As much as I love myself, I do not love myself in a bikini, I never have. I think it's completely ludicrous that while guys get to wear baggy shorts and flaunt beer bellies all summer, girls only have the choice of tight, privates-on-display second-skin bathing suits. It's simply not fair.
It's around this time of year that I always start to panic. This forever-lasting winter has allowed me the luxury of oversized sweaters and unshaven legs, and there's always an excuse to head right home after work instead of to the gym (usually, it's my rumbling tummy). Pasta, pizza, dinner rolls, mashed potatoes and a whole lot of red wine got me through this dreary winter; and I nearly forgot that summer will follow, along with the necessary evil that is the bikini.
I've made slight adjustments that have not made a difference yet, but there's a great mantra that I repeat every time I feel frustrated: "This did not happen overnight, and neither will the change happen overnight." It helps to keep me patient, because really, I just want to continue to eat like I was eighteen years old...those were the days! I still treat myself to Jimmy John's after a great meeting (that will never stop, I'm completely obsessed with the Vito); but I also keep my fridge stocked with Lean Cuisine paninis and mini pizzas. I know these are high in carbs and sodium, but they are a step down from my 800-calorie (I add mayonnaise because I love it) JJ's fave. Instead of stopping at Starbucks every morning for a Bacon Gouda breakfast sandwich, I opted for the Special K breakfast sandwiches, saving me about 100 calories. They are not anywhere near as good, but they still have bacon, so I'm happy! I bought Pomegranate Arils to snack on instead of pretzels; and I keep Almond Milk in my fridge for my afternoon snack. I also keep my office stocked with Progresso chicken noodle soup (150-200 calories per can), and high-protein snack bars for when I'm on the run. With these small but delicious alterations, it's not been hard to make my day at work a little healthier.
It's dinnertime that gets me. I am a carb-whore, and could eat different variations of pasta (with bread, of course) every night. If it weren't for my boyfriend, I would probably do just that! Here are a couple of my recent dinners that are easy and utterly delicious, they make me forget that in a couple short months, I get to flaunt my body for a bunch of strangers at the pool (yuck):
Fiesta Chicken Breast with Avocado and Tomato Salsa
I loosely followed this recipe from Betty Crocker, and added cilantro, garlic salt, red cayenne pepper, crushed red chili flakes, and parsley to the marinade. I also chose to cook my chicken on a skillet, since it was only two thinly-sliced breasts. I used an entire avocado and one Roma tomato in my salsa, with about a Tablespoon of chopped garlic. So good!
Spaghetti Squash with Prosciutto and Tomatoes
Spaghetti Squash is something I tried only since moving to Ohio, and I LOVE it, especially when I get a hankering for pasta. Cooking spaghetti squash is fast and easy, and this article shows you different ways it can be done! While this is cooking, I'll toss cherry tomatoes, baby bella mushrooms, and prosciutto together in a small saucepan until the tomatoes start to burst. After shredding the squash, add Italian seasoning, garlic, and your toppings, along with a little shredded parmesan.
Note: After posting this, I bought a CumulusPRO Anti-Fatigue Mat, and the past couple days have been pure bliss for my feet and knees! This is supposed to be the tip-top of mats, and although it's a touch pricey, it has a ten-year warranty and is made from non-toxic materials. Now my standing creation is truly complete. :)
After weeks of silently wishing that my desk was more adorable, I went about Amazon to try to find a suitable alternative. A completely new desk was out, I didn't have the luxury of spending hundreds of dollars on a new setup, and to be quite honest, I didn't feel like moving the very heavy furniture out of my office. I found a couple pieces that served as adjustable laptop stands, but they were upwards of $300! No, thank you. I decided to utilize my crafty side to find a cheap alternative...
I visited my favorite craft store and picked up a large rectangle of styrofoam, rubber cement, a simple wooden lap desk ($8), some polka dot stationary paper (about 15 pieces totaling about $5), and a perfectly-sized small wooden stand ($11). I also grabbed some Mod Podge, but alas, it does not work well for me. Ever.
