One-der-land

Today was weigh in day at Weight Watchers and I am happy to say that I have reached my goal for the month of October. I am now 198.6 pounds, that is 11.6 pounds lost in 6 weeks.

I am so happy and excited. I am no longer in the 200 pound range and I can safely say I will never see that number again. I am still not doing well in the working out department. But I am trying to incorporate it into my day. Like, last weekend we were stuck in traffic and instead of staying in the car, I got out of the car and walked the 3 miles to our destination. While doing building inspections at my job, instead of taking the elevator I took the stairs. I walked up and down 26 flights of stairs! What I noticed and was most amazed about is that I was not out of breath! By the end of it I was exhausted, but I was able to do it with out a problem.

Tomorrow is November and since I reached my goal in October it is time to set my new monthly goal. By November 28th (last weigh in date before December) I want to have reached 194 pounds. I think that a pound a week is very doable and healthy weight loss. My other goal is to at least work out 3 times a week.

I also have a recipe for you guys this weekend.

Veggie Soup Mac and Cheese
1/6 of casserole = 6 points.

1 1/2 Tablespoon Butter
2 Tablespoon Flour
2 Cups Progresso light low sodium vegetable soup- Pureed
8 oz whole wheat pasta cooked
8 oz part skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese- grated
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 Tablespoons of bread crumbs

- Preheat oven at 375
- Grease 8x8 Casserole dish.
- Melt butter in sauce pan. Add flour, stir and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add pureed soup. heat to thick and bubbly
- Add cheese, mustard and pasta. Stir
- Pour into casserole dish.
- Top with bread crumbs
- Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Last but not least, ENJOY!

Happy Halloween!

Ciao! xoxo
~Dissolved Girl

I spy with My Shoe Eye: Fendi-Jardin Platform Pump

Yesterday while I was organizing my shoes, I realized that I do not have a pair of brown shoes. I was a bit surprised because you would think that is a color I would have. The thing is I have not been very successful at finding a pair of reasonably priced brown shoes that I did not find boring.

I would like to change that. So I started looking and of course I start to drool over this shoe:

Fendi-Jardin Platform Pump

Of course at $775 a pair, this girl will not be getting them. I only hope that I find a pair just at drool worthy at a friendlier price.

Ciao! xoxo
~Dissolved Girl

Nail of the Week: La Paz

Nail Polish Brand: O.P.I
Color: La Paz-itively Hot (2 Coats) on nail tips; La Paz-itively Hot Matte on nail bed

Line: Art Deco in Black

Top Coat only on nail tip: Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

It is fall and I am still wearing the bright summer colors. The funny thing is that I prefer dark nail polish but for some reason when I sit to do my nails I keep reaching for the brightest nail polish in my stash.

Ciao! xoxo

~Dissolved Girl

Weight Watchers Week 4

Technically I am on week 5 of Weight Watchers but I do not count the first week since that was the week I signed up. I start counting from my first Weight in. My first weigh in was on 9/26/09, four Saturday's ago, you can go here to read about it.

As I stated back then once a month I will post my stats, updated weight and an updated picture. So here we go:

(Click on picture to see it bigger)

I gained 0.2 pounds this week. I am not upset over it. That is what will happen when you drink a 12 oz cup of hot chocolate every morning. I bet you are thinking how could that be just from drinking that? Well, this is no ordinary hot chocolate. This is 12 oz of whole milk and melted rich milk chocolate. Yes, it is heaven, yummy and killer for anyone trying to lose weight. So I am officially cutting that out of as my morning indulgement.

Lastly here is my progress picture:

Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell, Dress and Belt: NY and Company, Top: H&M, Necklace: My Perfect Accessory

This is what I wore on Thursday. I am now wearing a size 14, down from a size 16. I had to cut out my head because it was at the end of the day and I looked like hell, so does my dress. I promise it was wrinkle free at the beginning of the day.

Now here is to hoping that I lose 2.2 pounds by the 31st of this month to make the 5% goal for the month.

