Fragrance of the Month

Check out the six fragrances for the month of October!
Photo: Up in Smoke by illpadrino

Top 10 Workout Songs

Put together a playlist to help you get your beach body back from author Nathanel Jefferson.

Image courtesy of Stockimages / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

ASPiring Artist

Online gallery of drawings and artwork by ASP.

ECV's Beauty Tips

Check back often for new tips!

New Year's resolutions and goal-setting

Get the help you need to follow through on your resolutions and goals in 2012!

Showing posts with label internal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label internal. Show all posts

Apr 26, 2013

NBA Finals

So the Finals have begun and as I type this the Miami Heat are in the lead. So I'm feeling quite well. Sorry for you if you're a Spurs fan.
But to my fellow Heat fans, you can visit our store and grab a logo watch for $24.99.

Mar 20, 2013

My Experience on Dr. Oz's 3-Day Detox Cleanse

Last week I did Dr. Oz's 3-Day Detox Cleanse. As stated on the show, the food cost was less than $16 a day. If you know me off the web, you know I did the math ;) The link to the list of foods is below.


The breakfast drink was delicious and went down well. Surprisingly, hunger was not an issue even when lunchtime came and you're supposed to drink the green monster below. Perhaps it's easier to swallow if you use a juicer versus a blender, but there still seems to be something inherently wrong with trying to drink 4 stalks of celery. Not until the third day of the detox was I hungry enough at lunch to force down a good amount of this drink.



Lunch drink
The dinner drink was delicious and had a kick to it with the cayenne pepper that's in the recipe. On the doctoroz.com site some people didn't like this drink. I truly cannot understand how you can choke down the lunch drink and not tolerate a drink that is mostly blueberry-flavored. Maybe it's a blueberry bias.

Dinner Drink

In closing, I felt great after doing this three day detox. Can't say if I lost any weight as did the participants on the show (because I don't own a scale) but my mood did improve. Another surprise was that I did not miss eating meat at all during those three days. So give this a try if you're doing No Meat March and then tell us what you think of it in the comments.

Apr 1, 2012

Movie Review - The Hunger Games

I thought of writing this review immediately after seeing the movie at 12:01 AM on Thursday, March 23rd. However I realized that I needed to see it again because that night I, like many others, was caught up in the hype and excitement that was the anticipation of The Hunger Games.  So here's my review only mere minutes after getting out of the theater for a second viewing.

I still maintain that director Gary Ross is primarily responsible for the failings of this movie.  While after discussing the film with a fellow enthusiast, I came to appreciate the shaky, choppy camera footage at the beginning of the film as a snapshot of how Katniss functions on a daily basis in the dreary, oppression that is "starving in safety" inside District 12.  The footage does slow down once she escapes to the woods, which readers of the novels will remember was the place she felt safe to be herself and drop the mask she wears while in the district.  However the pre-Reaping setup and superfluous crowd shots were totally unnecessary and a waste of screentime that would've been better spent on character development.

The footage of Katniss & Gale in the woods is great.  However, like some critics have stated, the emotional connection is lacking throughout most of the film due to the sparse character development.  Rue's death or when Katniss is burned may be one of the first scenes where the audience feels anything.  A great opportunity to have the audience really understand Katniss & Gale's connection was lost in that woods scene.  A couple of extra lines of dialogue is all it would have taken.  Perhaps we'll discover the scene was longer when the DVD comes out.

Overall the movie is still good.  Love the behind the scenes look into the Control Room, Games commentary, and President Snow's prodding of Seneca Crane.  Others have commented that they cut a lot of things from the book.  I for one was overjoyed that they cut Peeta losing his leg.  Other things they cut from the movie for two major reasons.  First, they wanted a PG-13 rating.  I'm pretty certain if they had kept just Cato's death scene true to the book they would've gotten an R rating.  Secondly, who would've wanted to sit through a three hour plus movie.  I love the books beyond words but had they included all of the District 12 characters, drawn out the Games to the approximately three weeks they were in the book, and included the hospital scene at the end, this would have been a really long movie.

Some of the things that were slightly disappointing because they were cut or not done well, but can be forgiven for the greater good of the movie:
  1. the origin of the mockingjay pin
  2. the indirect mention of tesserae (getting more food by adding your name to the Tribute drawing)
  3. the cheesy flames on their backs for the presentation of the Tributes
  4. the change of location for what was a rooftop scene to a huge window in the penthouse
  5. the Cornucopia was not golden
  6. the exclusion of Katniss suffering from dehydration
  7. the exclusion of the sleep syrup
  8. the afore-mentioned shortening of the Games
  9. a lot of close-ups that narrow your ability to read something into the characters' actions
  10. not a cut but a missed opportunity to play up the Katniss & Gale relationship by having a secret scene of the kiss as written in Catching Fire
One thing that can't be forgiven because it displaces the pyschological scars that needed to exist to justify the genuineness of a continued relationship between Katniss and Peeta is the muttations at the end of the Games.  In the movie they are nothing but big dogs.  I was really expecting to see something resembling a werewolf, with the human eyes and hair colors of the fallen tributes.  At the very least they could've placed the collars on them denoting they were retribution for the fallen tributes.  These two 16 year-olds needed to be so scarred from their time in the Games that they suffer from nightmares and develop a true (not made for TV) friendship based on their shared PTSD.  At the end they just seem to whole and undamaged.

