Friday, October 29, 2010

Favorite Friday - Laundry Day

Like most, when I go to Target I promise myself I will only get what I absolutely need! Well, after I send my husband back to the front of the store so that I can transfer what I filled the red hand basket up with over to a full sized red cart and an hour and a half later, I have over a hundred plus dollars in things I simply need.  One of these fateful trips about two months ago led me to the end of the laundry detergent aisle where I found the Bounce Dryer Bar and let me tell you I LOVE IT!  It's both a time saver and money saver.  I bought the double pack and spent only $7.99.  Each bar lasts for around two months so for the next four months I won't have to even think about buying dryer sheets.  You simply stick the dryer bar on the inside of your dryer and that's it, one less step each time you do laundry!  It comes in two scents and two sizes and single or double packs.  I even have decided that it freshens my clothes better than regular dryer sheets.  Try it and you'll love it too!
You can also find a link for coupons on the Procter and Gamble website and save $2 to try it.

“We should all do what, in the long run, gives us joy, even if it is only picking grapes or sorting the laundry.” E. B. White


Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Ten Images of Inspiration - Halloweenie

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays.  I love scary movies, candy, dressing up, haunted houses, carving pumpkins and of course I love a reason to decorate.  Anyone close to me knows that my house is heavily decorated from the lawn outside to the toilets inside.  So Happy Halloweenie everybody!













"One, two, Freddy's coming for you. Three, four, better lock your door. Five, six, grab your crucifix. Seven, eight, better stay awake. Nine, ten, never sleep again." - Nightmare on Elm Street



Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Over My Dead Body

At night when I am trying to fall asleep and drown out the sound of my husbands snoring, my mind always decided that it's the perfect time to run wild.  Plans and ideas run a muck ("a muck, a muck, a muck") and I get excited and look forward to what's to come.  Then I fall fast asleep and wake up the next morning and somehow I've forgotten half of my awesome ideas.  Last night was no different.  I had great ideas for my Tuesday and Thursday blogs (the rest of the week I have already written) and when I woke up today I could not remember for the life of me what I had planned.  So, while I was battening down the hatches this morning in preparation for the mighty winds they have planned for us today (please don't let the power go out again)  I figured that I would keep on the vintage train I started off on yesterday.

While my husband and I have plenty of treasures to pass along, we have just as many that we would never ever...EVER get rid of.  They are too special or too rad to share with anyone else, and as my husband would quickly tell you, I am an only child and when I don't want to share, I won't.

1988 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

1983 - Michael Jackson (glove still sparkles)
 
These are just two gems from our super sweet collection.  They will never ever be found on our Etsy shop.  On another note last night while trying to upload a few more items I got a great surprise.  A woman on Etsy loved a pair of our men's cowboy boots so much she put them on her Vintage Man - Treasury!  How cool is that?!
 
 
Happy Birthday to my mama!!!

“Mama was my greatest teacher, a teacher of compassion, love and fearlessness. If love is sweet as a flower, then my mother is that sweet flower of love.” Stevie Wonder



Monday, October 25, 2010

Va-Va-Vintage

From the beginning of my relationship with my now husband, DJ, we have shared a passion for shopping for vintage treasures.  There is something so satisfying about stumbling upon a rare concert t-shirt from another decade that is now soft and thin and hanging on the rack at the local Salvation Army, and more importantly mine for the taking.  The rush does not stop on clothing alone.  DJ and I love vintage pieces for the home, floor lamps, chairs, stools, tables, etc. 



My husband and I use our spare time on the weekends and evenings for thrifting, garage saleing, estate sales and antique shops.  Some days are better than others, but more often than not we never come home empty handed.  We find treasures in all shapes and sizes and sometimes these shapes and sizes don't fit our home or bodies.  Instead of leaving behind any of these gems we bring them home to hopefully find someone that loves them as much as we do.  Our dream would be to one day own a vintage shop, however it hasn't been in the cards yet.  Instead, in the past we have listed these items on Ebay, however as of late I was talking to a friend about the racks of vintage dresses, suit coats and t-shirts DJ and I have in our basement, she suggested creating a store on Etsy



Etsy is a wonderful website full of buyers and sellers of handmade or vintage items.  Everything from crocheted baby hats to vintage wedding dresses are being bought and sold by a very artistic and creative community.  I was blown away by the amount of one of a kind pieces of jewelry, clothing and art I found once I searched the Etsy site.  I showed DJ around the site and we both agreed it would be a perfect place to share our personal collection of jewels.  Our store is Ginger Bloomy and we would be honored if you could visit us anytime!

*We are still working to get more items uploaded currently so keep checking back!!*

"It is easily overlooked that what is now called vintage was once brand new." Tony Visconti



Friday, October 22, 2010

Favorite Friday - Face Mask

While preparing for my wedding I was desperatly seeking a skincare regime to prevent blemishes and clear up any existing problems.  I ended up asking a friend of mine for some advice, but before I spoke to her I had gone onto the Sephora website and read a million reviews on many different face masks, before I came across the Peter Thomas Roth - Sulfer Cooling Mask.  The reviews are nearly all positive about this product.  It's a medicated mask that is geared towards oily skin.  I used it the first day I bought it and I saw nearly instant results.  My skin felt smoother and refreshed and the eucalpytis scent reminds me of a spa.



About a month or so before my wedding, I finally asked my friend for advice on a new skin care regimine designed for my type of skin.  She gave me a great morning and evening routine and actually suggested a similar sulfer face mask to use weekly.  Once I saw that she also recommended something similar I knew I had hit the jack pot with this mask.

Combined with everyday cleansers and moisturizers for my type of skin, the Peter Thomas Roth - Sulfer Cooling Mask has proven to give me the clearest and smoothest skin I have ever had.  If you like face masks, I highly recommend giving it a try.



