Tuesday, January 31, 2012

over the weekend

Sorry for the silence around here the past few days. I've been on a writing kick lately and thoughts of anything else have basically flown out the window. I was away this past weekend, in Portland ME, so I didn't have a chance to get up my usual Healthy Sundays post, but rest assured it will be back next week. Since I'm still on a writing binge I just wanted to pop by with a quick post. Here's what my weekend looked like:

























clockwise: view from our hotel room // sweet potato tater tots // sunset // old port

























clockwise: occupy Portland // salted caramel cupcake // navy & brown // gritty's

























clockwise: living area // bedroom // simple waffle // old port at night

You're probably looking at these pictures and saying, "Look at all that food! She totally binged!" My short answer would be: yes, yes I did. My long answer will come next Sunday. ;)

I am so in love with this hotel and I would move in if I could. It was our second time there (we go in the winter, we can't afford it in the summer). I apprently booked us some kind of mini suite this time, since we had a living area, bathroom with a HUGE tub and a bedroom. All I kept thinking was it's a perfect spot for a writing retreat. I can so see myself holed up in there for a week, writing away. Ah well, maybe someday!

How was your weekend? Where's your favorite weekend retreat spot?

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

mellow yellow

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My brother is fired as a photographer. I've asked him to help out and take pictures for me twice in the last month or so, and both times he took a million pictures of me looking like an idiot. I'll stick to my good old tripod and self timer from now on.

Anyway, this is just a casual and cozy weekend look. It was super cold this day and Boyfriend and I were going to a birthday party that night at a friend's house. When we got to the party everyone was wearing Patriots gear and watching the football game (not last weekend's, the one before). Let me just get something out in the open:

I could not give two figs about football.

I hate it. I went to a Patriots game once (because I used to like football) and it was pretty much the worst thing ever in my whole life. It was cold, it snowed, we were sitting under the balcony and food and trash kept falling on us. I hated it. So now I hate football as a whole. Don't even tell me it was just one bad experience and football is really sooo amazing! It only takes one bad experience for me to hate something. Fool me once, I hate you.

This just got really long and rambling about my hate for football. I didn't know I was so passionate about this until just now. I do feel better though, so thanks for bearing with me? Annnd we're done.

Sweater: H&M (similar)
Thermal: Target (similar)
Jeans: Old Navy
Socks: Uniqlo (best socks EVER)
Boots: Wanted

Monday, January 23, 2012

turtle, turtle, turtle

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I honestly haven't worn a turtleneck since maybe the third grade. I have a short neck and always thought they made me look like I had a floating head. I still think they make me look like I have a floating head. But in my never-ending quest to look like a J.Crew model, I thought I would try one out.

Turns out, I didn't hate it. My neck was toasty warm! I still didn't feel completely comfortable wearing a turtle neck, but I'm going to try to mix it in with my wardrobe a little more. Under sleeveless dresses to make a summer dress more winter appropriate, with black pants and a ski mask for stake outs...the possibilities are endless.

How do you guys feel about turtle necks? Yay or hell no?

Turtle neck: H&M (similar)
Shirt: J. Crew
Jeans: Old Navy
Boots: Zara
Necklace: Forever 21

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Healthy Sundays: Reconfiguring


Panera is diet friendly: the calorie information is right on the sign!

 I just finished week three of my healthy eating/diet/Weight Watchers. So far, I've lost three pounds. Not as much as I was aiming for, but not too bad either. I was hoping for two pounds a week weight loss, and the first week I hit that goal. I think it was probably because I had been eating a ton over the holidays and once I went back to eating better that first week those two pounds came off pretty easily. Since then, I've lost a half a pound a week for the last two weeks. Not ideal. It's time to reconfigure.

Weight Watchers now allows you to decide how many points you are allowed each week. They give you a suggested target, but if you feel like you aren't losing fast enough or you're losing too much weight you can adjust it. When I first started Weight Watchers I was allowed 29 points a day (plus the 49 weekly bonus points). When they re-vamped their program a few months ago they suggested I cut back to 26 points a day. That seemed terrifying, so I stuck with the 29 points but ultimately aimed for 26 to 29 points a day. This was hard, since if I saw I had points left over in a day I wanted to use them.

Since I haven't been seeing the results I was hoping for, I decided to dial it back to 28 points a day (the 49 weekly points stay the same). It's just one point less, but I'm hoping it will make at least a small difference. My plan is to gradually work my way down to 26 points a day.

