"Need this for your streaks?"

Apparently other people can read my mind...or they also agree that my hair is in need of some "help."

I was in Target (ohhh I'm there like 3 days a week...I should buy stock in Target) yesterday waiting in line.  The woman in front of me had just paid and was receiving her receipt and one of those printed coupons.  She turns to me and says, "Do you want this coupon to use for your streaks?"

After being momentarily startled and not sure how to respond, I figured out her coupon was for a Nice 'N Easy highlighting kit.  Wow, wasn't I just talking about highlighting your own hair?  Anyway, I recovered and said, "ummm I don't do my own, thanks."

Not sure if I should have been offended that she thinks my carefully placed highlights (some natural and some not) are "streaks"...I told Mark about it and he called me a snob.  The woman was just trying to be nice I guess.  Just odd timing and quite coincidental. 

Maybe Men Actually Listen?

Or maybe men have selective hearing...yes that is it! 

Every once in a while I get a little "help" in making my blonde hair blonder - aka yes, I do get a *few* highlights.  I don't get them often, but when half my head is looking darker (so I think) I turn to the professionals.  Because let's face it, doing your own highlights is never the same and we don't need to repeat what I did in college and post-college.

Anyway, when you get highlights, not only does it make your hair look better (duh) but it also adds volume...yes, it's true!  I haven't had highlights since late February; so it's been about 16 or so weeks.  That's way too long according to some hair experts.  I have been holding out because when I wear my hair down and part it, it looks okay because of some natural highlights...it's when I pull it back and you see the other side that it's scary.  Oh I have also been waiting because I'm unemployed right now!  Not a time to really be spending money on such luxuries.  Since I start work next week I have contemplated getting highlights before I start.  When I mentioned this to Mark, he said, "why not do it later in July right before the wedding we have to go to?  The highlights always look best a week after you get them done right?  So get them a week before the wedding." 

Say what?!?!  Mark actually remembers that I said that before our own wedding!?!?  My hair stylist told me back then to get my highlights a few days before our wedding so that they pop during the photos and I don't have roots.  I'm shocked and impressed.  Really, would a guy know this otherwise...okay maybe, but would he vocalize it?  hmmm

In closing, if you're curious about what happened to my hair in college and post-college, here it is...

I tried to highlight my hair myself Freshman year.  No wait, I think I bought something that would make my hair a shade lighter - who knows what it was.  Something went wrong...did I leave the chemicals on too long or too short?  Who knows, but my hair was yellowish orange.  I borrowed a friends car and drove to Walmart to get hair dye (big mistake).  My hair was then a yellowish white.  Think of the Playboy bunnies.  It was horrible.  I think a few weeks later I was able to fix it yet again by putting in some lowlights or dying my hair an ash blonde. 

Post-college I tried again.  It was at Mark's house in Arlington in the pink bathroom.  Tried to highlight it...same problem with it being yellowish orange (parts of it, not my whole head thank goodness).  We ran out to Target to get something else.  Went back to his house.  That didn't work.  I think I repeated this again twice for a total of four visits to Target - an all-time high still.  I can't remember if my hair ever looked normal after this.  After this mistake I decided to suck it up since I had probably paid as much in hair dye and highlighter as I would have to have it professionally done. 

Hotel for Dogs - Free Friday Night Movie in Town

We live in town which equates to paying more taxes than those that don't (obviously).  It's an interesting concept and I guess what we get out of it is Christmas tree removal and street cleaning.  We still have to pay for water, sewage, and garbage.

The best thing about living in town is being able to walk to just about anything - the library, church, grocery stores, bars, a running trail, etc... 

