Blog Archive

Monday, January 31, 2011

Winter Fun




Lori has a beautiful winter layout to share today. Isn't that sled the coolest? Mostly she used the Kris Kringle collection but she snuck something in. Can you guess what it is?


Give up? Ok, we'll tell you. This gal is so creative! She actually took a border from the Spooks Halloween collection and covered the orange border with Stickles to look like icicles. Here's a close-up.


The elegant layered snowflakes fit so perfectly with this chilly snow scene! Now that January is almost over, we are kinda wishing that stuff would go away here in Utah. How about you? Anyone nice and warm at CHA?

Motivation Mondays: How Do You Measure Success? & LuluLemon Picks!

I got a question on my formspring page today asking me whether or not I've lost weight or inches from working out.

I've definitely lost inches on my body---and gained muscle mass--- but I only know this because of how I look and how my clothes fit. I don't weigh myself or take measurements.

I'm not on a weight loss journey like some health and fitness bloggers are, so weigh-ins and measuring are not part of my life, nor do I want them to be.  When I watch shows like The Biggest Loser or Heavy, I completely understand the weigh-ins because they really have to track their progress to make sure that they are losing the amount of weight they should be and to ensure their eating and workouts are effective.

When I made the decision to work out regularly, I did it for my health of course and to improve the look of my body by toning it.  So, that's how I assess my progress nowadays---by what I see in the mirror and how I feel

In the past, I've weighed myself regularly and measured myself and I became obsessed with the numbers and that's not where I want to be

I want to feel good about how hard I work and in order to do that, I can't obsess about the numbers on the scale or how much my hips measure. I've been there, done that---and I never feel happy because I feel like I'm not getting results (even when I am.)  Now, all it takes is just looking at myself and pulling my skinny jeans on to know that the results are there.

I was shopping at LuluLemon with Candice this weekend (and OMG do they ever have amazing stuff out right now!) and I even proudly flexed in the mirror as I tried a tank on.  That's how I measure success these days

How do you measure your workout success?  To clarify, I'm not saying I never weigh myself---I do. Maybe once every 3 months or so.

Speaking of LuluLemon---hello gorgeous!  I'm absolutely loving all of the stuff they have in store right now and I'm tempted to pay a visit again next weekend and make a purchase or two.

Here are my top picks:


 

Wunder Under Crop- Organic


Speed Up Tank



I just love that minty green color they're featuring in a lot of their styles right now! It's so fresh and pretty! They also had these adorable pleated mini skirts (or skorts, I think).  If I played tennis more often I'd definitely have bought one!

In more health news, I finally switched to regular oatmeal for breakfast and I LOVE it!  In my last post where I mentioned it, a lot of my lovely readers encouraged me to switch because the flavored formulas had so much sugar in them.

This morning I tried the Quaker brand rolled oats for the first time and they were awesome.  I prepared them just with water, put it into the microwave and then I added some honey and cinnamon powder.  To top it all off, I also added fresh blueberries and strawberries. YUM!  The best part? It kept me full until lunchtime at 12:30 p.m.

Isn't it so pretty!?  I'm really glad I made the switch and thank you to all the ladies who pushed me in this direction!

I had my veggie soup for lunch, almonds as a snack, peanut butter with Kashi crackers as a snack, some chicken and pasta for dinner and a few bites of H's cinnamon bun for dessert (I had to restrain myself from eating the entire thing!)

Since my colonoscopy is next week, I want to start eating well now and continuing to eat well after "the great cleanse of 2011." I'm praying the cleanse will eliminate my sugar cravings.  I can hope, right?

Thanks for reading!

xoxo,

Veronika.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Sunday Soup: My First Attempt at Cooking Healthy!

Cooking and I, we have a mixed history.  I'm not one of those people that loves to grocery shop for ingredients and then cook something awesome. I don't enjoy any part of it really.  However,  in my quest to eat healthier and incorporate more veggies into my life, realized I'd have to cook in order to accomplish that goal.

I hate following recipes. I kind of google what I want to make and then loosely follow the recipe and add or take away whatever I like. I know that's probably a silly approach, especially for someone who can't really cook well...but it makes cooking a little more tolerable for me.

I enjoy baking (hello cupcakes!) but I can't seem to wrap my heart around cooking.  It takes a lot of effort and like I said above, I hate following recipes and having to buy every.single.ingredient. that needs to go into the recipe.  I use recipes more like a guide instead of a set of distinct instructions.

