iDYE

iDye

OK so recently I have been experimenting with dye.  I have wanted to do this for the longest time but was so turned off by the process.  I do not like to hand wash anything larger than an intimate item.  I've always had a hard time with wringing items out and the whole messy issue just plainly turned me off.  I began to look for dyes made for the washing machine and came across Dylon Wash and Dye. When I found this dye I was soooo excited until I couldn't find the wash and dye version anywhere.  Ultimately I ended up finding it on EBAY international listing but was unwilling to pay the shipping cost.  Fortunately for me I kept looking and eventually discovered iDye.  My excitement came back full force and I was ready to do some dyeing. iDye was easy to find several places on line but because Joann Fabrics was having a sale on it I decided to purchase from them.  iDye is priced at $3.79 for 14 grams and one package will cover 2-3 pounds of fabric.

I decided to brighten up my bathroom by dyeing my ivory cotton reversible bathroom rugs, one ivory towel and two hand towels. I choose idye Sun Yellow.

I loved the results.  They came out brighter than my picture shows and completely evenly saturated.  I filled the washer with hot water, added the dye pack, added one cup of salt, then added my towels.  I then washed one cycle with dye, one cycle with soap and one cycle with soap and oxyclean only to clean the washing machine pipes.  This came out so well that I gathered all of my jeans and gave them a refresher with the iDye Navy.  My husband is even making request now!  Tomorrow I will dye an old white terry robe of his into a brand new navy terry robe.  I used one package for the three towels and I used one package for my two rugs.  This is the perfect way to shop your own closet. iDye has 38 different colors at Joann Fabrics.com so there are many different options.  I plan to buy several more colors because I want to freshen up my cotton tank tops before summer.
  If you are into renewing your items by dyeing them please let me know how you do it.  We can share ideas.

Have You Ever Heard Of FOREVER NEW?

Forever New

If there is one thing that I am known for and proud to be known for it's my ability to take good care of my clothes.  Every since the day I was leaving college and my Grandmother looked at my packed clothes and told me how well I took care of them while I was away I knew I was on a mission to keep up the good track record. I became so good at it that eventually I had several people giving me the same compliment.  What could be more satisfying than investing in good quality clothes and making them last a lifetime.  I always saw this ability as being financially savvy.
One of my secret weapons has been using Forever New Fabric Care Wash.  I love this wash and everyone knows that I love it because I've often given it as a gift.  I began using this wash on my lingerie because it is usually found in the intimate apparel department or lingerie boutiques.  Ultimately I expanded my use to my cashmere items or other garments that are delicate in nature or dry clean recommended.  The back of the container states:

Forever New is a pure, organic and biodegradable fabric care wash formulated to gently clean, brighten and promote longer life in all fine washables.. The natural base of citrus and sodas cleans then rinses completely from the fabric leaving no residue to damage fibers.

Elasticity and Residue

Ordinary detergents will leave soapy residues that deteriorate the fibers and elastic causing the garment to lose both it's LIFE AND "NEWNESS".  Preserving fiber-flex and maintaining elasticity with Forever New in all fine washables allow a garment to look and feel new longer.

Based on the containers statement I'm sure you can see why Forever New is  great for your intimates.  It just so happen to be great for other fabrics as well.  Because it cost $15 for a 32oz. bottle I tend to be very particular about how much I use and what I use it on.  I was once told by another fan of Forever New that she uses it on her sheets.  My general  rule for myself is to stretch out the use of one bottle for at least 3 to 4 months and I think that constantly using it on my sheets would shrink my overall time schedule so I can't commit to such a luxury.  I do however use it occasionally on a load of sheets when I have more than one container in my stash and I find it to be such a treat.  I really love the fresh scent and love to smell it in my sheets.  This is an overall winner in book.  I think it's a great gift because the average person will consider spending $15 on 32oz. of detergent to be a luxury, however $15 for a gift is not very expensive at all.  I like to give it with a mesh lingerie or laundry wash bag.

I Bought A Sur La Table Cookware Set!!

