No Spend Month Monday update + workout goodies!

Thanksgiving has come and gone... calories have come, but haven't gone... and money has (kind of) come, but is definitely gone. boo! :(

Needless to say, even though I didn't go on my Black Friday and/or Cyber Monday splurge, I'm still way over budget. I suppose early Christmas gift shopping is the main one to blame. At least I'm about half way done with Christmas gifts for the fambam. I also scored some awesome books from half.com, and cannot wait for them to appear in my mailbox! :) I will have to share my findings once they arrive.

Now! I am dying to begin these tonight. I did a similar 10 minute circuit training two days ago, and my quads and rump are in so much pain.. I can't even explain. It has definitely been a rude awakening, but I guess that's what I needed to get my motivation back. I really would like to get my 10k back. But before I achieve that, I must work towards a better mile time...

I present to you.. *drum roll* Victoria's Secret's Train Like an Angel workout videos!! I'm about two months behind from the challenge, but that doesn't mean I can't do it on my own. Enjoy, and let me know how it goes for you! :)


Week One - Core Workout

accompanying video: Core Workout

Week Two - Legs Workout

accompanying video: Leg Workout

Week Three - Arms Workout

accompanying video: Arms Workout

Week Four - Cardio Workout
video: Cardio Workout

Week Five - Butt Workout

accompanying video: Butt Workout

Week Six - Jet Set Workout

accompanying video: Jet Set Workout

Work it! I'll let you know how I end up surviving... until then, ciao! (:

No Spend Month Monday Update..

It's a week before Black Friday, and so far, I've stayed within budget. I do plan on going shopping this Friday, but also have work Friday morning, so don't intend on being a crazy Black Friday-er. :) I am excited to say this has been the closest I've ever been to succeeding. What's the secret? There definitely a lot of variables that are allowing this to be a success. Being out of town with zero need to spend money has definitely been a huge factor. Another key player is my consistency in packed lunches. There are so many days (like today) where I'll crave Chik-Fil-A, or something completely random. But much like when one is dieting, it takes a good amount of self-control to say "no," and from there, I'm golden! :) I have also made smarter clothing purchases. Before buying anything, I ask myself, "Will I be wearing this two seasons from now?" I know that sounds like forever away, but trust me. My good pieces last me for years and years. I have a down jacket that I've had since high school!! So although there are many cute sweaters and cardigans and tops, I need to ask myself if it's cute because it's currently in fashion, or because it's timelessly my style.  At the end of the day, it boils down to smart, self-controlled decisions. I need to see the big picture, and not act impulsively. Whether it be my stomach speaking to me or my eyes, I need to see that the majority of my purchases are for short-lived pleasures. bigger picture. bigger picture. bigger picture!!

So here's what I've spent my hard earned cash the past two weeks....

1. November 12: $20.33 - Dollar Tree; I wanted to make Mercury Glass candle votives. It's impossible to find the right spray paint, so I may give up on this project and return the candle votives.
2. November 12: $8.58 - Home Depot; spent on the wrong spray paint. 
3. November 14: $11.38 - Hancock Fabrics; pearl pins and ribbon for my ornament (see previous post)
4. November 14: $35.04 - Michael's; styrofoam balls, circle cutter (wanted to make Christmas cards, but I think the circles it cuts are too big..), & pearl balls
5. November 14: $15.96 - Arby's; dinner for two.
6. November 16: $7.53 - Arby's; my lunch.
7. November 17: $58.20 - Birthday gifts/wrap & cards for my Vietalien babies. :)

Sub-total for the past two weeks: $157.02 (yikes!!)

Well, I guess I won't be spending another penny for the rest of November! Wish me luck! :)

it's in the air!

The holiday season is finally in the air! Well, it's been here for about three months in the retail world, but in the Rebecca world, it has just arrived.

With Christmas around the corner, and pinterest in my life, I've taken the liberty to making my very first ornament! I pinned a couple of ornaments from Anthropologie several weeks ago, and as they were $12 a pop, I thought it'd be a better idea to make them myself. I'm not quite sure it's that much cheaper to make it myself, but it's fun and personally, I think mine is prettier. :) It's super easy to make (given Michaels has all the supplies you need). The top left is the one from Anthrpologie, and here's another one from this season : Pearl Bauble Orb. The bottom left is my ornament with the vivid filter, and the left is my ornament with the soft filter. :)

All you need are:

• packs of pearl beads (I got an assorted pack with three colors and three different sizes.
• pearl head pins (they were about $3.99 for 100pcs)
• Styrofoam balls
• ribbon
• wire (you need to poke the wire through the foam ball so you will have something to tie the ribbon to.)

The pearl head pins are pretty expensive, and you go through them pretty quickly (it took 300 pins for one ornament!) So for the rest of my ornaments, I'm just going to use hot glue gun. I've already started another ornament with this technique, and it's working beautifully. I'll post pictures once I'm finished. :)

Post Election...

I know it's a bit late to be writing about my initial responses to the election results, but I wanted to take some time to how I really truly felt/feel/will feel about the next four years.

I have to admit, I'm a little worried for this country, for my family, for my friends and for myself. Especially when it comes to any fiscally related topics.

I will have to admit, I was slightly encouraged after reading President Obama's plans of meeting up with Romney to share ideas. It's a commendable thing when one openly admits he/she does not have as strong of an understanding on a certain topic as another. And on top of that, to be willing to do something constructive about it.

I know at the end of the day, and at the end of this lifetime, the Lord has everything planned our perfectly. And the way He has created us and everything else in this world is a perfect testimony to His perfect planning. So I will not question, nor lose faith that He knows what He is doing. One of my girlfriends from small group shared this with us a couple of weeks ago, and I couldn't help but be encouraged to have faith in God's plan as she read this aloud to us. 

No Spend Month Mondays

Today is Monday. You know what that means!! No Spend Monday update! :D

New month, new budget, new expenses, new savings...

So far, I've done pretty well with just two purchases:

• November 2 - 
• $10.85 - lunch at Jason's Deli
• $4.05 - gum at CVS

Going forward...

I've already eaten the lunch I brought from home, so I'll be good for the rest of the day.

I leave on Thursday afternoon for a retreat, so that solidifies zero spendings from Thursday - Sunday.

We'll see how I end up doing....

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As far as the other topics of blogging goes, I may have designated the topics for pretty unreasonable days. Sundays are always filled with house chores and church, so although I do cook at least dinner, I either forget to take pictures and/or am so exhausted from the days' happenings that I forget to grab the computer and write. (Both of which occurred last night...) By the time Michael gets home from small group, it's around 9:30pm. By the time we finish eating and clearing out the kitchen, it's closer to 10:30-11:00pm. As far as my Quiet Time Thursdays go, I had an all-day in-house training session at work on Thursday, so that kind of failed. And I wrote a draft on Friday, but for one reason or another, never got around to publishing it. I may have to leave the "Foodday Sunday" initiative to a more organic approach. I'm sure I will be able to stick with the "No Spend Month Mondays" and the "Quiet-Time Thursdays" though.

cheers!