Ciao! xoxo
~Dissolved Girl

I Spy with My Shoe Eye: Jeffrey Campbell

I want these Jeffrey Campbell boots:

Jeffrey Campbell A-Plus - Black

They are very a la Rodarte Fall 2009 boots, which I adore:


So my birthday is 3 months away and Christmas only 2 months away, so if anyone is feeling generous I will take them in a size 8 1/2. I promise, I have been good this year. Thank you!

Ciao! xoxo
~ Dissolved Girl

Hump Day Video: =3

I have not done one of these in a while. I found this dude a few days ago and found him entertaining, so I thought I share with you all.



Ciao! xoxo
~Dissolved Girl

A little bit of love for my hats

As we were cleaning this weekend I was putting my summer hats away and taking out my winter hats, I decided to snap a quick picture of them. They really do not get a lot of mention here on the blog but I really love my hats. If I had the space I would own more.

Summer Hats:


Winter Hats: The brown newsboy hat used to belong to my grandfather. I love that hat so much.


Dress up hats: The one on the left I wore here.


Fedoras:


Everyday hats:


What is your take on hats? Do you like them? Or do you wear them out of necessity or not at all?

Ciao! xoxo

~Dissolved Girl

2009 Sephora Friends and Family

Run do not walk to http://www.sephora.com and start a shopping. Use code FF2009 to get 20% off on just about everything. Also, do not forget, spend 50 bucks and you get free shipping.

So if there is something you need or wanted to try, take advantage of the discount.

What are you getting?

Happy Shopping!

Ciao! xoxo

~Dissolved Girl

PS: Discount is for the US only.

Weight Watchers, Giveaways, and other Ramblings

Happy Monday!

We finally woke up this morning to sun shine after a weekend of rain and cloudy skies. We were supposed to head to Rennfest again this weekend and celebrate my friends wedding anniversary there. But the rain kept us indoors. So we ended up being couch potatoes on Saturday and on Sunday we spent our day cleaning.

On Saturday morning I went to Weight Watchers to weigh in and I lost one pound. I am only 2 pounds away from reaching my goal for the month of October and loosing 5% of my weight.

One of the many things I love about Fall and even Winter is the comfort foods. From Stews, to baked goods and everything else in between it is a foodies paradise. But with my obsession of becoming healthier and loosing weight, I have been looking to healthier options to satisfy the foodie in me. Which led me to purchasing Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook. From past experience using WW cookbooks, their recipes are great.

Speaking of recipes, at the WW meeting one of the group members shared a recipe with the rest of us. It is a 2 point per serving Pumpkin Mousse.

Pumpkin Mousse:
1 15oz Can Pumpkin
1 8oz Tub "Free" Cool Whip
1 1oz Sugar free/Fat free Butterscotch Pudding
1/2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/4 tsp/ Ground Ginger
1/8 tsp. Ground Cloves

Mix dry ingredients first. Then whip all ingredients together. Divide into dessert cups and chill at least 1 hour.
Optional: Top with Honey Bunches of Oats or Fat Free Reddi Whip.

Makes 6 servings at 2 points each serving.

I have not tried this yet. We went to the grocery store last night and they did not have any pumpkin on hand. But I will hopefully be making this next weekend. That is if they have any pumpkin in stock.

I did not get to post last night, all I was able to do was send a quick message to the winner of my giveaway. The winner of my first giveaway was Meandering Mel. I will be shipping out the package tomorrow, so look out for it in a few days.

As if this post is not long enough, the last thing I want to say is.......

If you have not seen Where The Wild Things Are. YOU NEED TO GO SEE IT!! Mr.P and I went to the IMAX theater near our place and saw it on Friday. It is such a cute and good movie.


How was your weekend?

Ciao!! xoxo
~Dissolved Girl

Halloween 2009

This year for Halloween Mr. P and I will be partying with Cypress Hill at the 9:30 Club.


I am super excited and cannot wait. They will also have a costume contest, the first prize winner will get free tickets to all the shows 9:30 will hold for the rest of the year. That means when I win (yes, I will win. My costume is that awesome.), I will be able to see Blue October again, even catch Devo and relive the 80's if I so wish.

Here is a piece of the costume I will be wearing this year:


This is a handmade leather mask that I fell in love with and decided that I needed my costume to revolve around it.