Sur La Table

I have needed new cookware for the longest time but kept waiting until I could figure out which cookware to buy.   My husband came into the marriage with a really great frying pan by Faberware and every since that time I have been pretty convinced that I definitely would be purchasing that brand.  Over the last year I began to get more aggressive about finally finding what I wanted and needed and began scanning the internet looking for the best choice. For me the things that make me feel really good about purchases that I make is the perfect combination of great quality with a low price.  Now this can really be tricky sometimes because basically I need the item to be on sale and if you wait too long the item or color you want can sell out before you get it.
One thing that I was indecisive about was whether I should buy great cookware one piece at a time or pretty good cookware as a set.  I kept running into a wall because I couldn't find the right price for the quality I wanted.  Eventually I decided to be a little more open towards considering other brands but was totally underwhelmed until I went on ShopNBC and found Sur La Table Hard Anodized Nonstick 10-Piece Set.  I probably would not have paid too much attention to it because I didn't recognize the name but the picture of cookware was just beautiful.  Lucky for me it was on ShopNBC because you know from my previous post about how I love these shop at home channels/sites with all the customer reviews and the easy pay systems and even better for me still was the fact that it was also on sale.  Now the one thing that I can often get on these channels/sites are an introductory price or free shipping but a sale from $249.99 to $144.09 is EXTRAORDINARY especially with the $400 retail price.
I do realize that in life you can't get everything you want but somehow the fact that I couldn't get easy pay, or rather value pay is what ShopNBC calls it, took a little bit of the wind out of my sails.  I then decided to really research the cookware a little more before making a decision and what I  found just made me want it even more.  Every site that sold this cookware had great reviews for it including the Sur La Table site.  Their site also had really great photos of the cookware especially the ones that had food it them.  The more I looked through the site at the quality of the other merchandise and read all the statements on other sites by people who were familiar and loyal to the brand the more I forgot about the Faberware.
Ultimately I decided to keep an eye out for a better sale or value pay and then one day, maybe 3 weeks later, I decided to check on ShopNBC and it was on value pay.  Unfortunately there was only one set left.  Obviously I wasn't the only one checking on this set especially at 4 value pays of $36.02.  I bought that set as fast as was humanly possible in fear the whole time picturing someone on the other end trying to buy these out from underneath me.  It felt like Ebay..  Because sometimes in life you do get what you want I was able to pick up that last set.  Normally when you buy something online a message will come up right away letting you know that your purchase was complete but just because my heart was waiting to beat again the screen just got some weird glitch.  I had to log out then log back in again to see what happened to my purchase and thank goodness for me it went through perfectly :-)
I know this post is a little long but I just got a little excited because it was like I living it all over again :-).  A week later we received the cookware set and they are gorgeous and substantial. Not that I'm an expect but the quality seems excellent and for some reason paying the $36.02 just makes me feel that the purchase was an even better deal.

Amazon

I love love love my set and because when the Sur La Table store was created it was "inspired by classic French cookware and techniques" I tend to feel a little more chic when using them. Also the big wow for me is knowing that Julia Child has shopped there and had a book signing there for her The Way To Cook book. Although the deal is gone at ShopNBC you can still get the same set that I have at Sur La Table on sale for $149.96.  Although this deal does not have value pay it's actually a better deal because you will receive free shipping whereas I paid $16.99.  Sur La Table also have several locations if you prefer to take a closer look.  If you live in New York City there are locations in Soho, Upper West Side and Hell's Kitchen.
 If you decide to try these please let me know also if you have a great cookware set that you love as much as I love these let me know about them.

Jacks Stir Brew Coffee Is Delicious

If you are a coffee drinker I have a great coffee for you.  It's Jack's Stir Brew Coffee.  I happen to love coffee and I'm pretty sure it has every thing to do with the little ritual that I had with my Grandmother when I was a child of drinking a little Sanka and watching the stories (Soaps).  I get a real warm comfort from a good cup of coffee especially when I drink it on the right day at the right time. As an adult  I have been known to call my Grandmother on the phone many days to have a cup of coffee together making the hundreds of mile distance between us seem like nothing.
  I'm pretty sure that this love of coffee is what compelled me a few years ago to Google where to find the best coffee which is how I first discovered Jack's Stir Brew Coffee.  I looked over this list and noticed that one of the places was in New York so I decided to stop by and see how good the coffee really was and guess what?  I loved it.  It was a cold day and the perfect time to sit down and have a cappuccino and  it was delicious.  Right then and there I fell in love and the reason wasn't only because of the taste either.  Jack's Stir Brew is organic and fair trade which is important to me and I then found out that the beans are shade grown (traditional method - taking longer for the full flavor and aroma to develop) and then Jack's stir brew the coffee for even more rich delicious taste.  Whats not to love.  If you're going to drink coffee why not drink a better quality and  less contaminated coffee where the people that are on the production end are being paid a fair price for their work.
Every since I walked into Jack's that day it has been the signature coffee of my home.  The only thing that I do not love about the actual shop is that it is very small with limited seating so I can never find a seat.  I now only go to the shop to buy my bags of coffee. Whenever you buy a large bag you get a free cup of coffee which I just love and you always have a choice of buying the beans whole or having it ground for whatever brewing equipment and filters that you will be using. One the biggest reasons that I decided to do this post is because I just so happened to stop by their site and found out that you can order online now, which I could swear you couldn't do before.  So now that I know everyone will have the ability to purchase the coffee I thought that it was a good time to tell you about my favorite coffee.  The cost is $15.95 for 1lb so use it precisely and remember to enjoy every moment.  
If you have had this coffee before or decide to order it please come back and let me know what you think about it.  

