MAC Matters

Well, hello again - sorry to be such a slow blogger recently.  Between my husband's birthday and Thanksgiving almost back-to-back, I was doing a lot of different things and running around to be ready.  The birthday celebration was a success, and we had a lovely Thanksgiving, so it was all worth it.

Anyway, I was cruising around some of the beauty blogs I read, and came across this post.  I will admit to being a makeup fan, and had on occasion wondered if I should sign up for so-called "Beauty Boxes," through Birchbox, etc.  The only thing is, as much as I love makeup and skincare products, there are a lot of things I don't ever use, and some brands that just don't seem worth the money to me.  So why spend a certain amount every month and maybe get lots of stuff that I don't want?

I like most of the MAC cosmetics that I've tried.  I don't have luck with the foundation usually, but I do love their eye makeup and lipsticks that I've bought in the past.  They are pretty decently priced, and they are a cruelty-free company, which is a big thing to me, as well as being environmentally aware.  And, I admittedly probably waste $21.00 a month on random stuff which I likely also forget about soon after.  So I decided to join Pammy and some others in the MAC Matters project, where you build your own core cosmetic collection, spending only $21.00 a month.  I am always intrigued to see if I can follow these kinds of challenges, be it cosmetic, books, or exercise.

My first MAC purchase in this challenge was the Penultimate Eye Liner.  I am currently experimenting with eyeliners, and the person who cuts my hair was wearing this the last time I saw her.  She looked amazing, and said she loved this particular product.  So I decided to give it a try.  I haven't fooled with it a whole lot yet, just a couple of times, when I've managed a very fine line.  Which I like, and am happy to start with, since it's better than suddenly having two black eyes!  The cost was $18.50, so even with tax, it was well within the price limit.

I think I'll enjoy this - no subscription, no pressure, and if I happen to miss a month, or decide to quit, there's no long process involved.

I'll keep you posted.  :-)

Well, I Didn't Mean to Be Away This Long!

Time has gotten away from me since we have been back from Ireland.  For the most part, in a good way, so I'm not complaining, but I meant to post sooner than this!

So, a week from today is Thanksgiving, one of my favorite holidays.  I like it because it's a cozy holiday, when staying home and relaxing is not frowned upon.  I know for some it's stressful, if they are cooking for a large group and everything has to be perfect, but fortunately, that's never been the case for me.

Growing up, my dad was the holiday cook.  He made enough for 28 people even though there were usually only the 5 of us.  But he loved to cook, and I used to love to help him - which I realize now consisted of probably 1 helpful thing, along with constant chatter and being in the way.   To his credit, I didn't realize it then ...

Anyway, now there is just us and the pets at Thanksgiving, and much to people's surprise, that's just fine.  We make everything except the turkey, since we are vegetarians.  But since stuffing is my favorite part of the meal, I never feel like I'm missing out on anything.

I'm pretty happy this year, since I've done so well with my exercise and diet.  I like to be able to enjoy the holidays, not dread going to the gym once they are over, like so many other people seem to do.

Speaking of the gym, I do plan to get there this weekend, but I haven't made it back since we returned from our trip - aaagghh!  Though I have been doing a LOT of extra walking so I don't feel like I've lost motivation.

I do want to remember, though, to keep moving forward actively throughout the holiday season, and not let myself think I'm too busy with other things.  The new habit I've developed is one I want to stick around.

That's really it for now.  I just wanted to check in and say I'm still here, still moving, and looking forward to everything holiday.  :-)

Well, That Was Longer Than Intended ...

as far as when I would post again!  A couple of times during our trip, I thought about posting, but to be perfectly honest, we were so busy and having so much fun, I really didn't communicate with anyone much at all.

