Quote of the Week

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.

~ T.S. Eliot

90 Day Challenge: Weigh In

I missed last week's weigh-in. So I wanted to be sure that I didn't miss this week's too. Good news is that even with the craziness that is my schedule, I've been able to stay relatively on track. I haven't hit the gym as much as I wanted to, but I have been able to get some studying done. There was even one night that I took my Economics text book to the gym with me. Yup, I was that girl walking on the treadmill reading a book, highlighter in hand. Not my favorite, but it did knock two things off my to-do list for the day.

Some of that hard work has paid off, I'm down another pound.

Total Weight Loss: 6.8 lbs

That's pretty darn good. It's right at the pace my trainer recommended, which is slow and steady. Another nice moment this week; one of my coworkers asked if I'd been losing weight. It's nice when other people notice the change. It helps keep the motivation going!

Quote of the Week

I am always doing things I can't do, that's how I get to do them.

~ Pablo Picasso

Tea for Two (Just Me?)

I don't drink coffee. I know that comes as a shock, it usually does. I'm weird I guess. I get funny looks, and I can sometimes tell that the person on the other side of the conversation actually feels bad for me. The look gets even more pitying when I tell them that I drink tea.

Here's the thing. I like tea. Tea is tasty. Take today's drink for example.

You can see the label, and yes it's true. Chocolate Hazelnut. It's sweet, it's rich, and downright cozy on a dreary-rainy day like today. I actually didn't need to add any sweetener. (This is my desk at work in case you were curious. I'd like to tell you that the rest of it is really glam and exciting, but it's not. It's mostly covered with papers and files. That's because I actually do work. And I'm just a little bit scattered in my approach to said work. Our desk at home is equally unglamorous, again, we're actually working on it. Perhaps that could be a new project, making the desk space glam and workable. Hmmmm...)

The word you're thinking of by now is "anyway." I'm pretty happy with this tea. I tend to gravitate towards the traditional black teas, although lately I've been doing more red tea (rooibos). Green tea is a little light for me, although nice in summer.

With the weather getting cooler, what will you be reaching for in the morning (or late afternoon)?

Quote of the Week

Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn.

~Gore Vidal

Quote of the Week

There is no remedy but to love more.

~ Henry David Thoreau

Clean & Green: Microwave Cleaner

Microwave Cleaner

1/2 cup vinegar
2 cups water

Combine inside microwave safe bowl. Heat on high for 3-4 minutes. Remove bowl and wipe down inside of microwave.

90 Day Challenge: Day 38

Another week into the challenge. After last week's weigh in I was a little disappointed. This week, I missed my regular Saturday morning weigh-in, so I hopped on the scale this morning. I wasn't really sure what to expect, but I wanted to at least have a starting point for the week.

This Week:
Weight Loss: 1lb
BMI Percentage Change: 0.2%

Overall Progress:
Weight Loss: 5.8 lbs
BMI Percentage Change: 1.1%

I'm pretty happy about that. I'm back to where I was two weeks ago, and hopefully this week we'll continue to go in this direction. We've got a new meal plan from our nutritionist that feels like we're constantly eating, but it seems to be adding a nice boost to the workouts. We've gone to more weight training than cardio, so we'll see how that continues to change things. It's turning into quite the wait and see process, but ultimately I know that a slow & steady change is best. But man am I getting impatient!

Quote of the Week

What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

90 Day Challenge- Day 31

I'm a little bit (or a lotta bit) behind posting the results from this week's weigh-in. That's probably because I'm not very happy with myself. I indulged a little too much, and definitely saw the impact it had on my progress.

This week (Weigh-in happened on schedule on Day 28)
Weight lost: -1 (Yup, I actually gained a pound. Ugh)

Overall
Weight lost: 4.8 lbs
BMI percentage change: .9%

So overall, still going in the right direction. Just with a slight detour. It's going to happen every now and then, so I'm trying to keep it in perspective. As long as the progress stays consistent, that's what will bring about a lasting change. And that's really what I'm working towards.

A big plus for this week was getting a new weight lifting routine. I'm spending more and more time in the part of the gym that I find most intimidating. But it's not as bad as I thought, mostly because of something our trainer said that really put things into perspective.

When I mentioned that this particular area is a little scary for me, he said  that was fine and nothing to worry about. I expected the standard "nobody's paying any attention, they're not going to be staring at you and judging response." Instead he asked me to look around the gym and just observe people, specifically to look at body compositions that were most common in each activity area. Then he asked me which group I want to be in. Gave me some things to think about.

Clean & Green: Laundry Settings

Laundry Settings

Set your washer to cold/cold for the most eco-friendly laundry settings.

Completed Goal: Goal 97

Three days in and I already have a completed goal. It wasn't hard, but it was a lot of fun.

Goal 97: Define our (me & the big guy) design style

Here's how I checked this one off the list. I was one of many people watching and waiting to see who would win HGTV's Design Star. I love everything about the competition and this season did not disappoint. I was especially happy when they announced the winner and it was Emily. I love the way she combines finishes and time periods with colors and patterns to really give a lot of character to a room. I also love her blog. She's funny and kinda goofy and totally the type of person I'd want to hang out with.

So naturally when the first episode of her new show, Secrets from a Stylist, came on this past weekend, I was there. And by there I mean on my couch, remote in hand ready to watch something awesome happen. One of the things I really like about her approach is the combination of styles. By defining three styles that really work individually for the person, you get a lot more to look for and combine to really get a personalized design for the home.

After watching the show we talked a little bit and picked three styles that we really like and that we want to pull from as we continue to decorate and finish getting our home the way we want it to be. I say we, but really I mean me. The big guy is interested, but I won't push him too far. Here's a peek at what we decided we like. (All images found via Google Images.)

1. Modern: clean lines, geometric patterns, chrome/steel, bright colors, minimalist style, think CB2

2. English Manor House: traditional pub style, worn leather, chesterfield sofas, dark wood tones, books/libraries, crystal

3. Hollywood Regency: metallic/mirrored finishes, high end fabrics, light & airy colors, black & white, feminine lines

Now that we've defined our style, the easy part is done. The hard part will be figuring out where & how to mix them. But it'll be fun too.

Quote of the Week

Find life experiences and swallow them whole. Travel. Meet many people. Go Down some dead ends and explore dark alleys. Try everything. Exhaust yourself in the glorious pursuit of life.

~Lawrence K. Fish

It's like the ultimate To-Do List

I've seen this around the blog world many times, and I've always been intrigued. It's 101 in 1001 list. You pick 101 goals and give yourself 1,001 days to complete them. They can be big or small, expensive or free, silly or serious. They just have to be something clearly defined and easily trackable/measurable. And it's really a good amount of time, just about 2.75 years to get everything done. Sounds reasonable, especially since a few of mine are already in progress. Maybe that's cheating a little, but I think it counts as long as it hasn't already been finished.

So what does my list have on it? Some house projects. Some items about getting healthier, because really couldn't we all make some healthier choices? Some entertaining stuff. Some work and school stuff. Some spiritual stuff. Some financial stuff. Some time with friends and family, especially the big guy and Loki.

The list has been added as it's own page, here. This will make it easier to keep track of what's done and what's not. I'll do a separate blog post about each goal as it gets crossed off the list, and I do like to cross things off lists.

So when does it all start? Today. Nothing like the first day of a new month to get you inspired about taking on a new challenge. Apparently Fall 2010 is all about challenges. I've got the 90 Day Challenge at the gym, I've got this 101 in 1001 challenge, and I've got the challenges that come with a Big 10 MBA program.

Maybe the first thing on the list should have been a vacation!