Sorry:-(

OK....so I know that it has been way too long but I really had a year last year.  I mean  ......REALLY.  However it's a new year now, by the way HAPPY NEW YEAR!,  and we are well into in it and I am ready to get started.  I did not want to start posting again in January because I would really have been compelled to make plans for the new year and if last year taught be nothing else it taught me that life can be so unexpected doing things day by day can just as well be a credible way to live.
The good news is that I have SO many post to do.   I am really excited because I have been enjoying so many of my little "luxuries" that I have been wanting to tell you about it and now I can.  I have a lot to go over with you and hopefully you have some things to inform me about as well.

Thanks for sticking with me.

Supersolano Blowdryer - The Original

 

My third post this week was supposed to be on designer sewing patterns but I want to push that post back for a minute to talk about my favorite blow dryer; The original  Supersolano.  I am telling you about this dryer because I recently had to replace mine (some unnamed person dropped it) but it is so great that I bought the exact same dryer again.  I have gone to Dominican hair salons forever and the first dryer that was used on my hair for years was this dryer.  The Supersolano has a ceramic thermal grill,  silver nanotechnology, and tourmaline.  These buzz words are pretty commonly known NOW but not when I bought my first Supersolano.  This dryer was definitely before it's time and still remains on the top 10 dryers on FOLICA.COM.Two things about me is that I love tradition and I love classics and although I researched blow dryers like crazy I could not find any reason not to stick with this classic.
FOLICA.COM has a sale going on for the next 7 hours for 20% off anything that has 4 or more stars in the ratings and of course this qualifies.  I am so sorry that I am telling you about this at the last minute but I just realized.  If you have been in the market for a new blow dryer today is the day because you'll also qualify for free shipping.  It's fast drying with 2 speeds and 3 temperatures.  It also includes a removable filter.  In the event that I have told you too late about this sale you can also get this at a good price at AMAZON.COM.  It's only $79.54 on AMAZON and if you have AMAZON PRIME you can have free two day shipping.  I have PRIME and I love it.  I know I tend to say I love things a lot on here but that's exactly what this blog is about, the things that I love and I really do love AMAZON PRIME and use it often.  If you don't have it, sign up.
If you already have this dryer let me know how you like it.  Do you love it ?  How long have you owned it?

Exotic Superfoods Coconut Water !!!!!!

Earlier in my blog I told you about my love of coconut oil and coconut water and professed my love for a particular coconut water brand. That was puppy love because I now have a true love.  A love that I can see myself with for the rest of my life, and his name is EXOTIC SUPERFOODS COCONUT WATER.  This coconut water is so delicious that whenever I cannot get any I just don't drink any coconut water at all.  Part of my health regime this year was seeing an acupuncturist and I found one that I loved as much as I love my new coconut water, as a matter of fact she was the one that introduced me to it.  I learned a lot from her because she had a WHOLE BODY approach with cleaning up your diet and your environment.  I think that I will go into more detail in another post.
Exotic Superfoods Coconut Water is a young Thai , organic, unpasteurized coconut water sold in a frozen state.  It is flash frozen at the site and once it melts has a refrigerator life of only three days.  A 32oz bottle in New York is normally $8.99 or $9.99 depending where you purchase from.  If you're willing to buy a case of 12 you can normally get a 10% discount. They also have a11oz. bottles available as well.  I buy my coconut water locally however they have a site that you can get more information from.  Actually I would encourage you to go to the site to read more information about the company and the  Exotic Superfooods Cocount Story.  Of course this coconut water has the usual properties of coconut water that I love like being high in electrolytes for hydration and naturally sweetened.  Exotic Superfoods Coconut Water does not contain any added sugars, colors, fats.  The taste is so fresh and delicious that I hope you get the opportunity to try it.  If the cost is too steep and you live locally just buy a couple of 11 oz bottles a month.  The 11oz bottle is around $4.99.  If you don't live locally I would suggest getting together with a few friends and going in on a case.
Let me know if you have had the opportunity to try this coconut water.  If so, how did you like it?