Our trip was fabulous - good food, good drink, nice people, beautiful places, good weather.  The longest, most annoying part was actually when we returned.  Our flight arrived at JFK 45 minutes early.  We waited ten minutes until they could find a slot for the plane.  Not bad.  But apparently a lot of other international flights arrived about the same time, because it took 1 1/2 hours to go through Customs!  Then, the mini tram that takes you to and from Long-Term Parking to the terminal was put out of service by Hurricane Sandy, so it took another hour or so to get to our car.  I think the fact that we were actually just heading home made it bearable!

I must tell you - I drank a lot of tea with cream, a lot of beer, and ate a lot of brown bread and scones with butter while I was there.  It was delicious, and I was on vacation, so I didn't feel one bit worried or in any way guilty.

Now that we are home, I am more than ready to get back to my healthier routine.  Fortunately, even though we failed to actually go to the gym in any of our hotels, we did tons of walking around, so it wasn't a lazy or sedentary trip by any means.  I even lost more weight, which I have to say amused me greatly.

I did, however, come home with a cold.  My husband had one when we left, but after a couple of days seemed to feel better.   Then a couple of days later, I woke up, and there it was, glomming on to me.  I have tried to actively head it off, and though I don't feel a lot better, I don't feel worse at all.  I'm taking that as a good sign.

So anyway, onward and upward to see how I do between now and the end of the year.  I don't think my optimism is unrealistic.

Short-Term Goal Deadline Arrival!

When I first got started on this blog, I posted about my short-term goal here. Well, later today, the reason for my short-term goal will be a reality - I will be getting on a plane to go to Ireland until November 2!  And the best part is (well, actually, the best part is that I'm getting to go in the first place), is that I have accomplished my goal of being fitter and healthier by now.  In six weeks since I started, I've covered  a total of 43.41 miles more than my "normal" everyday activity, by walking, bicycling, and staying focused.  I did get myself into the gym  at least twice a week, and also during that time, I've lost 4.9 pounds, a change which I can actually feel and see in my clothes and my energy level.

And I've done all of this without doing anything crazy or desperate.  I'm actually kinda bummed because I haven't been able to make it to the gym this week so far.  However, the places we are staying all have gyms, and needless to say, we'll be doing A LOT of walking, so I have confidence I'll be able to keep things going well while I'm away.  (My gym clothes and sneakers were the first things I packed.)

I'll try to post while I'm away, but if I don't get the chance, I'll certainly post when I return.  Bye until the next time!

Hair Today

I will now admit that I am obsessed with my hair.  I don't have great hair, but I have always been obsessed with it.  Which is one thing if I had long, lustrous locks.  But I have fine, s-t-r-a-i-g-h-t hair.  Always have.  When I was a little girl, my mother - whose hair was so thick she used to get it cut because when it started got grow after a couple of weeks went by since a haircut, it was so heavy that it hurt her neck, used to give me home permanents, after which I would look like a fuzzy poodle for about a week, until my hair returned to its usual state.  I never had long hair until I was old enough to take care of my own hair, and it didn't take me long to accept the fact that my hair would never be what I longed for it to be.

So, my hair and I started to get along better.  But if you don't have short hair, you cannot possibly know how hard it is to get a nice short haircut.  Most stylists don't really know how to cut and style short hair, and some won't because they are afraid it looks "too mannish."  I have had two stylists that I thought were great during my entire adult life.  One moved to Florida.   The other quit working when she had her second kid.

Anyhoo, for my entire life up to about age 30, I was a natural blonde.  I would often get highlights over the summer, because I liked the way they looked.  But when I would find people to cut my hair short, it was a waste of $$ to get highlights, since my hair grows quickly.

Then, my light blonde hair started getting darker and ashy.  Then I started getting gray hair.  Pretty, shiny gray hair.  Which made the not-gray hair look extremely dull and dirty.  Now, I've gotta say, if my hair was mostly gray or all gray, that would be fine with me.  But the in-between dirty-looking hair is driving me crazy.

