Cruising Right Along

January was gone in a flash. Where did all the time go? Valentine's Day has come and gone as well. I know many people despise V-Day, but the holiday (I use that term loosely) isn't all bad. Couples and singles, alike, benefit from discounted candy currently overflowing the shelves of your local drug store.

Hubbs and I also recently returned from a wonderful Carnival Cruise to Key West, Florida, Freeport, Bahamas, and Nassau, Bahamas. It was my surprise graduation/Christmas gift (Best Husband award goes to Hubbs, naturally). We love cruising with Carnival, and this was our third cruise. Though we always have a fantastic experience, I found I am still learning the secrets of making the most out our vacation (ie: free stuff to cruisers in port and on the boat). If you're thinking about a vacation, a cruise is THE way to go. Why? I have narrowed down there only TWO key points I look for in a vacation:

Is it affordable?

Will I get what I'm looking for?

Please note: This is my REAL review. Carnival Cruiseline has not paid for or endorsed my review or opinion in any way. In fact, they had no idea I was writing this. They probably will never know, but that's okay. This is for YOU to know my opinions on cruising, specifically cruising with Carnival.

Affordable
It has been my experience that a cruise is the most affordable vacation for singles, couples, and families. Your price includes all of your meals, room service options, entertainment (shows, pool, Camp Carnival, and gym). Alcoholic drinks, sodas, and specialty coffees are extra, but regular coffee, water, lemonade, and regular tea is free 24 hours each day on the lido deck or via room service. They have on board laundry services (for a small charge). If you want to do laundry while on vacation (I didn't want to, but I had to because we didn't bring enough clothes) they have washing machines, dryers, and laundry soap available for a small fee. The gratuity is charged at the end of your cruise is currently priced at $84 per person for the week.

Before you scoff at that price ($12/day), let me share with you why this is completely reasonable and cheap considering what you receive.


According to Carnival the $12 is broken down as follows: stateroom service team (the people who clean your room, turn down your bed, and leave you cute towels at the end of the day) $3.90 per day, dining room service team (3-4 members) $6.10 per day, alternative services team (everyone else that assists you) $2.00 per day.

According to me, you get service far better than what you pay for. The staff remembers you, your drink choices, foods you do and don't like, how you like your room, and always serve with a genuine smile. If something isn't right, you can bet they will do all they can to make it up to you. You have roughly 6-9 people taking care of your needs for the day for only $12. This is cheap for the incredible service.

Excursions range from free (walking off the boat and exploring on your own) to very expensive ($250 per person). We always book excursions through Carnival (or your choice of cruiseliner). We find they're the most affordable and Carnival excursions are considered far safer than excursions you would book on your own. We had an incredible time para-sailing in Key West, riding dune buggies in Freeport (pictured), and Atlantis in Nassau is definitely something to see.

Versatile

I can get nearly any type of vacation I want out of a cruise.
Single and want some fun? They have Singles events and opportunities to mingle with others. Want romance? They have that. Need a family friendly vacation? They have that too. The entire family can enjoy the water slides on board, movies by the pool, and family friendly shows. Want the family friendly vacation with the occasional date night? You can most definitely do that! Carnival offers Camp Carnival during the day and in to the evening for the kiddos while you enjoy time at the spa, by the pool, in the casino, or taking a dance class. You can also utilize the babysitting services while in port for a minimal fee. This means you and your spouse can leave the kids on the ship for the day while you have a romantic carriage ride on shore.
If you want to leave the kids at home and spend a week or weekend with just the two of you, cruising is the way to go. Spend time at the spa with a couples massage or enjoy dinner in the dining room at a comfy, cozy table for two. Go see the "Adults Only" comedy show or the "Adults Only" section of the ship to catch some sun. They have an "Adults Only" hot tub too.

We cruised with another couple. My friend and I made use of the spa, hot tubs, and sun decks while the men went to the casino, gym, the steam room, tec. We vistied the comedy club every night. Jeff-theFun-Dude is hysterical (give that man a raise). We also managed to find some time to act like big kids and tried the water slide. Then followed up with ice cream available 24 hour a day on the Lido deck.

So, that's it! Pick your destination and go! If you can't cruise it, you may lose it from trying to plan it all by yourself. Cruises are so simple. Pick your place, how many people, and what you want to do while you're there. No need to search hotels, rent cars, or find restaurants nearby. Plus, you only have to unpack ONCE!

We had a fantastic time, and we can't wait to cruise again!

