Total Body 10-Minute Workouts

Hello out there!  I’m super excited to have a free moment and finally make a new blog post!  It’s been awhile – I hope all of you had a terrific holiday, New Years and a great start to 2015 thus far.  Like most people, one of my goals in the new year is to be healthier.  So far, I’ve been trying to make better food choices, cut back on sugar and alcohol, and be more active.

One struggle I’ve had in the past is trying to fit a workout into a busy schedule.  I’m sure many of you can relate with that!  I started seeing a lot of articles with research showing it’s not necessarily the length of time, but the intensity of a workout that’s beneficial.  That’s when I started to hunt for high intensity, 10-minute workouts.  While I try to exercise a little longer than that (when I have the time), if I can at least get in a 10-minute workout, I feel much better at the end of the day.

I’ve been waiting to make this post until I felt like I found the perfect videos to share with you all.  I’m so happy the day is finally here!  So, without further ado…

Victoria's Secret Model 10-Minute Workout

This is the very first video I found, and it’s still my favorite!  I love that it’s a full body workout, and how high the intensity level is.

When I first started, I couldn’t even finish the routine all the way through without pausing several times!  I can do the whole workout now, but I’m still out of breath by the end of it.

10-Minute Tush-Toning Pilates WorkoutThis butt workout is killer!  My legs burn and shake throughout, and I’m still working on being able to do the whole routine without pausing!

I like how many different parts of the butt and thigh area are targeted.  I especially love the moves that focus on the hip flexors!  For just 10-minutes out of my day, I really feel like my butt and inner thighs are getting an awesome workout!  

Barre3 Arms and Leg WorkoutNot only does this video work out your arms and legs, but you’ll also get your heart rate up and a full body workout!

This video is great for adding some strength training into your routine.  I have to put my weights down from time-to-time, but it’s fun to know I have something to work up to!  I love the barre3 techniques used in this workout.  There’s a focus on keeping your spine upright, and evening out your lower body by working your glutes more than your quads.

Tone Abs Without Crunches in 5 MinutesI have yet to find a 10-minute, high intensity ab workout that doesn’t hurt my back.  If anyone has a favorite ab workout, please share in the comments section below!

Although this video is only 5 minutes, you can definitely tell how each move is working to define your abs.  I really love how this routine is standing and crunchless, and it’s short enough to add at the end of any workout.  Once you get the hang of all the moves, you could also do more reps to make the workout last longer!

You’ll notice that all of these videos are from Popsugar Fitness.  Out of all the videos I’ve tried, I always go back to Popsugar.  I’ve found that their instructors are the most personable and very encouraging.  They’re also really great about explaining proper form, and what areas each move is targeting.  And while each video has a specific target area, they all work out your entire body, so you really feel like you’re getting a great workout in only 10 minutes!

These 10-minute workouts have helped me sneak exercise into my busy schedule, and I hope they will help you as well!  They are great on their own, but also fun to combine when you have the extra time.  I hope you all continue to have a wonderful year and achieve your goals, whatever they may be!


Beard Hat Pattern Christmas Knitting Kit

Hello, faithful readers!  How’s everyone’s Christmas shopping going?  I still have quite a bit left to do and not a whole lot of time to do it!  If you’re like me, I’m always looking for new easy and inexpensive ideas.  If holiday shopping and DIY gift-making is your plan this week, I’ve got a special treat for you today!

DIY Knit Beard Hat PatternI’m sure many of you remember the DIY Beard Hat Pattern I shared earlier this year.  I made this beard hat for Daniel as a Christmas gift last year.  He loved it so much, I wanted to share it with all of you, since I know I had a hard time finding the perfect pattern.  I had no idea so many of you would love it too!

Knitting a beard hat for someone is a great DIY Christmas gift on its own, but if you know someone that wants to learn to knit, there’s an even better way to present this gift.  A knitting kit!

I had a very sweet and talented reader contact me with this great idea.  She’s a graphic designer from Spain, and she created a wonderful printed tutorial based on my beard hat pattern.  She originally created it for her sister-in-law to include in a knitting kit for her, but she generously wants to share it with all of you as well!

You can download the Beard Hat Pattern tutorial here, and then simply print out the guide on standard letter sized paper.  You’ll notice there are small black lines on each corner.  Those are just guide lines for cutting each side, as the graphic is smaller than the paper.

She also included this handy guide on how to fold the printed tutorial.