I also looked back at that first week to see what I was doing differently. Turns out, I was eating a ton of soup. So today I went out and got ingredients to make some Escarole Soup (or Italian Wedding Soup. I use a family recipe but this one is similar.). Now I have that on hand for the rest of the week, making meal planning a lot easier. I've also decided to focus on cardio this week. I've been keeping up with my yoga classes, but I think I need to mix in some treadmill sessions to see results. Wish me luck!

Friday, January 20, 2012

Ten Day Challenge: One Picture


 We're finally at the end! Ten weeks and it's all over. This is my final post in this challenge. One picture. It wasn't hard to come up with this one. It was between this one and a picture of my favorite Cape Cod beach, but of course the picture of myself won out.

This is me, by the way. When I was much smaller. We still have that laundry basket, but I don't fit in it anymore.

I've been brainstorming something to take the place of these posts on Fridays, and hope to have something new in place by next week. I've also been making a list of all the new things I want to do with this blog, so look forward to some changes 'round here in the next few months. As always, thanks for stopping by my little corner of the internet! Love you all!

Thursday, January 19, 2012

hey there, sailor

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Behold! My beloved, beloved J.Crew peacoat that I got for Christmas. It is seriously the most perfect peacoat ever, you guys. I want to wear it to bed. But I don't because it might get lint-y and wrinkled. Anyway, I felt a bit like a sailor with the coat and hat on today. Like some old-timey fishing captain. All I need is a stubbly beard.

I've been trying to play around with color a little bit lately, just to jazz up my winter wardrobe. I tend towards browns and blacks and grays when they colors outside are all brown and black and gray. My matching tights/skirt combo was one of my attempts at adding more color. I think it was a success. My co-workers kept saying they liked it. I hope they meant it and weren't thinking to themselves "This is one colorful skirt and tight combo. I need to comment on this. I'd better say I like it, to be nice." In any case, I liked it and felt like the matchy-matchy streamlined my bottom half. Thoughts?

Coat: J.Crew
Sweater: J.Crew
Skirt: H&M (similar)
Tights: We Love Colors (similar)
Shoes: Aldo (similar)
Belt: Old Navy
Hat: H&M


Wednesday, January 18, 2012

blue pants

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I wanted blue pants so bad, so I bought these. Of course then I saw basically the same pair at Target for cheaper, but what can you do? I really like this color blue as you can see from my last outfit post. I also really like this shirt, as you can see below. So much to like about this outfit. What's not to like? My pale vampire skin. Girlfriend needs some summer and a healthy glow!

Shirt: H&M (similar)
Pants: American Eagle (similar)
Shoes: Jeffrey Cambell
Necklace: Forever 21 (similar)

Polka dots

Monday, January 16, 2012

Life Lately: iPhone Photos


From left to right, top to bottom:
1. Kettle Corn cookies and hot chocolate, yum 2. Relaxing in my piggy slippers 3. New Lipstick Queen lipstick 4. Tobin Bridge 5. Boston skyline 6. TD BankNorth Garden 7. A day at Bliss Spa with mom 8. Getting ready to spa! 9. After, all relaxed 10. Bliss Boston 11. We had a dusting of snow 12. Arm party with evil eye 13. Boyfriend fractured his elbow, bruised 14. Fluffernutter sandwich cake 15. Uh, cookies and cocoa again because I'm a dummy

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Healthy Sundays: Peanut Butter



 I'm sure lots of people have different opinions about Weight Watchers, but I think it's the easiest and most well-balanced program I've tried. It's definitely taught me about portion sizes, and how fattening some things are for you that I didn't think were so bad.

Number one shocker? Peanut butter.

"But peanut butter is supposed to be healthy!" you cry.

I know! But a 2Tbs serving of peanut butter (the suggested serving size, which isn't much at all) has 16 GRAMS OF FAT and FIVE Weight Watchers points. That's insane.

"But it's good fat!" you insist. Maybe so, but it's still fat. All this time, I thought I was being so good, having apple slices and peanut butter as a snack. I'd just load that PB on there, too. "This is good for me!" I'd think, munching happily. Weight Watchers put the kibosh on those happy times right quick. Then I discovered Better'n Peanut Butter.

