My Buggaboo's and Day #4

So today is #4 for my diet, and so far so good. Of course I have been having the worst time not eating bread, pasta, etc. I will confess today I accidentally ate a mint. It was completely an accident, and I had no sugar intentions. If I was going to cheat I would grab a piece of bread before I touched a mint. With that said I have been very very diligent at keeping up this diet, and plan to keep going. My scale read yesterday morning.......6lbs LIGHTER..can you give me a hell ya?!? Then I weighed myself this morning and I was at 3lbs lighter, and not 6. So I am definitely doin some major fluctuating. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

During this weekend I did get my haircut. Nothing special just a MUCH NEEDED trim, and a few layers to lighten the load. I will try to post a couple pix later. I was pretty excited when the hairstylist asked if I could stand up in order to trim because my hair was so long. Never happened before so I was like "No problem!" since I have been trying to grow my hair out forever. It definitely feels a lot healthier. She did add in Joico, K-PAK, restorative styling oil. It made my hair a lot softer, and easier to work with. I was tempted to purchase in store but it was $15 and I just couldn't budge it. I will be thinking about purchasing in the future for sure. I also remember the last stylist I went to used CHI Silk Infusion Silk Reconstructing Complex. That also made my hair nice, and light.

For Christmas H and I are considering switching to a new cell phone service. We currently have Metro PCS, which is a cheap service with no contract. It has served its purpose but we are on to newer and better things. We are considering Sprint since H gets a 20% discount with them which comes to a pretty reasonable price. So we'll see. :)

So the wonderful California weather fooled me again this mourning. It is December, and most other places it is raining, snowing, or storming. Well....not CA. Being a CA girl I do love the sunshine but I think I love the rain, and snow more. So this morning I looked out and it was all sunny so I figured "Hey lets throw on some cargo pants, and a tank with some flip flops." When I wake up in the morning I don't put a lot of thought in my clothes even though I should for the soul purpose of sleeping in longer...talk about awesome lazy. So when I walked out the door to go to work this morning, it was freezing! Literally freezing with ice on my windshield. I very much dislike the sunny but freezing weather. Just stupid.

So I probably have mentioned before that I am pretty much obsessed with my cat. Here is the love of my life. He is such a little menace, brat, pain in the ass, but I love him. Of course H hates pictures taken of him, and the dog's eyes always turn out pure red. So that leave me with pictures of my BUGGA BOOS! H also calls him Bouche (Boosh). 

The all so cute and innocent stage

His gorgeous blue eyes!

His eyes slowly fading from blue to green

          

They were friends right away. See what I mean about the red?

Slowly moving into the "teenager" faze

Eyes turning from green to yellow

He would not stop licking himself so we had to make him wear the shameful cone

Sun Bathing with his cone

...and yellow eyes!

He thinks he's boss

Day #1 and a Very Cute Pyro

So here we go with DAY #1. Last night we totally pigged out knowing it was our last day of sugary goodness. I also realize that I am starting right before the biggest month of the year to eat candy and sweets. I say "Bring it on!"

Okay so maybe my eggs didn't look that good!!

 So here is my food plan for the day:

Breakfast
2 Scrambled eggs
protein water

Snack
Small bag of baby Carrots
String Cheese

Lunch
Artichoke
Decaf Green Tea

Snack
Small bag of Celery
String Cheese

Dinner
Grilled chicken breast
Salad

Desert
Sugar free, fat free jello 

I am desperately hoping I will keep up with this. As you have seen in previous posts my dinners are not exactly healthy so hoping to make a big change. I was wanting to start on January 1st but H convinced me "Why not just start now!?". I thought hell I need to, and I really don't need to be eating all of the Christmas sweets, and candy. So last night we went to the grocery store and only bought foods we were allowed to eat. It was pretty easy since the book makes it simple that Phase 1 (lasts for 2 weeks), you basically only eat meat, poultry, vegetables, and cheese. Of course lots and lots of water but that's a given. We were slightly on budget so we only bought foods for today and this weekend. On Monday we will be going major grocery shopping since that is pay day, and get a ton of vegetables, cheese, and meats.

