Happy (Belated) Fourth of July!

Hey everyone!  I hope you all had as awesome of a weekend as I did!

(Make sure you don't miss my post from earlier this morning, though!)

First, I made a flipping awesome pie to bring to Bryan's parents' house:

Seriously...how freaking cute is that?  It was a cherry pie - and I don't even like cherry pie!  But Bryan loves it, so I made it for him.  And I actually got the idea for the star top from the packaging for a pie pan I saw in WalMart last year! And although it didn't cut well (it all fell apart) it was actually a lot easier than doing a tradition latice top so I definitely plan on doing this again in the future!

And we played outside in the sprinkler with the dogs:

 I love this picture:

 But this one is my favorite; I have no idea how I caught her mid-shake like this:

And I remembered to take a picture of my flowers:

And that picture is adorable because Tyson is standing on the edge looking up at me like "see Mom, I know I is not allowed on the pretty flowers!" hahahaha

And that's all for now - did you do anything fun for the Holiday Weekend?

Seriously - When Did It Become JULY!?!?!?

Ummm, yeah, this morning when I was writing my post about the big change in my life I seemed to completely forget that today is the first freaking day of July!!!!  Yeah, ummm, 2 months left of planning ::cue squeals of excitement mixed with shudders of nervousness::

Seeing as it is a new month, I can't forget to share with you my plans:

Oh yes, July will be a busy one...

On the non-wedding related front my last day at my current job is July 13, and I start my new job on July 18.  Then I have a hair appointment on the 30th.

Now, on the wedding related front:

• This weekend - finish my damn invitations
• July 7 - mail said invitations
• July 9 - Make candy buffet bags/tags
• July 10 - Turn the DIY string balls into DIY string ball curtains
• 14th-15th - Since I have two days off before I start my new job I plan on making sure to finish my shoes (so they'll be ready for my second fitting) and probably work on my topiary balls as well as my pearl bouquet
• July 17 - Bryan will be helping me make columns for our ceremony space
• July 18 - I'll have my second fitting!  (and I promise to try and get more pictures of my hoarder seamstress' house!)
• July 24 - finish the topiary ball thingies that will be used as cocktail hour centerpieces
• July 30 - make bar signage (what's available as well as signature drinks)
• July 31 - I'm hoping we'll have gotten some RSVPs back and we can start the seating chart!

Definitely going to be a busy month - but it doesn't even compare to what August is going to look like!

Are you going to be having as busy of a July as I am?

And don't forget you can always check out my calendars and timelines on my "Countdown to the Big Day" tab!!!

Big Life Changes...

...are always scary, but 90% of the time they are for the best.

Yesterday I officially resigned from my job.  Let's face it, I was miserable here.  As much as I liked {most} of the people I worked with, and I feel horrible leaving given that one of my other coworkers just left (and our group only has 4 people in it) I have to do what's best for me emotionally and financially.  I'll be starting at my new job on July 18th, and I'm very excited!

I had given my current company a chance to match the offer that my new job gave me, not because I wanted to stay but as a courtesy given the only two people left have less than 1 year experience here between the two of them.  When the director of my area told me that they weren't going to be countering, and I simply responded "Okay" he looked a little dumbstruck.  Bryan and I think he might have thought I was bluffing about having another job lined up, but that would be really stupid if you ask me.  So after he stared at me for a moment he goes "And to be quite honest, Amanda, I'm offended you were even looking at other jobs considering all the opportunities we've given you."

It took every fiber of my being to prevent me from either laughing or blowing up in his face.  First of all, he was not the director of my area when I was initially hired, so he had nothing to do with that.  And unless you count an obscene amount of work and responsibilities (and given I had just graduated from college and didn't have any sort of mentor ship because two other people from our group quit last summer) with absolutely no compensation or recognition as "opportunities" they've done nothing but under appreciate the amount of work I've put in here.

And after that, I felt like a massive weight had been lifted off my shoulders.  I'm excited about my new job, I was actually afraid they would counter the offer and I wouldn't be able to turn down the additional salary even though I don't like my job.  But I'm still slightly offended.  It just proves that management here really has no idea what it is that I do, and they're going to be in for a big surprise when I leave.

But - at my new job I get to wear open toed shoes, and I'll actually get paid for overtime!!!!!!  And I'll no longer have to walk past the Planned Parenthood Protesters on my way to work!  Part of me felt like it wasn't the best idea to switch careers with my wedding coming up so quickly, but there's no day like today, and I've decided to take Skinny Bitch's advice and "dedicate myself to creating the life I want."

