Wordless Wednesday: Outfit of the Day & New Boots!

Wordless Wednesday: Sick Day

Makeover Monday: A New Me!

See this smile on my face?  It's not there anymore.  This was before I started the Insanity workout.  I'm pretty sure my results are crap, but I'm going to post them anyway.  That way I can come back here and compare every now and then.

Switch Kick - 67
Power Jack - 50
Power Knee - 86
Power Jump - 30
Power Squat - 8
S*icides - 13
Push Up Jacks - 15
Agility - 22

Since my birthday was last week, I decided I had better start taking care of myself for real.  I'm not getting any younger, after all.  And lately I've heard these commercials on the radio that say "If you're thinking about having a baby in the future, you need to start preparing your body now..." Thank you, wake up call!

I usually do OK with the workout portion, but I really struggle with the eating right part of being healthy.  I have an insatiable sweet tooth.  I seriously eat something sweet after almost every meal.  And sometimes dessert *is* dinner!  So I'm going to be spending much more time on Pinterest checking out all the sites and blogs where they take something delicious and fattening and turn it into something much less horrible for you.  Hey - anything to spend more time on Pinterest!

What have you done to take better care of yourself?  What are some of your go-to recipes?  Please share!

*SJ*

Weekend Review: Party Time

This weekend we celebrated the birthday of one of my dear friends.  Lemme tell ya, this girl knows how to party!  Here's a pic of me in my outfit for the evening.  I picked this dress because it is Ashley's favorite.

And check us out here.  Between the two of us, we could open a dimple factory!  Or at least a teeth whitening business!

Although exhausting, this weekend was a great one.  I got to spend time with friends, meet new people, and eat some good food.  My Wolverines barely squeaked out a victory last night, and the Cowboys won this afternoon.  I hope your weekend was enjoyable.  Here's to another week!

*SJ*

Just For Fun

This is my homage to all of the "Keep Calm and..." slogans that are popping up everywhere.  Unfortunately, I can't take credit for creating this.  Although it speaks my mind perfectly, it actually came from the website www.keepcalmandcarryon.com which of course I found through Pinterest.

On this website, you create whatever "Keep Calm..." slogan you like.  Then you can print it on T-shirts, coffee mugs, iPhone cases...pretty much anything you can imagine!

I would love to get this framed as a poster and hang it in my room.  Maybe I should hang it in my closet right above where I store my cowboy boots.  The possibilities for these signs are endless.  Be sure to check out their website and support this fun company!

*SJ*

Thirsty Thursday: Starbucks Passion Tea Lemonade

Sunday is the first day of Fall.  It's been cooler around here for the past few days, and I'm definitely ready for sweater weather.  So, to bid farewell to Summer, today's Thirsty Thursday is one of my favorite summertime drinks - Passion Tea Lemonade from Starbucks.

I'm gonna go ahead and tell you, I have acclimated very well to the South's way of thinking that "there's no such thing as too-sweet tea!"  When you order this from Starbucks, you can choose sweet or unsweet, but I always go for sweet.  Oh, and I found this recipe right on the Starbucks site, so yours should taste the same as in-store (hopefully).

Starbucks Tazo (R) Iced Passion (R) Tea Lemonade

5 pumps Fontana(R) Classic Syrup

12 oz Tazo (R) Passion(R) Iced Tea

6 oz Lemonade

Ice

1. Add syrup to the cup

2. Add iced tea and lemonade

3. Stir

4. Fill cup with ice

I hope you will join me in raising a glass to salute the end of Summer.  Welcome Fall!!

*SJ*

Two Minute Tuesday

"God's vision for YOU is bigger, brighter, and better than anything you can envision for yourself.  Every day He wants to move YOU closer to that image He has for YOU."

Such eye-opening words spoken by my pastor, Dr. Brandon Thomas at Keystone Church in Keller.

Another Trip Around the Sun

I just got home from my birthday dinner.  My sister made my favorite - taco salad, and lemon cake by special request.  Best gift of the evening goes to my niece, Zoe, who is 7.  

Check out this adorable birthday card she made me.  Simple message, and one *I* forget all too often.  Meant so much to see it in her handwriting, though.

BTW, in case you were wondering what on earth is going on in the picture to the right: my sister is always giving me clothes and shoes that she doesn't wear anymore.  Pretty great sister, huh?  Well, she had a basket for me today, and the girls were walking around in the shoes - wearing their jammies, of course.  Zoe decided they needed to sit on the ottoman and fan themselves like "fancy ladies" so that is what is happening there.

These kids crack me up!  I am truly so fortunate to have them in my life.  I love watching them grow up into little people with personalities and ideas.  This was a great birthday, and I think this might be the Year of the Princess!