To completely change topics I had to post a picture of Pyro. He would make a great Christmas card huh? I'm just too lazy to do it.

Katylou~

The South Beach Diet

So today both I and H decided we were going to go on the South Beach Diet. It sounds like a good healthy way to lose weight, and that is what we are looking for. I'm pretty excited to start tomorrow (December 2nd.) I will keep you updated on how I keep up. I am hoping I stick with it, and of course have my doubts because like any diet..you stop. But I am hoping to stop once I lose the weight I lose, and not necessarily stop, but learn to eat healthier and be a better cook. The recipes in the book seem somewhat simple, and easy. The number one problem I know I will face is....FISH. I cannot stand fish, and can't stand the smell. Never have. Also the book recommends a lot of tomato juice, and V-8. YUCK. But honestly to tell you the truth I am a horribly picky eater and I have grown up from the kid who "doesn't like their vegetables" to the "adult who doesn't like her vegetables." They say the first 2 days is the hardest so we shall see. We also came up with a plan to rid our cupboards and fridge of all the food that we wont be eating in phase 1. Makes sense right? That way it will be harder to grab something that your not suppose to have. That's my theory anyways. Here is the book:


So wish me luck, and hopefully I can lose the pounds that I desperately need to lose. AND hopefully I go from this:

To this:

~Katylou

1 Weekend, 2 Amusment Parks, 1 Ocean View, and a Great Time

Almost at the end of the day of a lovely Tuesday...NOT! H is going in to work at midnight tonight to work which I don't mind since I am asleep by that hour. So a couple weeks ago H and I got into a fight. I really can't remember what it was about...something stupid like usual. We went in seperate rooms of the apartment and after several hours H came out and said "Want to go to So Cal?" Of course you would expect my response to be "Are you crazy?!" or "What are you talking about", but it ended like this.... "Sure." So we packed a few clothes, toothbrush, and the norms and headed out the door. We drove through the night, counted all of the cars who were in our way in the fast lane, and finally arrived at a cheap but expensive hotel. Now when I say cheap but expensive I mean the inside of the hotel was cheap, the price was expensive. Don't you hate that? Anyways the next morning we ended up going to the Wild Animal Park which was slightly uneventful. It was not busy and it was nice to see the animals but they were so far away you couldn't really see them. It definitely is a beautiful place to go, and is a "should go at least once" type of place. Since the Wild Animal Park only took half the day we decided to explore more of So Cal. (H is from So Cal so he was a little more familiar with the area.) We went to the SeaWorld. Last time I went I was about 4 years old. Both H and I were very suprised when we arrived. It was so much fun, and all of the animals they

 have is amazing. SeaWorld was also Christmas themed which was nice.

All in all we ended up leaving SeaWorld Sunday night, drove the

8 hours to get back home, and I was at work Monday morning at

8am sharp. What a weekend! Sometimes it is nice to be impulsive, and

sometimes it bites you in the ass. I think this time was nice since H

and I definitely needed a mini vaca. Here is a quick picture of us at the

 end of the day at SeaWorld before we went home. Afterward we went

to the ocean to check it out. Oh and it was FREEZINGGGGG cold!

My Locket

So for our 1 year anniversery H got me this locket. I am totally in love with it. It's the perfect size but to fit a picture in there is going to take a lot of skill. Super super tiny.
I thought I would post this before I forgot. Oh and the other day H and I were looking around a store (forgot which one) and we saw a beautiful heart diamond ring that was on sale and super good deal. I did some major hinting so I'm hoping...maybe Christmas? I usually love anything he gets me because not to brag or anything but he has really good taste. So when he does get me something its usually very nice. Anyways almost time to go home :)

~Katylou

Dinner Menu

So me and H are huge fast food junkies. We both totally suck at cooking (with good intentions), and usually anything we make is "eh." However it has come to the point where we are both completely sick of fast food, and would like to move on to some homemade food. We will be taking a cooking class in the future, but with our schedules it is totally out of the question at the moment. So we checked on some somewhat "healthy" but manageable recipes, and created a menu for this week. I am hoping we can keep to it. Here is what I have so far:

Thursday
Chicken Fried Steak
Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
Fresh Green Beans

(Ok! Ok! I know you must be thinking that is so not healthy but I did pull it from eatingwell.com so I am sticking with it. Moving on....