As for working out (yes, it is still Fitness Recap Friday) I only did twice this week...but that's better than the past two weeks!  I did HIIT 15 on Monday and Fire 45 on Tuesday.  Tuesday night I knew I would be approaching my boss the next day and I took all my anxiety out on that kickboxing workout.  I'm amazed my arms didn't go flying off my body I was punching so hard, hahaha.




And since I'm quite proud of the progress I'm making on shoe number 2, I just have to show it off:

Isn't she purrrrty?

This weekend is more invitation extravaganza - I'm hoping to get them in the mail by next Thursday.

Any big plans for Fourth of July weekend (wedding related or not)?

Random, Random - Who Wants Some Random?

Yeah, so, I didn't work out this week.  At all.  I'm ashamed of myself.  But I promise, I'm back on the wagon starting tomorrow!

So, instead I have a lot of random-ness to share with you.  Let's start with Skinny Bitch...there have been a few pages of my calendar recently that I really like.  I actually like them so much that they're hanging up in my cube at work, haha.  And here they are:

The first two are actually my favorite.  June11/12 is probably my very favorite.  Especially since I haven't exactly been happy with my job lately, and I've been feeling just overwhelmed with life yet underwhelmed with myself.  I just have to remind myself that I do have control, and I can create the life that I want.  I already have an amazing fiance, caring friends and family, I just have to figure out what I want to do and do it.

I like the affirmation because let's face it, we don't tell ourselves that we love our bodies enough.  And regardless of where you are in a weight loss/gain/maintenance journey, you should love the body you've got!

And I like the last one because I'm sooooooo bad at remembering to hydrate myself!  So that sucker is front and center - on top of my computer monitor at work - to remind me to drink more effing water!

Next up, some beauty finds!

So, I get my hair done at Ulta, and while I'm "processing" I shop, haha.  Well last night I found (and fell madly in love with) the Pop Beauty Bare Texture Kit eyeshadow pallette.  Seriously, swoon.  If you're looking for an awesome new eyeshadow pallette, I 100% recommend this one:

Personal Photo

And here's a blurb from the description (stolen from the Ulta site):
Bare hues to subtly frames your eyes as our added POP eye-brightening hue adds bursts of color - so you have the option of going bright for night! Kit also contains POP Beauty's famous Eye Magnet Primer for durability and a defined eye that stays that way all day or night! Line and blend mini brush duo included. This is all about the texture! Frolic along with matte, shimmer or full-on glitterati pigments! Play, combine and mix texture & color to truly define your peepers!

Seriously love it.  I had trouble picking out which colors to use this morning...I ended up going with barely lining my eye with the top row farthest to the right, did top row farthest to the left for my lid, middle row - middle section - top left for the crease of my lid, and a little hint of the green that is in the middle of the top row on my tear duct...

Perfect look for work, if I do say
so myself!

I also bought, and am now obsessed with, CoverGirl natureluxe "gloss balm" (I got it in "cabernet"):

Personal
Photo

I like that it isn't sticky and adds just the right amount of color and glossiness.  And it has SPF 15, which is always good to have in the summer.  And since it's CoverGirl (aka not obscenely expensive) I might have to go to Walmart to see if they have it so I can invest in a few more colors!  The one I got looks super dark in the tube, but it really isn't.  That's my favorite kind of lip color though!
And finally, on today's random agenda, gotta throw in some Wedding Related fun, right?  Well, I've started working on my second shoe - and no, I haven't gotten so sick of it that I wanna stab my eyes out with the tweezers that I use to place the gems yet.  A little less than 2 hours worth of work (I do have to actually eat during my lunch, not just bedazzle shoes) and we are well on our way:

Starting off sucks...once you get a good bit done, it becomes much easier.

That's all for now - still quasi dreading starting my invitation suite this weekend, but you can't avoid the inevitable!  Just keep your fingers crossed for me that everything goes smoothly...

Do you have any random-ness to share on this lovely Friday?

So Much Wedding Excitement to Share!!!!

First of all, let me apologize for being MIA for the past week.  Going home for my bridal shower (more on that later) and then trying to get ready to start working on my invitations (eek) not to mention that stupid thing called my job, I've just been running around like a mad woman!

But, we shall start at the beginning...my flight home last week was delayed for 3 and a half hours!!!!  I hate airports.  In my mind airport = hell.  People are either in too much of a rush or they aren't moving fast enough, somehow it has gotten to the point where people think being in an airport gives them a right to look like they just rolled out of bed in public, and the chairs are always uncomfortable.  Needless to say, being delayed 3 and a half hours didn't really put me in the best mood.  But apparently, Jet Blue does a lot more than give you cookies and free TV on all of their flights!