*SJ*

For Sarah Jane, On the Eve of Her 34th Year

Good Heavens, Girl!

What a year it has been!  You've seen unimaginable heartbreak, experienced anger, loss, and overwhelming acceptance.  365 days ago, you were on your way to Happily Ever After.  How could you have possibly known the year you would have?

It's been hard.  There have been tears - A LOT of tears.  But you're sitting here today, and you're a more whole person than you've been in a long time.  Maybe ever.  So many people are proud of you.  *I* am proud of you.  Here are a few reasons why:

*You are faithfully attending and involved in church
*You've lived on your own for almost a year
*You are learning who you are, and you really LOVE that girl
*You are surrounding yourself with people who are good for you
*You know your worth - and demand it
*You are stronger than anyone gave you credit for
*You haven't let the hard times get you down.  Instead, you have found true joy by realizing that not every experience has to be a 'happy' one to be a 'good' one.

Sarah Jane, I am excited and terrified for what this year has in store.  Each day is a fresh start.  A new chance to do great things and be great.  You have a great God to help you.  Look to Him, learn from Him.  Use the godly women He has placed in your life to help you.  YOU ARE HIS.

A few more reminders:
~~"The Lord will guarantee a blessing on everything you do and will fill your storehouses with grain.  The Lord your God will bless you in the land He is giving you." --Deuteronomy 28:8

~~"I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning." --J.B. Priestly

~~"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do.  So throw off the bowlines.  Sail away from the safe harbor.  Catch the trade winds in your sails.  Explore. Dream. Discover." --attributed to Mark Twain

~~"We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps." --Proverbs 16:9

~~"Ever tried? Ever failed? No matter.  Try again.  Fail again.  Fail better." --Samuel Beckett

Don't forget to be good to yourself.  Be good to others.  Be great.  Be brave.  Happy Birthday, Princess.

*SJ*

Things I'm Loving Right Now

Tonight I am catching up on emails, listening to music, and contemplating life.  OK, not really that last one so much.  I am catching up on emails and listening to music, though.  I have been gone since Saturday afternoon, spending time with my Someone Special.  As soon as I came home after work today, I thought "Wow, I'm so glad I cleaned before I left.  It's so nice to come home and everything is already in order."  That thought is what prompted tonight's post.

So here are a few things I am loving right now:

1. That I got a HUGE discount on gas tonight at Kroger.  $2.99 a gallon : )
2. Scentsy - I was doing really well toward to the end of last year, then I pretty much stopped once I moved.  I am getting ready to gear up again for Spring, and I'm very excited.
3. Staying in and relaxing; those who know me realize this is very out of character for me!
4. That it's Girl Scout Cookie Time!  My niece, Zoe, is the cutest little salesperson ever!
5. WINE!  As I have mentioned before, my new adult beverage of choice is Moscato.
6. Texas Country Music - probably goes without saying
7. My church; I have been attending an amazing church here locally for about 3.5 months now.  I am meeting new people, making friends, and even work in the Baby Suite every week.
8. Being independant - believe me, I never thought I'd say that!
9. Cracking open a fresh day planner, with every week full of possibilities and promise
10. Spending time with the Mister - once again, everything is full of possibilities and promise at this point.  I haven't been this happy or excited in a long time.

So there you have it.  A few of my favorite things, in no particular order.

*SJ*

Thirsty Thursday: Wine of the Moment

It feels like a good evening to sit back and relax with a good book and a glass of wine.  It's a little chilly outside, but the rain has finally stopped after two days.  It's quiet in the house, and I have nowhere else to be.

I haven't darkened the doors of a bar in almost two weeks.  That shouldn't be a big deal, but it is.  I am taking an unintended hiatus from my bartending gig, and haven't felt much like hanging out in a smoky room lately.  Instead, I have been spending a lot of time at home: reading, watching movies, catching up on blogging and sending exciting, hopeful little text messages to a special someone.

To celebrate the end of another busy, stressful day, I propose a toast.  I've been drinking a lot of wine lately. I'm not trying to be fancy; I just get too fat when I drink beer!  My wine of choice is always a white.  Sometimes a Riesling, but lately I favor a Moscato.  I tried a new brand on New Year's Eve - Barefoot Wine & Bubbly - and really enjoyed it.  I have since bought more, and we go through it pretty quickly each time!

It's hard for me to find a wine I truly enjoy, and therefore I don't show loyalty to any one particular brand.  This one is different, however, as we tried three varieties on NYE and enjoyed each one.  While I many venture out and try others, I am confident this will be my new "go to" wine.  The Spumante is perfect for a special celebration, the Red Moscato a compliment to many meat dishes, and the Moscato pairs perfectly with Thirsty Thursday.  Cheers!