I just recently disovered that the Town has free Friday night movies every other Friday in the summer.  Last night Mark and I walked the short distance to this small amphitheater (next to a church, a park, and the police station).  The movie was supposed to start at dusk...which put us around 8:45/9 PM!  Keep in mind this free Friday night movie thing is aimed towards kids - how are they staying up this late?!?  Anyway, we got there around 8:15 and the place was pretty crowded already...meaning we had to set up our chairs in the back.  Best part of the night - the funnel cake we bought.  It was perfect.  The funnel cake vendor must make so much money since just about every family bought one cake.

Moving right along, Hotel for Dogs was a really cute movie about these two foster kids trying to rescue and take care of dogs...on the sly.  Their foster parents are mean wannabe rock starts.  They find an abandoned hotel, make new friends, and devise ways to take care of the adorable canines.  Of course they get in trouble, but you'll have to watch to see what happens!

Source: Amazon.com

Pilates DVD Review #2 - Denise Austin's Pilates for Every Body

I just did an entry about one of the segments from this DVD.  Unfortunately that was the best segment.


My standard disclaimer: I have been doing Pilates off and on for about 10  years...mostly through an old Denise Austin VHS (yes, the actual video tape) but more recently through mat classes.  So I guess my level is intermediate at best.  I have been doing Yoga for about a year and I'm beginner-intermediate.

The next pilates DVD (from the library of course) I tried was Denise Austin's Pilates for Every Body.

Let's face it, this DVD is old...and you can tell.  Hello 2002 graphics. 


She does some weird dance movements to warm up.  Next she goes to mat work which is okay...not the best I have seen with Pilates.  She uses a band at times which is not always needed and not everyone has one.  Next is the standing leg series (see previous blog entry) - awesome!  Then more work with the band targeting the arms.  She ends with stretching.  

Some of Denise's favorite sayings that I have learned over the years:

• "Let me see that smiling face."
• "Reach up, up up up up!"
• "This is my FAVORITE stretch!"
• "Zip it up."
• "Your spine is your lifeline."
• "Girdle of strength."
• "It's your powerhouse."
  

I give this DVD a 6/10.  Sorry Denise, I love you, but I'm going to have to say to skip this DVD except for the previously mentioned leg and butt workout.

Mondays = Great Reality TV

I actually look forward to Mondays now.  Hmm that's probably because I am not working.  Anyway, Mondays are great because there is some "wonderful," ahem, entertaining, reality tv on!  Between The Bachelorette and RHONJ there is lots of drama and intrigue. 

For The Bachelorette, who will go this week?  Will Rated R finally be exposed for his false reasons for being there?  What will Kirk reveal about his past?  Will we see the one guy who never talks talk?  I think his name is also Chris?  Is Frank going to still think Ali is his girlfriend?  His eyes creep me out.  My favorite is Chris L. from Cape Cod. 

Now to RHONJ...I know we'll see more Danielle antics.  Looks like Kim G. is stirring the pot some more.  I really hope she does not become a "housewife."  She's pathetic and ever since seeing her try to "climb" the pole, my eyes have been burning.

Pilates/Ballet...Denise Austin Style!

Ouch, this short segment will work your quads, hams, and butt.  Unfortunately, it's probably the only good segment of the DVD.  

The segment is from Denise Austin's Pilates for Every Body.

The details:

• Go to Chapter 6, "Integrated Pilates Workout"
• Follow the chair segment.
• Without the DVD, here are the instructions:
• Start in pilates stance with toes slightly out.  
• Use the chair for balance as you kick one leg in front to hip level (double pulse) then back (one pulse).  Do 10 reps (front and back).  During last back kick, hold. 
• Return feet to pilates stance with heels together and toes slightly out.  Do heel beats/kicks for approximately 30 seconds.  The foot closest to the chair stays firm.  With your other foot, hit that heel against the stationary heel.  
• With outside leg, go to the ballet position of passe.  This means your toe is pointed and comes up to your knee, forming a triangle.  Kick outside leg forward to hip level, then back (slightly tilt torso), then return leg to passe.  Do 10 reps.  
• With outside leg, go to the ballet position of passe.  Kick outside leg back (slightly tilt torso), then forward, and swing it through passe.  Do 10 reps. 
• Hold passe for a few seconds.  
• Stretch leg you are standing on (the stationary leg) by picking it up and doing a standing hip opener (heel rests on knee of other leg as you sit slightly).  
• Zip it up again according to Denise!
• Next she does leg circles, or the ballet movement of rond de jambe.  Do 10 reps.
• Lastly, kicks!  Lift your leg out to the side as far as you can go up and then down.  Do 10 reps.  Make sure to point your toe.   
• Repeat all of the above on the other side. 