While grocery shopping today, I decided I wanted to make a healthy, veggie-packed soup.  I googled a soup recipe on my iPhone as I shopped and picked up some of the ingredients that appealed to me and added some of my own favorite veggies.

I'm quite pleased with how my soup turned out! 

Ingredients I used:
  • Onion
  • Garlic Powder
  • Black Pepper
  • Carrots
  • Tomato
  • Sweet Green Peas
  • Zucchini
  • Light Red Kidney Beans
  • Great White Northern Beans
  • White Potatoes
  • Organic Chicken Stock
  • Parsley
My H loved the soup too---though he did add more salt and spice to his. I'm okay with a lighter tasting soup but he likes his a little spicier.

Though it takes awhile to peel and chop everything, I'm really glad I took the time to do it because now I'm more confident about exploring more and trying different recipes (or recipe guides, as I like to use them.)

Are you a cooking novice like me? How did you finally get yourself excited about cooking? Let me know because I could use more motivation!

xoxo,

Veronika.


PS- I have a giveaway coming up this week!  Look out for that :)

Friday, January 28, 2011

demi lovato singer music career

Demetria Devonne "Demi" Lovatoborn August 20, 1992 is an American actress and singer-songwriter. Her earliest roles included a part on Barney & Friends, before she became better known for her roles as Mitchie Torres in the Camp Rock movies, as Sonny Munroe in Sonny with a Chance and as the star of the 2009 movie Princess Protection Program.
As a solo musical artist, Lovato released her debut album Don't Forget on September 23, 2008. The album debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 selling 89,000 copies in the first week. It has since sold over 473,000 records in the US. Lovato stated in an interview that the album was recorded in ten days. Lovato released her second album, Here We Go Again, on July 21, 2009. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 selling 108,000 copies in the first week.
Contents
* 1 Early life
* 2 Music career
o 2.1 2007–08: Musical beginnings and soundtrack appearances
o 2.2 2008–09: Don't Forget and Here We Go Again
o 2.3 2010–present: Camp Rock 2 and third studio album
* 3 Acting career
* 4 Other work
o 4.1 Philanthropy
* 5 Image and personal life
o 5.1 Treatment center stint
o 5.2 Relationships
* 6 Filmography
* 7 Discography
* 8 See also
* 9 Awards
* 10 References
* 11 External links
Early life
Lovato was born in Dallas, Texas to Patrick Lovato and Dianna Hart De La Garza. She is of Mexican, Irish and Italian descent.She has an older sister Dallas Lovato and a younger half sister, Madison De La Garza. Her mother was a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader and country recording artist; her father moved to New Mexico after their marriage ended in 1994. She earned a high school diploma through homeschooling in April 2009. She began playing piano at the age of seven.
Music career
2007–08: Musical beginnings and soundtrack appearances
Before any of Lovato's music was officially released a few of her original songs, including "Shadow," were featured on the show As The Bell Rings. Lovato also sang a cover of "That's How You Know" from the film Enchanted that was released on DisneyMania 6 on May 20, 2008.
In June and July 2008, Lovato performed at various House of Blues and parks for her Demi Live! Warm Up Tour in preparation for the release of her debut album and the Burnin' Up Tour with the Jonas Brothers. The soundtrack to the Disney Channel Original Movie Camp Rock was released in June 2008. Lovato was featured on four of the tracks on the soundtrack including "This is Me", a duet with Joe Jonas. "This Is Me" peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100. Lovato served as the opening act in the Jonas Brothers' Burnin' Up Tour from July through September 2008. Several concerts on the tour were filmed as footage for a 3-D concert film titled Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience which was released on February 27, 2009. Lovato was featured in the film performing "This Is Me" with Joe Jonas.
Lovato also appears on two soundtrack albums in 2010. She recorded songs for the Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam soundtrack, which was released on August 10, 2010, and the Sonny With a Chance soundtrack in late 2010.
2008–09: Don't Forget and Here We Go Again
On September 23, 2008, Lovato released her debut album Don't Forget. The album peaked at number two on the Billboard 200, selling 89,000 units in its first week of release. It has since sold over 473,000 records in the US. Lovato stated in an interview that the album was recorded in ten days.
The album was preceded by the lead single "Get Back", which was released on August 12, 2008 and reached number forty-three on the Hot 100. In December 2008, the second single "La La Land" was released and reached number fifty-two on the Hot 100. In March 2009, the third single "Don't Forget" was released and reached number forty-one on the Hot 100, becoming her most successful solo single at the time.
An EP, Moves Me, was released in December 2008 by the Well Go USA label, but not under Lovato's support. The EP featured songs recorded by Lovato before being signed by Hollywood Records.
In 2009, Lovato recorded "One and the Same" for Princess Protection Program as a duet with Gomez – they both appear in the film.
In early 2009, it was announced that Lovato would be embarking on the Summer Tour 2009 in order to promote her sophomore album, which she stated would be released in the summer of 2009. The tour began on June 21, 2009 in Hartford, Connecticut and concluded on August 24, 2009 in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Lovato and her band performing in her 2009 Summer Tour
Lovato released her second studio album, Here We Go Again on July 21, 2009. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with 108,000 records sold in its first week. Prior to the album's release Lovato stated: "It’s going to take a different sound, so hopefully it goes over well. I sing a lot of rock, but this time I want to do more John Mayer-ish type of songs. Hopefully I can write with people like him. The album was more inspired by acoustic music than her debut's pop rock-influenced sound.
The album received a score of 65/100 from Metacritic. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic noted that the album was not as much fun as Lovato's previous album, Don't Forget, but he praised "Here We Go Again," "Solo," "Remember December," and "So Far So Great" as high points, for being "ideally matched to Lovato's adolescent energy and spirit, which remain her most appealing qualities. Chicago Tribune also gave the album five stars, saying "No sophomore slump for these young artists". Kerri Mason of Billboard praised the album for not relying heavily on production compared to other Disney Channel artists and called Lovato "a natural talent who could really take flight after outgrowing Disney. Simon Vozick-Levinson of Entertainment Weekly praised the more rock-oriented tracks such as "Got Dynamite," calling them suggestions of "a direction that might set her apart in years to come.
In December 2009, Allmusic ranked Here We Go Again as one of the best pop albums of 2009
In 2010, the album was nominated for 3 Teen Choice Awards, "Choice Album", "Choice Love Song" and Lovato for "Choice Music Breakout Artist: Female".
The album was preceded by the lead single, "Here We Go Again", which was released on June 23, 2009. It became Lovato's highest charting single as it reached number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album's second single, "Remember December", was released on November 17, 2009 but only managed to reach number six on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 (number 106 on the Hot 100).
She appeared on We the Kings's second studio album Smile Kid as well. The album was released December 8, 2009. On the album, she contributes guest vocals to the song "We'll Be a Dream", which was later released as single in March 2010. The music video for the song was released on April 22, 2010 through MTV.com
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Marion Cotillard career Early work

