Woo Hoo! I can’t believe it I have lost 3 1/2 pounds this week.
Hand on heart even though I was good on my weekdays after a heavy weekend with drink & yummy food at Cian’s Bar Mitzvah I didn’t hold out much hope when I stepped on the scales. I nearly jumped for joy, oh wait now, I kinda did
I stuck to my point allowance religiously bar Sat & Sun . I got a number of walks in with different friends, thank you Ciara, Kathryn and Shauna for your support and Brian who sat down with me on Monday & planned our meals of the week before going to Tesco to get supplies.
I did make the WW Spag Bol last week and it was delicious, not sure about the celery, might try without it next time. Tomorrow we are planning to do the Pasta Arrabbiata so I will let you know how it turns out next week.
Going to vary my exercise this week, swimming tonight & aquafit tomorrow should help and of course I’ll be walking Muffin too.
How is everyone else doing?
I am only 1 pound away from my first “silver 7″ so I am focusing on this for the coming week to keep me motivated & to bring my total weight loss to 1/2 a stone!
I’ve never been the skinniest girl out of all my friends and I’m okay with that. I like my curves… however over the last few years I have moved from a size 14 & an occasional 16 to a prominent 16 - 18.
I <3 my food & I don’t want this to change but after finding some photos of me age 17 & 18 and seeing my figure it has prompted me to look after myself & aim to be back in a size 14. I will never be an 8-10, it wouldn’t suit me and it’s not in my genes (thanks Mummy & Daddy K!).
I’ve tried numerous diets before Aitken’s, a crazy diet for my 21st to get to a size 12 (I did it, but piled the weight back on fairly rapidly) so there was only one place to go in my eyes.
On Wednesday, I joined Weight Watchers. I found a class that is 5 mins walk (yes, I said walk & not drive!) from the office in Sandyford, I have even managed one of the other girls in the office to join with me, we motivating each other & walking at lunchtime now too Our leader seems very nice, firm but fair I’d say but let’s see when I stand on the scales on Weds! Haha.
Before with a previous partner I was told I was too fat & to watch what I eat. I’ll never forget being on my way to meet my friend for dinner and I got a text which read, enjoy but eat something good for you.
In my current relationship, Brian loves me for who I am. He has never said anything about my weight but having approached him about my longing to loose a stone or two he has been 100% supportive. He is happy to help me in any way he can & even sat down to read my little folder of information yesterday. I know that with his support & my family & friends I can really do this.
I started on Wednesday morning before my weight in at lunchtime, Day 1 was easier than Day 2. I am finding the daily water intake (1.5 - 2 litres) easier than I thought but if your looking for me I’m probably in the loo! I believe this will settle down in a few days when my body gets used to it.
This evening, I was bit upset, I only had 7 points left after work & I knew it was going to be tough, I made beef taco but used Weight Watchers wraps for 1.5 points each & I made a point free salsa with tomatoes, chilli, limes & coriander & had a rocket & yellow pepper side salad. But my error was not checking the points of the mince before I started, 140g of uncooked mince meat is 7 points on its own. Oh well, I didn’t know… but I will for next time.
I was debating sharing this on my blog but I came to the conclusion that I would (obviously), I decided that if I do a weekly weight management post it will be even more motivation for me to be good.
I hope you guys get something out of these type of posts & if you are or have been on WW before and have any tips, receipes please, please share them.
Watch this space for Weight In - Week 1 after Wednesday lunchtime!
For those of you that don’t follow me on Twitter you won’t know but it was my boyfriend Brian’s 25th birthday on Friday. We had a fantastic BBQ on Saturday to celebrate.
I had to show you guys the cake I got made for him.
It is a MacBook Pro cake with figures of myself, Brian and our dog Muffin!
MacBook Pro Cake
I was so delighted with how it turned out. Geraldine from cakemyday.ie was so helpful & a pleasure to deal with. Not only did the cake look amazing, it was the best cake I have ever tasted (sorry Mum!). I find with icing cakes they can be overly sweet however it was absolutely gorgeous. The chocolate sponge was delicious and to confirm everyone else’s opinion there was none left after the party! Not even enough for my parents!
I did however manage to save the figures from the cake which are now sitting on a shelf in the office at the moment.
So to anyone looking to have a cake made, drop Geraldine a line on 086 8372795 or geraldine@cakemyday.ie tell her Lee sent you!
It’s that time of year again, the evenings are getting longer and people are looking forward the summer. That is if we get one this year, it’s been awhile!
