Simple, Sparkling Sangria

01. May 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: I Can Do That · Tags: , , , , ,

A few weeks ago, I got together with two friends for what we called a “princess party.”  I decided to make sparkling sangria to drink with our classy pizza.  Ha.  It was really easy to make and it was delicious!  

1.  First, we cut up a fairly large assortment of fresh fruit:1 green apple, 1 pear, 1 plum, strawberries, blackberries, & blueberries.  Honestly we couldn’t decide on what to get at the grocery store so we went all out. 

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Then I bought these two wines at Publix:  Refresh Turning Leaf’s crisp white wine and peach sparkletini.  These were fabulous choices that mixed extremely well together and, of course, with the fruit.   
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Pour both of them into a pitcher.  I did it at the same time to make sure I was getting equal parts of each.photo-3 photo-1

And drink up!  This sangria is sweet, sparkling, and so tasty.  The fruit is amazing once all of the wine is gone as well.

Cheers!

Jenn

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On Wednesdays, We Work Out: Run.

17. April 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: Fitness · Tags: ,

Originally, I had a different plan for today.  After Monday, my plans went out the window.  I decided to run.  Every day this week, I’m going to run.  Far, long, hard.  I’ll run until I can’t anymore, and then I’ll do it again.
I’ll run for the people in Boston.

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Peace and Love to you, Boston.

Xo,

Jenn

Snag My Style: 5 Ways to Wear it

16. April 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: Love & Fashion · Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Jeans might be my favorite article of clothing. 

They go with practically everything and you can get them in any color.  My collection includes basic blue, mustard yellow, teal, forest green, red, garnet, black, gold, and my newest addition: Ikat Print. 

Printed jeans are sweeping retail stores and I. Love. It!  If you were contemplating getting a pair, do it.  Contrary to popular belief, you can still style them with everything in your closet.  I came up with 5 ways to wear my new obsessions from G By Guess.

1. With Neons and Arm Candy

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2.  With a Printed Tank.  5ways3

3. With Your Boyfriend’s Tank.5ways1

4.  Dressed Down.5ways2

5.  Dressed Up. 5ways5

Don’t steer away from the unfamiliar.  Embrace it. 

Get your print on,

Jenn

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On Wednesdays, We Work Out: Rows

10. April 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: Fitness · Tags: , , , , , ,

Upper Body Day!

Today, we’re doing rows, targeting the back muscles.  I use 50 lbs of resistance, but use whatever is comfortable, but not easy!  Position yourself on the ground with your feet out in front of you, about shoulder-width apart.  I put my feet up against something solid so I can stay in one spot.  Knees should be slightly bent so you can reach the handles.   Once you have them, get ready to row. Pretend you’re on a crew team.

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Pull back on the handle, keeping your back straight.  Pull it close to your body, arms on either side of you.  Try to push your shoulder blades together to really feel it in your back.

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Let it back in slowly, and repeat 12-15 times.  Do this 3-5 times, depending on how much you’re mixing in with them.  Don’t overdo it and don’t hurt yourself.

Get ready for the warm weather and hit the gym!

Xo,

Jenn

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J.Crew Bangle Giveaway

10. April 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: Events, Love & Fashion · Tags: , , ,

Hi friends!

Glitter & Garb has been chosen by a program called Gumball to host weekly giveaways so all of my fabulous readers can have a chance to win!  Cool, right?  So, for the first giveaway, I have this sassy J.Crew Wild Side Wide Bangle.

I’m pretty excited about these, so I hope you guys love the things I decide to host and definitely enter to win!

Best of luck!

Jenn

On Wednesdays, We Work Out: Leg Press

04. April 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: Fitness · Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

I’m getting innovative today.  There is a more typical way of performing a leg press, but if your resources are limited, you can work your way around it.  In this case, I needed another person to help me out a little.  Typically, an actual leg press machine is manageable alone.

I put a yoga mat on the floor, underneath the smith machine. In total, the weight was 185 lbs.  I got directly underneath with the center of my feet on the bar, about shoulder-width apart.  I had my “spotter” flip the bar out of its home so I could freely press it without killing myself in the process.

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Lower the bar until you feel the pull in your hamstrings and glutes, and then push the bar back up.  There are two ways I do these:

Sometimes, I just stick with straight reps.  3 sets of 12 at a heavy weight.  When I’m feeling like an overachiever, I lower the bar really slowly and count 5…4…3…2…1 and then push it back up quickly.  I usually get about 3 sets of 10 with the latter.  Either way, your legs will be sore and they’re both effective in tightening and toning.

When I’m finished with the set, my “spotter” will re-rack the bar for me, so again, no killing myself.

If you’re not sure about the weight you want to use, it’s safest to start low and work your way up.  Nothing should ever be easy, but don’t hurt yourself.

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Stay fit, friends!

Xo,

Jenn

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Life Recap

02. April 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: Life · Tags: , , , ,

I might die of utter shock that I’m able to sit in front of a computer and write.  The last two weeks… or is it three weeks… actually, the month has been absolutely unreal.  It’s not all bad, yet not all good, but it has left me exhausted and anti-social.  Let me recap my hiatus to give you a clear picture.

