New Love!

I have been real sick of the same old work outs lately....so I decided to try some new ideas!  On Saturday, I tried some swimming--which was amazing.   First, I tread water for about 20 mins.  I suggest doing this while chatting with a friend, the time passes a lot quicker.  I had my friends Roberta and Ben--who are great workout partners PS!   Ben teaches karate at the YMCA, and is very good at making Berta and I work hard!  After the treading, I did about 20 more mins of swimming laps.  Ben taught me to do something different each lap so that it works different muscle groups.  I finished up by doing some light weight lifting.  This was a really good work out...I will def be doing this again!

I also tried Yoga.   I have never been real satisfied with the yoga classes or videos I have tried.  I just don't really feel like deep breathing and raising my arms in the air slowly while listening to my breath is going to tone me up!  So instead of buying a video I was going to watch one time and then let it collect dust, I looked on YouTube.  I had to go through some pretty lame ones, but after looking at a few I found this one.    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0pZUjXGq8w   It is not very clear, and there is commercials in it cuz it is from someones TV, but it is a super good workout!   I tried making the hunnie do it with me, but he made it about as far as one move and then quit and laid on the floor and laughed at me in my agony.   Rodney Yee is a very good yoga instructer.  I really like his videos!

Another new love I have is coffee filters.  Yeah, I know it sounds pretty weird, but seriously these things are great for my activities!  All you need is some hot glue, a scissors, coffee filters and a good flick and your set!  Ok I'll show you.....

This is the first one I made.  The total cost was about $6.  All you do is take a foam ball--i used a 6 inch one--and cover it with full filters.  You need to do this because the hot glue melts the Styrofoam.  Then you simply fold the coffee filter a few times until it makes a a triangle, clip the sharp edge off, and glue it any which direction you want.  They look so cute to me....and are so easy (but pretty time consuming...).  I attached a white ribbon and used a pearly tack to attach it to the ceiling in my bedroom.  I will def be using them for my wedding SOMEDAY!   :)

I also made this for Dr. Maria's Christmas present.  She loved it!

For this one I used the same technique, only I used light brown 'wheat' coffee filters.  You can also color the coffee filters with food coloring.  My sister had tried to make pink ones for a little girl one.  But what we found was that you can only use straight food coloring.  You can't mix it with water or it gets the filter to wet and takes away the pretty shape that makes it look so cool.  So I tried plain red and it looked very cool.  I just couldn't figure out how to incorporate it to the wreath, so I left it plain.  If you find pink food coloring you can probably make it work.

Try the yoga and let me know what you think!!!

Miracles...

So ever since I posted about the beautiful, spring-like weather....the opposite has been happening!  Not loving this, but I guess it is January.  It is snowing as we speak...or as I type, and is freezing cold outside!  I guess i jinxed it!

Anyways, back in September, one of the hunnie's good friends had their baby 3 months early.   Giada Faith was born at 2 pounds 5 ounces, and only 13.75 inches long.  But she actually was doing ok for how small she was.  She had to live in the NICU for a couple months, but eventually they got to take her home!  Mom, Mindy was actually due in December.  Giada is doing well now and weighs over 6 pounds!

photography by janey swart

When I heard about Giada, I wanted to make her something special.  So I headed to Crafts Direct and found some plain wood blocks.   I thought it would be really cool to make her blocks with her name since I knew she wouldn't be able to wear cute onesies and outfits for a while.  So I found some cute letters and animal stickers and this is what I came up with...

I put the paper and stickers where I wanted them and then used modge podge to keep them sticking.

Now that I have my cricut I think these blocks would have been easier, but I will def be trying this again.  They are a nice, personal alternative to the typical baby gift.  I hope her mama liked them too!!   :)

Summer...

I'm lovin this weather!  It feels so amazing to be doing my 'activities' ---will explain later---outside, with short sleeves mid January!  However, I'm getting spring/summer fever real bad...and we haven't even had a real winter yet!  I'm hoping that when/if we do get snow...it doesn't stay for long!   I am def lookin forward to playing LOTS of volleyball and having LOTS of lake days this summer, just like last year!  Another thing I'm actually missing is mowing the lawn!  Love that fresh cut grass smell....:)  I also am planning on trying to plant flowers this summer, which I have never tried before!  I am thinking I want pretty easy, low maintenance plants...because if you ask my hunnie---Trent, I am the furthest from having a green thumb as you can imagine.  He brags because we both got house plants at the same time.  His has doubled in size, and mine.....well....it is no longer with us.  SO maybe I will have to ask for his help with this summer goal.   :)


So, back to the activities....when I say activities, it usually means DIYing something---which I am obsessed with.....thanks largely to Pinterest and my new Cricut.  My lovely friend and downstairs roommate came up with this name because we both are in love with the movie 'Stepbrothers.'    We always quoted this part of the movie, ("so much room for activities!!!!!!!!" --After they made their beds into bunk beds, but before the bunk beds crushed one of the brothers.....:), and Alyssa never knew what to call my crafting/DIYing/making a mess.   What better then "Activites?!"   It caught on.....


So my Activity of today was spray painting.  I have had many objects, waiting in their ugliness, to be sprayed.  Well today, I thought, "Perfect--day off and record high temps for January!"  So after I spent the morning doing much needed deep cleaning, I went out to lunch with one of the besties--Chelsey and I proceeded to my balcony and started spraying.   The warm temps were very appreciated because if you have ever tried to spray paint in the cold, you know that it doubles the drying time--which is frustrating if something needs two coats!  I found this technique, on pinterest of course,to imitate one of my recent obsessions---mercury glass.

I think they turned out really well, but you will have to wait and see!   Pics to follow!!

This weekend, my sis Rachel is coming home from Portland!  She is one of my 3 sisters and hasn't been home since May.  I'm pretty pumped!   She is coming without her 2 year old daughter Miss Israel Gora.  

Rach has never came home without her, so it will be strictly sister bonding time!
Stay classy!   ;)