Marion Cotillard French pronunciation:born 30 September 1975 is a French actress. She garnered critical acclaim for her roles in films such as My Sex Life... or How I Got Into an Argument, Taxi, Furia and Jeux d'enfants. She has also appeared in such films as Big Fish, A Very Long Engagement (for which she received a César Award for Best Supporting Actress), A Good Year, Public Enemies, Nine, Inception and La Vie en Rose.
She won the Academy Award for Best Actress, BAFTA Award for Best Actress, César for Best Actress and the Golden Globe for Best Actress in Musical or a Comedy for her portrayal of French singer Édith Piaf in La Vie en Rose. She made film history by becoming the first person to win an Academy Award for a French language performance. In 2010 she received a Golden Globe nomination for her performance in the musical Nine.
Contents
* 1 Family
* 2 Career
o 2.1 Early work (1993–2002)
o 2.2 Breakthrough (2003–2006)
o 2.3 Critical success (2007–present)
* 3 Other projects
* 4 Personal life
* 5 Filmography
* 6 Awards and nominations
o 6.1 Academy Award milestones
o 6.2 Other awards
* 7 References
* 8 External links
Family
Cotillard was born in Paris and grew up around Orléans, Loiret, in an artistically inclined, "bustling, creative household". Her father, Jean-Claude Cotillard, is an actor, teacher, former mime, and 2006 Molière Award-winning director of Breton descent (his mother, Léontine Cotillard, was born in March 1909 and still lives in Plémet, Brittany; she recently celebrated her 101st birthday). Cotillard's mother, Niseema Theillaud, is also an actress and drama teacher.She has two younger twin brothers, Quentin and Guillaume. Quentin Cotillard is a sculptor and painter living in San Francisco, United States, with his wife, Elaine O'Malley Cotillard, "a former Dutch National Ballet dancer who grew up in Marin County, and is now a San Francisco fashion designer". Guillaume Cotillard is a screenwriter and director.
Cotillard began acting during her childhood, appearing on stage in one of her father's plays.
Career
Early work (1993–2002)
After small appearances and performances in theater, Cotillard had occasional and minor roles in television series such as Highlander, but her career as a film actress began in the mid-1990s with small but noticeable roles in such films as Arnaud Desplechin's My Sex Life... or How I Got Into an Argument. Cotillard appeared in the comedy film La belle verte, directed by Coline Serreau. Then came her breakthrough out of cinephiles' circles when she starred in Gérard Pirès's action comedy Taxi. In the film, she plays Lili Bertineau who becomes Daniel's girlfriend. Cotillard reprised the role in two sequels. She then ventured into anticipation science fiction with Alexandre Aja's Furia (1999).
Cotillard appeared in Pierre Grimblat's film Lisa as Young Lisa, alongside Jeanne Moreau, Swiss novel-adaptation War drama In The Highlands. She starred in Gilles Paquet-Brenner's film Les jolies choses, adapted from the work of subversive feminist writer Virginie Despentes. In the drama, Cotillard portrayed the characters of two twins of completely opposite characters, Lucie and Marie. She was nominated for a César Award for her performance. In Guillaume Nicloux's thriller Une affaire privée she appeared as Clarisse, friend of the disappeared.
Breakthrough (2003–2006)
Cotillard starred with Guillaume Canet in the romantic comedy film Love Me If You Dare as Sophie Kowalsky, the daughter of Polish immigrants. The film was directed by Yann Samuel. Cotillard had a notable supporting role in Tim Burton's film Big Fish, where she appeared alongside Ewan McGregor, Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange and Allison Lohman. In the film she plays Joséphine, the French wife of William Bloom. She appeared in two critically successful films, Jean-Pierre Jeunet's A Very Long Engagement as Tina Lombardi, for which she won a César Award for Best Supporting Actress, and appeared in the mystery thriller Innocence as Mademoiselle Éva.
In 2005, Cotillard starred in Steve Suissa's romantic drama Cavalcade as Alizée. She also appeared in Abel Ferrara's religious drama Mary alongside Forest Whitaker and Juliette Binoche. Marion played Isabelle Kruger and Alice in the thriller film La Boîte noire, directed by Richard Berry. She appeared in the film Fair Play as Nicole. Cotillard starred in Ridley Scott's romantic comedy A Good Year, in which she portrayed Fanny Chenal, a small Provençal town French café owner opposite Russell Crowe as a Londoner who inherits a local property. She appeared in Belgian comedy Dikkenek, and learned to play the cello for her role as a soloist in the satirical coming-of-age film You and Me.
Critical success (2007–present)
