Monday, February 28, 2011

Project: Do Me! {Update}


UPDATE: 2/28/2011

As we head into March - and into a new week - it's time for a Project Do Me! update.





Daily:

Screw the book. Let's work on getting enough SLEEP! 8 hours a day
Finish all paperwork for next semester 
Keep working on incorporating Coconut Oil into my daily diet (did not accomplish that one last week)

Weekly:

How bout that mundane paperwork? Didn't keep caught up last week - now I have to finish it all this week
Vacuum Mondays and Fridays
Continue to work on house organization

Monthly:

Bestie weekend set for 4/2 - that'll do
Re-organize closet
Donate clothes that have not been worn in the past 6 months

This Year: 

Find a "home" for everything in the house


So how are your projects coming along?

Music Monday!


In an attempt to avoid the stress of the NHL trade deadline today I'm going to focus on something different this morning while I await the trade announcements. Something that makes me happy (besides hockey of course): music. Today shall be Music Monday!

Inspired by Lady Estrogen - I'd like to share with you the Soundtrack To My Life.  

We all have our favorite albums - those albums we could listen to over and over and over.... and over again. The albums that evoke strong memories of good times - or bad. Perhaps both. I'll start with my top 5 albums for today. I'll do another installment and give ya the full top 10. Then, in yet another installment (or two) - because we all have songs we love but we don't necessarily love the entire album... I'll give you my top10 Songs of My Life.

But I digress...

Without further ado - here's the top 5 albums of my life (not really in any particular order):

1) Poison "Open Up And Say Ahhhhh..."
This was the first album - of my personal choice - that I was permitted to purchase. Everything I listened to up until then was either handed down to me by my sister or were cassettes (and yes, even REAL VINYL RECORDS) that my parents gave me or had in their collections. My mother was rather distraught over this purchase and claims that she never would've let me purchase it if she'd known what the lyrics were. I think she even almost made me take it back - but I prevailed in the end. And I listened to my little Poison cassette tape until it finally got eaten by my boombox. That's right... I said boombox!


And for the record Ma - It wasn't that one album - or any of the ones that came after it - that are the reason for my "corruption". I was just born this way...

2) Jewel "Pieces of You"
If you don't love this album then you either a) have never heard it or b) are LAME. I knew every single solitary word to every single solitary song. From about age 16-18 it was all you heard in my car. Ahhhh... my first car... the little red Honda Civic Hatchback! My best friend and I spent many hours in there singing along with Jewel. Good times...


3) Alanis Morrissette "Jagged Little Pill"
'Nuff said.

4)Tim McGraw "A Place In The Sun"
From start to finish... not a bad song in the bunch! This was my soundtrack around my 21st birthday - back when I used to hike a lot. This was the album I listened to. Every day. 

5)Dixie Chicks "Fly"
I grew up in the south - so of course 2 of these are country albums! And this here song is just too freakin' HYSTERICAL not to be an instant classic...


Stay tuned for the second installment - but in the mean time... What albums or songs do you feel define you or bring back fond memories?

Friday, February 25, 2011

So Whatcha Think???

About my new 'do!?!

It was supposed to look like this.

And this is what I ended up with!


I love!

Fab Friends Friday!


Happy Friday to my fabulous followers and friends! My followers list has grown quite a bit over the last 2 weeks - so on this here Fab Friends Friday I'd like to say a big 'ol Southern (in the desert) WELCOME to all my new fab friends! I hope you enjoy what I have to say and please feel free to jump in the conversation. I'm always happy to hear your thoughts! Now... without further ado - I'd like to introduce you to a few of my new fab friends!

trendy girl designs button

Meet Jennifer over at Trendy Girl Designs - she's the talented artist responsible for my new blog template - which I LOVE! If your site is in need of an inexpensive face-life I highly recommend checking out her site. Lots of great options to choose from - whether you need a custom made design, a pre-made template or if you'r looking for freebies - she's got those too! She's even got you covered for business card design, logo design, etsy banners Twitter backgrounds and more! Go check her out - even if you're not looking to update your site, she's a pretty cool mama regardless! 

Goodnight moon brought me my favorite blog hop this week - on a day when I needed to find a way to express what I was feeling but couldn't quite find the words - because there weren't words that could express it. I needed music. Thank you Goodnight moon! Look for my music feature here every Thursday, I think it's a fabulous idea and I love sharing and finding new music!