In closing, I've also read personal comments from individuals criticizing that the movies feature young people killing each other.  To these individuals I say the following: "Do you live under a rock in Timbuktu or did you make the conscious choice to remain ignorant of the content and plot of the movie by avoiding all television and internet promotions until after you saw the movie?   If in fact you do not live under a rock in Timbuktu, how dare you act all sanctimonious about the movie that you obviously went to view and clearly states in the Treaty of Treason at the beginning that 12 to 18 year-olds are required to fight to the death."

That is all.  May the odds be ever in your favor...until The 75th Hunger Games circa November 2013!

Feb 29, 2012

Losing Wait

Absolutely loving the blog post Losing Wait from Mary Kay's CMO Sheryl Adkins-Green! Obviously she's not talking about the weight that most people resolve to lose every new year, but the "wait" she mentions is just as if not more important.

I've decided to replace my "wait" with "S.T.A.R.T" also...

• S= Start smaller to achieve bigger. In other words, I break my goal down into manageable and achievable segments, instead of a big chunk that will overwhelm me.
• T= Target a specific time each day to work on my goal, even if it’s only 30 minutes. I literally schedule it. I make an appointment with me and I keep it!
• A= Ask for help and accept help. So often, we’re so busy doing for others that we feel that we can’t or shouldn’t ask for help. Yet we all have at least one friend or family member who is willing and able to support our goal. We just need to ask!
• R= Reward my progress. It’s important to celebrate each success along the way, no matter how small. Plus, who doesn’t love a reason to get a new pair of shoes?
• T= Treat time as my most precious resource and make every minute count.

What are you going to "start" when you lose your "wait"?

Jan 25, 2012

Reaching New Year's Resolutions & Goals with Compass

Well over the past few weeks I indulged the idea of being a Compass Representative, however unfortunately it would overload an already overwhelming schedule.  Yet that does not change my belief in affordable life coaching for all women.  After all I'm still a Compass client.

So for any interested in getting help with setting and reaching their goals this year, please visit the Compass site.  You can check out the available MAPs (Monthly Action Plans) that give you the framework for creating change and moving towards the life you desire.  There's a free trial with no credit card required if you click the "Membership" link so you get a better idea of the value of Compass.  And if you do decide to join I can personally recommend Erica Jefferson as a truly motivating Compass life coach.

So check it out and start reaching your resolutions and goals with Compass!

Jan 18, 2012

Deal of the Day

Ladies, here's a special deal linked to the free Life Makeovers we've posted about recently. The only thing it will cost you is about 30 minutes of your time. What's 30 minutes for the opportunity to remodel your life?

Free Avon SuperSHOCK Mascara (Regular Price $9.00) to anyone who attends either of the Life Makeover parties happening on Thursday.

Just enter that you were invited by "Marie Edwards" on the registration form.

If you want to find out more about life makeovers, Compass or even becoming a rep before the show, visit our site!

Jan 10, 2012

This year, don't make resolutions - make permanent change!


You’re Invited to a Life MakeOver Party!

Not because you need it,
But because you deserve it.

Learn how you can, make over your time,
your finances, your body, your health,
your relationships, or your purpose.



Learn how you can make over any area of your life so
you can live the  life you were meant to live.


Date:  January 16 at 8:30 PM (EST)
Phone:  (559) 546-1880 Access Code: 256170#

RSVP:  I'm ready to makeover my life!
Feel free to attend even if you're unable to RSVP.
*Bring a friend!

Learn more before the party at: www.mylifecompass.com/MsMarie

Jan 8, 2012

Inaugural Life Makeover Party



You’re Invited to a Life MakeOver Party!

Not because you need it,
But because you deserve it.

Learn how you can ,make over your time,
your finances, your body, your health,
your relationships, or your purpose.



Learn how you can make over any area of your life so
you can live the  life you were meant to live.


Date:  January 9 at 9 PM (EST)
Phone:  (559) 546-1880 Access Code: 256170#

RSVP:  I'm ready to makeover my life!
Feel free to attend even if you're unable to RSVP.
*Bring a friend!
 

Dec 26, 2011

New Year's Resolutions & Goals

2011 is almost over and 2012 is knocking at the door.  Every new year many of us make resolutions and set goals that we often don't keep.  Let's change that this year.

Make your goals and resolutions and seek out the support you need from others to follow through on them.  Starting immediately ECV is offering the cheerleading, coaching, and support that you need to see your goals through via our new service, Compass Professional Coaching.  To find out more or sign up for a free 5-day trial click here.

Jul 28, 2011

Me Time

How many times do we ladies put ourselves at the end of our 'to-do lists' only to find ourselves completely exhausted an unable to fulfill our promise to self of me time?

 After a recent vacation & my dental appointment yesterday came to the realization that I've seriously neglected myself. Oh sure I do waste an inordinate amount of time playing PC games, but I don't take care of myself like I once did & vowed to never stop doing.

The point is this: LADIES starting today find at least a few minutes during the week to do something for yourself that you've been meaning to do but keep putting off for whatever reason. It could be those weekly trips the nail salon, the monthly facial, or maybe even just trying that new diet or exercise move you saw on Doctor Oz.
To borrow from Nike, JUST DO IT!

And if you need help or a guide to making that much needed me time a reality, visit our Compass site and try 5 days of free coaching to achieve Life Balance.

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