The Task/To-Do List...Life of a SAHW

Oh dear, my task/to-do list is getting out of control!  I have been off of work since June 1st and I don't start my new job until July 6th, so you would think that I would have accomplished a great amount of tasks. 

Being a SAHW (stay-at-home-wife) is hard!  It's all too easy to fall in to the routine of watching tv/movies during the day!  Though I am quite proud to say I have been working out just about every morning as part of my routine.  But...then I'm so tired from running a lot in the heat that I just crash.  Then it's not until noon that I think, "oh, I really need to do something."  Then 4:00 rolls around and I panic again since I should be cooking some dinner.  I have no excuses not to cook since I have free time and am not bringing in a paycheck.  Though I do DETEST cooking.  It's a means to an end for me and often I don't even know what I want to eat, so how am I supposed to cook for myself and someone else?!?  Now baking, baking I LOVE! 

Anyway, back to the post, my list is crazy.  I tend to do too many things at once and get immersed in the details.  Reference when I clean our loft (which is really just a 4th floor that houses our desks)...I try to throw out magazines and get distracted by going through all of them - bad bad bad!  I am making progress.  But how to balance all of the cleaning and organizing that I want to do with the dreaded painting I need to do?  That's the hard part because you can't just paint and then pause to clean...when you paint, you have to paint continuously until you finish all of the walls.  It's exhausting!  Mark has directed me to focus on painting the dining room and that's it - no cleaning or organizing.  It's like a horrible punishment.  Painting really does burn me out because I am so s...l...o...w!  I'm a perfectionist and it gets the best of me

My overall list looks like this:

- Paint dining room!  One more coat to go.  Then paint baseboards, fireplace, and crown molding. 
- Clean dining room and all furniture in there.  Decorate as needed (ummm not much in there!).  On the wish-list goes some floating shelves and artwork.
- Rollover 401k to IRA.
- Figure out eye benefits because I am overdue for my eye exam.
- Organize photos - all photos - online and print.
- Store photos on DVDs/flashdrive.
- Finish wedding photos in albums - meaning I need to finish putting all of my prints (not really prints since they are regular photos) from our wedding in these Martha Stewart albums.  I'm 75% done!  Oh, we've been married 3 years.
- Make parent albums - I need to order parent wedding album's from MyPublisher.  This is also so overdue.  The Kodak albums I made weren't that great :(
- Clean/organize loft - this entails a lot of work!
- Call Wachovia/WFC to reduce credit limit.
- Tires for both cars - not until I'm working again.
- Where is AMEX account closure?
- Clean up internet bookmarks.
- Order lamp shades from RH - not until I'm working again.
- Return VS swimsuit - oh this goes back to last September - eeekk!
- Best Buy Rewards - need to make sure orders reconcile with rewards - yes, very random.
- Cut Christmas cards for photo coasters.
- Delete BlackBerry photos.

This is only part of my list...some of the items need to be expanded upon.  My main goals are to paint many rooms, organize the ENTIRE house, and clean everything.  I love organizing and at times it's overwhelming but nothing calms me down like organizing papers, clothes, etc...  Needless to say, I have not felt like our house has been organized since we moved here 3 years ago - yikes.  So here I go with making some progress in the next two weeks before I start my new gig!  I'll update my progress and show before and after photos of the dining room.  I love the olive green color I picked!

