Sharing my favorites!!

Hello everyone! I know it's been a few days since I posted, but I've been so busy. Between Jeff's nephew's t-ball games, exercising and work it's been hard to find time to post. Since everyone already knows I'm hard core into this diet and exercise regimen of mine, I thought I'd take some time to tell you some of my favorite foods and drinks that I have been eating/drinking!!

Before this diet, I said I would NEVER drink diet colas...ever. I'd drink water and that was it. I'd do without my carbonated goodness. Well, thankfully I broke down and tried one and now I can't even stand regular Dr. Pepper...WHAT??! Yes, it's true. I took a drink of Jeff's and the result was my "ewww face". Now that I have opened myself up to trying new drinks, here is a list of the one's I absolutely love! (No particular order)

• Vanilla Coke Zero-Yum yum yum!! Just enough vanilla, but not too much. Not a strong diet taste at all. It's so smooth, so fizzy, sooooo goood!
• Pepsi Max-WOW! This stuff is good!! It has Ginseng added to it to give you extra energy. Thanks to a girl at the courthouse where I live, I am obsessed with it! She gave me one to try the other day and now I'm hooked.
• Sprite Zero-Really, seriously...it tastes sooo close to regular you'll never know the difference.
• Pepsi One-Okay, so it has ONE measly calorie. It's sweetened with Splenda and it may just be my new favorite...above Vanilla Coke Zero.
• Coke Zero-has a great taste! Much better than regular diet coke which I think is horrid.

I know if you're like I used to be, you'd never touch any of these but you have to trust me...try them! You may just like them.

Okay...now on to snacks!! Here's my lineup of the best ones, ever! LOL:

• South Beach Diet Fiber Fit Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies. They have 20% of the daily amount of fiber you should have and are only 100 calories a pack. These are so good. They're a little hard finding them in the store...I guess people are figuring out how good they are.
• 100 Calorie Pack Baked Cheetos. Mmmm...just like the crunchy ones I love but with way less fat or grease. They are soooo good!
• Orville Redenbacher's Smart Pop 100 calorie packs. OMG...these are so good. My favorite night snack. You fill satisfied, but not stuffed. After it's popped there are 61/2 cups of popcorn in the little bag. And here's something you may have not known, popcorn is a whole grain. I was really surprised to find that out. Smart pop comes in light butter and also Kettle Corn. Both versions are great and I really am not even a fan of kettle corn.
  
• Kellogg's Fiber Plus with Antioxidants Chewy Bars (chocolate chip)...these are so good. They have a layer of chocolate on the bottom and are so chewy. There's even chocolate drizzled on the top...seems almost like a candy bar. I can't live without these!
• Weight watchers ice cream sandwiches...WOW! That's all I can say. Only 120 calories.
  

Best Breakfast food/Cereals...[[I am a Special K freak!!]]

• Special K Vanilla Almond...um....wow. I don't really even like vanilla and I love this (and vanilla coke, weird). This is hands down the best cereal by Special K. 3/4 C. serving=100 calories.
• Eggo Nutra Grain Blueberry Waffles. So good they don't even need sryup. I eat them plain, which is an added bonus because syrup is going to tack on extra calories that you don't need. I always pair these with a serving ofSpecial K...every morning!
• Special K Blueberry-If you like blueberry cereal, you'll love this! It's really really good!!

TV Dinners:

• Smart Ones by Weight Watchers Three-Cheese Zita Marinara...everyone that knows me knows I have a love for italian food. This meal allows me to still have pasta! It's so cheesy and great!
• Lean Cuisine Canelloni-Again, another great pasta dish. It's very similar to manicotti. Actually I think it's the same thing.
• Lean Cuisine Cheddar Potatoes with Broccoli-I love potatoes, I love broccoli...how could I ask for more? The cheese sauce is great.
• Lean Cuisine Three-Cheese Chicken with Broccoli-only 210 calories and there's enough cheese sauce on the chicken to put on the broccoli...yum!!
• Weight Watchers Chicken Parmesan-the chicken is great and it's really filling!

Okay, hopefully I have shed some light on some great food for your diet. If you've tried some good TV dinners, snacks, etc. let me know! My diet and exercise is working...I've lost 11 pounds so far!! Woohoo!!

Nine pounds and counting!

