Thursday, January 14, 2010
Please vote on my dress colors :)
I'm still undecided on what color dyes to purchase for the dresses in this post and could use some opinions! Thanks everyone!
Medifast Day One
Day One:
12p.m.:
3-5p.m.:
Trying to eat the bag of the chili nacho cheese puffs I started this morning. They're ok- but there's soooooo many.
Fruity drink time. The fruity drink was tolerable, towards the end I actually sort of enjoyed it. It would be better over ice. (still working on the puffs)
9:30 p.m.:
Got home late tonight from work- stopped at the grocery store to pick up some egg beaters for my lean and green meal. Since I'm not really prepared the "green" portion was some ice berg lettuce and raw onion :) I added a little hot sauce (I'm allowed!!!) and mustard (also allowed!!) Tomorrow I'll stop at the fancy store to get some frozen fish and chicken.
I got back on the Wii tonight and have lost 1.5 lbs (I should probably mention last night I got on the fit at night and had just eaten 3 left over ribs, a cup of cottage cheese, and two twinkies :) I'll take it!
Day two will be a little more challenging. I have to work at the other store and don't have an office for privacy there. I may have to eat after I finish my work there. We'll see how it goes...
My goal: Lose 50 lbs in 8 weeks.. 1.5 down! 48 to go!
(Desk fully stocked!)
I hate day one. Day one is always the hardest of something new. It's almost 11 a.m. and I've consumed one vanilla shake. It's not really a shake. It's a package of dry mix added to 6-8 oz of water. My impressions: The taste is decent. It was compareable to watery, vanilla cake batter- a bit too sweet for my taste. This diet is brainless, but already a little difficult. I crave savory and my stomach is slightly upset. I snacked on some of the chili nacho puffs and it helped the ache.(Chili puffs in my desk- on top of the pistol manual. It's not mine. Really. I've been using this desk for almost a year and never removed anything from the previous owner)
12p.m.:Went home and ate a portion of soup. I think it was the chicken and wild rice. Amazingly, it wasn't that bad. Very bland, but it almost tasted good. While making it I was skeptical. Adding a package of powder to 8 0z of cold water wasn't very appetizing. If I were a movie star, I would have someone do it for me.
1 p.m.:
1 p.m.:
On my way back to work I ate one of the choclate mint bars. I wanted milk so bad. In my opinion the bars are a little large and I find them very sweet (again, I am the anti-sweet person. Most people would find them tasty)
3-5p.m.:
Trying to eat the bag of the chili nacho cheese puffs I started this morning. They're ok- but there's soooooo many.
6 p.m
Fruity drink time. The fruity drink was tolerable, towards the end I actually sort of enjoyed it. It would be better over ice. (still working on the puffs)
9:30 p.m.:Got home late tonight from work- stopped at the grocery store to pick up some egg beaters for my lean and green meal. Since I'm not really prepared the "green" portion was some ice berg lettuce and raw onion :) I added a little hot sauce (I'm allowed!!!) and mustard (also allowed!!) Tomorrow I'll stop at the fancy store to get some frozen fish and chicken.
I got back on the Wii tonight and have lost 1.5 lbs (I should probably mention last night I got on the fit at night and had just eaten 3 left over ribs, a cup of cottage cheese, and two twinkies :) I'll take it!
Day two will be a little more challenging. I have to work at the other store and don't have an office for privacy there. I may have to eat after I finish my work there. We'll see how it goes...
My goal: Lose 50 lbs in 8 weeks.. 1.5 down! 48 to go!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
J, Crew Coupon Code!
EXTRA20 = 20 percent off the final sale (it's baaaack).
I picked up the dream shawl cardigan I've been lusting after.
I picked up the dream shawl cardigan I've been lusting after.
Garment Dying.. Before we begin I could use some color help (Part 1)
I promised a tutorial on dying. When you read the words "dying tutorial" you probably thought I had done it before successfully. Ha! Were you wrong!
Remember these? The eco-skin dress and rosette dress I purchased on eBay?
If you haven't already noticed... they are white. If you didn't already know.. I am not good with white.
