Avon ANEW REJUVENATE Revitalizing 2-in-1 Gel Cleanser —

This year is my year of being frugal and fabulous. My friends all use Avon products because they are all reasonably priced and they swear the quality is just as good as many of the products I would purchase at the department store. Since they all love Avon, I took advantage of becoming their new Avon lady

I bought the Avon ANEW Rejuvenate Starter kit for $15 dollars. This set came with the ANEW Rejuvenate revitalizing 2-1 gel cleanser, Rejuvenate 24 hour eye cream., Revitalizing day and night cream.

I through the cleanser into my gym bag and after a very grueling cardio session, I grabbed the cleanser to wash my face. After I work out, my skin is atrocious. My pores flare up and my skin is red and angry!

When you lift the cap, you immediately notice a nice sweet fragrance. It’s not overpowering at all. The gel isn’t sticky or tacky like some cleansers that I’ve tried. I started to wash my face, and my face felt so refreshed without the peppermint feeling like in many other cleansers that I’ve tried. After I rinse my face, there wasn’t a residue left on my face and the nice fragrance still lingered. I touched my face and immediately noticed how soft and more resilient my skin felt. I’ve never experienced this with any cleanser I’ve ever tried! My pores mellowed out considerably, I would even say they looked a lot smaller than pre-workout.

Pros:

Pleasant, mellow scent – cheap! $12.00 a bottle (cheaper if you buy it from my friend) – leaves skin feeling smooth, clean and firm.

Cons:

Some people may not like scented facial cleanser

As many of you already know, I’ve been on this weightloss journey. So far, I have been dropping the pounds.

The issue – a super tight budget and a lack of clothes that fit well…  the solution… for the first time in the 24 years of my life… buying a belt. I have a weird OCD issue with belts. I don’t like how they feel on my body. No real logical reason about why I don’t like them.

After reading at article from Style on a String, I am going to try to incorporate belts into my wardrobe as a temporary solution to my lack of well-fitted clothes.

Let’s see how all of that pans out.

I just think is darling and functional!

It’s $75 + shipping – It’s on my list of things I’d like to buy. I will budget this in coming these following months. I love functional things! I’m going to get it in Crimson Red. How sexy!

Special Features:

• Tons of storage pockets and compartments
• Lower main compartment for cosmetic storage
• Detachable mirror
• Plastic coated bottom with metal feet
• Ventilated zip pocket compartment in back
• Perfect for shoes or soiled clothing
• ID card for identification
• Interior bottle holder and cargo pocket
• D-ring for your keys, pen holders & zip pocket
• Material specially treated with water-repellent finish

Puddle Jumper by Lug

On New Year’s I made the decision to start up on Paxil again. It’s been two weeks, and I noticed a considerable difference on how I react to things and how I feel. I’m happier, more optimistic and I am capable to thinking clearly.

It was silly of me to go off of it when I did. I admit, I was afraid that this little white, oblong pill would control my life. But now that I can handle my issues non-emotionally, I can take control of my life then get off it once everything gets sorted out.

It’s been a great relief.

WOOOOOOOT!

Today, I’m wearing a pair of Express slacks I have not been able to fit into in over 4 years. The best part, no muffin top, and I can breathe, bend and all that. That’s $80 saved because they are practically new!!

I’m one step closer.

I’m so glad I didn’t throw out my “skinny” clothes. Let’s see how soon I will get into those jeans I love next.

One of my resolutions was to start attending and eventually becoming a member of a church. To many of my friend’s surprise, I’m actually quite spiritual. I do believe in God and Jesus, and I do pray every day. I don’t think I could have made it this far in life without His help.

I started attending Cornerstone Christian Fellowship last week to kick off their 2 year adventure of reviewing the Bible from beginning to end called, The Bible: Exploring God’s Glorious Mess.

I chose this church because:

1. I’ve attended before. It’s small & tight congregation.
2. It’s modern and relaxed.
3. Lots of ministries and volunteer opportunities.
4. The Bible exploration! I want to learn what it’s all about!

To really take in what I’ve been learning, I will blog last week’s sermon notes. Although I believe in God and  Jesus… I really have very little understanding of the Bible and it’s teachings. I tend to be very scientific and logical. I like KNOWING how things work, exist, etc.

