Kettlebell Fitness Challenge? Let's do this!

I've been MIA on blogging for a minute. My youngest is turning one tomorrow, so I've been doing a bunch of crap for her party on Saturday. I have, however, still had time to bitch about those 4 lbs I want to lose. 

My friend Erin, who blogs at Life in the Dub Lane, is going to be doing a kettlebell challenge on her blog, and I kept thinking about it. Especially since she posted pictures of herself in a bikini, and my immediate though was "Bitch! Ugh, she looks so fabulous". (Sorry, doll. That's the price you pay for being an uber hottie, Erin. Love you!) So if a kettlebell will get me a body like hers, I'm game.


The challenge starts on September 5th, it's a Monday. The workout calls for you to commit to half an hour a day, 6 days a week. Now, I sucked at Insanity and P90X. Mainly because I'm lazy it's hard for me to find an uninterrupted hour every day to do it. Half an hour? I can do that. 

 
There will be a weekly LinkUp on Erin's blog for you to post your progress. Progress includes a PICTURE. With your face in it. Form fitting/figure hugging clothes are best to see progress. You must wear the same outfit in every photo so it's easiest to see the changes. If the outfit gets too big? Hell, that would be awesome.

The link up will be each Sunday {as that is your day off}.  

Details regarding link rules will be posted as we get closer to the start date.

At the end of the 8 weeks, there will be a nice award for the TWO participants that achieved the greatest results. One participant will be chosen by Brook Benten herself and the other will be chosen by Readers Choice. The prize? Brook Benten has graciously offered to give the 2 Winners each a set of her entire DVD Library.

Have questions? Erin explains more about it here. 

Need some more motivation? The DVD normally runs $30, but there is a current Groupon going on where you can get the DVD for $20. 


A DVD, on sale, that helps you become more of a hottie than you already are?

I've ordered my DVD, and I need to pick up the kettlebell (a 10 lb one is suggested if you're just going to get one. Erin says the best place to get one is Target). 

Are you going to do it with me?

Highs and Lows 8-7

So here we are again. Time for Highs and Lows. Pretty simple. Share the highs and lows of your week.

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Highs

• I celebrated the big 31 29 version 3 last Tuesday. Hubby grilled out filets, corn on the cob and baked potatoes. I got some great presents. Gift cards to Target, Homegoods, Bath and Body Works, and Old Navy. Old Navy can be hit or miss for me, clothing wise, but I love that you can use it at Gap and Piperlime too. I ended up getting these shoes at Piperlime. 

I dig them. Rocker? Romantic? Awesomesauce.

• Another high? My sister in law got me Alice: Madness Returns for the PS3. Now, I suck at video games. But I've been wanting this one for forever, back when it was released on a PC (me, being a MAC user, never got to play it). And I love it. Although when the enemies start swarming me, I hit pause and have hubby get thru that part.

• My baby is turning one on Wednesday. I've been planning her party for a long time, and it's finally all coming together. Her dress is made, the favors purchased, the centerpieces finished. Now I just need to buy the food supplies. Thank God that my bloggy buddy Julie from It's Sew Stinkin Cute is coming over on Friday to help prepare the food. I heart her.

• I had a fantastic meet and greet with a photographer I want to work with, and I'm super excited about the shoot we're planning. Did you know that I pretend to model?  You really want to buy that spa coat, huh?

• Another photographer that I've been talking to just dropped off the wardrobe at my house last night. Pretty cool stuff. I haven't done any modeling since Ava was born, I'm itching to get back into it.

• Went to church this morning (which admittedly we suck at). Tried out a different campus, I dig it. I was worried about dropping off Ava, since usually she screams when we hand her off to anyone, but she did so good! They said that she deserved a sticker for the best baby there. Makes a momma happy to hear that.