Last but certainly far from least - Meet Tanya at A Taste of T. Her Thought Bubble Thursday blog hop post had me spewing water out my nose laughing. Literally.



Thursday, February 24, 2011

Better Late Than Never: Awkward & Awesome Thursday!



Awwwwkwaaaaard....

-When you are attempting to walk past someone in an area with limited space & you both keep going in the same direction in an attempt to go around one another... This happened to me yesterday in Walgreens. So I say "haha you wanna dance?" and he doesn't find it in the least bit funny. Yep. Awkward.

-We had to throw a belligerent client out at work today. Why? We've been dealing with his verbally abusive behavior for weeks now - trying to give him the benefit of the doubt. He's now cussed out every member of the staff and each time he would immediately call back and say "I'm so sorry - I was out of line." Then he'd do it again the next time he came in or called to tell us how incompetent we all were. If this had happened once - perhaps we could get past it. Nope. He kept doing it. You can't verbally smack someone in the face repeatedly and then just try to say "I'm sorry" and take it back every time. How do you NOT get that this type of behavior is NOT ok??? The gall of some people is just astounding to me sometimes. It's hard and can be quite awkward to work with people who have NO concept of how to behave like a normal human being.

Awesome!

-This tweet from @jsportsnet on Twitter: "In ownership news indications that Glendale Bond deal should close imminently, which is primary hurdle... Hulsizer should close in 7-10 days". Why is that awesome? Go read more here.

-I made plans this week with my bestie to go out of town for a mini-vacay to see my niece for her birthday. Can't WAIT! <3

-Tarte LipSurgence Natural Lip Luster. mmmmhmmmmm. I'm in love.

{Photo Cred}
-The new donut shop that opened up less than a mile from my house. They have the best apple fritters EVER! (this may have to be removed from the awesome list soon - because I am already addicted to them. But for now? Awesome...)


-Last but not least - I'm going to go get my hair chopped off like this tomorrow. 
I. Can't. WAIT!

{photo credit}
Happy Thursday folks - and to get a head start: HAPPY FRIDAY!!!
I hope you all enjoy your weekend.

For Suz....


I was directed to this blog hop today as I was reading this entry over at From Blahnik to Birkenstock. It was actually just what I needed this morning as I learned upon waking up of the passing of a dear friend's mother. 

I never had the chance to meet your mother Suz - but I'm grieving for you still the same. This post is for you. You and I communicate and bond over music the best - so here's the song I'm feeling for you today... 
Love you!


MusicPlaylist

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Project: Reupholster!


For those of you who don't know (and since I started posting AFTER the fact, most of you probably don't know) I have recently purchased my first home. YAY! It has been *so* much fun decorating it and making it home. It's a work in progress and I'm about to start working on my next project! I'll post pics of my past projects for those of you who aren't on facebook :) in the coming weeks...

My bathroom has a vanity instead of a second sink - which is great for putting on make-up, doing my hair, etc. But it needed a bench. I've been on the lookout for one now since I moved in this past November. No luck. I randomly went into HomeGoods not thinking that I'd find anything.... but I round the corner of a random isle and VIOLA! There she is!


Perfect size, great color, squishy comfy seat, uh-oh.... its broken! I approached anyway. Picked up the price tag. TWENTY BUCKS?!?! As I examined it - the nails had come loose on the one leg and the upholstery was ripped. That was it. Everything else was in perfect condition. Well... I hadn't exactly bargained for a project... I've never upholstered a thing in my life... but... I'll take it!


The nails were easily and sturdily put back into place with a few simple hammer hits. The upholstery will be a different story. Stay tuned as I venture into into my first attempt at reupholstering. I'm either going to go with a brown zebra fabric... or perhaps a Marilyn Monroe vinyl - as suggested by one of my genius besties! So what do ya'll think? What have I gotten myself into?!?!




Tweet Tweet!





Don't forget to add your link below!

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Tasty Tuesday!

Adventures in Cooking With Coconuts!




I've been reading a lot lately about the benefits of coconuts and specifically coconut oil both topically for the skin and internally for the body. As you might have read here - I especially like using it as a body lotion/oil. Up until now, I haven't done much in the way of cooking with the oil. I've experimented here and there. But as part of Project: Do Me! I've committed myself to ensuring that I consume the recommended amount of coconut oil per day - approximately 3 tablespoons. 



