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Well, I’ve gone and done it.
I’ve joined a book club.
I’ve never been part of a book club before, ever. I think this is a little strange because I love to read, I love to share what I’ve read, and I love to share my favorite books with others. I’m always making suggestions to others when it comes to books. At least to my family anyway. It is very, very rare that anyone actually reads the book I’ve suggested. I’ve really only been successful at getting a person to read a book I suggest when I’ve GIVEN them the book to read and practically force them, lol. And even then its very difficult to bring up the issues in the book that I’d like to discuss with said person. If I try to talk about a book it ususally goes like this:
I’d say, “So did you read that book I gave you?”
Person would reply, “Yes.”
I’d say, “Well, did you like it?”
Person would say, “Yes!”
I’d say, “Where you just dying when………..?”
Person would say, “Uh-huh.”
end of conversation.
So now I’m part of a book club.
We all read the same book, we gather together, we discuss the book. And not just whether we liked it or not. We discuss the layers and emotions of the book. We dive into the very middle of it, swim around, mix all of our ideas about it together, and I walk away having thoroughly enjoyed the intellectual stimulation.
Okay so I didn’t get to really participate this month, I didn’t get a chance to read either of the two books we were supposed to read. That is only because I was unable to obtain a copy of one and had no idea about the other. I was a little disappointed that I missed out, but plan to fully participate next month. I can’t wait to read the book, and I can’t wait to discuss it.
1776 by David McCullough
@–>–Rose
Beauty, its something we all strive for isn’t it. I know I do. It sits on the top of my list of goals, whether I admit it or not. Every morning I look in the mirror and ask myself,
“Do I look beautiful today?”
The answer changes daily. One moment, I can be thinking I am a total beauty and the next I’ll think, aaaack I am ugly!
How is that even possible, I have the same face every day. My face, eyes, ears, mouth, and nose don’t change shape or color, I always look the same. Yet somehow what seems to me one day to be slim, cute, pretty, shapely, perfect, and beautiful can the next day seem long, puny, big, thin, bulbous, and ugly.
This has intrigued me, because really one doesn’t visually change at all. At least not a persons basic look. I see people all the time, some of them over and over, and for the most part their look doesn’t change. I see them, they look like them self. I see them again, they still look like them self. Regardless of clothes and makeup. Though sometimes the clothes and make up enhance a persons look, they are still recognizable as them self.
Okay so this doesn’t figure in when a person has really gone off the deep end as far as personal hygiene goes. You know, long scraggly hair, unkempt beard (men), brown teeth, very dirty skin, jungle like eyebrows, etc. I am just saying there is a certain amount of personal hygiene required for a person to look like them self (particularly for men). It also doesn’t include when a person has had plastic surgery. That can really change a persons looking like them self. I must also add drastic weight gain or loss, that can drastically change a persons recognizability as well, but not always.
So where am I going with all of this?
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. How you perceive yourself is always going to be more critical than you perceive others. So the days when I am feeling particularly ugly chances are I look the same as I did yesterday to everyone else.
Also, I think each person is beautiful in his or her own way. Maybe not attractive to everyone on the planet, but certainly to someone, somewhere.
I’ll have to keep that in mind on the days when I think I look ugly, because my husband always thinks I look beautiful (so he says) and who else do I really need to look beautiful for?
@–>–Rose
Last week I said I was going to try out all of the said uses of a cucumber listed HERE.
Today I will tell you all about the second “use” on the list.
2-Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.
Yesterday I woke up at 4:30 AM.
I did the Jillian Michaels thirty day shred, I did some cooking, cleaning, and general running around and around after my kids.
By 3:00 PM I was exhausted.
So I got out a cucumber, washed it, peeled it, and shared it with my little boys.
Well to be perfectly honest I only noticed a slight improvement in my energy level. And that slight improvement only lasted maybe an hour. So (and yes I realize this isn’t the most scientific way of going about testing, and theorizing) it wasn’t my expierience that cucumbers will give you a whole lot of energy. That being said I also would rather only the small mark of energy improvement to that heart pounding, dizzy, jittery, feeling that comes with caffeine. I will certainly give the cucumbers for an energy boost again. Next time I’ll try it with the peel on, maybe that will make a difference. I don’t like to keep the peel on. Not because I think it tastes gross, but because I worry about pesticides, even though I wash them thoroughly, I still hesitate to eat them. Maybe I’ll try organic.
Maybe I should have combined eating the cucumber with listening to some really upbeat, bouncy, happy song. That would have probably gotten my energy moving. ;D
@–>–Rose
Okay gals, do you know what Kegels are?
Kegel exercises are basically exercises that tone the pubococcygeus muscle (part of the pelvic floor).
Kegel exercises may help with incontinence, which means if you can’t run down the street without peeing your pants
kegel exercises just might be what you need.
You can do kegel exercises anytime, anywhere, and no one will know.
Unless you tell them.
To do a kegel you simply tighten the muscles you would use to stop the flow of urine.
(note: do not try to do kegels while urinating)
So tighten those muscles and hold them tight for as long as you can.
Now repeat this as many times as you can, or until you get distracted doing something else.
You should do kegel exercises several times a day.
Not only will this help with incontinence, but it can increase sexual pleasure.
And come on ladies who doesn’t want that.
;D
@–>–Rose
“If you’re looking for a modified jumping jack look else where. I’ve got 400 pound people doing jumping jacks and you can do them too.”
That is my favorite line on the Jillian Michaels workout, lol!
