Jillian Michaels is a Crazy Chick

I mentioned yesterday that I did 15 minutes of one of Jillian Michael's workouts. I wanted to elaborate on that.

I incorrectly stated that I did 15 minutes of a 45 minute workout when I actually did 15 minutes of a 40 minute workout. So instead of only doing one-third of a workout I completed almost half.

I want credit for that, Internet.

Anyways, so today, I could not walk. I literally was so sore. FROM 15 MINUTES. Ya'll. I'm that weird fat girl that when I bend down to pick up my child or something of the floor, or even just to sit and YES, even when I got to the bathroom, I moan and I start panicking, screaming in my head "Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap, I'm going to fall! My legs are going to give out! AHHHHHH."

I've come to the conclusion that Jillian Michaels is a heinous torturous beast.

I've also come to the conclusion that that is what I get for getting fat.

Bring it on, Jillian. Do your worst. Cause I ain't afraid to turn yo' video off after 15 minutes. What.

Since I literally could not move today, I'm going to try to make it to 20 minutes tomorrow.

Or at least 16.

PS. I stream this off of Amazon Prime but it's older so if you are looking for a quick workout that is going to rip your body apart, get this. It's cheap. kthanksbye.

Things I Accomplished Today

1. Got out of bed (Yes. It's an accomplishment.)
2. Remembered to take my Fitbit off the charger and put it on my wrist.
3. Did hair and makeup
4. Got to work on time
5. Worked a busy, eight hour day.
6. Ate the lunch I packed for myself the night before (that I forgot at home and Bryan brought for me....Whoops.)
7. Got home and rested.
8. Got up and did 15 minutes of a Jillian Michaels workout... 15 minutes of a 45 minute work out.
9. Laid on the floor and thought I was going to die.
10. Didn't die.
11. Made dinner for Shepherd.
12. Had 1/3 cup of plain cheerios with milk for dinner.
13. Pondered my existence.
14. Calculated how many calories a peanut butter and jelly sandwich has.
15. Calculated how many calories an ice cream drumstick has.
16. Decided not to eat peanut butter sandwich or an ice cream drumstick
17. Cried inside.
18. Gave Shepherd a bath, lotioned him up and gave him a little massage. (He loved it.)
19. Put Shepherd to bed after many, many kisses.
20. Wrote this blog.

Whew. I'm tired.

PS - My husband Bryan and his band will be on KMPH Fox 26 tomorrow morning at 7:30AM if you're local, tune in and check them out!

21. Plugged husband on blog. ;)

Fitbit Group for Hanford/Lemoore Area

I did it.

Yup. I've been thinking about it for a while so I started a group on the Fitbit site for the Hanford and Lemoore area!

If you have a Fitbit, join the discussion, encourage other people to be active and get encouragement from others.

Hanford and Lemoore California Fitbit Group

Make it happen, Captain.

Styling Denise

I am by no means a style expert. I would actually say that I am the exact opposite. I do not "style" my clothing. I throw on whatever happens to be available, I rarely match but it works for me. I guess that is my style. Lately though, I've been thinking more about it. With Bryan's album coming out soon and my journey with weightloss, I've been trying to figure out what to wear and how to wear it. I also have to reconcile the fact that sometimes what I love, fashion wise, is not exactly something I can wear. It doesn't "fit" me as a person or my personality in general.

Denise, from The Lovely Bohemian, and I were chatting about this exact topic and she came up with a brilliant idea! She suggested we do a collaborative blog post styling each other. I loved the idea (as intimidating as it is!) and we jumped on in.

We settled on doing three detailed looks.

Denise's Style

This category is to show an outfit that I think Denise would pick out herself and wear. I chose this dress from Free People. Denise is really into the gypsy, bohemian style of clothing and the first place I went to was Free People. They have so many different dresses I could have chosen that I think Denise would wear, but this one really grabbed my attention. I love the high neckline with that drop in the back. It's slightly tailored which fits Denise's frame. It's comfortable and perfect for a day at the beach or to go thrifting in. I also love that it would show off her shoulder tattoo - it's of birds and says 'It is well with my soul.' It's so pretty!