For our wedding I attempted to dye some dyeable ballet flats blue- HUGE MISTAKE. At the time I didn't know it, but I should have read a garment dying tutorial. I boiled some water, added the dye, and a little bit of vinegar. WRONG! There are so many other steps, I was so silly.
Remember these? The eco-skin dress and rosette dress I purchased on eBay?
If you haven't already noticed... they are white. If you didn't already know.. I am not good with white.
If I manage not to drop something on a white article of clothing, "pit stains" occur (I laughed writing that. I hate the phrase "pit stain." Ha! I giggled again out of embarrassment. I am now cracking up. Alone. At my desk)... So yeah, Maureen and white are like oil and water.
Luckily, I found a really great site to order dye from. It's actually the same site I ordered my silk shoe dye from, but I neglected to read the tutorials. I thought to myself, "I got this!" But I didn't.
What you need to do before you purchase the materials:
- Find out what sort of material you're working with. Polyester and polyester blends are incredibly difficult to dye because they are essentially plastic. I've read where people use irons to "melt" the dye into the fabric- I don't have the balls to try this method.
For the dresses I will be dying: the eco-skin dress is 66% Bamboo, 28% Tencel, 6% Spandex while the rosette dress is a silk blend.
The website has several different dyes and I was bit confused as which to choose for the eco-skin dress. I emailed Elizabeth at Dharma Trading and this was the response she sent
" Hi Maureen,
We have several dyes that work on natural cellulose fibers such as cotton, hemp, linen and manufactured rayon, also called
Viscose,Modal, Tencel or Lyocell. Our best dye are the professional quality Fiber Reactive Procion Dyes. These dyes are very bright,
deep, wast fast, come in over 100 colors and can be used in a variety of ways. If you are going to be dying something that you want to
last these are the dye you want. Here are a few links to help you get started:
Fiber Reactive Procion Dyes:
http://www.dharmatrading.com/html/eng/3796-AA.shtml?lnav=dyes.html
Fiber Reactive Dye Instructions: http://www.dharmatrading.com/html/eng/3796-AA.shtml?lnav=dyes.html#instructions.
Hope that helps"
After reading Elizabeth's email I started looking into fiber reactive procion dyes which will work for both dresses. The problem with the fiber reactive dyes on this website is there are 50 million colors to choose from. Maybe I'm embellishing, but there are a lot of colors and I'm having a hard time choosing.
The colors I am considering are listed on the top of the page under the poll. Most of the colors are on the chart below:
Or view them better here. Please vote or make suggestions in the comment portion of this post- I am terrible at choosing and with this many choices could use a little help!
Luckily, I found a really great site to order dye from. It's actually the same site I ordered my silk shoe dye from, but I neglected to read the tutorials. I thought to myself, "I got this!" But I didn't.
What you need to do before you purchase the materials:
- Find out what sort of material you're working with. Polyester and polyester blends are incredibly difficult to dye because they are essentially plastic. I've read where people use irons to "melt" the dye into the fabric- I don't have the balls to try this method.
For the dresses I will be dying: the eco-skin dress is 66% Bamboo, 28% Tencel, 6% Spandex while the rosette dress is a silk blend.
The website has several different dyes and I was bit confused as which to choose for the eco-skin dress. I emailed Elizabeth at Dharma Trading and this was the response she sent
" Hi Maureen,
We have several dyes that work on natural cellulose fibers such as cotton, hemp, linen and manufactured rayon, also called
Viscose,Modal, Tencel or Lyocell. Our best dye are the professional quality Fiber Reactive Procion Dyes. These dyes are very bright,
deep, wast fast, come in over 100 colors and can be used in a variety of ways. If you are going to be dying something that you want to
last these are the dye you want. Here are a few links to help you get started:
Fiber Reactive Procion Dyes:
http://www.dharmatrading.com/html/eng/3796-AA.shtml?lnav=dyes.html
Fiber Reactive Dye Instructions: http://www.dharmatrading.com/html/eng/3796-AA.shtml?lnav=dyes.html#instructions.
