All posts in category Smile

Turn That Frown Upside Down

It is no secret that I have been experiencing a funk the last couple of months.  With moving and basically getting my world turned upside down there has been a lot to get use to.

The last week my attitude has changed and it wasn’t from a mental perspective.  It was from a materialistic perspective.  There are some things that inner beauty just can’t take care of and sometimes it’s the vanity that helps pull me out of a funk.  I am not a vain person by any means, but I do appreciate some of the little things in life, and here are three of them:

I finally got my hair done. 

It has been a year and a half since I last got my hair did, and man was it time.  In fact, I had no idea how bad it looked until after a cut and a highlight:

Please disregard the weird expression on my face.  This is why I don’t take a lot of self-portraits, I feel like a goober.

When I was young my hair was so blonde it was white, and now I just don’t feel myself unless my hair is highlighted.  I’ve been every color in the book and this is the one that is me.  It is also the only color that softens the personality of my face.  If you catch me in concentration mode I have a very mean expression on my face, and I have been told several times that people were scared of me until they got to know me.  I really have to work on keeping a happy expression on my face, since people’s first impressions of me can be muddled.  I also had about 5 inches of dead hair cut off, and it feels so good.

I gave myself a pedicure.

I don’t know about you, but I only get ONE pedicure a year, and it is in the middle of the spring when I am absolutely certain that it won’t snow again.  This year I decided to save some money for the long run and by my own tools to give me a makeshift pedicure at home.  I painted my nails a bright pinky/purple to get pumped for warm weather (even though it’s been overcast all week):

I said it on twitter and I’ll say it again, my toes are like fingers, and they are the thorn in my side when it comes to shoe shopping.   But my mom says that if anybody needs someone to play the piano with their toes, they know who to call!

My hub’s thriftiness paid off. 

While perusing the clearance section at Target on Saturday (which we have to do EVERY time we go to the mall), we came across this gem:

A Garmin Forerunner 405.  Originally $219, and we paid….wait for it….$109.98!!!

I know that I don’t run yet, and have no need for this right this second, but my future goal is to start running (when I hit 220 pounds, I will start a C25K program) and eventually run a marathon.  How often do you find such a steal of a deal?!  Plus, it is helping to motivate me for my future goals and my hub’s won’t let me open it up until mother’s day.  Happy Mother’s Day to me!

These things have seem to put a spring in my step and a smile on my face!

What is something that brightens your mood?  And it most definitely DOES NOT have to be something of monetary worth, it just happens that this last week was an exception!

21 Comments
by Shrinking Carrie on May 1, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Awesomeness, Hair Styles, Indulgence, Shopping, Smile

Posted by Shrinking Carrie on May 1, 2012

http://shrinkingcarrie.com/2012/05/01/turn-that-frown-upside-down/

Friday Link Love

Just to go along with yesterday’s post, it looks like it isn’t just me who struggles with weekend indulgence.  Check out this little factoid I stole from Hungry Runner Girl:

I see the same decline starting Friday around lunch time (especially when I was working an office job), and the weekend gets progressively worse.

I don’t know about you, but I have a pretty full google reader with a lot of blogs and blog friends that I like to catch up with periodically through the day.  There are a few blogs that I skim (usually if they post more than once a day) and blogs that I read all the way through (usually people who I actually interact with through my blog on at least a weekly basis).  This week I made a conscious effort to star or “pin” some of my favorite articles that I thought all you guys would like to read as well.  You’re welcome.

Meatless Weekdays – Summer Challenge with Skinny Jeans Dreams

I have mentioned Krystle’s blog before and if you haven’t checked it out yet you really should.  She has offered out a summer challenge featuring meatless weekday’s.  Since I am making the slow, but steady transition into no animal products I decided to jump on board with this challenge!  I’m starting it right after I am done with my kick-start (4/23) and completing it through the summer until Aug. 26th.  This is such a great challenge and she gives a lot of great reasoning behind why going meatless on the weekdays will boost your health.  Check it out!

