My Engagement Ring | Finding the Perfect Fit

January 18, 2017August 19, 2020 Red Rose & Honey5 Comments

Thanks for visiting my blog! I am trying to make more of an effort to blog regularly and have been considering adding a wedding planning section to my page too. I love reading tips from brides-to-be and would love to share some of mine as well. I decided to write this very long blog about the issues I’ve had with sizing my engagement ring. I have learned it happens to more brides than you would think. I have slim fingers, but my engagement ring finger knuckle is just big enough to be causing me sizing issues. Fear not my fellow brides, you are not alone and you will get your ring to fit!!

I was shocked when my fiance proposed we never had serious talks about the type of ring I wanted. He just knew that I wanted everything to be a surprise. I totally didn’t care how he popped the question! When he proposed we had been together for about 5.5 years, so in that time I had slipped him some ring ideas. If I sent him a photo, I would hope he at least glanced at it, but we never talked about it. I just crossed my fingers hoped that when the time came the proposal and the ring would be a perfect fit for me. With the help of a great jeweler he picked out the perfect diamond and setting for me. I have been in love with my ring from the second he slid it on my finger (and I realized it was an engagement ring and he wasn’t kidding…which took a few seconds). My ring is an oval diamond with a halo and pave band. I don’t know any of the specifics and I am happy to keep it that way.

I was so set on EVERYTHING being a surprise that I never had my left ring finger professionally sized. Towards the end of college I also stopped wearing rings all together, so I became unfamiliar with my true ring size. When my cousin got engaged a few years ago, I knew her ring was a 5.75 which seemed like a good fit for me too. Boy, was I wrong! I really wish I just took a random trip the a jeweler to be sized once I know my fiance was “the one.”

After a month of being engaged we went back to the jeweler to talk to her about re-sizing my ring. At that time my ring was flipping all around and I could slide it off easily. I actually started wrapping a Band-aid around the bottom of the ring to help keep it in place. This was the first time I experienced a jeweler’s perspective of how an engagement ring should fit. Jewelers want it to be very, very snug. I was very nervous about having my ring made smaller. At a 5.75, it seemed so tiny already! That day the jeweler sized me at a 5.25 and was even swaying me to a 5, but I just thought it would be too tight. She also mentioned that due to my setting she wouldn’t be able to re-size my ring more than 1 size to protect the setting itself. When I got my ring back it fit and all was good.

Towards the end of year when the weather turned cool my ring started flipping around. It also took very little effort for me to slide it over my knuckle. Knowing that it wasn’t the dead of winter yet, I started to worry about my ring sliding off. It was so loose that I felt it could get caught in my pocket or a glove. I once again resorted to wrapping a Band-aid around the ring to help secure it. I was hoping I could make it through the winter with the ring as it was and decided what to do the following summer when I would pick out my wedding band.

After a few weeks of having my ring flipping around I stopped at a local jeweler to see if I could get a ring guard. The jeweler had a great reputation and is comparable to the jeweler who made my ring. She did not recommend a ring guard because the diamonds on my band come pretty far down and a ring guard could damage the setting around them. Instead she gave me a clear tape like ring guard to wrap around my finger to help secure my ring until I decided on a more permanent solution. After a few more weeks, I couldn’t take it any longer and decided to have ring balls soddered into my engagement ring. The balls were a good semi-permanent solution that would help re-size my ring, but they could be taken off in the future if needed.

My ring felt funny and very snug with the ring balls, but the jeweler said that’s how an engagement ring should fit and after a few days I wouldn’t notice the balls. Within a few hours I actually didn’t notice the ring balls. It was snug, but I could get it on in the morning and off at night. It was even still flipping around at times. After Christmas I noticed my ring was more snug than usual, but I didn’t think much of it until New Year’s Eve. I fell asleep on the couch for a few hours and when I woke up I could not get my ring off. Although I didn’t want to, I went to bed with it on, knowing my finger would only swell more while I was sleeping.

I woke up knowing that I shouldn’t try to take my ring off so I relaxed, had breakfast, drank a good amount of water and put an ice cube on my finger. I even watched TV with my hand above my head. Even though the ring wasn’t budging over my knuckle I was still able to spin it around the base of my finger. With ice, Windex, coconut oil and the Grace of God, I got my ring off, but it was VERY uncomfortable.