So, I found a stylist that I went to about 4 weeks ago, and she cut my hair in a reasonable, if not perfect fashion.   But she seems very willing to experiment, and when I mentioned that I wouldn't mind coloring my hair, but didn't want weird roots when it grew out, she had me talk to a colorist there.  The colorist suggested a really pretty shade of light auburn, and said that the roots would probably not even really show up.  I figure it's worth a try, you know?

But here's what really amuses me.  The colorist said to me, "It won't be the same red hair you had growing up" etc.  I mentioned that I had blonde hair growing up, and she said, "But you have the coloring of a redhead!"  I was repeating this story to a co-worker, and she said, "Do you mean your natural hair color isn't red?"

So, besides all of the other issues I've had with my hair over the years, now it has an identity crisis!  I have an appointment for another hair cut and color in a couple of weeks, so we'll see what happens ... 

Fall, Arthritis, Exercise

It finally feels like fall here in the Philadelphia area!  I've been enjoying the cooler, more pleasant weather.  This is such a great time of year - besides the weather, it's a time when so many things are coming up - our trip, our anniversary, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmastime - and I love them all!

This week, my osteoarthritis on my right hand has really been acting up.  I've been wearing the brace I have, but it's not really helping that much.  Of course, it probably hasn't helped that I've been going to the gym and also knitting quite a bit.  Usually, exercise helps, but I think that I just haven't been careful enough with other activities, so OUCH!  I'm going to try to baby it a little bit extra this week - since the last time, the doctor told me that if it didn't let up, only surgery would help.  And I'm not anxious to have surgery anytime soon.

I've been able to keep my gym time going, and even got in some extra walking this week.   Having said that, I've apparently also gained 1.6 pounds.  Sigh.  Though I like to think that maybe at least some of it is muscle weight, since my eating has been much better this past week.  Time will tell.

So there have been some small bumps in the road this week, but I still feel like I'm on the right track, and doing well.  Since I'm the only one I have to please, it puts things in a much more reasonable perspective.

That's it until next time.

Diet and Dermatology

Besides my efforts to move more, and go to the gym on a regular basis, I realize that my diet plays as big a part in health and fitness as exercise does.  For the most part, I do pretty well.  Probably my biggest vice is 1-2 glasses of wine on any given evening or possibly a bit more on weekends.  And every once in a while, my will power goes AWOL and I get carried away on sweets.  I try really hard to not beat myself up over it, but at the same time I get really annoyed with myself.

I have noticed though, that my sweet binges are fewer and far between than they used to be.  One thing that has helped me is my weekly weigh-ins, and my "record keeping" such as it is, but also there have been a couple of times when I would decide to have something, and then it was underwhelming.  As in, not as yummy as I was expecting.  It's made me a lot more conscious of what I want to have when I decide to have a treat.  So I am pleased that I am no longer just eating junk for the sake of it.  And I've also found that if I want a snack during the work day, that a serving of Whole Foods or Barbara's Vanilla Animal Crackers, or a Mojo Bar, do the trick quite nicely.  And they're not quite as bad as other things.

Another benefit I've noticed from my attempts to be healthier is that my skin is doing pretty well.  I have extreme photosensitivity, sensitive skin, and rosacea, so on any given day, one or all can be living it up (so to speak).  But I've noticed that lately my skin looks and feels better, and I think that my activity level, diet, and the efforts I've made to take care of my skin better (i.e., my Clarisonic, for one) have made a noticeable difference there.  (Well, noticeable to me!)

This coming Monday morning, I have my six-month check-up with my dermatologist, and I'm really curious to see what she'll have to say.  I think she'll be pleased, and if for some reason she isn't, she's the type that will just come right out and say what I should/should not be doing, which I think is great.

Today was one of my cheating eating days, to be honest.  But then I came home, went to the gym and did my workout, and fixed myself a small but healthy dinner.  In a little while Dug the dog and I will go for a walk, and probably when we get back I'll have a cup of tea before going to bed.  So even though my day started out pretty poorly, I think by the end I'll feel like I turned it around!