30 Days of Hairstyles Redo: Day 6

I originally wanted to do a braided headband hairstyle, but one side wasn't quite working out, so I went with half a headband...at least it's not half a head! I really liked how it turned out, though!

30 Days of Hairstyle Redo: Day 5

Apparently my short hair makes me look younger, so I decided to embrace my youthful look with some fun pigtails while I did some housework.

Happy New Year!

Source: pinterest.com via Diane on Pinterest

30 Days of Hairstyles Redo: Day 4

I was hoping my hair would turn out better, but this is what I got after using hot rollers. I let them set for 45 minutes and still hardly any curl. I think they work better with longer hair. Oh well, still experimenting with shorter hair!

30 Days of Hairstyles Redo: Day 3

So....this is my new hair! Partly why I haven't been quite keeping up with the hair posts is because I was a little traumatized after my hair was cut. This is the shortest it's every been, so it's taken some getting used to. I haven't really felt like experimenting with this cut, just because I'm not used to the length yet. This day I decided to flip the ends out and see how it looked, not too bad! Next, I'm going to try to get motivated to do some vintage styles with pin curls.

30 Days of Hairstyles Redo: Day 2

So, I am terrible at remembering to take and post pictures! And...I have some other hair news that will wait until another post, but this is the second day of my redo. I curled my hair using my clipless curling iron, which I just love to death! Simple enough, and my hair actually stays curled all day! Amazing!

Fitness Friday: Eating Healthy

Source: someecards.com via Grace on Pinterest

I saw this on pinterest and thought it was kind of funny, but mostly silly. I know quite a few people who always complain about their weight, or how out of shape they are but do nothing about it. It takes a lot of work and will power to eat healthy, resist over-indulging, and to motivate yourself to exercise, but it is more than worth it! My husband and I had friends over for dinner and I mentioned something about how I love to work out and my friend said she remembered when I told her I was unhappy with my body ( I had gained at least 10 pounds) and she said since then she has noticed I am much more fit. I then realized I told her that almost exactly a year ago, I have been consistently eating healthy (some days better than others) and exercising for a whole year! I wish I had taken some before pictures, but I honestly didn't think I would be consistent and didn't want to depress myself. I think part of what kept me going was changing my goal from a weight (we don't even own a scale) to just feeling good about myself and not comparing myself to others.

Fitness Friday: Grocery Shopping

Healthy eating doesn't have to be expensive! I budget $100 a week ($400 a month) for groceries and I'm able to stay within my budget and even splurge on little treats sometimes. I shop at 2-3 stores to maximize savings and because there are products I love at each! First up, Trader Joe's:

This is typically where the bulk of my shopping is done, I did forget to picture yogurt jalapeno cheese, sprouted wheat bread, and eggs. I bought the dark chocolate with 80% cacao for some healthy cookies I plan on making later tonight :) I bought 28 items and spent $57.38.

Sprouts Farmer's Market is another favorite place to shop (and where I worked over the summer), and this is where I get most (if not all) of our produce. My splurge here was the Kevita, it was on sale so I bought one for my husband and I to try (my usual splurge is on kombucha). I didn't picture the items I bought in bulk because they are in obnoxious plastic bags, but I bought black beans, brown rice, wheat flour, and chia seeds in bulk. I purchased 18 items for $37.51.

The last store I went to was Von's (or Safeway), I don't usually shop here, but I couldn't find baking powder or lasagna noodles at Trader Joe's. The noodles were 50% off (I hope their good!) and the baking soda was cheap especially since it's non-GMO! :) For 2 items I only spent $3.28

My Grand Total was: $98.17

30 Days of Hairstyles Redo!

Since I wasn't very successful in my 30 days of different hairstyles, I thought I would try it one more time! I'm going to be a little more lenient this time and do 5 days a week of a different hairstyle and two days off; those two days can be whenever I choose since my schedule has been very hectic lately. Here's Day One: 

I curled my hair using my straightener, these pictures were taken in the evening when I was out in the rain most of the day. I'm surprised at how well the curls stayed, especially with my hair!

Music Monday: Naked and Famous

Music Monday: The Black Keys

I love the whole vibe of this band and their music, their latest single "Howlin' for You" is such a cool, unique song.

Music Monday: Midnight Hour

Of course, I would have to do a post on my extremely talented husband's band Midnight Hour. They are a great alternative/rock band and they will have their CD coming out soon (probably around January) but their first single Modern Love is free to download here. Here's one of my favorite songs of theirs:

Music Monday: The Devious Means

This is a local Orange County band that has played with my husband's band, Midnight Hour, a few times. Everyone in the band is very nice and super talented! It's impossible to not sing along with their music, and it definitely makes you want to dance! Here is a video from the last Devious Means show at House of Blues in Anaheim.

Fitness Friday #8: Green smoothie Recipe

Green Smoothie Recipe

Most mornings I have a green smoothie for my breakfast, I know it looks kind of gross, but tastes so delicious! I have made many different combinations of this, but here is what I had yesterday:

Green Smoothie (serves 2)

1 Cup organic baby spinach

1 Cup frozen strawberries

1 Cup frozen pineapple

1 banana

Enough water (or almond milk) to make it smooth and not too thick

These green smoothies are great for breakfast or a snack and the fruits and greens can be swapped out and still taste great! Sometimes I'll use kale or collard greens instead of spinach or a pear instead of pineapple. There are many great green smoothie recipes out there!

