Shorts, Sandals and a Button Down Shirt - My Go-To Look

- Top & Earrings: Gift - Shorts: Ross - Sandals: Express - Bracelets: Self made

I apologize for the poor quality of pictures. We went to my sister's house to watch a movie (Lincoln Lawyer - so good!) pretty late in the evening on Friday, and by the time we left it was after midnight and these were the only pictures I was able to get. I kind of liked my outfit though, so I wanted to share these anyway. Since we got invited over at the last minute I needed to throw something on fast and this is what I came up with. I liked the look of a button down shirt tied over shorts paired with my favorite sandals, so I just may repeat this! 

Week Eleven and Twelve

- Pork with mango and light whipped cream cheese sauce - Santa Fe style brown rice - Sauteed asparagus

New weight:

140

I didn't get around to doing last week's weigh-in post because I just got busy with stuff over the weekend and didn't make time to sit down and blog on Saturday. I've been kind of stuck at 140! Back when I was 150 it seemed so hard to get into the 140's and now it feels really hard to get into the 130's. I briefly saw 139 a few weeks back but was 140 again by my official weigh-in day. It's kind of frustrating and I wish I could say that my body is trying to tell me I'm fine at 140, but I know I should still lose more fat from my stomach. For me it's definitely the hardest spot to lose it from after having a baby!

It's been exactly three months since I started this blog.
Weight:
155 --> 140
Body Fat: 
22.3 --> 18.3
Muscle Mass:
39.6 --> 42.1
BMI:
22.1 --> 20.1

Insanity update:
I'm finishing up with the recovery week (after doing month one over again) and will start month two on Monday! Wish me luck!

Here's a brief explanation of the next two rules from Bethenny Frankel's book.

"Taste everything, eat nothing."

This does NOT mean to starve yourself, that's actually the worst thing you can do when trying to lose weight! Instead, it simply means to taste only little bits of the more decadent food choices you may make. Spoil your appetite if you're going to a big party! Have a small healthy snack right before you go and then just taste everything good you want to without really eating a lot of it. It's really only the first few bites of something that tastes amazing anyway. Once it stops tasting as good, Bethenny calls this the point of diminishing returns and recommends you stop eating. Have three bites of chocolate cake and by the fourth bite it's just more of the same and you don't really need it!

"Pay attention!"

This rule encompasses a lot of good common sense advice.

- Taste your food. Don't just scarf it down!
- Quit multitasking, you tend to overeat when your attention is divided.
- Always sit down to eat. This way you avoid eating extra calories while cooking or just poking around the pantry.
- Make food special. Put a little effort into preparing your meal. Make it worth it!

Over the last few weeks my husband worked a lot of long days and wasn't home for dinner each night. When that happens I usually just snack on stuff that's easy to grab for dinner instead of preparing a healthy balanced meal. I think the picture above is the only meal I cooked this week. Shameful I know! This coming week he has off though and I intend to cook a lot and hopefully get back to proper meals. Remembering these two rules this week will definitely help!


(Linking up again to the lovely Kimberly's Project Self )

Polka Dot Whimsy - Friday's Fancies

Here's a modern take on polka dots that is SO easy to put together -- it only has five components! Start with a top with smaller sized polka dots (to avoid looking like Minnie Mouse) and tuck it into white shorts with a cute rope tie. Next add some whimsical yellow accents with a pair of ballerina flats and feather earrings. Finally, for a little unexpected fun wear a pair of funky olive sunglasses! 

Here are the links to where you can find these items:

Top, Shorts, Shoes, Earrings, Sunglasses

If you think this is a cute outfit, please click on the image below and vote for me!

DIY - Painted Tennis Bracelet

Essie Nail Polish, Tennis Bracelet Before & After

I saw this post over at Penny Pincher Fashionista and immediately asked myself "why didn't I think of that?!"

I really wanted to try it out for myself so I grabbed an old rhinestone tennis bracelet that I never wear, picked out my favorite nail polish and painted it a few times, added a clear top coat and voila, done!

I like how it came out and can't wait to wear it layered with a few more bracelets.

New Button!

<a border="0" href="http://atexanodyssey.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r86/valerie2213/Blog%20Stuff/NewestSmallestButton.jpg" /></a>

Hello everyone!

