Shellac

A review of Shellac:

I first heard about Shellac a few weeks ago. A friend of mine said that she went to get a manicure and was telling the manicurist that polish never stays more than a few days. She said they had a new product that would keep her manicure looking nice for two weeks. Well, the manicure ended up lasting her for 3 weeks an I was very impressed.

Shellac is actually a colored gel that is painted onto the nails just like nail polish. After each layer the hand is placed under the UV light to cure. No damage is done to the nail bed. Only a soft buffing is required before the Shellac is applied. The result is a nice, glossy finish that will last for at least two weeks WITHOUT CHIPPING!!! It's even dry as soon as the last UV cycle is completed, just wash and go. No more waiting for nails to dry and possibly nicking one.

It is more expensive than a regular manicure. I paid $30 for my first one and $35 for my second. I have heard of some places that are as little as $15 and some that are as expensive as $75, so ask first. And make sure the salon is experienced in applying Shellac. It took four different applications the first time I had it because the salon I went to had not used it much and they kept applying it incorrectly. My only other complaint is that if you get a color, in about a weeks time there will be a line of regrowth at the bottom. I could have lasted until 14 days but the separation of color was driving me nuts. That's why I opted for a shellac french manicure the second time.

Day 1

Day 5

Day 10

Shellac french. I couldn't take the new growth so I went back to get French. I had a much more enjoyable experience the second time because I went to a more experinced salon. It is encouraged to have the polish removed in the salon and not at home because a short soaking is required to get the gel off without damaging the nail.

Green Juice

I have enjoyed juicing since 2009, but until the last few months I always steered clear of vegetable juice. I thought that it would taste bad, and even though I knew the health benefits I refused to try it. After doing some research a months ago, I found that I could mask the taste of the vegetables by adding one or two pieces of fruit. I tried it and have been juicing almost every day since. I prefer a juice blend using leafy greens also known as "green juice". My typical juice includes one bunch of kale, one bunch of spinach, one bunch of kale, one small carrot, one apple and one peeled lemon. I sometimes spice it up by adding rainbow chard or dandelion leaves.

Why juice you may ask? Juicing allows you to get tons of nutrients from plants without having to weigh down your GI tract with the bulk of that amount of fiber. There is no way that for breakfast everyday I could eat all of that produce, but by juicing, I get all of those nutrients in before I even get to work. I still enjoy raw vegetables and salads but it's nice to not have to try to eat a certain amount. I know that in one glass of green juice I've gotten a nice start on my daily intake of fruit and vegetables.

If you google 'green juice recipe' several recipes will pop up. Adjust to your taste and experiment. If it taste a little too "green" add some more fruit. There is a green juice for everyone!

Step 1: Gather fruit and vegetables. (This amount will make a little over 32 ounces. I split it up and drink it all day. Fresh juice is best immediately after juicing but if it's kept in an air tight container it's fine to drink throughout the day. I split the greens in half if I just want one serving).

Step 2: Tear up greens into smaller pieces (I just rip mine in half) and wash.

Step 3: Bag (I prepare my produce at night so that it is ready for me when I wake up in the morning).

Step 4: Cut and peel.

Step 5: Begin to juice. I use a Jack LaLanne juicer.

Step 5: You can rejuice the pulp to get a little more juice out. I only use organic produce for juicing and it can get expensive so getting every last bit of juice is important.

Step 6: Enjoy

Step 7: Store in an airtight container if you have any leftover.

Thanksgiving

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. I had to work through Wednesday. This turned out well because my scans were scheduled for Tuesday with my follow up appointment on Wednesday. The start of my great holiday came when I found out that not only am I still stable but one of the nodules has continued to shrink!!! I'm so relieved. I was very relaxed for this re staging. I'm normally very nervous, anxious and can't sleep. But this time I was so calm. I even had trouble getting up Wednesday morning, I just wanted to stay in bed because I was sleeping so well. Maybe because it's been almost two years since anything really serious has shown up. I also think it is because I have increased my Bikram yoga practice to (I try) every other day. It just helps me stay calm. My life is so much more balanced when I practice like I'm supposed to.



Melvinn and I met in North Carolina to visit his mother for Thanksgiving. It was really nice to meet her, his step dad and his little sister. I'm so happy that I got a chance to meet with them before the wedding. We had a feast for dinner....chicken, turkey, fried chicken wings, greens, green beans, macaroni and cheese, rolls, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, several cakes and pies. I'm sure I'm forgetting something, there was just so much great food.



