It’s a wrap: wrapping up ‘Buy 1, give 1’

Huge thanks to those supported the scarf donation program! I dropped off the scarves from ‘Buy 1, give 1’ at the Refugee Services of Texas which has been helping people resettle since 1978. I chose them because they offer so many vital services for people coming to the US. I can’t imagine how hard it would be to flee your home country because of war, etc and come to a new country with a new language and different customs. There were 2 men working on mailing some papers and they had like 50 postal service envelopes and you could tell they had no idea what to do. I experienced like 1% of their experience during my mission in Guatemala – struggling with a foreign language, not understanding how things work at banks, transportation, etc., wandering around a city and just an overall feeling of feel lost or sometimes out of place – however, my experience was different because there’s already a support system as an LDS missionary in a foreign country. You have an experienced companion, mission president, etc. I’m glad there are places and people looking out and helping refugees.

Again, thank you for your support.  I had a lot of fun knitting this fall and hope to do the program every year.

charity scarf program refugees

scarf charity donation refugees

scarf charity donation refugees

refugee services of texas

 

Personal Motto

Do you have a personal motto? I guess I’ve had an informal one for years, just a phrase that’s helped me push through trials. I used to run a lot and enjoyed running track in high school. I still love to run but haven’t been very consistent since having kids and having injuries. In many races, runners hit  a ‘wall’ where you’re almost done but exhausted from the previous laps. Pacing is very important and also finding the extra strength to stay strong and have a solid finish. I remember thinking a lot ‘dig deep’ and the repetition of the phrase would help carry me through to continue one to the end of the race.  We can do hard things if we power through our trials, whether physical trials like running a race or whatever hardships life throws at us.

dig deep you are stronger than you think motto motivational quote

Yo yo yoga

Before my mission, one of my friends at BYU introduced me to yoga and I’ve loved it ever since. I haven’t been consistently practicing since then but the time periods where I’m actively practicing yoga I definitely feel the benefits.

Why I love yoga: it combines strength, stretching, flexibility, balance, breathing and relaxation.  I feel stronger after practicing and also more relaxed and energized.yoga

My favorite myth about yoga: you have to be flexible to do it. Not true! On most days I can’t even touch my toes, there are always options to poses and modifications. Yoga is very personal and everyone can go at their own pace and modify the poses without judgement.

My favorite pose: Tree (Vriksasana) I love feeling rooted while working on balance, full body strength and being centered. The image of a tree is very solid, strong, firmness and represents life.tree pose

tree pose

Products I like: gaiam yoga mat, water bottle, Lululemon capris (similar)

best-way to start the week yoga

Their story is our story

There are approximately 65 million refugees worldwide (UNHCR) and approximately 500,000 homeless people in the US. I love this quote: “This moment does not define them, but our response will help define us.”  Thank you for your support for ‘Buy 1, give 1‘! I’ve been knitting like crazy and so appreciative of the people who have helped me with this project. It’s given me even more time to reflect on the blessed state in which we live and that the story of refugees and homeless in our country is also our story.

their-story refugees

chunky hand knit scarf maroon charity

10 ways to improve your health

No matter your age, circumstances or stage, there is probably something you can do to be healthier.  These are my favorite, small things to do to improve one’s health:

  1. Drink more water – aim for 8 cups a day.
  2. Regular and consistent exercise -find something you love to do that’s not a chore.
  3. Practice stress relief like meditation, deep breathing, stretching, yoga, etc.
  4. Walk more – take the stairs, walk on your lunch break, park farther away.
  5. Get enough sleep! – you will be mentally sharp and more able to maintain a healthy weight. One of the factors of obesity is a lack of sleep.
  6. Eat breakfast.
  7. Fill your body with whole foods – the less processed, the better it is for your body.
  8. Lift weights – You don’t need to become a body builder, but strengthen your muscles and bones.
  9. Look on the bright side – make an effort to focus on the positives instead of the negatives, don’t compare yourself to others.
  10. Serve and reach out to others – both parties will benefit in countless ways.

The one I feel like I’m ALWAYS working on is drinking more water! I don’t drink anything besides water and occasionally orange juice and have found carrying a water bottle around (even around the house) has helped me remember to drink more water. I’ve started to see minor improvements in my skin tone and texture. My current favorite water bottle is this Hydro Flask bottle. I wanted a bottle that would keep water cold (because Texas) and didn’t collect condensation or leak. This bottle is amazing and met all my requirements. Even outside at the park in 95 degrees, my water was still ice cold.

hydroflask

10-simple ways to improve your health

10-ways to improve your health

 

 

Hand-knit scarf: Buy 1, give 1

In 2009 we lived in DC, Salt Lake City and Edinburgh, Scotland – three amazing cities and also three cities that can get pretty cold. After seeing so many homeless people in the literal freezing cold, I decided I wanted to teach myself to knit with the goal of knitting scarves for those less fortunate in the winter. I’ve been doing this project since then and have found knitting relaxing, a way to boost my creativity and a way to help others. I realize knitting scarves isn’t a solution to homelessness but I feel it’s a small thing I can do to help someone.

I’ve lost count how many scarves I’ve completed to date, especially with breaks during the times when Brent and Tessa were born, but I would estimate around 45 scarves. I am now selling my hand-knit scarves with the promise of a buy one scarf and another one will be knit and donated to homeless or refugee shelter. You can buy one here through Etsy or contact me! Custom colors available. This will be an annual project from mid September to mid November every year. Thank you for your support!

