Sleep Potions and Halloween

Health:  I've been getting up early and getting a workout in.  I usually do 10 Minute Trainer with Tony Horton and then yoga or a run.  The first two mornings I was waking up before my alarm at 4:45am.  Monday I woke up at 3:15!  Yesterday, I slept in a little bit...until 5:45 :/  I came home from work so tired yesterday, I honestly went to bed by 9:30 and I slept in until 5:30 and then did my training with Tony.  It just goes to show how important sleep is to health.  I was so emotionally all over the place (typical for me when I'm tired).  I needed the few extra hours of sleep and I'm going to have to figure out how to get to bed a little earlier and still get stuff done.  5 1/2 hours is not enough for me to run off permenantly.  I can do it for a while, but my health for sure suffers without some good shut eye. He's really not my favorite; in fact he quite annoys me. However, he has inspired me a bit in my yoga practice and how to add weight lifting moves to my yoga. Inspiration is really good even if I think he's the most annoying person ever; and I won't turn away any inspiration.  I just made up my playlist for Halloween Happy Hour yoga tomorrow.  I am so super excited for it.

Relationships: Stagnated on the husband front to wanting him here NOW and just plain not being patient enough to wait on God's timing.  My friendships have also been stagnating because I feel like I'm mostly job and attempting to stay fit.  I need to get out and see my friends more and talk to them more!

Career:  I can't say enough about how much I like the products my two companies put out. Products for healthy, alternative living for humans and animals :)  Now that's something I can really get behind.


Here's my playlist so you can find and jam out too!
Adams Family
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes
Bad Moon Rising
Bad Things
Black Water
Born Under a Bad Sign
Don't Fear the Reaper
Ghost Busters
Haunted House
Hell Song
I Put a Spell on You
Little Drop of Poison
Little Ghost
Love Potion #9
Martians
Monster Mash
Purple People Eater
The Blob
Time Warp
Twilight Zone
Witchcraft

Whip It Good

I made a batch of whipped coconut oil this weekend.  You can use just coconut oil and essential oils and whip it up in a mixer.  The one I made this weekend, I used Shea Moisture Bath, Body, and Massage Oil with my unrefined, cold-pressed, virgin coco oil.  I used 6 tablespoons of the Shea Moisture oil with 1 1/2 cups of the coco oil (in it's solid state), and I added a few drops of tea tree oil (for a little more sanitizing). 

I heated the coco oil so it was easy to get out of the jar, but still solid.  I then put it in the mixer together and whipped it up.  I didn't use the whipping attachment on the mixer, just the blending attachment.  It made two small jars of fluffy coconut oil.  I really wanted this for my desk at work, where the paper and boxes I come in contact with dries my hands out like crazy.  I also added the tea tree oil to add more germ killing to the coco oils natural anti-bacterial properties.  A small amount of this whipped coconut oil goes a long way.  If you put too much on at first, your hands will be greasy.  Just a little and let it sit for a bit.  Silky hands goodness with a quick and easy project.

 ps: These cute jars were in the dollar bin at Target!

Believe in You

Health:  Since turning 28, my body is achy all over.  I've spent a lot of time standing on cement this week.  I also had boxes fall on my head twice this week...and I broke my glasses (yay Monday).  Today, I came home and limped my way to the shower.  A fifteen minute shower helped all my tight and achy muscles relax.  I'm so sore.  I managed 15 minutes of yoga before bed last night and the stretching felt SO good. 

Relationships:  Still - hoping and praying my hubby and puppies can be reunited with me soon. I also had some family up to visit this weekend.  It was great to come home from the I Still Do event and see them.  I was really excited to hook them up with Herbsmith and show them the products that we sell.  I am excited about them getting some good stuff for their Friesians.