First, they brought out all the snacks that are available on the planes (chips, cookies, soda, etc) and let us help ourselves.  Then they ordered pizza for us!  Yeah, they totally had 20 pizzas delivered to the airport for us to eat.  Then they started playing trivia and if you got a question right you got a $25 credit towards a future Jet Blue flight.  Then they said they were going to draw a winner out of all the people who had answered questions correctly for the "grand prize."

I totally won the grand prize.  I never win anything.  I was pumped.  It was Red Sox tickets for a game that I would no longer be in Massachusetts for but, do you know what this Sunday is?  Yeah, it's Father's Day.  Know who loves the Red Sox?  You guessed it, my Dad!  So I got to be the best daughter ever and give my Dad pretty awesome tickets to the Sox game this Saturday.  And that totally made up for the delay.

My Bridal Shower was on Saturday, and it was absolutely gorgeous, and I can't wait to tell you allllll about it, but I forgot my camera at home.  My mom mailed it down and it should be here any day now, but I'm not even going to bother writing about the shower until I have pictures to share with you as well.

But, at some point during the shower someone decided to drown my phone.  They tried to clean it up (as in, they dried off the outside) but when it wouldn't turn on and I pulled the battery and a bunch of water came pouring out it was pretty obvious what had happened.  I minorly freaked out.  Being without a phone makes me feel naked.  Being without a phone when I was flying back to Pittsburgh the next day made me want to vomit.  I don't even know how to use a pay phone anymore.  So, BM Kim and I went to Verizon.

First, there was nothing they could do, I could have a replacement sometime next week.  Then I threatened to cancel my contract.  They asked if I wanted to talk to customer support, I said yes.  They dialed the number that brings you to the automated system.  I damn near exploded - but chose to continuously press 0 until a human came on.  As I'm on the phone the Verizon man magically found a phone he could give me as a loner.  I was livid.  If I hadn't said "yes, I want to speak to customer support" he wouldn't have even looked if there was a phone they could give me temporarily.

At this point, probably 45 minutes had passed.  Then we spent the next 2 and a half hours waiting for him to figure out how to set that phone up with my number.  TWO AND HALF HOURS!!!!  Did I mention we were still in our absolutely adorable bridal shower outfits?  But they just could not get it to work.  And they finally went and magically found a new Thunderbolt (the phone I have) to give me.  I was like "Seriously, I thought you didn't have any more thunderbolts???" (my phone is still under warranty).  And his asshole response was "we don't have any replacement thunderbolts, this is a new one."  Took him all of 5 minutes to get that sucker working.

My theory is that they couldn't set up the crap-adelic phone on my plan because I have a hardcore unlimited data plan and that sucker probably wasn't even T-9 capable.  They weren't going to downgrade my plan so their system wouldn't allow them to put that phone on my plan.  But whatever, I have a new phone now, it just took 3 and a half hours.

Then I went out with Kim that night, flew home the next morning, and spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing because I was exhausted!

Enough ranting and raving though...onto a much more important topic - wedding day accessories!

I've probably mentioned I've been working on applying crystals to my shoes during my lunch at work and last week I finished my first shoe!  Then I made a little flower to clip on the front the other night!  I have a post for Weddzilla all about it, but Weddzilla has been wonky for the past couple days, so I'm going to at least show you a picture:

Isn't she purty?  But, like I said, more to come on that once Weddzilla catches up with all the pending posts!

Then last night I decided to try out yet another idea for a boutonniere for the guys.  This time I was going to use pearls (like my beloved bouquet) and I came up with the idea to mount them on a gold leaf brooch.  BEST IDEA EVER!  And now I have even more of an excuse to troll ebay for vintage brooches...

And my absolute favorite picture:

Seriously, couldn't be happier!  I love when I come up with good ideas.  Not only does it look fabulous but it's a freakin' pin!  How much easier could that be for the guys?  And they'll be all different leaf brooches (you can see some that I've picked up already in a few of the pictures).
And, I officially finished making my pocketfolds last night.  Let me tell you, cutting, scoring, folding, assembling, and embellishing 85 freakin' pocketfolds kind of sucks.  But they ended up costing me pennies a piece, so I can't complain that much, not to mention I get the satisfaction of saying I made them all!  Blood, sweat, and tears baby - that is what is going into this whole wedding (minimal blood though)!

So this weekend begins the actual assembly of the invitations.  I'm kind of pumped, kind of dreading it.  The design isn't that complicated, but my Cricut is going to get quite the workout!  But none of you get to see them until I've mailed them out - sorry!

