Smoke-Free: 56 days, 5 hours, 1 minute and 58 seconds

Cigarettes NOT smoked: 1686

Money Saved: $378.00

SOMEBODY GIVE ME A PRIZE.

Im also aiming for 15 miles of walking/running a week, but coming closer to 11, but have only missed two days of walking since I started this madness at the end of January.  Go me.

I have cut all of the big carbs out of my life - pasta, potatoes, corn, peas, bread. 

My God, I have lost my mind. 

My goal is to be 105 pounds like Paris Hilton.   :)  Really my goal is 150.  I am an inch taller than her.  But It never hurts to aim big. 

Im going to start throwing up stuff about our house - we are getting ready to build and I want to be able to refer to some of these things wherever I go (Im going back to Knoxville to visit in a couple of weeks).  And might seek some opinion as well, since I am neither a home builder or an interior designer.  Did you know I did one semester of Interior Design at the University of Tennessee?  Blah.  Not up my alley.  Might need your help if you’re still hanging out here at all.  Thanks. 

Now, where is my prize?

Your Quit Date is:  1/8/2009 4:00:00 PM

Time Smoke-Free: 28 days, 16 hours, 24 minutes and 27 seconds

Cigarettes NOT smoked: 860

Lifetime Saved:  6 days, 13 hours

Money Saved: $195.75

Go me.

Exercise yesterday:  45 min walk/jog/sprint, 15 min upper body weights

Morning BP – 120/72

Blood glucose averaged high at 225, but that was only 2 readings.

I’ve had a lovely walk this morning – spring is coming!  I hope you have a happy Friday!

For posterity and for my mother, who loves to harass me about my health, here starts the record.  FYI, I am type 2 diabetic, and my sugars, cholesterol and blood pressure have been out of control this past few months.  I am working hard on getting it together now.

The good stuff is that I quit smoking 27 days ago, and while Im not going to tell you exactly how fat I am, I am 20 pounds less than I was 6 months ago.  w00t for me.  Our scales are dead, so Ill only be able to pick up weight loss every great once in a while.  So here goes.

As of yesterday, Feb 3, 2009: 

26 days smoke free

30 min walk/jog/sprint

Morning BP:  114/80

Average blood glucose for the day (3 measures):  185 (this is down from what I suspect was an average of about 280 2 weeks ago.

Let it be known that I had a huge case of the munchies yesterday and still feel like I could eat an entire large jar of peanut butter.  I guess that’s better than a large bag of skittles or a gallon of ice cream.  Maybe.

Hope you have a great day!

I have been woefully neglectful of this blog for the last couple of months – this I know.  Im woefully neglectful of this blog anyway, huh?  Maybe I need to start running my Twitter feeds through it again, so at least you know where I am. 

So, whats been going on? 