Career:  Sometimes I question things, but I don't want to give up on myself.  I will keep trying and trying and giving it my best.  I want to help make a difference in the lives of people I know and don't know.  I can't give up on me and my dreams :)

I Still Do

Hello!
So I seriously had one of those weeks last week, where every thing seemed to go wrong. Saturday though, changed it all.  It was an amazing day.  It was my birthday and I spent it at the I Still Do event that my church, Real Hope, had on simulcast.  It was exactly what I needed.  I left feeling recharged, positive, hopeful, and more in love then ever before.  My husband wasn't able to attend with me since he's still in Puerto Rico; however, I just bought the digital pass so he can view it when he wants.  I can honestly say that the event was totally worth it.  I bought a couple books too; but, like that would be a huge shock to anyone.  It was so worth the 8 hours spent, mostly listening to speakers talk about marriage and commitment and the Biblical truths about the two.  I highly recommend any and every married couple attend one of these events.  Best thing watched in the longest time and it was just what I needed.  God spoke several truths to my heart and I'll cherish that day forever.

Thirsty Thursday Inspiration

Health:  I can honestly say that I have not been super consistent when it comes to working out or eating healthy.  I confessed that last week.  I've been taking baby steps towards a healthier lifestyle, I just need to keep pressing on in the direction that I want to go; because I'm worth it!  Tomorrow morning I'm waking up early to make some chocolate Shakeology brownies to take into work for my birthday treat.  That still gets me...it's my birthday and I have to bring a treat for you to enjoy?!?  I thought I was the treat and you are all blessed to have my company.  Lol :) I'm sure my sister that my company was a treat when I came dancing into the room this morning and woke her up.    Anyways, I do have a small victory to share.  So even though I was feeling pretty defeated last week, I ran out of pants (that fit) and hit the pants that are patiently waiting for me to fit in them again.  I had one pair of skinny jeans that never fit me, but my mother-in-law left for me.  I figured, what the heck, I'll try them on...they FIT!  Happy dance :) 

 

I tried a new recipe this morning.  I ran out of chocolate shakeology (my friend lent me two scoops so I can make the brownies...she's the best) so I have been using my vanilla.  I added some water, vanilla shakeology, a pinch or so of coconut flake, coconut milk, almond extract and banana - it's my new favorite.

Relationship:  I'm trying to learn patience, but I want everything to happen now so I can have my family beside me.

Career:  I am really enjoying learning about all of our products and different things, like quality control.  I still love my science of swab testing.  I feel so smart and sciency :)  I also feel really blessed to have Beach Body team weekly meetings.  They are so inspiring.  I'm seriously feeling like going out and kicking butt after nearly a whole week of progressively worse things happening and feeling blue. Year 28 is ready to commence :)

Paint the Town at Paint Bar

Hard at Work

I went with my sister last Friday to Paint Bar in Madison.  We got a Groupon to a "Freestyle" painting session.  The freestyle session are pick your canvas and paint whatever you want; unlike the classes where you get taught a specific painting.  Our Groupon also came with a pizza to split (we got the margarita pizza and it was delicious beyond words). 


Our yummy pizza

We ended up staying two hours working on our paintings.  I choose a sunset picture from my first trip to Puerto Rico as inspiration and my sister just free-styled a beautiful fall scene (she's an artist)!  We even made their facebook page! I had a ton of fun and was extremely surprised by how well I did.  I mean, my sister I knew was going to crush it; the last painting I did was in the 7th grade and it looked like crap.  I was honestly nervous when they put the canvas in front of me and handing me some paint and brushes. 


Finished Painting

 This is an event that I'd highly recommend to anyone.  It's just a fun, relaxing evening.  My sister and I got to work, enjoyed some tea and pizza, and walked away with gorgeous art work by us!  I really liked the free-style.  They have a wall of inspiration that has directions for how to complete each work, but it was fun picking something I wanted and painting it.  I picked one of my favorite pictures from Puerto Rico and it's magical sunsets. 

The Inspiration

My sister is probably getting very annoyed with me, because every day I look at my painting and go: "Dang, that painting is BEAUTIFUL!"  Lol.  I think the classes would be fun too and a different way to enjoy painting in a group setting.  We so often lose touch with our creative side; and too often creative people can become reclusive :) Good activity to bring the both together.