Just wanted to share with everyone that I have lost a total of nine pounds! I'm so thrilled! I need to lose 15 more to reach my goal weight! I'm thrilled! I stepped on wii fit the other day and I was in the normal BMI range! Ha ha...I was Overweight before! LOL

This weekend was pretty crazy. I ended up staying at the Arlington with my cousins for Kimmie's birthday. I totally ate all the wrong things. I mean, I ate Italian, junk food, tater tots, bad things for breakfast and still came out weighing a half a pound less than when I left for the weekend. I'm not sure how that happened, but it did! I gotta tell you, my body has gotten used to eating healthy things and when I got home Sunday evening I felt nauseous from eating all that crap! Funny thing is, it used to be all the stuff that I would normally eat! Eww...I popped a Zantac and luckily fell asleep!

How was everyone else's weekend? I can't wait to get off of work today--I get to see Jeff and then I'm trying out my new mini trampoline =) I can't wait!

My Newest Exercise Addition

Well...today was payday, so I decided to hit up good ol' Wal-Mart to pick up some hand weights that are heavier than the ones I have at home. While over in the fitness section I noticed they had mini trampolines in stock! I've been thinking about getting one for awhile. When I was in my freshman year of college, I took some life fitness class for general ed. My instructor told us that the mini trampoline was one of then best things that you can work out on- it works just about every muscle in your body and is a great cardio workout. Ever since she told us that it kinda stuck with me and I always thought I should get one. Well, since they were there in front of me, I had the money, I just went ahead and got one, with my weights! Here is a picture of the trampoline I bought:

Cool, huh?! It came with an electronic thingy for counting jumps, calories and timing, the resitance bands on the side and a workout DVD. Walmart.com has a lot of great reviews on this thing, most being 5 stars. The best thing...the price! I got it for around $35.00. It's small, easy to store and easy to assemble. I can't wait to try it out. I plan on jumping on that, working out on my mini stepper and eventually get a step thing for step-aerobics and just rotate doing them all for about 50 mins. I bet jumping on this won't be so bad on the knees and ankles either.

So...has anyone tried a mini trampoline? If so, what did you think about it?

Quick post

I (like everyone else in Arkansas) am sick of all of this rain! For real, is there no end to it? This weekend I was so tired of it I just went running in it..that is, until my ankle started hurting and my knees and I had to hobble the rest of the way home. Grr...I'm going to stop being a woose-y tonight and Shred again. I know I won't be able to move tomorrow but whatever!

Seriously though, I'm thinking about starting on building an arc (you know, like Noah?) tonight...may be a good idea with all this rain. Anyone want to join? LOL...

Have a great rainy night...(for my Arkansas lovlies) If you're a reader and you don't live in Arkansas, I hope you aren't cursed with rain like we are!

Love ya all,

I haven't forgotten

I also wanted you all to know I haven't forgotten about my product reviews. I promise to get you one, soon!!

Raise and manicotti

I'm sitting here at work, actually supposed to be off already but I'm sitting around waiting on Jeff...seems like I do that a lot! I thought it was the men that were always waiting on the women?? Not in my life! Ha ha...

My honey sent me a text saying we are going out to eat with all of his co-workers tonight! We went out to eat last night and I was very bad. We ate at Angel's, my favorite Italian place. Yeah...I kinda slipped up and ate Manicotti and two small pieces of garlic bread with butter, however; somehow I ended up weighing a whole pound less this morning than the day before?! I can't think of a reasonable explanation for this, but hey...I'm not complaining! Anyway, back to eating out tonight--Jeff is killing me with this eating out two nights in a row!! I told him I think he is trying to sabatoge my diet! LOL...that's not true, but gosh...it makes it so much harder to eat right when you have a menu full of goodies up in yo' face!

For a Wednesday, it went pretty good. My boss told me that he's giving me a raise, and insurance. God bless him! That really made my week 100x better and then we're also halfway through the week, which also makes me happy!

I've got to cut this post short today, gotta go meet honey and try to eat healty! Just wanted to post something quick for you all! I hope everyone had a great day.

Healthy snack share and more!

