ZUMBA!!!

Yesterday I took my very first Zumba class. I have to admit, I felt a little embarrassed and awkward stepping into the class. I was never the girl dancing in the middle of the circle at high school dances. I was the girl making the circle, clapping in time to the music chanting "GO INSERTNAMEHERE!! GO INSERTNAMEHERE!!"

However, I let that insecurity go when I saw that I was not the only gal in the room who lacked body rhythm. The experience actually brought me back to elementary school when each grade level put on a dance skit for the Founder's Day show at the local middle school. It freaked me out back then to learn a simple dance routine but I still remembered the basic "shuffle-lefts" and "travel-ups." But letting loose with the hips was something I was never good at. I'd like to blame that on a chronic bad back, but it has never been in me shake my butt, wiggle my hips or pelvic thrust.

On the whole the class was really fun. It really mixes up the workout. Plus being crammed into a 20' x 40' room with 50+ other people (mostly women) had me checking out all the bodacious bods of the Zumba vets and made me really want to give it 100%. If these women got their bodies by doing Zumba, then I am all in! It also played into my competitive nature. When I saw the Zumba vets hustle, I wanted to hustle. When I saw their perfect dance posture, I wanted to have perfect dance posture (and this one is really important because keeping that elevated and elongated posture give the abs and core a real workout!) When the chicks with the bionic booties started shaking it, I WANTED TO SHAKE IT!

Also being a lover of music I was completely engaged for the duration of the hour in the mix of current popular dance hits, Latin beats, and world music.

All in all, it was a pretty cool class. I am definitely going back and getting there early. I had no idea how many gym rats would be into Zumba. It took me 10 minutes to find a parking spot and once I saw the crowd, I contemplated ditching the class altogether. But I am totally glad I stayed. I have been seriously slacking on the gym (but consequently really being vigilant about limiting my calories - so I still see results on the scale each morning.) I think this Zumba class is just the thing to get me remotivated!

Yep, every two months is about right...

Hello again. I can't believe I have even more readers. I don't deserve you. Really, I don't.

BUT ALL THAT'S ABOUT TO CHANGE!

I watch a professional Youtuber named Shay Butler. He presented himself with a challenge. On his 29th birthday he wanted to do something he considered epic. He decided he would post a vlog (video log) on youtube everyday for the last year of his twenties. Shay completed his year long challenge and is now a top 100 Youtuber (his channels hold the number 42 and 47 spot on the most subscribed to users on Youtube) and is living an incredible life because of his self-imposed challenge.

I've always liked challenges...

I am going to challenge myself. Recently, I have been losing weight. I am about a month in and have lost 10lbs. This has been a slow process. I hope to have another 10lbs gone by mid August. But if there is something I have learned about weight loss is that it is a marathon and not a sprint. It's been hard coming to that conclusion, but it is the reality.

So I figure I will start out slow, just like the weight loss. It's been a long month, and the numbers on the scale seem to take two steps forward and one step back on a daily basis. I realize my challenge in blogging may take two steps forward and one step back, but at least it will be progress.

Here is my first blogging challenge. Blog once a week for a month. That's it. It could be more (like the pounds on the scale) but it can't be less. And the blog can be able whatever I want. No pressure will be on the subject. Most of the stuff that interests me is girly anyway, so it should still be relevant to the title of this blog.

You can do it Ashley; I know you can.

Oh and by the way, this entry doesn't count.

:-)

See, the thing is...

...that I am a perfectionist. I tend not to attempt things if I don't think I can give it 110%.

Like this blog, for instance. I think all the time to myself in my everyday life, "this should be a blog post" or "you should upload these pictures to flickr and write a blog entry about it." But then I fall back to that perfectionist mentality and decide to skip it.

I am pretty proud of the blog entries I have so far. I would like to add more entries of which to be proud.

1.) Stop avoiding posting to this blog because you think you won't live up to your own idea of perfection. Who would read a blog that only receives update once every two months?

2.) This isn't War and Peace or Homer's Iliad. Keep your updates concise and to the point. Post shorter blogs more frequently, if necessary.

3.) This blog is primarily for your own enjoyment. You do not supplement your income with this blog nor are you being policed by readers or your 11th grade AP English teacher. Just write. For fun.

That is all. Don't think, just do.

...but it's OK to think while you do...

Man I Love Finding A Deal

Saturday kicked my butt. Badly.