The online registration for this years Women’s Mini Marathon 2010 is now open. Everyone looking to take part must register either online or in the forms in the Evening Hearld on Saturdays or Wednesday closing date to register is April 27th 2010 or when maximum number of entries are reached.
While it is great to take part in the event it is a valuable way to raise money for very worthy charities.
This year while trying to make your decision of which charity to chose to raise funds for please consider ActionAid Ireland and to leanr more about them please watch the video below.
ActionAid Ireland work with and support the poorest and most vulnerable people to fight for and gain their rights to food, shelter, work, basic healthcare and a voice in the decisions that affect their lives. Among them are widows, orphans, the homeless and disabled, people with HIV & AIDS, tribal peoples and religious minorities.
You can check out more about ActionAid Ireland on their Facebook and Twitter pages.
Just a quick thank you to everyone that nominated Mwah.ie for this year Irish Blog Awards.
I was so thrilled to see the name on the list for Best Beauty / Fashion Blog & Best Personal Blog. I scrolled through the list of the nominations on my iPhone while in the car (I wasn’t driving) and there were shrieks outta me
I am hoping to make it to Galway for what promises to be a great night if the Irish Web Awards last October were anything to go by!
I meant to post this sooner but I’ve had a nasty chest infection and been out of action
I didn’t go crazy spending on my recent holiday to Israel but I did get two pairs of boots.
One from a designer I’d never heard of but when I mentioned them on Twitter lots of people had. They are Melissa Shoeboots in Ashanti Blue. I love them, they aren’t too high ( I dont walk well in heels), I was a bit about concerned about what to wear them with however they seem to go great with leggings and jeans.
Melissa Ashanti Blue Shoeboot
The other pair of boots are Tommy Hilfiger Snowboots in white. They are sooooooooo comfy & I can’t stop wearing them.
Tommy Hilfiger Snowboots
I also picked up a selection of ear rings & cute butterfly clips
One of the ear rings they call a “floating earring”, you can barely make it out on the bottom of the photo.
I picked one of these up the last time I was in Israel in 1999 and wanted another one ever since. I have two piercings on my right ear, used to be on the left too but it’s closed up, anyhoo, this floating ear ring threads through both holes, kinda like a needle and tread:
Floating Ear Ring Magen David - no flash
Floating Ear Ring Magen David - flash
Has anyone else seen or heard of these types of ear rings before? I love it, wearing it at the mo, and my snowboots!
Hope you all had a great Christmas break and a belated Happy New Year!
I wasn’t planning to but somehow I have taken a bit of a break from blogging. It wasn’t intentional it just kinda happened with the hectic run up to Christmas, being busy in work & relaxing over the Holidays I haven’t been able to give my blog any <3 !
So what’s been going down in the life of Lee?!
Well, for those of you that don’t follow me on Twitter or Facebook you may not know but for Christmas, Brian & I got a new puppy. We are the proud doggy parent’s of a Bichon Frise and her name is Muffin. We are enjoying her so much. She is the best companion and she has settled in just perfectly.
Here she is in her special Christmas collar:
Muffin on Christmas Day 2009
Of course Muffin is just another excuse to shop! She had to have a funky lead so I headed to Mollys in Dun Laoghaire, the staff were so helpful, I thoroughly recommend a visit. I finally settled on the Floral Fling Retractable Lead by Avant Garde, even with the consent of Brian.
Floral Fling Retractable Lead by Avant Garde
Although Muffin is only small, I decided to go for the medium size lead, which extends to 15ft compared to the small which is 9ft and I am delighted with my decision. 15ft seems to be just perfect; I feel that 9ft is too short even for a little pooch like Muffster
So what else is news… Well, last Saturday was my 27th birthday and boy was I spoilt rotten. Friday was my “work birthday”, the mortifying moment the whole office sings & then stuffs their faces with Marks & Spencer cake. Family dinner on Friday night was lovely and Mummy K produced her famous Sticky Toffee Pudding with a musical candle
A day full of surprises courtesy of Brian followed on Saturday. From surprise trips to the hairdresser to a shopping spree to dinner for two turning out to be dinner for a few. My day was FANTASTIC and major brownie points were earned and we haven’t even mentioned my presents yet!
Bvlgari Tubogas sunglasses with crystals
From Brian as well as all my surprises I was lucky enough to get my Bvlgari Tubogas wraparound sunglasses with crystals. Mod. 6030B, to say I LOVE them is an understatement. I prayed for sun at the weekend so I could wear them & I have to say I was pretty lucky. Every time I pass a window, bus stop etc I can’t help but sneak a look!