Happy Tuesday everyone...lol. Three more days until the weekend! Yay! I wanted to update everyone on my exercising. My legs are still killing me from that dang Jillian Michaels (I now know I should have listened to you, Ace)...(for Kasey's question, I still haven't tried Cardio Max due to my knees and all but I will try soon).Well...It really got me upset that I missed about 3 days of exercising so you know what I did? I got my happy butt on the exercise bike at home and rode for 25 mins straight and THEN I went in and turned the TV on the XM Dance music channel and did some cardio of my own--Tara style! I did some boxing because it is great cardio for someone with lower-body injuries (such as mine) or so Jillian says. I have to say, it did elevate my heart rate. Then...I added some hand weights. I did that for another 25 mins, so I worked out for a total of 50 mins yesterday despite my leg pain. No leg pain is gonna get me down, darn it! LOL! I was so proud of myself that I rewarded myself with a piece of fresh pineapple. If you haven't had pineapple that is fresh and only the kind that is in the can you are definitely missing out! After working out I took a really hot bath with some muscle ache oil in the water...it helped a little and then slathered myself down with Icy Hot! LOL!!

I gotta share some of my newest, healthy snacks with everyone.
100 calories of pure goodness...Newton's Fruit Crisps. I don't like Fig Newton's at all and I love these. They come in Apple Cinnamon and Mixed Berry. I have had the Apple Cinnamon ones and I heated mine up for about 20 seconds...tastes like Apple Pie, no kidding! The crust is crispy and in the middle is fruit-filled goodness...I can't believe they're only 100 calories! And...there are two in a pack! Can this be true? Surely they are lying about the calories in these?!

OMG!! These things are sooo yummy! They're popcorn clusters with caramel, chocolate cookie bits and pecans. I feel so bad when I eat these cause they're so good! I feel like I'm going back on my diet, but no fear...only 120 calories! You can find these at Wal-Mart.

Now, I don't always eat stuff like this, only when I want something sweet. I try to include a lot of protein in my diet now so I feel fuller, longer. I like to munch on almonds alot and I eat a lot of veggies and fruit.

As for Dr. Peppers, I have quit them...but thanks to Coke Zero I can still have my carbonated goodness. If you hate diet drinks, you have to try Coke Zero...it's seriously the best diet cola I have ever tried. I always said I would never drink diet drinks but I actually crave this stuff!

So, could you all recommend me some healthy snacks you eat and what about diet drinks? Am I missing out on some good ones that I have been too scared to try!? Let me know!

Help!!!

Okay, so...I've been doing the exercise thing and limiting my caloric intake to about 1200 calories every single day (except for this weekend). Well...as you know, I've been doing the 30 Day Shred and also the Wii Fit. Well, It's been about five days since I worked out on with Jillian. Can anyone tell me what to do? My knees and left ankle are KILLING me, and my shins are, too. can anyone please tell me how to help the pain? I can barely walk it's so bad and it's killing me that I'm missing exercising...I have lost about 4 pounds so far!!

I really want to start running, but I don't want to make the pain worse or make it come back if I get rid of it. Has anyone had this problem? What did you do about it? Help!!

So enough about that. This weekend pretty much sucked...period. It rained all weekend long. I don't mind rain, but every day? Come on! I feel like I live in Forks, which...well...wouldn't be a bad thing?! Then, on top of that...we out my dog, Luke to sleep on Saturday. We had him for about ten years and it was really hard to have it done. He was old and a large dog with hip problems. I know it needed to be done, but it really doesn't make things any easier. He had gotten to the point where he couldn't get around anymore. I just hate seeing my dog, Baby, mope around the yard. She loved Luke and it's so sad to see her down.

We had an eventful night on Saturday, which I won't get into. All I'm going to say is that we got a scare but everything turned out okay! Thank God! I surely hope everyone's weekend was better than mine. Sorry I haven't been posting as much here lately. I post from work so it's hard to always get one in. I can only get dial-up at home where I live and I refuse to pay for something that sucks...lol.

Friday...at last!

So how are my lovely blog readers today? Hopefully you all have great plans for the weekend ahead, whether it be sleeping in, shopping or whatever. I know I'm due for two days off for sure. This week has been so crazy at the office--thus, why I have not posted.

So, a little update on the diet. I've been staying right around 1200 calories per day, which is great for me! I can't believe I'm doing so good. I haven't done the 30 Day Shred in two days, but I have been making up for it on the Wii Fit. I really think I get just as good of a workout as I do with anything else. The hula hooping definitely feels as if it's working my abs more than the 30 Day Shred. I purchased Cardio Max the other day with the Biggest Loser cast and also Weight Loss Yoga. Has anyone bought these or tried them? I'm stoked about the weight loss yoga! I've always thought of Yoga to really be for the mind and for flexibilty, so I'm thrilled that this one is geared torward Weight Loss.