Hope that helps"
After reading Elizabeth's email I started looking into fiber reactive procion dyes which will work for both dresses. The problem with the fiber reactive dyes on this website is there are 50 million colors to choose from. Maybe I'm embellishing, but there are a lot of colors and I'm having a hard time choosing.
The colors I am considering are listed on the top of the page under the poll. Most of the colors are on the chart below:
Or view them better here. Please vote or make suggestions in the comment portion of this post- I am terrible at choosing and with this many choices could use a little help!
Working from home today,,
Posting will probably be light this week. I'm low energy and the snow is really slowing me down (makes my job much harder).
I think Roxanne is having health issues too. This morning I woke up to urine in our bed right on our new down comforter. Ugh.. cats. Gotta love them though!
Next week I'll be adding details on how the medifast diet is going (still haven't received my food), a tutorial on Macaroons (!!!), and possibly a tutorial on garment dying (remember my white rosette dress and the ecoskin dress I bought a few months ago?)
Until then: Today I saw this on calypso.. On sale. I lusted after it months ago and picked it up today.
Stay tuned...
I think Roxanne is having health issues too. This morning I woke up to urine in our bed right on our new down comforter. Ugh.. cats. Gotta love them though!
Next week I'll be adding details on how the medifast diet is going (still haven't received my food), a tutorial on Macaroons (!!!), and possibly a tutorial on garment dying (remember my white rosette dress and the ecoskin dress I bought a few months ago?)
Until then: Today I saw this on calypso.. On sale. I lusted after it months ago and picked it up today.
Bria Dress- $165 (Now $49!!!! eee!!!!!)
Stay tuned...
Saturday, January 9, 2010
It's diet time!
I've decided it's time to get serious about this diet thing. I want to get back down to my normal size because that's where I'm the most comfortable. In November, I attempted the Eat to Live diet. It was miserable. Being a vegan is really difficult and I give credit to anyone who does it. I was on it for two and a half weeks and lost eight pounds. It works, but involves a lot of prep and education. After the two weeks was up, I hated most vegetables. A few months later I'm finally getting my taste back for them and fresh fruit. Maybe I'm weak, but I know it wasn't for me. I need something brainless.
After doing some research, I checked into Nutrisystem. It's all over television. After doing some reading I realized this wasn't the diet. I can tolerate processed food (though I'm not fond of it. I tend to cook from scratch), but the program receives terrible reviews(i.e. food showing up moldy). After a little more research I found the Medifast diet. It's one of the only programs I could find scholarly material on, and according to that material it actually works. The diet is called the 5 and 1. You eat five of their meals (if you can call them that) per day and one lean protein and vegetable meal. Pretty brainless I think, and perfect for me because I work so much. I can take their snacks with me. The snacks consist of soups, chilis, cheese puffs, shakes, and bars. I'm pretty sure I'll get sick of these things quickly, but again, it's mindless. This isn't a permanent plan for me. This is to lose the weight I've put on and then go back to my usual eating patterns, but practice portion control. We tend to over eat in my family.
I ordered my supplies last night- a month costs around $300.00. I recieved $50.00 off Jan31C (expires end of January) and earned 10 percent cash back by going through Ebates.com! All and all my month comes out to around $230.00 over $70.00 in savings.
I highly suggest signing up for ebates.com and will continue posting the link to sign up in my posts every so often. I had no idea what it was until I read the Chloe Conspiracy. With the amount of online shopping I do, it's a wonderful tool to save a little money. And you get $5 for referring your friends! So far my mom and sister have both signed up and love it. It's totally free by the way!
If you're interested follow the link below:
After doing some research, I checked into Nutrisystem. It's all over television. After doing some reading I realized this wasn't the diet. I can tolerate processed food (though I'm not fond of it. I tend to cook from scratch), but the program receives terrible reviews(i.e. food showing up moldy). After a little more research I found the Medifast diet. It's one of the only programs I could find scholarly material on, and according to that material it actually works. The diet is called the 5 and 1. You eat five of their meals (if you can call them that) per day and one lean protein and vegetable meal. Pretty brainless I think, and perfect for me because I work so much. I can take their snacks with me. The snacks consist of soups, chilis, cheese puffs, shakes, and bars. I'm pretty sure I'll get sick of these things quickly, but again, it's mindless. This isn't a permanent plan for me. This is to lose the weight I've put on and then go back to my usual eating patterns, but practice portion control. We tend to over eat in my family.
