marilyn mantras

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...for student teachers.  my yoga class this morning was extra massage-y thanks to an extra instructor observing and tweaking form.  a bonus neck rub and shoulder massage makes for a happy amy and underscores why studio yoga beats gym yoga any day of the week.

i was pinning quotes and ran across this one from the beautiful marilyn monroe.  she is, of course, awesome.  but she's also the subject of one of my very favorite shows from last season.  smash, pleeeeease come back soon.  i missed you this summer.

week of 9/23:
sunday:  lulu yoga
monday:  rest
tuesday:  taught yoga {still working on not panicking..and being louder, according to the woman in the back row.  to her i say, "move closer!"}
wednesday:  rest
thursday:  rest
friday:  rest
saturday:  a lot of walking around the la county fair.  i definitely regretted my thinking that we were too cool for the shuttle a few times.

diy monogrammed canvas tutorial

...for our house beginning to feel like home.  this past weekend, the husband and i made semi progress on unpacking and arranging our furniture and boxes that have been evil eyeing us since our move last month.  in my quest to cover our naked white rental walls, i pinned a bunch of home diy stuff.  and, shock of shocks, i did one!  i add this bc we all know that most pin boards should be subtitled "stuff i'll never complete."  if you're into it, here's a quick tutorial.  this one is easy enough for those of us who are craft and creativly challenged {cough...me}.

diy hanging monogrammed canvas {inspired by this etsy find}

 

supplies:

canvas, any size {i used 16" x 20"}

enough fabric to cover the canvas plus 2" all around

staple gun {you could also just use the fabric glue here, too, since you'll use it later}

assorted buttons {i used two packs of 130 each, but yours will depend on what size/look you want}

tacky glue {you might be able to use elmer's, but i don't know if that would hold longterm}

ribbon to hang

 

1.  cover your canvas with your fabric and staple or glue fabric edges around all sides of canvas, like you're wrapping a present.

2.  attach your hanging ribbon to the back of your canvas via staple or glue {i forgot to do this first and had to attach the next day and let dry again before i could hang it}.  i would recommend stapling here, so you can move on to the buttons without needing to let the ribbon glue dry.  

3.  spread out your buttons in the basic letter design you're going for on your canvas, and then stand back and see what it looks like.  you may need to adjust height, color placement, whatevs.  i freeformed my letter, but if you're a perfectionist you may want to use a pattern or stencil here.  you could be really creative and use cursive or a fancy font.  that's not my forte.

4.  go to town with your glue.  for my m, i started glueing in the middle of the letter and worked out from there, switching sides every so often so i could gage for symmetry.  *you might want to save a few extra buttons for the end so you can fill in any areas that don't quite match*

5.  when you've finished glueing, stand back and look at it again.  this is where i realized that i had some empty spots which needed to be filled. 

6.  let dry completely, preferably overnight on a flat surface.  i was disappointed at first to see all the white tacky glue through the button holes, but it dried clear overnight and looked much better the next day.

7.  you can hang up with a nail under the ribbon bow, or you can use sticky hanging strips if you don't want to damage your walls {see rental reference above}.

8.  pat yourself on the back that your entire project took 90 minutes-ish and was under $20 {this is the time to use those 40% off coupons you always get at michaels and joannes}.  resist the urge to repin on pinterest from your own blog, but just barely. 

 

question:  have you done any fun diy's lately?  seen any out there that you want to do?  leave a comment and link away!

return of the weekend

 

...for a no obligation weekend.  other than cleaning, i'm planning on blog reading, napping, trashy magazines and library books.  this week i finally began subbing again {and was reminded of why i hated it in the first place}.  at least it buys groceries.  and i did make some first graders laugh when we read our stories in a bear voice.  my growl is legendary.

week of 9/16:

sunday:  lulu yoga

monday:  rest

tuesday:  taught yoga {panic this week was a little less. baby steps}.

wednesday:  rest

thursday:  rest

friday:  rest

saturday:  active rest {cleaning}

 

thanks to last week's yoga bender, my left elbow has been bothering me for a few days.  i'm trying to take it easy.  i think some swimming might be just what i need.

missing pieces

...that my anxiety over finishing a puzzle only to find that the final piece was nowhere to be found was short lived.  alas, i was sitting on it.  i can also appreciate the irony of this situation, since i in fact bought said puzzle because i'd read they can be relaxing.  #calmdownfail 

workouts and reminders

 

...for the multitude of pin-able inspiration out there.  i decided i'm not loving the little cowgirly i've got representing my workout roundups {although really, she's lassoing in some great fitness.  i kill me.}  so this week, i'm thankful for these five reminders that are easier written than followed.  number two resonates the most for me currently, since i've now taught three yoga classes and have given myself serious anxiety before, during and after each one.  i didn't think teaching big people would be so different from teaching little people.  it's VERY different.  yowza.

week of 9/9:

sunday:  new york renagade hotel gym yoga {to the confusion of those two boys on the treadmills}

monday:  rest

tuesday:  morning yoga taken and evening yoga taught

wednesday:  rest

thursday:  yoga taught

friday:  yoga taken and then taken again {"research" for my own class, much to the surprise and dismay of my muscles}

saturday:  rest

 

so, clearly, i'm on a yoga bender right now.  these workout logs are for mostly my own records/amusement, after all.

meltbob heatpants

heat.  yuck.