I think that's all for now.  Don't hold your breath for a fitness recap tomorrow since, ummm, I didn't work out at all this week!  Someone please blog-slap me, I totally deserve it.  And my first fitting is on Monday.  Who doesn't work out at all the week before their first fitting??????? Whatever, starting Saturday I am 100% back on the exercise bandwagon!

Mixed Feelings on My Facial Detox - And Some Random Happiness

So, I've officially not worn make-up for a whole week (in case you missed you, you can find my original post about facial detoxing here).  At first, it was very difficult.  But now, I may reconsider wearing make-up to work everyday.  Seriously, getting ready in the morning is SO much easier if you don't wear make-up.  Maybe I'll only wear it on special occasions - like for important meetings or something.

But anyway, before I show you the before/after pictures I have to admit that they don't look like there has been as much of a difference as I see in real life.  The biggest reason for that is because whereas the flash didn't go off during the "before" pictures, it did during the "after" so my coloring is completely different.

Also, my period started the day after I started my detox.  I don't know about you, but my face explodes when Aunt Flo comes to visit, so it is in much better condition than I would normal expect given the time of the month.

And third, but this is completely my fault, not wearing make-up just made me want to pick at my skin even more (no idea why) which is bad.  You'll see I have a lovely little blemish on my chin that I didn't have a week ago and I'm willing to bet money that if I hadn't constantly been picking at it, it wouldn't be there anymore.

But, without further adieu...

I also have a feeling 1 week isn't long enough of a detox.  Skin almost always gets worse before it gets better, and I think 2 weeks would have much better results.  But, my 2 week detox will have to come another time because there's no way in hell I'm not wearing make-up at my bridal shower...which is in 2 freaking days!!!!!

And now, as promised, some random happiness...

1)  I am taking a day off from work tomorrow!  Woohoo!  Because I'm flying up to Massachusetts today after work for my bridal shower on Saturday!

2)  I'm wearing a really adorable outfit.  The top I got at Kohl's for a steal because Kohl's is never not in the middle of a huge sale!  And the necklace I'm wearing I actually got off ebay in a huge lot of vintage costume jewelry that I had bid on/purchased because of some brooches that I wanted.  The necklace was just a total bonus!

3)  There were no planned parenthood protesters picketing this morning.  Any day that doesn't start with a massive picture of a dead fetus is a good day in my book!

4)  My dog's are flipping adorable:

Seriously...is that not the cutest picture ever???

5)  Cricutmachine.com is having a MASSIVE sale - and I look forward to wasting a good portion of my day browsing cartridges to buy since days where you're going to be traveling after work are the longest work days ever.

6)  I have re-discovered my love for the band Kings of Leon.  The entire "Come Around Sundown" album is flipping amazing but I really like the sound of "The Face"...

7)  I made some pretty sweet cards for my Dad (for Father's Day) and my sister (for her birthday) that I'll get to give to them in person this weekend!

8)  Did I mention I don't have to work tomorrow!?!?!

So, needless to say, although my facial detox wasn't as successful as I would have liked it to be, I have a lot to be happy about!  I'll be MUCH happier once I'm on my way to Boston though - the weather isn't looking to great for flying this evening!

What do you have to be happy about this totally random Thursday morning?

Fitness Recap Friday!

::Womp woooomp::

This week wasn't the best week, I only worked out twice.  I blame the holiday on Monday for completely messing with my normal schedule, lol (it is so easy to come up with excuses)!

On Tuesday I did HIIT 20, and was supposed to do a resistance workout as well, but I didn't.

And last night I almost didn't workout at all, then I realized how ashamed of myself I would be if I came to post today and had only worked out once so I did HIIT15.  Again, I was supposed to do a resistance workout after that, but I just did not have the motivation.

Since I royally sucked, I'm re-doing the first week of the third month (I decided that last night so technically I've already started to re-do it).

I'm ashamed of this recap.

But, on a happier note, my ankles are becoming way stronger!  I've always had strong ankles (hello - I was a dancer for a decade and a half) but they're getting back to the way they were when I was actually still dancing.  And no, you can't see that they're getting stronger (I don't have muscle-cankles or anything) but I can feel it.  See, sometimes when I'm on the T on my way to work, I try to see how long I can stand on my toes.  Lately I've been able to hold my relevé for the whole ride (it's only like 5 minutes, but it twists and turns a lot).  I may look like a weirdo in a suit doing ballet on the T, but I find it fun so I don't care!

Not quite this bad, lol.  Source

That's all I've got for you fitness-wise...can I just say thank goodness it is Friday!?!?!  I feel like "short" work weeks always end up feeling the longest...

Do you know what tomorrow is?