Knit Beard Printed Tutorial How To Fold

Here’s how I followed the guide:

  1. With the blank side of the paper facing up, and the Knit Beard Pattern cover closest to me.  Fold the cover side up.  You will now have steps 7-16 facing up and upside down.  This is Step 2 on the graphic.
  2. Fold over the right side of the tutorial, you will now have steps 3-6 facing up (upside down).  This is Step 3 on the graphic.  This is just to create a crease, so then you will unfold the right side of the tutorial.
  3. I then flipped the tutorial over, so steps 1-6 were facing up.  Then following Step 4 on the graphic, I folded both the left side and right side of the tutorial to the crease I just made.  You will now see the Knit Beard Pattern cover and steps 7-10 facing up.
  4. I then folded the right side of the tutorial back (steps 7-10).  You should now be left with a little accordion booklet, with the cover facing up at you.  You can flip through to make sure all the steps are in order.

Knit Beard Pattern Knit Kit TutorialHere’s the finished Beard Hat Pattern printed tutorial!  Super cute, right?

This is such a great idea to include with a knitting kit, and a really easy, fast and inexpensive DIY Christmas gift!

If you’re not sure what to include in a knitting kit, you could always buy a pre-made kit.  This is actually the one I got as a kid, and how I taught myself to knit.  I still use a lot of the tools that came with it!

Here are a few more options for those that like to comparative shop:  Red Heart Knitting Made Easy Kit and the Learn Knitting! Kit.

I want to say a BIG thank you to Laia for her awesome idea for a printed tutorial and knitting kit.  And especially for being so kind and sharing her wonderful tutorial.  Be sure to head over to her website and check out more of her work!


Chocolate and Salted Caramel Whiskey Cake Recipe

Heellllooo out there!  Long time no see!  I’m so excited that I finally have the chance to create a brand new post for all of you.  This one is a pretty sweet one… literally!

When Daniel’s birthday comes around, I always love to bake him a delicious and unique treat.  In the past I’ve made him cheesecake, as that’s one of his favorite desserts.  This year, however, I was very inspired by all the boozy cupcake recipes I had been seeing on Pinterest.  After hinting a little at some possible ideas, Daniel told me he’d rather have a cake over cupcakes.  So I looked at various recipes for some ideas, and eventually created this Chocolate and Salted Caramel Whiskey Cake recipe!  Then I found a Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting to top it with.  Excited?  Check it out!

Ingredients for Chocolate and Salted Caramel Whiskey Cake

The Cake – Here’s what you need:

  • 1 box of chocolate cake mix
  • 2 TBSP of whiskey
  • 1 tsp of vanilla extract
  • Milk
  • Butter
  • Eggs
  • 1 jar of salted caramel sauce

Ok, I know some people believe using a cake mix is blasphemous, but I was running on limited time and needed that little bit of extra help (did I mention I was also making Daniel a birthday dinner?).  I obviously wanted to serve a delicious cake, so I looked up some tips on how to make cake mix taste homemade.

Here’s what you do:

Follow the directions for the cake mix, BUT replace water with milk and vegetable oil with softened butter.  Also, add in one extra egg than the cake mix calls for.  Also add 1 tsp of vanilla extract and 2 TBSP of whiskey.  Mix until combined.

Divide batter into two, lightly oiled 8-inch or 9-inch round cake pans.  Swirl about 1 TBSP of salted caramel sauce into each pan.

Salted Caramel Drizzle in Cake Batter

Bake as directed, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Allow cakes to cool completely on cooling racks.

Finished Cake Layers

While your cakes are cooling you can make the Salted Caramel Frosting!  I followed this recipe, except I doubled it so I would have enough to frost a two-layer cake and add decorative piping.

Ingredients for Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting

The Frosting – Here’s what you need:

  • 2 cups of butter (room temperature)
  • 2/3 cup salted caramel sauce
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 cups of powdered sugar
  • 2 pinches of salt

Here’s what you do:

  1. In a large bowl, beat butter for 1 minute with an electric mixer.
  2. Add salted caramel and vanilla extract, beat for 2 minutes, occasionally scraping the sides of your bowl.
  3. On a low speed, beat in powdered sugar and salt until incorporated.
  4. Increase speed and beat for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until frosting is creamy and well-combined.

If you prefer desserts that aren’t too sweet, you will probably want to find a different frosting, as this one is pretty sugary!

Once your cakes have cooled, use a serrated knife to slice off the rounded top layer of each cake, making cakes flat on both sides.

Spread Buttercream Frosting Between Both Cake Layers

Spread about a 1/4-1/2 in. layer of frosting on one cake and top with the other.  Then all that’s left is to frost the whole cake and add some decorative piping.  I also drizzled more salted caramel sauce on top and sprinkled a little coarse salt for garnish.  Take a look at the finished cake below!

Chocolate and Salted Caramel Whiskey Cake

Chocolate and Salted Caramel Whiskey Cake with Salted Caramel Frosting

Chocolate and Salted Caramel Whiskey Birthday Cake

Daniel with his Chocolate and Salted Caramel Whiskey Birthday Cake

I’m happy to say Daniel loved the cake (can you tell?), as did I!  I hope all of you will enjoy it as well!