I will reveal the rest on Halloween.

What will you be doing for Halloween?

Ciao! xoxo
~Dissolved Girl

I spy with My Shoe Eye: Miu Miu Spring 2010 - A Love Letter

Dear Miu Miu,

I love your Spring 2010 shoes. They make my heart sing, my stomach tingle and a rush run through my body. We must be kindred spirits because I can totally see myself wearing them, you have done no wrong in the design of these shoes.





I will save all my penny's to get me one. I will have one.

I love you, xoxo

Dissolved Girl

PS: Miuccia, you did so well with the shoes for Miu Miu. What happened to the shoes for Prada? That Velcro on the shoes looks like a nasty band aid. Not very attractive. I still want the Spat boots from SS/08, if you send me a pair in a size 9 I will forgive you for that slip and give you my first born. If you do not want my first born we can negotiate on other terms of payment that is not monetary. Thank you! :-)

Outfit of The Day: Feeling Green

Now that I am loosing weight, I am slowly but surely starting to fit into my clothes. With todays outfit I am kissing away extra large sized clothes and welcoming, temporarily, large sized clothes.





Jacket: Torrid
Top, Belt, Purse and Sun Glasses: New York and Company
Skirt: Old Navy
Tights: Target
Shoes: Enzo Angiolini

Ciao! xoxo
~Dissolved Girl

2009 Maryland Renaissance Festival

I went to the Renaissance Festival on Sunday and had a blast. Here are some pictures that I took:

I had to take a picture of these guys, look at the dude with the fur pants, they are awesome!


I was not able to take a picture of the King and Queen. But I think this ladies dress was so much more regal then what the queen was wearing.


This chic was awesome. Of course I was jealous of her flexibility.


Lots of cute dogs.


I wanted to take this one home with me. He was so soft and fluffy.


Mimes on stilts. :-)


This was so funny, the guy in the black threw himself on the floor next to the "drunk old guy" and they proceeded to whisper sweet nothings to each other. hahahaha....


One of the Knights. I missed the Jousting when we went on Sunday but I will be back this Saturday and will catch it then.


This was a comedic rendition of Shakespeare's Othello. These guys were hysterical. In this picture, Othello was freaking out because he found out that Desdemona's blonde hair was really a wig. LOL


These are the Forest people that come around and bless all the businesses and people. They only come out once a year. I love their costumes and makeup, unfortunately you cannot really see it in my picture.


If you are ever in Maryland when RennFest is going on, I highly recommend you visit. It is the 2nd largest Renaissance Fair in the country and it is insanely fun.

Ciao! xoxo
~Dissolved Girl

FTC Blogger Regulations

On 10/5/09 the FTC released regulations that affect bloggers when it comes to advertisements, endorsements, and reviews.

I know there are a lot of bloggers that get paid to advertise or review products. If any of you do any of the above please familiarize yourself with the new regulations as to avoid any problems in the future.

For those interested here is the link.

Hope this helps those that do sponsored reviews or advertisements.


Ciao! xoxo
~ Dissolved Girl

My 200+ Post and Giveaway

It all started 21 months ago with a rant. I did not know then what I was going to turn my blog into. I have so many interests, I was not sure if I wanted to talk about just one thing or talk about everything.

I knew that if I just kept it about one topic I would lose interest. There is only so much beauty/fashion you can talk about before you start to sound like every other beauty/fashion blog. Do not get me wrong, I love all those beauty/fashion blogs and it is safe to say I follow almost all of them. But I know me, I have different voices, the louder one being about shoes. So I ended up deciding I would blog about whatever came to mind.

I did not do the one year anniversary because quite frankly I think I only had one or two readers tops. Who was I going to celebrate with? I did not do a 100 post because eh, I did not feel like it. But this is my 223th post. It is a milestone of sorts for me. I have 25 followers that may or may not read my posts but thank you for being there.

I have insane amount of fun doing this and sharing with whoever may be reading what interests me and what is going on in my corner of the world. This is my diary, my baby and I hope to continue for a long time even if all I have is 25 readers.