Quite simply, it is the first day of June!!!!!!  When did that happen???  It also happens to be quite the milestone in wedding planning, because it marks 100 days left until the big day!  How crazy is that?!  There are basically 3 months left to get ready for the wedding ::deep calming breath::.  Luckily, at this point, I'm feeling pretty good, and I'm ready!  Here's what's coming up for the month of June:

Personal Creation - And look, I used pretty clipart!

So, like I said, June 1st = 100 days left until the wedding, and I also have a doctor's appointment.
I don't have any projects on the books for this weekend, which means I'll probably put a lot of time into my pearl bouquet and finishing my pocketfolds (they're all assembled, they just need the finishing touches).  Then next Thursday I fly home to Massachusetts because my Massachusetts Bridal Shower is next freaking weekend!!!!!!!!!!  How crazy is that!?  And I'm proud to say I have yet to registry-stalk at all.  Considering I still try to find my Christmas present before Christmas, that's a big deal.  I can't promise that I'll be able to hold out completely though.  Then I fly back down to Pittsburgh Sunday morning.

June 15th is my sister's Birthday (note to self - make a birthday card for Kate to bring home for bridal shower) and on the 16th I have a hair appointment.  Usually I don't schedule hair appointments in advance - I just wait until I want one and schedule it last minute.  But, last time I got my hair cut we scheduled the rest of my cut/color appointments leading up to the wedding (the last one being the Saturday before the big day).

Father's Day is June 19th so I'll have to plan something for Bryan, since he and the dogs got me such a lovely Mommy Day present, and we'll probably have dinner with his parents.

And finally, I plan on spending the second half of the month busting out my invitations.  I don't plan on showing them on the blog until after they're all sent, but let's just say you should be excited because they're going to be freaking awesome.

It's definitely going to be busy, but I'm not complaining - the busier I am the faster time flies!

Fitness Recap Friday!!!

It's Friday!  And a better Friday than usual since I have a three day weekend this weekend!  Woot!  And MOH Sam and I are going to be busting our butts on wedding projects even though it's finally supposed to be nice out...

Look at that lovely forecast!  Looks like we might be making pomanders on the back porch...haha

Any way, back to my recap.  And you guessed it, I did Turbo Fire!

Monday - Fire 30, Stretch 10

Tuesday - Fire 45 EZ, Stretch 10

Wednesday - Core 20, Stretch 10 and I officially finished my second month!  In case you missed it, I have some progress pictures posted here!

Thursday - HIIT 15, Sculpt 30.  Holy cow, let me tell you, my abs were sore from the core workout on Wednesday and then doing a HIIT workout (which is basically workout at a kill-yourself level for a minute, then recover for a minute) and then do a resistance workout...I was pooped!  Needless to say, I slept like a baby last night!

Tonight I'm going to try and get myself to workout, we'll see though...

Did you have any good workouts this week?

Edited to add...

I really like today's Skinny Bitch Calendar Quote, so I have to share it with you all:

That is so true!  In Turbo Fire, Chalene is always reminding you that you have to push yourself to the next level if you want to see your body change; you can't just go through the motions.  If you want to be fit, you have to start being fit!

Now I'm done with this post for real, Happy Friday!

The Joys of Home Ownership

Well technically I don't own the home, Bryan does, but it's our home for sure.

Owning a home is great - you can do what you want with it, you aren't just pissing money away in rent, no one can tell you how many pets you can or can't have, but it's also a lot of work.  Being springtime, a lot of that work has been out in the yard.  I've been able to get out of a bunch of it because of all the wedding projects I've been working on, but if there's one thing I couldn't make Bryan do by himself, it's weeding.

So, this past Saturday I agreed to help him out in the yard...

Image from Google Maps, enhanced by yours truly in Paint

So, yeah, that's our property.  As you can see, we have a pretty big yard, and Bryan has done an amazing job fixing up the lawn after the dogs managed to turn it into a mud pit.  But the flower beds and the entire perimeter of the pool were full of weeds.  It was BAD.  But, it isn't completely our fault it had gotten that bad considering it has basically rained every single day in 2011 (and that's only a slight exaggeration).  So Bryan got to work around the pool, and I got down and dirty in the flower beds.  I actually did this wearing a bathing suit because last year I got the most horrific tan lines while working on the flower beds and I refuse to have racer-back tan for the wedding, but that's beyond the point...look how pretty they are now (yes, I'm a horrible blogger and forgot to take "before" pictures - envision a jungle of dandelions and prickly weeds):

Personal Photo

Personal Photo

I don't even know what the purple things in the second picture are called, but we planted them last spring and they have blown up since then!  Apparently pretty purple things do well in the horrible clay like soil of Pittsburgh!  And I've already planted petunias in the empty flower bed, but I'll take pictures of that once they spread a little bit!

