A SASSY DIY

Hi there! Hope everyone had a great Monday! As I promised you last week, I have a fabulous DIY in store for you today! This came about because I have been wanting to add some sass in my life lately. Also, I had a collage of art and notes to self above my desk on my wall, and the tape I have has not been adhering well to the wall so my collage has been falling down. When I took everything down, my poor wall looked so sad! So I grabbed a canvas I had not used yet, bought a tube of metallic gold Folk Art brand paint from the mart for a whopping $1.97 and got to town. 

The canvas I used was 30" by 30", but really any size will do. If you want to use something that big I suggest going to jerry's artarama when they have their canvas sales (I got this one for about $15, when usually its about $60 - $80). You may also find a decently priced one from dick blick art store online. I am not a huge fan of purchasing art supplies from non-art specific stores because believe it or not- the items are so much more expensive elsewhere. 

You'll need a pencil, and a few objects that create the size circle you'd prefer. Or if you're real fancy you can use a template. I wanted to keep this project as inexpensive as possible (ie- almost free).  You can find the Folk Art brand paint at any craft store, and you can probably find it at your Wal-Mart (thats where I found mine). As I said before, it should cost you less than $2. I also used a paint brush with a pointed tip but you can buy pouncers for relatively inexpensive. The 'mart had a pack of different sized ones for $5. 

Place your template/object down on your canvas and very very lightly trace around it with your pencil. Pencil is difficult to erase from canvas so be very light-handed with this. 

Correct the edges/lighten them up with a moldable eraser. I prefer these as they are the best and they don't rub off a layer of the paper/ canvas you are erasing from as traditional erasers do. You can get these at arts/craft stores and are less than $1. 

Get you some paint on your brush. 

Paint! I like to trace the edge of the circle first with the paintbrush very slowly to start with. Then I fill in the dot. 

I trace out everything first and fill in the circles. I go form top to bottom, right to left so I am not stuck painting at a funny angle to avoid dragging my hand through circles I've already painted. Also, you'll want to paint a very thin layer and smooth out the paint as much as possible so the circles are not too textured. Once the first layer has dried, go back over it with a second layer, smoothing the paint out again. 

If you accidentally drip paint on the canvas where you did not want it to go, quickly grab a cloth rag and wet it and wipe off the wet paint. It should come right out. 

Check and see if you want to add any more circles. 

Once it is totally dried, you can hang it! For the time being I rested it up against the wall over my desk. Once I find some washi tape that sticks well ( what I have is really cheap and not good), I'd like to tape my art and photos up onto the canvas. But I do like the way it looks now. 

The thing I love the most about this project is that it took so little time and effort and it adds so much to my plain-white studio. I get irritated when I see a "free" or "super cheap" DIY when really the person used a TON of things they already had from previous projects - and the project really would cost a lot to make if you don't have the things on hand. If you can't find a large canvas on sale- you can go to Home depot /Lowes and get a piece of pre-cut plywood and paint it white prior to adding dots to it. That will run you about $14 for the wood (or a canvas on SALE), $5 for white paint, $2 for the gold paint, and about $5 for a brush or pack of pouncers. And if you do have a canvas- you can omit the white paint. 

Hope y'all love it! I would love to see how yours turns out and how you style it! I got super excited when I finished and ended up making another one for myself- which you can see here.

INSTA-AWESOME

Hi there! I hope everyone had an awesome weekend! We had a lot of fun this weekend! We kept it low key and hung around the house save for a trip to get pumpkins (more on that later this week) and  we went to church. Today I wanted to share some snippets of life through Instagram Enjoy!

Pumpkin picking with my boys! The funny part about this photo is that the only way for me to get Hen to look at me is to tell him "Mommy has a baseball!" and then take the photo quickly before he yells "BAY BAAAAW!!" (don't worry we always have a baseball on hand in one of our cars so it's not totally unfair to say that) 

Taco night is a regular occurance in our household. Tex-Mex is my love language. 

Henry was obsessed with this praying mantis the other day outside. He has gotten really into "bucks" or "bups" as he calls them. 

Henry has slept through the night since he was itty bitty (Halleluja!) but he woke up in the middle of the night the other night super hungry and "cot" (cold) so I got him all warmed up and in cozier PJ's and gave him a bottle. He slept until almost 9 AM the next morning, y'all. 

Now that it is "fall" time here it is soooo nice to just go sit outside and relax while Henry plays with bubbles or his bat and  baseball.

ON MY HEART

Hi There! I'm linking up with Casey Leigh 's "On My Heart" Linkup. 