First of all - let's talk a bit about what the benefits of coconut oil are. Coconut oil was once prevalent in the United States however - a negative campaign against saturated fats in general, and the tropical oils in particular, led most manufacturers to abandon the use of coconut oil in favor of polyunsaturated oils that come from the main cash crops in the US, particularly soy, and contain trans fatty acids. These polyunsaturated oils were not a big part of the diet of previous generations, so how has the health of Americans changed now that polyunsaturated oils are - for the most part all - the main oils consumed by Americans today? Hmmmm...


Research shows that the medium chain fatty acids found in coconut oil boosts the body’s metabolism, raises body temperatures, and helps provide greater energy which can lead to weight loss. When I began my coconut oil research I tried several different brands to see which had the best flavor, the best smell and soaked into my skin the best. The best I've found so far has been Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil.




They have a lot of great information on their website - and I love, love, LOVE the fact that they employ local people and make the oil by hand - as opposed to the majority of what you will find in stores. Those oils are expeller pressed and I've found them to have a much less pleasing flavor, consistency and smell than the Tropical Traditions coconut oil. 


So... without further ado - my first Cooking With Coconut Oil experiment was lemon pepper asparagus. Here's the ingredients:


Lemon Pepper Aspargus
1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil
fresh lemon 
(I used concentrate - wasn't too great)
dash of sea salt
dash of pepper
fresh trimmed asparagus


Directions
Melt coconut oil in a pan over medium heat. Add asparagus and other ingredients once oil is completely melted. Sauté until slightly tender - or done to your liking.

These actually turned  out quite nicely. Hot out of the pan there was no coconut taste whatsoever. However, as they started to cool the coconut flavor did set in a bit - which was less favorable. Coconut Asparagus isn't so much a good thing. I think that next time I will try real lemon or lime juice and see if that helps the flavor out a bit. Tweaked a bit this could be a staple in my house.

Have you cooked with coconut oil? What's your favorite recipe to use coconut oil in?

xoxo Heather 

Monday, February 21, 2011

Project: Do Me!



Alright folks - I've decided to take on my biggest obstacle - myself! With some help from you, dear readers. To learn more about Project: Do Me! Click on over to Travel Babbles and read her post about it. I'll add my own linky tools at the bottom of this post so that you can link up and we can keep track of each other.

I'm committing to this on both of my blogs so you can all help keep me in line! The premise is simple: spend a week figuring out small and attainable goals that will aid in your happiness. These goals should be measurable, specific - and they should be proactive. So here we go...



Daily:
1. Read at least one chapter in my book
2. Pay better attention to my skin care regime 
(for me that means remembering to wash and moisturize my face both morning and night)
3. Remember to incorporate 3 tablespoons of coconut oil into my daily diet

This week:
1. Post at least 5 blog entries
2. Complete financial aid and other paperwork for next semester
3. Don't get behind on the mundane daily paperwork at work

This month:
1. Re-organize my closet and either put away or get rid of the clothes lying around my room in baskets 
(part of my 40 by 40
2. Find the perfect painting to go over the TV in the living room
3. Spend an entire weekend with my bestie

This year: 
1. Find a "place" for everything in my house. 
(I just bought and moved into my first house - it's still not entirely organized yet.)

Alright - get your lists ready and don't forget to link up!


Sunday, February 20, 2011

40 by 40

Inspired by travel_babbles and her 30 by 30 campaign - I'm going to create my own 40 by 40 list. I've got approximately 8 1/2 years to work on them - so better get started! This list may be tweaked a bit as we go... but here it is, in no particular order...

The List:

