Pretty is : Page 75 of 79 : ...My Life and Style

I’ve said it before

April 9, 2017

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again I LOVE TO SHOP!
Whether perusing online or wandering through a store, boutique or mega mart, I always enjoy the experience.
My Sunday afternoon objective was Pier One… Easter Sale in progress… so many bunnies, so little time.

For anyone who is not familiar with Pier One, it is a retail store specializing in imported home furnishings, decorative accessories, including seasonal décor – hence the reference to bunnies

LB was the Camera King on Sunday and I have him to thank for all the bunny shots he captured while I shopped.
He was feeling adventurous enough to make his way through the hedges lining a parking lot, just to take some pictures of the little yellow flowers [because I commented they appeared to be dancing].

While he was occupied with the happy flowers, I took a few shots of him…

Spring is such a Lovely Season!

“It’s not a concert you are seeing, it’s a fashion show.” ― Freddie Mercury

April 8, 2017

Since it was Alan Jackson and not Freddie Mercury, we can safely say it was a concert minus the fashion show.

Alan Jackson was in concert Saturday night. This was my third time seeing the country crooner in concert and once again, he was just what the doctor ordered as he reminiscences of his childhood in song. Listening to an Alan Jackson song is like taking a trip down memory lane because he calls to mind such things as Mama, Daddy, going to the lake for the summer and growing old with the one you love. Not that growing old is something you want to think about…

We arrived at the concert famished. A typical Saturday involves brunch around 10AM then nothing i.e. fasting until we decide what to do for dinner. Today was no exception, so we opted for the Double Decker Stuffed Tacos from Mojo’s

Shortly thereafter I experienced the ruination of my white skinnies. While enjoying that wretched chicken taco (which was actually very tasty) a greasy splash landed on a pair of favorites (sob)

Silver lining being within sight… I get to shop for new white skinnies (smile).

My favorite skinny jeans can be purchased here. Some others I am considering are here here and here where there is a 40% offer for online orders right now.

Sunset is

April 8, 2017

… still my favorite color ~ Mattie Stepanek

Apparently rose gold is similar to sunset. I never considered this.

Although I typically wear silver, every once in a while I break out the rose gold jewelry. Copper is what gives rose gold its distinctive color. It is feminine and gives an air of elegance to an otherwise mundane ensemble… like the one I wore today.

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Diet Day 3

April 5, 2017

Am I skinny yet?

Today I remained faithful to the Paleo plan I began on Monday. In addition to this, I have remained faithful to another plan that I didn’t even realize was a diet trend. I mentioned on Monday that I am counting calories and skipping dinner. Apparently this is a method associated with one of the world’s most popular health and fitness trends — Intermittent Fasting (IF). Here is what I’ve learned:

The Leangains protocol is a period of fasting daily that begins with skipping breakfast and then restricting food intake to a period of 8 hours, for example noon – 8 PM. Then begins the fast for 16 hours. I have not learned why skipping breakfast is supposedly ideal, but I know that skipping dinner and evening snacking is definitely beneficial.
The Eat-Stop-Eat method involves fasting for a full 24 hours weekly.
The 5:2 method involves restricting caloric intake to 500 twice a week, non-consecutive days. You are free to eat normally the other 5 days of the week.

Have you tried IF? I have had success in the past by eating normal meals during the day and then “closing the kitchen” at 4 PM. If you have less than ten pounds to lose and can do this for a few days, it will result in a much happier bathroom scale.

I’m looking forward to seeing what my bathroom scale has to say to me by the end of this week! Until then…

Today my pants were extremely tight, but I wore them anyway to remind me that I need to keep my fingers out of the mixed nuts!