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I have started writing/ giving myself positive "notes to self" the past few weeks. The idea came from the fabulous Lara Casey. I decided to start doing it as it combined my love for hand lettering and working on being more positive. I did include some of them in my last post, but thats okay, I love 'em! 

They're nothing fancy, and I can't take credit for the first and last one, but they have made a difference in my life for sure! The last one has been with me the longest, and was something that got me through a super hard time. This is one of Mother Theresa's famed prayers. I love it so much. 

Do you have any favorite sayings, pep talks, or notes to self? I'd love to hear them!

HERE'S WHAT

Hey Y'all It's time for Five on Friday! I'm linking up over at the The Good Life Blog. Here are mine:

1. I finally decorated for Halloween. I love the fall holidays, and normally I'm the cray cray who has decorated for Halloween by Oct. 1. I used things I already had. I used books in my Thanksgiving decoration last year- in which I only used those books, left over white mini pumpkins, and other odds and ends around the house, and I LOVED how it turned out. So I decided to go the same direction this year and I'm super happy with it. I tried to pick Halloween-ish books either in color or theme :).

2. Y'all. I love a good candle. Especially pumpkin ones! Ideally it would be eco friendly but I'm not going to pay $25 for a non-eco candle let alone for an eco one. These are $5 at "the mart" thats what we call wal-mart around here) and they smell like a  $25 bath and body works candle. 

3. I became obsessed with this cookbook that called "The Happy Everything Cookbook" or something at Joe Patti's market here, and it's written by a woman who makes these amazing ceramic platters that say "Happy Everything!" on them. I'm kindof obsessed and I want one, along with the book. What I love about it is that she really loves to celebrate the every day- everything! So its right up my alley. So until I get my hands on one of her fabulous platters, I made myself a fun little reminder. This is also a pre-view of a fun DIY coming up next week. (No, this is not actually the DIY) 

4. One of my favorite bloggers talked in a post about writing herself "notes to self", some of which have become prints in her shop. I totally loved the idea and I've started writing myself "notes to self" lately as well. This one resides on my desk. They've made me happier for sure. 

5. I've been known to be in my own little world at times- this one was one of those times. I bought this book YEARS ago and stuck it on my bookshelf and promptly forgot about it. The other night I pulled it out looking for fish recipes and found that she has a Sole Meuniere recipe in there, a recipe I've always wanted to try. But aside from that- the book is freaking adorable. She breaks down all of her recipes into themes- like Hanukkah, a retro-themed cocktail party, and a steak-house style date night. She includes drink recipes AND music playlists. The photos are also very appealing- which is super important for a visual person like me. I am making one of her cocktails along with the Sole Meuniere next week, and will report back. 

This week turned out to be a fantastic week! I was unsure how it would go- or how my patience would be by the end of the week, but Henry James did SO great with potty training. He definitely still has accidents every day, but he really tries and gets excited when he gets it right. This experience reinforced to me how great he responds to us praising him for what he does right. We were able to go on two outings and he stayed dry the whole time. He's a little champ!

Hope y'all have a great weekend! Any fun plans you're looking forward to?  

WORK IT

Hey y'all. Hope you all are wrapping up a great week! A few weeks ago on instagram I asked my followers what kind of workouts they would like to see and got a few great responses! My darling husband obliged my request and has come up with a great work out for y'all today.  As I said before, I'm so thankful to have him around to keep me motivated and to make sure I do thinks right in the gym. 

You know I have to say this- but please make sure you have been approved by your medical professional to work out. My husband does not mess around in the gym- he is extremely safety-conscious in everything he does or has me do. He will even go up to a dude at the gym and help him if he sees him doing something that will hurt him- he is HUGE on safety. He has a degree in exercise science and is eligable to sit for his licensure exam- but is about to start some serious training with the military (7 days a week- boo). While he is a trained personal trainer- he isn't yours (though I know he would love to be!). He is happy to answer any questions you may have with regard to the exercises below, but he can't evaluate whether or not you are able to do the exercises- since he's not there with you. Please do this workout with your best judgement. 

Along with the amount of care he puts into people being safe in the gym, he also doesn't do or give anyone else an exercise that won't WORK them out. He wants everyone to do their best and push themselves - so the below workout isn't easy. 

