expectation vs reality

So I sat at my desk in work yesterday staring at this empty white space for what seemed like a total 2 hours.  I'm sitting in my home office now doing the same thing.  I am just stumped.  I don't even have anything to talk about and usually I can ramble on about everything from A to Z.

One thing actually that I can talk about is hair.  Hair inspiration. And pinterest. And how it gives me such false hopes for hair! Dammit, I see so many cute long hair, curly hair, pins and I've been growing my hair now for a year and a half and I feel like it's been stuck in that "above my boobs" phase for the last 6 months.  It literally will not grow past it.  How is that possible? Do some people deal with this and please tell me I'm not the only one!?!

So while on the topic of "Expectation vs. Reality", why not share some funny pinterest pins that basically explain my life right now. :)

Am I right, or am I right about every single one of these pictures?!?!?!  I don't know that I'd end up getting bangs that ridiculous, but I can tell you I had them when I was younger!  I did once try to attempt Annie hathaway bangs after she starred in Devil Wears Prada....it was brutal. Just ask MC about that one.  I can't believe I went to college parties sporting bangs like that.  I grew them out throughout the semester.  One advantage to that though was I was also able to grow my eyebrows out underneath them.  That was just scary.  Anyway, I think my favorite here is the snorkel scene. I mean honestly I've gone snorkeling all but 2 times in my life and each time it looked EXACTLY as the "reality" portrays it.  I love how the stupid advertisements show shit like that in the top picture.  We are all so naive to believe such things.

What else can you add to these?

I'm the kinda girl who

So before I begin, I'd just like to get off my chest that I had the weirdest dream last night. I only have one reader (real life friend), she goes by the name MaryChris (M.C. from here on out) and she has a creepy way of texting me random thoughts that go along with my blog post for the day without actually telling me she read my post.  Is that confusing? If it is, just pretend you understand.  So anyway, I'm going to pull a MaryChris on her and blog about my dream last night since it involved her, indirectly telling her what my dream was about so I don't have to text her and tell her...again, since it was about her.

I'm talking writing a mile a minute here in case you haven't gathered that from my random, crappy run-on sentences. Moving on, my dream:  I had a dream that her friend and I went in on buying her a gift off of her baby registry (she's pregnant, one of the cutest pregnant girls I've seen!) that was more on the pricey (~$200) side.  My justification (and this is true) was that I wanted to get something nice for her and I knew she didn't have many close family relatives which left friends and non-close relatives that probably wouldn't be spending that much on her.  Well, M.C.'s sister found out (I told her), and then she went and told M.C's mom that I said that.  Then that word got spread to her husband's mother and aunt.  This is when shit hit the fan.  Her husband's mother is kind of borderline lunatic.  I won't go any further, but I don't particularly care for the lady because being a long time friend (since 7th grade) and she acts like she has no idea who I am every time I see the woman....ANYWAY!!! She found out and confronted me at the baby shower saying that I was the worst friend that M.C. has, what kind of person am I to talk bad about her family, that there are people who would spend that money on her and I was completely wrong.  Meanwhile, MC's mom and dad were their watching this whole argument the whole time and I was completely mortified.  Please let that not happen at the real shower!!   

Such a dumb dream, but I had to say it! I didn't want to tell her because that would basically be giving away what her friend & I ordered off her registry as it is still awhile away and I'm one of the only one who knows she has a live registry out there. MaryChris if you are reading this right now you BETTER NOT look at that registry or you're in deep shit!  Love you!

Now onto the point of this post today, a really cute link up hosted by Hey, Hollywood!

I'm the kinda girl who...

+has to have 16oz of coffee every morning to function

+hates my small bladder for making me pee a minimum of 4 times after having said coffee

+haves about 5 different chapsticks/lipgloss/blistex (whatever!) at one time

+cries at the ending of Cool Runnings, every time.

+reads for fun (currently reading: Still Missing by Chevy Stevens)

+runs for fun (more on that in a later post!)

+loves sappy romance movies (When Harry Met Sally & The Lucky One are two of my favorites!)

