Don’t You Wish….

You had a job where your headset has become a permanent hair accessory? Convenient, Multi-Purpose, and Oh-So-Stylish!!

What I Wore:

Sweater: JCrew
Silk Camisole: JCrew
Necklace: AnnTaylor Loft
Skirt: AnnTaylor

Workout:
LiveFit Day #44. Today was a leg day. I love and dread leg days in equal measure. They are definitely my hardest area to tone and definitely need all the attention they can get. And I love the burn that accompanies a good leg workout. But man, do I hate doing it. I put on my  big-girl pants today and ventured downstairs to use the heavier weights. I tried to block out all of the intimidating body-builder types down there and just focus on what I had to do, and I think I did pretty well overall. I can already tell I’m going to be feeling it tomorrow! I probably could have gone a little heavier on the squats and added another riser for the step ups but all in all I think it was a good workout.

Eats:

Breakfast: a small bowl of overnight oats with raspberries and this slightly nasty green concoction!

1.5 cups of cold green tea
1/2 frozen banana
1 large handful raw kale
1/2 tsp of the greens blend
1 packet Stevia
Ice

 

I bought this SunWarrior Ormus SuperGreens Blend over the summer thinking it was going to be amazing in smoothies and green juices. Wrong. I really cant stand the taste which is very minty. I’ve been trying to use it by putting 1/2 tsp into my smoothies and its been okay but its obviously going to take a long time to get through the whole bag. I think my blend this morning just had too much green and not enough anything else to balance it out.

Lunch:
Kale with left over quinoa salad and salsa,  and a Cliff Kids Bar. When it came time for lunch I popped the entire container in the microwave to wilt the kale a little… So Good!

Dinner:

After a busy day at work I didn’t have the desire to cook anything, and while I really try to stay away from getting Whole Foods or delivery for dinner I do sometimes splurge and get my favorite tofu pita pockets from the natural foods store. These were thankfully much better than the last ones I had.

 

Its now time for some TV, reading and relaxing

In Review: Downton Abbey Episode #4

 

Well, I guess we all knew that somehow Downton wasn’t going to come through the war unscathed. However, two terrible tragedies in one week might be a little much. First there is the William/Daisy-wedding/funeral plot line, and then there is the Matthew/Mary/Lavinia –paralysis/breakup story line. On top of that there is Mary/Carlisle/Anna/Bates/Mrs. Bates and the Ethel/Major somebody/Mrs. Hughes scandals as well. Talk about drama overload!

My favorite is the Mary/Matthew plot, and it seems that Mary has now effectively backed herself into a corner where she has virtually guaranteed that she isn’t going to get what she really wants. In his post- injury, newly paralyzed state Matthew throws over Lavinia, and says he’s not fit to marry anyone. In spite of this, it definitely seems that Mary still has feeling for him. Side note, I never thought we would see Mary doing any sort of work, nursing or otherwise, and yet when Matthew was injured she couldn’t seem to do enough to help. Interestingly, this is something his mother also noticed. However, unfortunately, to save her reputation, the reputation of her family and the happiness of Bates and Anna, Mary has put herself into the debt of her Murdoch- esque fiancée-to-be to keep the now long past scandal from getting out. Did she make the right choice here? Should she have sacrificed happiness for her reputation? In 2012 we would probably be more likely to say no, but in 1919 (?), I think that it would have been a much harder choice. To further add to my dislike of Carlisle he published their engagement announcement without securing her approval first. It definitely seems as though he thinks he can control her now that he knows her secret and has successfully helped her avoid public scandal.

The William/Daisy story line is heartbreaking, I am so glad that Daisy found it possible to go through with the wedding even though she felt it was wrong. I have to say I didn’t want her to go through with it in the beginning, but in the end I was glad she did. In other news, the Sibyl and Branson story line continues to limp along. Really, the Russian Revolution and run away with me pleas in the same conversation?
This was definitely an emotional episode (and I’m not normally a sappy TV/movie viewer), however, I feel that the multiple plot lines and the necessary quick scene changes have resulted in a finished product that is too choppy. In this second season it also seems that some of the writing and story lines have become trite and obvious. I will still love the show and watch until there aren’t any more episodes (and probably re-watch them multiple times) but I think some of the magic of Season One has definitely disappeared.