It is high time that I kicked my butt in gear--for those of you that don't know, I suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorder and have been on medication for it for several years. The medication works great for me, my quality of life improved so much...but, with any medication, there was a risk of weight gain. So...lucky me, I gained a few pounds. I soo wish I were back in the 120 lb. range like I was high school. That is my goal, and I know I can acheive it but I also know that the road will be a rough one. This past week I have said no to brownies and cookies from a really yummy bakery in the Spa city. It was the hardest thing I've done. I've also gave up my beloved Dr. Peppers and actually tried Coke Zero...much to my surprise, it wasn't that bad at all. So...I've been drinking that now because water just gets boring, you know?

Last night, I almost messed up. Jeff and I went to Chick-fil-a for dinner. Yikes...I was sooo tempted to get my usual Deluxe and waffle fries...omg...Well, I opted for a healthier option-the Chargrilled Chicken Sandwich with a fresh fruit cup! Yay for me! I was totally surprised when Jeff said, I'll just get what your having! Yay! We both need to start being healthier, especially if a family is in our future...gotta keep up with kiddos! Speaking of kiddos, we were sitting there eating and there were about three lil hoodlums were running around the palce and I was like..."makes me have second thoughts about kids..." and Jeff was like..."(sigh)...yeah"! Ha ha!! We first said that we weren't ever going to have any and then one day he was like, "you know, I may like to have a kid with you one day!" LOL...but he is still just thinking on it! Who knows if we ever will? Only God knows and I guess we'll just leave it in his hands, that is, after we're married!

I'm pretty excited about tomorrow. I'm going shopping with my mom! I'm sure will have fun, argue a little (she always tries the same shirt on multiple times, like it's gonna fit different if she tries it on five times??), and blow some money! Ha ha...well she doesn't blow hers, I do mine! Hopefully we'll find some cutie patooti stuff to buy!

Hope you all have a good weekend! I'm sure planning on it!

Must see this!

Okay you guys, you have to watch this video! You have to watch it til the end..absolutely amazing! My boyfriend, Jeff, shared it with me and now I'm sharing it with you! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

What a weekend!

Whew! That's all I can say! I woke up Saturday for Day 2 of the 30 Day Shred...kicked my butt again I might add...I was soooo sore during it and in mucho pain afterward and all day! Somehow Sunday morning I made myself get up and do it, despite the muscle pain. this morning I woke up for Day 4 and started the jumping jacks...needless to say I turned it off. Every jump I made I felt like my bones in my leg were going to split in half! Ouch! I'll try it again today. I didn't entirely give up exercising this morning. I did do some crunches, so that made me feel a little better about skipping the DVD. I will do the DVD tonight! Maybe even go run?!

You know, eating healthier isn't really that bad after all. I actually like fruit, veggies and whole grains. I'm serious! I have been off caffeine now for4 or 5 days now. I can't even begin to tell you how much better I feel...it's amazing! I'm hoping water doesn't get too boring because that is all I have been drinking...so far, so good.

I'm doing good on bringing my lunch, too. I have some of those yummy South Beach Diet wraps and 1/2 of an apple, with water of course. I really think I can do it this time. Especially with reading some of the blogs on here with success stories! Keep 'em coming girls!

Yesterday was pretty productive. I cleaned my car and vacuumed it, Jeff helped me clean my windows and put rain-x stuff on it. He's sweet. Then, I did laundry! Ugh...hate laundry! So enough about my weekend, I wanna hear about yours! I may post again later on today! Until then, love ya and hope you have a wonderful Monday (if there is such a thing.)

I'm back (sorry readers!)

Well...first let me say I'm sorry to my dedicated readers! I've haven't gotten a chance all week long to post anything! Geez! I'm so glad it's Friday! I have been trying to eat healthier, as some of you know and it has actually been going well. Yesterday I went tt Target to buy Jillian Michael's Dvd...30 Day Shred! Yikes! I had no idea what Ace had been talking about but now I know!! That chick will quick your rear! I was about to die this morning. I swear I about threw up! I had a cup of Special K Cinnamon Pecan cereal this morning and some fresh fruit. That cereal is sooo good. It reminds me of Cinnamon Toast Crunch but way healthier for you. Kasey, I have also been eating the lunchables juniors for snacks in between breakfast and lunch. They are so filling and the perfect amount of calories! I'm so glad you told me about them. I also stocked up on the 100 calorie Little Debbies. I LOVE the chocolate cake. OMG...they are the best ever.