I think it was 4 weeks ago that I lost my assistant manager, a vital part of a 4-person team that was already diminished to 3 due to stress.  So it was left to 2 of us, which meant extra long days without a break in between.  Who has two thumbs and got nominated for the little gig of working for free?

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THIS GIRL.

To top it off, I got really sick and had to muster up the energy to get through the weeks. The silver lining of my sickness was that I lost about a pant size.  Things were looking up.

So after working 68 hours straight, I started feeling better and I finally had a day off. I resumed my workouts, my french lessons and then…

I decided to book a trip out of this place.

I had to pick somewhere out of the country because no one can contact me there.  (Horrible, I know.  True, nonetheless.)  So, in one month and 7 days I’ll be frolicking through Italy!  Hooray.  I’m hoping to have time to hop over to France and test my speaking skills.  Souhaitez moi bonne chance! (It means, “wish me luck!”)

Then I had my life threatened by a thief.  That was fun.  The mall is a really safe place (obviously) and I’m pretty terrified to walk to my car alone, but my only defenses are sass and sarcasm so I just end up antagonizing them.  He was a sweetheart, really.  He stole an entire Disney bag worth of clothes from the store across the way.  I called to warn them and then watched as he loaded up his sack like Santa Claus.  When he saw me watching I didn’t look away.  I just kept looking at him.  He came over to me and asked if I had a problem, insert a few words in there.  I told him I was fine as long as he wasn’t taking my stuff, and asked if he was okay as well.  We went back and forth, he yelled, I smiled and told him he looked a little nervous and made sure he didn’t want me to call security to help him out.  He clenched his fists and I thought I was going to be dead in the next 10 seconds, but he said “I’m good, I’m gucci.” instead of actually killing me.  I told him I didn’t know what that meant, but that he was free to run along.

I now have a 3rd manager and am hoping and wishing that after this week, life will be normal once again and I can sleep through the night.

I was totally social and went out for my best friend’s birthday, then celebrated my niece being 2, and spent the weekend with the family.  I’m pretty sure I have video evidence of myself in the bounce-house with 6-year-olds.

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The peanut.

On another positive note, the blog hit 500 likes on Facebook and is now beyond that, so THANK YOU for continuing to read!  I’m officially back on the block.

Xo,

Jenn

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On Wednesdays, We Work Out: Lat Pull-Downs

21. March 2013 · 1 comment · Categories: Fitness · Tags: , , , , , ,

I’m bringing sexy backs… back!

Lat pull-downs go along with upper body workouts and are great for toning up your back muscles.  You’ll need to use a machine; Sorry, I haven’t come up with an innovative, machine-less way to accomplish these yet.

When I do these, I like to use a wide grip because it makes me work harder.  I use 40 lbs as my weight.

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When you pull down, bring the bar to chest-level and control it when you let it back up.  DSCN1114

During the pull down, squeeze your shoulder blades together to target your back muscles.  I do 3 sets.  Usually I can get 15 on the first two sets, and I drop it to 12 on the third.  DSCN1118

Good luck and stay fit,

Jenn

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Snag My Style

15. March 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: Love & Fashion, Trends · Tags: , , , , ,

There are days when I don’t want to do my hair, my makeup, or put on heels.  Today’s “snag” is about learning how to make it work. 

My hair dries naturally in a maniacal, wavy, disaster.  I put a little mousse in it and let it be.  When I let it air dry, I tend to wear solid, bold colors.  I subconsciously avoid wearing prints because sometimes, it’s overwhelming; Too much going on.

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Mustard skinny jeans from Express, Cobalt blue blouse with spike detailing from Tobi.

I love this top from Tobi.  It was a birthday present that has moved to my “favorites” list.   (Thanks, Linds!) The color is gorgeous and it has these edgy little spike details on the shoulders and elbows to give it a little extra.  

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Subtle spike details

For my shoes, I threw on some leopard zip-up sandals so I wasn’t too plain.  I went with natural makeup: Blush and mascara so I didn’t look like I totally rolled out of bed, and then I was ready for the day.

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You don’t have to get dolled up every time you leave the house, but you can always look like you know what you’re doing.  

Stay stylish.

Xo,

Jenn

On Wednesdays, We Work Out: Wall Squats

13. March 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: Fitness · Tags: , , , , ,

Hello, hello.  Today, I’m introducing you to wall squats.  If you don’t have a medicine ball, you can do it without, so no worries.  This is one of those workouts that looks so easy until you actually do it.  Don’t be fooled.

Grab a medicine ball and put it behind you, where it’s supporting the curve in your lower back.  Slowly lower yourself until you feel like you’re sitting in a chair, only with nothing under you.  (If you don’t have a medicine ball, just put your back against the wall itself.)  Set a timer for 30 seconds to 1 minute and hold that position for that amount of time.  Don’t let your knees go over your toes and go far enough down where you can feel the burn in your hamstrings.

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 You should use these in conjunction with other leg workouts.  Typically I will do lunges, sumo squats, and then wall squats in a set.  I do 1 minute, 3 times, and I usually can’t walk very well afterward.

Until next time,

Jenn

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