Living Fitness

If you have been reading my blog you know that increased health  is one of my goals this year.  One of the ways that I plan to increase better health is through fitness, actually through what I like to call "living fitness".  Living fitness is when you get your exercise through enjoyable means, like bike riding through the park, walking through an art museum, going to the zoo, etc., etc., etc.  Believe it or not you can really get a  serious cardio workout just by living an active social life.  One of my favorite "living fitness" things to do is walk the Brooklyn Bridge.  I love it because you can walk from Brooklyn to Manhattan and back again as many times as you can and in either direction the view is gorgeous....at least it is to me.  That's the point, to find an area that is beautiful for you.  Another location that really tires me out is walking in the Brooklyn Botanical Garden.  It's really beautiful looking at all the plants and flowers, however by the time you've looked everywhere you've been walking and bending for hours (if you really look). 
I got this idea a few of summers ago when I  realized that I take my city for granted and decided to go around like a tourist.  Well I really enjoyed it.  I went to the Botanical Gardens for the first time in years, to the water taxi a few times for a tour of the Manhattan, went to the zoo (with no children), and walked the Bridge for the first time.  I've gone to Savannah Georgia at  least 50 or 60 times throughout my life but it is now more tourist friendly.  When I went there for a visit that summer I took a trolley tour of the city and walked around their beautiful Forsyth Park every morning at least 4 times.  I enjoyed the city from a complete different view point.  I enjoyed the fun and beauty of these things and got a good workout. 
Two of priorities this summer is to get a bike rack on my car so that I can take my bike out to Prospect Park and Central Park.  I ride near my house but I want to have a picnic in the park so I plan to get to the major parks.  If you don't own a bike you can normally rent bikes near or in major parks.  Don't think I'm crazy but I'm thinking about joining a rollerskating club in Central Park.  Rollerskating is a serious workout for your legs and abs!  I've been saying I would do this since the summer I was telling you about.  I actually bought skates that summer.  I need to make it happen.
Do you have any "living fitness" activities that you have discovered helps with fitness.  Let me know what you like to know and I will update you on my activities.

I MiSSED YOU!!!

Let me start out by saying that I am so sorry to have been gone for so long.  I had to leave town three times in the last few months and one of the times was for a pretty extended time.  My Grandma was really ill and I went to help care for her.  At the moment she's doing a lot better so I'm back home and am back on track with my blog.  I have missed you so much because I have been so excited to share a lot of new "Satiable" things with you.  You can expect a lot of post this month because I have to make up with you so that you don't leave me :-)  Expect my first three post to be on a new coconut water that is now my real true love, the art of living fitness, and sewing with vintage designer patterns.  Don't worry when I say my first three post, I mean this week.  OK so I just wanted to check in with you and give you a post preview.

Last Minute Valentines Day Gifts For Him.......But You Have To Hurry!!!

I was going to write a post earlier with gift ideas for Valentines Day but I didn't get around to it so now I'm writing a gift list with items that you should still be able to get by the time that you see your Valentine.  This is for all of my procrastinators.
The first item is a pair of Burberry boxers.  I have given this as a gift on Valentine's day and it's a hit.  This is a real luxury gift that is not very expensive.  They come in their own Burberry box so you don't have to worry about the presentation.  I would add a nice bow.  If you buy them from Saks Fifth Avenue you can have the sales associate add the bow for you.

Burberry Check Woven Boxers

My second item is from "The Art of Shaving". Whenever I would pass this store I would look in and admire the collections however I always thought that their products were made for men who shave with razors only and my husband uses clippers.  Eventually I got a sampler box from Sephora along with a purchase I made and let him go through the samples.  Ultimate he tried the "After-Shave Balm" and feel in love with it.  Now this is apart of his daily grooming.  If you don't have a "Art of Shaving" shop in your area you can also find it at Sephora.  Men who take good care of their skin are sexy so push him along.