The Revolution of the Resolution

It's the beginning of the New Year which means there are New Year resolutions to be made. It's an eternal process that happens every time the Earth makes that 365 day revolution around the sun (hence my catchy title). We believe a new year is the time for change, so we resolve to do better.

Lose Weight - Quit Smoking - Save Money - Pay Off Debt - Keep a Cleaner House - On and On and On

Yet, each year we give up by February 1st, if not sooner. We have lots of excuses as to why we don't resolve our issues. Then we swear we'll do it the next year only to fall victim to February 1st. Hence the never ending revolution of the resolution.

Personally, I LOVE resolutions. I make them every year. Most of the time I'm successful. I didn't make any this past year. I was too busy with married life, school, work, and charity stuff. I had a full plate and I didn't want to commit to anything else at the time. However, in 2013 I made EIGHT (8) resolutions. Yes, E-I-G-H-T and I completed every single one. It's because I'm Super Woman. That and I have a nearly full-proof method.

I've made resolutions for myself already this year. Guess what? I'm going to share my wealth of knowledge absolutely FREE! Please, hold your applause. Ready?

Here's what you'll need:
1) Pen and paper (can use a laptop to type it up, just make sure you can print from it)
2) Access to photos referencing your resolutions (you'll be cutting them out or copying them to your list)

Here's how to make it happen:
1) Write (or type) a rough draft of your resolutions. You've heard this before. People who write down their goals are more successful (keep reading to see how my method is different). Be specific enough to create a goal but not so specific you limit yourself. Example: I want to lose 20-30lbs.

2) This next step is what will make the difference if you succeed or not. Under each resolution, you're going to create a simple action plan. I like to list 3 things to make that resolution a reality. Be as specific as you possibly can, but no more than 3 steps. You want to make plans that are easy and incorporated in to your everyday life. You can not succeed without a plan of action.

3. Write or type your resolutions with action plans in order of difficulty and/or chronologically. This is also where you can add pictures corresponding with your resolution. Why? Trust me. Pictures are motivating. Even cartoon pictures allow for you to envision success.

4. MAKE COPIES AND HANG WHERE YOU'LL SEE IT! Hang them where you'll see your list at least 5 times a day in different places. Hang the list on the refrigerator, in the bathroom, next to the bed, at work, or next to the door you leave out each day. Anywhere and everywhere. Why do I say 5 places? The science behind five is quite technical. Let me explain... it's my lucky number.

I know this appears to be a lot of work, but honestly this method has worked for me. If you continue to miss the mark on your resolutions, give this a try. If it doesn't work, what do you have to lose? Share with me! Let me know if this works for you, too!

PS: Here's one of my resolutions - I am going to blog at least once every 2 weeks. My action plan? Saturday mornings or Sunday afternoons. Take photos. Take notes. Good luck to you!

Comforting Upcycle

It's been quite awhile since my last post (shocking, I know), but I have good reasons! I've been planning our trip to Japan, making plans to return to school, husband's been wrestling more, I'm working out more, the dog has been... sleeping. Ok, so I know I could have made time for it, but I've been busy breathing and such.

Reversible Twin Size Comforter

Anyway, I have exciting news! I upcycled for the first time in my life! All on my own, I had an idea that didn't come from Pinterest but will be there shortly. I had an old tattered comforter from high school. After many years of use, Rowdy (our dog) had made it his bed. As you can see on the right, it had several holes in it and was quite thin. I had just folded it under itself so he could have some type of cushion.
After receiving an excellent sewing machine from my grandmother, I decided to fix Rowdy's "bed." I was going to patch it... or so I thought. The damage was too much. So, I had another idea, "I'll pull it apart and make him a bed." So I did. This is how...

More of the tattered blanket.

The center stitching.

 First, I ripped or cut out all of the seams on the edges. Most comforters have stitching throughout the middle to hold the batting in place. I cut some of the strands and then pulled it all apart. It was actually fun and sort of work out.  Next, I laid out everything to see how much fabric I had to work with. I knew I needed stuffing and decided to reuse the batting. I had my model lay down on it so I could determine how much I would need. With it being so thin, I cut it in to 4 pieces and glued them together with some spray adhesive I had on hand.

After gluing the batting I laid it on top of the material to outline where to cut. With so many holes it was difficult to find 2 good spots on a single color. I ended up using one green and one purple. I used the material with holes in it as a liner. I cut everything out and ironed my pieces before pinning all four pieces together. I also made sure the material with the holes was on the outside so when it was turned inside out there wouldn't be any visible flaws. After making sure everything was in place I stitched up three sides. I made sure the batting still fit before sewing up the last side.

