This blog gives you insight into who I am and what I am growing to be. I want to share my daily experiences with you as I work on me. I have exhausted myself worrying, caring, and providing for my family. I have not achieved any major goals in my life mentally, spiritually, physically, or financially. I go hard for others, but not myself. So from here on out I am putting myself first. As Tamar said it best, "Get yo life", I plan to do just that.
And....perfect! As a designer this is one lesson that is key to create an eclectic collected look. It takes some really skilled restrain to create from scratch, but overtime it can be easily achieved. That's why places like Craigslist and Flea markets are great.
You can achieve this in many different ways...take a look above. Everything from the art to the furniture to the lamps are perfectly mismatched in here. I think I recognize a consistent theme through color.
How about mismatched lamps in a bedroom. this would be extremely hard for me. I am a symmetry person all the way. Whatever I see on one side I have to see on the other. They would definitely have to be some kick-ass lamps that I can not find a place for. These are pretty kick ass though!
This one...I am in love with because of the rustic wood mixed withe the polished wood. The chairs are on point and even the polished table-top on top the rustic legs. This is just lovely. And did you notice the bay light just comes form out of nowhere, but comes right on time for perfection.
And I just love this idea. Soo...doing it! I have most def come across a few good mirrors in my thrift shopping trips.
Great job Star...I have been thinking about doing mitch-match for the longest now and you could not have said it any better. Now that my kitchen is done, I am taking small steps to decorating the rest of my house. I am going to stick with the the same pallet far as colors on the wall and make it extend into the rest of the house by using this technique.
I have been wondering what I am going to do leading up to and on the day of my birthday. So I thought...this will be great to blog about. Well, first let me say I do have to share that day with my twin...shot out SISTER SOPHISTICATE. That;s my boo though so I don't mind. Anyway, back to me. I think that its a special day no matter how old you get. My husband "The Great Revelator", which I call him because he can find revelation in just about anything, says that we are actually not the year we are turning, but we are actually celebrating the year we just turned. I had to think about it because we always think that whatever year we turn then we celebrate being that age the whole year. What made me realize that he was right is when a baby turns one he actually has already been in the world one year. In actuality, he is in his second year the day after his birthday. Think about it!
So what am I gonna do?
1. I have mentioned before that I am a couponer. I love it. The joy of getting so much for so little is an awesome feeling. So I found a site that list all the restaurants, stores, entertainment venues and more that lists all the places that give you certificates and free stuff for your birthday. Last year was my first year doing it. I spent about 2 or 3 hours signing up for dozens of birthday clubs, but BOY did it pay off. I ate for free for about two weeks. This year I am already receiving emails for free stuff for my birthday. So the first thing I have on my list is to pick a day to just ride and get my free stuff.
2. A couple of people want to do a couple of different thing with me for my birthday. I say what the heck lets do it all. My sister and I plan on going to Gosh for sushi. she has been telling me about this place for quite some time. I want to make it special so I say we have to do some things so it can be memorable.
We dress like twins. Here we are on the right. I am on the far right. We look alike only she has a afro and I don't. Our hair styles can't be alike, but I guess we can pull off an outfit and shoes.
We make a theme party. Since we are going to eat sushi then we make an oriental theme party. I think this will be fun. We are PLUS girls so I found a costume that we may be able to pull off. If we are not able to pull this off then we will go with a back up plan.
We will dress in sexy red and black. I found some fans on Oriental Trading online. They are red, black and white. I thought that this will make the ladies go all out. This will be the only party favor because I expect to be leaving with a couple gifts for myself.
We make it a ladies night.Ladies bring out your long heels and red bottoms. I want to be comfortable so I thought that some red jeggings or skinny jeans would set it off. We would also do a sexy shirt to make make it even more hot. Also, I am in Florida and down here it is still 80 degrees at night, so I plan on wearing a cut t-shirt off the shoulders.
We have a blast. One thing my sister and I are known for is having a blast. We usually are the center of attention at all family and friend functions. They know if you bring the twins, bring the music, and bring the bubbly...it's ON.
