Chop Chop

Yesterday, I took the plunge.  Armed with my inspiration photo from Pinterest, I sat down in my hair dressers chair and said, "It's time for a change."  After considering the photo, she turned to me to ask, "How long have you thought about this?"

"A few weeks.  I'm ready for it."

"Okay, let's do it."

Halfway through, I was evaluating the look and stopped her.  "Let's go shorter."  

An hour later, the floor was covered with my lovely locks and I had the shortest haircut I've ever had.  Part of me was sad.  No more ponytails or messy buns for me.  But another part of me felt liberated and man, did my head feel lighter!  Even more important, I'm in love with the cut.  My stylist did a great job and I couldn't be happier!

Preppy Friday

It's Friday and I simply can't bring myself to get too casual in the office.  After a really hard week, all I wanted to do was strap on my Converse shoes and a hoodie.  Instead, I opted for preppy casual and comfy.

What I'm Wearing:

Sweater and Bracelets - Brooks Brothers

I have second day, lazy hair going on today.  My only saving grace is the wave twist on the front.  I don't know where I learned this or why I started doing it, but I've found that it really works for my face shape.

Essentially, I just grab the front portion of my hair and pull it back as if I was going to pin it back.  Then, I twist in one direction, allowing the center of the twist to follow to one side.  When it is twisted to my satisfaction, I hold the end of the twist flat against the top of my head and push it a smidge forward - just to give it a little lift.  No Snooki bumps here.  Use bobby pins to secure.

  I pulled the rest of my hair into a ponytail - and ta-da!  I somewhat look put together.  Fridays are all about finishing the week out strong, right?  Ha - sure.  

Here's hoping my preppy outfit gives me the pep in my step to make it through the rest of the week!  (Just a few more hours!)

New Year's Resolutions 2014

resolution - the act determining upon an action or course of action, method, procedure, etc.

I have never made a New Year's Resolution they way most people do.  I don't make grand promises to myself about losing weight, making more money or being a better person.  Why?  Because these grand statements never come with a plan of action.  If you resolve to change something, you also have to have a plan.  Otherwise, your gym membership goes unused and those books on your Amazon.com wishlist never get purchased.  

Instead, every year I make a list of Personal Goals.  {You can find a free printable list here.} 
I find that I consistently want the same things from year to year.  I want to read more and see more movies.  I want to try new foods and see new places.   However, I would very rarely achieve these things because I didn't have a plan.  So, let's make a plan.

This year, I'm dividing my resolutions up into the categories of my blog.  This way you can keep me accountable!

Beauty
1.  Find my signature hair style.  I feel like I'm almost there.  Aaaalmost.  This year will be the year.
2.  Get more manicures.  I occasionally get pedicures with my mother-in-law and do my nails at home, but there's nothing quite like getting your nails cleaned up professionally.
3.  Try out at least 3 Pinterest Beauty Tips.  I pin all day but let them go to waste.

Books
1.  Game of Thrones series by George R. R. Martin
2.  Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
3.  Read 4 other books. 

Decor
1.  Create a chalkboard for our front living/dining room.
2.  Create pegboards for my craft room.
3.  Hang more pictures of family and friends around the house.

Fashion
1.  Buy a new work bag.  This seems really simple but I've been carrying around the same big black Target tote bag for at least 8 years.  I want to upgrade but I always find myself looking at cheap bags.  I need to make an investment.
2.  Invest in my wardrobe and accessories.  More isn't necessarily more.  I'm finally fed up that cheap clothing and accessories are ruined or worn out very quickly.  Again, it's time to invest. 
3.  Clear out my closet.  Time to ditch items that no longer fit my body or sense of style.

Fitness
1.  Use every workout DVD in my collection.  I seriously have DVDs I've never played that I have had for at least 5 years.  Pointless.
2.  Run a 5k.  You have to start somewhere, right?
3.  Continue on my path of working out 3 times a week.  Maintaining my workout schedule is the best thing I can do for myself right now.  

Food 
1.  Try eggplant.
2.  Make soup from scratch.
3.  Make duck.

Humor
1.  Find and share one humorous article, video, etc a week.  My stress level goes through the roof if I'm not giggling.  Let's make this a team effort.

Movies
1.  Finally see "Lincoln".
2.  Finally see "Gigi".
3.  Finally see "An American in Paris". 

T.V.
1.  Get caught up on "Scandal". Totally addicted - need to get up to speed.
2.  Write at least 2 blogs a month about what I'm watching.  I know you probably don't care what I'm watching, but I'm spending my time on it, so I might as well make it feel worth it.
3.  Watch the news 2 times a week.  I usually avoid the news but it makes me feel disconnected from my world and community.  

Web
1.  Blog and share fun internet finds at least once a week.  I typically do this on my personal Facebook page, but you guys aren't there, so I'll share here.
  
Wisdom
1.  Share it, live it.  This is the only one that I'm going to be vague on.  I will only post when inspiration strikes.

There you have it.  I will use the tag "2014Resolution" to keep myself accountable.  Wish me luck!

What are you putting on your list this year?

 

ManiMonday #2 - Navy and Silver

(courtesy of ElfSacks)

I love fall and winter nail colors.  They are deeper, richer and so much more dramatic than summer or spring.   This navy and silver combo is classy while bringing fun flair to your nails.  Even better?  It's easy!  No special tapes or dot pens.  Clean and simple.  Give it a try!

ManiMonday #1

I'm dedicating my first ever ManiMonday to my favorite nail polish of all time:  Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure.

Confession: I am terrible at painting my own nails.  I don't understand why I have to do so many coats, not to mention I don't have the patience to let them all dry in between.  They always end up with bubbles, smears or wrinkles... or all three.

I found the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure collection at Walgreens and instantly fell in love.  Two coats and I'm done!  It really couldn't be much easier.  Plus, there's a rainbow of colors to choose from.  My favorites are Golden Rule (above) and Back to the Fuchsia.  Now there's no excuse for me to have naked nails.

Do you have a favorite nail color brand?