Photo Courtesy of Pinterest

*SJ*

Lazy Saturday

I woke up this morning with grand ideas of running errands and getting housework done.  Now almost 11pm, I haven't done a single load of laundry and there's still no food in the house.  What I did accomplish today was spending money! I bought a pair of boots I've had my eye on but didn't need.  I also dropped off my guitar to be repaired by the good people at Guitar Center.

The only other thing I've done today was lay around and read.  I've decided I kinda like not being pulled in 15 different directions at once.  The last couple of months I have been constantly on the go, not stopping long enough to think or feel or be sad. I feel like I am finally in control of my life, and to celebrate I did exactly what I wanted - absolutely nothing!

I don't plan to be lazy every weekend, but just this once it was nice.  And now...my new boots!

Finally Friday

It's Friday at last! It has been an exhausting week.  The last few days have tried my patience, made me want to cry, made me so happy I couldn't stop smiling, left me worried, anxious, and frustrated.  And sometimes I felt all of those emotions in the same day!

After all that emotion, the last thing I wanted to do was go spend time in a bar or at a party somewhere. Crazy, as that is how I spend a typical Friday night.  Instead, I opted for one of my favorite places in my home: my reading nook. Just me, a cup of cider, and Little Women. A great way to unwind and reflect on the first four days of what promises to be an eventful year!

New Year's Check In

Name: Sarah Jane
Age: 33 1/3 (well, I will be in 15 days)
Height: 5' 1.75" (not likely to get any taller at this point)
Weight: EEK! 127.8 lbs
Occupation: Banker, Bartender, Country Music Rock Star
Listening to: Texas Country Radio Station on Pandora
Favorite Part of 2012: that it's over!

Some highlights from the past year

• Moving out on my own for the first time ever - good, bad, and super scary!
• Working at a job that I enjoy, and getting to meet some really amazing people
• Deciding to finally follow my dream of pursuing music
• Discovering that life with Jesus is better than life without Him

Goals for 2013

• Be better to myself - eat right, get healthy
• Follow through on my committments
• Learn to really play the guitar
• Do something every day to further my music career
• Stay in touch better - with friends and family
• TRAVEL!

*SJ*

Have You Tried This Scentsy Trick Yet?

Hello blog world!

I'm not sure I've mentioned it here, but a while back I signed up as a Scentsy consultant.  Yep, I decided I didn't have the time or the money to make my own candles anymore, and decided to start selling someone else's.

But Scentsy is not just "someone else."  They are a great company that I have actually had a little bit of history with for a while now.  A few years ago a friend of mine signed up as a consultant, and last year I followed suit.  For more history on Scentsy, visit my website www.MyScentsOfStyle.scentsy.us

Now on to my tip of the day!  Depending on who you ask, there are lots of ways to remove used wax from a Scentsy warmer.  And because the wax doesn't get hot enough to burn, there will be wax left over after the scent is all gone.  My customary method for removing wax is to dump it while it is still warm, then wipe the dish out with a paper towel.  I'm told you can also freeze the dish and the wax will pop out, but I have not had success with that method.

Recently, I saw another reader's tip for removing the used wax.  While the wax is cold, she takes a butter knife (you can use any dull, slightly pointed object - even a spoon) and inserts it into the center of the wax.  Twisting gently, pull the cold wax out of the warmer dish.  I tried it today and  IT WORKS!

See how easy that is!  And here's what the dish looked like when I was done, 4 seconds later:

Obviously if you were changing the scent you would want to still wipe that teeny tiny spot that was left behind.  My scent stayed the same, so I didn't mind.  But isn't that SO much easier than dumping out hot wax, then wiping the rest away?  If you haven't tried it my way, just take my word for it - it is.

OK, now...what other easy tips have I not tried yet?  If you ask Jeremy (and please, don't) I'm not exactly a Domestic Goddess.  I'm sure there are much easier ways to do most of the things I do everyday.  So please...help a girl out!

*SJ*

Cheers!

I am so excited about the changes taking place in my life right now.  I am in a really great place with a man who is the Love of my Life.  I am about to start a fantastic job.  I'm getting my life in order and for *once* don't have to struggle to make ends meet.

I'm so pleased that I came home tonight and had a champagne cocktail, whipped together by none other than Prince Charming himself.  (For some reason, the pic is posting wrong.  I'll attempt to fix it, but for now it just looks like I'm drunk posting!)

Cheers!  What's going right in your life right now?  Let's celebrate together!

*SJ*

OK, For Real This Time

How many times have I said this...three? Four? "I am going to start blogging again."

But I mean it this time. No, really! And to that end, here is a little about me, and where I'm at right now in my life.