Before dinner we held hands, his little sister blessed the food and then his mom suggested that we each go around and say what we are thankful for. It was so touching. I often think to myself what I am thankful for but it's so powerful to say it out loud. I hope to continue this tradition with Melvinn each year, even if it's just the two of us and the chihuahua.



I really enjoyed my time there. It was 4 days of much needed rest and relaxation. It was also the longest I have seen my fiance since he moved. While I loved being there and eating all kinds of crazy delicious foods I don't normally indulge in, it was very nice to get back to Houston to my green juice, salads, and yoga.

Engagement Pictures

A few of our engagement pictures from our session in October. Photos by Sharon Nicole Photography.

Happy Halloween!

I'm not sure what's going on with the little tiny pictures. Hopefully I can fix it soon. I have been busy working and wedding planning. We are planning for February and then as long as everything is ok with my scans I will be joining Melvinn in RI in March! He has a temporary assignment so I will only be up there for about a year and a half. Just enough time to fully explore New England. Wedding planning is interesting. For something I have wanted to do for so long, it's honestly not as fun as I thought it would be. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy it, but it started off a little stressful. Now that I have learned to just smile and shake my head when people give me their opinions and not really listen : ) I am doing much better.

Some pictures from my last 2 trips to RI:

the capital

Providence

Pond behind our house

Crab soup or stew or something. It was good!

Pretty cobblestone.

In pictues....

This couple is the reason we went to North Carolina 3 weeks ago. They are Melvinn's friends. Now they are my friends. I had a great time and I LOVE NC.

Road side fruit stand in NC. Only place like this sell fresh boiled peanuts. Mel tasted one for the first time. He pretended as if he didn't like them but I think he secretly did because he kept letting me feed him more.

Fried pickles before out BBQ came out.

Adorable little place that we ate lunch at before heading to the airport to leave NC. They had yummy things like fried zuchinni and squash and portabello mushroom burgers.

A small local taco/burrito place we ate the first night in NC. Very fresh ingredients, I enjoyed.

Where Mel taught his first and last year of school.

All this food came from one entree.

Mac's BBQ

This is ca cute place we went to after tacos the first night. It's a hybrid between a deli and fancy convenient store with unique wine and beer sold in the bottles and cases and a bar. After you buy you can just march right outside and eat or drink while listening to a dj. Oh and all of this was under a beautiful apple tree.

About 5 weeks ago I went to see Mel in Minnesota. He was there for 2 weeks for work. These are our tired feet after running all over the Mall of America.

Amusement park in the mall. Nice touch.

Yay!!!!

The mall is full of great restaurants.

My yucky IV. The week right after we were engaged I had started to have chest pain. I had a CT scan and everything is still stable. Still having occasional pain but it seems to just be post surgical. Needless to say I was very worried.

My mocha barium cocktail before my scan.

My pretty ring. We are planning for February. I will never roll my eyes again when I hear a girl talking about how hard it is to plan a wedding. It really is. It's fun and I'm sure worth it, but even for a small one it's a lot of work.

My life in pictures

He put a ring on it. I'm engaged!!!!

He just refuses to take a normal picture, but I love him regardless

Sisters


True love is matching cell phones ; ) The EVO has changed our lives forever

Galveston part deux

Just beacuse you are at the beach doesn't mean you have to eat crap.

Fabulous

I got my first haircut last week since my hair has grown back, to calm the curls. I kind of miss this look.

Georgia

Pictures from my trip down South

My first homemade cake!

Fresh boiled peanuts, I wish I could get these in Texas

Ole Times Country Restraunt with Grandma


I went to Georgia 2 weeks ago and received some much needed relaxation. I enjoyed spending time with my Grandma, she is 90 and full of so much wisdom. She is still in good health and very feisty so she can be quite entertaining. I love it when she tells me stories about my mom. It amazes me that my mom doesn't want me to do certain things, for example, moving out of the house a few months ago, but not only did she do the same thing at a younger age, she left her home state! I have had my Grandma's recipe for pound cake for a while but never built up the courage to try it myself. See, I've never made a cake from scratch. Well we had some free time and I was with the cake master so I gave it a shot with her watching me and giving me directions. Glad she was there because even with instructions I would have messed it up. It turned out to be a delicious cake, she said the best she had ever tasted ; ) I felt so domestic, can't wait to try other cake recipes.

Last week was really hard. Mel was offered a promotion in Rhode Island and he took it. I'm very proud of him for getting a promotion and a better job offer but of course I'm upset about us having to be apart. We have figured out a plan, hopefully seeing each other 1-2 a month. He doesn't have to be up there until September so I am going to fully enjoy our last few weeks together in the same city for a while.