Have you been doing any yard work lately?

Fitness Recap Friday!

So, the beginning of this week started out a little shaky and completely messed up my Turbo Fire schedule.  I didn't work out at all Saturday, Sunday, or Monday, and I was getting sick of having to jumble around the "official" schedule because seriously, who wants their rest day to be on a Tuesday?  That's just stupid.  So, I kind of did my own shortened version for this week, and I plan on working out tonight, and then tomorrow I will have my rest day that should have technically been on the Tuesday of the last week of the second month (did you follow that at all, lol?) and I'll go from there.  But anyways, here's what I did do...

Tuesday - Fire 55...nothing new or special to report on that.

Wednesday - Fire 30 (I'm getting kind of sick of Fire 30, not gonna lie) and 20 minutes of Sculpt 30 - I just got too exhausted to finish (it's been a rough week at work).

Thursday - This is where I really mixed it up; I did Fire 45 EZ and Stretch 10.  Fire 45 EZ isn't actually on the schedule at all for this month, but I think it's my favorite workout.  I also have no idea why it is called "EZ" because in my opinion, it is one of the hardest workouts in the program.  It might be because there aren't any "fire drills" (minute long segments where you're supposed to push yourself to the limit) but since there aren't any fire drills, there also aren't and 1 minute recovery periods - which I think is why I find it to be harder then the normal Fire workouts.  That's 45 minutes without stopping.  Ever. 

Tonight I plan on doing Fire 30, Tone 30.  I know when I get home I'm not going to want to, but I would feel much better about my week fitness wise if I did, and that's what I have to keep reminding myself as I try to come up with excuses to not workout.

Oh, and remember a few weeks ago when my shoulder was killing me? I still think part of the problem was over-exerting myself in my workouts, but I just realized something else that may be contributing...that's the arm that I always carry my laptop bag with.  And my laptop bag is effing heavy!  I've tried to switch between arms, but it just feels awkward on the other arm.  Not sure what I'm going to do about it, but if my shoulder starts hurting like that again I may have to force myself to carry my bag on my other arm...stupid work computer!

Did you have a better week workout wise than I did?

I hate my skin...

Let me begin by saying I had the clearest skin ever through middle school and high school.  While everyone else was being awkward together and having pimples, my skin was flawless.  When I went to college that changed.

My skin isn't that bad.  I get a lot of little, under the skin white heads that no one can really see (but me), and I occasionally get big, painful, cystic pimples that basically develop a mind of their own and sometimes get to the point where I can actually feel my pulse in them.  Then I lose my mind trying to pop them and end up piercing them with a needle to get all the horrible-ness out.  Then I COVER it in heavy duty acne medicine and after a few days of looking like a scab, it goes away.

You would think I would have scars on my face from all the popping I do, but I don't.  Either I am an extremely skilled popper, or it is just genetics or something.  But, needless to say, after the pimple heals there is no sign that I had brutally attacked it a few days before.

Well, you may remember, a few months ago I started going to a dermatologist.  First it was a pill, face wash, and a cream - but I was only supposed to be on the pill for a short period of time while we got things under control.  That kind of helped with the big, painful guys but I still had all the little, under the skin ones.  So we changed the cream but kept the pill and the face wash.  That cream dried my skin out like woah.  I couldn't use it every day, but if I didn't use it every day it didn't really work.  Then I ran out of the pills (that I wasn't supposed to have to be on long term) and everything came back.

I am not okay with the idea of being on a pill forever for my skin.  I don't think my body should be constantly exposed to an antibiotic like that.  So I'm taking it into my own hands...and I threw down a pretty penny on a bunch of Murad Products.

Up first, Murad Clarifying Cleanser.  I use this twice a day.



Then, I spot treat with Murad Acne Spot Treatment.  This has salicylic acid and sulfur in it.  I am also using this twice a day.



Then I put Murad Gentle Acne Treatment Gel all over my face.  This also has salicylic acid in it, among other things to help heal and shrink pores.  Again, this is a twice a day type of deal.



And finally, I wrap it up with Murad Skin Perfecting Lotion.  This I only use at night, in the morning I use my Lancome First Signs of Aging Moisturizer.



But, I didn't even stop there...I already use Bare Minerals make-up, and I decided to invest in Bare Minerals Blemish Therapy, which you use to cover up any blemishes (and it covers them up really well) and has Sulfur in it to help fight the pimple.

