Author: the outside lane

Happy. That about covers it.
holiday guest blog, Style

Days of Christmas: Holiday Have to Have Blinged Out Jewelry from F.A.I.T.H.

the outside lane

Today’s shopping guide entry comes from Cheryl Massey.  She brings us some beautiful jewelry full of sparkle and shine for your holiday parties and New Year celebrations.  Thanks, Cheryl!
Do you like to volunteer? Are children’s charities close to your heart?  Last year, I was fortunate to meet a very special woman while I was volunteering for a new charity in Collin County, Texas, called Star Children’s Charity. This woman was so dynamic, fun, funky & absolutely fabulous that I wanted to know her better!
 
Much to my delight, I found out her name is Pam Hatchard and she is the owner & designer of one of the most innovative and truly generous direct sales businesses in our area–F.A.I.T.H. Jewelry.  What does that stand for?  “A Fabulous Adventure in Trusting Him!” The premise and promise of the company is to empower women to make a difference in the lives of others through the power of knowing God’s word and His plans for our abundance. And all of the bling made right here in Texas!  How could I resist?
 
And the jewelry is fabulous–filled with Swarovski crystals and exotic beads and so reasonably priced.  Check out one of our most popular items, hoops studded with glittering clear or black Swarovski crystals that you can add so many different charms to–charms that start at just $6!!
 
 
Pam loves to layer necklaces, too.  Look at some of these best sellers:
 
All Things Are Possible Necklace ($44) and Leopard Print necklace ($22). Add the layering chains ($56) and you can make a variety of looks! We have an online catalog with so many more pieces (over 800 in the line)–all so beautiful, you’ll want them all!
 
 
Contact me for more information about F.A.I.T.H. Jewelry and Star Children’s Charity. I’m now a F.A.I.T.H. Jewelry consultant and I’m on the Board of Directors of Star!
 
Cheryl Massey
Jewelry Consultant
F.A.I.T.H. Company
Phone: 214-808-8429
Fax: 972-562-4428
Email: ccmassey@aol.com
To order jewelry: www.faithco.net/cherylmassey

A Fantastic Adventure In Trusting Him
Style

Blonde on the Inside

the outside lane

In the past 8 weeks, I have colored my hair 7 times.  That’s probably bad.

It started like this:  I decided to go red and used a permanent color (John Frieda), which was really gorgeous, but I had huge streaks of blonde where the color didn’t take well in the back.  So, I grabbed a semi-permanent (no ammonia) color (Natural Instincts) and colored over to get everything.  It was all right, but a little dark.  Still, those semi-perms wash out swiftly, and as much as I swim, I figured I’d be set.

I didn’t account for growth and blonde roots.  After a couple of weeks, I started looking like one of those sad elderly women, whose gray roots are showing out of their bottle-red heads.  So, I grabbed another John Frieda and did myself up right.

Somewhere in the early part of last week, I became extremely tired of having to color in my eyebrows every day.  Jeez!  And style my hair.  Because red hair looks crummy on me if I don’t style it.  I was also finished pretending to be a redhead.  So, as I have done many times in the past, I grabbed up a lighter shade of red from Feria and started easing my way back into blonde.  Ugliest color ever.  I gave it a few days, then grabbed a baby blonde from Feria (as I have done before) and–it did not change the color at all.  Save for the virgin growth at the roots.  Nice.

I had bright, strawberry blonde hair and white roots.

Last night, after pricing out color corrections and the amount of time it would take, I gave up and went back to WalGreens for another semi-permanent color.  This time a L’Oreal in a dark brown.  To kill the freakish red.  So, I have a dark reddish brown head of really well styled hair.

Thank dog it’s just hair, and my husband likes it.  (And it’s still not as bad as that time a salon gave me chemical burns!)

Chef Lane, Contest, Giveaway, holiday guest blog

Days of Christmas: Holiday Have to Have–GIVEAWAY! Membership to JulieAnneRhodes.com

the outside lane

You all know how much I love Julie Anne Rhodes and her Personal Chef Approach to meal preparation.  Since joining her website as a Premium Member, in just under a year, I’ve gone from a woman who (not in)frequently set her kitchen on fire, and whose son would beg to go out to eat rather than attempt a mouthful of my Better Off Dead culinary offerings to a fairly decent cook, if I do say so myself.  I’m even venturing out and sharing my own little recipes in a fitness community–to nice results.  I give Julie Anne a lot of that credit.

Why?  Because her Personal Chef Approach to cooking took a weight of stress out of meal planning and preparation, so I could just get down to the business of food.  I also give her site and recipes a lot of credit for me being able to lose 15lbs since this summer.  With my foods prepped ahead of time (especially my lunches!) it’s been easier to eat healthy meals–and tasty meals, too.  It doesn’t hurt that she is fantastically funny, and shares more than just how-tos for cooking on her site.  Premium Members have direct daily access to her in the Forums–worth the membership when you have a question!