Ashlyn over at my unrehearsed life is doing a button swap starting on August 1st.
(You can see her post here)

I decided to participate and just finished making a new grab button for my blog. I had no idea how to do it at first, so I turned to my trusty Google and found an awesome tutorial! I thought I'd share the link with you guys in case you were in the dark like I was concerning grab button making! (Although I'm sure everyone else already knows how to do it!)

Tutorial: How to Get Your Own Grab Button

If you would like to swap buttons with me just leave a comment letting me know!

-Val

A Day to Remember

God is so good to give us days like today!

We...

-Snuggled on the sofa watching Project Runway reruns while Sean played in front of us.

-Napped in the middle of the afternoon, all three of us at the same time!

- Had a glorious time at the pool and took a trillion pictures. (As you can see!)

- Picked up a pepperoni pizza from Little Caesars and frosty parfaits from Wendy's for dinner.

- Drove with the windows down and the wind in our hair.

- Got the mail and found a giveaway prize and some pretty catalogs to look through.

Ryan really needed a day like today because he's been having a tough time at work and it's been getting him down. I pray that his bosses will look at him with favor and that things will improve drastically tomorrow! We're trusting in God to look out for him.  

 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:28 (NKJV)

Monday Errands

- Shirt & Tank: Target - Shorts & Shoes & Bracelet: Kohl's - Watch: Fossil

I ran to Hobby Lobby yesterday to buy a few more things for Sean's first birthday party (cupcake toppers, sprinkles, glue, card-stock) and to the grocery store for some snacks and this is what I wore. I got the seal of approval from the hubby and all in all I liked this outfit despite its simplicity. Our little photo session outside our door quickly ended once I saw some dude watching us from downstairs though! I still feel weird when people see me taking outfit pics!

P.S. Here's one of the things I've done for Sean's birthday so far. A plain tee + an iron-on. Cute, huh?

Lobsters Hold Claws

Lobsters hold claws. 

That's what Ryan and I always tell each other when we walk into Red Lobster through those cool doors they have with the lobster door handles. After which we always have to grab each other's hands with our fingers together to mimic a lobster claw. Yeah, we're weird.

 After church on Sunday we got seafood for lunch with the familia. Here's my Mom with Sean. Aren't they sweet?

 Here's some more sweetness for your viewing pleasure, Sean giving his daddy a great big hug!

Baby Eva looking up at her Nana with those lovely blue eyes.

 Mother and daughter, don't we look alike?  

Monochromatic

- Top & Belt: Ross - Jeans & Earrings: Kohl's - Sandals: Steve Madden via Marshalls
- Watch: Fossil - Bracelets: ??? (really old)

This outfit is from yesterday. Blue top, blue belt (that blends in so well you can barely see it) and blue jeans makes for a very monochromatic look.  Trusty ol' Wikipedia tells us that "monochromatic color schemes may be considered boring unless there is diversity within the design," so I'm hoping the tiered and studded top packs enough of a punch to keep this look from being boring!

Temptations and Resolutions

- Top and Pants: Kohl's - Shoes: Express - Purse: Kathy Van Zeeland (gift)

- Earrings and Bracelet: Gift - Ring: ShopSosie (giveaway) - Watch: Fossil

On Saturday I went to the movies with my sister and brother-in-law, visited with family and then ran some errands. I didn't get a chance to take real outfit pics, but I did snap these quick ones in the dressing room at T.J.Maxx. I ran in just to see what they had and to try some dresses on for fun, but I didn't buy anything because I've given myself a shopping ban for the next month or so. We're going to the beach in September and I will need to get a few things for the trip (like a new bathing suit and swim shorts), but until then I'm not going to spend a cent on clothes for myself. Partly to save money, partly to utilize what I already have in my closet, and partly to not give in to the consumerism mindset that is so easy to get sucked into.

I mean REALLY EASY!!
For example:

(Link)

My sis and I went into Aldo to look at the 70% off sale section, and I tried these sandals on and fell in love with them. They were originally 70 dollars, but I figured with the discount they would be very affordable. Then the lady tells me they're not on sale, only the black version. The black ones weren't even 70% off though, they were only marked down to 50 dollars. I walked out without getting them of course, because I wouldn't spend that much for shoes. I've been thinking about them ever since though and I still want them. But we're not supposed to covet things or spend beyond our means, so I'm going to put them out of my mind!
(Edit: The day after I wrote this post Kimberly from eat.sleep.wear. posted pics wearing these sandals in black. They look so gorgeous on her! See them here.)