This outfit doesn't need much to be styled. I could see Denise putting her hair in a side pony tail with really natural make up, just like this look from Elizabeth Olsen. Really effortless but totally gorgeous. 

As for accessories, I kept it simple with these shoes from Free People and these earrings from Etsy for a subtle pop of color. I thought this ring, also from Etsy, provided a nice touch to the whole look..  

Since we are being uber detailed, I thought using these NCLA nail wraps in Summer of Love would just tie everything together really nicely:

Denise's Natural Look

This was tough for me. I feel like you can interpret Denise's natural look a few ways. She definitely is a big sweetie-pie. We all know that there is the Girl Next Door type, but I think she falls into more of the Guy's Best Friend category. She'll talk and be friends with pretty much anyone. She loves to laugh and joke around. She's just the right mix of girly and tomboy. I decided to go with a really casual outfit.  

A nice printed t-shirt from gypsywarrior.com, Express skinny cropped pants and a comfortable pair of sandals from Rockport that are bright blue! Denise loves colorful things, so pairing this outfit with bright accessories was the way to go. That's why I chose these three pieces from Forever 21. I skipped a necklace in favor of a handchain, then added a ring and earrings to complement the whole look. 

She typically doesn't wear anything on the wrists, but I think the subtle femininity of a handchain would suit her and overall, this look is comfortable and effortless. It could take her anywhere. Adding curled hair and natural makeup (like on the Express model below) would complete the look and would be perfect for a casual coffee date or shopping in Venice! 

For the manicure, keeping it simple and clean would be perfect. Like this but with gold accents: 

Megan's Choice

This category is all about ME! What I think would look good on Denise, maybe that would push her outside her comfort zones - literally! Denise is all about comfort and going with the flow. I wanted to create a look that was a little bit more glam and a lot more retro girly.

So I chose the 1950s housewife. Think Madmen. 

This is WAY outside of Denise's comfort zone, but I totally think she could pull it off. 

I started with this Green dress from Modcloth. With this dress, I definitely see her hair up, which is perfect because she'd have to wear these gold earrings, also from Modcloth, to set off that dress. For shoes, I decided to stick with Modcloth and grab these gold, sparkly heels. Keeping hair simple and makeup fresh and a tad smokey like Jennifer Lawrence, the look would be completed.

Oops, I lied. I like to think that every prim and proper 1950s housewife had a little wild-side that was saved only for the husband. I believe these because the 1950s were all about undergarments, so I had to include one. Embarrassing for Denise, but I wouldn't be true to myself if I didn't include it. Can't have a 50s outfit without it. This one is from agentprovocateur.com.

For the manicure, I would try to do a little bit of contrast or maybe incorporate all the colors? This nail art is so pretty! 

That's all folks! Let me know what you think about my outfits. Be kind...remember, I've never done this before! Did I get anything really wrong? Then head over to Denise's blog to read about the outfits she picked for me! 

Tried It: Nailed or Failed it? A Spin on Topsy Tail Hair

I'm starting a new series on the ol' blog. It's going to be a semi regular event where I take tutorials off the internet and try them. This isn't going to be limited to any one thing. I'll try recipes, beauty tutorials, life hack tutorials. Whatever. I'll be putting them to the test and seeing if I nailed it or if I totally failed it. There may also be slight modifications to the tutorials for personal preference, but mostly I'm going to stick to what the tutorial says.

I decided to call it Tried It: Nailed or Failed it? Because I'm creative.

Since this is the first one, I wanted to start out somewhat simply. I decided to try this:

I found this via pinterest and when I clicked to follow the link it took me somewhere weird. I didn't go to LatestHairstyles.com because It seemed fairly self explanatory. 

Before we get to the good part, let me tell you how I prepped my hair. I washed it the night before and put it in two braids, like a four year old. I went to sleep and in the morning, I used a diffuser to dry it the rest of the way and maintain the texture. Ain't nobody got time to curl hair in the morning for an updo. I then change the part of my hair from the center to the left side, because I need a bit more volume in the area. 