Now with all that said, what would you like to see more of? or what would you not like to see? I love feedback, negative or positive, bring it on. Just do not be rude about it.

Lastly, I want to thank you all for following me during my rants, raves, and everything in between. It has been fun and I look forward to continuing on this adventure.

Now on to the fun stuff. I am doing my first giveaway and it is open to everyone. The rules are:

1) You have to be a follower of my blog
2) You must comment on this post with your email address

That is it!

The winner will get:

1) Body Nature: Shower Gel
2) Body Nature: Bath Soak
3) Body Nature: Body Souffle
4) China Glaze: Blue Sparrow
5) OPI Matte: You Don't Know Jacques
6) Black Box: Mystery Gift

The giveaway closes on Saturday, October 17th and I will announce the winner using one of those random number generators on Sunday, October 18th.

Ciao! xoxo
~Dissolved Girl

Nail of the Week: Swizzle Stix

Nail Polish Brand: Shades by Barielle
Color: Swizzle Stix (2 Coats)

Base: Orly Bonder
Top Coat: Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

I know this color is more of a color for Spring. But I was really in the mood to wear a nice baby blue. I also wanted to try out one of the Konad plates that I have. For my first time using Konad I did not do too bad.

What do you think?

Ciao! xoxo

~Dissolved Girl

PS: Tomorrow there will be a post about my first giveaway so make sure to stop by my blog tomorrow.

Louis Vuitton Spring 2010

Today I was looking through the pictures from the fashion shows and my eyes fell on to this from the Louis Vuitton show:





All I could do is shake my head and say WTF?

Ciao! xoxo

~Dissolved Girl

PS: The Fashion was also a disaster.

Week Three: Weight Watchers

I am happy to announce that this morning at weigh-in I found out I lost 1.8 pounds putting me at 202.2 pounds. That means I have lost a total combined weight of 8 pounds since I started Weight Watchers 3 weeks ago. If you remember my post from last week, I said that I wanted to be at 199.2 by the end of October. Well, I am 3 pounds away from reaching my goal for the month and I could not be happier.

After the Weight Watchers meeting Mr. P and I headed to Bethesda, MD and visited Cacao. Yes, I know. I should not have been visiting a chocolate/pastry store if I am trying to lose weight. But for the last month I have been really craving a delicious French Macaroon. I have not eaten one since I was in Paris many moons ago.

After a nice breakfast at a French Cafe, we headed home to enjoy our tasty treats with a cup of tea.




Boy was it tasty. :-)

Ciao! xoxo
~Dissolved Girl

2009 Nobel Peace Prize

I really do not like to speak about this kind of stuff on my blog. But, I feel strongly about this so I am going to make an exception. So please bear with me while I get this off my chest.

I will start by saying that I have nothing against President Obama, well actually, no, never mind this post is not about that. This is about Obama being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

How is it possible that Obama has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize? It makes no sense. I mean think about it.

The President took office on January 20, 2009. The Nobel nominations closed on February 1, 2009.

What did the President do in 10 days of office to warrant him being awarded the Nobel?

Per the Nobel website Obama was awarded the prize "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples"

Really? In 10 days? Was there no one else available for that category?

I am not saying that the President does not want to strengthen international diplomacy or is not striving for it. But to give him an award for something that has just been promised in speeches is ridiculous.

When Alfred Nobel left in his will, his wish to honor men and women of the world for their efforts and contributions towards peace. I am sure he did not mean for the award to go to those that just talk about it in their speeches with hopes in becoming President.

It is possible that Obama will eventually deserve this recognition but it is too soon. The man has been in office for less then 9 months.

But I digress. The Nobel Foundation long ago lost my respect. When over the years they have passed awards to people like Henry Kissinger, Yasser Arafat, and they omit to award people like Dorothy Day and Gandhi who in my humble opinion deserve that recognition a lot more then the 44th President of the United States.

I would love to know, what are your thoughts?

Ciao! xoxo
~ Dissolved Girl

They Fit!

This morning has been very exciting for me. While I was standing in my closet thinking about what I was going to wear, I look down at my closet floor and I see my red patent leather shoes that I have not worn in a year because they did not fit.