Jillian Michaels 30 day shred is TOUGH!
I had a really fun time doing this workout. Its fast paced, only 20 minutes, well actually its more like 25 but… I love that it really gets my heart rate up, my blood pumping, and my sweat rolling.
I must admit I was a bit skeptical that Jillian Michaels would be able to pull off a 20-minute-worth-while-workout, but she totally did!
When I finish the workout, I feel like jello. A good sign that I have been working hard. Somedays however I want just a little bit longer of a workout, but that is no problem because there are 3 levels of toughness on Jillian Michaels 30 day shred so I can always do two of them or the same one twice. I recommend that if it has been a while since you have done any strength training to start with a lighter weight than the recommended 5lbs, or even start out without any weights until you get used to it. Then when your body is screaming for some resistance gradually work your way up to heavier weights. If you don’t have weights and you spent your last dollar on the Jillian Michaels 30 day shred DVD, don’t worry you can always use soup cans, there is no shame in that. Whats that, you don’t have a single can of food in your house? Well roll up a couple pairs of jeans and use those. Or grab a pair of shoes, or some bowls out of a cupboard, there are lots of options as far as weights go, so don’t let a silly thing like, lack of dumbbells stop you from getting really fit.
Now go get to work!
And enjoy it ;D
@–>–Rose
*Got a question for me about Jillian Michaels 30 day shred that I didn’t answer? Feel free to email me your question: rose@carrotsandvinegar.com
PS-I was not paid in any way, money, free stuff, or other, to write this review. I do so of my own free will. 
Catching Fire
This is the second book to The Hunger Games, it was AWESOME!!!
Yes Suzanne Collins has done it again.
I once again couldn’t put it down.
Which is okay because the book isn’t overly long, its maybe 250-300 pages and very easy reading.
Its actually possible to read Catching Fire in one or two days.
I will admit that I was a little worried about there being enough left for a good plot after Hunger Games, but boy I was not disappointed.
It is once again a little controversial because people are killing people, but Suzanne Collins has written The Hunger Games and Catching fire in such a creative way, I didn’t really mind.
I really enjoyed the story.
And I would recommend reading it, unless of course you are a really sensitive person.
And if so you know what there is nothing wrong with that. In fact I think the world could do with a little more sensitivity.
Don’t you?
@–>–Rose
PS-If you read it, come back and let me know what you think, I’d love to know. :D
You know the saying.
“I’ve got to get my beauty sleep”
Why do people say that?
Who wakes up in the morning or after a nap looking beautiful?
I don’t, not hardly. (When reading this aloud to my husband adamantly insisted that this is not true. But he has a biased opinion ;P)
What with the disheveled ridiculous looking jammies, the bleary eyes, the hair sticking out in every direction not to mention the eyebrows being all mashed and weird looking, (You know what I am talking about don’t deny it!) and do I even need to bring up morning breath….
Okay so maybe “beauty sleep” really means that being well rested makes it easier to look your best.
Who wants to look like they just rolled out of bed all day long?
And when you are tired you do look that way.
Stumbling around, yawning far to often and probably giving people a wiff of your breath more than anyone ought to, eeew, I don’t think I need to go on.
The point is sleep=rest, rest=presence of mind, presence of mind=ability, ability=looking your best or at least pretty close.
So sleep=beauty.
I get it now.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to get my beauty sleep. ;D
@–>–Rose
The following is an email I received not too long ago about cucumbers. It intrigued me. I want to know how much of these claims are really true. So I think I need to put them to the test. This week I have a whole lot of cucumbers on my grocery list. I’m going to test each of the following claims, well as many as I can it’s not really the time of year for grubs and slugs in my garden here in Utah yet, I’ll let you know next Wednesday what the result is.
@–>–Rose
1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.
2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.
3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.
4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.
5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!
6.. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!!
7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation.
8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don’t have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.
9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!
10. Stressed out and don’t have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber with react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.
11. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don’t have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.
12. Looking for a ‘green’ way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but is won’t leave streaks and won’t harm you fingers or fingernails while you clean.
13. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!
I opened my garage one night and heard a girl yelling at someone. As my garage door came to a stop I could see and hear what was going on. A teenage girl was riding past on her bike, an older woman was fast walking behind her. The teenager was yelling at her Mom to hurry up. The Mom was saying that she was, the teenager told her Mom to “Run!” Her Mom yelled back,
“I can’t I’ll pee my pants!”
Only another Mom can understand this and truly apprieciate it.
Lol!
@–>–Rose
PS- next weeek I’ll tell you all about kegals.
(That title should read, Jillian Michaels 30 DAY shred up there)
S, you inspired me to try this ;D
I am a busy gal.
I love to exercise.
I love P90X.
But an hour plus everyday has been a very difficult hill to climb.
I like to be done exercising before my kids wake-up.
Somedays I get it done, some days I don’t.
I decided to try a shorter workout for a little while.
to see how much better my mornings can be.
Don’t get me wrong, I still LOVE P90X, but when my kids are up and asking for breakfast its seems mean to make them wait for an hour so I can finish a P90X workout. So I am putting Jillian Michaels 30 day shred to the test.
Will Jillian Michaels 30 day shred live up to it reputation of being hard and awesome?
Will I be able to get a good enough work out with Jillian Michaels 30 day shred?
Will I love Jillian Michaels 30 day shred as much as I love P90X?
We will see, we will see…..
I will let you know next Monday how it goes ;D
@–>–Rose
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