(Link)

The other item I've really been wanting is a hand tooled leather vintage purse like the one above. I found a similar one on ebay that only had one 16 dollar bid and I was so tempted to bid on it! I had to stop and tell myself that I didn't need it and I couldn't afford it if the bids went higher, even if it started cheap! We are still trying to pay off Sean's three thousand dollar helmet, so the last thing I need is another purse or another pair of shoes. 

I'm excited about getting my financial priorities right in the coming month!
Anyone else want to do it with me?

Goodwill Hunting

- Dress: Goodwill - Scarf as belt: Ross - Shoes: Ross
- Bracelets & Ring: ShopSosie (Giveaway prize) - Earrings: Kohl's

 Today I went to our local Goodwill store to try to find something for Everybody, Everywear: The Thrift Edition. I've been meaning to go for a while, and this challenge just gave me an incentive to get myself over there to do some browsing! I stumbled across this dress (surrounded by shapeless muumuus and gaudy bridesmaid dresses) with its tags from Target for only 6.99. I was with my mom, and afterwards she let Sean and I hang out at her house for the afternoon because the A/C at my apartment had frozen over (for the third time in as many weeks) and the maintenance guy was over there trying to fix it (again). Before pulling out the kiddie pool and letting Sean swim I borrowed my mom's scarf, shoes, and jewelry to create this outfit for our mini photo shoot. My mom is such an artist and I'm always very happy with the pictures when she's behind the camera! Thanks Mom!

P.S.

Here's a pic taken about five minutes after the last ones. I'm wearing my old college tee shirt, which was perfect for getting drenched splashed by my silly silly little almost one year old boy!

ShopSosie Jewelry

Twist and Bead bangle set (Buy here)

Moonlight ring (buy here)

Wearing the Moonlight ring

I realized I never let you all know what I did with that 25 dollar gift card to ShopSosie that I won from Sydney at Petite Little Girl! I decided to purchase the bangle set seen above for my mom, and the ring for myself. I did think several of their dresses were lovely but I wasn't sure how things would fit so I went with the safer bet of jewelry! I highly recommend doing business with ShopSosie! I placed my order on Sunday last week, they shipped it out on Monday, and I received it on Wednesday! Very prompt shipping! The jewelry was really beautiful in person and my mom and I love what we got!  

World Vision

Today I wanted to share with you another wonderful opportunity to give back. World Vision is an international aid Christian humanitarian organization that helps impoverished people in almost 100 countries all around the world and also provides support to them after natural disasters. In Haiti last year when the earthquake struck World Vision was able to respond within hours because they already had disaster relief supplies ready to go in the region. We can be a part of their amazing work by sponsoring a child for 35 dollars a month! 

"For about a dollar a day, you'll help provide children in need with access to life-saving basics like: clean water, nutritious food, healthcare, education, and more!" 

You can visit their website, here, to start your sponsorship.

God bless,

Val

Dining Out

- Top and Jeans: Kohl's - Belt: Ross - Flip Flops: Gift - Earrings: Target - Bracelets: Gift

This is what happens when I don't take time to fix my hair - a messy bun! I was just going out to run errands, but I ended up going out to dinner with my mom and she was very sweet to take these pictures for me. We got Chinese food and took advantage of the nice setting in front of the restaurant to snap some photos as the sun was setting. I'm wearing the belt from here, the top from here, and the jeans from here. (I like this top much better worn this way than with the shorts I wore it with last time!) Sean was home with his daddy so we had no distractions and were able to just relax. We had so much fun eating together, the food was delicious, and I hope to do it again soon!

Downtown Traipsing

We arrived downtown at around 10:30 in the morning and it was already super hot!

The vendors sold various herbs and spices, honey, olive oil, BBQ sauce and some veggies. We bought lavender to make some tea, fresh stevia to sweeten it, figs and some melon to eat while we were there.

I have no idea why my boys both look so concerned here, but I think they look so sweet with their matching expressions. Maybe they were just hot.

My sister and her family went also.

Plants, birdhouses, shirts and juices were also being sold. Unfortunately they didn't have a hibiscus plant, which I've been looking for to put on my porch. Also by the time we got there most of the fresh produce was sold out, but maybe I'll go again and go earlier next time.

I loved the majestic oak trees towering above us.

Time to sleep for me, good night!