I did not want to torture myself but I was curious to see if I could get my foot inside. So I tried, my foot slid in. THEY FIT!

So of course as soon as I calmed myself down enough to think straight I decided that I had to wear them today. Now to pick what to wear. That is always a problem because you see, 95% of my clothes do not fit. Most of my clothes are size 14 - 8. I am currently a size 16. But I did not want to wear any of my size 16 clothes with my beautiful shoes.

What is a girl to do?

My eyes locked on to a royal blue pencil skirt that is a size 14. It has been about 10 months or more since I wore it. Should I? I mean, my shoes fit, maybe the skirt will. The size 16 pants I wore yesterday I used to be able to wear without a belt but yesterday I had to wear a belt because they were really loose.

I decided to try it on. It won't be so bad if it does not fit, I am too happy that my shoes fit to get upset over that.

I took the skirt and it slid easily up my legs. Now the true test is if the zipper goes up. So I headed on over to Mr. P and asked him to zip me up.

It also fit. Of course, he had zipped it up and I did not even realize he did it because he did not have to struggle. It was an easy zip up.

Today I am looking like my old self and people are noticing. One of my co-workers even commented on how great I am looking.

It is making me feel more motivated and excited about my weight loss journey. I wanted to take a picture this morning but I ran out of time. :-(

Ciao! xoxo
~Dissolved Girl

I Spy with My Shoe Eye: Alien Footwear

Have you been keeping track of the fashion shows? You know I have, I just decided not to blog about them this time around. BUT, exceptions can always be made. Especially when you see something so awesome that even though everyone and their grandmother is talking about it you also have to put your two cents in.

Behold the shoes of Alexander McQueen's Spring 2010 RTW:






You all know how much I love me some McQueen. The guy is simply a genius. While everyone is playing it safe or redoing something that has already been done. McQueen is practically reenacting the movie Alien into his design.

My only question is how long did the models practice walking in those shoes?

Ciao! xoxo
~Dissolved Girl

*Photos Credit: Style

5 pounds of Sugar and then some

That is how much I have lost in weight so far. Have you ever lifted a 5 pound bag of sugar? It may not seem like a lot of weight but next time you go grocery shopping swing by the baking aisle and lift a 5 pound bag of Domino sugar, then add 1 pound to that and that is how much I have lost.

I did well this week in tracking my points and drinking my water. I could have done better in the working out department but at least I got some in. My goal this week is to at least work out 5 out of the 7 days. Should not be too hard since I worked out 4 days this past week. I will also start to use the stairs instead of the elevator whenever possible.

My goal for the month of October is to reach my 5% weight loss goal. That will put my weight at 199.2 pounds, which means I will have to lose 1.2 pounds a week. That is very doable if I continue going the way that I am.

In today’s Weight Watchers meeting we talked about habits and emotional eating. That got me to thinking about how I treat food. I know for a fact that I am an emotional eater. If I am happy, I celebrate by eating, if I am sad, I eat and if I am depressed, I binge. Last time I was on WW all my milestones I celebrated by eating. This time around I am not going to do that because I am doing no one but myself harm.

I need to stop using food as my cure all and be all in my life. Having food at such a high pedestal will only keep me at an unhealthy weight. I know it is not going to be easy, I do not have any delusions about that. I have to recondition a 30-year habit. But this old dog will learn a new trick or two. :-)

Have a great weekend!

Ciao! xoxo
~Dissolved Girl

Shoes Dancing Across my Eyes

I just realized that all my posts this week are all about shoes. I hope you all do not mind but I think I will continue the theme today.



I love these Giuseppe Zanotti boots that I saw at Zappos. But like 99% of the shoes I like they are expensive. That is If you consider $1,079.00 expensive. :-)


Ciao! xoxo
~Dissolved Girl

I Spy with my Shoe Eye: United Nude Shoes

United Nude makes some very fun and very cute shoes. There is no exception with the "Mobius" boots above. They are stylish, interesting heel and perfect for the fall. If only I could wear them, but I have been cursed with the calves from hell and most of my boots have to be custom made if I want them to fit.

What do you think?

Ciao! xoxo
~Dissolved Girl