Out with the old

I've been going through my closet in the attempts to weed out things that are not necessary for me to take to the Netherlands when I move. Can you imagine how difficult this is for me? I want to take EVERYTHING. My entire wardrobe. I even want to take the things I haven't worn in over a year because you know... I might eventually want to wear that sweater that went out of style three years ago. I might come back in style in the next 10 years. Clothes do that. They go through cycles. What was popular in the 70s is now coming back and is geared as "retro". Nevertheless, retro or not, I'm going to get rid of things. One of the key importances in fashion is knowing when to let go and say no to a particular item, no matter how much we love that item. Now the shoes and purses...well that's a different story! They're ALL going with me and I don't care if I have to pay an extra $100 to take a third piece of checked luggage. Nobody comes between me and my purses!

An Educational Moment

While I am not the perfect specimen of fitness, I do try to lead a somewhat healthy lifestyle. Having worked in cardiology for nearly 12 years, I know the benefits of living a heart-healthy lifestyle. Heart disease is the number one cause of death amongst women and more often than not, it's a silent killer. Most women don't ever think to get a cardiology work-up and therefore have no clue that they could be suffering from heart disease which can easily be corrected with diet, exercise, lifestyle changes and sometimes moderate medication regimes.

Whole Foods Markets has entered the world of health education by starting their Heart Health podcast. I think it's wonderful that a grocery store is stepping to the plate and attempting to educate consumers on the dangers of heart disease as well as providing greatly needed information on what can be done to prevent heart disease. Please follow the above link and check for further information regarding this podcast. Become educated and aware and realize that we as women owe it to ourselves to learn as much as possible about this disease that can be beat!

Happy Whatever Day

While I don't celebrate Valentine's Day (primarily because I never get anything on this day and never have the privilege of gazing at a dozen long stemmed roses or a new piece of jewelry or even a romantic sappy card) I sincerely hope that those of you who happen to love the day, have a very wonderful day. For those of you who are in the same boat as myself, then I hope you have a wonderful February 14th and that maybe next year you and I will both stand a chance at being able to be a participant in the day's romantic gestures.

Cruising...

One of my favorite forms of exercise is bike riding. Now mind you, I'm no Lance Armstrong. I don't get into the deep down nitty gritty of biking. I like to ride a bike for the relaxation of it. I also get the benefit of exercise while I'm relaxing. For these reasons, I'd love the style of cruiser bikes. I can choose from either multi-speed or single speed. Frankly, for me, one speed is just enough. I don't need 10 speeds or 3 speeds. I just want to pedal and go. Being in Florida, we have the perfect weather for bike riding (well most of the time). However, this is going to be much different when I move to the Netherlands in a few months. Now mind you, the Netherlands is THE BIKE capital of the world however I don't think my beach cruiser bike would fit into the fast pace biking rituals of the dutch system. The Dutch people are extremely serious about bike riding. It's not a fitness routine for them. It's transportation. It's a daily necessity. They have entire parking garages that are just for bikes. But I digress.

I'd still like to have a bike to keep here for when I'm back visiting the family. It would give me something to do when I'm with the niece and the nephews. They love to get on their bikes and just ride off into the sunset. I can't think of a better way to spend time with them then all four of us just pedaling away.

Pass the Puffs Plus Please

Well 2008 has not been friendly to me so far. I've been plagued with a delightful cold that seems to be the gift that just keeps on giving. I keep trying to work on a fitness regime but I've not made it that far yet. YET. It will happen. Once I can finally breathe again, I will be getting out there and trying to tone up some of this winter build-up that I've accumulated. I love me and I love my body but I'll love it a wee bit more when there is a touch of tone and definition to it. All in good time. All in good time.

Family Plans

My family is already talking about how soon they'll be able to come over and visit me in the Netherlands. I told them that they were welcome whenever they wanted to visit...as long as they were sure to make Hotel Reservations. Space is at a premium in most Dutch homes and the home I'll be living in is no exception to that rule. Not to mention I don't think my Dad will be up for maneuvering three or more flights of stairs...very narrow stairs at that. Irregardless, I will love having my family over to visit. It'll be great to show them all of the same wonderful sites I've been able to see during all of my many trips to Europe. Hopefully airline tickets will quit skyrocketing and mellow out a bit before that happens though. I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed on that one.