Once my ring was off, my knuckle was now noticeably swollen and throbbing. I immediately realized I probably should have left my ring on (for a few days if needed) until my knuckle swelling subsided. Forcing it off only made the situation worse. By that evening, I realized that a callus had formed around my knuckle from the pressure of my ring. Gross! Fortunately, I wasn’t as gross or noticeable as it sounds, but it was definitely preventing my ring from sliding on and off.

Over the course of three weeks I had my ring balls shaved down twice then had them removed entirely. I could get the ring on, but because of the callus getting my ring off was still very difficult. My finger was so sore! I decided to keep my ring off for an entire week to let all swelling subside. I called my dermatologist’s office to see what they would recommend. They suggested I liberally apply Aquaphor throughout the day and a thick layer at night with a band-aid. After a few days of lotion-ing up my hands constantly with Aquahor and Eucerin hand lotion my finger healed.

My ring fits the way it did after having it sized. It wiggles around and comes off with just a bit of effort. It’s not perfect and without a doubt is going to be bit annoying, but I am more comfortable this way. Now that I have experienced two extremes of ring sizing, I much rather it be spinning around a bit and not causing pain to my knuckle. This summer I will be picking out my wedding band which I plan to order in a size 5 and will decide if my engagement ring needs to be resized to a size 5 too.

My advice to fiances-to-be is to get your finger sized before you get engaged and when it comes to sizing, go with your gut. No one can decide how your ring should feel on your finger, but you.

Update 11/21/17: I am now married and wear my wedding band with my engagement ring. When I ordered my wedding band, I found out that my engagement ring was special ordered in a size 4.75 and was re-sized to a 4.25. I think it was a mistake on Mike or the jeweler’s part, but it worked in my favor. My ring was never a 5.75. It wouldn’t have even stayed on my hand if it was! My wedding band was also ordered in a 4.25. Together both rings fit more snug than alone, but there are some days I think I need a size 4. Overall, they fit fine and I love them. I have realized that my fingers fluctuate in size and some days my rings spin, and that’s okay!

Here are the at home “treatments” that I think helped me out the most to reduce swelling and get rid of the callus. I am not a doctor or any kind of=r medical professional. These are just the tricks that worked for me.

-Keep your ring off for at least 1 week (power through girl, I know that advice makes you want to cry!)

-To reduce swelling, try icing your knuckle a few times a day or soak your hand in warm water with epsom salt

– Wash your hands with an exfloiating cleanser (I used my Derma-E glycolic acid face cleanser for a gentle exflotiation)

-After soaking your finger or showering, lightly buff the callus with a gentle pumice stone

– Apply Aquahor ointment to the irritated area throughout the day

-Apply a good quality hand cream througough the day (I like Eucerin)

-At night apply vitamin E (straight from a vitamin E capsule) to the irriated area then apply aquaphor and a Band-aid

-Apply a fesh lemon peel around your knuckle and secure with a Band-aid. After a few hours remove it and gently buff with pumice stone then apply Aquaphor, vitamin E and hand cream.

-Breath! It will all be okay!

I hope this blog was helpful to anyone experiencing the same problem. Leave me a comment below to let me know or share your own experience. Would you like to read more engagement/wedding blogs? Let me know!

xo Miss Alyss

Breakfast: My Favorite Meal

January 23, 2016 Red Rose & HoneyLeave a comment

Breakfast is hands down my favorite meal of the day. I never, ever skip break or skimp out. It’s always a meal full of tasty nutrients. I am a huge believer in starting your day with a healthy meal to set the tone for your food choices the rest of the day. I am also the type of person who wakes up starving. If I skipped breakfast I would be miserable. Here are some of my favorite breakfast choices.

Oatmeal

I LOVE oatmeal. I could eat it all day long. There was a point in time where I ate oatmeal for breakfast every day for at least a year. I only eat real oats. None of that instant oatmeal non-sense here. While instant oats are a good attempt at eating a healthy breakfast they are loaded with unnecessary sugars. If you are short on time in the morning and like the efficiency of instant oatmeal opt for the plain kind. I order my gluten-free Bob’s Red Mill Oats from Amazon. They usually cost around $30 for 4 bags and I use about 1 bag per month. It’s the best value I’ve found.

Now, for some gluten-free clarification. Oats technically are gluten-free. If you compare Quaker Oats to Bob’s Red Mill you probably can’t tell them apart. Oats are not gluten-free if they are grown in a field and processed in a factory with wheat, barely and rye gains. If you have a gluten intolerance or allergy make sure you buy gluten-free oats.