+thinks the iPhone is the greatest phone of them all

+misses her childhood

+tries to remember to be fair when fighting

+tries to avoid conflicts at all times (it finds me anyway)

+repeats the same songs over and over until I know all the words (We Didn't Start the Fire by Billy Joel and Run This Town by JayZ would be two examples of this)

+sleeps with a 101 Dalmations pillowcase from 1992

+paints my nails on a weekly basis, but it usually is gone by the end of the week

+loves my cats so much that I'm considered a #crazycatlady

+hates driving. If I could, I wouldn't have my license.

V-Day & Yoga

First and foremost, HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!  My husband did well this year....maybe it was the multiple emails suggesting small gifts, or that blog post I wrote a little while ago....or maybe just me driving him to the mall and told him "I want this!"  Either way it happened, I'm happy.  I got not one, but TWO yoga blocks (for the price of one! make sure you check your clearance section in Target!!!), and a travel / to-go size spray pen of Marc Jacobs Daisy perfume.  I wasn't sure I was ready to commit to this scent without thoroughly trying it first and at only $22.00 (actually, $13.00 out of pocket, I had a gift card left over to Macys!) it's the perfect way to try it out since it was affordable.  It's a really pretty scent, however it is strong. One (small) spritz and you are good to go for the day.

So while we are somewhat on the topic of yoga, since I take classes (during the week) where my parents live, I don't get to do this on the weekend (I'm WAY to lazy to drive 45 minutes for an hour class. Shame on me). I've scoured the internet for great at-home work outs, in case you were interested!

Beginner Basics in Flow  

I had a hard time embedding this video into the post but that link brings you directly to it

10 Days of Sun Salutations
This is great for intermediate to advanced yogis. You really need to know the poses to keep up with her! None the less, it's a great FREE at-home yoga work out

Yoga for Relaxation

Standing Poses & Sun Salutation
(this one is my favorite)

What do you think of these workouts? I find them challenging and feel so relaxed after completing them! I'll be practicing this weekend, because what do you know, another SNOW STORM IS COMING. YAY.

Let's Talk Vacation!

Or first, let's talk winter. More specifically, Winter Storm PAX. If this isn't one of the most hyped up storms since the "30 inches of snow" we were supposed to get last weekend. Right now, there have been so many conflicting reports, I don't even know what to believe anymore. Judging by the reports I'm seeing on the southern states, it seems to be quite a doozy but appears that it could change courses between now and tomorrow.  I guess we will find out!  Isn't everyone over this winter crap already?  I certainly don't mind the snow, or the cold, but when ice is involved, and left over snow-half ice-rocks of ice-mounds are left over in the streets and sidewalks, you get a very angry lady here. I'm not exactly the most well-coordinated individual!

On a brighter note, thank you to Winter Storm Pax for I might finally get the chance to WORK FROM HOME. I really don't mean to make a joke while thousands are out of power, but for once, I won't have to risk my life, with the crazy ass NJ drivers to come to work for nothing but the thin air (everyone but me until today, are allowed to work out home...another story, another day).

So, now that I've gotten my obligatory rant about the winter storm out of the way, let's talk vacations.

In 87 days, I will be only a 3 1/2 hour plane ride away from ST. LUCIA!  Even though this is 3 months away, I still have my loyal countdown favorited to my bookmarks. I do have a feeling it's going to be a long 3 months. No days off from work during this time! But would you take a look at these views?

This place certainly looks to be worthy of waiting 3 months (and getting in shape) for!! With vacation on my mind, I've started looking for the perfect cover-ups for the trip.  We will most likely be eating outside at the pool bar for lunch, so it won't be entirely necessary to dress up for most of the day! That is such a plus considering how EASY it is to pack cover-ups.

Tunic / J Valdi daisy tunic / Ondademar swimwear / Cover up swimwear / Raviya bandeau swimwear / Roxy see through swimwear

Seriously though, how cute are ALL of these cover-ups? For the most part, they are affordable. One of them is on the pricey side, but unfortunately I'm too lazy to look up which one that is :)

I found a REALLY cute white one with embellishments on the front, made by Cynthia Rowley.  I got it in Marshall's (I seriously love that store!) and paid only $19.99...it was originally $38! What a steal. I also picked up an adorable tangerine Oakley bathing suit.  Too bad I'm SO pale right now that it looks really ridiculous.  Can't wait to get my tan on and a drink on my hand and my toes in the sand!