Thursday, October 21, 2010

Ten Images of Inspiration - Health

I can't expect my fitness and nutrition overhaul to have any amount of longevity if I don't feed it's existence with some inspiration. 

Here are ten images of inspiration I'm using to motivate and entice my body over the finish line.











The greatest wealth is health. ~Virgil









Wednesday, October 20, 2010

The Skinny Bitch

With chapter titles as blunt as "Sugar is the Devil" and "The Dead, Rotting, Decomposing Flesh Diet" the authors of "The Skinny Bitch" Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin, by no means mince words about the reasons behind an organic vegan diet.  The two have a sharp tongue when it comes to telling you why your current diet is anything but good for you.  The book reads like a conversation you might have with a good girlfriend, not afraid to tell you what you don't want to hear.



I first read this about four or five years ago after I had seen it in the hands of Victoria Beckham.  I think she is incredibly beautiful and figured if it was good enough for her it was good enough for me.  I was completely obsessed instantly.  Freedman and Barnouin are hilarious and get straight to the point.  I found myself being excited to come home and read as much about being a more healthful person as possible.  I followed the diet to perfection for about three months.  I lost weight and I felt better.  I cut out soda, dairy and meat.  It sounds extreme but when the health benefits are explained you can't help but be fascinated.



After three months though I slowly became less encouraged and missed eating some foods.  The problem is that buying organic can get expensive and especially difficult when your significant other does not abide by an organic vegan diet in any way, shape or form.  I was going it alone and it was hard to stick with when I was solo.  However, in the past few months a friend of mine finally read "The Skinny Bitch" and was inspired enough to start following a vegetarian diet and mostly cut out dairy as well.  She looks incredible and has been greatly disciplined.  I've decided to re-read the book and also buy "Skinny Bitch In The Kitch" which is full of great recipes for living an organic vegan lifestyle.  Beyond these two books they also have "Skinny Bitchin", a self-help style book in the same vain as the original, "Skinny Bitch Bun In The Oven" and "Skinny Bastard" for the man in your life.

I won't make any guarantees but at the moment I'm super inspired and if at a minimum I stop drinking soda again I will consider it a victory!


"You cannot keep eating the same shit and expect to get skinny" - The Skinny Bitch



Tuesday, October 19, 2010

New Name - New Plan


I spent nearly all of the past year planning for one single day, not a week or even a weekend, but just one day.  That day was my wedding day and it was, as I previously mentioned in yesterdays blog, AMAZING!  So after spending the last week recovering and relaxing, I got to thinking about the next year ahead.  I want to put the same amount of energy I spent planning for my wedding towards a new plan, and the plan for next year is to run in the Detroit Marathon.

I must note that I hate running.  I despise it in fact, but I do love exercising and I do love being healthy.  I always envy my best friend that can run twice as long as me if not longer and those people at the gym that run longer on the treadmill than I even spend one the stairmaster, treadmill and free weight area combined.  Also running yields far better weight loss results than other forms of cardio and combined with weight training the benefits are striking.  Besides obvious weight loss benefits, running benefits the body, cardiovascularly as well as bone health, mood, coordination, etc.  If I can focus my energy once spent researching venues, making fortune cookies and matching sparkly red shoes to satin red dresses on building up endurance and stamina on the treadmill, I really believe that I could successfully finish the marathon next year.  (I mean if Katie Holmes can run a marathon, so can I. Right?)


Last year as Miss Laura Defoe I walked the Reindeer Run, and next year as Mrs. Laura Bloomingburg I will be running the Detroit Marathon.


2009 Reindeer Run

I don't care how much power, brilliance or energy you have, if you don't harness it and focus it on a specific target, and hold it there you're never going to accomplish as much as your ability warrants. ~Zig Ziglar



Monday, October 18, 2010

Back In The Saddle Again

DISCLAIMER - Try not to puke while reading all the mushy, love parts ;)

I'm back to a normal schedule finally!  The wedding has come and gone and I am a married woman, a happy married woman at that.  It feels incredible to not have so much going on everyday, all day.

In case you weren't there or were wondering, the wedding was beautiful.  The day was amazing and not to sound cliche but it was absolutely perfect.  I spent the night before at my maid of honor, Megan's house, watching "Dirty Dancing" and calming my nerves surrounded by my bridesmaids.  DJ and I spent the night apart, but before he left he gave me a loving kiss.


The next day we were up bright and early and headed to the salon.  Between my bridesmaids and I we killed three bottles of champagne (not even one half gallon of orange juice), gossiped, read magazines and played with the most handsome little fur baby ever, Scout.



From the salon we stopped for a lunch break, packed up our bags and dresses, to hit the road and head over to the house we rented to get ready in before the ceremony.  Besides our driver telling us sob stories and acting like an all around lunatic, the girls and I arrived, put on some music and got our make-up done by the amazing Brian!


After the make-up was done, we put on our dresses, took some pictures and traveled down the street to the ceremony.  We stood inside the Carriage House and watched as guests arrived and then migrated down to their seats.  The weather was unlike what you would ever expect on October 9th in Michigan, mid-70's and sunny!  I thought my heart was going to pound out of my chest, waiting for the ceremony to start, but once it did I felt a flood of emotion.  All of our friends and family gathered to watch DJ and I honor to love one another for the rest of our lives.  It's really beautiful.




After "I now pronounce you husband and wife.", the party started.  The food, the drinks and the dancing lasted late into the night. 

I wouldn't change a thing about my wedding day.  Everyone kept telling me that it would be the best day of my life, and I didn't believe them, but to-date, marrying the man that makes me love and laugh everyday really has been the best day of my life.  I really am living my happily ever after.


"This kind of certainty comes, but once in a lifetime." - Anonymous