• Im whoring myself out to get Christina Loves rolling – and its doing well.  And its tons of fun.  And its pretty!  3 for 3!  Guy Kawasaki and the fine folks at Alltop added me yesterday to their beauty page, so something is working for me.  I have joined Glam again, but am waiting waiting waiting patiently to get set up over there. 
• Marshall’s father is tremendously ill with encephalopathy, a side effect from liver failure.  It is unbelievably sad to see and the progression is so fast.  Ryan (my stepson and recent LSU graduate) has moved here to stay with Dr. Jones (Poppy, as he is affectionately known), as he needs 24 hour supervision as of the last couple of weeks.  Oy.  Thank God for Ryan.  Take care of yourselves – you need your liver to work.
• Survey crews have been here this week and staked off our property so we can get the deed and start bulldozing!  We live in an 80+ year old house on Nunn Jones Road that was built by – guess who – Nunn Jones.  Marshall’s grandfather.  And it is not only falling down, but it is a firetrap.  I was thinking last night that I bet a licensed electrician has never cast a shadow on this property.  The Jones’ are a family of men – my husband has two brothers, their father has two brothers, and I think there *might* have been a girl in the generation before, but Im not sure of that at all.  So these manly men can do it all themselves, and they have.  Here.  For 80+ years.  Do you have any concept of how much stuff I have plugged in here in my office?  Oy again.
• We had a hoppin’ Halloween party for Zoe’s friends on Halloween night.  They didn’t do much but lots of “he-ing and she-ing” (and some hilarious bobbing for apples) but seems like they had a good time.  No trouble other than one smoking kid (cigs, nothing illegal), and my Noah, who at 10 yrs old chose to stay at the party instead of go trick-or-treating, and lets just say he learned a lesson or two.  As did I.  Thank God for Rock Band – it sucked some of those high school kids in to play with him, so the night wasn’t a total wash.
• My new job is going fabulously.  For the first month or so I felt a little lost, and wasn’t really sure what to do with myself, but I now have a to-do list a mile long, and feel nice and cozy.  I think I work a lot better with a long to-do list.  I am easily distracted when I’m not on a mission.  Have I mentioned Beautyfix?  Check it out – it totally rocks.  And go sign up for the newsletters at Blush if you haven’t – once Beautyfix is going strong I’ll be working on getting Blush going.  Right now it is just newsletters, but before long it is going to be SO. MUCH. MORE.  I can’t wait!  This move was the best decision I have made in a very, very long time.  Probably since I decided to marry Marshall.  Someone was definitely watching over me on this one – the timing was almost too coincidental.
• We bought a snotty new Mercedes.  We had Mercedes’ when I was growing up – I have always really REALLY loved them.  Marshall and I both drive 10 year old SUV’s, and not only are his weekly trips to and from Texas City incredibly gas hoggy, but the risk of the Tahoe breaking down is getting worse and worse.  Especially since he SHOT it.  :P  Marshall doesn’t do stranded, so new car it is.  It’s a sedan – I am holding out for a vintage convertible.  And a VIP ticket to the next Mercedes Benz Fashion Week.  One can hope, right?  Me, I’m just thrilled we got a car loan in this crappy economy.  Cross your fingers for the home loan.  Did I mention I hate debt?  Well I do.  We have almost none now – shortly we are going to be up to our eyeballs.  Lovely!
• I am in the process of moving all of my websites over to Wired Tree.  Thanks to Joe for the fabulous recommend.  Siteground is officially oversold and telling tons of folks that they are over the CPU limits – even folks that don’t have anything but a regular old blog.  They have kicked 2 of my sites off now, and I am done and taking everything with me.  When I started with Siteground they were so nice and had such amazing customer service.  I loved their UI – they were fab.  Not so much anymore, and while it makes me sad, I am growing up and learning to manage my own server, slowly but surely.  Good stuff.

So I guess that is the long and short of what’s going on at the moment.  Not too much, but plenty just the same.  I am *so* not ready for the holidays.  It’s hard when its 85 degrees still.  Hope you have a great day!

Yup, thats me. 2008 has proved to be a wild and woolly year for me so far. We got through Christmas, then took off for Fall 08 Fashion Week in January/February. Then had South by Southwest (in my backyard in Austin, but regardless, gone for a week) in March. Then went to the Beauty Editor for a Day with Glam in early April, back to NYC. Then May has been a whirlwind - A week in Toronto at the b5media HQ, then 4 days in Los Angeles to attend and speak at the Total Beauty Blog Summit, and then last, but not least, my BFF Suzzann was here for 5 days and just left this morning (*sob*). Dare I say it - I have no more trips on the schedule. The last two times I said that I got slapped with (great!) trips. But I am super grateful for all the great opportunities I have had this year, but it has left it nearly impossible to blog. Im doing my best to keep up with my beloved eBeautyDaily, but even that has been challenging this year. It is shocking to me that it is almost June, almost halfway through 2008 - but its been a blast for sure. Opportunities that I would have never dreamed of.

My darling Zoe graduated from 8th grade last week and is moving into Rudder High School next fall. Yowza - I wish I could slow time down a little. We have made it through the spring and have 8 bloodhound/australian shepard puppies and 7 of the cutest kittens you have ever seen. Mom is in Colorado finalizing things with Grandpa’s estate. Must. water. plants.

Ok so Im going to make a renewed effort to get back to some personal blogging - this post being a pitiful kick in the ass to get started. Someone poke me if I dont update regularly, ok?

I hope this is real, that’s all I can say. Although the fake part is pretty darned funny. Found via 50 different web sites today. Funny.

I spotted this article from the NYT in my reading about Heath Ledger this past week, and it caught my eye:   “Last week I probably slept an average of two hours a night, I couldn’t stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going. He said he took two Ambien pills, which worked for only an hour.”

Then I saw this yesterday on Fox News about how Jack Nicholson had warned Heath Ledger about Ambien:

The 70-year-old Oscar winner was dining at the Wolseley restaurant in London when a photographer told him about Ledger’s death.

After saying, “That’s awful,” Jack added �I warned him,” and refused to elaborate.

Later, at the premiere of his new film “The Bucket List,” Nicholson reportedly said he “warns people about Ambien.”

�I almost drove off a cliff once. I don�t take sleeping pills but somebody said �take this, it�s mild.’