Last Sunday, (1/3/10) Past Karl went over Genesis 1:1. The book of Genesis was written by Moses, and it begins with In the beginning, God… He explains that God never explains his existance or how He came about. This always troubled me. I would always ask why? Then, Pastor Karl simply stated, to understand the Bible, the Christian faith, you just have to believe that He exists without question. This creates the basis of faith. Right then, I had an Aha! moment.

The Bible is God’s story. We need to read God’s story, God’s way. God is the hero of every story in the Bible, and the Bible ONLY makes sense with God as its focus… We will not require naturalistic explanations for the miracles of the Bible.

He then made a great example. The Bible has some folklore-ish characters, talking animals and plants… being swallowed and not digested by a giant fish… all of this is hard to grasp unless you are willing to accept that there is a greater being out there that can make these things happen.

Then, Pastor Karl explains that many of us read the Bible out of context. Instead of really trying to understand God’s message, we try to understand the Bible as to how it selfishly applies to ourselves first. To really understand the bible and it’s teachings we must understand that:

We are not biblical literalists. We are biblical contextualists. The reason it is hard for many of us to  understand or contextualize the Bible is because

1. We never read the Bible from the beginning to the end in one sitting. We read the Bible in sections or pieces… never really molding the whole concept together.
2. We want to look for personal application first and context second.
3. We are taught to use the Bible as personal application instead of its true teachings.
4. The Bible is an on-going spiritual battle that takes time and effort to understand.

When reading the Bible, ask What was the intended message by the original author, as drawn from the context of the story.”

After the sermon, it was really easy for me to realize where I was going wrong with all of this. I’m going to start over, pray for better understanding of Bible, and really take it all in.

Happy Thursday everyone!

What I’ve noticed about this site is that so many of it’s members fall off the dieting bandwagon, and start fresh the next day, next week or even next month.

I’ve learned that yes, mistakes happen, but instead of delaying my ability to progress, after I make the mistake, I have to immediately go back on track. Dieting and fitness takes self-discipline. I’m only shortchaning myself if I don’t stay focused.

From some of the journal entries that I’ve read… they are filled with self-sabotaging thoughts like, It was a (insert occasion here), I’ll just make up for it later, or I don’t feel like exercising today, I’m too tired.. With health and fitness, especially if you’re trying to acheive a goal… you HAVE TO DO THE THINGS YOU DON’T WANT TO DO and exercise self control. It’s just asking for failure.

Then… there is the lack of self-motivation. No one can finish this marathon but yourself. I take a few minutes throughout the day to remind myself why I will keep the weight off this time.

I know I’m being very critical of other people’s journies, but I’m thankful that they are setting an example of what I shouldn’t be doing. I’ve struggled to keep this the little weight I have kept off, and it will be an on going struggle. I’m glad that I have a very positive outlook and I am very thankful that I’ve picked up the Beck Diet.

I really hope that someday, my journey will inspire others. Better yet, I hope more people take this dieting approach the same way I am!

So, yesterday wasn’t so great for me. Although I bought lunch, out of boredom, I bought bacon cheese fries. Was I hungry? No… Did I enjoy them? Yes… Did I feel terribly guilty and sluggish afterwards? Yes!! Because of this, I decided to force myself to log my food into Fat Secret before I make the decision to eat it. It’s the only way I can keep track of calories and make decisions about the food I’m about to eat.

I checked out a book at the library called The Complete Beck Diet after reading a review from Jen of priorfatgirl.com. It’s not actually a diet book (provides some recipes) but a cognitive therapy approach to weight loss. Basically, choose the nutritional diet of your choice, eat things you like in moderation, and be conscious of your eating habits. The book goes into accountability and planning. I think if I follow this “diet” I will be able to maintain some weight loss. I’m quite excited.

I didn’t go to the gym yesterday as I had hoped. I fell asleep first thing when I got home. Today, I was about to go to the gym, and realized my headphones were at the office [[RAWWRRRR]]. The 2009 me would have thought, “It happened for a reason. Tomorrow is another day.” But, taking in what I’ve learned from the Beck Diet, everyone makes mistakes. Instead of delaying a mistake, be proactive and keep going if you mess up. So, I went onto Time Warner’s On Demand Exercise TV station, and chose 2 pilates work outs (total 30 mins) and 1 yoga work out (10 mins). Granted, the calorie burn isn’t as much as me hitting the weights and the elliptical, but at least I got the  ball rolling. I’m really proud of myself.

Hopefully, sometime this week, I’ll post a before picture with some measurements.

Anyhow online world, have a wonderful night!