For those who are watching what they eat...is the normal snak supposed to be 100 calories or actually 150? I was reading a Fitness magazine and they were talking about snacks being 150 calories. Does this sound correct to you? If so, I'm totally cheating myself out of 50 calories! Haha!!

Well, I guess I'm going to sign off on this post for now, gotta do some work...ugh! LOL

Rainy Shopping Day...How Lovely.

Well...I finally decided to get up around 10:30 this morning and get ready to go to the "spa city"as some call it. Even though the rain was a little discouraging to me to get up and go shopping, I managed to do it. There isn't much that gets in the way of my shopping.

TJ Maxx was a madhouse! Geez...After searching rack upon rack I found two cute shirts. I tried them on as bad as I hated to and stood in the long line to purchase them. Surprisingly, I didn't have to wait long at all. If there is one thing I need to acquire in life it is definitely patience. I absolutely hate waiting in lines, waiting on cars in front of me to park, turn, etc. You get the point...

I went to Belk and Old Navy...found absolutely nothing. Where are all of the cute clothes this season? Can someone fill me in, please? After stopping by at Chick-fil-a, I made my way to the mall. Crowded...great, more waiting and dodging rude people. I don't know what it is, but big crowds bring out rudeness in everyone, it seems. I hate it. Sometimes I wonder why I even try to get out and shop. Seriously, if I were one of those lucky people that could buy online and not have to worry about trying anything on I would so do it! I went to every store in the mall. Most everything the stores have are stuff with the bohemian look. Sure, its cute, but can we have something else to choose from besides bohemian stuff and polos?! I finally made it to the shoe store. Thank God...you can't go wrong with shoes! They had a huge stock of Yellowbox flip-flops...hallelujah! I got a CUTE pair that are Giraffe print with light blue edging! I'll post a pic later! Then I found a pair for my mom (her birthday is Wednesday.) I ended up finding her a pretty keychain at Hallmark, too, all complete with a hot pink gift bag and zebra print tissue paper. So, my trip to shop wasn't completely wasted; however, I didn't have an umbrella, my hair is a wet mess and I'm wearing jeans that are wet at the bottoms (one thing I can't stand...) I guess it was worth it. So, how has everyone else's Saturday been?? I hope you managed to stay dry!

The Search, The Hospital, Short Ceilings and Parking Decks

Well...I didn't get to put on my comfy sweatpants until about 11:30 p.m. or so, but it was well worth it. I made my way up to Baptist Medical Center to see Krystal and Kaylee after seeing Jeff for a few and then having a quick dinner with my dad at a little dairy bar close to our house with great burgers (bad, bad...) and shakes (really bad). I flubbed up and got a cheeseburger...I'm so weak! I did drink water though, if that helps any? But I guess the cajun fries I had kinda striked out the water...lol. Cajun fries are my weakness...I think I may run to Wal-Mart later and get the ingredients to make the pita recipe Ace shared on her blog. (Thanks, Ace!)

So on my way to the hospital I decided to pick up a couple things for Krystal that I knew she was dying to have! I looked all over for the C&C In-shower facial I talked about! Went to the first Wal-Mart store I came to and it was sold out! I thought, either people are catching on to the greatness of this stuff or Ashley came up here and bought every tube! (I know Ashley shops at this particular Wal-Mart.) So when I saw that it was sold out I ran over to the vitamin isle to get Krystal one of those moisturizing sticks I use. I finally found the C&C Facial stuff after stopping at about three places! I looked for the mascara, but alas, never found it...boo hoo. As I figured, Krystal was thrilled to get the stuff I got. Yay! I can't wait for her to try it out!


Our visit was a good one! I got to hold Kaylee and Krystal and I caught up on stuff and talked about our usual subjects-just like old times! I had a great time. We waited a little late to go out to our cars. I was glad that Krystal needed to go to her car because, honestly, I was a little scared walking out there by myself! It was dark and it's Little Rock! It's not my little hometown that I could care less about walking in the dark in. The front doors were already locked so we had to walk through the parking deck...super creepy I might add. I kept telling Krystal, "I'm scared! I've seen too many scary movies that had a girl walking to her car in a parking de--"...Krystal cut me off, "Tara, shut up! I've got to walk back by myself!!" "Okay, okay...you're right...", I said. To make a long funny story a short funny story, we made it okay and there were no creepies out there hiding!

