for the first time ever).  He was such a tired puppy when we got home.  I've been trying to get him better on the leash cause he's a puller and it has been slow goings so far.  He has an appointment to get his man-parts snipped April 4th, so I'm hoping that will calm him down a lot and ease his need to spray everything.

One project we were able to complete was the backsplash in the kitchen.  And lucky for you, I remembered to take pictures.  We still need to paint, but it's coming together.

It took me forever to find real metal for this project.  Everything I could find locally was plastic and even more expensive then the real metal I ended up special ordering and which FedEx somehow lost after Christmas.  That was fun, let me tell you.

As you can see, this was a sharp project, and Mr. S bled to get it done. :(

We also replaced a light fixture.  You can see the backsplash in the background

I got new canisters that actually hold enough to use.  World Market find if you're interested.  The hippo clip is part of the animal house series target and Pier 1 used to have <3

It turned out beautifully!  Once we paint we'll only have a few things to do to finish off the kitchen.  Today I ordered this shiny:

Does that vintage seafoam green not just make you want to squeal?????  Or is that just me?  I was super stoked to get a deal on this beauty.  It's normally $299, but I'm going to get it for 209.99 when it's all said and done with no shipping, no sales tax, and a subscription to either Martha Stewart or Everyday Meals.  So excited!

We've been trying very hard to make more meals at home.  I took lunch to work 4 out of 5 days last week and this week I'm going to try to take breakfasts as well.  I'm tempted to get a new coffee maker as well and take coffee in to work with me too because I really don't like the new coffee they switched to at work so I've been stopping for soy lattes on my way to work and that adds up the monies.  The biggest problem I had this week was remembering to take my lunchbox home with me.  :/

I'm so not a foodie, help me!