Drumroll, please....

I decided to go for a bun at the bottom because I don't like the nub look on the tutorial. That's just me. I also didn't do as many as her because I was getting ready for work, yo. 

Overall,  I think I nailed it. It's really pretty and super effortless. I would say this works best on second or third day hair, with leftover curls for texture. The top is kind of crazy but I like the undone look of it. 

Also, after taking this picture I used another bobby pin to secure the top of my bun. 

I plan to try this hairdo out a few more times to see if I can really master it, but for the first attempt, it's passable! 

May 2014 Ipsy Glam Bag: Value, First Impression and Swatches

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I got home today and I was so happy to see my Ipsy Glam Bag. arrived! I, of course, grabbed my phone so that I could snap pictures while I opened it. This is a first impression style blog! 

In case you live under a rock, Ipsy is a monthly subscription where you pay $10 + tax to receive a cute make-up bag filled with four or five sample (or full size) make-up products from varying brands! It is so fun to get a little pink package in the mail every month!

You can see my reviews on the past few months by clicking here. 

Theme: Fresh Picks
Description: It's a month of crisp air, vibrant flowers, and fresh Glam Bag products! Getting your beauty to bloom all month long will be as easy as lying in the warm grass and basking in the sunshine.

The first thing I did was take out the bag. Obviously. It is a canvas bag with green vines all over it. It's really cute, but the zipper was actually kind of horrible. I haven't had to tug so hard to get a makeup bag open in a long time! It was really noticeably difficult, which is weird because in my four months of getting Ipsy bags, I haven't experienced anything like that. I'm hoping that it was just a fluke with my bag and not a widespread problem!

Here are the items I received. I'm going to come right out the gate and say that I was REALLY hoping to get a sample of Chocolate Soleil. I was really bummed when I saw that I didn't receive it, especially because I made the mistake of watching Michelle Phan's video about it! Oh well. I'll try that bronzer someday!

Item: Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balm in Elusive 2.7g (full size) 

Value: $8-9.00 (depending on where you shop. CVS.com at $9.49)

The first item I grabbed was this Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balm in Elusive. The color is really pretty and I have two others of these lippies but I don't have this color, thankfully. I've swatched it below.

The color is definitely something I would wear. It's a cool toned pink color. While I primarily want Ipsy so that I can scope out other brands, Revlon is such a solid brand with good products. How can you be disappointed in a no fail item like this?!

Item: Pacifica Mineral Eyeshadow Duo .07oz (exclusive to Ipsy sample size)

Value: $3.50 (approx.)

So I took this picture, set my phone down, opened up the lid and it popped right off! I couldn't believe it! At first I thought it was broken, but I was able to stick it back on there. Not very well though because it came off again when I was swatching it. I've never had a Pacifica product before but that wasn't a very good first impression!

The colors in this duo are actually kind of interesting. At first, when you look you think it's a cream/pink shade with a bronze brown. Not so. That 'cream' shade has a lot of pink in it, almost to the point of bright (hot?) pink. It's so hard to photograph well!

I was not impressed at ALL with the cream shade when I swatched it though. It was pretty powdery. The bronze shade was really nice though. Here they are swatched on my hand. You can barely see them, but using a good primer or a white base would probably make them pop. We'll see how it goes! I showed you the swatch on my finger tips, for good measure. You can kind of see the powdery consistency of the lighter shade.

This duo is described to contain coconut infused mineral eye shadows that are a perfect addition to any makeup collection. Packaged in a recyclable container, these duos were customized for Ipsy (read: not available for sale.) The colors in this duo are Celestial and Opal.

Item: Hang Ten Sunscreen 50SPF 1oz (sample size)

Value: $2.16 (Full size is 6oz for 12.99)

This formula is suuuuuper watery. Or maybe I just should have shaken it to mix it all up? When I swatched it a lot more came out than what I was meaning for and I was like whoooa! A lot of sunscreen is a bit on the thin side but this, I feel like, was more so. I didn't spread it around because I was going outside and I didn't want my hand to have a weird light spot if I ended up getting any color. It smelled nice! 