My sister & brother have arranged some spa treatments while on my holiday later in the week in Eilat, Israel and my parents are going to mend the ring that had to be cut off my hand in Spain in August when my fingers were caught in a car door (never a dull moment!).
I am off to the Holy Land on Thursday with Mummy K for a girlie week away in the sun (fingers crossed).
On that note, I think it’s best to say that I’m back, please check back for regular posts.
As the holiday season is well upon us, I’ve been reminiscing on Chanukah’s & Christmas’s past.
Growing up as a Jewish girl in Ireland my family have always celebrated both Chanukah and Christmas which is commonly referred to as Chrismukkah.
Chanukah is the “Festival of Lights”; it starts on the 25th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev and lasts for eight days.
A long time ago, in the land of Judea, the Syrian king, Antiochus ordered the Jewish people to reject their G-d, traditions and customs and start to worship the Greek gods. Judah Maccabee and his four brothers refused to give up their faith and set up an army later to be known as The Maccabees. After 3 years of fighting the Maccabees drove the Syrians out of Israel and reclaimed the Temple.
The festival is to celebrate the miracle that the small amount of oil left in the Temple that should have lit the candles for only one day but remarkably lasted for eight days.
Chanukiah
There are a number of traditions for Chanukah however the most well known is the lighting of the Chanukiah.
Different Style Chanukiah
As you can see from both images one candle holder is positioned higher than the others, this is called the Shamash. The Shamash candle is placed first. Then that night’s candles are placed in the Menorah from right to left. The Shamash is also the first candle lit and used to light the night’s candles from left to right. A blessing is made over the candles and we sing Maoz Tzur.
Other traditions including receiving gifts, sometimes one for every day of the festival, Chanukah gelt (money), eating greasy foods such as donuts and latkas (potato cakes).
Growing up I always had Santa come to visit but we never had a Christmas tree or decorated the house. We used to get pillow cases full of goodies instead of stockings Christmas Day was a family meal with turkey (no ham!), crackers and the likes.
Now that I am older and have my own home with my boyfriend Brian we are celebrating Chrismukkah. Although Chanukah came up on us very suddenly this year we weren’t prepared, we do not own a Menorah yet but I hope to pick one up for next year when I’m in Israel with my Mum in January (fingers crossed, if BMI /Lufthansa sort out our flights). We did buy a bag of donuts in M&S yesterday, lol
Our Tree
We have our tree up and looking pretty. This year we will spend Christmas Eve with Brian’s family, I will go to my sister’s for Christmas Day lunch and we will have a Kutner Chrismukkah celebration on the 27th.
Hope you enjoyed this little post as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Firstly, I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who commented on the last post, and all the lovely people on Twitter who gave me huge support and encouragement last night when I first issued the post. It was so reassuring to know that people have experienced things like this before and that you understood my situation and how upset I am.
Peter Mark Head Office just rang.
I am “allowed” go in for an assessment of the cut, then they will see if they think I should get it fixed or as I requested a refund. So basically, if they think the cuts ok I get nothing, even though it’s not what I wanted! As for the colour, it’s too long ago and sure most of their clients would be getting ready to rebook in for another colour treatment, sure it’s nearly 8 weeks ago!!!
As I will never trust any member of PM’s team near me with a scissors, the only thing I would want from Peter Mark is my money back to go towards fixing my hair colour & cut at an alternative hairdressers of my choice.
To say that there was tension on the line is putting it mildly. I believe that I would never have heard from them again if it wasn’t for my blog. When I asked why my call was never returned, the subject was changed pretty rapidly.
Now, it’s decision time. Do I want to go in for an assessment with a top stylist in their Dundrum branch? Do I want to go through the humiliation of it all & possibly for nothing if they deem my cut ok, even though as the customer I am not happy.
Hmmmmmmmmm, what do you reckon ladies? I would love to hear your feedback and I will then go with the majority decision. Apart from the embarassment I have nothing to loose!!!
For me personally finding a good hairdresser has never been an easy task. To me my hair is a huge part of my appearance and I take huge pride in it.
During the summer, I went from my natural shiny brunette barnett to a golden blonde highlighted look. I <3 ‘d it. However, being so dark meant major roots every few weeks.
Blondey Lee
After maintaining the look for a couple of months I realised I missed my soft, shiny natural colour and made the decision to go au natural again. I decided to wait till after my holidays to do this so that the colour didn’t fade in the sun. First Saturday back I booked in…
After changing my appointment time at the request of the receptionist when I called so that my hairdresser could do my cut & colour, I was fairly annoyed when I was handed over to someone else, how and ever, I said nothing. It was mentioned in passing that I was going to need a “pre-colour”, at no point was a cost discussed. However, I was pretty happy with the end results; and apart from the die leaving stains around my hairline.