I also want to say a little bit about weight lifting. I was never intimidated in the weight room at the gym, per se, as I was a college athlete and had to lift weights as  a part of training- I don't really know what kind of workouts to do on my own. I was not interested in weight lifting because I did not want to get bulky! Let me tell you- you will NOT get bulky unless you are supplementing like crazy in order to GET bulky. Us ladies do not have the hormones needed to naturally get bulky- TRUST me on this. And also- ladies try to not be intimidated by going to the weight room around a buch of guys if that is something that makes you uncomfortable. In fact- if you need help or need to be spotted- thats like a "thing" in the weight room- people are happy to help or spot! And also - I bet the guys in there think its pretty cool if a lady goes in and lifts weights. 

The thing that surprised me the most about weight lifting is that I saw results WAY faster than from cardio alone AND those results lasted way longer after I cut down on weight lifting over the period of time we were prepping for- and moving. When I was in grad school, if I had to skip a day or two during the week- it was always cardio and never the weight lifting part- and I continued to see results. Keep in mind that I was eating clean and trying not to skip too many work outs. So don't let that be your permission slip to skip a work out ;).

Hey! Early this week Em asked me if I could answer her ask the trainer column, and I am happy to say that this is the first of hopefully many Coach Rob segments. In her request for questions, several of you replied looking for some exercises and workouts. Being my first segment, I have created a workout that can be done in less than 40 minutes and is good for once, twice or three times a week. The purpose of this workout is to address the question looking for inner leg work, arm work and a walking/jogging routine.

1, 2 or 3 times a week perform the following:

1.                  Walk on a treadmill for 2 minutes as fast as possible without becoming a jog

2.                  2 sets of Squats, 12 to 15 repitions

3.                  2 sets of Reverse Lunges, 12 to 15 reps

4.                  1 set of Bench Press, 12 to 15 reps

5.                  1 set of Bent over Barbell Row, 12 to 15 reps

6.                  1 set of Shoulder Press, 12 to 15 reps

7.                  2 Sets of Bicep Curls, 12 to 15

8.                  1 set of Tricep Extensions, 12 to 15

9.                  2 sets of as many crunches as possible per set

10.              12 minutes jogging on treadmill

This routine will strengthen all muscles in the legs and will hit the arms pretty hard while also strength the entire upper body. By warming up prior to lifting your heart rate will elevate and stay raised during the workout and the run at the end will help add cardio to the routine. This combination will allow for greater calorie burn and reduced fat. By strengthen the muscles and burning more calories you will see results faster. Unfortunately there is no way to spot reduce body fat, however the routine will lower the overall body fat and that will lead to lose inches where you want to.

Another question was a routine for the lower abdominal muscles. Like the above routine, there is no way to reduce fat in a specific area, however we can add anyone of the following exercises into the above routine and specifically strengthen the lower abs. If you are looking for a low ab strength routine, you can use three of the exercises together as an add-on to any routine.

·                     Hanging Leg raises

·                     Scissor Kicks

·                     Hip Thrust

·                     Reverse Crunch

·                     V Hold

·                     Planks

For a video reference click on any of the exercise names. I hope you enjoy and get a lot out of this, and please keep the questions coming.

Coach Rob

Okay, its Em:

P.S. all links are credited to www.bodybuilding.com- which is a free site where you can research all kinds of great workouts, and refer to their videos such as above so that you know how a particular exercise is done!

P.P.S. On the cardio part- if you can't run 12 minutes straight starting out- then run for as long as you can, then walk quickly, and then run as long as you can, and walk quickly- gradually working up to that run over time. NOBODY starts out running that far the first time- so work up to it if ya gotta! 

P.P.P.S. Go over to his site and leave some love. Also, if you have questions go there and leave a comment or email him- he will definitely get back to ya! 

WHAT I WORE...KINDOF? [A LINK UP]

Welp. It turns out potty training doesn't make for the most fashionable week. Who am I kidding, I don't think my LIFE lately makes for the most fashionable...anything. So I'm going to post what I have and then post what I dress like in my head . 

Girl's night out! T'was nice to get out after day 1 of potty training. Bless my husband for taking the babe the rest of the night, after both he AND the babe were over potty training. 

Top, Jeans, Shoes: J.Crew Outlet
Necklace: J.Crew
Earrings: Tarjay
Glasses: No name brand from my optometrist
 (Y'all, can we talk about this for a second? Two pair for $80. I have been sans glasses for 2 months now because Henry decided to play with my glasses one day- and These were my one of two. LURVE. I have always wanted a sassy molassy pair of cat-eyes! )

AAAND potty training day...two? three? I lost count after 12 hours of potty-training...amazing..ness. 'least the shoes are cute!
Top: wait for it, J.crew outlet
Capris: Reebok
Shoes: Mizuno 

And pair numero dose! The fly-away hairs cost extra. And I look pained. But I promise, I'm not.
No-name brand again.