Friday
BBQ Chicken Tenders
Homemade Ranch Dip
Fruit
(again pulled from Eating Well, and we have a ton of bbq sauce that needs to be used up)

Saturday
Beef Stew
Cornbread
(My FIL makes amazing beef stew which I got the recipe from so I'm hoping it turns out somewhat good like his)

Sunday
Pork Chops with Apples
Mashed Potatoes

Monday
Sourdough Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Salad
Tomato Soup for DH (Yuck!)

Tuesday
New York Steak
Corn on the Cob

Wednesday
Chicken Parmesan Sandwich OR Cheese quesadillas with fresh salsa and guacamole
(I'm not sure I will like the chicken parm so I am using the quesa's as a backup. ;)

Then of course Thursday is Turkey Day.

A Girl Can Never Have Enough Make-up

I thought I would post a little bit about the make-up I use. I recently just bought a ton of new stuff so I will show you what my latest findings were. My daily routine starts with washing my face. My face gets really oily so I had to find something that would get rid of the oily face but not completely dry it out. Clean & Clear foaming cleanser seems to be working the best for me at the moment. I was using a Neutrogena face wash but it was discontinued so I moved on to a face wash a little on the cheaper side.

Next I use Covergirl TRUblend. Just a few dabs on my face to cover up the redness. I would say it works pretty well, and most of all...it is not oily! I believe I use the Ivory color but I'm not 100% positive.

Then I discovered a brand of makeup I never had heard of. It is called Physicians Formula. When I was out to lunch with H we stopped by a small grocery store, and they had a lot of mineral and natural makeup. They had a huge huge sail on the physicians formula makeup for $2.99 each. SCORE! It didn't look like bad makeup either.

First I picked up the Bronze Booster Glow-Boosting Press Bronzer. I went home and tried it out. I loved it! The last time I used a bronzer it was dingy and orangey looking so I just stopped looking. This bronzer gives off a natural glow and the illusion that I am tan. LOVE it. So of course I went back for more. I also love the case that included a mirror, and brush.                                                      

Next time I stopped by the store I bought a few more items. Here are a few:

Shimmer Strips Custom Bronzer, Blush & Eye Shadow
They say that you can use this as blush, eye shadow or bronzer. I decided I would use it more for eye shadow since I loved the neutral shimmery colors. I am not a big fan of eye shadow and hardly ever use it. When I do it is usually just a shimmer. It stays on all day, and looks very nice. Thumbs up!

Next I picked up another bronzer since I loved the first one. It is called Summer Eclipse® Bronzing & Shimmery Face Powder. I haven't yet tried it yet so I will keep you updated. I just love the cute little sun on it. I think that is mostly the reason I bought it. Oh and it was $2.99!!

Then I picked up this Healthy Wear™ SPF 50 Tinted Moisturizer. It has a good color but way way too oily for my face. I think I will stick with the covergirl. :) I was also using MAC cover-up however I ordered it online, and it was completely the wrong color for me. It was way to light, and made me look extremely pale. I guess I will save that for my "winter look" lol.