Low

• What. The. French is up with hubby's car? Spent a billion months in the shop, we get it back, has to go back to the shop thanks to leaking oil. Then on Thursday, on the way home, his car decided to die on the highway in a construction area (so no shoulder to pull off onto). He finally gets it started and it keeps dying every couple of minutes on the way home. Luckily the battery was still under warranty, but the lady at Walmart said it might be the alternator? Ugh. Screw you, car. 

• I've been having the worst dreams lately. Ugh, seems like every night I have crappy dreams, and then I wake up in the morning in a sleep deprived funk. Last nights dream? Hubby decided to go back to school, but picked a school that was hours and hours away. His parting gift? A huge bag of old cookie cutters. WTH?

• Ava is teething, which means she's been a BUTT. Luckily it was only the first part of this week. My FB status that day? 

So there you have it, another week down where the things to be thankful for out number the things to bitch about. 

My Statement Necklace, an untutorial

I'm an Etsy-addict. It probably doesn't help that I can't afford half of what I have on my favorites on there. 

Like this. Stunning, right? But I certainly don't have the $160 that she's asking. So it was time to get crafting.

I wasn't able to find red flat stones at any of the bead stores around me, so I found this on Etsy. I had the best luck searching for "flat nugget stone" under the supplies section. These cost me $15 shipped.

I then hit up Hobby Lobby for the rest of the supplies. Thick and thin chain, jump rings, and TAN felt. The pic shows red, but I figured out why she uses tan instead of red after I made the first one. The red would show up against your skin, the tan blends in.

Next, I hot glued them on TAN felt, and cut them out. Don't cut too close, since you'll need something to glue the beads onto, and you can trim it later.

Next, I took some fishing line, threaded it through the hole, and tied it in a knot. Then started threading on the beads, adding a drop of hot glue every 4 or 5, and making sure to keep the beads very close to the stone. I added the hot glue along the edge, so it touched both the stone and the felt.

Now, this is where I started to wing it. At first, I just did the beads all the way around, and then attached the chains with a needle and thread. But with the hot glue, I had a hard time getting the needle to go through. So I figured out where I wanted the chains, made a pen mark, and when I would come across one of those, I would string on the chain and it cut it to size.

Then when I would get to the other side, I would attach the other end. Make sense?









I ended up doing all of the stones, and then laid them out and figured out the ones I wanted to use in my final piece. My stones are a lot bigger than the reference pic, so I just used four. I was feeling an asymmetrical look, so that's what I went with. I attached the stones to each other with jump rings (I used three on each stone so it wouldn't be too flimsy) and then attached a chain to the top so I could wear it.

It's huge, but isn't that what a statement necklace is about?

Sponsor Spotlight

So, it's the first of the month, which means we all have money burning a hole in our pockets, right? My sponsors are awesome, and they have awesome discounts, which you should totally get in on. Christmas is coming up, and I know you want to be prepared for that. Plus, it's my birthday tomorrow, and I know you're looking to get your favorite blogger a little something, right? 

The Whimsy Shop

The super sweet and amazing Janice is throwing a super sale! She's just a short while away from delivery, so she's doing a "The baby is moving into my craft room" sale! You know those wire wrapped tree necklaces, the ones that are usually $26? Now they are $12! There are a ton of super great sales in her etsy shop. 

Did I mention that you can still use the LCW15 for 15% off your entire order?? Sale prices, plus an additional discount? Yes please!

Cute Couture Designs

I get so many compliments on my wax seal necklace, every time I wear it. And now I'm in LOVE with that gold wrapped bracelet. Have you checked out Kelli's etsy shop? If you haven't, you're missing out! And don't forget to use the code Jewels for 15% off!

Meggie's Love

When I featured Megan's etsy shop, I had so many people email me, telling me how adorable the watches are and how they want to get one. Well, her discount code LCW15 for 15% off ends tomorrow! Get in on the discount before it ends, you know you want to!