1. Stop smoking (again) - this time for good
2. Get Lasik eye surgery
3. Determine an appropriate healthy eating regime and stick to it (more on this later...)
4. Become a mother
5. Earn my Bachelor's Degree
6. Invest in a good camera
7. Exercise daily (heh... not totally committed to that one yet)
8. Visit at least one foreign country
9. Rip out the gross carpet in my house and put down bamboo floors
10. Get new bedroom furniture
11. Keep a journal
12. Visit every city and arena in the NHL, take many pictures & blog about it (may extend to the 50 before 50 list)
13. Paint my home office
14. Take a belly dancing class
15. Decide what I want to be when I grow up - but remember this: " A career is wonderful, but you can't curl up with it on a cold night." - Marilyn Monroe
16. Spend more time outdoors
17. Read my "bucket list" of books
18. Find/Organize all my old photos
19. Learn to use the grill
20. Find a way to actually start enjoying cooking
21. Stop leaving my clean laundry in baskets around the house (this will include remodeling my closet and getting new bedroom furniture so that I have room for said clothes)
22. Remember my god-children's birthdays
23. Improve my organization skills
24. Go to Karaoke more often
25. Go to Hawaii
26. See Jimmy Buffet live in concert
27. Get over my fear of Algebra
28. Conquer my fear of committment
29. Learn how to make a really, REALLY good cup of coffee
30. Re-do my kitchen
31. Buy my Coyotes red washer and dryer
32. Get rid of my junk
33. Get back into horseback riding
34. Develop the perfect coconut oil lotion recipe
35. Write a children's book
36. Go back home for an extended visit
37. Start a savings account for my "Spend a year on the road with the Coyotes" plan
38. Discover the best dry scalp remedy
39. Start working on my Master's degree
40. Develop my 50 by 50 list


I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.
-Marilyn Monroe

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Stylin' & Profilin'

Annoying... Opinionated... Sassy... Spoiled... Determined... Hot-headed... 

Those are all words I would've used to describe my blogging endeavors. But the lovely Mrs. K. sees my blogging differently. What a surprise! Thank you Mrs. K. for nominating me for a Stylish Blogger award - it's truly an honor from someone as Stylish as yourself! 


The rules of this little blogging game say that now I have to share 7 things about myself that you don't know.... hmmmmm...

Here goes!
  1. I hate - nay, hate isn't even a strong enough word - I loathe cilantro. But this is not your normal "I hate that food" type of thing. If you ever hear me referring to the "Devil Weed" - I'm talking about cilantro. If I could burn up every bit of that vile weed on the planet I would, simply to eliminate the chance of it ever getting in my food by some off chance. They say you either love it or hate it and that some people get this horrible flavor from it. I am one of said people. I can't stomach the stuff. If you even put a tiny twinge of it in something I am eating I can detect it and will get sick. It's horrible, raunchy disgusting stuff.
  2. I am always late. ALWAYS. I have become notorious for it.
  3. Prior to my first Phoenix Coyotes hockey game - I wasn't a sports fan. I still follow no other sports teams - period. I hate baseball - I can tolerate football but only when forced. I don't even watch the Super Bowl. I say "Go Dawgs" because I was born and raised in the great state of Georgia and were they to find out that I do NOT cheer for the Georgia Bulldogs they may renounce my birth certificate and I was dead to them - at least in my family ;)
  4. I have far too many purses.
  5. I also have too many dogs.
  6. My hockey friends are the best people on earth.
  7. I have no wisdom teeth - as in they just aren't there. (explains a lot, doesn't it? ;) I'll never have to worry about having them pulled - I never had any to begin with.    
Alrighty! So now you know some strange things about me... It's time for me to nominate a few of my favorites for the Stylish Blogger award!

Hand me the envelope please.... Scenic Glory, Fishnets & Hip Checks, Boobies, Babies & A Blog,  hipchecks and MaMa Z


<3 HM


Friday, February 18, 2011

T.G.I.F. People!!!



Photobucket


Happy Hopping! ;)

Update: 9:00am 
You know what else today is?!?!?!?!?!

BWS tips button

That's right! It's Fawk You Friday over at Boobies, Babies, & A Blog which I thought it would be fun (and therapeutic actually) to participate in today. I just recently started following her blog and find it greatly amusing - I definitely recommend checking it out. It's a good time....

So here's my Fawk You for Fawk You Friday:

I work for a private company in the field of drug addiction - but we get some of our funding from the state for those who are on welfare and can't afford to pay for their own treatment. So their treatment - (ie my services) - are paid for in full by the state. 

I had a client come into my office just a few moments ago upset with me because of a treatment decision that had been made due to his inability to follow program guidelines. Guidelines of which he agreed to when signing his paperwork and entering into treatment. Do you know what he had the audacity to say to me? "You can't do this! I pay your salary, you HAVE to do what I say!" 

HA HA!