I had every intention of sewing the batting in but decided to add a zipper at the last minute for easy washing later. Before I show you the zipper, please marvel at my finished product (keeping in mind I've never sewn a zipper before). Rowdy obviously loved it. It's twice as thick as before, no holes, and has plenty of room to stretch out on. My pup's a little spoiled sometimes, but he's worth it. Keep in mind you can do this same thing for a kid's floor pillow (might want to double the batting). It didn't cost me a dime. I had everything on hand and was able to make our home look less cluttered (old blanket thrown on the floor) and more functional (sleek reversible dog bed). Below is that dreaded zipper. I'll figure it out eventually. Practice makes perfect! Hope to blog with you soon! Love, E.

The dreaded Zipper, not sewn quite right.

Healthy-Skinny vs. Healthy-Fit

I have a new addiction. Pinterest. If you don’t know what it is, in short: a virtual pinboard for your ideas, motivations, recipes, anything under the sun. But that’s not what this blog’s about. This is about what I found on Pinterest, a blog by an inspiring woman who went from “Healthy-Skinny” to “College, Beer, & Pizza Junkie” to “Healthy Fit.” This is not her description of herself, but mine based on the photos of her and how she described her transformation. The blog, Muffin Top-Less, has a crazy amount of information and inspiration. It’s very well organized too, so you don’t have to search for anything. It’s all on top of the page in white. Seriously, there is SO much on this site: ways to eat healthy, how to beat those binge cravings, ways to beat self-bashing, meal plans, workouts, etc., but I digress…
I have always aspired to be skinny, thin, slim, & trim. I’ve loaded up on cardio, a smidgen of weight training, more cardio, health food diets, a bit more cardio, and cutting WAY back on my food intake. Please note: I have never, EVER starved myself. (I have this obsession with food, but that’s for another day.) I don’t want to be Healthy-Skinny anymore. I want to be Healthy-Fit.

The difference? Here are MY definitions:

Healthy Skinny – When the body is functioning fine. It’s not overweight or underweight. It’s somewhere in between. The body isn’t starved either. There’s no real muscle definition. Has a body fat percentage of 25-30% (for women) Thank you, Wikipedia, for the average HEALTHY info.

Healthy Fit – When the body is tight, toned, and has obvious muscle definition. Again, the body isn’t starved (there’s nothing healthy about starving). Body fat percentage is 14-24% (for women) An Athlete to an avid gym goer.

Savannah (the girl from the blog) is Healthy-FIT. She had enough of her frumpy college lifestyle and starting following a body building regimen. She is not FIT like those scary women body-builders that you can only tell if they’re a woman from the front (google images). She’s FIT as in physically strong and mentally powerful, while maintaining a beautiful feminine physique. I want to be that kind of healthy. I want to be STRONG, not strong for a girl. I want to be CONFIDENT, not occasionally confident. I want a DEFINITIVE BODY, not a girlish figure. I decided to try her MTLC Workout.

The first week was painful, amazing, and motivational. It hurt. My legs felt like Jello after the first Superset on the first day, but I did it. After a week of it, I must say it always seemed like the second full day after a great workout that I would feel the most pain. It’s the type of hurt that lets me know I DID SOMETHING RIGHT, not the kind that makes me think I tore something. A thorough workout is all about form. That’s what I concentrated on this past week. Once you break form you’re ruining a great workout.

My confession: I am very week in my arms and the 5 billion people in the weight section at the gym looked at me like I was a fish out of water. So I did a few things at home. I wanted to have great form and still do the amount of reps she said to do. I couldn’t use the heavy weights we had at home. My arms were not quite ready. So, I used… don't laugh... vegetable cans. Ok, go ahead, laugh. But I had to start somewhere right? I used the biggest ones I could find in the cabinet. I did use the regular weights for some of the workouts. On some I found myself losing form and literally unable to move my arms to finish the second set. Some weight is better than no weight. I just have to keep moving-working-pushing myself until I get the HEALTHY-FIT body I want and deserve. Week 2 started yesterday. So far, I’m still pushing myself and loving it. I'll keep you posted with photos as I progress. This is me now. Pudgy-I know...