Sunday wasn't as bad, but still busy. I did manage to get a manicure in, but no picture.

Instead I will share with you what I did get:

Yeesh, bad lighting. I know better than to trust my point and shoot's auto mode. This is a little haul from the Ross right next to my gym. I can't believe the steals in beauty products you can get. I got two sets of Color Club polishes. The top set is the Electro Candy collection. The colors are insanely bright. Some flat neons and some with a beautiful shimmer. I will definitely have to swatch these.

The bottom set is from the Rebel Debutante collection. Soft cremes, no shimmer to be seen in the bottles. Nothing terribly exciting, but I ask you, could YOU pass up SIX bottles of polish for $7.99? See, I knew you couldn't.

Oddly enough (or maybe I'm just a n00b) but the bottles that came in the packaged set do not have labels on the bottom of each bottom with names. Kind of lame, but in no way a deal breaker. When I post swatch pics, I will label each one.

Lastly, I was able to find a Nailtek set which included a bottle of Nailtek II, for soft peeling nails, a bottle of Speed 10 polish drying drops, and a bottle of hand cream. I have used Nailtek products in the past with great results. So for $8.99 for all three products, I knew I had found another steal. However, some of the claims on the back of the products are amazing claims. We'll see if the stand up to their promises.

Not pictured, but equally as exciting, I bought a bottle of CHI Enviroflex Hairspray for $7.99. The bottle was dented and didn't have a cap, but I would have done those things to the bottle myself anyway. About a $5 savings.

I have also been using L'oreal's Sulfate Free hair care system for a while. I like the results I get, but I also get restless. Plus, per ounce, it get's quite expensive. The cheapest place I can find this stuff is my local Bed, Bath and Beyond for $5.99 for a 8.5 ounce bottle.

While at Ross I found some Big, Sexy Hair products. I am familiar with the brand, and have used the hairspray, but was never impressed. Lately I have been on a more "natural product" kick, which prompted my switch in haircare to sulfate-free products. I decided to skip out on the Big, Sexy Hair products, but decided to give Healthy, Sexy Hair a try. Though it isn't sulfate-free, it's claims are what I want, "Smooths hair cuticle and detangles. Helps prevent damage and enhance shine. Preserves color." Seems achievable. I was able to get a 33.8 ounce bottle for $9.99 - again $5 cheaper than prices listed online.

L'oreal Sulfate-free shampoo: 71 cents/ounce

Healthy, Sexy Hair: 30 cents/ounce

Like I said, I love finding a deal. :-)

Projects Keeping Me Busy

Time for an update in my hobbies. Picture time!

I bought a camera. The Nikon D5000. I did a lot of soul searching on this camera. I've been wanting a DSLR camera for quite some time and I always thought I would buy a Canon when the time came. But after tons of online reviews, I just felt like this was the best bang for the buck. And with a closeout price at Sears, it pushed me over the edge. I still have a lot of playing around to do with the camera (I even bought a Nikon D5000 for Dummies book) but these two have been my best test subjects:

Elphie!

Georgie!

And these shots are as good as my amateur abilities allow me. Once I get through that book, I hope I can use a lot more of the features.

Onto obsession number two: Spinning.

BFL on my Ashford drop spindle

Skeined on a cookie sheet (I now own a Niddy Noddy)

Dyeing with Neon Purple Food Coloring

Drying

And KNITTED!!! (But not blocked)

I took a drop spindle class at Alamitos Bay Yarn Company, the LYS by my alma mater, CSULB. I would have been happy keeping my very first handspun in a neat little hank or center-pull ball forever, but my instructor, Angie, says that you should knit everything you spin (short of spinning commercially, like she does.) And so I knit it. A little lace sample of what I produced.

But drop spindling is what I would call a "gateway drug" in the world of fiber. Once I spun with a spindle, I knew I wanted more. And so I signed up for the spinning with a wheel class. Here is a sample of a single I produced:

A dyed gray merino top, 2 ounces. I am currently in the middle of plying this. Stay tuned for more.

Endeavor number three: a vegetable garden.