Crabbing with the Siblings...Quite an Adventure!

Last Friday I went crabbing on the Chesapeake Bay with my older brother (Eric) and younger sister (Liz).  The shocking part - not that I was bonding with my siblings on a Friday afternoon - but rather that I was crabbing.  For some reason, people can't see me as the outdoorsy, get dirty type.  Hello people, I used to play sports!  Nothing like dirty, stinky shinguards.  I also love hiking, but avoid getting dirty when I do so (yes that is possible aside from the sweat which is fine).  Okay, confession, you will never catch me camping.  Sorry, been there, done that as a kid, don't need to do it again.  I can hike during the day, but I want to sleep inside, thank you very much.

The three of us set out around noon for our adventure.  It took about an hour to get there - we had to go south since the crabs don't migrate up to where we are (making it an easier adventure) until later in the crabbing season.  The area we went crabbing in, Kent Narrows, which is in Kent Island, is gorgeous.  It is immediately after you cross the Bay Bridge.  There were so many bars and restaurants on the water...I was very tempted to grab a drink and relax, especially since crabbing wears you down.

We got there, launched Eric's boat, and threw out the buoys and traps (you tie chicken necks in them).  Then it becomes a process.  You can only have 25 traps (these wire squares with an open top...they lay flat when they are on the bottom of the Bay).  Liz and I took turns during each "run".  During the run, the driver of the boat slows down, you reach over the side of the boat, grab the buoy, grab the rope that is attached to the trap, and throw the buoy...all while quickly pulling up the trap.  If there is a crab in the trap, you have to bring the trap on the boat, and shake the crab in to a plastic basket.  All the while trying not to fall off the boat or get bitten by a crab.  Then you throw the trap and buoy back in the water and move to the next one.

Eric and Liz riddled me with constant criticism throughout my time pulling up the traps...e.g. "throw the buoy, throw it, why are you doing it that way?"  Oh dear!  My method worked and I should get a Rookie of the Year award. Eric and Liz are pros considering they go almost every weekend in the summer.  My husband, Mark, will go with them too if the trip doesn't call for a 3 am wake up call to get a spot on the water. 

At one point I pulled up a trap and said, "oh this one is heavy, that's good!!!"  Ummm not so much.  I pulled up the trap only to discover a horseshoe crab taking up the entire trap.  Ewww and scary!  I threw the trap at my sister who was much calmer.  Then Liz and Eric laughed hysterically at me for a few minutes.  Oh and before then, a few yards after we launched the boat, we saw a stingray jump out of the water.  Between the horseshoe crab and stingray, I don't think I will ever go swimming in the Bay again.

Crabbing is a tough workout - it works your shoulders, back, and arms especially.  Then add in your legs for stabilization (to prevent you from going overboard).  Ouch!  Oh and the bruises...the bruises...from your legs and knees hitting the side of the boat.  We ended up with a bushel in a half in a few hours which is pretty decent considering it was just the three of us.  No pictures since a camera is not too safe on the boat when you're crabbing. 

Three Year Wedding Anniversary!

Wednesday, June 9th was our three year wedding anniversary!  Ah yes, the old adage that time really flies when you're having fun is accurate in most aspects!

Three years ago we had beautiful weather on our special day, thanks in part to the 90+ year old gentleman that I worked with.  He was known for channeling his dead cat, Spencer, to ensure good weather for brides-to-be.  I kid you not.  I made sure to talk to Mr. K. before my wedding and he said, "oh that's right, I'll get on the phone with Spencer right now!"  I'm not sure what was stranger 1. the fact that Spencer was dead or 2. that he was going to call his dead cat.  Either way, he's a lovely person and he and Spencer made sure we had perfect weather.

We had our ceremony at the Basilica in Baltimore.  When we first started planning our wedding (we got engaged in October 2006) the Basilica was just re-opening after being closed for a long time for significant reservations.  We were VERY lucky to get a date there. 