2. Continued...so that was what I will do with my sister. Now its time to do my thing. My husband and I like to do couple things with who else...other couples. We have a few friends who are married and one of them wants to go out to eat. I thought to myself OK, but it has to be my favorite restaurant. Wolfgang Puck at Downtown Disney. There is like three restaurants in one. I like The Dining Room because it is upscale and very good food. I plan on getting the California Four Course Tour. It may be a little pricy, but hey its my birthday. Here is the menu:
First Course:
Duck Springroll
Pulled duck, Asian vegetables, Chinese mustard
Second Course:
Endive Salad
Mixed bitter greens, apples, maytag blue cheese, candied pecans
Third Course:Entree
Seared Salmon with Turnip Puree
Seasonal vegetables, lobster nage and chive essence.
Fourth Course: Patisserie
Baked Alaska
Torched meringue covered gelato with fresh berries.
What will I wear? Oh...I will be going all out. It's a nice restaurant, but I do't have to get all formal. I saw the August cover of Lane Bryant's catalog and I had to have it. It's fun, it's summer, it's sexy, it's mine. The bike does not do anything for me, but they did their best on capturing the essence of the season.
3. I may be PLUS, but I can dance. I love dancing so one of the things I have to do is go dancing. Since We will be in Downtown Disney then I will just have to go club hopping. They have have dozens of places to go and you pay a one time fee to enjoy all the clubs.
4. Don't forget the cake. I plan on making my own cake. I have been having the itch for baking and so I thought I would put all that love into my own birthday cake. Of course I will be using Pinterest for inspiration and motivation on pretty cake. Here is my idea of a great 33rd birthday cake.
Rich & Dark Chocolate Cake and Swiss Meringue Butter cream
5. I plan on thanking my mom for bringing me into the world and raising me to be a wonderful loving young lady.
So you already know that I am a fan of reality television. I get inspiration from many of them. Tiffany Maher and George Lawrence got me to thinking. They really portrayed the words in the song and when you have a great romantic song like that with gerat dancers magic happens. The song called "Turning Page" by the group Sleeping At Last. I remebered hearing that song somewhere, but I could not think of where or when until I did some researching. Its on Twilight's Breaking Dawn soundtrack. HUGE FAN OF TWILIGHT. Tiffany and George really represented Bella and Edward's hot romance that they portray in the movie.
So I wanted to let you know what romance means to me. Its about showing how far you are willing to go to show the person you love how much you love them. It does not have to be big. It can be as small as coking breakfast, doing the laundry (Hello!) Don't gt me wrong...I want to be swept off my feet at least once in my lifetime.
I watch scenes on movies and hear what men have done for their wive all the time. I am the "hopeless romantic" and I love it. I have been married for 10 years and my husband and I are a young couple. He is 34 and I am 32. My dear husband he really tries to be romantic, but I think I am to nosy for him to really be as romantic as he wants to be. I get the cards, the flowers, the dinner and a movie, but all that gets BORING. he gotta step the game up to pull off ROMANCE on me. He so obsessed with trying to please me that he wants to write a book on the true meaning of romance. He thinks he does not have a romantic bone in his body, but I think if he just does not think so literally, he could be romantic. One of the best things he did for me was take me Bok Tower for lunch. The landscape there is beautiful, so I thought it was great. He did not have the candles, blanket and wine set out for me already, but we walked around and talked then ate a salad at the cafe.He also took me to Picasso's cafe one time and we painted some pottery. Basically, I was not swept off my feet and cried, but he did his best.
Lets just be honest...MEN DON'T GET IT. If your man does get it, let me know some of the things he has done for you. I looked up on YouTube "Romantic scenes from movies". I can't believe it, but I have watched every last movie on each part except for 2. I know, I know, some of you may say romance is not about the material things and its the thought that counts and so on and so on, but LADIES we want to be swept off out feet and not see it coming.
1. Your man needs to really know you and what you like.
I like music, art, the beach, great food, singing, dancing, breathe taking views, beautiful hotels with a big jacuzzi, winery's, walking up and down busy streets like International drive or Disney Downtownin Orlando. Your man can make so many things happen off the things you like. He could take you to the beach and have a dinner table already set up for you with candle light and something sweet written in the beach sand for you to read. We could even just lay there with a blanket while he reads a romantic book to you and have a radio with romantic music playing int he background that we could slow dance to.