The product claims to protect and nourish your skin with their clear, lightweight, naturally scented sunscreen. Waaaaait. I swatched it. It's not clear! It also says it provides maximum water resistance and full body coverage against harmful UVA/UVB rays. The description on the website says it's 80 minutes water resistant, non-greasy and is oxybenzone free, paraben free, retinyl palmitate free, synthethic fragrance free and is non-nano. 

Item: derma e Microdermabrasion Scrub 1oz (sample)

Value: $16.25 (Full size is 2oz for $32.50)

It's slightly disappointing to get a microdermabrasion scrub when we got the one from dr. brandt last month. It would have been nice to have a nice hydrating moisturizer or eye cream this time around. However, this is a nice size sample and for that, I am grateful. This will definitely last a while. 

This formula claims to buff away dull surface cells, diminsh the appearance of wrinkles and acne scares and absorbs excess skin oils with an exclusive crystal blend including the Dead Sea Salt and Volcanic Sand. It is enriched with Lime and Lemon Peel (which you can definitely smell. Very nice, clean citrusy scent) plus is hast antioxidants Grapeseed and Vitamin E. All derma e products are 100% vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free, sulfate-free, mineral oil-free, glycol-free, lanolin-free, gluten free and GMO free. That's a lot of frees yo! 

I took a look at the website and this looks like a brand I could definitely get into. I'm excited to try this scrub!

Item: Eva NYC Therapy Session Hair Mask 2.03oz (smaller of two sizes available)

Value: $12

Which bring us to the  Therapy Session Hair Mask by Eva NYC. This hair mask smells really good, but it actually permeated through the entire bag. Every think in that bag smelled like this hair mask. The inside of the bag was overwhelmingly this smell. It's definitely potent. I swatched this on my hand, took a picture, rubbed it around, cleaned it off with a wet wipe, washed my hands SEVERAL times and the smell is still there on my hand. I'm a tad scared to put it on my head just because of my migraines! I might have Bryan test it out for me. He can't smell anything so it'll be perfect. 

The hair mask claims to deeply condition, repairs and strengthens dry and damaged hair. Argan Oil nourishes and revitalizes, while Keravis Protein drastically increases hair's strength and elasticity. Pretty lofty claims! I'm kind of excited to see how this works and if it smells that crazy actually ON your hair! 

Total Value: $41.91
Overall: Definitely a good bag. I haven't been disappointed yet! Now to go tell Bryan that he's going to be my guinea pig for that hair mask. I'm sure that'll go over well!

Have you signed up for Ipsy yet? Go getchu some!

Mother's Day and Shin Zen Garden (with pictures)

My Mother's Day this year began with a headache. I wasn't going to have any of that though. I met my sister and mom for Breakfast at our favorite place, Green Valley. As soon as I got my coffee and water I took some migraine medication and it knocked it out. So thankful! We spent quality time together chatting before we all headed off in different directions. Both of them were going to their own respective churches and I had to get back to my men. Bryan hates going to church on big holidays, so we decided to watch online. Bryan's mom was speaking at her church (and the church we will most likely attend...when we can) and we didn't want to miss it. Bryan hooked up the computer to the TV and we got to have church while Shepherd played, I did my makeup on the couch and Bryan relaxed. It was pretty perfect. 

Bryan asked me what I wanted to do for Mother's Day and I could only come up with one thing. I wanted to go to the Shin Zen (Friendship) Garden at Woodward Park. Other than the fact that it was a Japanese garden, I didn't know anything else about it. Also, I couldn't recall a time that I'd been to Woodward Park...but maybe once for a Kiss Country (93.7) $5 Concert? Who knows. Anyway, to my knowledge I had never been there and I'd seen one of my Facebook friends post about it. 