Art of Shaving After-Shave Balm

My last item is very personal to me because this is an item that my husband always need...and it's a belt.  Or at least I always feel that he does not have enough belts. I feel that every man (and woman) should have a wardrobe of belts and the one that I am suggesting is definitely not a basic belt.  This belt is special.  I know that this is my second Burberry suggestion but I love Burberry for men gifts.  It cost more  than my other two suggestions at  $225 but it depends on your budget.  You can never go wrong with a great belt.  Even a person who have a great belt collection can appreciate a new luxury belt.

Burberry Barnsfield Belt

Nude Shoes, Nude Shoes, Nude Shoes

Let me tell you how I bought my nude shoes.  I had to go to two different weddings one week apart.  I had absolutely nothing to wear and ended up buying a hot pink skirt suit.  I knew that my suit would be used for both weddings because I could change it up with a skirt and blouse, or a complete suit with a closed jacket, or the suit with a camisole underneath a open jacket. When I saw the suit in the store I immediately loved it and knew that I had to have it so that choice was easy.  The problem came when I needed shoes.  Now, I had black heels but for some reason I really didn't love them with my suit so I decided to really research hot pink and fuchsia suits so that I could see which color shoes that people were wearing with them.  This actually became a real project. I came across silver shoes, gold shoes, black shoes, and nude shoes.  I did first think of the gold shoes because we're talking about weddings after all, however I was having a difficult time finding the right gold color with the right shoe fit.  I rethought the situation and did a little more research.  This time my eye really went towards nude because I started to think that if I had nude I could wear them all seasons as well as that fact that I would never be in this situation again.  If I found the perfect gold my next wedding might require silver, or my next graduation, or dinner date, or any other event.  At that moment in time I was so frustrated I just thought "I need a go to shoe".  Now, I know the time will come again when I need a certain color shoe again but I won't be so desperate because I'll have my "go to".  I can take as long as it takes to find other perfect shoes.  One person that I've notice wear her nude pumps a lot is Tracee Ellis Ross.  I was really inspired by her pumps.

(MediaOutrage)

(Blackstrands)

Corso Como Delicious Pump in Whiskey Calf

Finding the perfect nude is not exactly easy.  You have to go through a few to get a perfect match.  Thank goodness nude shoes are in right now so it's the perfect time to find the right ones because depending on your skin color you may have to wait a few season for certain colors to come again.  I ended up getting a pair of Corso Como Delecious Pumps in Whiskey Calf.  I love them .  These shoes are very comfortable and well made.  I like that they have a leather upper and sole.  The shoe box includes a nice leaflet on the care of your shoes as well as construction and the company's philosophy.  I bought them at Endless.com because they have free two day shopping and free returns.
Do you need darker or lighter?  Below are a couple of options.  I've been wanting to try the Cole Haan "AIR" shoes.  I've heard they were comfortable and I've tried on the Nine West Ambitious Pump when I was looking for my nude pumps. They were very comfortable, but the color was off so I  didn't purchase them.  I might still get them in another color.  Whatever the case I'm sure you'll find your personal nude.
Do you already have nude shoes?  What brand?  What shade?

Cole Haan Talia Pump in Dark Chocolate

Nine West Ambitious Pump in Light Taupe

Do You Know HSN, QVC, Or ShopNBC??

(HSN.COM  -  QVC.COM  -  SHOPNBC.COM)

Well you should!  But be careful it can be addictive so don't over do it.  Whenever I hear the words 3, 4, or 5 easy payments I get so happy.  Let me tell you why.  First of all you don't have to apply or use any credit!  Secondly it's almost layaway, which I always forget to use, only better because you receive your items right away.  My third great point is that there is no additional fees to use easy pay and my last obvious point is that it allows you to budget in your purchases monthly in order to better afford items you may not normally be able to purchase in one lump sum.
My favorite way to shop on these channels are by already knowing what I want AND THEN look online to see if either company sells it.  That way I wasn't talked into anything.  It's like grocery shopping, only use coupons on items you actually already use.  So basically I use the payment system on items that I would have bought anyway.  Another thing that I love to do on these channels is to watch the presentation on things that I already own.  You can really get in-depth information and additional uses for your previously purchased items. The brand selection is pretty good and gets more and more extensive all the time.  On top of the easy pay option you also have deals like "sales" and "introductory price" . 
Definitely check these channels out.  I've often been surprised at what I've found on them.  Use my simple tips:
1.  Don't go crazy.
2. Shop strategically.
3. Buy less items in exchange for better quality.
4.  Read customer reviews esp. "customer top rated"
 5. Shop first for items that you already wanted to buy.
At some point I'll do a post about some of the things that I've bought from these channels.  Have you bought from any of them? Do you have a favorite shopping channel?  Tell me about it and tell me why.