2. He may have to get other people involved
Setting up a beautiful romantic date takes planning and time. He may want to take you to your favorite restaurant and hotel after (if you catch my drift). Or he may want it to be a weekend thing. He may need a family of a friend to help him pull it off. Someone will need to keep you busy while he gets everything together like reserving the best table and making sure it is set up with the works, packing your overnight bag, buying the roses for the rose petals that lead to the bed, having the music playing while you walk through the door, a custom made gift basket with your favorite candy, CD, perfume, wine, etc. I mean...every second of the date should be planned out.
3. Your man needs to know what your tastes in clothing and what size you wear
What would be so darling and daring and just off the chain would be for him to buy the dress or outfit you will wear for dinner. I mean I love dinner and a movie, but lets take it to another level. Here is the scene: you just walked in the door from work or where ever you just come from he is standing there with a rose and a gift box. You ask, "What is this?" He just says, "Today is your lucky day". I would just melt. You open the box to see a beautiful black cocktail dress. How did he know. Well, maybe you were with at the store last week and he ask you to try on some dresses because he knows you like to shop. He just says, "We can't buy anything right now, but just try on for fun." All the while he has a plan in the back of his mind to pull off the best night you will ever have. Your man can find out a lot of thing about you and what you like if he went window shopping with you more often. That is quality time together and he is finding out everything he needs to know...two birds and one stone. The movie could be shown on a DVD player at a park with just you two watching...Hubba, Hubba.
4. Your man needs to be very sneaky
I remember my husband had me fooled so bad one day. I had not had my wedding ring for about 3 or 4 years because it was lost at the jewelry store because he lost the ticket number for my ring to get cleaned. he was going to buy me a new one. He had a conversion with me that morning that set me on edge. He pissed me of so I could have my mind on that for the whole day and he went and did his thing. Later that day he knew I was mad so he bought me some roses. Within the roses was a fake rose that was actually a jewelry box. When I opened it it was my new wedding ring. He pulled that one off.
5. You have to not be so nosy
My husband has tried so many times to surprise me, but I would always know when he was up to something.
That fact is he tried, but what happens is your man will stop trying if you get too bad. Let him do what he is gonna do. He wants to try and please you and surprise you just to make you happy. Let him work his magic sit back and relax and know that one day he is gonna sweep you off your feet.
For me this is the most dreaded subject in life period. The reason why is because it is so hard. I know for a fact I do not have as much self discipline to lose weight as much as I do to keep up with my blog. My husband and I are on a quest and as I said in my very first blog "I am rebooting my life".
I have tried dozens of diets and each year I gain about 10 pounds still.
Diets I have tried
The cabbage diet (too much gas)
The grapefruit diet (I did not eat grapefruits for a while after that one)
The master cleanser (the die off really got to me)
No carb diet (I lost 17 pounds, but had a piece of cake one day and said "Awe the hell with it")
HCG Diet (lasted one week)
Sensa (DID NOT WORK)
No sugar, soda, or grease diet (starved myself)
21 day metabolism (how in the hell can I keep up with eating every 3 hours with my schedule)
Candida (That stuff you have to drink...Yuck!)
Colon Cleanse (Same situation...and boy you can't have a schedule with this one...heard of irritable bowel syndrome)
Fasting ( Please spare me..)
Raw food diet (hard to come up with a meal plan and eating the same thing everyday)
Well, I must say that there are probably more that I have tried and after listing them...I feel much worse than I already did. I see my problem is dedication. Other problems are sweets, chips, and sodas. I can give up chips and I can give up sodas, but sweets is a blog by itself. I can make excuses very easy to. I keep saying "I'm going to start, but I have to have one last day to eat everything I can't eat. One last day turns into another month gone by. Then there is another very good reason, I DON'T HAVE A KITCHEN. We are in the middle of renovating. My kitchen should have been done by the end of April...it is now what month?
Well, yesterday I proved all that wrong. I made a great meal using my toaster oven and a microwave. It turned out great! I saw a meal that looked quite easy on Pinterest. I was gonna go to my grandmothers house and cook it, but I thought that maybe I can pull it off.
The meal I made is shown in the picture. After reading so many blogs and researching some information I stumbled across this blog that i think is really gonna help me. Its Called 100 days of real food. http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/. They have everything I need and the info is FREE. I think now have the motivation to this now..finally. I have to lose half of my body weight (170 lbs.) The best way for me to do it is to go cold turkey. That means go hard or don't go at all. My birthday is in two months. It gives me 60 days to reboot my eating habits. I also found a website called Reboot Your Life. Hundreds of people have already tried it. I am the next one.