As part of the Holiday Shopping Guide, Julie Anne has offered up a gift certificate for a month-long Premium Membership.  One lucky The Outside Lane reader will win an all-access pass to JulieAnneRhodes.com for a full month.

The winner will be selected from all the comments received on The Outside Lane through the month December 30th, with the prize being announced on December 31st–so you can opt to start your membership as part of your New Year Resolutions to get fit, eat better, learn to cook/cook better, get to know interesting people, or just try something new.

Like The Outside Lane on Facebook, and that will count as an entry into the contest, too!

Share The Outside Lane with friends on Facebook, or share individual blog entries, and those will also count as entries.  Lots of ways to stuff the ballot box in your own favor 😉

Here’s what you could get (from Julie Anne herself):

Premium Members enjoy all-access privileges to The PCA™ and receive insider-only tips, exclusive recipes (including archived info), and a weekly menu plan. The menu plan alone is worth more than the price of membership in time, ease, and effort saved! Premium Member benefits include:

WEEKLY MENU PLAN Eliminate any guesswork and save time with an entire week’s worth of meal ideas. Easily tailored to your family’s specific tastes, detailed menu plans come with easy recipes, ready-to-go grocery shopping lists, and heat-to-eat instructions.

PREMIUM RECIPE LIBRARY ACCESS Access a much larger variety of original recipes. Every recipe is one I created (not borrowed from another source) and each has been tested and approved by the clients of my multi-award winning Personal Chef Service. Many recipes also offer variations to accommodate specific tastes and are so easy that, “if you can read, you can cook!”

HOW-TO VIDEOS Some people learn easier when shown than told, which is why Premium Members can view simple step-by-step slideshows for some of the site’s most popular recipes.

ONLINE FORUM Gain a sense of community by joining others and myself as they share their experiences in the kitchen – whether they’re cooking for the very first time or professionally. It’s a G-rated space where you can ask questions, share your successes, and personal cooking challenges. Plus, you’ll gain the secret tips, tricks, and good advice I’ve learned in more than a decade as an award-winning personal chef.

  • CYBER LIVING ROOM An easy way to stay in touch and make friends with other members with your interests. Share thoughts, questions, reviews of local restaurants, events you’ve attended, or family and pet photos. Popular topics include the current week’s menu plan and The PCA™.
  • RECIPE SHARING Have a tried-and-true recipe? Here’s your opportunity to tell everyone about it and discover fellow member’s favorite dishes.
  • MEMBER PROFILES Give your postings a personal touch with the ability to upload a profile pic, your interests, talents, or any other information you want to share.

Inside Dish A monthly e-newsletter with tips on applying The PCA™, advice on safe-food handling, and advance notice of upcoming products, shows, and news! (Premium Members also gain access to archived issues of the newsletter.)

 Our version of “Dear Abby,” only with kitchen woes instead of those of the heart. Send in any cooking desires, queries, or catastrophes, and each month two member’s questions and answers will be featured in the Inside Dish newsletter.

So start commenting, sharing and liking, friends!  Can’t wait to see you in the Forums on JulieAnneRhodes.com!

Health, holiday guest blog, Uncategorized

Days of Christmas: Holiday Have-To-Try–DBarre with Stephanie Daulton Perry

the outside lane

To kick off The Outside Lane’s holiday shopping/need it list, is Stephanie Daulton Perry, creator and instructor of the DBarre fitness method.  If you are local to DFW, Stephanie is the person to know for body sculpting.  These deals are REALLY fantastic!
Stephanie at work at Abundio's.
Here is a list of all the specials we are running at Abundio’s Studio www.abundioktc.com  for the month of December! Why not start your fitness resolutions NOW or give a friend or family member the gift of fitness. Each week we are featuring a different special ranging from discounts on unlimited packages, 5 and 10 class packages and on private lessons!  Abundio’s Studio offereres group classes in Barre, Boxing and Cardio Kickboxing. Private lessons are offered in Barre, Weight Training, Boxing, Martial Arts and Stretching! All the classes and or private lessons are done by the owner Abundio Munoz or by myself, Stephanie Perry. Below is the info with all the awesome December Specials! Come try D Barre www.dbarre.com , the popular workout that’s sweeping the nation promising a toned and lifted tush, trimmer thighs, leaner arms and a defined core!
Contact me with any questions!
Stephanie Daulton Perry

We are not just thankful for you on this day, but everyday! So this year we want to say thank you by offering you some pretty amazing deals to keep you fit during all those holiday parties and we also realize it can be a little tight while buying so many gifts.