I've been using all this for almost two weeks, and I really think it's working.  I won't make a final judgement until I get my "monthly gift" while still using this stuff since that tends to be when I break out the worst (stupid hormones).  And seriously, I'm just hoping that I can get my skin under control before the wedding.  Nobody deserves to have a massive, pulsing, painful, tumor-like pimple on their wedding day!

Have you changed your skincare regimen to prepare for your upcoming nuptials?  Do you have any recommendations?  Because if this doesn't work, I'll take any advice I can get...

And don't forget to head over to my post, "Happy 50th Follower to Me" to enter into my give-away...I'll be selecting a winner tomorrow!

Happy 50th Follower to Me!

To some, it may seem like a really silly milestone, but to me it actually means a lot.  Wedding planning is stressful and time consuming and exhausting - and I love having a place to go and talk about all that, or to celebrate when something goes really well.  Whether it is a DIY Project, a Fitness Goal, or an awesome vendor, I know that there are people out there who don't even know me, but will be equally excited that something is going well.  And when things kind of suck, there's a bunch of impartial outsiders to give their opinion.  And I want you all to know I appreciate that you follow along on my wedding planning journey, and I love getting your comments and feedback along the way!

So, as a little celebration, I'm going to do a little giveaway!!!

If you leave a comment on this post in the next 3 days (say how you found my blog, link back to your blog if you have one, and tell me what your favorite kind of post of mine is {DIY, fitness, Weight Watchers, ranting about nothingness, anything that you like} and in 3 days I'll randomly choose one of the people who left a comment for a Starbucks gift card - because whether you're planning a wedding or not, we all need a little pick me up now and again!

Again, thank you - for putting up with my craziness and making wedding planning a little less stress full!

...Yes, that really is me...I really am as crazy in Real Life as I am on my blog, hahaha!

I enjoy making cards WAY too much!

This past Saturday we went to Bryan's parent's house to celebrate his cousins Birthday.  She just turn 9, and I adore her; she totally reminds me of myself when I was 9.  I had WAY too much fun picking out a present for her (we got her 2 of my favorite books from when I was around her age - and yes, she actually enjoys reading, which I love - a friendship bracelet making kit and a purse decorating kit) and then had even more fun wrapping the present and making her card!

I used my Sweet Treats cartridge for my cricut and based my card off of this lovely video:

And here is my final product:

I LOVE IT!  And, what I love even more is that after she opened her present, she pulled that fabric flower off the ribbon and attached it to the headband she was wearing.  Not only did it match perfectly (completely by coincidence) but it looked effing adorable!

If you like making cards, I would 100% recommend the Sweet Treats Cartridge, it has so many fun shapes and card cut-outs!

Did you make any fun crafts this weekend?

Fitness Recap Friday!!!

Woot!  I did pretty well this week, if I do say so myself!  I continued with my Turbo Fire schedule and honestly I think I'm realizing more and more if you don't enjoy the exercise that you're doing, you are going to find excuses not to do it.

It was one thing when I was actively losing weight.  My motivation came from knowing that I was going to weigh in at my Weight Watchers meeting that Saturday and I wanted to get to goal!  After I hit goal, I did okay maintaining my workout routine for a while, and then fell completely off the wagon.  I didn't hate the workouts that I had, but I also really didn't enjoy them.  Jillian Michaels, Jackie Warner, and Jari Love all have great workout DVDs.  If you do their workouts, you will for sure see results.  But I didn't look forward to doing them, and I would get bored during the workout.  But I would stick it out because I had a goal in mind (losing weight).  Now that I'm just trying to maintain it's a damn good thing I found a workout that I actually enjoy doing (I honestly look forward to it) or else I'm not sure I would ever have anything to recap for you!!!

Saturday was my day off.

Sunday I did Fire 45 and Stretch 10.  And I don't know if you recall, but I worked hard.  Seriously, I didn't even know I was capable of pushing myself that hard (you can read about it here).

Monday was Fire 55 EZ and even though I was still a little tired from my workout the night before, I was able to give it about 95%.

Tuesday was Fire 30 and Sculpt 30.  I really like the Fire 30 workout; it is short, but it's intense.  You do the same "fire drill" twice, and at the end of that drill my heart is pounding, I'm panting like I've never exercised a day in my life, and the sweat is dripping off me.  And I don't think I have to tell you again how much I enjoy the resistance training in this program.

Wednesday I did Core 20.  Not much else to say there! lol

Last night was Fire 30 and Tone 30.  Tone 30 and Sculpt 30 are both resistance workouts, they're not the same workout, and I like them both.

Tonight is supposed to be Fire 55 EZ.  Bryan has to do some work, so we can't go out, so I'll probably do it.