I traced the shape of the wooden stand (this is for my mouse pad), on the back of one piece of paper, and then cut this out and glued to the top and sides of the stand:
Next comes making the keyboard piece beautiful. I wanted this to be uneven polka dots, so I glued my pieces to the front first, then folded around back and covered the empty parts with black construction paper. The bottom doesn't need to look pretty, thank goodness!
The next day at the office, I went in extra-early so as not to be disturbed, and positioned the heavy-duty Styrofoam in front of my monitors. This would serve as my keyboard stand, and it was the perfect ergonomically-correct height.
At home that night, I used my other pieces of polka-dot paper to cover the Styrofoam, using my hot glue gun. Since it had the same pattern, the lines of the different pieces are not discernible. At first, I accented with oversized silver thumbtacks, but they kept popping out, so I just glued my paper to the Styrofoam, and called it done. One thing to note, this was a VERY MESSY project, Styrofoam got into everything! But at least it's pretty. :)
Who is a fan of cleaning? Anyone out there?.....No one? I'm not surprised. I've got no issue messing up the house, but cleaning it up is another story altogether. All I can really say is, Boo.
Sometimes, the house gets a bit on the deeesgusting side, and I'm forced to spend my evening or weekend in meth-head cleaning mode before I can relax. You know that old commercial where the girl is scrubbing her bathroom floor furiously with a toothbrush? That's me, sans the drugs. When the cleaning bug hits me, I don't go half-assed. It also doubles as a workout, since our condo is three stories!
My project last week was our microfiber couch. It was a lovely tan color when I moved in, and has since turned a bit darker tan amidst semi-frequent wine spillage and what Matt says is all my hair product on the top cushions (whatever, haha). I wanted to prove him wrong that we can have a new-looking couch instead of spending money on a new set (because I'm unnecessarily competitive), so I went to Pinterest to find my weapons.
I followed this blog entry for directions, and went at it! This turned into a rather extensive project, as I first Fabreezed each cushion to make them smell so-fresh-and-so-clean. Then I had to basically drench each cushion in alcohol, rub it into each cushion, front and back, with a sponge (I used tan because I couldn't find white sponges). Then, I drank wine (far away from the couch cushions, mind you) while the alcohol evaporated completely. Lastly, I used a white bristled brush to softly buff each cushion to fluffiness. The end result was not perfection, but it looks a heck of a lot better than before, and it cost me about $9 in supplies:
I am a worrywart, everyone knows it. I've only recently decided to take this negative part of my being and use it for good; so instead of worrying, I try to address the fear and find a solution. The alternative is me laying in bed in the fetal position; or staring, paralyzed, at my mounting inbox; or zoning out in front of the TV for hours; or melting down in the shower...none of these sound amazing. My mind races from the moment my eyes open at 5am (who needs coffee when you have worry?). I even get to take Melatonin to sleep most nights, because my overactive brain won't shut down when it's supposed to.
This morning was one of those crazy days, when I heard my obnoxious alarm and BOOM I'm up. I was in the process of willing myself back to an uneasy slumber when I realized the thing that was keeping me from taking on the day was Fear. Fear is a powerful enemy; one who can make all your worst feelings about yourself rise to the forefront of your consciousness. "What happens if...What if they don't...What if they do"... A thousand questions raced through my mind. In an effort to not drive myself crazy and also calm my racing heart, I changed those "What if" questions to "How do I" questions. "How do I take on extra responsibility at work if someone quits?...What action can I take if my client doesn't call me back?...How can I prepare myself for the reaction of my peers to this-or-that?" By taking the power away from "they" and situations I can't possibly predict or control; I took these worrisome questions and thought about how I could respond and prepare. The only thing I have power over is me; and I'm taking the power away from Fear.
As you begin your day, think on the things you most fearful of; and instead of asking "What if I fail?" ask yourself, "How can I best succeed?"
I saw this clip a few weeks ago, and have been thinking on it ever since. The curator of the article says: "This completely went over my head as a kid. I'm so glad it did." This rings true to me as well, but what were the long-term effects of this propaganda? Might there be a correlation that none of us realized; that these villains were depicted in a "gay" way so regularly in our youth, that it helped to create a stigma around being gay, even from a very young age when there weren't religious or moral reasons to tie those feelings to? Have we been brainwashed in the most innocent of fashions: these cartoon movies?