Soon we were in the car and on the way to the park! It's about a 45 minute drive, so it wasn't too much for Shepherd to handle and we picked up some In-N-Out on the way. Like I mentioned in my short and sweet post yesterday, I used my Samsung point and shoot for these pictures and wouldn't you know, Shepherd and Bryan are glowing in some pictures? Oh well. 

When you get to the park, there is a $5 entrance fee which gives you access to the whole park. I'm not sure if there are other parts that you have to pay an additional fee to get in but we paid another $5 to see the Shin Zen Garden and I'd say it was worth the collective ten bones. This would be a great place to sit, read and relax. Or a great place to hide when life gets crazy. There is a nice sized parking lot and you're greeted with lush greenery and this sign:

To the right of the entrance is the hut where you pay the entrance fee. To the very left, there was this guy waiting for us. We had no idea there would be peacocks roaming around but there were quite a few of them, both males and females.

 He doesn't look it, but Shepherd was totally into that peacock. He was mesmerized and kept pointing at it. Then he'd "talk" at it.

Aren't those colors just stunning? I haven't seen a peacock in real life since Fort Roosevelt at a local school here in town. It was neat.

There are multiple sections to the garden, and this was one of them. I was surprised at how many water features there are. Lots of creeks and waterfalls. It was incredibly peaceful. Shepherd had such a good time walking around. I kept hovering whenever we were near water. The kid loves it. 

Those are the only two pictures I got of us on Mother's Day and I can't say I'm fond of them but oh well. Such is life.

There were little stone benches and rocks everywhere, donated by various families. The section below had a dirt path that took you very close to the ponds edge...

where we saw a duck! There were signs that requested you stay on the pathways so even though all Shepherd wanted to do was run after that duck, we had him enjoy from afar. The duck was probably thankful.

The pictures below were taken from the top of a fairly steep bridge. Getting the stroller over it was not super easy, as there were tracks to help keep you upright. It was a great view. Below it was a koi pond. Shepherd loved seeing the fish! I do have pictures of the bridge coming up. It was gorgeous.

This area was on the other side of the bridge. Lots of little sitting areas near structures and water features. We didn't get to sit much because toddler.

From this area, when you look back, you could see the bridge we just crossed to get there:

Then, this little area wraps around and there is a big waterfall! Of course I wanted a picture of the boys in front of it; it was so hard to get Shepherd to look at me for it! He kept pulling Bryan's hair to hold him steady while he twisted around. I'm sure that felt reeeeal good.

I ended up with a good one though. I'll definitely be printing this one out. 

Okay, below is the steep(ish) bridge that you cross to get to the far side of the garden. Isn't it so pretty? I took a close up and then zoomed back a bit. 

Where I took this picture was a large covered seating area. We took a few moments to rest and just enjoy the view. Then, Bryan took a few shots of us. This one is my favorite.

On our way back towards the entrance, we saw that two peacocks were protecting this bush and had their feathers all the way up! It was a beautiful sight. They did not want ANYONE to come close to that bush. 

The peacock below is the same one that greeted us at the entrance. He was aggravated since the others were.

 When we got back to the front, I glanced back at the hut where you pay your entrance fee. It had a nice big sign saying No Photography, Please. I'm not sure if that meant professional photos or just family snapshots, but no one came up to me as I was taking pictures and I didn't read that sign until the very end. Oops!

If you are in the Fresno area, I definitely recommend checking out this garden. It's not really a picnic type of a place because they ask that you don't bring food or drink in, but you could definitely bring a book and a bottle of water and just soak up some quiet time.

After Shin Zen Garden, we drove around Woodward Park (it's massive) and ended up going shopping at Kohl's. Then, we headed back to Hanford so that we could drop off our moms gifts.

Oh, and just in case you are wondering, Bryan bought me a Fitbit Flex for Mother's Day which I am obsessed with and then he got me the Veronica Mars movie!

I had a great time with my little family and I think they enjoyed themselves too. I definitely wouldn't mind going back!

PS. Here is a map of the garden. It does a better job explain the layout than I ever could. This image is from the website.

PSS. I was not paid, perked or compensated in any way shape or form for this post. I just went there and wrote about it because I wanted to.