China Glaze - For Audrey Nail Polish

Let me tell you about this nail polish.  A year or so ago I ran across this nail polish on a blog dedicated to  Audrey Hepburn.  At the time I looked to purchase it I couldn't find it anywhere and it was out for a while at that point that I figured OK I missed the opportunity.  For some reason recently I was looking at this blog that I like "You've Got Nail" and I came across the post for "For Audrey" and I decided to research the nail polish again and just like that I found it.  My go to place is Amazon.com and they had it but I also realized that Sally Beauty Supply had it.  OK so I made the decision that I would have my husband go up to Sally's and try and find it on his way home and if he could not I would order it at Amazon.  Well the conclusion to the whole situation is that Sally's had four bottles left in our store and we got all four!  Talk about excited.  I never even realized that Sally's sold China Glaze much less For Audrey.  This color is almost pitch perfect in color to the signature Tiffany's blue.  Let's put it this way, I polished my nails and held one of my Tiffany's boxes and it looked exact.  The name "For Audrey" is clearly a dedication to Audrey Hepburn and her iconic role in Breakfast at Tiffany's.  I love this as a small luxury because every time I look at my nails it puts me in the mind of being wrapped in the exclusiveness of Tiffany's and for less than $5!  Listen, please don't ask me why that is because I don't know and I'm enjoying the moment. I know that I'm not the only person with the same feeling so if you have this nail polish and for the same reason let me know. 

Satiable Goal for 2011 - Business - Topic 5

Business can encompass all sorts of things from actually running a business to managing your household.  Having a blog is like having a little business because you have a product which are your post and you have a consumer which are your readers.  If you neglect your blog your readers will leave you and if you stay consistent and interesting your readers will stay.  The only thing about a blog is that you can literally have no readers and still write post, however without the sense of community are you really successful?? I don't think so.  Also you can really turn your blog into a financially compensatory business with advertising or new customers to try out your actually products if they exist.  In my case I was going to start a website for my candles, then I decided I wanted to add a blog to my monetary site, then somehow I started the blog before the monetary site and that's where I am now.  This year however I have a goal to link the two and create a real Satiable community.  I also have a business goal to post a self drafted pattern for sale on BurdaStyle.com.  I also have a Satiable book I'm working on so I have a 2011 goal to have the book completed.
That's it for my 2011 business goals.  I'm sure I will add.  Do you have any?  Are you working on any projects?  Tell me about it.

Satiable Goal for 2011 - Appearance - Topic 4

OK so this is one of my favorite topics.  Appearance can encompass so many things that it can be an endless conversation, however for the sake of this post I will try and hone it in.  I find that my present overall style is not exciting me or representing me.  I use to  have a very distinct style and I was very clear of my direction.  I now find that I feel much more constricted in my choices.  The problem could be with growing older or with a changing body.  Either way it's time to make real changes because I have an education in fashion and it's really important to me. This year my goal is to reintroduce myself to a personal style that I am really excited about and stay committed and consistent with it.  I have so many good shopping sites to talk to you about in future post and believe me I know how to get a good deal. On the subject of clothes I have a goal to make(sew) at least one new garment a month..at least.  This year I will make a workout schedule that is doable and really commit to it.  I expect to have a completed schedule by Valentine's Day.  Last year I went the whole year without going to the hairdresser which is huge deal considering I've gone to the hair salon most of my life.  I decided last year to really learn how to do my own hair in totality and it has been a real journey because come to find out their is actually a lot to learn, at least for the most healthy hair.  My goal for this year is to perfect my hair care regimen and be completely self sufficient on the matter.
Something that can be overlooked a lot is the inner health for outward appearance.  In a previous post I spoke about some of my nutritional goals. Nutrition is important to your outer appearance and so is overall health so being very diligent with my doctor appointments is definitely a 2011 goal.  I'm usually pretty good but I can be better so I will.  I can be guilty of rescheduling.  I have so many goals in several areas and I don't really want to overwhelm myself so I will stop in appearance with the previous goals.  If  I am really successful I will continue to add new goals throughout the year.
Do you have any appearance goals for this year?  Are they very specific or rather broad?  Let me know.