Lovely chocolate brown colour, “check”, super shine “check”, ends trimmed, “check”. I went to pay and instead of costing the price quoted when I made my appointment, approx €70, the bill was €98. I was shocked at the jump but didn’t cause a fuss and paid it.
That night I went to my friend’s hens so here is the photo evidence, please excuse the bunny ears & dickie bow, LOL
Glossy Shiny Brown
The colour and shine lasted from 7 to 10 days. I was devastated. My glossy, shiny hair was gone and I was left with a dry, coarse head of straw! Ok slight exaggeration! I rang the hairdressers and spoke with the hairdresser; I even drove to the salon on my lunch break to show her. She told me it hadn’t faded at all and suggested I buy a Kerastase treatment, so I spent another €30 on that.
That night I washed my hair, put the treatment in, slept with it in & washed it out in the morning. My hair felt slightly softer but no major improvement. I immediately regretted the purchase and wished I’d gone for my usual Aveda Damage Remedy.
I was getting more & more upset at the colour & condition of my hair but I didn’t know what to do, I’d already showed my hairdresser, what else was there.
Hair getting lighter
Then the time came for a hair cut. I was secretly hoping the hairdresser would see the lack of colour in my hair & the auburnie colour I am left with and offer to fix it….. However, I was not expecting the comments that came! She was actually shocked herself at the colour, I could tell & when I pushed her a bit about it, looking for her help… She told me I should use a home die!!!!!!! Well, if I’d done that in the first place, I would be at least €120 better off! The cheek, I couldn’t understand it. I wonder are Peter Marks aware of their staff actually recommending this to clients.
So now, on to the cut. Following a chat with some of the girlies on Twitter, I decided to go back to a graduated bob, similar to Alexandra Bourke’s look on her X Factor performance a few weeks ago. This would have also been to have a lot of the split ends and dryness cut out. The result: I currently have a pretty standard bob with absolutely no shape. It’s so hard to control & style that I am currently trying to decide where to go to have both my colour & cut fixed.
Current Hair - No Flash
Current Hair - With Flash
I was away for 5 days after the cut so as soon as I landed back in the country; I nipped into the hairdressers to speak to them. My hairdresser was off sick so I decided to just leave.
After the Bank Holiday wkend last week, I was more & more distraught. I didn’t know what to do so last Tuesday morning, first thing; I picked up the phone and rang the Peter Marks Head Office. I spoke to the receptionist about my experience and she told me someone from customer service would be in touch, I had made it particularly clear I didn’t want to speak to anyone in my branch of the salon. I waited until after 4pm and I called back after not hearing anything. A few minutes later, a lady from my branch called, she was very defensive about my complaints and told me that it was too long after the colour was put in my hair to do anything. When I explained I had called in very soon after the colour was done, she dismissed it. She offered for me to go into the salon to see her for a chat and I refused point blank, I have no intention of ever stepping foot in that salon again. She even had the odessity to ask me what shampoo I use (Herbal Essence & Pantene btw) and blame that!!! She lacked any customer service and just infuriated an already angry customer.
The same lady rang back after a few minutes; she then told me that I had my colour done before my holiday and it was MY fault the colour had faded from the sun. I had to laugh, since when did she know my diary!!!! The absolute cheek of her. I was in shock. She offered me a cut in the Dundrum branch to fix the cut. I refused. I would never ever enter a Peter Mark’s salon. Not even for a blow dry because as far as I’m concerned, they’d probably mess that up too.
At the end of the conversation she told me that she would talk to Head Office again. My blood was boiling, I had no intention of waiting for Head Office to call me, I was calling them. Well, I tried, the lady was conveniently unavailable. I left a message.
The next morning my phone was having some issues and I did miss a call from this lady. I rang back on Wednesday afternoon and left a message and at this point on Sunday evening, I am still waiting for my call to be returned…. I have a feeling it might be a long wait……….
Has anyone else had a similar experience with Peter Marks? Can anyone recommend a good hairdressers in South Dublin? I am considering returning to Fusion in Dun Laoghaire. Watch this space!!!
and Brian who sat down with me on Monday & planned our meals of the week before going to Tesco to get supplies.
Just a quick thank you to everyone that nominated Mwah.ie for this year 
and been out of action