I ordered my supplies last night- a month costs around $300.00. I recieved $50.00 off Jan31C (expires end of January) and earned 10 percent cash back by going through Ebates.com! All and all my month comes out to around $230.00 over $70.00 in savings.
I highly suggest signing up for ebates.com and will continue posting the link to sign up in my posts every so often. I had no idea what it was until I read the Chloe Conspiracy. With the amount of online shopping I do, it's a wonderful tool to save a little money. And you get $5 for referring your friends! So far my mom and sister have both signed up and love it. It's totally free by the way!
If you're interested follow the link below:
http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=n%2B8HwBpbUw5aHWZ4Zb0rBg%3D%3D
Friday, January 8, 2010
Sale on Sale- Free People! (is it just me or are three J Crew models on the free people website?!)
Today I woke and did the usual: Checked my email, visited my usual blogs here, here, here, and here, checked anthropologie's sale section for new updated, and visited J Crew's sale section. I promised Adam some new sweaters and saw J Crew had updated their men's section. I filled up my cart, but before hitting send I decided to wait- I'm not sure why. Perhaps I was hoping for an extra 20 code? I don't know. Tonight when I got home my cart was empty :( *cries*
Anyway, free people shot me an email to brighten my day. A sale on sale- 25 percent off all sale items. My fave's:
Suspected J Crew models can be seen here, here, here and maybe even here.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
What was J. Crew thinking?
Ok. I get it. J Crew was really into ruffles in 2009. Like really into ruffles. So many of their pieces incorporated ruffles. But this:
Sorry, I am just not a fan. I wish J Crew would cool it with the ruffles a bit. EVERYTHING has them.
Ruffled Carly dress- $98.00
Sorry, I am just not a fan. I wish J Crew would cool it with the ruffles a bit. EVERYTHING has them.
Lela Rose on Ruelala?! Whoopee!
The Good News: I just got a chance to check my email and recieved notification Ruelala.com was having a Lela Rose Sale!!!! 
The Bad News: Everything I love is sold out.
Let it snow.. Let it snow.. STOP SNOWING ALREADY (i've gotta move all that puff)
Today the lot was clean. Cold. But still clean. Because I have TERRIBLE luck I had to go back to the other store today to do their outdoor inventory. Unfortunatley, the equipment at the other store broke once I finished EVERYTHING and EVERYTHING WAS LOST. Pfftt. Second day in a row. I hate the other store and the antiques they call technology.
Tomorrow I am looking forward to moving the snow off of 3o some cars. We're supposed to get six more inches.
I love the snow.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
A decade in review...
After reading this and this I was inspired to recount my past decades highs and lows year by year. I've come to the conclusion my life is only beginning and has been pretty uneventful :) No news is good news, right? right?
2000- Changed my life through diet and exercise. Began a tumultuous two week first romance. (Hey, I was only a freshmen in High School).
2001- Laid low. No real highs or lows- probably because I can't remember!
2002: Got my first kiss, job, and fell in love. Quit playing the tuba.
2003: Got my heart broken. Got fired. Found a new job. Toughened up. Dated a lot (a lot is an understatement) Started community college. Didn't care. Met Mr. Right.
2004: Changed my academic standing through a lot of hard work. Went on an awesome trip to Chicago and Washington D.C. with Mr. Right. Found my voice. Earned a blackbelt.
2005: Grandmother passed. Began college at a major University. Mr. Right turned into Mr. Sooo Wrong. Moved into dorms. Was kicked out of dorm room for being Caucasian (roommates preferred to be with someone of their own ethnicity). Lived alone. Dated a lot more. Met Adam. Fell in love.