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chunky hand knit scarf

chunky hand knit infinity scarf buy 1 give 1 charity

buy 1 give 1 hand knit infinity scarf charity

Project update with Refugee Services of Texas HERE!

 

No equipment exercises

I wrote a guest post on this topic over on The Stoker Kitchen a few weeks ago and wanted to revisit with a little more detail. I love that Brent and Tessa are close in age, we love that they grow and play together, however, having a child at age 30 and 31 was hard on my body and it’s been difficult to recover my previous level of fitness (basically every mom relates to this!) I absolutely loved Treehouse Athletic Club when we lived in Utah and felt it was worth every cent to have awesome equipment, classes, lots of space and most importantly, a great child care. The kids and I were there every morning except Sundays. Here in Austin, we are back at 24 Hour Fitness – this location is pretty crappy but they do have childcare which was basically my only requirement. Joining a gym with child care has been the number 1 thing that has helped me get back ‘in shape’ after having kids.

In the times, I’m not at the gym or outside exercising, these have been awesome to do in the house, no equipment necessary.

I like to do 10-15 reps  and 3-4 sets depending on the difficulty of the exercise OR 30 seconds of an exercise and then 30 seconds rest, repeat until exhaustion 😉 The nice thing is these can be done anytime and even if you only have 10 minutes.

Ab and core exercises:

  • Crunches
  • Bicycle crunches
  • Reverse crunches
  • Leg lifts
  • Plank
  • Side plank
  • Side plank crunch
  • Plank step out
  • Plank shoulder touch
  • Walking plank
  • Bird dog
  • Glute bridge/hip raise
  • Single leg hip raise
  • Split leg (jack knife) sit ups

no equipment exercises to lose weightno equipment exercises to lose weight, abs and coreLower body exercises:

  • Squats
  • Stationary lunges
  • Curtsy lunge
  • Calf raises
  • Standing single leg lift
  • wall sit

Upper body exercises:

Pushups, Spiderman pushups

Whole body exercises:

  • Burpees
  • Surrenders
  • Windmills
  • Mountain Climbers
  • Jumping Jacks
  • Squat jumps
  • Inch Worm

no equipment whole body exercises to lose weight

My top 10 ab/core exercises here

no equipment exercises to lose weight that you can do anywhere

I’d love for you to follow along – follow buttons in the right sidebar or at the bottom if you’re on mobile 🙂

Protein bites: easy, healthy, high energy snack

After working out, I get extremely hungry and this is my favorite protein-filled, quick snack that can be prepared beforehand.  I like this recipe because it’s SO simple, requires little prep time, no cooking time and you can add in sweets (like chocolate chips) or salty (almonds, nuts, etc). In addition to protein, it has flaxseed which has shown evidence of reducing heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes. Flaxseed also comes as ‘ground flaxseed‘ if you prefer it less seedy. I usually double or triple the recipe because we go through them so fast!

image

 

FullSizeRender_5 Ingredients 

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Mix then chill

Roll and enjoy!

Protein Bites (1)

easy, no bake-protein-filled

How we wore it: Work out Clothes

This is my first time linking up for a ‘how we wore it‘ post and it’s kind of perfect for me because I love exercise clothes and am always on the hunt for affordable, stylish workout wear that allows free movement and sweat, ha, ha.  I’m at the gym 6 days a week with my kids and have  played sports basically my whole life and love exercising, running, cycling, yoga, and my true love: soccer.

The inspiration for this post is from Jacque from Looks for Lovelies:

howweworeit

And this is how I wore it:

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Top  (similar) / Capri bottoms* / Running shoes from Asics

*I LOVE  Lululemon products because of the fit, stretch, comfort and style. They are pricey but definitely worth it. I don’t spend a ton of money on clothes and everything I have from  Lulu was a gift or from a gift card. I’ve had the black capris for NINE years and they’re still going strong!

Make sure to check out these other inspired looks:

Deidre from Deidre Emme

Ruth from My Little Nest
Jenn from What You Make It
Kiana from Glitter & Donuts
Jessica from Mason Jars and Lemon Bars
Alyssa from Pinsent Life
Sierra from Sierra’s View
Madeline from CaseyLand
Riley from Riley Jo Blog
Samantha from The Samantha Show
Beverly from What a Day
Brooklyn from Brooklyn Jolley
Amber from Amber Nicole blogs
Erica from Good Job Momma
Shelbie from 365 With RyGuy and I
Jenn from Give This Girl Coffee
Kelsi from Lovestrong
Justine from Little Dove
Chelsea from Tessa Marie
Monica from It’s All About

good things cometo those who

How to have a happy marriage 

Today, my husband and I  celebrate TEN years of marriage! I can’t hardly believe it, time sure has flown. We’ve had so many adventures together – 10 moves, 7 foreign countries visited, 1 dog, 2 kids, and 15 ballparks visited!

While we’re far from perfect and life is all about progress and becoming, I wanted to share a few things we’ve learned on having a happy marriage.

-Be the first to apologize and forgive. Don’t hold grudges or let grudges fester against your spouse, nothing good can come from it. Compromise. 

-Give 100%, not just 50% even though you’re a partnership. 

-Invest time in you as a couple – time with no distractions.

-Share the work load, work side by side and learn together.

-Find things you can do together – hobbies, exercising, vacations. 

I am in no means perfect or even good at most of these but I know our efforts to create and maintain a strong marriage will pay off! I’ve loved the last 10 years travelling with Dave and becoming parents together.

Any good marriage or relationship tips?

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*Fiesta Friday returns next week- we are finally closing on our home today!*