Room by Room by Roof

I’ll never forget the day we signed the papers on our home. When we walked out of the attorney’s office, after shaking the seller’s hand, I turned to Johnathon with the biggest smile on my face. He wasn’t smiling. He doesn’t get as overly excited as I do, but I couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t be at this momentous occasion! We just bought our “forever home”. We get to paint the walls, landscape the yard; we could run around naked if we wanted to! All the fun things of being a home owner! I boasted “Aren’t you excited about OUR NEW HOUSE?!” – “Yeah, I guess” – “You don’t seem excited.” – “I’m excited, but now the real worries begin: house notes and maintenance.”

What you should know about my incredibly wonderful, loving, sweet, awesome husband is he worries about nearly everything. He worries too much about most things and worries even more about the important things. However, he was right. The painting I was excited about is fun, until you run in to paint peeling everywhere when it should stick, cracks, and poor patchwork. The landscaping is fun, until the mower, weed eater, and tools tear up. Running around naked is fun too, until you realize you need more curtains. Maintenance. Ugh.

I had a checklist of things I wanted to do to our home over the first 5 years of ownership:
1. Create Johnathon’s Sports room and my craft room
2. Redo the kitchen (completely gut it and start over)
3. Renovate our master bathroom
4. Replace the fake stucco yellow stuff with vinyl siding
5. Landscape the yard like a PRO

After 2 years of ownership, here’s my REALITY checklist:
1. Paint rooms when we can afford them, one room at a time adding bits and pieces as we go
2. We can gut our kitchen in 30+ years, after the kids move out, and we’ve saved 30-40k to do it.
3. The master bathroom can wait 10+ years, my ideal bathroom is expensive and we’re paying CASH
4. The stucco stuff does need to be replaced soon (it’s rotting in certain places) but our roof needs to be replaced and that comes first.
5. Landscaping of the yard must be a little at a time as well. Thank goodness I have friend with a green thumb the size of Canada and she gives me free plants and help when needed.

Besides moving the furniture several times and hanging photos sporadically, here’s what we’ve done so far:

Curtains - We purchased blinds to cover the main room windows and a curtain for our front door. The bedrooms have hand-me-down curtains that don’t match, but the windows are covered. Other windows have sheets to help with the heating/cooling bills until we can afford the curtains I like. I admit, I have expensive taste but I’m a frugal shopper. I refuse to buy something to “just get by” when I can save the money and get what we REALLY want. Sheets get us by just fine. No one uses those rooms anyway.

The main kitchen wall – We painted it red and hung several items. HELPFUL TIP: If you’re painting a red wall, do not use white or pink tinted primer. It will make your wall look pink. Use the gray tinted primer, let it dry for several hours then paint your first coat of red. Let that dry for 24 hours (at least) then paint your second coat of the red. You’ll thank me. Also, your paint will appear to have streaks for a few days. Wait one full week for the paint to fully dry. THEN look at your wall and your streaks should be gone.

John’s sports/guest room – After a small fight between me, nails, peeling paint, and bad paneling, John and I sanded, primed and painted the room. We also touched up the trim and bookcase with a fresh coat of white paint. We’re in the process of hanging shelves and photos, as well as looking for curtains to complete the room. So far, we’re happy with it.

The Roof – My husband has been able to make patches but it still leaks in places. It will be replaced this summer.

The Yard – The grass gets cut. The trees lining our yard and the banana trees in the center get cut back each year. Other than that, nothing has been done to it.

All in all, it’s been a very busy and productive 2 years. Throw in a 20 month engagement and extremely detailed destination wedding, I’m extremely proud in how far we’ve come. Johnathon was right, maintenance is worrisome, but I was right too. It can be so much fun. Take some advice, one room at a time, pay cash for all renovations or “facelifts”, and try not to stress about how or when it will be done. Your home wasn’t built in a day but it does require maintenance, DAILY. Remember, you can always paint over it. Personally, I can’t wait to see what else comes along.

BAM! New Motivation!

You should know I get bored with projects easily but it also doesn’t take much to make me excited about it again. Everything in life can become exciting to me with a simple twist. I’m easily impressed by anything new, shiny, or well designed (functional and esthetically pleasing).