2006: Changed my mind about pharmacy school. Moved in with Adam. Adopted three cats. Fought a lot. Worked through it. Found new job at historic area restaurant. Made new friends. Went out. A lot. Drank. A lot. Doubted myself. Changed degrees.
2007: Worked. A lot. Went to school. A lot. Partied. A lot. Adam and I built a stronger foundation for our relationship. Went skydiving. Managed to drive a stick shift up a hill while Adam was too drunk to direct me.
2008: Got engaged. Decided I wanted to join the military. Adam applied to the Air Force as an officer. Graduated. Got married. Moved from our apartment in Detroit to my parent's garage. Air Force pulled Adam's leg all year. Had huge issues with the in-laws. Doubted my marriage. Was unhappy. Gained a lot of weight.
2009: Air Force dropped Adam's application. Stress. Adam applied to the Navy as an officer. Was accepted. Couldn't find work. Got new job working for my father. Drove all over the northeastern United States. Saw in law's after a year hiatus. Remembered why my marriage was a good thing. Decided together with Adam I should go back to school for nursing in lieu of a military career. Felt good. Lost Soap. Adopted Larry. Adam left for OCS. Adam came back for holiday break. Was happy.
2010: Adam is back in OCS, getting ready for our first military move, and mentally preparing myself to re-enter college as a science major. It's the one thing I am good at. Feeling more positive than ever, thankful Adam and I worked through our problems, planning a volunteer trip to India, and excited to see what happens this year.
2000- Changed my life through diet and exercise. Began a tumultuous two week first romance. (Hey, I was only a freshmen in High School).
2001- Laid low. No real highs or lows- probably because I can't remember!
2002: Got my first kiss, job, and fell in love. Quit playing the tuba.
2003: Got my heart broken. Got fired. Found a new job. Toughened up. Dated a lot (a lot is an understatement) Started community college. Didn't care. Met Mr. Right.
2004: Changed my academic standing through a lot of hard work. Went on an awesome trip to Chicago and Washington D.C. with Mr. Right. Found my voice. Earned a blackbelt.
2005: Grandmother passed. Began college at a major University. Mr. Right turned into Mr. Sooo Wrong. Moved into dorms. Was kicked out of dorm room for being Caucasian (roommates preferred to be with someone of their own ethnicity). Lived alone. Dated a lot more. Met Adam. Fell in love.
2006: Changed my mind about pharmacy school. Moved in with Adam. Adopted three cats. Fought a lot. Worked through it. Found new job at historic area restaurant. Made new friends. Went out. A lot. Drank. A lot. Doubted myself. Changed degrees.
2007: Worked. A lot. Went to school. A lot. Partied. A lot. Adam and I built a stronger foundation for our relationship. Went skydiving. Managed to drive a stick shift up a hill while Adam was too drunk to direct me.
2008: Got engaged. Decided I wanted to join the military. Adam applied to the Air Force as an officer. Graduated. Got married. Moved from our apartment in Detroit to my parent's garage. Air Force pulled Adam's leg all year. Had huge issues with the in-laws. Doubted my marriage. Was unhappy. Gained a lot of weight.
2009: Air Force dropped Adam's application. Stress. Adam applied to the Navy as an officer. Was accepted. Couldn't find work. Got new job working for my father. Drove all over the northeastern United States. Saw in law's after a year hiatus. Remembered why my marriage was a good thing. Decided together with Adam I should go back to school for nursing in lieu of a military career. Felt good. Lost Soap. Adopted Larry. Adam left for OCS. Adam came back for holiday break. Was happy.
2010: Adam is back in OCS, getting ready for our first military move, and mentally preparing myself to re-enter college as a science major. It's the one thing I am good at. Feeling more positive than ever, thankful Adam and I worked through our problems, planning a volunteer trip to India, and excited to see what happens this year.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Coupon Code: 20 percent off @ Calypso when you join their mailing list!
I love Calypso- the clothing reminds me of a tropical island. Today I was checking their sale section when I noticed at the top of the page "20% off your first order when you join our mailing list" eee!!!! The offer code that goes with that is "NEWFRIEND"
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