See more Downton in this Vogue article. Edwardian beauty routines anyone?

Wacky Workout

I really think that there must be more than 52 Mondays in a year and way fewer than 52 weekends. Anyone else feel this way? When the alarm went off this morning at 5:15am as usual I really wanted to stay in bed. I had a hard time sleeping, I was exhausted, and I knew it was going to be really cold outside. I spent the next minute debating sleeping in another hour and a half, but then I had a flashback to my unfinished to do list from Friday and realized it would likely be a long day at work, making the possibility of an evening workout remote and unappealing and motivating me to get up and get moving.

Workout:

At the gym I was working on day # 42 of the LiveFit plan and this trainer (who I see daily) was working with a client next to me and tells me I look good and asked how many days a week I workout. I said 5-6 even though I usually do some sort of physical activity 7 days a week. I just didn’t want the lecture on resting my body at 5:30am. After digesting this information he proceeded to ask me how much weight I had lost. At first I was a little taken aback… I mean, who asks those questions outside of your doctor or personal trainer/nutritionist if absolutely necessary? Since I joined this gym in July I really don’t know how much weight I have lost, if any. I am more focused on being in good shape and all around toning/conditioning, and if I happen to lose a few pounds in the process it’s an added bonus, but not the main goal. I fumbled for a few seconds and then just told him the truth-that I wasn’t really tracking. He looked me up and down and proceeded to give me his estimate of my weight loss since he first noticed me at the gym… which by the way was completely off. I would definitely know if I had lost that much weight in 6 months. It was definitely an uncomfortable situation and left me feeling slightly off-kilter. Was it really his place to say anything? When I joined the gym he pestered me for weeks about personal training and he finally stopped after getting the message I wasn’t interested. Is this just a sales tactic or a false morale boosting technique or just idle curiosity? I don’t know but it was definitely weird.

What I Wore:

 

Wool Trousers: Banana Republic (The ones I just had hemmed!)
Blouse: JCrew Factory

Today was a fashion challenge. I knew I didn’t have any in-person meetings; it was cold out and would likely be a long day. Thus I wanted the maximum amount of comfort. I ended up with this waitress-y combination which I actually kind of hate but by the time I finally got this far I was running late for work and just decided to go with it. Oh, and after my success with Pssssst dry shampoo on Saturday I decided to give it a try on a work day as well. When I was walking back from the gym I realized it was super windy and decided to wear my hair back today. Once that decision was made I decided to try the dry shampoo route again, and I have to say, not too bad!

Eats:

Breakfast: Egg whites with Laughing Cow on toast, almond milk cappuccino and apricots. I always put paprika on my eggs because that’s how my Mom always made them when I was a kid and I absolutely love the spice.  

Lunch: Salad with quinoa, chickpea, Brussels sprout mix from last night, red pepper and tomatoes.

I try to cook a large batch of something on Sunday nights that will last a few days in the fridge and can easily be repurposed for lunches and dinners. Last night I cooked one cup of quinoa, and tossed it with a can of rinsed chickpeas, and sautéed sliced Brussels sprouts, garlic and yellow onion. I topped it with a dressing made from lemon juice, nutritional yeast, hummus, parsley, salt, pepper, paprika and H2O.

‘Veggie Smush’ at its finest and delicious as well as pretty healthy!

Snacks: Cliff Kids Bar and Tangelos

Dinner: ‘Veggie Sumsh’ at its finest: kale sautéed with tomatoes and bell pepper. I then threw in a ½ cup or so of my quinoa salad from last night and a serving of Trader Joe’s Meatless Meatballs. I topped it off with some kalamata olives, grated pecorino and salsa. Now that I type that out it actually sounds pretty gross… it was great though I swear!

 

I am going to someplace warm, sunny, tropical, and involving a bathing suit at the end of February so I want to try to be as dedicated to my workouts and healthy eating as possible before I go. Thus I am designating February to be a sweets/junky snack free month, with the exception of dessert on Valentine’s Day because that practically demands a decadent dessert. I am going to try to hold myself as accountable to this as possible because I would love to feel as confident as possible on the beach!! I also want to do this fun February challenge I saw on Pinterest today. I figure a few extra exercises a day can’t hurt, and this probably takes all of 5 minutes before hopping into bed.