Satiable Goal for 2011 - Emotions - Topic 3

 

I've recently been going through a roller coaster of all sorts of things.  One thing that I have learned and I know for sure is that I am not alone.  We all go through major things at different points in our life because...it's life.  The major theme of this blog is about having a satisfying life and you can't have a satisfying life without being satisfied.  One of the things that I pride myself in is on being able to really appreciate the "small things".  As you already know I really LOVE small luxuries and can genuinely find a pure joy with the use of my imagination, however I do have my moments when life is a real challenge for me and I really have to search a little harder for that satisfaction.  This takes me to my third goal of managing my emotions.  I actually own the book "Managing Your Emotions" by Joyce Meyer and have never read it.  I have now made that my step number 1. My goal is to read this book by March 1st.
Another book that I own that I will be reading daily throughout the year is "The Book Of Awakening:  Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have" by Mark Nepo.  In this book there is a story or essay entry for each day of the year.  The author is a poet and a cancer survivor so you know he's reflective and expressive.  The entries really give you a reason to pause and take note.
My goal with this book is to be consistent with reading this daily as well as really reflecting on each and every entry.
This is a goal that will evolve throughout the year because I may need to add to my to do list for it.  Once I've read " Managing Your Emotions" I should have a better grasp of where I might want to go from there.  One thing that I know about goals is that you have to be very specific in order to be more successful at achieving them so I know that as my thought process become more clear my continued goals in this catagory has to become more defined.  I'm sure we'll keep talking about this throughout the year.  Do you have any emotional goals for 2011?  Are you thinking about your emotional health?  Let me know.  Sidenote:  The calendar at the start of this post is the calender that I bought for this year.  I like to have a theme every year with my calender reflecting the type of year I want.  I bought mine at Calenders.com but they are sold out.  I found this one " The Gift of Zen" at Amazon.com, however it's a little pricey.  You can always find your own theme.  There are many choices still available.

Satiable Goal for 2011 - Nutrition - Topic 2

When I think of accomplishing goals I think of needing the energy to get going.  When I think of needing energy I think of nutrition.  I am a firm believer that nutrition is the cure for EVERYTHING so of course proper nutrition has to be a 2011 goal.  Now don't get me wrong I really do try however I can often fall short.  Discipline is absolutely essential here so I really will need to focus.  I have what I considered to be an all star team on my side for this goal.  I am a person who loves blogs and I am really loyal to the blogs that I love so my first all star will be a blogger, and that blog will be:
Kimberly Snyder's Health and Beauty Blog.  I LOOVVEEE her blog.   Kimberly Snyder is a clinical nutritionist whose approach to nutrition is holistic.    Traveling the world, teaching yoga, being a guest contributor to several morning shows and magazines and being a major film set on site nutritionist is nothing to sneeze at not to mention she has a new book coming out in the next couple of months which you know I have already pre-ordered on Amazon.com. Because Kimberly Snyder is a raw tion foodist I thought that I could never follow her but the more I continued to read  her blog the more I knew that I could never NOT follow her.  I have learned so much about nutrition through her and consider her to be my own personal nutritionist, at least in my mind.  I have really been inspired by her approach and have even invested in a Vitamix to make her great tasting healthy smoothies.  OK. Sidenote: Guess what I saw last night?  A new smaller version on QVC, which is where I bought my Vitamix, for $363 with 5 easy payments $72.60!  OK so anyway she inspired me to get my Vitamix and I love it.  It's one of the best investments that I have ever made.  I'll do a complete post on the Vitamix soon. My goal here is to learn to memory and in depth 1 nutritional fact per week from this site.  There are so many and at least once a week should be very doable.
 My second all star is the book "Food Rules" by Michael Pollan.   Seeing the documentary Food Inc.really changed my life and eating habits so when my attention was called to his book "Food Rules" I knew I had to give it a chance and I did not regret it.  Actually I wanted to buy 10 more copies and give them to friends and family.  This book is so good that my doctor put the name of this book on a prescription pad and tried to give it to me, at least until I told him that I already had it and yes it was good.  My goal with this book is to read a rule everyday until I have memorized all the rules.  This book is a very very quick read so my problem will never be reading through it but having the discipline to live by it.  It's practical, reasonable and just plain common sense.
My third goal is water.  Getting enough water is the goal.  More specifically I'll increase my intake to at least 6 cups a day for the first 6 months of the year and move to 8 cups by July.  One thing that I know for sure is that I'm not getting enough water and that will definitely change for 2011.  My one new trick is that I add a little Simply Lemonade or Simply Limeade to my water to add a little flavor.  I've tried this so many different times with several different pieces of fruit but I couldn't taste enough flavor, however the Lemonade and Limeade is working perfectly for now.  Eventually I'll ween myself off of the flavors and strictly drink the water.
So those are my three major nutrition goals for 2011.  I'm sure that I will add more as the year progress, however I did not want to overwhelm myself so I'll start strong but slow.  Do you have any nutritional goals for the new year?  Have you already started?  Let me know.