Name: Sarah Jane
Age: 32 years, 7 months
Occupation: Restaurant General Manager
Hobbies: singing, learning to play the fiddle, writing, fitness
Relationship Status: happy committed to the Love of My Life
Favorite part of my week: Tuesday morning coffee dates

More updates to come soon!

*SJ*

Here We Go Again

Well, this blog has obviously been neglected lately. I was updating a different blog for a while, but things got hectic with my new career and both blogs fell by the wayside.

I feel like I'm in a pretty good place now, career-wise and personally. This past summer was very difficult for me. I'm glad to put that all behind me, though, and make a fresh start this Fall.

This time of year, I get very reminiscent. I think of apple orchards and pumpkin pie. Fall always makes me a little homesick. Even though there is very little back in Detroit for me to go back to, I still consider it home. It is still the place where most of my memories were formed.

This is also the time of year I start gearing up for NaNoWriMo. National Novel Writing Month is November, and I fully intend to win this year by starting and finishing a 50,000 word novel during the month.

To train my brain and stretch my writing muscles, I'll be updating this blog more regularly. My goal is to write something every day. I need to come up with a genre, decide on the story I want to write, and come up with some kind of an outline. Text messages don't count, unless I can find a way to work them into the plot. ; )

I'll be sure to keep you (and this blog) updated!

*SJ*

Word Count: 238

Small Make Up Haul

I've been watching a TON of nail videos on YouTube lately, and I had no idea there were such cool trends out there. Big trends right now are stamping (also called Konad, which I'm pretty sure is the brand that started the trend), crackle, and the ombre mani.

I am so adventurous that the only manicure I've had for the last 10 years is a French mani! I spend WAY too much money every few weeks to have my nails done at the salon. Granted, sometimes they do different colors on the tips, but nothing so bold as what I've found online.

Since I had planned to stop by Sally Beauty the other day, I thought I'd check out the nail polish aisle. Lucky for me, they were having a sale on nail polish - buy 2, get 1 free. I chose 3 colors by Finger Paints, a favorite of some of the gurus. They have really fun colors, and the names of each go along with the "finger paint" title. The colors I got are "Art You Blue?" "Tapestry in Taupe" and "Easel Come, Easel Go!"

I also bought the obligatory bottle of Seche Vite, a quick dry/top coat. It's the one that's recommended by all the gurus. It's not cheap, but hopefully worth the splurge. My bottle was $5.99, on sale from $7.99. While I was there, I picked up a new set of toe separators, a 4-way buffer (I couldn't find a regular size, so hopefully the mini will work), and a huge cuticle stick.

Non-nail supplies I bought were the mineral eye shadow and the makeup sponges. The eye shadow shade is called "downtown brown" and it's by femme couture, which I think is the Sally brand. I don't actually use the red sponges as makeup sponges. They are slightly rough-textured on one side, so I use them to wash my face. I replace them at the first of each month, so I was due for a new pack. They're less expensive than at Wal-Mart even, at $2.99 for a 5 pack of sponges.

I'm excited to try out my new nail colors. I'm hoping I'll be able to save some money by doing my manicures/pedicures myself instead of paying someone to do them every few weeks. What makeup and nail trends are you seeing now?

*SJ*

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Free Stuff!

I just love to get stuff in the mail that isn't bills. I don't do a lot of shopping online, so I was pleasantly surprised a few days ago when this sample set arrived in my mailbox. I had taken a survey online a while back on target.com in order to have this sent to me. Here's what's in the kit:

• Revlon Colorburst Lip Gloss in "Hot Pink"


• Fekkai Shea Butter Moisturizing Shampoo and Conditioner


• Pantene Color Preserve Shine Shampoo


• Nivea Express Hydration Daily Lotion


• Neutrogena naturals Lip Balm


• a really cute Sonia Kashuk makeup bag

So far, the only thing I've tried is the Neutrogena lip balm and the Nivea lotion. The lip balm is a little greasy, but I actually like it a lot. It is somewhat reminiscent of Burt's Bees, without the minty flavor. Burt's Bees, by the way, is my Holy Grail lip balm. I have a couple of tubes in use at all times. I like that it's a natural product, plus I really do love the flavor.

The Nivea Express Hydration Daily Lotion is probably fine, as far as lotions go. I have extremely dry skin, and have patches of eczema on my hands and legs. It takes a lot for a lotion to really "WOW" me, and this one is just average to me.

One other thing that came in the beauty kit was a huge pack of coupons. According to the label, there are $25 worth of savings included. Everything from hair color to shampoo to cosmetics is included. I'm looking forward to trying some new products with the coupons inside.

What new cosmetics have you tried recently? Do you have any old favorites I should try? I'm always open to suggestions - please share!

*SJ*

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