Changes...all for the good!

I'm trying to get better with my posting here. It's been a rough start to the new year as far as time allotments go. I've started school and that takes up more of my evenings that I thought. I'm also in the middle of planning a big move for June 24th. I will be relocating to the Netherlands. That's right. New life, new country, new city, new surroundings, old friends and new friends! I'm excited to say the least. Of course once I move, I'll be able to get a more up close and personal look into the latest European fashions in clothing and accessories. The good thing is, the clothing industry as a whole is becoming more and more aware of the fact that not every woman is a size 2. It's much easier to find plus-sized clothing lines now. Clothing stores dedicated to plus sized fashions are also more plentiful. I'm going to have to put myself on an extremely strict budget. Purses and shoes and clothes.....OH MY!!

Don't forget

When you're doing your shopping for your Valentine, don't forgot to use the online coupons made available to you at CouponChief.com Seriously, I learned at Christmastime just how much money I can save by copying and pasting a simple coupon code. I'll probably make my niece and nephews my Valentines this year. I can never go wrong when I pick them out something at KB Toys. They've often got great deals on the video games that they're so into right now. Of course if I pick up a few things for my mom and sister at Old Navy, I'll be sure to score a few extra points as well. I may not have a romantic Valentine's Day but that's alright. I'll still be giving and getting lots of love either way!

Sexy!

You Are Thong Panties

Woman, you are one hell of a ride! You're a total wild child - and you live for crazy times. Men are attracted to you like flies to honey, even though they know they should stay away. You need a expert cowboy who can keep in tune with your free spirit!

What Kind of Panties Are You?

I adore thong panties! No panty lines. What could be better than that? Plus, I think they make me feel sexy. Ok, so maybe I don't look like Heidi Klum in a pair of thongs but hey, we're all different. Sexy is a state of mind, right?

The day approaches quickly

Once again, it's about that time of year. The time of year where everyone gets all of the beautiful flowers and the chocolates and the valentines day teddy bear. I want flowers. I want chocolates. I want the cute valentines day teddy bear. I am so tired of not being in a relationship when Valentine's rolls around. I need to start making sure that my relationships last through December into around March. I can handle getting nothing on my birthday but the most romantic day of the year? Yeah, it's definitely not cutting it with me. Something has to change here! Oh and any men reading this.....DO NOT forget to get your girlfriend/wife/significant other/mistress... whatever she is, something great for V-Day!

Practice what you preach!

I have always been one to preach about skin care and the importance of washing one's face with a good face soap. I now know why. I have been out of my normal face wash for over a week now. I've just been washing with whatever I could find in the shower. BAD BAD BAD! I have had two zits in one week! This is unacceptable. Making mental note to self... GO GET FACE WASH NOW!!!!!

A Discovery Moment

Here is today's Great Discovery: www.ZenniOptical.com. I'm loving the selection of frames available to me at Zenni Optical. Zenni's low prices can be attributed to the fact that there is no middle man. They sell only their own frames direct to the customer. I don't have to pay every Joe Schmo's salary down the pike. Works for me. I've been in the market for some new frames for quite a while and so I think I'm going to have to see just exactly what Zenni has for me. You know me...any reason to shop!

Coming back

Yes, I know. I've been in a bit of a New Year's slump here at Embracing...

I'm working on some new ideas and new projects and I hope to do some great things with this blog. I took a bit of a beating from Google so it's a lot of work to get things back on track. I'm getting there though. Slowly but surely. Besides...good things are worth waiting for.

Choices make the world go 'round

I am a self-proclaimed Search Engine addict. No matter what it is I'm looking for on the web, I will instinctively go through one of several search engines to find it. I don't use telephone books anymore. I don't look things up in a dictionary nor do I have print catalogs on hand anymore. I search for it all online. EarthFrisk.org will give me results from Google, Yahoo, MSN as well as others. It also blocks a good majority of spam that you receive in other search engine searches. There are available toolbars to use with Firefox and IE. There is even an option where bloggers can have a custom toolbar created with their personal logo on it where there readers can search from the blog itself. I like options. I like being able to choose and have a wide variety of options. EarthFrisk.org gives me plenty of options and for me, that's what it's all about.