She was chosen by director Olivier Dahan to portray the French singer Édith Piaf in the biopic La Vie en Rose before he had even met her, saying that he noticed a similarity between Piaf's and Cotillard's eyes. Producer Ilan Goldman accepted and defended the choice even though distributors TFM reduced the money they gave to finance the film thinking Cotillard wasn't "bankable" enough an actress. Her portrayal was widely praised, including by the eminent theatre director Sir Trevor Nunn, who described it as "one of the greatest performances on film ever. It was dubbed "the most awaited film of 2007" in France, where some critics said that she had reincarnated Édith Piaf to sing one last time on stage.
On February 10, 2008, Cotillard became the first French actress to be awarded the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role since Stéphane Audran in 1973. She is the first actress to win a Golden Globe for a foreign language performance since 1972, when Liv Ullmann won for The Emigrants. She is also the first person to win a (Comedy or Musical) Golden Globe for a foreign language performance.
On February 22, 2008, she was awarded the César Award for Best Actress for her role in La Vie en Rose, becoming the first woman and second person (after Adrien Brody, The Pianist) to win both a Cesar and an Oscar for the same performance. Cotillard is the second French cinema actress to win this award and the third overall to receive an Academy Award. She is the first Best Actress winner in a non-English language performance since Sophia Loren's win in 1961. She is also the first and so far only winner of an Academy Award for a performance in the French language. In her Oscar acceptance speech, Cotillard proclaimed "thank you life, thank you love" and, speaking of Los Angeles, said "it is true, there is some angels (sic) in this city!"
The day following the ceremony, Cotillard was congratulated and praised by the President of France Nicolas Sarkozy in a statement saying, "I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to Marion Cotillard, who has just received the Oscar for Best Actress for her masterful interpretation of Édith Piaf in La Vie en Rose, directed by Olivier Dahan. Half a century after Simone Signoret, a French artist has received the Best Actress award at the Oscars. It was a good omen that Catherine Allegret, Simone Signoret's daughter, herself had a role in La Vie en Rose. Marion Cotillard embodies an Édith Piaf who is unsettling in her realism, emotion and passion. Her interpretation brings to life the story of a woman who gave French chanson its acclaim and authenticity; a singer, too, who closely united France and America."[citation needed]
As La Vie En Rose was also a Czech production, as she mentioned in her César acceptance speech, on March 1, 2008, Cotillard won a Czech Lion Award for Best Actress. She could not attend the ceremony in Prague due to the filming of Public Enemies. Her friend Pavlína Němcová - who played the journalist in La vie en Rose - was there to accept the award on her behalf.
On June 24, 2008, Cotillard was one of 105 individuals invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Cotillard in July 2009
Cotillard starred alongside Johnny Depp in Public Enemies, released in the United States on July 1, 2009. Later that year, Cotillard appeared in the film adaptation of the musical Nine,[14] directed by Rob Marshall, and co-starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Penélope Cruz, Judi Dench, Nicole Kidman, Sophia Loren and Kate Hudson. On December 15, 2009, Cotillard was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress - Musical or Comedy for her performance in the film. The film was released on December 18, 2009
For her role in the musical Nine as Luisa Contini, Time magazine ranked her as the fifth best performance by a female in 2009.[15] She was ranked just behind Mo'Nique, Carey Mulligan, Saoirse Ronan and Meryl Streep. She was awarded the Desert Palm Achievement Actress Award at the 2010 Palm Springs International Film Festival for the role.
She appeared as the main antagonist "Mal Cobb" in Christopher Nolan's film Inception, alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Ellen Page, and released on July 16, 2010. She will co-star alongside Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Kate Winslet and Matt Damon in Steven Soderberg's thriller film Contagion.
She will also in appear in Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris alongside Rachel McAdams and Owen Wilson.
On March 15, 2010 Cotillard was made a Chevalier (Knight) of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of the Arts and Letters) by the French government for her "contribution to the enrichment of French culture"
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OOTD: No Casual Friday For Me