I have tried so many different ingredients in my oatmeal, but I always use unsweetened vanilla almond milk, cinnamon and flax seed as my based ingredients. I actually prefer the taste of Almond Breeze almond milk, but have stopped using it because this brand contains carrageenan. I now only use the Silk brand. Cinnamon is good for your metabolism and flax seed is an excellent source of fiber. About 4 months ago I started making overnight oats. I fell in love with oatmeal all over again (overnight oats post coming soon!). Letting the ingredients sit over night really infuses the oats with flavor. Overnight oats are also a time saver in the morning. You can eat them cold or quickly heat them up. I learned from following the Acid Reflux Diet from The 30 Day Heartburn Solution that soaked oats are easier on your body to digest. Right now my go-to combo is banana and almond butter. Here are my other favorite combos:

Banana & walnuts

Blueberry & walnuts

Apple & walnuts

Banana & peanut butter

Eggs

You really can’t go wrong with eggs for breakfast. They are full of awesome nutrients including a good serving of protein. If I am having eggs without toast or a waffle, I always have 2 whole eggs. I like to have my eggs scrambled with a sprinkle of cheese and bacon or breakfast sausage. If I don’t feel like adding meat to my breakfast, I will add spinach, feta and tomatoes to my eggs. I love the runny yolk of an over-easy, but I have to have something to dip in it! Nothing beats a perfectly cooked over-easy egg with a slice of toast. Lately, I have really been enjoying heating up left rice or potatoes and veggies with an egg over easy.

Waffles

Sometimes I like switching up my breakfast and I will have gluten-free frozen waffles. I like to top my waffles with slices of banana, walnuts and organic pure maple syrup. When I buy gluten-free waffles I usually opt for the Van’s or Nature’s Path brands. One of these nutty waffles goes great with scrambled eggs.

Pancakes

When I have a little extra time in the morning I will whip up oatmeal pancakes. They’re pretty easy, filing and of course gluten-free. I like to top them with walnuts or sliced almonds and banana with organic pure maple syrup.

Ingredients

-1/2 cup of dry oats

-1 tsp cinnamon

-1 TBSP flax sead

-1 egg or 2 egg whites

-1/2 medium banana

-1/8 to 1/4 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk

– Dash of baking soda

-Dash of vanilla or almond extract

Directions

Warm your oven on a low heat (my oven actually has a warm setting) and place an oven-safe dish inside. Using a blender (I have a magic bullet) blend the oats and cinnamon into a fine powder, about 10 seconds. Next, add the rest of you ingredients and blend until smooth. Heat a small frying pan on low/medium head and grease with coconut oil or gluten-free cooking spray. Cooking your pancakes 1 at a time just as you would with a normal pancake. You will know it’s time to flip when you see bubbles in your pancake. As you finishing cooking each one, place them on the warm plate in your oven. If you skip this step I find these pancakes cool quickly. Once you’re done, top with your favorite toppings.

xo Miss Alyss

Honey Tequila & Lime Shrimp!

June 23, 2012 Red Rose & Honey2 Comments

My first post- college blog post! I actually made this meal the first weekend I came home, but haven’t got around to sharing it until now. This dinner was so quick and easy – a perfect start to summer! Grilled shrimp marinated in fresh honey, lime and tequila with brown rice and homemade guacamole.

Ingredients:
– 1 1/2 pounds of shrimp (I thawed frozen, de-veined shrimp)
– 1/2 cup of tequila
– 1 tsp of lime zest
– Juice of 1 lime
– 1 lime, to serve on the side
– 1 tbsp of pure honey
– 2 cloves of garlic, miced
– 1-2 tbsp of cilantro, finely chopped
– kosher salt and fresh black pepper

Directions:

Whisk together all of your ingredients in a large bowl then add in the shrimp. Make sure all of the shrimp is coated in the marinated and let it sit for about 20-30 minutes. I used a grill pan on my stove; the shrimp quick fast, so keep an eye on them. You’ll known when the shrimp is done when they begin to curl up (probably no more than 3 minutes total). Serve with fresh lime slices on the side, brown rice, homemade guacamole and gluten free corn chips!

*My best friend is allergic to shrimp, so I used the same marinate for grilled chicken.