Ahem.... Excuse me Mr. Jobless (but able to work & just don't want to) Welfare Recipient...? I think you've got that twisted. I'm the one who sits in this chair earning a salary and paying my taxes. I pay for YOUR treatment - therefore I pay my own salary - if you want to get all technical about it. 

So FAWK YOU Mr. Abuse The System Man. Fawk You AND that expensive and nicer than mine car you just drove here in. You just said the wrongggggg thing buddy. You thought it was bad before? You just made it sooooo much worse.... 

:)
xoxo HM

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Thirsty Thursdays!



Oh Thursday... how do I love thee??? Not only do we have a Twitter link up today (I <3 Twitter!) - but it's  FTLOB's Thirsty Thursday!!!
YAY!
Today I'm sharing with you one of my personal favorites. This is the S'mores Martini I found the recipe over at The Martini Diva Blog. It's FABULOUS as an after dinner treat!

No campfire needed!


xoxo Heather

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Nice To TWEET You Thursday!



The rules are simple: Just Follow Back anyone who takes the time to Follow You! 
Happy TWEETING!
Please leave me a comment letting me know you followed me through the blog hop so I can follow you back! 



P.S.....

You can now Follow my blog with bloglovin

cheers!

xox - Heather

Awkward & Awesome

 (Almost. but I'm getting a head start)


The Awkward:
  • I was so congested the other day that a snot bubble came out of my nose while I was talking to a client. ACK!
  • The aforementioned client later hit on me. Major WTF moment there. You find snot bubbles attractive? K... maybe I'll fart, burp, scratch my ass and stick q-tips up my nose next. 

The Awesome:
  • My income taxes have finally been completed and accepted by the IRS. Yusssssssssss. Now we play the waiting and obsessively checking my account for their direct deposit game.
  • I bought a large box of pink writing pens for work. Now I can hold my signature color in my hand all day long. Its my perfect accessory.

Cleaning Out My Closet

Photobucket

It's Wednesday and therefore - it's I'm Cleaning Out My Closet Day over at FTLOB

I have a few things I need to throw out...

This blog is still new but I want to share with you something that I have been needing to get out for quite some time. For as long as I can remember, I have struggled with depression and anxiety. I recall my first panic attack - it was in the 8th grade. In band class when I had to recite the scales on my saxophone in front of the entire 8th grade band. I had been first chair saxophonist the entire year but I lost it that day. It wasn't that I didn't know the scales. I'm not sure what it was - but I ran out of the room crying. I freaked. 

My next major panic attack came in high school gym class - 9th grade. I'm not sure what we were doing - or supposed to be doing. It's all a bit of a blur now. But whatever it was we were doing, we hadn't even started it yet. I was sitting in the bleachers listening to the gym teacher explain the activity to us and my chest began to tighten. I couldn't breathe, I thought I was having a heart attack. I went home from school and slept for the remainder of the day. I'm sure many factors contributed to this. I was fatter than all my peers, I've hated to exercise since day 1, I'm sure she was going to have us do something one at a time in front of the entire class and I HATE being the center of attention. I avoid it like the plague. It invites criticism. I already know my faults. I don't need to hear everyone else tell me what they are. 

There were days - especially after traumatic events such as the gym & band class incident - that I simply wouldn't get up and go to school. I ended up quitting high school after the 10th grade when the panic attacks in Algebra class started getting out of hand. I didn't feel like I fit in. I didn't feel like anyone related to me. I was overweight - but I don't really think that had much to do with my decision. I had plenty of friends. No one was ever cruel to me. At least not my face. I loved my friends. But I had no interest in hanging out with them. I lost the will to care. What do you do when you no longer have the ability to care anymore? 

After this my mother sent me to my doctor - who put me on anti-depressants. We were hard core Mormons you see - and Mormons must live up to ridiculous expectations forced upon them by the religion. If you don't, well then you aren't a good Mormon. You've "gone astray". You become their "outreach attempts" because they want to "bring you back into the fold". And being labeled a bad Mormon might quite possibly be the worst thing EVER for a devout Mormon woman. No one would want to marry you. As teenagers we used to giggle about those poor 25 year old women who couldn't find a man to marry them. Bless their poor souls...  But Mormonism is a completely different subject I'll share with you another day. For now, suffice it to say that I'm out of Mormonism and working on fixing the damage they did to my head.