What kind of look do you go for when just lounging around the pool/beach during the day?

Barley - - a Superfood?

I just have to share one of the best recipes (see: food blogger in the making!) I've made in a while (I haven't been much of a gourmet lately due to the lack of food shopping, I live in NJ and every other day it seems like we have a snowstorm. anyway...)

So first I'd like to mention that while I love where I live, it isn't conducive to traveling to/from my workplace everyday. This is where the part where my limited food supply comes in.  I stay at my parents who are about 20 minutes from work (on a good day) but in NJ there are rarely "good" travel days, especially on the lovely Garden State Parkway. It sounds like a nice little highway, doesn't it? Too bad once you hit central Jersey, it changes over to very industrial looking. The southern half of the state is much lovelier :) (off topic, wow you'll get used to that!) So where was I....the limited food supply.  My parents and I definitely have different eating preferences.  My mom has done her fair share of cooking and now that they are older, they just eat whatever the hell they want, whether it be Taylor Ham, breakfast for dinner, pizza, fried chicken...not the best diet for a girl who's metabolism is slowly degenerating as she gets older. And I really have been trying to avoid crap foods, if we are going to label the type foods that they eat.

I had left work early the other day due to being in the office alone (it was really creepy) and the snow storm. When I got home to their house, I was searching through the cabinets to see what I could pull together.  I found Goya Barley and decided to browse pinterest for some recipes...I ultimately ended up going with the recipe on the back of the bag! So before I delve into that, let me list why barely is actually a really great food for you:

For More Information: GO HERE

Now onto the recipe (that is on the back of the Goya bag!!) SO EASY.

Barley Mushroom Pilaf   

Makes 4 servings

Per serving: 242 calories, 7g protein, 7g fat, 40g carbohydrate, 4mg cholesterol, 11g fiber, 790mg sodium

Ingredients                     

1/2 cup sliced fresh button mushrooms
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup pearl barley
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth (i used 2 cups Swanson's NO MSG 33% less sodium broth, 1 cup water)
2 tablespoons chopped green onion (i used onion - worked fine! limited items!)
1/4 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary (it was okay without it, again, didn't have!)
2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Directions

Heat olive oil in saucepan; add mushrooms and sauté until limp. Add barley, broth, green onion and rosemary. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 45 minutes or until barley is tender and liquid is absorbed. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over pilaf and serve. 

This was a hearty four servings.  Low in calories, if you do the original recipe, for some people, the sodium is high.  If you use sodium free broth obviously that will bring that down! My one suggestion (based on what I went through), is to maybe try using a non-stick pot? I used a regular old pot and found the barely started to stick to the bottom after being on the stove for 20-30 minutes. Maybe the non-stick coating will help with that, but I'm no professional. 

It came out really well. Of course I loaded up the Parmesan cheese. It adds such great flavor.  I can't wait to make this again in my own home, I think the green onions will be really good, plus they make everything look better!  I had this around 4pm, napped after shoveling, and woke up and went to the gym for 3 HOURS. Oh my lanta! I did 3 miles on the treadmill, actually running the middle 2 miles (so proud!!), swam (best cardio for me), and Gentle Yoga.  I felt like this really was the best food for me prior to the gym.

Have you ever had barley? What are some of your favorite recipes?

"Inclement Weather" - not stopping me from working out!

My gym decided to close at noon today due to Winter Storm Maximus.  It would be an understatement if I told you I was just "bummed" out.  I'm extremely upset!  I was so excited that Vinyasa Yoga was on the schedule for tonight from 7 - 830pm. Hello, an hour and a half yoga session? YES!
But anyway, since I can't go to the gym, let me bring the gym to me? No, that doesn't make sense but I'm sure you gather where I'm headed here.

Some of my favorite workouts don't involve going to the gym. While I would prefer to go to the gym, and utilize the pool, or classes that are available with my membership, sometimes it just isn't happening and that's when I turn to my trusty Pinterest board "Health and Fitness". Here are my top 5 at home work outs that don't require many items!