Here is my pretend wardrobe:


via

Because boots are an integral part of potty-training attire, no? Love this outfit, and LC is fab. 

And this is a super cute "fall transition outfit" I found on Pinterest. Honestly, with the way the temps are there, this could be my fall-fall outfit. Or even Christmas day outfit. But nevertheless, its cute!

P.S. Please forgive the lack of sources on images in this post, my poor little Mac is having maj. problems with the interwebs. 

PUMPKIN SPICE CAKE DONUTS

Hey there! Thanks for stoppin' by! I hope everyone's week is off to a lovely start. I am sharing a super good recipe that I tried recently today on the blog. Its no secret to my friends and family that I have a baking "problem". That is only second to my mason jar "problem". I had a family friend comment on that recently. I have at least 3 different types of mason jars, and I think I total at least 30 or 40. yeah I told you its a problem. Hey they're indestructible and can be used for just about anything!

I digress... Baking. Pumpkin Spice. Yes I've jumped on that band wagon along with everyone else. Though I AM probably the ONLY person in the world who doesn't like a Pumpkin Spice Latte (or a PSL for you Starbucks-ites). Yeah. I'm coming clean. It tastes like armpits smell to me. Don't ask me why I think that. I'm now entering into the PSL witness protection program.

The below recipe that I tested is from king Arthur. They have the best recipes. We have one of their cookbooks and use their flower as much as we can. ( I did not this time because target had a sale on their 48,000 LB bag of flower this past week). I also did not follow the recipe perfectly. If you like Walter White level perfection in baking and cooking recipes then you have come to the wrong place, Darlin' because I use what I have and bake on the fly. For example, I couldn't locate the half jar of coconut oil (which I usually use to replace shortening or veg. oil in recipes) that I KNOW that I have somewhere, so I used olive oil. Relax, it doesn't show up once it's baked. I have used it several times in baking and I've never noticed it in the final product, (in the batter, yes), and neither has my super sensitive husband.

I also used a 15. something-ounce can of pumpkin puree instead of an exact 1.5 cups,  because I didn't want to waste, and it turned out just fine. Oh, and I also omitted the extra half cup of sugar because I have a sugar allergy- I use all natural organic sugar so it has a richer flavor. I am sure that you can even use only a half a cup of sugar if you wanted to because the pumpkin puree is sweet and the donuts are coated in sugar and cinnamon.

 I imagine they would taste amaze-fest if you subbed out sugar all together and used barley malt or brown rice syrup- you'd have to cut the amount of sweetner or puree or up the flour since both of those are liquid sweeteners. In fact- those two sweeteners are my absolute favorite for fall-time flavor combinations, and things like rich muffins or granola. Yumsies.

• 
  
• Here's what you'll need: 
• Mixing Bowl
• Spatula
• Whisk or Large Spoon
• Measuring Cups and spoons 
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups pumpkin purée (canned pumpkin)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, or 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon plus heaping 1/4 teaspoon each ground nutmeg and ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 3/4 cups + 2 tablespoons 

1. Preheat oven to 350. Mix everything together in a mixing bowl except the flour. Once all other ingredients are combined, slowly add flour, stirring. 

2. Spoon the batter into a donut pan and bake at 350* for 15-18 minutes. 

3. Mix together about a cup total of sugar and cinnamon. (Use a ratio of your liking. I ADORE Pensy's Cinnamon so I used something like 4 T of cinnamon to 3/4 cup of sugar). Melt you up some butta (a whole stick for 12-15 donuts) 

4. Let them cool until they can be handled, and aren't crumbly. Dip 'em in the buttah. 

5. Dip 'em in the cinnamon sugar. Dip 'em real good. 

6. You're welcome. 

I loved loved this recipe, as I do ALL of King Arthur's recipes. I had 15 minutes until it was time to face-time with my family and I had time to take photos AND mix everything and pop them in the oven before it was time to talk. It was SO easy, and my husband appreciated that he only had to wash ONE bowl and a couple of measuring cups. (Especially since I made waffles this morning and it called for 3 separate bowls and 87 measuring spoons). I may be prone to hyperbole. It's an affliction. Also dishes is the hubby's thing, I promise I'm not a proponent of forced labor.  I also liked how forgiving it is to the many few changes I made to the ingredients. 

Okay, yea or nay to the Pumpkin Spice Trend? If so, whats you're fave thing? Make something fun to eat/share this week y'all! 

Recipe Source