You, Enhanced

I have a giveaway planned with Nik in a few weeks that I'm excited about, and you should be too! Who doesn't love free stuff? Until then, you can use JenRocks15 for 15% off of everything in her etsy shop!  I already have that Pow necklace, but I have my eye on that tree. Gorgeous!

Rebecca's Whims

Holy crap. Rebecca has added so much stuff to her etsy shop in the past couple of weeks. I wish I had that much motivation! I think the blue and copper heart is so stinkin' pretty! And she has those custom stamps too, I love that tree, so sweet! Use the code BLING for 15% off!

Happy shopping! Buy me yourself something pretty! Don't forget to start early on those Christmas gifts!

Highs and Lows 7-31

So here we are again. Time for Highs and Lows. Pretty simple. Share the highs and lows of your week.

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Highs

After wanting to chop it off for years, I finally did it. It's SO much easier to fix. Instead of taking forever to dry and straighten (I've been blessed with really thick hair) I can have it finished in 15 minutes. Plus hubby says it makes me look younger. I'm turning 31 29 on August 2nd, I'm all for looking young.

Hubby had another tattoo appointment. We have two appointments left, I'm so excited with how it's looking.

• FINALLY finished up the tray for my bloggy buddy LP. She won that thing FOREVER ago. I just need to throw some coats of clear on it, and it'll ship out on Tuesday. 

• Finished up Ava's ringmaster dress for her birthday party! Can't believe that my baby is going to be one. 

• Hubby took me to Red Lobster for my birthday dinner. My mom had the older girls for the night, so it was just him, me and Ava. Ava kept grabbing my arm, trying to steal my crab legs. Had a lovely time, I love that man. I told hubby that on my birthday, I just want a low key night at home with the family. Filets, corn and potatoes on the grill, that'll make me a happy girl.

• I won a cool giveaway for some crafting supplies. I heart free stuff. 

Lows

• my wrist is hurting really bad. I have a ganglion cyst on my left wrist that acts up from time to time. Usually when it gets big enough, I'll pop it with a piercing needle and drain it (I know, ewww, right?). But I don't feel any fluid in there, and I can't bend my wrist. Don't know if I slept on it wrong? It even hurts to type, and of course I hold Ava with my left arm, so that's making it difficult. 

•  Had a horrible haircut before I finally got a great one. Jour Salon in Rockwall? Yeah, you suck.

Overall, not a bad week. Link up, peeps. 

Guest Posting at My World Made By Hand

Guess where I'm at today? The super sweet and fabulous Jessica let me take over her blog for her red, white and blue round up! Check it out. 

So, what's the deal with Straight Talk?

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Straight Talk for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I'll admit it. I'm one of those who feels completely naked without my phone. If I leave the house without it, I'm convinced that there will be some major emergency, and I'll be the last to know. But, as much as I love my phone, it doesn't mean that I want to pay a ton of money for it.

For the longest time, I had no idea what our cell phone bill was. Ours is combined with our internet and cable, so I just see the total. But when I actually looked at my bill, I was surprised. There has to be a better way to do this.

Now there is, and it's called Straight Talk. There are no contracts. No credit checks. No crazy surprise bills at the end of the month. Plus, there is great nationwide coverage. Did I mention that Straight Talk only uses trusted phone manufacturers like LG, Motorola, Kyocera, Nokia and Samsung?

The montly plan is amazing. There is an “All You Need Plan” with 1,000 minutes, 1,000 texts and 30 MB of web data. That even covers those heavy cell phone users.

You want to know the price, right? Unlimited Monthly service is only $45, and includes calls, text, picture messaging, and web. If you do the math, it means that the whole year is under $500. Heck, we were spending that in 3 months with our old cell phone contract. Plus, Straight Talk is free from activation, reactivation, or termination fees. I know you hate those as much as I do.

You know those phones I talked about? Straight Talk has reconditioned phones are available from $10.00 with camera, mp3 player, mobile web access, and blue-tooth capability.

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Do you want to know more? Check out  hook, line and sinker, call a friend , and find out everything you need.