I ordered the advanced DVDs on Ebay, and I should be getting those soon, although they don't actually come into the schedule for a few months.  See, the first month of the schedule is an intro and HIIT 1.  Month 2 (which is what I'm at now) is 3 weeks of "cardio" (which is just the "fire" workouts, no HIIT workouts) and then a week of recovery.  Month 3 is HIIT-2 (which is more advanced than HIIT1) and then a week of recovery.  And then Month 4 is "advanced cardio" which used the Fire workouts you already have as well as the advanced DVDs then a week of recovery.  And month 5 (the last month of the program) is HIIT 3 which uses the HIIT workouts and the advanced resistance workouts.  Months 4 and 5 look pretty hardcore, and if I stay on track I should be finishing up the program in the end of August, just in time for the wedding!  How perfect is that (I totally just realized that, lol)!

Well, if that isn't motivation to stay on track with the schedule, I don't know what is!  Because let me tell you, I plan on looking mighty hot in a bikini on my honeymoon!  And Bryan just started doing P90X - we're just gonna be a couple of newlywed hotties loungin' on the beach!

How was your week fitness wise?  How do you stay motivated to workout?

PSA for all Cricut Enthusiasts!

Cricutmachine.com (aka my favorite website) is having a Mother's Day Sale!  Not only are all cartridges $29.95 or less (excluding the Imagine Carts) if you spend at least $29.95 you get a free tool kit!  Even if you already have a tool kit, it's never a bad thing to have extras of!  I just ordered the Home Decor Cart, the Wrap It Up Cart, and a Tote for my cartridges that matches my Cricut Machine tote, all for under $100, plus I'll get a tool kit.  You really can't beat it!

Go to CricutMachine.com Now!

**Just as a disclaimer, I don't work for CricutMachine.com or anything, I've just found that they have the best prices on cartridges (not on cutting mats, if you need cutting mats go to overstock.com) and I like the spread the word when they have good deals!  I don't get anything if you go and buy stuff, you'll just be missing out if you choose not to, hahaha.

Fitness Update, Home Decorating...Basically a Totally Random Post!

Good morning all!  So, as of Sunday I officially finished the first month of Turbo Fire (even though it took me 6 weeks, haha) and I figured I should give a little review of it so far...

1.  I am definitely getting in better shape.  Remember the first time I did one of the workouts (if you don't, there's a quick post about it here) and I almost threw up?  Well, I know longer feel like I'm going to vomit during my workouts.  And I can definitely push myself harder throughout the entirety of the workout.

2.  I was totally surprised to realize I'm getting incredibly more flexible.  Like, I complain that there's only one 10 minute stretch routine, but it must be the most amazing stretch routine ever because I'm seriously getting so much more flexible.  And considering flexibility is 1/3 of fitness, and being flexible helps build lean muscles, I'm pretty pumped about it!  I was never not flexible (I was a dancer for a decade and a half, after that you never really lose your flexibility) but I haven't been this flexible in a while!

3.  I discovered I needed new sneakers.  The sneakers I have are really nice, but they're also running shoes.  Running shoes aren't good for aerobics for a number of reasons.  They don't give you the lateral support that your foot needs, they give you too much traction (so you can't swivel on the balls of your feet - this is bad for your knees), and for whatever reason my feet were going numb halfway through my workouts (no they weren't too small for me, just giving me the wrong kind of support).  So yesterday I ordered a pair of Ryka Cross Trainers.  Since DSW is awesome, and I'm addicted to shoes so I'm a premier rewards member, I get free overnight shipping so they should be here today, and I'll definitely check back in with what I think of them.  But everyone I've talked to loves their rykas!

Since I completed the first month I was supposed to take more pictures of myself but I chose not to.  I'm all bloated and PMS-y so taking "after" pictures of myself just wasn't going to happen.  When I'm done being bloated I will happily take some pics and show them to you!

And some home decorating!  The basement is my lair - my craft arsenal.  It is where all my crafting stuff is, my awesome HP Touchsmart Computer, and all my workout stuff.  It really is my happy place.  Well one of the walls of my happy place was depressingly bare:

The walls are grey, and there are hints of dark purple here and there.  Well, anyway, back to my bare wall.  I found some decals at Marshall's and fell in love with them, so now my wall isn't bare anymore:

YAY BUTTERFLIES AND FRENCH STUFF!  I really like it! (The rest of my basement can be seen here and here)
So, yeah, that's really all for today.  In case you missed it, my post yesterday was freaking impressive, so if you haven't checked it out yet, you totally should!

And is it just me, or is this week going by unusually slow?  I feel like it should be at least Thursday...