So these two things really hit home with me.  When Marshall was in the hospital recovering from MRSA, and after he got home, he was not able to sleep at night.  His sleep patterns were completely reversed.  They had him taking Ambien a little at the hospital and then sent him home with a prescription.  It was a very strange drug.  It would help him sleep for an hour or so, but then he would wake up - I don’t know - a little disoriented and crazy.  He tried taking a larger dose, but the same problem.  It didn’t help him get any more sleep, but just made his behavior a little more odd.  Marshall doesn’t react that well to some drugs - Morphine REALLY makes him crazy - so we sort of wrote it off, but got him a prescription for Lunestra instead.  Mucho better.  Since then, I have told several people to stay away, there is something most odd about what Ambien does to you, and I’ve heard similar stories from others. 

There is another interesting testimonial at Yahoo! Answers telling a similar tale.  And you can do a little Googling for plenty more stories like ours.  I guess the moral of the story is that even when you are prescribed something that is seemingly *safe* - check it out.  Learn more about it.  You would think that with our stringent FDA, that takes decades to release *safe* drugs, that things like this wouldn’t get through, but they do.  Politics, I’m guessing.

Ive read this a dozen times before, but it’s funny how really frighteningly appropriate things come through your email box (or into your life) at just exactly the right time. Man, I need some coffee with a friend right now. And maybe to grind a few pebbles into sand.

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee..

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in fron t of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightl y. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous “yes.”

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

“Now,” said the professor as the laughter subsided, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things—God, your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions—and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.

The sand i s everything else—the small stuff. “If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

“Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first—the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”

One of the students r aised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. “I’m glad you asked.

It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.”

To help out the hubby:

This is the Flip Video Ultra, in PINK, of course. This is a small video camera that can take up to one hour of video and easily transfer it where it needs to go (YouTube, AOL Video) in minutes, rather than hours. I can keep it in my purse all the time and be ready for great candid videos, instead of missing great stuff because I’m not lugging around the DV camera. It is a mere $149 at Amazon.

This is the 80 gig classic iPod. Although the touch iPod is cool, I just want the classic. I have resisted getting one of these, because I just don’t travel around too much, nor do I feel the need to have my tunes with me constantly. Everyone in our family that needs portable tunes has an mp3 player. What I want this for mostly is videos and podcast downloads (FREE ones…lol), and for learning how to maximize my multimedia exposure, and so I can help teach other folks how to do the same. Plus they are cool. Suz says so (*mwah*). $228 at Amazon.

I would love a new watch, but I can’t find one. Well, except for that pink Aquaracer Tag, and this TechnoMarine Pink Ceramique but I’m not a proponent of spending that much money on a watch that I will wear day in and day out, through cow shit, boating, digging in the dirt and doing dishes, so I’ll keep looking. Maybe I’ll find something reasonable for my birthday - but for now, my old Wenger is working great. I am way too picky about watches. Oy.

And with the BRAND NEW ULTA right down the road from me (YEAH - now we need a SEPHORA in town to compete - please, Sephora??), an Ulta gift card would be MOST appreciated! Now, if only MAC would come to town so I didn’t have to drive to Houston. In my wildest dreams. And, as always, a gift certificate to my beloved TJ Maxx would be awesome. I am assuming they have their credit card security handled. If you are worried, thankfully there is a store right down Hwy 30.

This is the AeroGarden Pro - this grows my kitchen herbs year round. I need this because our Texas dirt and minerally water sucks for growing stuff, and I am not a green thumb - try though I might. Herbs are expensive as crap to buy from the store too. Plus its cute and would bring some much needed greenery and life into this dark house. BB&B only carries the regular one, I would like the Pro version - I think it is a little bigger and worth the $10-20 more. Bigger IS indeed better. $169 at Amazon.

Let’s see - what else. I need an external hard drive, as my laptop is already running short of gigs, but thats pretty dull for Christmas stuff, plus I want to buy that locally so I can return it easily when it croaks on me. And there is my truck. I think I need about a $2000 gift certificate from the Chevy dealer for new shocks, new door opening/locking mechanisms and a new windshield. And I would like to paint it black.

Hopefully that gives you some good ideas, and at least some of it can be classified as business expenses. Yeah, I love my job.

(dance) I NEVAH win anything. Never. Well, I won $150 in a bar contest once, but I don’t really count that. Much to my surprise, I won a drawing from BlogHer, and just got this sumptuous looking cookbook from none other than the American Cattlemen’s Association! Eat mo beef - YUM!

Pity I am working my way through Jenny Craig at the moment, or I would be having that scrumptious looking steak taco there on the cover for dinner tonight. Soon, though - soon.