Note:  The whiskey flavor is subtle.  If you want more pronounced flavor, I suggest sprinkling whiskey on the cakes as soon as they come out of the oven, allowing the cakes to absorb the liquid while they cool.

As always, let me know in the comments section if you make the cake and how it turns out!  Can’t wait to hear from you.  Happy Eating!

Bonus!  You all know how I love to share gift wrapping that I’ve done.  For Daniel’s birthday I decided to focus on a modern color scheme – check it out!

Blue and Green Color Scheme Gift Wrapping

[The “To My Human” card is from our cat!]

Beatles Birthday Gift Wrapping

Blue and Green Gift Wrapping Close Up

Close Up of Blue and Green Gift Wrapping


DIY Blackhead Remover Recipe Popular on Pinterest

Ok, so today I’m going to share something a little embarrassing for me… some close up, no makeup, photos of my blackheads.  Plus, my pores and red blotchiness!  But hopefully it will be for the benefit of all of you!  I’m sure many of you have seen this DIY blackhead remover photo circulating around Pinterest lately…

DIY Blackhead Remover Original Before and After Picture

Clearly, this before and after shot is showing some pretty amazing results.  I was a little skeptical, but also secretly hoping these results were true.  I decided, what the heck, I have all the ingredients, and I would LOVE to get rid of my blackheads.  So I decided to test this DIY out – check out my results below!

Here’s what you need:

  • 1 Lemon
  • Baking soda

Here’s what you do:

  1. Mix about a tablespoon of baking soda with enough lemon juice to make a thick paste.  Adding more lemon juice or baking soda until you reach desired consistency.
  2. Gently massage the mixture into blackhead prone areas.
  3. Leave on for up to 20 minutes (I did it for 10 minutes), and then gently rinse with luke warm water.

Here’s my before shot…

DIY Blackhead Remover Before Picture

And my after shot…

DIY Blackhead Remover After Picture

As you can see, not really the kind of results pictured in the original photo.  Although, I can see a little improvement, even with some of my redness.  So perhaps if this DIY blackhead remover is used several times, it may prove to be effective in eliminating blackheads.  I’ll continue testing out this DIY for a few weeks and let you all know if I have improved results.

Do you have any tried and true DIY’s for removing blackheads?  If so, please share in the comments section!  I’d love to try them out!


Learning to Highlight and Contour Part 2

Hey guys, so I know it’s been forever since I posted my first Highlight and Contour results, BUT I have been continuing to add highlighting and contouring into my makeup routine.  I’ve also continued taking pictures, so when I finally kicked my butt to make another post I’d already have the photos ready to go!

I’m still mostly following the techniques I’ve learned from Maskcara, but in this second round of photos I’ve also implemented a blush technique I learned while watching videos by The Makeup Chair.  Basically the technique is to apply blush straight out toward your ear, instead of following the natural curve of your cheekbone.  This will help anyone who has a long face.  What do you think, can you notice a difference between my before and afters?

[Sorry for the bad lighting in these photos!  I still haven’t been able to find the best lighting to take makeup photos in my new apartment.  Hopefully I’ll be able to create better lighting next time!]

In this photo, I’m not only showing a before and after of HAC, but also a before and after of filling in my eyebrows.

Highlight and Contouring Before and After

Not sure if I notice much of a difference in the set above, but I think my face definitely looks a bit more wide than long in the set below.

Before and after of Highlight and Contouring

In this next set, I see a general difference in bone structure between the before and after shot (even though I’m completely washed out).  My features are definitely more defined and my face looks thinner.

Highlight and Contouring Techniques Before and After

I’m still deciding whether or not HAC makes much of a difference in the long run.  I can’t seem to exclude it from my makeup routine anymore, but I’m not entirely sure if it’s worth the extra time.  There is a fine line of:  if you don’t do enough, there isn’t a noticeable difference.  Yet if you want a big difference, you can easily do way too much and look like a clown.  I guess we’ll see as time goes on and I continue to become better at this technique!  I will also be trying to experiment with different products more in the future.

I’m still using the highlight and contour products I mentioned in my original post, which are the L’Oreal Paris True Match Foundation Powder in Deep Cool and Maybelline New York Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer in Nude.  While they still work pretty well, I am on the lookout for a better bronzer for my complexion, and a concealer with better coverage (but still inexpensive).  If any of you have any suggestions, please leave them in the comments section below!

Bonus!  I’m including this photo because I managed to capture the eye shadow pretty darn well.  So I wanted to share this awesome 60-second smokey eye by Maskcara, which is seen in the photo below!  It’s become my go-to whenever I want to do something extra with my eyes, but don’t want to spend too much time on them.  The only difference is that I used the Sephora Collection Pro Lesson Palette for Brown Eyes.

60 Second Smokey Eye

In case you’re interested, here’s a list of some of the other makeup products I used in these photos: