Back to Fall and Back to Crafting!

 I made this for Katelyn with Vinyl from http://yourvinylanswerdecor.blogspot.com/.  She also has an etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/YourVinylAnswer with adorable things! 

I am also obsessed with pinterest and bought copy rights to this image, had it printed at costco, and mod podged it to wood.  This is the first of a series of three I am working on for William's room.  I have been looking for things for his room forever, and I fell instantly in love when I found these prints.  http://oohmoon.com/2011/03/planes-trains-automobiles/

I have a few other projects in the works, so I will post pictures as I finish them.  I HEART PINTEREST!

To Gym or NOT to Gym?

That is the question.  I have been going to the gym for almost a year now.  I checked my account and I have gone 97 times!  I have received so many benefits from getting in shape, even I am surprised I am thinking of dropping it.

• My hips don't hurt after a busy shift at work anymore.  
• I am actually happier and not nearly as moody.  I even feel like I have more patience.  
• I feel great and my pants are all too big. 
• My kids are frequently the ones dragging me to the gym - they have made lots of friends there.  
• I have been able to do things there is no way I could have done without going including shoveling 5 yards of dirt and biking 40 miles and still trying to break a sweat. 

So the disadvantages have to be pretty high to make me think of dropping it.

• First, I am paying over $600 a year for me and my children to go to the gym. 

Even more than money, are the time and energy factors.

• Time wise, it takes me 15 min. to get there so that's 30 min. round trip I am losing as opposed to exercising at home.
• I also go first thing in the morning, which makes me feel like I am not getting to use my most productive time of the day to get things done.  
• At the gym feel like I have to kill myself exercising since my time there is so valuable to me (having to have my kids in the kids club). Then I come home all worn out and a nap is usually in order with the kids afternoon naps. (not to mention no energy to clean!)
• I love to plan adventures with my kids, but going to the gym has definitely cut out lots of these adventures. (we have used our zoo season pass once!) 

I guess the question is, is can I actually get myself to exercise at home? Is it better for my kids to find something to do at home, or play and watch tv at the gym? (The ideal would be to wake up early...dream). Will I actually use the time I am saving productively? I am sick of walking into the gym and smelling the sweat.  I adore Brenda, who teaches some of my classes, but other than that, I usually do my own thing anyway.

I am still mulling it around in my head, but I am definitely pointing more towards the 'quitting' direction. What do you think?


(As an end thought, this is a hilarious post in regards to my last 3 posts. They are all about exercising and eating healthy, and the one before those is about my role as homemaker.  Well, there you have it, my two arched nemeses.)

New Exercise Philosophy Part 2

 If you read Part 1, you are probably laughing at me because eating healthy should not be a new concept.  In one sense, I exercise so I can eat whatever I want. In another sense, I started thinking to myself "I just killed myself at the gym and I don't want to throw all that out the window for just anything". It is a fine line either way, but there is no downside to eating healthy, so finding a cool app to help and even make it a game is always welcomed. 

Now, since I am more drawn to the 'eat whatever you want' concept, I'm continually tweaking my exercise philosophy. Here is what I am doing right now.

Since I started going to the gym, I have mainly been focusing on low weights and high reps to build lean muscle mass because muscle burns more calories than fat (and I don't want to bulk up).  Well, this new plan goes along with that. One of my girl friends (Katie Tyler:-) told me her trainer (Brenda, whom I adore) told her from the very beginning to just work on her legs and not to worry about the rest.  That is because if you want more muscle to burn more calories, your leg muscles are the biggest muscles you have.  Long story short, I am now trying to kill my legs at the gym, so if you see me hobbling along or wincing as I get up and down, cheer me on. It is all in the name of guilt free treats.

New Exercise Philosophy Part 1

I am continually tweaking and modifying how I exercise and try to get in shape.  One thing that hit me recently, was a weight loss show where a girl exercised 4 hours a day but didn't eat healthy and she only lost 3 lbs in 3 months!  That was huge compared to how much she had been losing when she ate healthy.

I recently discovered and AWESOME app that goes along with eating healthy. It is called my fitness pal, and it is basically a calorie counter.  You put in your age, weight, activity level, ideal weight, and how fast you would like to lose the weight, and it tells you how many calories you can eat each day.  It even gives you more calories to eat on the days you exercise. The amazing part is the database on this app. You can scan in the bar code of whatever you are eating and the put in your servings. You can do a search on that food and it has probably every brand out there - kroger, western family, you name it. It even had our local salsa company in its database.  It also has homemade versions for calories and you can put in a recipe of something you eat a lot of, and it will tell you how many calories a serving is (I did it will my homemade granola).  I took Katelyn to IHOP one day and it even had my IHOP strawberry danish crepes in the database.  WOW!!!

I lost 2 lbs the first week, and that was more than my goal!  It is all about portion control and it really helped me realize how many calories are in the junk food I eat.  (Clark happened to make a huge pan of Texas sheet cake and this little app helped me have the will power to resist even that at 450 calories per 4" square). I realized I could eat a tiny piece of cake and be hungry later, or I could eat lots and lots of fruits and vegetables and feel great. I am not still trying to lose weight, but I love this just to maintain and be aware of what I am eating.