Here are the links to each exercise:

1. Tone It Up "Malibooty" Workout
2. Yoga Surya Namascar, Sun Salutation
3. Tone Zone
4. Dumbbell Crunchless Abs
5. Squat Circuit Challenge

What do you think, pretty easy right?

What are you doing for Valentine's Day?

So if we all don't know this already, Valentine's Day this year falls on a FRIDAY. At this very moment, I am thanking the good Lord that I am no longer a waitress (I waitressed/bussed/hosted from the time I was 15 through the end of college, in a Trattoria and my hometown Bar/Pub Restaurant).  I mean, the poor waitresses/waiters will be busting their asses to make sure everything is perfect for couples who dine out on this night. Maybe they'll be lucky enough to witness a proposal (gag, on Val's day, really?)... anyway, it got me thinking, it's a Friday night. What will I be doing?

Earlier in the week a co-worker gave me a coupon from one of those Value Packs you get in the mail for Omaha Steaks.  It was such a great deal, all kinds of food for the price of $39.99. (P.S. this is not a paid review, I just love their stuff!) Anyway, it included 2 Filet Mignons, 2 Top Sirloin Steaks, 2 Strip Steaks, 4 loaded baked potatoes, 2 Stuffed Filet of Sole with Crabmeat and Scallops, and additionally 6 Burgers!!! I mean, for forty dollars, how could we pass this offer up? Of course this coupon was good only in stores or ordering via phone.  I'm a sucker when it comes to phoning into these people so I graciously asked my husband to stop in town after work.  He got everything and we just had the Filet of Sole last night.  We aren't huge fish eaters but are willing to try anything, especially when I'm home and can throw it in the garbage (or run to the bathroom!! ha) if I don't like it.  It. was. AMAZING. The directions say to place in a baking dish with 2oz. water, however I was looking online and some people suggested white wine.  I haven't compared but I used the white wine and really enjoyed the flavor. The potatoes were great too, they had bits of bacon which I don't care for but I ate around them.  If you ever get coupons in the mail for this place, try it out! I highly recommend this company.

So anyway, knowing I have 2 filet mignons waiting for me in the freezer, I think I'm going to make those for dinner, with some biscuits (he loves the pillsbury grands) and some other stuff to go on the side. A nice night in with a great dinner.  That sounds like my kind of night.  I'm really not one for crowds too much!

So while we are on the topic of Valentine's Day, I mean this post is after all about the day, I've put together a wish list.  Yeah, I don't exactly agree with buying gifts for this day specifically because you should really buy your spouse/boyfriend/girlfriend/friend/yourself!!! whenever you feel like it. But alas, it's fun to make a collage and so that's just what I'm doing :)

C9 by Champion sports bra / C9 by Champion bra / Clinique makeup / Bags case / Intense (The More Intense Edition) [Bonus Track Version] / Pitch Perfect (Blu-ray) (W) (Widescreen) / Gaiam Purple Yoga Block / C9 by Champion® Women's Seamless Bra With Re... : Target

1. Colorful sports bras.  I chose these ones from Target, but usually I buy them from Marshalls. Better brands, better quality and great prices. The Champion ones listed however are pretty decent as well (when you can catch them on sale!)
2. Clinique Blush Stick. So it's 1.00 over 20, but this stuff is great!! I like the "Shy" color and it's very easy to apply! I find that it sits nicely on top of my face makeup (Covergirl TruBlend).
3. A beauty bag that is clear, and plastic!  Preferably filled with to-go size shampoo, conditioner and body wash :)  I need this for the gym!
4. Armin van Buuren - The More Intense version cd. I am a big fan of his music..so many great beats.
5. Pitch Perfect on Blu Ray.  I JUST saw this about a month ago and I LOVED IT. I'm such a music freak that this would be the perfect addition to my dvd collection. I know it would get great use.
6. Yoga Block.  I don't like sharing community mats or blocks.  You don't know what kind of people use them at the gym or what germs they carry. Some of the moves require the block until you perfect them without!

So - what are you doing for Valentine's Day and what's on your wish list?