Wearing…

I’m wearing black!

I wanted a dark color for my nails this week and I initially picked out Essie Devil's Advocate. 

 

When it came time to paint my nails the woman asked me if I wanted black. I told her I didn’t know, I just wanted something dark. She suggested that I try her favorite black. I said sure even though I was on the fence about black polish. She went and grabbed the polish of the shelf, and it was a brand I’d never seen before. I looked it up when I got home and its called  Fresh Cover, and it seems to be a UK brand.

 

I couldn’t find a picture of the black polish and I don’t know what it was called, but its super dark and I’m only wearing one coat. Never in a million years did I think I would wear black polish, but I have to say, I really, really like it!

Spring Fling

A week or so ago, I found this Pssst dry shampoo and I was very excited to see if it lived up to all the rave reviews I had heard. Well, yesterday I finally tried it out. I hadn't want to try it out when I had to go to work in the morning in case it was as bad as some of the other dry shampoos I have tried. I have to say, this is by far the best dry shampoo I have every used. It does not have a strange smell like may of them, nor does it leave a white sticky residue even after vigorous brushing. In the morning after I showered, I blow dried my hair to make sure it was all dry and spayed this in. After a few minutes I brushed it out and went on my way. Did my hair look or feel as good as it does after I wash it? No, but this took about a quarter of the styling time and was perfectly fine for a weekend day.



Since I blew of my LiveFit day # 41 leg workout yesterday in favor of the elliptical, after some breakfast I headed to the gym bright and early to get it done.



When hanging up my coat I spied a new gossip mag, so I hopped on the elliptical after I completed the leg workout to read through the magazine. I just cant resist gossip magazines!!



After getting ready and actually washing my hair (I don’t know if the magic of Pssssst would extend to 3 days…?) We went in search of a quick lunch and headed to the grocery store. We ate at SoomSoom, a new vegetarian falafel place near Trader Joe’s.



I forgot to snap a picture of my lunch but I had a green salad topped with veggies from the toppings bar and a serving of falafel. I’m not normally a falafel fan because fried things don't generally agree with my stomach, but these were not really that greasy - perhaps they were baked?

After braving the circus that is Trader Joe’s in Manhattan on a weekend we decided to cab it home rather than dealing with the bus. Normally we take the bus home from Trader Joe’s but today we were just too cold and the bags were really heavy so a cab definitely seemed like a reasonable splurge!



Flowers for the week! I absolutely love flowers, I think they bring so much life and warmth to a home and really if you get ones that aren't too expensive its definitely worth it to have something pretty that lasts almost all week. These are so cheerful and make me think of springtime!



In continuing with the springy theme, i am now perusing the JCrew Spring 2012 catalogue and trying to plan out the things I want to purchase/drool over. Some favorites….



In my opinion it is impossible to have too many pencil skirts, and yes, I have quite the collection! I am loving the cobalt as well as the coral color, I think they would be such versatile pieces!



Wedges! Love the coral suede! I am slowly becoming obsessed with leopard print and I think I will go back to CWonder soon and pick up the leopard calf hair belt I didn’t purchase yesterday. But patent leather leopard print…. I'm not sure if I'm a huge fan of that, but then again, it might grow on me.



I have been obsessed with these glitter spectator pumps since they first showed them in the catalogue this past fall. These are a bit pricy but I have a feeling I will cave if I convince myself that they are appropriate for the office…. Thoughts? I have no doubt that spectator pumps are considered totally appropriate but does the glitter take them over the top?



I just bought a tan everyday tote bag this past summer, but this one is absolutely gorgeous! And three times as expensive as the one I bought!



Love the multiple bracelet trend, unfortunately when you work on a computer all day its more annoying than anything but for the weekends and vacation I love some of these bangles.



I am in serious need of a great pair of white jeans… I have been looking for them for several years and I have yet to find a pair I love. This will be the year, I can feel it! One of my all time favorite looks is jeans with a blazer and a great shoe. I love this look with the bright blue blazer its so pulled together and chic without looking too forced.



JCrew Super 120s Suiting- Can never, ever have enough of this! I think this is the year to upgrade my navy suit which was purchased two years ago in a huge rush for a funeral and has never fit right and is a very odd shade of blue…

Any spring fashion favorites?