Back to the happy pills... They worked for a short period of time. During that time I worked at a local farm back home in Georgia. I was a grunt basically and shoveling shit was the last straw. What am I shoveling shit for? So I quit that job and went to work at a Veterinarian's office. This was my first lesson in the "real world" as I was fired a few months in for telling some lady that the doctor didn't know what was wrong with her cat yet. Well.... he didn't! So then I found myself 16 years old, fired and heartbroken.

As a child and teenager I'd spent a lot of time riding and showing horses. I loved it - though I was flaky about it and would drift between being a hardcore work til the sun goes down horse person, to not wanting to do it at all. As my life has progressed I've noticed that I do this with other things as well. I am hardcore into a hobby for a while - so much so that it consumes my entire life. Then I want nothing to do with it anymore. I thought that I wanted to be a horse trainer so I moved to South Florida and got a great job with a ritzy Arabian horse farm. Dream come true right? I'd do anything to be there & I was.

But with a verbally abusive slave driver of a boss - who constantly told me I was never going to succeed in the business - the panic attacks quickly started returning in full force. I worked from 6 am to sometimes 11pm. I came home at night and fell asleep on the couch with my boots on - literally - on several occasions. I love training Arabian horses. I was passionate about it. But I left South Florida at 18 because I couldn't see spending the remainder of my days working my ass off from dawn until dusk and then crashing on the couch with my boots on because I literally didn't have the energy to walk any further. Then I'd wake up the next morning and have to do it all over again, still sore from the day before. My feet were constantly hurting and no amount of gel inserts made any kind of difference. 

I still deeply love riding, training and showing Arabian horses. I just won't do it. The epic-ness of that past failure still weighs heavily on my mind. I made a conscious decision to quit. It was a decision that I struggled with for a while before I made it. I wanted to have a family (the Mormon mentality still telling me that I was inadequate if I did not have one), that life would never allow me to have a family. Here I am at 31 years old and I still have no family. So.... yah. That's one aspect of the Mormon religion that I haven't been able to shake. Do I REALLY want to get married and have children, or is it because I was told that was what I wanted from day one? I'd love to be somebody's mommy. I don't know if it will ever happen. When it comes to romantic relationships my failures are of even more epic proportions. I have no interest at this point in making myself vulnerable to another person. Perhaps that why I wanted to start this blog - I need to give that up. 

So from there I started my foray into college life. I started at Tech School back in Georgia - then I decided I must need to move to Utah to find a husband. Heaven forbid, I was 19 years old and I still hadn't even had a "real date". So out to Utah I go... enrolled for a semester at a community college not far from where my sister was attending BYU. Lived in the Mormon bubble for a while. But I was still miserable. I still wanted to sleep all day. I still had to fake my way through everything. I went back home to Georgia. I enrolled in community college there. I was always a good student. Always made straight A's. But I still haven't finished my Bachelor's degree. I'm working on it. That was when I quit church completely. I don't regret that decision. I quit school again and worked as a nanny for several years. Then I went back to school. I enrolled at the local University, Albany State University. I majored in Psychology. Not so much to help people, I'm not so proud to admit... But to figure out what the FUCK is wrong with me. I still don't know... My experience there was... interesting. My mindset is so completely different from everyone else's - I just don't understand how other people do and say the things they do and say... That's hard for me to explain... 

Then I moved to Arizona. I have to say that things have improved since I came here - in some areas. Opportunities mostly...( that I fail to make the best out of anyway) I didn't intend to stay here but what the hell... The only thing back there were my friends. Not that I don't miss them - I do.

I was still trying to get this person out who stays so hidden. Something is holding her in. Something is stopping her. I know who I want to be - but its almost as if I have a debilitating disease that is keeping me from achieving the goals I want to achieve in life. The past two years have been the peak of my anxiety issues. I'm not really depressed... but if I had to choose between sitting at home alone and going out with my best friends - people whom I adore... I'd rather stay at home in bed. I could sleep all day long. I avoid people at all costs. I'm on depression and anxiety meds. But I still want no contact with the outside world. When I am with other people I don't feel normal. I feel like I'm being a fake. I'm sick all the time. Sick to my stomach, migraines, excessive fatigue, cough, muscle aches, heel spurs, you name it. If I spend a day shopping I won't have the energy to do anything the next day. I've been doing some research into Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and I must say... if I don't have that, then my name is Sally. And my name ain't Sally...

Sunday, February 13, 2011

I'm feeling a little better now...