Better'n Peanut Butter is the bomb. A 2Tbs serving has 2 grams of fat. That's 14 grams LESS than regular peanut butter!! best of all, it tastes delicious. It's a bit different than peanut butter - the consistency isn't as thick, for one. It's creamier, kind of like a caramel sauce almost. It also tastes a bit sweeter - but who ever complained about that? I've heard it's kind of hard to find, though. I got mine at Trader Joe's (it's excellent with their apple slices, easiest snack EVER) but Whole Foods or the health food section of grocery stores probably carry it, too. I highly suggest swapping your regular peanut butter with it. It's an easy switch that saves TONS of unneeded calories and fat.

It also comes in other, delicious sounding flavors like chocolate, banana and the wackadoo flavor of hot pepper. There's also a low sodium variety. Better'n Peanut Butter also has no trans fats, no saturated fats, and is gluten and dairy free. There are also recipes on their website and all over the internet for yummy sounding things people have made with the stuff.

Do you guys have any good healthy swaps for your favorite foods? I'd love to hear!

*NOTE* This is not a sponsored post. I was just really excited about this stuff and wanted to share!

Friday, January 13, 2012

Ten Day Challenge: Two Songs

Just TWO songs?! Woof.

1. Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd I just really like this song. It's also my go-to ring tone for my phone. No reasons, I just like it. I also really like the lyrics.

    Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here by citticringle

2. Again I Go Unnoticed - Dashboard Confessional This reminds me of high school, and being young, and singing loud. Still love when it comes on shuffle on my iPod.


Two songs out of bazillions. That was rough. Helen and I were just talking about the Now & Then soundtrack today, courtesy of this post on HelloGiggles. That is a rockin' soundtrack. Knock Three Times? Sugar, Sugar? Come on.

Honorable mentions go to: David Bowie - Space Odyssey, Queen - Killer Queen (marching down the aisle to the instrumental of this! Try and stop me, mom!), Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago (the whole album, great lazy rainy day music, very chill), Little Mermaid - The Soundtrack (paarrtt of youuur woorrrlldd!!!), Adele, Florence + the Machine, and anything I listened to in high school and college, for the memories, bro.

Also, just for good measure, been obsessed with these three songs lately:

  Somebody That I Used To Know (feat. Kimbra) by Gotye

  fun.: We Are Young ft. Janelle Monáe by Fueled By Ramen

  Sweet Sour by Band of Skulls 


Thursday, January 12, 2012

neon knit






In retrospect, maybe standing in front of a gray fence while wearing a gray sweater wasn't the best idea. It does really make the neon pop, though, don't you think? I am just in love with this sweater. The bright colors are perfect for adding something cheerful to these gray days of winter. I can't wait to pair it with more interesting items in my closet. Maybe with some bright blue jeans? You'd really be able to see me coming, that's for sure. I like how it pairs nicely with my neon Spike the Punch necklace, too.

Sweater: American Eagle 
Similar Sweater
Jeans: Gap
Booties: Old Navy
Necklace: Spike the Punch

Monday, January 9, 2012

Dieting


One of my resolutions for this year is to lose the last 15lbs (and keep it off). I plan on doing this mainly by focusing on being healthier and making some life changes that I can stick with, rather than saying "I'm on a diet."

Saying "I'm on a diet" makes it sound like it's not permanent - like saying you're on vacation. That implies that when the vacation is over, you come home and life goes back to the same old routine. To me, saying I'm on a diet implies that once I've lost the weight, I'll just go back to my same old routine. My same old routine of being lazy, eating things I shouldn't, and gaining the weight back. That's not what I want. I want to be the best version of me I can be, and I want to stay that way forever and ever.

So my goal is to be healthier and teach myself better eating habits. That being said, I am being slightly hypocritical and using what I guess some would call a diet program to get there.I've sighed up with Weight Watchers to help keep me accountable for what I'm eating and how often I'm exercising. I've been using it off and on for awhile, but I always get lazy and don't stick with it (which is RIDICULOUS, since I'm paying for it). I do really like the program, so my goal right now it to stick with it, no excuses.

As an incentive to stick with the program and make being healthy into a habit, I'm going to post weekly updates here. Every Sunday I'll post a little bit about how my week went and any tips or lessons I've learned along the way.

Do you have any weight loss or health goals for the new year? I'd love to hear them! Any success stories or feeling about Weight Watchers (good and bad), I'd love to hear those as well!


Friday, January 6, 2012

Ten Day Challenge: Three Films

We're nearing the end of this challenge! Ten days that I turned into ten weeks. This week's challenge? My three favorite movies.



1. Say Anything - Love, love this movie. Classic 80s teen romance. John Cusack with that boombox? Iconic. I have a poster of it hanging in my cube at work. Yes, my cube is decorated like a dorm room. "I gave her my heart and she gave me a pen."