Tucker Can't Swim!

This past weekend we made a quick trip to Rocks State Park.  The purpose was to check out a "waterfall" and let Tucker play in the water.  Too bad the waterfall area was occupied by a lot of people...and not everyone welcomes a big, fluffy, harmless dog, so we kept our distance.

Instead we threw Tucker's beloved frisbee for him in some shallow water.  When the time came to try to get him to swim in deeper water, he wasn't having it.  Like.at.all.  He timidly put one paw in the deep water and then retreated to his mother (me).  Poor boy is going to have to learn how to doggy paddle from his cousins Kayla (my sister's golden) and Colby (my parents' black lab).  Considering Tucker needs to lose a few lbs, he will also need to buy Colby's flotation vest.  Kayla and Colby are intense water dogs especially when we take them swimming in OCM in the bay. 

A tired pup!

Weeds or Flowers?

I love to garden.  Rather, I love to enjoy the results from gardening...who doesn't?  Beautiful and fragrant flowers...wonderful!

The only thing is, we don't have much room to work with for our garden.  Our HOA is super strict and we are only *allowed* to plant in our gated courtyard.  So you could say I have gone overboard and it looks like we have some kind of tropical oasis in our tiny courtyard.  Yes, one fall Mark and I planted about 300 bulbs.  Too bad the chipmunks found them and only a few flowers bloomed in the spring.  That was three+ years ago and since then I have planted more bulbs, flowers, and plants.  Perennials, annuals...I'll take either (though I prefer perennials obviously since it's the gift that keeps on giving!). 

That takes me to my predicament: what plants are flowers...are they actually weeds?  Aside from digging them up to look for a bulb I don't know.  Leaving the little identifier that comes with the already growing plants doesn't help since the lawn people go crazy with the mulch and well we had a few blizzards this year!

First case study...weed or flower?  I think it's a flower of some type...guess we'll wait to see!

Second case study...weed or flower?

 Third case study...weed or flower?  I'm 90% sure this will bloom...I think it's a peonia?!?! 

But in closing, here are some flowers!

Carnations!  Sorry, it looks a little bright...photos taken with my BlackBerry.

My lovely hydrangeas!  These are my favorite.  Three years ago I bought a branch of a hydrangea and planted it...nothing happened that spring/summer.  Next year, nothing.  Now this year, it has just flourished and is blooming up a storm!  They are turning pink.  

These flowers expanded by 10 fold from last year!

I have many lilies that are getting ready to bloom!  They are going to be gorgeous!

Pilates DVD Review #1 - The Mari Winsor Pilates for Pink Core Challenge

In the next few posts you'll notice a pattern: that I'm trying to get back in to doing Pilates and Yoga.  My old work building was directly across the street from this amazing gym and I would take Pilates and Yoga, respectively, once a week (included in membership yay!).  That's not possible now, so I checked out about 10 DVDs from my library.

My disclaimer: I have been doing Pilates off and on for about 10  years...mostly through an old Denise Austin VHS (yes, the actual video tape) but more recently through mat classes.  So I guess my level is intermediate at best.  I have been doing Yoga for about a year and I'm beginner-intermediate.

The first DVD I tried was The Mari Winsor Pilates for Pink Core Challenge. 

It is divided up in to four "10 minute express routines" that target your arms, shoulders, abs, posture, hips, thighs, and butt.  Lest we not forget there is no such thing as spot toning...but you can target areas to strengthen the muscles.

In all honesty, this DVD sucked.  I'm not a fan of dividing up sections of Pilates...I believe in full body Pilates while going through transitions.  Yes, it's fine to focus on your butt, but give me more than that.  That all said, the only good segment of this DVD was the segment that targets your hips, thighs, and butt.  Even then, not the best I have seen.  The DVD as a whole does not show the right techniques in many instances re: how to even do Pilates.  I give this DVD a 3/10.