My Container Vegetable Garden

Each square container is 18 inches. I purchased seedlings from Lowes. One of each: Roma tomato, red bell pepper, zucchini, cucumber, and one strawberry plant. I love the idea of starting a vegetable garden. When I was a girl, I had a Molly doll from the original American Girl's Collection. Molly grew up in the World War II era, and I remember reading stories of her victory garden she kept with her mother. Times were tough then and they are nearly as tough now. My family regularly searches our local 99 cents only stores for produce. It's funny, but when times were better, we could get top quality produce for a buck. Now that the economy has gotten worse, so has the produce selection. Tomatoes, cucumbers, and zucchini are the vegetables my family eats the most. I thought I'd give growing them myself a go. The total startup cost for this project was just under $70. My family spends far more than that in a season's worth of vegetables. Hopefully I can call this undertaking a "victory garden" one day.

Strawberry Plant

Cucumber and Zucchini

Red Bell Pepper and Roma Tomato

And just to round things out, here is what I currently have on my needles:

Lava (Ravelry Link)

Aquaphobia Socks (Ravelry Link)

If you're interested in how these projects turn out, follow the Ravelry link. Otherwise, I may post FO pictures when I get these babies off the needles.

And finally for my lacquerheads, I will post a new manicure tomorrow after I handle my chores. I've got some heavy duty things to do and I don't want to risk screwing up a manicure.

Until tomorrow!

A Blog FAR Better Than Mine To Follow

Hey guys. I've been snapping up pictures of things I have been doing to keep me busy. I have been blessed with steady work (for now) and find projects to work on in my down time. I have joined a gym :-) and now that I have a more regular schedule, I should have time to really concentrate on losing a lot of my college weight.

But I have still neglected to post regular updates about my life and hobbies. I will return shortly with news of my doings. Promise!

In the mean time, I would like to tell you about a blog that I enjoy reading as much as she enjoys writing. Anita at A Splash of Serendipity writes a nail blog. And she does it with admirable regularity (unlike someone we all know (coughAshleycough.)

Anita somehow manages to keep up with all the latest collection (a hobby I attempted that just about broke me :-/) , trends and treatment, and posts pictures for all to see. Now, I suppose you could go an any nail blog and see swatch pictures, or even directly to the company's website to see swatches. What makes a nail blog special is the care, attention, and personality the write puts into each and every entry. Come for the swatches, stay for the content!

Aside from simply plugging this amazing blogger, I speak of her for another reason. Owing it to her own merit, Anita has earned over 100 followers on her blog and is hosting a giveaway: the entire Katy Perry Collection, by OPI including the lemming Black Shatter Polish. PLEASE check out this giveaway here.

Now I can tell you that if you are a polish hoarder, like myself, you should enter this giveaway if only to win Black Shatter. I stalked my local Sally Beauty Supply for the Ching Glaze Crackle polishes for WEEKS, only to spontaneously show up in the store one day to find they had just been delivered, still in the shipping box. Was the salesperson happy I made her open the newly delivered? No. Did I care she was put out? No - because after weeks of stalking I really felt I deserved them. Did I feel bad for the other people awaiting the arrival of the polish because I had them purchase exactly one half of their entire shipment of this polish? Only a little bit...I really did feel entitled to these. I had missed so many collections delivered to Sally's in the past, I just knew I deserved this one, LOL!

But after knowing how tough it was to get a hold of special crackle polish, I am telling you reader that if you love polish, you would be a fool to not at least leave a comment on the giveaway post. Who could regret having a free bottle of Black Shattered polish delivered to your door?

That is all for now dear reader, but I also leave you with this. Another nail blogger I followed just came out - she is a knitter.

I Think I've Found My Mojo

After bugging the snot out of the ladies as Sally Beauty Supply, I finally got them before they even hit the shelf:


China Glaze Crackle Collection
From left to right: Fault Line, Crushed Candy, Black Mesh, Broken Hearted, Lighting Bolt, Cracked Concrete


I haven't posted any nail related content for a cool minute on this blog but when I got these I couldn't resist and immediate rockin' mani:


China Glaze Crackle Cracked Concrete over Nubar's Lavender

I am so excited about these polishes. I had a crackle polish when I was in the 7th grade. I thought it was spectacular then as I think these are spectacular now. It has been a long while since these type of polishes have been around. And now it seems like when one polish company releases a new collection, every other polish company must duplicate the flavor of the week. Whereas OPI released a single shattered polish, CG released 6 of them. And for $4.99 with my Sally's Card, I had no problem skipping out on OPI's retail $8.99 price tag.

Expect more NOTD posts with these polishes. I'm getting my groove back!