Channelling My Inner Jane

I just got back from a fabulous trip to California and I was able to spend a little bit of time with my very gracious and hospitable mother in law.  I didn't realize how much she was rubbing off on me until I got home and realized how much I wanted my home to be like hers.  If there is a mess, she cleans it. Dishes are not just left in the sink, she does them as she goes. (what a concept! ;-)

The list continues, but as I completely ignored my house for the first 24 hours post trip, including laundry, I finally snapped and had this intense compulsion to get my home put in order and keep it that way.  So after dinner I started cleaning and cleaning. The kitchen, check.  the whole downstairs, check, the backyard (we had a hot spell so we left towels, life jackets, and debris everywhere, not to mention cleaning out the swimming pool), check. 10:00 pm - pulling the cars out of the garage and sweeping/cleaning out my car, check. The next day I attacked the laundry and the upstairs and didn't stop until I had to go to work. I even made and awesome meal for lunch and left not a dish in the sink.

I am at war with dirt and stickiness, and while I am cleaning, I just keep telling myself, "I am channeling my inner Jane" (some crafty people channel their inner Martha). I am trying to think like her and actually see the hot spots for clutter in my home rather than just having the clutter be part of the decor.  So here is my homage to my lovely mother in law, and to the continuous battle to discover my inner Jane!

Craft Spot coming into reality!

 

 Before.... 

Midpoint.  (Sorry, I was just so proud I did this much all by myself :-)

 

And the After!   Ta-Da!  Still a work in progress, but all the craft stuff is tucked away nicely.  

Earring Frame

I saw someone else do this and new I had to do it ASAP!  I love getting my jewelery out of the box!

Someone with a lot more jewelry would probably need a bigger frame.  ;-)

Spring Wreath

I know, I am a little wreath crazy, but that is mainly because I never thought I could do it.  Here is my new Spring Wreath taken from one of my previous inspirations.

Decision Finally Made

Remember my inspiration curtains I have been crushing on HERE?  Well I finally found some that come close.

And for a girl who has been living in a brown/black home for the last year and a half, devoid of all things color, it took me a few days to get use to having this bright color in my home, but now I love them.  This is such a happy blue to me (that you might have noticed I am a little obsessed about). And I love finally having some color.

Spring Front Door Decor

http://blueskyconfections.blogspot.com/2011/03/front-door-decor.html

Nice change from a wreath.  Also the welcome sign is just 3 pieces of cardstock!

Valentine Cards 2011

Big achievement for Miss Non-Scrapbooker here.   I even used double sided tape for the first time.  (ridiculous, I know.  please suppress your giggles ;-)  There is a pocket inside that fit FunDips.  Here is to learning new things, slowly but surely.
HUGE thanks to http://eighteen25.blogspot.com/2011/02/matchbook-valentines.html
And also a big thanks to my sweetheart who knows photoshop.  (Add that to my very long to-learn list)

Subway Art

sort of....

Must do something with these lyrics.

Found at :  http://eighteen25.blogspot.com/

Still working on the craft spot....

 My friend Lindzee let me come over and take a few pictures of her craft room to help me with inspiration for my craft spot.  Can you believe this! This would be my dream! 

 I guess I should set the stage properly to introduce Lindzee.  She is adorable!  Walking into her house is like walking into a boutique.  She is so talented!  I couldn't help but take more and more pictures!  This was like walking into the homes of the blogs I stalk.  LOVE!

 I loved this because I had put it into my head that I can't paint the molding in any of my rooms white because of the darn door jam.  She showed me otherwise and it looks sooo good.  Now if only I had the painting skills....

MUST....PAINT...MY....CHALKBOARD!!!  She also gave me the awesome tip to repaint the chalkboard with chalkboard paint so it will write much better. 

 LOVE!

Need I say more?  Heart.   I just wanted to stay in her home and absorb her and the environment she has created as much as possible.  Even though I will probably never be this good at crafting or decorating, Lindzee has totally inspired me and I have had the best week ever thanks to her.  Her house is always so clean and organized without a junk counter to be found.  I have been trying to follow her example and I can't believe it is actually working.  Must keep going.  Thank you so much Lindzee!

Thankful Board Idea

 

http://tatertotsandjello.blogspot.com/2010/10/guest-project-make-thanksgiving.html

My Valentines Wreath and Growth Chart

Here are some of the things I have been working on lately.

This last one still needs help.  1.  I need to figure out how to put Katelyn's name on the top.  Anyone have a cricket or stencils?  2. I think it is way too cute to put my handwriting on, so I have been trying to think of something I could glue on and write on as a marker.  Any ideas?

Katelyn's Room

In the works.

http://janey-mac.com/index.php/vinyl/trees-botanicals/winter-birch-trees-with-birds-239.html

Paper Snowflakes Tutorial

http://dawnypoo.blogspot.com/2011/01/tuesday-tutorial-paper-snowflakes.html

Flowers

Great Tutorial

http://alittlelovelyblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/tuesday-tutorial.html

Valentines Wreath

To Do:

http://mygreenbraecottage.blogspot.com/2011/01/my-pretty-n-pink-valentines-day-wreath.html

 What about this one with PINK linen?
http://beautifulnest.blogspot.com/2010/10/more-linen-love-linen-wreath.html

http://adiamondinthestuff.blogspot.com/2011/01/valentine-rag-wreath.html

Think, Valentines Ribbon.  45 yards of ribbon.

http://phillipsfam22.blogspot.com/2010/03/ribbon-wreath-making-with-my-momma.html

Christmas Presents

 Matching bracelets for Katelyn and her cousin Savanna.  I finally learned how to make them!  It took a little trial and error, but we are having a lot of fun with them now.

Pouch to dress up and store a gel eye mask, inspired by:
Gift Card Cozy: Make it and Love it