...that this self portrait is so spot on.  the thermostat in our living room read 90* last night at 6pm.  it's currently 103* outside.  we've taken to wearing frozen towels as hats.  i'm just lucky i found this gem in our collection.  i have tickets to the la fair this month, but i think we'll die out there i'm not sure this is the best petting zoo weather. 

i now pronounce you not so stressed out

...that the husband and i clean up well.  back from ny last night after a looooong day (hello, 5 am) of traveling and so happy to sleep in my own bed.  seeing ron and cayley get married was beautiful, and it's been far too long (or never) since we've danced all night.  but the best part of the wedding was knowing that we never have to plan our own ceremony and reception again.  whew.   

yogaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

...that i made it through teaching my first yoga class relatively unscathed.  after getting my cert in june, it took me a little bit to apply and audition, but next week i officially start teaching two classes per week.  backing up to last night though, i was covering a class for someone else.  as i told the husband, "if it goes well, great.  and if it's a disaster, at least i never have to see those people again." 

{famous last words}

 

i wish i was joking, but here are a few things that went wrong last evening:

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*i was so into the awesome songs playing on my radio that i completely missed my freeway exit.  i didn't realize i'd missed it until i was four exits further than i wanted to go.  i then got stuck at a train crossing while my gps was trying to guide me to the gym while i looked at the clock every 2.5 seconds hoping not to be late.  {thank goodness i wasn't}

 

*i finally arrived to said gym and find that the equipment {microphone pack and cover screen} promised to me by the woman who called me to sub was, in fact, not anywhere to be seen.  no biggie, i'll just use the same setup the instructor teaching before me used.  i'll discreetly let her know it's my first class, and she'll be more than happy to walk me through.  i'm sure you can see where this is going.

 

*zumba instructor satan jennifer was none too pleased when i interrupted her conversation to politely ask about the mic.  "oh, i don't really use the mic.  i'll put the cd in for you.  good luck."  before sprinting out the door, she proceeds to announce to everyone setting up for yoga that it is, in fact, my very first class.  cue scow-ly faced me.  she obvs. doesn't know that the first rule of subbing is never admit that you're new.

 

*i decide i'm over using a mic anyway and spend the next couple of minutes with my booty to the class trying to adjust volume, lights and whatnot.  we finally get going and start our deep breathing.  yoga is supposed to be relaxing, after all.

 

*for whatever reason, the stereo is set on stopping after each individual song instead of playing all the way through.  i don't realize this until after the second time i've left my pose to hit play again.  i suppose i could try and correct it, but at this point, hitting play every few minutes is really not that big a deal.  i can only hope that the members are so blissed out that they don't notice the extended pause bt songs.

 

*i catch a glance at myself in the mirror about 20 minutes into class and realize that i am nervously sweating.  not glowing, but ugly sweating.  eeeeewwww. 

 

*miraculously, the sequence i've planned plus a few filler moves take up the whole hour and i end the class with a relaxing shivasana.  i mention that i'm teaching a few regular classes and someone asks me what time my huntington beach class is.  god bless you, lady in the blue tshirt.  you made my night.

 

*the icing on the cupcake was when the cd got stuck in the stereo and i couldn't get it to eject after class.  luckily, i was alone by this point.  i finally shut the whole thing down and restarted to get it out.  but seriously, i would have been okay with the cd as collateral damage by that point.

 

that was a long ramble, but i'm hoping the moral of this story is that old show biz saying about a bad dress rehearsal means a great opening night.  because, yikes.  a girl's blood pressure can only remain elevated for so long.  i was so keyed up when i got home that i rolled around in bed until 2:30am.  i'm a treat today.  

yoga and peanuts

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...for another addition of my weekly workouts roundup.  i'm posting a little bit early, because this weekend the husband and i are going to new york (!) for his friend's wedding.  he assures me that we will not be anywhere near time's square or the statue of liberty, which may make it harder to purchase my {i <3 ny} tshirt.  i'll console myself with a trip to niagra falls and overpriced airport snacks.  seriously, last time we flew, i think we paid $8 for a bag of peanuts.

week of 9/2:

sunday:  lulu yoga

monday:  power yoga

tuesday:  turbo kickbox

wednesday:  i taught my first ever yoga class {the breath work we did was more for me than them}

thursday:  rest

friday:  traveling/wandering the airport

saturday:  see friday

git along little... workouts.

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...for the first installment of my weekly workouts roundup.  {side note- finding a non slutty cowgirl picture is a lot harder than you might think}  i'm a lot better about working out during the summer than during the school year, obvs.  right now i have some unplannedandhopefulthatitdoesnotstaythatwayformuchlongerorimighthaveabreakdown extra time off until subbing picks up again this fall, so to keep myself motivated, i think i'll post my workouts here.  better than on our fridge, although no place for gold stars.  hmmm. 

week of 8/26:
sunday: lulu yoga
monday: vinyasa yoga
tuesday: turbokickbox
wednesday: rest
thursday: rest
friday: vinyasa yoga
saturday: wandering the aisles of costco for bulk toiletries