Saturday, February 28, 2015

Spring Cleaning Week 1: Clothes, Clothes, Clothes...


Happy Saturday friends! I am updating you from the car dealership where I'm waiting for my car to get an oil change. I hoped to use this time and bang out a bunch of blog posts...but it's proving to be more difficult then I initially planned. The internet is moving at snails pace! 

I promised you last week that I would be working on spring cleaning posts for you, so here we go with episode one!

This week I focused on clothing. In years past I have done different things to weed through my clothing. One year (you might remember) I put post-it tabs on every single hanger and only took them off once I had worn that piece of clothing. At the end of the year I got rid of every item that still had a flag on the hanger- it was a great way to get rid of a ton of clothing that I wasn't wearing- but it took a year for that process to play out. This time I wanted immediate results.

I went through and tried on every single item in my dresser and closet, one by one. I only kept items that fit and I enjoyed wearing. There's no reason to keep clothes that I don't want to wear! The drawer that I donated the most from? My shorts. I thought this was strange but since it's been cold for so long here in Rhode Island I suppose I know what fits me in my pants drawer- but my shorts drawer was filled with stained clothing and shorts that were a little too tight for my liking.


I also got rid of quite a few accessories. I sorted through my scarves and shoes and managed to gather a pile of items to get rid of. (You'll see I also have a few Christmas tins in the picture that I threw into this load of give-aways) I found a few tank tops that have become too short after years of being washed and some long sleeved shirts that I don't enjoying wearing because of the material.

In addition to the clothes I decided to give away- I have finally decided to give up my prom dresses. I have worn both as Halloween costumes but I know that it is time these get donated. Perhaps someone else will be able to make memories in them- but it's time to let them go!


Here's an example of how I operated. You can see above that I took all my shorts and laid them out on my bed.


The ones I liked were folded neatly back in my drawer and the ones to be donated were piled. So many shorts! I told you- I found seven pairs to donate which is a big number for me in one category.

Now I challenge you to go through your closet and dresser and find items to donate- Get on that spring cleaning!!

Monday, February 23, 2015

50 Shades Workout and 50 Shades Book Vs Movie

So. Last week I went to see 50 Shades of Grey...


Rachel and I had both read the 50 Shades of Grey series and wanted to see the movie. As an avid reader I love to see how movies are brought to the big screen- what changes are made and how close they come. Well, I was intrigued by 50 Shades in theatres- so we went.

I have to say it was an extremely awkward movie to watch in theatre. I would say that if you are at all uncomfortable watching any sort of intimate scene in the movie theatre- don't see this movie. About half of the movie was scenes that were intimate in some sort of way which gets sort of awkward when the person sitting next to you (that you don't know) makes comments consistently throughout the movie. (Thanks to the girl and her boyfriend who sat right next to me- despite the empty seats all over the theatre...)

However, the movie and book are very close. They didn't change a lot and Christian Grey was exactly as I pictured him in the book. They did a great job of casting him (and Ana as well) but some of the other characters (mainly Christian's family) were not how I pictured them...

So over the weekend I decided to up my workout plan to complete 50 of each exercise so I thought I would tie that into todays post!

50 Shades of Sweaty Workout
30 mins cardio to warm up (I did elliptical)
50 seatbelts (25 each arm)
50 abdominal twists
50 back lunges with medicine ball (twisting each time)
50 rows
50 pectoral flys
50 seated leg presses
50 leg lifts
50 bicep curls 
50 lateral raises
50 step ups onto bench (each leg)
50 relives (toe rises)
50 crunches 



Have you seen or read 50 Shades of Grey? What did you do for a workout this weekend?


Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Spring Cleaning 2015 Series!

Hello loves!

Here in Rhode Island the snow keeps piling up and I am dreaming about summer. So I thought I would compromise with the weather and focus instead on spring.

Being who I am, Spring instantly reminds me of Spring Cleaning. I know some of you probably cringe when you hear those two words together but I personally find it to be a rejuvenating experience. I'm here to help you relax when it comes to Spring Cleaning this year and we are going to work together to clean up and clean out every section of your home.

Going step by step will allow you to not be overwhelmed and get everything done well. There's no use in half-ass cleaning- it won't get you anywhere. If you're going to clean then clean it right!

So from now through spring we will be working together to get everything clean and organized!

What areas do you want to focus on this year during Spring Cleaning? What are areas you would like to see a post on?

Monday, February 16, 2015

The Girl On The Train

My mom recommend The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins to me several times before I actually read it. She told me that it reminded her of Gone Girl and she thought I would love it.


The Girl On The Train is told from the perspective of Rachel. Rachel rides the train every day into London and we quickly learn that she is an alcoholic, recently divorced and is in every way an unreliable narrator. Soon into the novel we learn that she watches a particular couple every day during her train ride and makes up a story about them. Then one day, she finds that the information she has about the couple is pertinent to a crime that has been committed. 

As readers we have to figure out who is telling the truth and if we can trust Rachel in anything that she says. In that sense, The Girl On The Train is very similar to Gone Girl- we never know as readers who we can trust!

I would 100% recommend this novel to anyone looking for something great to read. I have also heard that this is going to be turned into a movie so get reading it before the movie comes out!

What books have you read recently?

Saturday, February 14, 2015

February Birchbox

This month my Birchbox arrived in a brightly colored box! This perked me up a little bit since I'm praying for spring during this crazy winter weather we've been having in Rhode Island. Let's just say I'm getting a little sick of the dull white snow...we need some color in our lives!




The first product is a very generous size eye makeup remover by Marcelle. This eye makeup remover looks similar to the one I am currently using from Sephora but I'm happy to have another makeup remover because you can never have too much!