I thought I had a meeting today at work so I erred on the side of caution and abandoned casual Friday.

Here's what I wore:
Top- Costa Blanca
Skirt- BCBG MaxAzria
Tights- Target
Shoes- Jessica Simpson
Necklace- NYLightMetals
Bag- Tory Burch Reva Clutch


Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!

xoxo,

Veronika.

All-Time Favorite Nail Polishes (Requested)

It's taken me awhile to get this post together but I've finally done it!  Thanks to everyone who requested this one---I know it's been a long time comin'!

My H went out with his friend tonight so I decided to break out my camera and take pictures of....drum roll..........

My absolute favorite nail polishes!  I divided them into color categories so that it's a little easier to follow.

Let's start with soft pinks and whites:

From L-R:  Minimalistic; Fiji, Bubble Bath; Otherwise Engaged; Alpine Snow & Funny Bunny. One color note pictured is OPI's "Sweet Heart." Looks like I need a new bottle! It's one of my absolutely faves---I even wore it on my wedding day.

Next up, my top picks for dark shades:

From L-R:  Lincoln Park After Dark; Sapphire in the Snow; We'll Always Have Paris; Midnight in Moscow & Wicked.

Hot pink shades are hard to come by, but these take the cake!:

Pink Parka & I'm India Mood For Love
As for non-traditional shades, these top my list:

From L-R: Lucky Luck Lavender; Splash of Grenadine; Lilacism; Mint Candy Apple

.......and finally, if you're in the mood for a little sparkle:

Only Gold for Me

Wondering how I store it all?  This Target container does the job:


What are your favorite shades? Comment below and let me know!

xoxo,

Veronika.