Music Monday: The Civil Wars

About 6 months ago, my husband was listening to The Civil Wars, and I was instantly hooked! We don't really have the same taste in music (he would argue that his taste is better!), but sometimes I'll hear him listening to something and really love it. Below is one of my favorite songs of theirs, enjoy!

Weekly Gratitude

• Thank you to my sister for getting me these amazing pinwheel straws! She also gave me a vintage style glass straw holder to keep all my straws in!

• Thank you to Universal City Walk for the great show my husband's band got to play with Carolina Liar last week, it was the best show!

• Thank you to my wonderful husband for chauffeuring me around this week since my car decided to die (again)....

• Thank you to my brother for coming to get my car towed! :)

• Thank you Zuzanna and Freddy for delivering some amazing workouts at Bodyrock.tv! 

• Thank you, Dad, for having us over and making dinner for my grandparents (my grandma's cancer has come back)

The last few weeks have been very busy and stressful, but God is faithful and I know He is in control!

Fitness Friday #7: HIIT

I have been doing Jillian Michaels' workout DVDs since November when I really started to get into fitness and trying to have a healthier lifestyle, and I have loved every minute of it. But I started getting a little bored with the DVDs I have, especially after doing the 30 Day Slim Down. Instead of buying another one of her DVDs (I am on a pretty tight budget over the summer) I started looking at free workouts online and stumbled upon Bodyrock.tv . The first workout I saw I watched the video, read the instructions, and thought, it might be too difficult. I contemplated trying this workout for about 45 minutes and just decided I had to try and push myself. It was one of the toughest workouts I had done in awhile (dripping sweat!), but I felt so accomplished! I have been doing their workouts this past week and feel like I already have more definition in my abs than before! The workouts are HIIT ( High Intensity Interval Training) and can be as short as 12 minutes while others are based solely on how fast you can repeat a certain number of reps (with good form) and will be revisted so you can try to beat your personal best.

I am sold on Bodyrock.tv and proud to be a new bodyrocker! Thanks Zuzanna and Freddy!

30 Days 30 Hairstyles: Day 16

Just a simple look for the day, I used my flat iron to make some loose curls and left my hair down, easy enough!

30 Days 30 Hairstyles: Day 13-15

I have been so incredibly busy that I haven't had time to really take pictures or do my hair! Two days I defaulted to my easy hairstyles (straightened and down and a regular old ponytail). Day 13 I had some time and inspiration and came up with this:

I have done a similar hairstyle in this challenge, but this time I just twisted two pieces of hair on each side and joined them into the bun instead of braiding the hair, I definitely will do my hair like this in the future!

Fitness Friday #6: Workout Schedule

I have recently been in a bit of a workout rut and haven't really felt motivated or excited for any of my workout DVDs. I use MyFitnessPal to keep track of calories and exercise and I heard about a workout challenge that sounded like the perfect solution! For the last two weeks I have been following Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Slim Down Challenge, which is tough, but a great motivator and it really helps that I am part of a group to keep me accountable! Here is the schedule:

DAY 1 - 30 DAY SHRED: LEVEL 1

DAY 2 - 30 DAY SHRED: LEVEL 1

DAY 3 - NO MORE TROUBLE ZONES

DAY 4 - 30 DAY SHRED: LEVEL 1

DAY 5 - BANISH FAT, BOOST METABOLISM
DAY 6 - QUICK TROUBLE ZONES
DAY 7 - OFF!
DAY 8 - 30 DAY SHRED: LEVEL 1
DAY 9 - 30 DAY SHRED: LEVEL 2
DAY 10 - QUICK TROUBLE ZONES

DAY 11 - 30 DAY SHRED: LEVEL 2
DAY 12 - BANISH FAST, BOOST METABOLISM
DAY 13 - NO MORE TROUBLE ZONES
DAY 14 - OFF!
DAY 15 - 30 DAY SHRED: LEVEL 1 & QUICK TROUBLE ZONES
DAY 16 - 30 DAY SHRED: LEVEL 2
DAY 17 - NO MORE TROUBLE ZONES
DAY 18 - 30 DAY SHRED: LEVEL 1 & 2
DAY 19 - NO MORE TROUBLE ZONES
DAY 20 - BANISH FAT, BOOST METABOLISM

DAY 21 - OFF!
DAY 22 - 30 DAY SHRED: LEVEL 2 & 1
DAY 23 - QUICK TROUBLE ZONES
DAY 24 - BANISH FAT, BOOST METABOLISM
DAY 25 - QUICK TROUBLE ZONES & 30 DAY SHRED: LEVEL 2
DAY 26 - OFF!
DAY 27 - NO MORE TROUBLE ZONES & 30 DAY SHRED LEVEL 1
DAY 28 - BANISH FAT, BOOST METABOLISM & QUICK TROUBLE ZONES
DAY 29 - 30 DAY SHRED: LEVEL 2 AND THEN LEVEL 1
DAY 30 - NO MORE TROUBLE ZONES

So far I have noticed some small results (I'm looking to tone up more, not lose any weight or anything), I can definitely see my stomach muscles and better muscle tone in my arms. I'm definitely looking forward to day 30!