Paddleboard 101

A week or so ago a friend of mine emailed a bunch of us about trying out a paddleboard class so I decided why not.  I've seen it done before and thought it looked fun.  It was easier than expected to stay balanced on the board and not fall in (my one goal of the day), but it was more of a workout than I expected it to be.  My arms/shoulders were a little sore the next day.

I have a new favorite activity.  Our instructor was fantastic.  If you are in the Knoxville area I highly recommend Billy Lush Paddle Sports.  They even have fitness and yoga classes on the boards.  I can't wait for it to warm up so I can try a paddle fit class....I have a feeling I might fall in so the water needs to not be as chilly.  

Unfortunately boards are over $1,000 so I think I will stick to renting for now.

Friday Confessional

I confess...
"My healthy eating and exercising will start tomorrow"-Is what I tell myself everyday.

I confess...
I still haven't unpacked from the trip we didn't go on last weekend (see here).

I confess...
I'm really trying to make myself like Greek yogurt.  I can handle it as a cooking substitute, but I just can't eat it on it's own.

I confess...
I don't mind this little ice storm that came through town and caused most of the city to cancel work for the day.  Sweatpants and spending the day on the couch is much better than working.  It would have taken me a while to chisel my way into the car...

Erin Condren Planner

The best part about 2013 starting is getting to use my new planner.  

I've heard of the Erin Condren planners for a while, but I've been way too cheap to drop $50 on a planner.  Then I found out that if you order certain planners, the company donates 50% back to the charity of your choice.  After 7+ months of lusting over this planner I splurged since I was really only paying $25 for the planner and the other $25 was a donation.

Almost a month in and I'm still loving it. The pop of color is a bright spot to my day and the fun quotes are nice as well.  It even comes with stickers for important dates (birthdays, anniversaries, etc).  My planner even came with a code for $10 off my next purchase.  Notecards could soon be in my future.  Happy planning!

I should have been at the beach...

...but instead Mother Nature had other ideas for our weekend plans.  Naturally the only bad weather we have had all year came the Thursday we were supposed to head out of town.

I had been looking forward to a short week so I decided to go ahead and take Friday off as planned.  I slept in and treated myself to a spa manicure since the cold weather has made my hands so dry.

We were pretty lazy all weekend, only venturing out Saturday night to see "Gangster Squad" with some friends.  I really enjoyed the movie and the eye candy wasn't terrible either.  I also loved Emma Stone's wardrobe in the movie.

I could really get used to 4 day work weeks and 3 day weekends.

Pinterest Wins and Losses

I've had a lot of success with Pinterest recipes.  I recently started to try a few of the other DIY things Pinterest has to offer.  So far I've only been halfway successful in my tries...

Sugar Scrub

LOVE this.  My legs are super soft after using it.  I used canola oil instead of olive oil since it's much cheaper.  The only downside is having to clean the tub immediately after so the next person doesn't slip when they get in.  I was able to easily clean the tub with this other Pinterest find....

Dawn/Vinegar Cleaner

If you don't have the time to let the cleaner sit, it still works well.  An easy and fairly cheap alternative to other cleaners.

DIY Wallflower
I did this but instead of dumping the original contents, I just used the essential oil & water after the wallflower scent was all used up.

But I wasn't so lucky with these pins.  Maybe I did these wrong because it looks like other people had success, unfortunately I was not one of them,...

Pan Cleaner

I didn't take a before and after because I wanted to do one of those cool half and half pictures like the original poster.  There is no visible difference even after multiple soaks and attempts.

Broken Makeup Fix
My beloved NARS blush had gotten to the point where there was just a little product around the edges of the compact and it was hard to get on the brush.  I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to try this fix.  I used a toothpick to crumble all the blush, then used the alcohol and let it sit.  It looked a little weird, but I used it anyways and I looked like a clown.  My blush was now hot pink.  It could partly be due to the fact that it was a shimmer blush, but I'm not sure.  I had to break down and get a new blush, but I kept the old one so I could show the difference between the two.

New NARS on top, "fixed" NARS on the bottom.

 

New NARS on top, "fixed" NARS on the bottom.  

I also tried this with some eyeshadow and ended with a crumbly mess....

                             

Curl's Best Friend-Not Your Mother's Kinky Moves Curl Defining Hair Cream

One of the most frustrating things about curly hair is finding a product that works well.  I've bought a lot of products over the years that I've thrown out after a few uses.  Anytime I meet someone with curly hair one of my first questions to them is what products they use and how they style their hair.  

I'm glad my VoxBox included a free sample of Not Your Mother's Kinky Moves Curl Defining Hair Cream.  It was not a one time use sample, so I've actually been able to use it more than once to find out if it's for me or not.  I had never heard of the brand before, but I've been impressed with their line so far.

The product is infused with grape seed and jasmine so it smells fantastic.  I put it in my hair when it's wet and when it dries I have soft curls.  It doesn't leave my hair sticky or stiff like some other products.  I just bought the full size version and decided to try out their Rise and Shine shine mist too (I'll report on that after a few uses.

It's a perfect winter hair product.  I'm not sure how my hair will hold up in the southern humidity with this product, but until then I've got a new favorite for now.

My hair with Kinky Moves...

Out and About in Knoxville

This weekend one of my best friends from college came to visit with her boyfriend.  My parents also came up so we had a full house for a game weekend which I LOVE!  We had a blast tailgating and catching up.  Unfortunately the game didn't turn out the way we wanted it to, but 4 OTs made for an exciting game.  

Go Vols!

After all the guests headed home I headed downtown for the Buddy's Race Against Cancer in support of my co-worker Michael (pictured right) and his team Michael's Warriors.  The viking helmets were quit a hit.  I tried to be extra festive with the braids.

After the Buddy's Race I sped home to shower and headed across town for a painting date with the ladies.  Wine, Christmas, crafts and girl time=solid evening.

Needless to say I was not thrilled when the weekend ended.