On our way to the parking deck we had to walk through a hallway and as we were walking I kept thinking, "...something looks weird about this hall...what is it?" and then it hit me! Check out this picture!!

I actually felt tall for a change! I have no idea why the ceiling was so short, but hey, I got a chance to feel tall once in my life! I really felt as if I could take on Michael Jordan in a one-on-one basketball game and dunk it everytime...okay, maybe I didn't take it that far!

I finally made it to bed and put on my beloved sweatpants, woke up today and realized it was Friday! So...let's hear it! What are your plans for the weekend??

Lunchtime!

Well...it's finally lunchtime! I'm sitting here in enjoying my salad I made this morning...yum! It actually better than I expected! Since my last post, I got a chance to try out Twitter a little more. My boss, Cecilia had a client so I was kinda not that busy. She didn't have any tapes for me to dictate and I already mailed out my stuff for the day.

Here's my take on Twitter...

It's fabulous. I love it. Put it on the list for another addiction.

I only wish I could get my lovely friends to join!! It would be so much cooler. There are a lot of people and things to follow...Krystal, the Tyra Banks show is on there. Need you ask for any more?? I'm liking that I can follow news, too. It's great for my hectic life.

Today has been pretty good, so far. I can't believe it's already lunch! Jeff and I decided to go home tonight and do some stuff. I have to finish up laundry from earlier this week I didn't get to. I'm kinda ready for 5:00. I am really wanting to get into my favorite Old Navy sweats and chill. Maybe catch up on a few blogs. I'm kinda thinking about heading up to Baptist tonight and see Krystal and Kaylee. So I'll have to put the sweatpants on hold if I do that. Well, Idk...who says I can't wear them to the hospital? It's not really the "socially-accepted" attire but maybe I don't care! LOL!

I've noticed that some of you haven't posted today! Y'all act like you have a busy life with kids or something! Geez!! LOL! But seriously though, I wanna read about your day today! Hope you are all having a great one!

Twitter, My Night, and My Latest, Greatest Find!

For the past two weeks I have heard Twitter, Twitter, Twitter! So I used my trusty Google to find out what this Twitter hype is all about! Well...I found out that it is a series of status messages to let your friends (or followers OR stalkers) to know what you're doing. Well...I decided to join to see if maybe it would be something I would like...there are a lot of celebs on it, which is pretty cool I guess.

So, I'm encouraging you all to join so I'll have some followers and also someone to follow. Go to
http://twitter.com/home and add taranic...THAT'S ME!!

Now...for my eventful night last night!

I decided to go pick up a few things at Wal-Mart since I got paid. I'm trying so hard to say no to going out at lunch and taking my own. It's healthier, cheaper and easier! I decided if I blog during lunch that will give me initiative to stay here at work for lunch and not go out. So..blogger is my anti-fast food! LOL..So, I was on a quest for healthy food last night...I ended up getting some yogurt drink, Danactive with probiotics. It is supposed to boost your immune system which is fine with me, the person with no health insurance. I can't be going to the Doctor all the time! I tried it this morning and it wasn't too bad. I ended up getting the Peach flavor cause I'm pretty fond of Peach stuff. On top of drinking my Danactive I actually made a salad for lunch with ham, turkey, a little 2% cheese, cucumbers and carrots! Yay for me! And to top it off...LIGHT ranch! Go me! If only I can keep it up. I finally found a light dressing I can stand. It's made by Marzetti and it's good! I found it in the produce section in a jar. Good stuff...I can handle this! Finally a salad that doesn't have the exact amount of calories a Big Mac has! Haha!

Oh, and Nikki...I know you are looking for some good snacks for your diet. I picked up some Slim Fast bars...Chocolate Peanut Nougat. Tastes a lot like a Snickers...mmm...Guilt Free at its best! And another favorite of mine, the good ol' childhood favorite, Goldfish crackers! Savannah and Carson may have some you can sneak a few of! LOL!

Now enough about food before I get hungry...