Wish me luck on this new journey. I am excited because when it is all over I will have a new kitchen and a new body.
I can not wait to decorate. Right now we are in the middle of construction with the walls, cabinets and floors being done, but what I am anxious for is the decorating part. I am no interior designer and never had any schooling for it. I try to mimic my sister with the boards, but it does not always work. She will eventually tell what needs to be done here and there. I figure her advice has to be good for something being that she is a floor planner and all. With all do respect...I take any advice my sissy gives me. I want to go for a relaxed, shabby and chic look. What do you think?
I found this on the blog Don't disturb This Groove (Shot Out to Brandi). These girls are AMAZING! The sisters Lennon and Maisy are singing "Call your Girlfriend by Robyn a Swedish pop star". Whats amazing is the hand coordination and timing of rhythm. I think its amazing because they were able to watch a cover from Erato and, at 12 and 8 years old, pick up the beat and the right notes. Great job you two!
I am remodeling my kitchen and living room area. It has been a very stressful last few months, but I know it is going to be great in the end. I have found so many new ideas on Pinterest and I can't wait to try them. The top left hand photo is the use to be kitchen (Awful). I use to have a peninsula come from the left and side and come out to where you see the mark in the middle of the floor. YES you see it right the counter tops were a laminate PINK. I would like to speak to the designers. The house is about 15 years old. It was passed down from my grandmother. The down fall is that it is a modular home 1183 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, no laundry room. That will be a whole other blog.
The bottom left hand photo is showing where the sliding glass door with no deck on the outside use to be. We have closed it in so far. The top right shows the division wall that was there before (we have removed it) between the kitchen and the living room and the bottom right shows my front door and fire place in the living room. We have painted since then and my new kitchen is in the middle of my floor as I blog.
Here is my plan
Thanks to IKEA 3D PLANNER, I have mad my kitchen two times the size it was. All of my cabinets are here and ready to go, but we have had to take our time to get it done with all the changes we made to the area. We purchase our laminate floors this weekend where we caught an awesome sale for cherry wood 7mm at .59 cent per square foot.
We have painted our walls in the hallway, living and kitchen a coastal blue. We plan on adding a brown back splash (really have not seen a winner yet) and adding lighting to each glass cabinet and under each top cabinet.
Here is my inspiration! I think that this is as close to what I want that I could find. I plan on using some creative ideas for storage and decorating. I will continue to keep an update on the progress.
So I tried the hairstyle seen in photo and let me tell you....I AM NOT A STYLIST. Well the only cost was FREE. I had half of a relaxer left (Good thing about having short hair) and of course I used Wen shampoo and conditioner. This is what I was able to do.
From previous blog
Hair do I will try
One of the things I said I was gonna do while "reinventing my life was to keep my hair up...FOR FREE of course. I gotta stay pretty on a dime. I understand that as women we like to keep our hair done with little management. I cannot afford to go to a stylist every week. I am on a mission to find hair dos that take little management. The first thing I did was buy Wen. I'm not gonna lie it makes my hair feel very soft and well conditioned. The only thing is the first month is $29.99 the second month is over over $60.00. That equals two hair appointments for me. The second thing I did was cut my hair. My husband does not like the idea of me having short hair. So now I'm growing it back. Gotta stay pretty on a dime and please the hubby...YOW MEAN. So what do I do to find hair product that does not dry my hair out and conditions it very well? I'm doing the research and when I find it will let you know. In the mean time I will use the rest of my Wen and then hopefully I will have a solution to the problem. By the way I must mention that I have relaxed hair. My USE TO BE hair dresser told me that i was damaging it with the BOX PERM. My thought was "oh you just want my money honey". My past research shows that its OK for me to use box perms, but as long as it has tea tree oils and aloe vera product in it. I must also drink plenty of water and get plenty of vitamin E. I figure the box perm will cost me about $9.00. I hope this works.
I just read this blog about the Bouquet of good intentions. I had to weep after reading it because it moved me so much. It was so close and dear to my heart. I have struggled to be a good wife and mother and I think of things to try to improve and sometimes never get around to doing them. This blog let me know that I'M NOT A BAD PERSON AFTER ALL. Thanks Macrina!