Every Single Diet

April 4, 2017

…that I ever fell off of was because of potatoes and gravy of some sort ~Dolly Parton

Yesterday I mentioned starting a diet based on the Cave Women Don’t Get Fat book, which is Paleo. My co-worker Wendy has been following the Ketogenic diet and has lost 20 pounds. That said, we have been talking nothing but diet for the past three weeks. Both the Keto and Paleo are popular diet plans and it is interesting to note their differences/similarities. The Paleo plan is so named for Paleolithic – meaning stone age, hence the reference to Cave Women.

The Ketogenic plan originated to help manage epilepsy. This plan targets driving the body into ketosis in order to burn fat. Oddly enough, the plan is rich in fat and focuses on controlling the three primary macro-nutrients, which are divided 70% fat 25% protein and 5% carbohydrates. Wendy is very conscious of the amount of carbohydrates she consumes and tries to keep them under ten grams per day.

The Paleo diet focuses on eating the way our ancestors did, when they were hunting and gathering. The balance of macro-nutrients isn’t as important as the elimination of such categories as dairy, grains and processed foods, basically the food that wasn’t readily available, if available at all thousands of years ago.

One of the most obvious similarities between the two plans is the restriction of grains. Paleo because grains were not available during the stone age and Ketogenic because carbohydrates are taboo on this fat rich plan.

I’m very proud of Wendy and I remind her to “stay strong” as we part ways every evening. She is doing great! (insert picture here as soon as she lets me take one). As for me – diet day two – still hanging in there.

Changing subjects, as I left the house this morning I noticed 2 lakes and a river that were not there [in my yard] the day before. Not surprising with the 6 inches of rain that fell yesterday. It was a dreary, rainy day so I wore a bright sunny yellow blouse from New York & Company

Caveman Monday

April 3, 2017

Lurking in the forefront of my mind is the memory of photos snapped on Saturday [obviously I can’t come up with anything else to post]
After looking through the multitude of pictures taken this past weekend by my sweet LB, there is no question that I need to LOSE WEIGHT!

I’ve been toying with this for a year now and its time to get serious.

I’m sure you are aware that a desk job can have detrimental effects on your physical condition. I am experiencing this first hand as I have been sitting in a desk chair staring at a monitor for the past 5 ½ years now. It has crept up and now I find myself needing to shed at least 6 pounds; 10 would be great. It sounds so simple, but if you’ve ever found yourself in this position, you know that it is anything but.

Cavewomen Don’t Get Fat: The Paleo Chic Diet for Rapid Results by Ester Blum is my diet of choice. Already downloaded to the Kindle app on my iPad and I have begun today to follow the plan.

It was introduced [to me] on the Today show and I purchased it from Amazon. There is a 2 week “paleo reset” chapter that will help with a quick start to weight loss, and I’m following it for the most part, but counting calories as well. It is 7 PM now and I’ve consumed a total of 507 calories and 8 cups of water.

I began this morning with a spinach omelet, made with one egg, ½ tsp of butter, diced peppers & onions, and spinach, of course.

Tonight for dinner will be homemade tomato soup. As unsavory as it sounds, it is made by blending canned tomato and adding various spices. It is actually quite palatable and is very low in calories. Add a bit of heavy cream and Parmesan and it would be delectable. Stop it.

Starting a diet is so easy. Day one is a breeze. Fingers crossed for day two. Wish me luck!

I almost forgot… Here is what I wore

Look No. 234 from my Stylebook

Strolling down St George Street

April 2, 2017

Starting at H. W. Davis, we began perusing through the shops on the iconic St George Street in ‘Old Town’ St Augustine.

This shop is filled with clothing and shoes, and features Brighton, Joseph Ribkoff, and Vera Bradley items. The window display always showcases something I’d love to have. If I’m lucky, I’ll get it for my birthday (hint).

Fresh Produce is a shop that does not offer fruit and veg, but you can find fun clothes and accessories for women and children, including this cute little bracelet that was only $15

Go Fish Clothing & Jewelry Co. offers a variety of items that have been handcrafted by artisans from around the world. In addition to clothing and jewelry, there are items for the home like these confetti glasses that are on my wish list