You know I couldn't go to Wal-Mart without buying a beauty product...I was over by the vitamins...yes, the vitamins. When I looked down I saw a little stick of something. Vitamin E moisturizing stick...98 cents!! I bought this stuff for my chapped lips that I can't get rid of. OMG!! It feels so silky on my lips! And another good thing about it...it's pure vitamin E...so you know exactly what is on your lips and you know there is no harmful additives that you could swallow! Vitamin E is known for it's healing properties. I have used it for a long time. I used to take the liquid gel capsules and break them and just apply it to cuts, scrapes, whatever. Great stuff. It's cheap, safe and natural! I definitely encourage you to go buy this! Just take a look at it real good before you buy it as they are not sealed. Make sure some kid didn't decide to stick their finger in it or write on the shelf with it! (Ha ha...I used to be a kid...I know these things.)

And here is a pic of it...(sorry for the quality-used my phone)

One other tip for the day, if you put something on your lips to moisturize them, you need to make sure you have all the flakie stuff off them. Otherwise you are just putting stuff on already dead skin, and that doesn't do any good.There are two ways to do this. Either you can take a toothbrush and GENTLY rub it on your lips...they make a great lip exfoliating tool or you can make your own lip scrub with sugar and olive oil. Just get it to a pasty like consistency and rub it on your lips. Now your ready to moisturize!

Hope you found some useful stuff today! I'll probably post later on today as well...probably at lunch! Love ya all!

The Review I Promised!

Alrighty...I told you all that I would review a product today! I had to go to the bank so that is why my previous post is so close to this one. One thing that I always have to have on is mascara. The ends of my eyelashes are blond and If I don't wear any I look just downright funny! When I look for a mascara I want it to give me volume, length and definition-and i don't want to look like a raccoon by the end of the workday. Personally, I don't prefer waterproof mascara. It feels like my eyelashes are going to rip out when I try to take it off. I'm always on the lookout for the perfect mascara. I had been using Covergirl Lash Blast for awhile (in the orange tube).

Seriously, that would be my all time favorite if I hadn't have ran across this....


This is Prestige-My Biggest Lashes...I'll have to admit, I was lured in by the pretty pink tube! Sad, huh? However, the name of it caught my eye as well. My Biggest Lashes...hmmm...who wouldn't want that?Let's just say, this product delivers! In addition to making my eyelashes fuller and super long, it does so without making your eyelashes stiff...you know, kinda like trantula legs?! Haha...Oh, and who doesn't like the pink packaging? It actually gives it the illusion of being a higher-end mascara! Anywho, I think I picked it up around $6.00 at USA Drug.

Now, let me warn you about some crappy mascaras I have tried...
Loreal Hip Mascara...don't get this unless you like thick, nasty mascara that smudges!

Any of these stupid mascaras that promise to bring out the color of your eyes, namely the new one by Covergirl...it sucks. Oh, but how I love my Covergirl stuff...they just made a boo-boo on that one, I forgive them though.

Above all, the WORST mascara I have ever tried would have to be Revlon's 3D Extreme. Do not waste your money on this!! If you buy it I'll have to say "I told you so..." Eww...eww...eww...is all I have to say! It actually falls off the wand its so clumpy!


Okay, tomorrow be on the lookout for my Mineral Make-Up review...

Loreal Bare Naturale Powdered Mineral Fundation vs. Bare Ecsentuals aka Bare Minerals

My Best Kept Secret...Oh, I guess I'll tell!!!

Well, I guess I can't keep this secret any longer! I just have to tell you guys about a great new place in town (well, not so new...just unknown by many). I ran across this place the other day and I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw all of the cute stuff they had for sale! Yeah, it was pay day when I went, so I had some money and I couldn't get out of there without spending some of it. You know me...

I ended up getting TWO pairs of really cute flip-flops. A little pricey, but cute. And then here is a pic of my sexy leg with a tan! Ha ha! Just kidding!They're in bad need of a Schick Quatro razor! LOL!


And just LOOK at this watch there...$16.00...a Dolce and Gabbana Knock-off...You can't tell this difference though!

The picture without the hand is a real one if you can't tell...lol. I think my knock off is pretty good for $16.00!

So...are you wondering where I found these fabulous things??! None other than the hospital gift shop in Malvern! I know, I know...you're picking your jaw up off the floor as we speak, kinda like when I walked in the place! Well ladies, it's pay day...I don't think I have to tell you where I'm going now! I'll post my make-up reviews for the day later! Love ya all!

One of my Favorite Products

Okay...so one of my favorite things to do is look at beauty product reviews on youtube, makeupalley.com or wherever! If you didn't know that about me, now you do! I'm always in search of that "wonder product", if you will ,of all beauty products. Tonight, I'm going to share with you one of my newest, favorite products...

