Saturday, October 13, 2012

chill out

source
 
...that the past couple of days have actually been cool enough for sweaters of all kinds.  the husband and i christened our fireplace this weekend and it was glorious.  it's supposed to hit 90 again next week, but hopefully that will be summer's last hurrah.

week of 10/7: 
sunday:  sick
monday:  sick
tuesday:  taught yoga {and had the bananas scared out of me when an older woman complained of dizziness and was unable to get up from her mat after class}
wednesday:  rest
thursday:  taught yoga
friday:  rest
saturday:  rest

on the yoga front, once i start each class, i'm generally calm and the movements feel very fluid.  after thursday's class, i received two very sincere compliments from two different members.  still working on my anxiety before each class though.  it's like i need yoga before yoga. 

picture of happiness


...ummm, is it wrong that i want to spend the next 863 blog posts being thankful for our wedding photos that we are finally getting back after seven months? 

{don't answer that.  i'll just be thankful in private.  and on facebook.}

Sunday, October 7, 2012

sunsets and sweaters


...for the candy corn colored sunset i happened to catch while i was making dinner the other night.  fall has arrived, slowly but surely, and i can hear my sweaters whispering to me from the closet.  said sweaters are currently keeping me cozy during a case of the sniffles, thanks to some very special public school children and their germs.  they got the sharing is caring message loud and clear.  

Friday, October 5, 2012

crazy kids

when bad petting zoos happen to good people
...that we survived the la county fair unscathed.  last year's weather was so nice, i somehow forgot about the cruel heat that we usually deal with when we go.  luckily, it wasn't quite as bad as i feared {or whined about the day before}.  in real life, i abhor the petting zoo and the husband takes delight in dragging encouraging me to go a few times a year.  this year, i'm happy to say that no goats jumped on me and most of the animals kept a safe and respectable distance.  and then we ate funnel cake.  {maybe i should have opened with the funnel cake}.

Sunday, September 30, 2012

marilyn mantras

source

...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.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

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!

Saturday, September 22, 2012

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.