My community retreat is now over and for some unknown reason I spent a good portion of the retreat praying about all of my GOOD INTENTIONS. I don't know who came up with that silly saying, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." It isn't true! Why do we so often think about things in negative terms? We could just as easily say that the road to heaven is paved with the seeds of good intentions. Seeds take time to germinate. The seeds we plant in the earth require a time of waiting before they are able to blossom. Likewise, the good intentions that fall into our hearts may not blossom immediately (for many reasons). This does not mean we should forget them
Obviously these good intentions have come from God whose name can be found in the word, good. Just because they were given to me and yet remain unfulfilled does not mean they are dead intentions. They are still good. So let's ponder together some of our good intentions. In the midst of our busy lives they visit us like guardian angels. If we have not adequately brought these good intentions to fruition today, there is always tomorrow or the next day, or even the next month or two. They have come to us for a reason and we are the ones who can help them to blossom.
Today I am making a bouquet of my good intentions. I will print them out and put them on my bulletin board as a reminder that it is never too late to bring them to birth.
Write a real letter to someone in my address book.
Go for an early morning walk at least once a week.
Devise a regular schedule for writing..
Visit Jackie.
Send a card of support to our spiritual directors.
I just watched So You Think You Can Dance. What a Top 20 Bunch it is this year. My shots go out to the under dog Cyrus "GLITCH" (Reminds me of TWITCH) Spencer. Boy, I really thought that when he walked into that room he was gonna be DENIED the top 20 spot. He is AMAZING at what he does, but he really needs work in other danced areas.
However, moving on, I really enjoyed myself tonight. I think that if I were not so big then I could have been a dancer. Dancers move me so much and I really love the way Zooey Deschanel put it, "It's like a moving painting".
I just love the DRAMA and MOVEMENT of it all!
I feel that when I see dancing its so many art forms coming together to form one. Its art, its music, its dance, its photography, its fashion, its hair, its drama and so much more. Above are some photos I found that inspire me to want to make art.
I am a fool for acronyms. I found this one for change. I love it because it is exactly what I want to do. In my profile I said that I had a whole new prospective on my own acronym PLUS pretty luscious and ultimately sexy. Of course when you see me it definitely is what it is, but now I see it means something totally different.
P Putting me first for a change L loving who I am U Utilizing the talents I have S Seeing my life positively
I have to be selfish in order for my life and everyone else around me to be better. I realize this after questioning how good of a mother and wife I am. if I have to question myself in anything I do then I don't have an assurance of what I can totally be in whatever I do. Therefor allowing me to fail.
I am a queen, a Goddess, a nice and loving heart in this world. I have made so many mistakes that can not be changed. I have also criticized when i could not take being criticized. Basically, I am not perfect, but I love how polished I have become.
I am a vessel of many talents. I can do anything I put my mind to do. I know I hold the key to my success, but I have to start using what I have.
I am tired of being tired and sad f being sad. I have to look at the brighter side of things. I can be more affectionate, loving, and successful where I am lacking. JUST DO IT. No more allowing negativity hold me back.
One of the things I said I was gonna do while "reinventing my life was to keep my hair up...FOR FREE of course. I gotta stay pretty on a dime. I understand that as women we like to keep our hair done with little management. I cannot afford to go to a stylist every week. I am on a mission to find hair dos that take little management. The first thing I did was buy Wen. I'm not gonna lie it makes my hair feel very soft and well conditioned. The only thing is the first month is $29.99 the second month is over over $60.00. That equals two hair appointments for me. The second thing I did was cut my hair. My husband does not like the idea of me having short hair. So now I'm growing it back. Gotta stay pretty on a dime and please the hubby...YOW MEAN.
So what do I do to find hair product that does not dry my hair out and conditions it very well? I'm doing the research and when I find it will let you know. In the mean time I will use the rest of my Wen and then hopefully I will have a solution to the problem. By the way I must mention that I have relaxed hair. My USE TO BE hair dresser told me that i was damaging it with the BOX PERM. My thought was "oh you just want my money honey". My past research shows that its OK for me to use box perms, but as long as it has tea tree oils and aloe vera product in it. I must also drink plenty of water and get plenty of vitamin E. I figure the box perm will cost me about $9.00.
I hope this works.
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