 

I also bought some blush. The blush I was using was Avon which was getting the job done, but I didn't really like the color, and it didn't stay on all day. So I picked out the Mineral Wear™ Talc-Free Mineral Blush. I have been liking it so far. I think I would like a little more pinkish color but it does stay on all day which I am happy about it. It also came with its own brush and mirror. I did also buy some powder foundation that is the Physicians Formula as well, but haven't tried it out yet. We'll see. Usually powder foundations don't really work for me since my skin is a little bit dry right after I wash my face so it shows through. The moisturizer I use which I do use right after I wash my face. (Sorry I skipped that step). It is Neutrogena oil free moisture. I love it, and it does not make my face oily at all. After my face I move on to my eyes. About a month ago I was looking for some mascara. I was using an avon brand that was ok. I found some reviews of woman that loved the Benefit They're Real! Mascara. I checked online, and the prices were a little expensive. Then I found it on amazon for super cheap, and decided to try it. Usually I don't pay more then $6 for mascara but was really wanting to try it. I LOVE this. It makes my eyelashes look long, and full. I was very impressed to say the least. I think it is mostly the brush that makes it so nice. I would definitely recommend this product.

Then to finish it off I use Maybelline Shinesensational lip gloss. I use #55 Tempting Toffee. It gives off a little pink natural color but the taste is amazing. So yummy~

That pretty much covers my make-up routine. Then I move on to my hair which I am not as creative with. That is another story.

~Katylou 

                                                       

                                                                                                                                             

Ready Set...Blonde, Red, Brunette!

So as I mentioned before I have changed my hair color 3 times within the same month. I know..poor hair. Anyways, here are some before and after pictures....

Here is what I started with. It is overgrown highlights, and I was sick of the "goldie" look.

Here is the 2nd look. I bought Clairol natural instincts which I thought well from the picture, and the back it looks like a dark reddish brown. Oh and it took 3 boxes for my hair! Crazy huh? Normally I will dye my hair a couple times a year professionally. There's no doubt that's the way to go. But I had an event at work  

and I didn't want to go with the overgrown highlights so I thought "Hey lets just take a chance, and hope it turns out wrong. Well I was totally wrong. As soon as I looked in the mirror after I was done I was pretty much in shock. Seeing my hair flaming red when expecting dark brown was a HUGE difference. I was extremely disappointed and I hated it. I wanted to change it back, or change it right away...but I didn't. I didn't want to completely fry my hair so I did wait a couple weeks. Here is how it turned out! I wanted to cry. I thought it looked fake, and I totally do not pull off the redhead look. I am extremely pale with green eyes but I just can't get past my natural brunette. :) I apologize for the huge mess in the background! The picture actually makes it look pretty light but it was very very very red.

Next down the line after my red mistake I knew I wanted to go more my natural color (light brown.) So I decided to try to get rid of most of the red to go dark brown. I have always liked dark brown so I went for it on a Sunday afternoon. It took me forever trying to figure out what color of brown so finally I came out of the store with this. I almost regretted getting Clairol again with the bad episode I had previously but I really liked the color, and guess what...no red! Another huge reason for choosing this is the new "foam" that they have been advertising like crazy. I have to say that I loved it! With the red dye my husband was there to guide me on what strands I was missing color in and what not. When I was picking out the dye my husband was at work, and I was on my own so I wanted something easier to apply. I must say..I loved it! It gives great coverage and works like a charm. I loved it. It was a little bit more expensive then the other dyes but totally worth it. I would definitely recommend especially if you have really long hair. Also with this it only took me 2 boxes to finish up my hair.

I was very happy with the result, and it came out beautiful. It is very shiny, and the exact color I was looking for. Of course a little bit of red came out but I don't mind a little bit. ;)

....and much better! Sorry for the boob shot by the way. Also every picture is right after I finished blow drying, and after the dying so pardon the frizz. I know I know, I need to work on my tan! I look so horrible in this picture but it gets the hair color across. Also didn't mean to double post but all of my pics are on my home computer that I can't access from work. So that finishes up my crazy hair month of October!

~Katylou

My Cute Lil Spee-i-der

Hello there. First let me start off by showing you my new car! I am pretty excited about it, and I did go through buyer's remorse (majorly) but have since gotten over that today. I am not so "yay" about the color but did some pricing and figured that it would cost about 2k for a super nice paint job.
Here is my car now:

...and then the paint job I am hoping for:

Would love to have THIS car however I think my cute lil' spyder could pull off that color. Comparing it to a Lotis does NOT do it justice. Just look at the color people! Haven't done much shopping in a long time. Spent everything on the car! lol. My H is also for the purple but I was thinking maybe blue instead? I go back and forth but we definitely pick very unique colors.