Sunday, Sunday....

Look for this picture on my Bitchin' posts. Consider yourselves warned!

I have a love/hate relationship with Sundays.

On one hand - its a day in which I typically have much of nothing to do. Any chance I can take to do not much of nothing I will most definitely jump on. But on the other hand - I work at 4am on Monday mornings and rarely am able to fall asleep on Sunday nights. I can't get my brain to shut off. Plus I had a full night's sleep on Saturday night - typically - so I'm just simply not tired. But sleeping in is one of my favorite Sunday attributes!

Then all day Monday I drag ass around work - can't get up on time, can't get moving. It messes up the whole day. And to make this Sunday worse - I have a horrible headache, I'm moody and I have BITCHIN' cramps! TMI... I know. But this whole being a woman thing drives me CRAZY sometimes!

While I'm bitchin'... it got up to 80 degrees here yesterday. I broke a sweat standing outside waiting for the game to start. Then of course I froze as soon as I got inside the Arena. Now my hands are feeling exceptionally dry and snake like. Damn you desert weather!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Coo-Coo For Coconuts on Thirsty Thursday!


I'm a total lotion-ista. If it smells good, I WANT. Coconut is my favorite scent, when done right. It's also my favorite flavor - but that's a different blog post all together...


I shared with you my favorite drink on here - so on this blog I'll share my favorite scent for Thirsty Thursday! I love to layer my scents and believe that there's nothing more therapeutic than a really delicious smelling shower gel/lotion/perfume ensemble. To get the full effect you can't just use the lotion - you need the body wash, lotion and preferably a body spray and perfume.

But there's more to life than just smelling good - you've also got to feel good! I live in the desert now but grew up in South Georgia. I now spend my winters inside of a highly temperature controlled NHL hockey rink, the summers in a chlorine filled pool - but neither activity is at all dry skin friendly. So when it comes to lotion - I need a product that not only smells heavenly but also moisturizes well.

I've been on the prowl for the perfect moisturizing lotion for years now and the best thing I've come up with thus far is simple and plain pure organic, unrefined coconut oil. Yes, coconut oil. No, it doesn't make me greasy, yes it has a smell. Not a horrid smell though, it smells like pure, real coconut. If you aren't a fan of coconut, the smell is easily masked by applying another lotion on top of the coconut oil after your shower.

It's imperative however, to only apply coconut oil immediately after you shower - it won't sink into your skin properly if you do it any other time. I use it once or twice a week, or whenever my skin is in desperate need of extra moisture. I love the stuff! I recently have been pairing it with Philosophy's Coconut Frosting shower gel (which you will LOVE if the smell of coconut plastic is your thing.... blech! I won't be purchasing that one again Philosophy!). I also pair it with Cake Beauty's Deserted Island shower gel and lotion when I'm in the mood for sickeningly sweet coconuts drenched in sugar.

I'm picky about my coconut scents and I've yet to find one that completely appeases me. Deserted Island is good enough that I may purchase it again, the jury is still out. If anyone out there knows of a good coconut scent I'd love to hear about it! Cake Beauty, you would make me much happier if you'd make a body spray to go along with it and make the lotion bottle bigger (hinty, hint, hint!)

I've also recently purchased Philosophy's Coconut Chocolate Chip Ice Cream - in the super sized bottle - so here's hoping I like it better the second time I use it... The good thing about Philosophy's shower gels is that I love their formulation - and the scents don't linger. So if it's not necessarily a scent I fall madly in love with, its ok because it does the job to clean me and once I'm done washing myself, I won't have to smell it all day.

My newest favorite find is Pacifica's Indian Coconut Nectar line.They have fulfilled all my requests - they have it in a shower gel, an ahhhhhhmazing body butter, a large perfume bottle for my bathroom, a roll on for my purse and they also carry it in a solid perfume - but I'm not much for solid perfumes. The scent is a little too musky at first for my tastes (hence the "Indian" part) but once the scent settles into my skin it softens a bit. They have several different scents - I can't wait to try out some different ones! The high quality of the products are enough to make me purchase again - but I'd like to see the scent tweaked a bit to make it more of a nectar scent instead of a musky scent.


Run - don't walk - to your local Sephora & try it! (Nope, they aren't paying me to say that. It's THAT GOOD!) What are you waiting for??? GO!