That said, I GOT MY NEW SHOES IN! I have been hitting the gym like I said I would. Routines become a “routine” after 20 consecutive days for most people. I’m currently on day 9. My new shoes actually came in on day 4; and if it hadn’t been for them, this would be day 0. The Saucony Stabil CS 2 is what I purchased. They’re not my favorite style, but they fit my feet and give me all the support I need. I am flat footed, so I need motion control shoes. I need the support. If you’ve never had your foot professionally fitted and feel uncomfortable going to someone, try going to RunningWarehouse.com. Watch the video on this link. It’s amazing the difference a good, fitted shoe can make. It seems strange, but if you take care of your feet now, the rest of your body will thank you for it later. Yes, it is sad new shoes motivate me to get off my butt. I do love them for every reason mentioned above- New, Shiny, and Well Designed. BAM! New motivation!

My other new motivation is a scheduled cruise for this summer. Please note: this motivation is similar to the one I had for the wedding – look good almost naked (in a swimsuit), but the twist is it's for a cruise instead of a wedding. It’ll be just me and my husband, AND my in-laws, AND thousands of strangers on this boat for a week. I want to look good all the time, but especially in a swimsuit. Doesn't everyone? I want to be able to wear those cute summer dresses without my arm jiggling like there’s an ongoing earthquake from my shoulder to my elbow. Plus, if I lose enough, I’ll need new summer clothes. Shopping for new clothes because I’ve lost weight is always more appealing than if I have to because I’ve gained. BAM! New motivation!

Lastly, my husband has always tried to motivate me in one way or another. He’s almost always successful. I say almost because there are THOSE days when a million dollars couldn’t motivate me to get out of bed. However, recently he’s motivating me in a new way. I don’t even think he knows it. Jonathon has always worked out. ALWAYS. However, lately, he’s been doing something different. I’m not sure if he has changed his workout or what he’s eating at work. But whatever it is, it’s working. I’ve noticed a physical change on him. He’s becoming more cut, defined. His shoulders and chest seem to be getting bigger as well. Why does this motivate me? I guess because I want to see changes on me too. I suppose it is true when they tell you couples who work out together lose more and stay at it longer. Jonathon would do it anyway, but he’s definitely pushing me. BAM! New motivation!

I lost a total of 27lbs for my wedding. I’ve gained back nine and currently weigh 169. My goal weight is now 155. Even if I don’t reach that exactly, I want to be slim, toned, and tan come time for the cruise (as well as the rest of my life). I can make it happen. I just have to keep pushing and looking for that simple twist on the old. All so I can have that feeling of “BAM! New motivation!”

Getting back to it!

Hello! Let me introduce myself, my name's Erica. I'm recently married and have no children at this time. Those closest to me call me "E" (notice the blog title). I work at a body shop in southern Mississippi as well as an independent consultant for Scentsy.


It's been over a year since I've blogged (I'm beginning to sound like I'm at a special meeting). I deleted my old one so I can start fresh! So, what am I going to blog about? Why did I decide to start back? The truth is I held myself accountable when I blogged. It relieved stress as well as helped others try new things.





So, nearly 5 months ago, I got married. Johnathon, my now husband, was/is better than I ever dreamed of. Our wedding was fabulous. Everything went perfectly. I wouldn't change one thing about it. It was on the beach with perfect, comfortable weather, a beautiful sunset, and about 300+ uninvited guests. Everyone who was at the hotel came out to see OUR wedding. It was incredible to have every balcony filled with strangers all watching my now husband and I exchange vows of "forever and always."



Saying our vows.



The set up we designed.











We bought our house before we got married, in October of 2009. The only thing we've completed so far to the house is to paint and decorate one wall in our kitchen. We have hung up photos sporadically, but I LOVE our kitchen wall. Forgive the low quality; it was taken on my cellphone. I'll get another photo posted with it fully decorated later.



Our newest project has already begun as nightmare. The third bedroom will be Johnathon's sports gallery/guest bedroom. He has wrestling awards and photos, baseball and football memorabilia, as well as comic collectables we would like to take out of a box and put on display. This room has that awful fake wood paneling in it. The previous home owners decided they would paint over the paneling without prepping it first. They did not sand or strip it like you should before painting the varnished wall. They also did not pull out any nails that were left. They simply just painted over it... When I started pulling out nails THIS is what happened...

I was beyond frustrated. My wonderful in-laws allowed us to borrow a sander and we got to work. The room is now primed. Next weekend we will paint. The really good news? The pastel poop color is gone. The room already looks bigger. I can't wait to show you what the new color looks like along with the repainted trim.

I suppose that's all for now. I'm trying to get back in to a routine at the gym. I bought new shoes for motivation (don't laugh, it works for me). I did lose a total of 27 lbs. for the wedding. I feel great! You'll be hearing from me soon! Lots of love and happy health!