This guy is hilarious, give this clip a good watch and let me know what you think!
It's been about a week since I've basically fallen off the face of the planet, and for good reason: I got to spend four whole days in my hometown of Colorado Springs. It was incredible, and right this second I'm on a plane to go back to Ohio. It's incredible how being around family can get you right back to normal. Although I did have to work for just a splash, I made sure to shut that dang computer down, silence my phone, and just enjoy being home. Emails are an evil thing, I tell ya!
I wanted to share my airport experiences, as I had issues with my travels both to and fro, and had I freaked out, I could have easily ruined my whole trip (or at least my day).
I packed SO MANY clothes for this trip, I don't know what I was thinking, because when I'm around my sister, I seriously scrub it up . I checked two bags, costing me $60 (sheesh, right?!?). My first flight had to be de-iced for about an hour before we could take off, resulting in many of us aboard missing our connecting flights. I lucked out and got rebooked on a flight to Denver, only setting me back about 2 hours. One of the girls I was sitting with got booked on a flight that was 8 hours later, poor thing! Long story short, I made it to Colorado Springs, but my luggage hadn't. This is one of my worst fears flying, because I really like my clothes and makeup, and I don't have the time to pick out all that crap again, so I usually always carry on.
In addition to thinking I'd have to wear the same chonies for the next five days, I got to deal with a fairly rude agent who acted like it was my fault my bags weren't there. I kept my cool, said please and thank you, and made my bestie take me to get cocktails--stat. After an amazing long lunch, fancy drinks, and an even better night out, my bags arrived at her doorstep safely. No harm, no foul (even though I didn't get to wear my fabulous leather pants on Saturday night). Instead of freaking out and ruining the day, I trusted that things would work out, and enjoyed the day.
As for the flight home, I got to the airport early and found out that since my flight had gotten bumped on my way out, it caused a glitch in the airline's system and I couldn't check in to get back home. My mind started racing: I would have to stay here another day, miss my deadline at work tomorrow, make my sister drive all the way down here to pick me up...but I was calm and kind and waited for the attendant to troubleshoot. After about 30 minutes, I was all set on my flight, and she even checked my bags for free! I was thrilled.
Imagine the outcome of I would have lost it on this woman. She would have been upset, I would have been upset (and my blood pressure is high enough as it is), and the outcome would have been the same (except I'd probably be out another $60 for my checked bags).
Honey ALWAYS works better for everything. From business to travel to friends and family, I find this to be true over and over again.
I don't know if the persistent nagging from my mom to not over-pluck, or the low self-esteem that accompanies every young girl's journey through adolescence caused this lifelong affinity for perfection above my peepers, but it's something I've always wrestled with. My mom would say, "You have big, beautiful, Brooke Shields' eyebrows!" (PS-I hated it when she would say this, and immediately and consistently plucked my eyebrows into thin lines...aah, rebellion, why hast thou forsaken me?)
Because of my habitual overplucking, my eyebrows fought back and have decided not to grow in evenly anymore. Sad. But...that's what makeup is for! And now that big, beautiful, Brooke Shields eyebrows are celebrated, I've learned how to fill in my brows like a real-live adult.
I have dark-dark-dark eyebrows, so this has taken me some time to master, and I'm sure I'll get better as time goes along...I've gone back and forth on wanting to fill in my brows into black, defined arches, and more natural, soft lines, and to be quite honest, it fluctuates. Either way, I really love how different I can make my face look with big brows and different arches.
I found this fantastic brow makeup at Macy's with the help of my adorable associate, who even showed me how to use it. Tarte costs about $28, but comes with a bamboo applicator, and lasts forever since you only need a dab. I also love that it's not tested on animals.
I first use a Rimmel brow pencil in a lighter shade, since the Tarte makeup can come on a bit dark, and I have a lot of area to fill in. It's been helpful to me to use a light shade and a dark shade, so it doesn't look like I have evil-lady eyebrows painted on my face.
Fill in your desired shape, then use a Q-Tip to soften the edges and clean up any stray lines. Use just a touch of the Tarte brow makeup, and brush in light strokes for more definition. This stuff really stays on, so you don't have to worry about accidentally brushing your eyebrow off mid-day. :)