Eat Less, Move More

This post really hit me because the concept of “Eat Less, Move More” is preached all over the place and for some of us it is not that easy.  Saying I am a food addict is almost an understatement, and it is frustrating to hear people say that it is easy to lose weight if you would just do ________.  This post felt like I was talking to myself in a mirror (although I have never weighed over 400 pounds).  The author of this article blogs over at The Anti-Jared and is an inspiration (but very humble).

What I’ve Learnt From Blogging (She is from the UK, so yes, it is LEARNT)

If you have ever thought of starting a blog, you need to read this article.  The etiquette portion is SPOT-ON.  I can’t tell you how many times I have tried to lend my support to other bloggers when they are in time of need and have never gotten a response or acknowledged.  And I’m not talking once.  Multiple times with the same blogger.  I have found that blogger world can be kind of like High school, and I just thank my lucky stars that I am now an adult who has the sense to delete a blogger from my reader if they are constantly negative and don’t acknowledge their readers.  I invite you to do the same.

I try to interact with my readers, and I am not here to just hear myself talk about my thoughts.  I could get that from a private journal.  I am here to find support and give support in return and I hope that you guys feel that in my posts.  I even wrote a post about it once.

Interview With Nutritarian: Helen

It is NEVER too late to change your eating habits.  Just ask 87-year-old Helen.  A great article of how she overcame a stroke and started eating plant-based.  A very motivational story!

10 Simple Steps to Happiness

This was the first article that inspired Friday Link Love because I just had to share the wonderful article with you all!  It is all about happiness and living compassionately.  I won’t ruin the rest for you.  You’ll need to check out the entire post.  It was very motivational.

Enjoy these great links!  I hope they start your weekend off on a positive note!  Here’s to keeping our food on track for the weekend!

5 Comments
by Shrinking Carrie on April 20, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Blogging, Blogs to Read, Challenges, Inspiration, Link Love, Meatless Weekdays, Motivation, Plant Based Diet, Smile

Posted by Shrinking Carrie on April 20, 2012

http://shrinkingcarrie.com/2012/04/20/friday-link-love/

Such a GREAT Day!

Sweat it Out:
Elliptical 35 minutes
Weights 45 minutes

This has been a GREAT day so I will just start from the beginning:

  • Started the day with a fabulous NROLFW weight lifting session, that my husband joined me on. Dustin has been working like crazy these last few months so when he gets a day off we try to pack as much as possible into the time we have to enjoy with each other.  My hub’s was very leery in the beginning of the workout because he thought all of the moves would be “girl exercise’s”.  I told him the tag line of the book was “lift like a MAN, look like a goddess”.  That’s right, these are MAN moves.  He was a good sport and got through the whole workout.  He said that he was even more impressed with me and my progress, now that he has gotten to do a workout with me.  He told me that his hamstrings are already sore and his abs will be feeling the burn tomorrow morning after the planks we did today!
  • After getting ready I went to my closet to find something to wear, and by chance put on a pair of jeans that I bought post-pregnancy as a motivator to start getting back in shape.  They are a size smaller than I was (at the time) and they were normally $80.  I bought them on sale for $20.  I put them on and they finally fit!  Then I tried on one of my smaller shirts that hasn’t fit in a couple of years, and it fit as well!  Holy crap!  I should have taken a picture (now I’m all comfy in my PJ’s so I’ll have to take a picture later)!
  • Old Navy is currently having a sale on all of their active wear.  I thought we should check it out since I am in dire need of new gym clothes.  I went in feeling hopeful, but defeated after holding up some of the compression pants and they didn’t seem to fit.  My husband FORCED me to take them to the dressing room.  Thinking of the disappointment I would feel after having such a fun morning, I reluctantly tried them on thinking that at least it would give me some motivation to keep going to the gym.  They slipped right on.  No, seriously, they fit, and they fit good.  I came out of the dressing room in shock and mouthed the words to my hub’s “they fit!” across the store.  I was excited, I felt good, and my husband had a look of pride for me on his face all day long.
  • This is what I’m talking about.  I am seeing the results of my hard work, and it only makes me want to work harder.  I also got some pretty cute new gym clothes that I get to wear to the “Rollin on the River 5k” tomorrow.  My foot is starting to feel a little better, so I think I will be doing an easy walk tomorrow, and I don’t plan on finishing in any set time.  I could possibly even be the last person, but I am there to support my friend and have fun with our group.
There is one other thing that I wanted to mention that I am excited about, but I think it deserves its own post so I will be giving it its own post on Sunday, but it is exciting for me and I hope you will all tune in!
What is something exciting that happened to you today?!
“The New Rules of Lifting for Women” Day 5, Phase 3, Workout A
  • One Armed Dumbell Snatch: 3 sets of 6, 20 pounds
  • Dumbell Single-leg Romanian Deadlift: 3 sets of 6, 30 pounds
  • Barbell Bent Over Row: 3 sets of 6, 40 Pounds
  • Dumbell single arm overhead squat: 3 sets of 6, 5/15 Pounds
  • Dumbell incline Bench Press: 3 Sets of 6, 40 pounds
  • Plank: 3 sets of 60 seconds
  • Horizontal Wood Chop: 3 sets of 6, 60 pounds
1 Comment
by Shrinking Carrie on October 14, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Dustin, Goals, Inspiration, Motivation, Power, Smile, The New Rules of Lifting for Women