2. Princess Bride - Another quirky 80s romance. I have a type when it comes to movies, obviously. There are people out there who have never seen this. WHAT. Get on this, people. It's on TV all the time and occasionally it's on Netflix instant. "My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die."



3. Harry Potter - I can't help it, I love The Boy Who Lived. Plus, it was easier to pick Harry than to pick from any of the other numerous movies I love to death. It's weird - the Harry Potter movies make me think of Christmas and winter, while the books make me think of summer. Random. "Of course this is happening in your head, Harry, but why on Earth should that mean it's not real?"

I have a bunch of other favorite movies, of course. I'm sure many of my good friends are reading this saying, "But Katrina! What about The Breakfast Club!?" That movie was my favorite for years. I can probably quote every single line. It's still my favorite, I just felt like branching out a bit.



"Screws fall out all the time, the world's an imperfect place."

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Sleeping Bag Coats

Sleeping Bag Coats



The time has finally come to break out the heavy duty winter gear. We've been having a pretty mild winter in New England so far, but this week the temps finally plummeted. i took the opportunity to break out my new sleeping bag coat I bought a few months ago. "Sleeping bag coat" might not be the official term for these jackets, but that's what they look like and feel like, so I'm sticking with it.

This coat was hands down the best winter purchase I have ever made. I have a Michael Michael Kors jacket (pictured above, middle right) that i got on sale at Macy's for $90, marked down from $275, or something insane like that.It was a great deal. This coat is so cozy, and so warm, I don't want to take it off when I get to work in the morning. I have to take it off though, because it truly does feel like a sleeping bag and I'm pretty sure I'd fall asleep if I left it on.

So many people have issues with wearing warm coats in the winter and I have no idea why. Sure, they may not be flattering, but they are functional and I think all of the ones pictured above are pretty stylish! Kind of like a modern day Doctor Zhivago kind of look. Besides, who wants to freeze to death because they don't think puffer jackets "look cute?" Bundle up, people! You'll thank me, I promise.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

blue & brown


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These pictures are from before Christmas, when winter was still being mild and lovely. It was 11 degrees when I left for work this morning. ELEVEN. DEGREES. I am currently snuggled up in a cozy cardigan with my hot cocoa. I'm so exhausted today. I had plans to go go the gym, and just could not make myself go.

I've been feeling a bit like I'm coming down with something and I've been trying super hard t keep it at bay. I like to think I'm exhausted because my immune system is working over time to keep me healthy. So instead of going to the gym, I watched about two hours of Man Vs. Food. Healthy exchange, I'm sure.

Well, it's looking like a super early night for this nana, and hopefully a more well-rested, productive day tomorrow!

Dress: Express
Belt: Old Navy
Boots: Zara (LOVE these, they were on sale, so I got them in black too...)
Watch: Fossil, gift
Scarf: Zara

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Housekeeping

 via


I had an outfit post lined up for today, but I just sat down to dig through my comments that I have been sorely neglecting and decided it would be better to get some beginning of the year housekeeping done instead.

*New header! I liked my old header (I worked super hard on that, my first Photoshop project ever!) but it wasn't as clean looking as I would have liked. I decided I wanted to keep things simple for the new year. I'll probably putz around with it a bunch since I like to mix it up, but for now I'm staying simple.

*New layout! I've been wanting to make the switch to the three column style for awhile but didn't want to jumble up all my old posts and whatnot. Finally I just took the plunge. So my old posts are a big mess, but moving forward everything should be hunky dory. If anyone knows how to remedy those old photos without doing each one individually, I'd much appreciate it!

*IntenseDebate! This has actually been on here for awhile, but I don't think I ever formally announced it. I scrapped the standard Blogger commenting system in favor of IntenseDebate. I like being able to reply directly to comments. So if you leave me a comment, make sure to subscribe to replies, because I try to reply to each comment. Especially if you've asked a question or said something particularly witty, thoughtful, or all around nice. I'll also still drop by your blog, so keep an eye out for comments from me, too!

*Other things! I'll probably make a few more changes over the next few weeks, so if there's anything that bugs you or you'd like to see on here, let me know!

Monday, January 2, 2012

End of 2011 in iPhone Photos


I have to say, it might only be January 2nd, but so far 2012 has been pretty delightful! These are some recent pictures from the holidays and New Year's.

I hope everyone's New Year was wonderful and best wishes to you all for 2012!

xx, Katrina

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