Since my hair is naturally wavy, this sea salt texturizing spray from Parlor may come in handy. Sometimes it's just easiest to wear my hair natural so this spray may give me the opportunity to do just that without looking like a lion =)


I'm never thrilled to get perfume samples in my Birchbox because as you may have heard- I have too much perfume! However Harvey Prince is a nice brand so I will give this perfume a shot and hopefully it won't interfere with my other perfume options.


Laura Geller's GlamLash Mascara is said to be volumizing. I love getting mascara samples so this will be something I use right away.


TheBalm releases some awesome products and now that I'm more open to lip products (I've given up Burts Bees guys!) I am excited to wear this Read My Lips lip gloss. The color I received is pretty in the container- hopefully it looks okay on me!


I thought you would like to see where I put my products while I'm trying them out. They sit right in front of my perfume tray (my very full perfume tray actually). I keep them right out in the open where I will remember to use them!

What new products are you trying this month?

Monday, February 9, 2015

Weekend Workouts

This weekend I tried out some new-to-me classes. The reason I chose to join the gym that I did was because of the wide array of classes they offer so I'm determined to try out as many as possible.
(I should also mention that on Friday night I took Zumba class- something I've done many times- and of course I loved it!)

On Saturday morning I woke up really early to attend Step and Sculpt. My friend Kaitlin recommended this class to me and I'm so glad she did. When I entered the class I followed another gym-goer inside and watched them put together their step so I would know what I was doing. We also were required to have weights during class which was a nice bonus.

I loved the choreography aspect of the class- following the steps that the instructor provided us. I also am extremely competitive when it comes to classes like this and get very frustrated when I mess something up. From what I understand we did a basic step class and just incorporated weights into the routine. Overall this was an amazing class and I will definitely go back again!

I went back to the gym on Saturday afternoon and met up with Laura to do an arm workout.

20 mins elliptical
20 Seatbelts each arm
60 Seated rows
60 Crunches
60 Ab Twists each side
60 Pectoral Flys
40 Overhead Presses
40 Bicep Curls
30 Lateral Raises

I have been enjoying incorporating weights into my workout routine and can feel myself getting stronger every day!

On Sunday morning I woke up with some extreme soreness in my legs (probably due to Step class) but I pulled myself out of bed and off to the gym to meet Laura for Cardio Sculpt.

I wasn't sure what to expect at all during Cardio Sculpt but I walked into class 15 minutes early, the class was already packed! I quickly set up spots for both Laura and I because I was worried there wouldn't be any spots left (and I was right- the class was full!)

The class consisted of three circuits. Each circuit started with a resistance band, then heavy weights, a weighted pole, light weights, and cardio using an exercise ball. Each circuit changed up the exercises but we used the same equipment each round. It was an intense class but there were a lot of modifications that could be made to each exercise. The instructor gave us ideas of what we could do if the exercise was too hard or too easy. I grabbed extremely light weights since I wasn't sure what to expect but next time I will definitely try the next weights up.

Overall, this weekend was amazing for workouts and I can't wait to do these classes again! =)

What did you do to workout this weekend?

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

January Birchbox Review

This months Birchbox really killed it! I loved trying out every last product in this box and found some winners!




I love this Katherine Everyday Cosmetics Eyeliner. I received a dark brown eyeliner in my box and have loved using this with my everyday makeup. This eyeliner goes on flawlessly and lasts all day. I would definitely consider purchasing other eyeliners (and even other products from Katherine Everyday Cosmetics) in the future.


Oh my goodness. I was not excited about this product, at all. This Key West Aloe Gentle Aloe Facial Cleanser is AMAZING. I love the scent (it almost spends like a margarita) and it feels absolutely amazing on my skin. I will be using this as my daily cleanser until it's gone and would definitely repurchase this in the future.


At first I thought that this Sweet Science Invisible Daily Tint would be far too dark for my skin however it was almost an exact match to my skin. I would prefer some other foundations to this one but I will use this until it's gone because it's very light but has great coverage!


This REN Glycol Lactic Radiance Renewal Mask is something that I enjoyed using- it was quite refreshing on my skin. However, I don't use a face mask in my regular beauty routine- only on a rare occasion, therefore I don't need to purchase a full size. I will continue to use this up though because it's pretty nice!


This Tocca hand cream was very disappointing. I vaguely remember liking a Tocca hand cream in the past, but maybe I was wrong because this hand cream was extremely oily. I was so excited to try it...but was left wanting a less oily, more moisturizing cream! This is (once again) something I would not run out and purchase in a full size. There are plenty of other lotions I prefer over this one!

What beauty products have you tried out recently?

Monday, February 2, 2015

Weekend Workout!

Happy Monday everybody!

Today I'm trying something new and I'm going to share my workouts from this past weekend with you.  I have really been sticking to my fitness routine and making sure I get to the gym as often as I can. This weekend I had two really great workouts...on Saturday I ended up at the gym for over two hours and Sunday I was there just about an hour. I have really been enjoying my workout time and also have enjoyed being able to eat what I want and still feeling good about myself. I also feel like I get a ton of frustration out when I workout and it's easier for me to wrap my mind around sitting at work all day when I'm able to get some workouts in during the week.

Overall, I've been trying to get to the gym about 4-5 times a week. So far it's been a month and I've managed to keep to that goal! Hopefully I can keep it up- how are you doing on your fitness resolutions?

Anyways, here is what I did this weekend....



The top workout was inspired by one Julie at Pbfingers.com posted, but I did add other things to it and changed it a bit! The bottom workout was just my gym ADD as I jumped from machine to machine.

What were your workouts like this weekend?