Posted by Shrinking Carrie on October 14, 2011

http://shrinkingcarrie.com/2011/10/14/such-a-great-day/

I Hope I Make You Smile

Sweat it Out:
Elliptical 1 Hour

I wanted to start out this post with the title.  If you read my blog regularly, I hope from the deepest parts of my insides, that if you get anything from me, I hope it is a smile.  Smiling and feeling a sense of happiness is one of my biggest goals on a daily basis.  Nothing beats the feeling of making people laugh and feel joy, so I wanted to get this out-of-the-way and say, I hope I make you smile!

It could be the endorphins from working out, but the previous thought was all I could think about while I was plugging away on the elliptical.  If you want to feel happiness, start your day off with a rush of endorphins, and you’ll never look back.

In case you didn’t know, I am a HUGE trendsetter (this is the part where I make you smile, because I just sarcasmed all over you, and I laid it on pretty thick).  Anybody seen this lovely trend that has been taking over the E! channel lately?

Source

I’m guessing these celebrities went to the salon and spent a few hours in the chair to get this multi-colored look.  I took it to the next level and waited it out for 10 months (I’m pretty serious about hair care as you can tell), and now I am totally on trend:

FYI:  This picture does NOT do it justice! It really is like 4 tones of blond all the way down.  And on a side note:  I really need to get better at taking self-taken pictures.  I had to do like 30 takes until I found one I was semi-happy with. Another side note:  I actually DID my hair today.  I hardly ever blow dry and straighten anymore, because of the damage it causes, and I never know when my next hair-cut will be.

I swear I have a point.  After my hub’s read yesterdays wish list post, I asked him if he would get me a Body Bugg for our anniversary and he said “Do you want that or do you want to get your hair done?”.  I opted for the Body Bugg.  That doesn’t mean I’ll get it and we were just talking about wants, but I think its pretty dedicated that I would rather walk around with multi-colored nasty hair, and lose weight, than have pretty hair and be over weight.  Ha!  It looks like I’m having a mindset and priority change!

When is the last time you had your hair cut and colored?

When is the last time you felt a priority shift?

Hello?  Having a child wreaks HAVOC on your priorities!

7 Comments
by Shrinking Carrie on September 24, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Family, Hair Styles, Priority Shift, Smile, Trends

Posted by Shrinking Carrie on September 24, 2011

http://shrinkingcarrie.com/2011/09/24/i-hope-i-make-you-smile/

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