At last

I'm so glad that Christmas is finally over. I feel like I can get back to some sense of normalcy now in my life. I now need to concentrate on losing the pounds that I am quite sure I've gained over the last 4 or 5 days. One can only eat so much spinach dip and Toll Hause cookies without gaining that dreaded weight. I'll drop it though. It'll only take me a week to get back into a healthy eating routine and I'll then be good to go. Now if I can just muster up the drive to take down some of these Christmas decorations, all will be right with my world.

Stress Relief

This holiday season has placed its usual amount of stress upon me. I try my best to keep myself relaxed and such but it never seems to work. With the pressures of trying to get the house into shape and trying to get presents bought, menus planned, etc... it all begins to take a toll and it normally goes right to my lower back. This is where Massage Chairs enter the picture. They are a true God-send. There is a chair that I would love to have. It's the HT 7450 Zero Gravity Massage Chair. It calibrates the body frame of the individual sitting in it and adjusts according to that individual’s unique physique so that each massage that you get is 100% dedicated to that individuals needs. There are also Accupoint programs which can be used for particular types of massage. There is also a heat massage as well as a foot massage. Truly, if I had this chair, I'd be in my own heaven. Life as I know it would be just about perfect. I'm not so sure it can completely replace the boyfriend, but I'm certainly willing to give it a shot!

Bras and panties and corsets, Oh My!

While shopping a few weeks ago in Orlando at a new shopping center, I was pleased to find a brand new Lane Bryant store. What excited me even more was the brand new Cacique lingerie boutique right next door (adjoining) to Lane Bryant. As you know, Cacique is the brand of bras and lingerie that is carried by Lane Bryant. Imagine my delight in seeing an entire store dedicated to plus sized bras, panties and lingerie! I was in absolute heaven. Apparently this is going to be the new trend with Lane Bryant and they'll be opening more of these Cacique boutiques. I'm all for that. I've always been a firm believer in a voluptuous woman having the exact same opportunities to buy all of the dainties and beautiful lingerie just the same as a woman who is a size 2. "Vicky" may not carry anything for me and that's alright...it's their loss as I spend a fortune on bras and panties and lingerie. However, the Cacique Boutique will definitely get their lion's share of my lingerie allowance!

A must have...

I have to say that one of my favorite accessories has always been sunglasses. I have no qualms about spending obscene amounts of money on a pair of killer shades. They're an extension of my face. They're also a necessity. They protect our eyes from the sun's harmful UV rays. When we are constantly squinting, we're laying the foundation for wrinkles. Opticsplanet.com offers a wide variety of sunglasses including many bearing top designer names such as Dolce & Gabanna, Ralph, Anne Klein and many more. I found a pair of DKNY glasses that I really fell in love with and the price was more than comparable to that of department stores. Opticsplanet also carry a huge selection of binoculars, telescopes and more. If you're searching for a unique gift for a special someone then you're bound to find it there. Check out their gift guide for a full range of choices and selections.

Sometimes it is about me

Tonight has been an evening in which I've pampered myself and took a night off of looking after everyone else' needs. It's been wonderful. I've had my favorite wine and candles lit in my bedroom and watching MY favorite televisions shows. No Disney channel, no NickJr. It's been all about me and frankly, that doesn't happen very often. If I've learned anything over the past two years, its that I am just as important as every other individual of this household and every once in a while, I need to put my needs ahead of everyone else and their needs and/or demands. Now, if you'll excuse me, there is another glass of wine calling my name and with urgency!

Well...

Have you got your Christmas shopping done yet? Have you started yet? Have you at least got a game plan? I'm pretty proud of myself. I actually had my shopping for my niece and nephews done a week ago. I didn't forget to check for a discount code either. I talk a lot about the importance of using coupons and half of the time, I end up forgetting. Not this year. Money is too tight and I've got to stick to a budget and a tight one at that. Besides, every dollar I save on gifts, is one more dollar added to the shoe budget!

Changes

It's my hope that I can really begin to build this site up. If you stumble across this blog and would like to be added to the blog roll (relates sites only please) then please leave a comment and I'll be happy to oblige. I'm also trying to find some new designs/templates so there may be a few changes coming down the pike. Even blogs should be conscious of their style and fashions!