New update on the army: H is finishing up some college, and will be done in January. After that he is enlisting, and we have now been looking into the medical field which I love.

I just got back from vacation from work (woohoo week off!). Didn't do too much since we just bought the car. We did go to the zoo which was fun. We went in the morning so most of the animals were either eating or hiding. I still can't decide if I am against zoos. I'm definitely not for this just because the animals just look sad in the cages! You can totally tell on their faces that they are not happy. There are some animals that don't really mind. (Going off my keen animal instincs..heehe.) Back at work today (boo) but my email has been going crazy (IT has been working on it) so I got through pretty fast. Day has been going by pretty fast so that is good news.
I have learned a valuable life lesson this month. READ before signing. That is all.
I also this month have changed my hair color several times. I know, I know! I thought "OMG I'm going to have to change the name of my blog." The first color was a bronzy brown. Didn't like it at all. So I went with "dark cinnamon brown." My hair came out flaming red. It was literally ALL red. I was a little devistated at first but started to grow on me. After about 2 weeks, and ran to the store and picked out some brown. I couldn't stand the red. It looked so fake on me. I am now back to my true color! I will post some before and after pictures hopefully in the next post.
I also tried to cook a spaghetti squash. A little back history on me~ I have never really liked vegis (ohh ya..one of those kids) and I have been slowly, and I mean slowly adapting. So I tried out a spaghetti squash, and ...YUCK. Did not like. I'm thinking I may have overcooked it too but totally gross to me. I was a little bummed since they are suppose to be so healthy for you. With it I did pick up at the grocery store a pre-made salad which had apples, cheddar cheese, and apple vinegrette...YUMM! Success! Anyways I will see ya lata...half hour of work to go!
~Katylou

WHEW!

So I have a lot going on at the moment. H is still deciding if he wants to join AF or army. I am leaning him towards AF just because of an amazing job that he and I both like. I just found out that Army and Navy offer it too, but we like the location of the AF.It is a SERE trainer. Their basically the masters of boyscouts. lol. Naw their more then that but you get my point. H is starting his second semester of classes. He is taking 2 classes as oppose to 3 which will definitely make it a lot easier. I am really hoping they have the SERE position available when he enlists. It would make life so much easier but I have a sneaky suspicion that it wont work like that. Just because we have that kind of luck. Speaking of luck, even though this is totally conflicting what I just said, I found a $20 bill on the ground. I have only found money on the ground once, and that was $5. I was pretty happy, how lucky is that?!

We are also planning a vacation in November. I get 1 week off, and so does H so we are hoping to go to SoCal. There is a ticket that you buy that includes: San Diego Zoo, Wild Animal Park, and Sea World. The ticket is only $150 each person! So excited. I am hoping that we can actually go on this trip. Saving, saving, saving. The one thing both me and H are horrible about. We have the worst impulsive personalities together. This month we did pretty good with saving so we decided since we did such a good job we should reward ourselves. So we went and bought a WII. I definitely don't commend my decisions, but let me tell you...it's so not worth it to regret it. LOl, and the WII is so much fun. 

Oh and the diet fun. I haven't been recording my calories for the past 3 weeks. So bad! I really need to go back to it. I haven't even been watching what I eat at all. Need to work on that. Hopefully next time I write I will be back on it. I lost 6lbs with it! You would think that would be enough motivation but sadly..no.:(

Our 1st year anniversery is coming up. Were thinking of just driving to the Ocean. We don't want to spend a lot of money so maybe ocean, and a nice dinner? Or we were thinking maybe our November vacation can count. :) Lately too I have been having major baby fever! Yuck! 5 more years, 5 more years, 5 more years at least! This is what I have been repeating in my head non-stop. lol Wrapping it up for the day, see you.

-Katylou