Fall Path by EW

Her painting reminds me of Europe.  I love fall and all the colors.  She did a fantastic job just painting from her mind.  I had a picture in front of me the whole time to reference.  I'm proud of us! 

I talked to the two ladies helping us.  I am thinking of doing Yoga and Event days like: yoga and painting, yoga and a mani/pedi spa day, yoga and glass blowing, yoga and hiking, yoga and rock wall climbing, etc.  They seemed really excited about it and gave me their bosses name; they said they loved the idea and they thought their boss would too!

The Lady in Gold

My sister and I watched The Woman in Gold today.  It was so good.  Helen Mirren and Ryan Reynolds were amazing.  It is the story of Maria Altmann (Mirren) deciding to try and recover some of the possessions her family had stolen when the Nazis took over Austria, her homeland.  The death of her sister uncovers a postcard of her aunt's painting by Klimt; and she decides to attempt, with Austria's new stance on restitution, to get the painting back.  Several paintings were looted from her family home, but she most greatly desired to have the painting of her Aunt Adele returned.  She asks a family friend if her son, a lawyer, would look into the case for her.  The lawyer, Randy Schoenberg, is sceptical about the case, but decides to take on the case when he realizes how much the painting is worth.  He originally goes into the case for monetary reasons, but a visit to his family's homeland, Austria, changes his mind.  They begin to pursue the restitution of her family's property, all the way up to the Supreme Court!

It's a beautiful historical piece about art, the war, and how lives were changed. I loved the flash back pieces that showed the life that Maria lived with her family back in Austria.  I highly recommend going out and watching this movie.  It's an underdog, true-story, for sure; just someone trying to take on the whole of Austria for a million dollar painting. :) It's really eye-opening to see all the things that families had stripped away from them and were then taken as prized possessions of people who hate Jewish people.  One of the Altmann family's art pieces was displayed in Hitler's home!  And some other German lady was given the very necklace that Adele is wearing in her portrait painting: The Lady in Gold. 

Get Back Into Gear!

Wow.  It has been a while again.  Last weekend, I was house sitting out in the country and there was no Internet!  Yikes.  It's ok, I'm a semi-Luddite. You could lock me in a cabin with no computer, cell phone, or Internet, and I'd be fine...as long as I had books and paper to write :) 

Health:  I have been horrible lately.  I have been giving into every craving lately :(  Every day I do so well and then BAM.  I'm down the rabbit trail and then I'm saying:  "I'll start new tomorrow."  And then tomorrow I give in too.  I think I really need to start planning more.  I also need to get into a situation that I can control food around me better.  While I was house sitting, they had dishes of Three Musketeers sitting around and you know I started popping those.  Yesterday, I did so well until I got home from work, super hungry; I looked in the fridge and there was nothing healthy to eat and then I looked over at the pizza sitting on the table - you know it, I went in and had 3 slices.  I'm such an emotional eater too.  And the thing is, I will recognize it as emotion eating and still give in!  My workouts have been about the same too.  I have been trying to get up in the morning and get yoga in before work, but 5am is so freaking early.  I've only managed to get a full hour in before work once.  That was also the first full day we spent rearranging stuff at work.  The last two weeks have been a lot of heavy lifting and moving, so by the time I get home I am exhausted and working out is like the last thing that I want to do.  So this is me being accountable.  I need a kick in the butt and get motivated again.

Relationships:  I miss my husband.  I want him here now.  I also want my dogs here.  I miss them all so much.  I miss my little family!  I just need a house to buy or a place to rent that allows three pits.

Career: I really love the products my new job puts out.  All of our formulas can work for dogs, cats, and even humans.  We human grade herbs and products in the supplements we make for animals.  I don't know about you, but I totally think that my dogs are worth it.  I may even get some microflora plus for me too!  It's better than most human probiotics on the market - it's got probiotics, prebiotics (that feed the probiotics), and digestive enzymes that help your stomach process your food, and herbs for healthy digestion.  You can buy our formulas at many retailers, even online.