 

Satiable Goal for 2011 - Education - Topic 1

OK so let's get started with the first goal which is education.  Now when I say education I mean learn something.  Learn ANYTHING.  For the last couple of years I have really been in a learning phase.  I have learned everything from how to make Maki rolls to how to make my own dress form out of duct tape.  This year I have a goal to learn those things that I have been putting off for years like becoming fluent in Spanish and learning how to properly use my Nikon D3000.  This year my goals list will be very specific.  I use to have New Years Resolutions that I never fulfilled until I finally gave up on the complete thought of "revolutions".  Now I have decided to have specific, attainable "goals".  One of my specific goals in education is to take at least 5 adult education classes in 2011 and so far so good because I just took my first class this year a few nights ago at the Learning Annex.  The Learning Annex is an adult education organization here in NY offering a wide range of workshops and classes.  You can take classes anywhere from How To Make It In The Magazine Business to 7 Steps to Becoming A Successful Entrepreneur to A Beginner's Guide to Craps.  For those of you who don't live in NY they also have some online classes.  Another great source of learning for me is the internet. You can learn almost ANYTHING online.  It's amazing.  For the most part all you have to do is GOOGLE it.  A resource that should never be over looked are books.   I'm thinking about making a goal for myself not to buy another book until I have read all of the unread books that I already have because buying books has been an obsession for me. Great resources for inexpensive books are Amazon, Ebay, Salvation Army and  Strand Books  You can also borrow from the library.  I don't know, there is just so much to learn about.   An education is something that no one can ever take away from you is something that I heard my whole life and I have found that to be so true.
Are there any specific education goals that you have planned for 2011?  Let me know, maybe it will spark an idea in me.

Happy New Year !!! - Welcome 2011!!!

I know, I know, I know.........I'm late. Well, at least it's still January.  I've been waiting to write this post for the longest because I really wanted to reevaluate the direction that I was going next with my blog. Ultimately  I have decided to continue in the same direction because I love the things that I write about, however I will be more consistent with the regularity of my post. It's not like I don't have a lot of things to talk to you about because I really, really do and I am so excited to get started.    Although this is the end of January I still have at least 5 things that I want us to talk about before February pertaining to goals for 2011.  We'll talk about education, appearance, business, nutrition, and emotions so be sure to come back and share your thoughts with us.

EBATES, EBATES, EBATES....i LOVE EBATES!

 
OK so for some time I had heard about EBATES but didn't exactly know what it was.  About a month ago I came across a post with someone who shopped with EBATES and I finally took the time to understand it.  The way EBATES work is that whenever you shop online you sign into EBATES and you go through their site to get to the other sites.  Every time you shop through EBATES you get a percentage back of the your total cost.  Each store give a different percentage and you will see this percentage each time you log into your site.  For example I log into EBATES and one on the home page I type in or click onto (if it's already on the main page) my site of choice.  Let's say it's Nordstrom and they just so happens to be on the main page and it tells me right next to it that I can get 6% cash back if I shop with them. I then  click on their site and shop regularly where I am still eligible for all regular qualifying discounts like free shipping or special sales rates.  EBATES takes care of everything from there by keeping track of your percentage amounts and posting them into your account until your payment date approaches and you get your money.
There are a few ways to get your money.  One way is to leave the money in your account like a credit and use it towards future purchases and another way is to get it by check in the mail.  I knew I wanted to post about this so I asked to get a check in the mail so that I could make sure that everything was legitimate.  Well I got my check, cashed it and already bought a book I wanted.  When you sign up you get $5 automatically in your account and it literally only takes seconds to sign up.  If you are interested in signing up PLEASE sign up through my invitation so that I can receive the credit for it.  If I get enough credits to qualify for a gift I will let you know and post about.  I love EBATES and know that you will too.  Their are a few other reward programs like this but I've heard that EBATES has the most stores in their program.  If you end up using the program let me know.  CLICK HERE   EBATES INVITATION   CLICK HERE