Dec. 1st-10th:

Unlimited Monthly Kickboxing OR Barre for $100 ($50 Savings!)

-OR-

Unlimited Monthly Kickboxing AND Barre for $150 ($100 Savings!)

(Limit 1 per person)

Dec. 11th-17th:

30 minute personal training sessions with Abundio or Stephanie for $30 each!

(Savings of $30! Limit 10 per person.)

Dec. 18th-24th:

5 and 10 Class Packages-$20 off!

(Limit 3 per person.)

Dec. 25th-Dec. 31st:

Bring a new friend to class for $5 class ($10 Savings) and you get a free class pass!

During the entire month of December, we will offer the opportunity to start-and stay fit during the New Year. You’ll save tons and be kept accountable to your goals by not dropping out mid-January with the following:

Kickboxing -OR-Barre

6 Month Unlimited for $700 ($200 Savings!)

12 Month Unlimited for $1,200 ($600 Savngs!)

Kickboxing -AND- Barre

6 Month Unlimited for $1,300 ($200 Savings!)

12 Month Unlimited for $2,400 ($600 Savings!)

*Any of these specials are able to have an activation date of your choice.

Advice, Television, Uncategorized

Boardwalk, Boobies, and Biology

the outside lane

B and I started (and caught up completely with) Boardwalk Empire recently.  Aside from the gore and non-stop parade of boobies*, I really enjoy the show.  It has a) the most beautiful costumes on television, b) the most beautiful hair on television (Kelly MacDonald, I’m talking about you), and c) one of my all-time favorite actors and weird crushes, Steve Buscemi. (He won me over with Ghost World.)

*Parades of Boobies made me think of this:

The other night, B mentioned the potential for a new law in Saudi Arabia, forcing women with pretty eyes to cover them up. [Story here, and also worth mentioning how romantically B brought the story up, after having been gazing into my eyes…hee!]  Ladies with “tempting” eyes could be forced to hide their peepers, in order to keep men from lusting.

Worn for your lustproof protection.

I was trying to think how we could help these men, because if eyeballs are enough to jimmy their johnsons, then the shape of a woman’s head in her veil might do the trick too.  What I came up with was a version of the old Karate-Kid-in-a-shower costume, where the ladies wear halos of metal that start above their heads, enshrouding them in dark cloth that falls to their feet, and does not touch their body at any point.

Rather than the shower head, they would have a periscope for navigation.  That way, a man would never have to be tempted by any part of the woman.  Granted, there will always be the trollops whose gait makes those shower curtains sway alluringly, so there really isn’t a fix at all.

My modest proposal is that the men who find themselves affected by lust, whose own eyes offend them, should pluck out those eyes.  The problem isn’t the ladies, boys.  The problem is you.

And, the problem is repression.  When you ask people to pretend that they aren’t AT ALL interested in having sex, you are asking people to deny an innate need and function.  Sex, like eating, sleeping, and pooping, is a biological imperative.  And just like eating, sleeping, and pooping, sex can be fantastic fun, or even boring with awful repercussions.  It’s just a thing.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to do it.  There is nothing wrong with doing it.  You just have to be intelligent about it.  You don’t eat rat poison pellets, you don’t sleep on railroad tracks, you don’t poop in the refrigerator, you don’t have sex indiscriminately or without protection.
Because eating/sleeping/pooping can’t get you (or anyone else) pregnant, you do have to take some extra precautions with sex. My advice is this:  Only have actual sex with someone when you can afford to have and are okay with the idea of having babies with them.  Be sure they feel the same way, otherwise, it can end up being a lifetime of poop in the refrigerator**.
If we allow ourselves to feel biological impulses without glorifying or denying them, then we are a lot less likely to try to quash all triggers.  When you have a healthy idea of sex and sexuality, then a girl with pretty eyes is just that:  A girl with pretty eyes.  When you are unhealthy, she is a devil woman, just trying to tempt and trap you with her long, luscious lashes.
I’d like us all to be healthy.  In private, of course.
**Ultimate “poop in the refrigerator” scenario to me is getting pregnant out of wedlock, then having to share custody of an infant child with someone I wouldn’t even want to date.  Can you imagine how awful that would feel?  It’s bad enough taking your baby to daycare, but you know you are paying those professionals to keep the baby healthy.  I cannot even imagine having to turn my child over to some yokel every weekend, who may, or may not remember to feed him–or might not feed him on purpose.  Or worse.  Guh.  I can’t stand the thought of it.
Don’t do things that can get you (or anyone else) pregnant if you aren’t in a steadfast, committed relationship with a sane, consenting adult.  Be sure about that sane and consenting part, because babies have a way of turning the best people into melted down wax versions of themselves.   There are plenty of other ways to get your rocks off.