Are you ready?

Clean and Clear Soft In-Shower Facial!!!















This, my friends, is heaven in a tube! If some of you are like me, my butt is draggin' every morning! The instrutions say to use it in the shower (works best with steam) for about 60 seconds. I, on the other had, use it for about two minutes! LOL...I've also found it works better when you apply it to a dry face. It applies better and doesn't run off your skin as it would applying it to wet skin. With this stuff, I'm instantly awakened thanks to the tingling sensation that works with the steam of my shower (I can feel it working in my pores)...not to mention my face feels REALLY soft after using it due to the little exfoliating beads in it! It's not as harsh on one's skin as the St. Ives Apricot scrub. This stuff a great little pick me up in the a.m. As soon as I step out of the shower I feel refreshed!

Aside from waking me up in the morning, When I bought it, I was actually looking for a gentle scrub that would help exfoliate my face after tanning in the tanning beds (I know, shame shame...) Everytime I go, I get those lil "flakies" as I call them that look awful when you wear your make-up...this product delivered on getting rid of them as well. And as I said before, not as harsh as the Apricot scrub I have used in the past for this. You definitely don't want to use a harsh product on your skin, that, well...may be a little pink from the t-bed!

In closing, this is a product I'm glad I ran across at Wal-Mart...and a great deal at around $7.00! Just wanted to share it with you guys, you hafta try this stuff! If you do, you've got to let me know how it works for you =)

Hopefully, I'll be able to share alot more products on here that I run across and think you'll enjoy, too. Until then, I'll be on the lookout. Btw...have you noticed I'm becoming more blog-saavy? Look at me go!

My Second Blog! Yay!

Well...I really do want to get into this blogging craze, but it's so hard for me to find the time to do it! First of all, let me say I love reading everyone's blogs! I'm so glad you post, Krystal! The pictures are great! I need to get up there again and see you! Hopefully I can, soon!!! I'm so hyped about the baby shower Sunday! I definitely plan on being there, that is, if there aren't any more surprises! Don't know if I can handle much more! Ha ha!

So...today has been a great day at work today. Yesterday was Monday and it didn't even feel like a Monday at all! I figured it would be Monday x2 due to the fact our office was closed Friday in observance of Good Friday. (yes, I have one of those jobs that takes off for EVERY holiday). Much to my surprise, it wasn't that bad coming back! On top of that, I also had a new desk to enjoy. It was a huge improvement from the desk I had before. I have so much space with this one. No more filing on the floor! Haha! There is so much space on this one everyone has been joking: "We can have a potluck and set it up on your desk!" I'm so thrilled I just don't know how to act! Yeah, it doesn't take much to excite this ol' girl! LOL! But wait! It gets even better than that...I also got a new wide-screen computer monitor! 19' inches! Woohoo! I'm telling ya, ever since I had that job interview (didn't get the job)...my boss has been doing everything to ensure my happiness with the Law Firm! Ha ha! Maybe now is a good time to ask for a raise? Ha!!

Hopefully it won't be long until my next post! Until then, Love ya all-

~Tara~

Ok, so...

Well...I took Krystal's advice and decided to get a "Blogspot"...I really have no idea what I am doing, but hopefully I'll catch on pretty fast. Today has been a pretty boring day at work, a typical Friday. Fridays here are usually slow, which I am really liking due to the fact that I have lost my voice. It really upsets me because I just went through this whole laryngitis thing about a month ago. I know one thing, I'll never take my voice for granted ever after this! It's hard to answer the phone while whispering because that is all that you can manage to get out! lol...

I know I have no one reading this at the moment, because I have no "follwer" I guess they are called, right now. But hopefully I'll get some and someone may decide to read this! I have decided to take a chance and apply for a job that I have been wanting for as long as I can remember. Something that I can actually use my degree! I'll give more details as to what the job is later, but I really would like some prayers to help me get this job! Currently, I have zero health, dental, vision, etc. coverage. I never knew how rough that could be until I actually delt with it myself. Its hard to decide whether you want to go to the doctor, or hope that you get better so you can save a chunk of money. What happened to all that stuff that they told us in high school, go to college and you can get a great job with great pay and all? Who were they kidding???

Okay, I guess I'll wrap this up for now. Hopefully my first blog on here didn't bore you too much! Take care and I hope everyone has a great weekend!

-Tara