Little Girls' Skirts for Clean Water Part #3

A few more skirts to add to the queue:

Remember!  All money goes straight toward building a well in India!!! For more information about Skirts for Clean Water, please read about it HERE!!!!  The skirts listed on that post are all SOLD, but the story is important, so please read it!!  :) 

If you are interested in buying, please FB me or email 1uponawhim@gmail.com.  If you are not local, I will set up a listing on Etsy for you and add $3 shipping & handling. 

These are little girls skirts--2 are for 2-4 yr. olds and 2 will be for 18months -2 yrs. 

Skirt # 1: 
Size 2-4 T
Donation minimum--$28  "Fairies and Cupcakes"  Apron skirt. 
Apron is removable button-on.  Ruffle trim, elastic waist, serged or finished edges.

 WHY can't I get my pics straight!!??  Ahhhh!

Skirt #2:
Size 2-4 T
Donation minimun--$28  "Hearts & Kittens" Reversible Apron Skirt.
Apron is removable by ribbon--NOT permanently attached.
Tulle Trim, elastic waist, serged or finished edges

 Reversible apron side #1

 Reversible apron side #2

Skirt # 3: 
Size 18mos-2yrs
Donation minimum--$25  "Polka dots & Flowers"   
 Ruffle trim, elastic waist, serged or finished edges.

 (Big pink flower not included!)

There's one more, but I don't have a picture.  Silly me.  I have lots of fabric--tons of colors and combos, so if you need to order, let me know!

 THANK YOU!!!

Skirts for Clean Water Take #2

So, thank you for your interest in helping build a well in India!!!  I've sold 2 skirts and I have 2 that are unclaimed, and more that I'll be making.  Please read Skirts for Clean Water to understand what I'm doing here!

Skirt #4:  "Put a Bird On It"  (hehe!)  While most will be $30, this one is going for a suggested price of $45--100% is going to the well in India.  Lots of detail and extra work.  Skirt made out of 100% upcycled knit shirts.  Asymmetrical, fold-over waistband. This one is particularly nice--beautiful, quality fabric.  (trust me!)  Extra patchwork.  Serged hem and seams. SIZE MEDIUM--this waistband is a little less stretchy, but still comfy.  I had intended it to be a bigger skirt, but as it turns out, with the stiffer waistband, it fits me perfectly!  Ha!  The waistband is also longer (it folds over as shown), but can be turned up and the skirt worn longer, if you wish.  Perfect for winter with boots, but can be worn with a tank and Toms for the summer.

Also, Skirt #3 is still available for $30 view HERE

Skirts for Clean Water

The Story:

The last few years, our church has taken part in a bigger effort to make a difference in the world with our Christmas spending through Advent Conspiracy.  No, we don't forgo gift-giving, or become stingy in our present-giving to our friends or relatives.  Lack of generosity is not the heart of it--it's not spend less/don't be a consumer so that you can pocket the money for yourself.  Rather, spend less on the things that don't really matter (my kids have HUNDREDS of items of clothes.  We won't talk about my closet.) and more on things that DO matter . . .

 . . . Like clean water.  The idea was conceived by a few pastors who calculated that Americans spend $450,000,000,000 on Christmas every year.  That's 450 BILLION.  What if we took just a FRACTION of that money, looked outside of our little "friends and family" box to the world that GOD loves, and we were generous with those in his creation that desperately need hope?  Need life-giving water?  Jesus gave Himself generously and brought hope to the hopeless.  As much as I love Christmas and love giving gifts (truly I LOVE it!), I'm convicted that my generosity must extent past those I know personally.

(Watch this VIDEO to learn more about Advent Conspiracy)

I just spent about $70 at Value Village, St. Vincent De Paul and Joann's.  (Yes, one of these things does not go with the other!)  I didn't buy toys and games.  I bought t-shirts and a little bit of fabric.  Tons of t-shirts.  And now I'm recreating them into skirts to sell so that I can help buy a $600 well in India.  If this is something you want to support, please buy a skirt--for yourself, for a friend, for a family member.   

(Please forgive bad photos!!)

100% of ALL SALES (not just proceeds) go directly to the well.  No slave labor!  Mostly recycled fabrics!

Suggested Price:  $30.  If you want to donate more, ALL money will go toward the well.  Please facebook me or email me at 1uponawhim@gmail.com if you are interested.  More to come!!!


1.  "Dark Butterfly"--Medium.  Made out of 100% recycled knit shirts.  Extra patching together.  Serged seams and hem.  Asymmetrical, fold-down waist. 

 Front

 Back

 Side

 Serged edges
Full disclosure:  I kind of stink at serging.  I did the best I could, but it's not perfect!!

2.  "Surfin' Hippie"--Medium.  Made out of 100% recycled knit shirts.  Serged seams and hem.  Asymmetrical, fold-down waist. 

3.   "Color Me Sunshine"--Medium.  Made out of 80% recycled knit shirts, 20% knit fabric. Center section is double thick so not see-through!!  Serged seams and hem.  Fold-down waist. 

Weekly Recipes

Last time I went grocery shopping, I forgot what recipes I was going to make--or where they were.  Most of my "new" recipes are on my Pinterest board, but we all know how hard it can be to sort through an entire board for what you want, especially when you forget what you're looking for.

So I'm going to put links to my week's food here so I don't forget!

Breakfast:  Baked Oatmeal, double batch to reheat in the mornings
Lunches:
Sandwiches (need to buy more PB)
Salads (need more lettuce)
Don't have the right link, but English muffin topped with hummus, avacado, roasted tomato


Suppers
Monday:  Mini Tamale Pies
Tuesday:  Yumm Bowls
Wednesday:  Mahi-Mahi Tacos with Mango Salsa
Thursday:  Salad, Crockpot Chicken Taco Chili
Friday:  Out
Saturday:  I don't know.  :)

Workout Interrupted

Why didn't I post a workout the last couple of days?

Well, first, I went to a workout (already blogged that!)

On Tuesday, I woke up after not feeling well all night so I didn't do RIPPED with friends.  However, by the evening, I felt well, so I played volleyball.  Whoohoo!  Our team won, but what's better is that I played pretty well, which was a HUGE turnaround from the last game I played in when I embarrassed myself.  Ah, nice check on the ego, I suppose.

Wednesday, I taught step for the first time since the beginning of August.  I was a little rusty, but overall, I had a great time & got a great workout.

I was looking forward to Thursday's RIPPED class at the Eugene YMCA, but . . .

Wednesday night, my sweet daughter got sick.  Not just a little sniffle.  I'm totally barf-o-phobic.  Thankfully, the Lord has given me grace to love and take care of my own kids.  No RIPPED for me.  Instead, I've spent the day doing laundry and mopping the floor (twice today, after cleaning it last night too.  Is a 3rd mopping excessive?)

So, what?!  Leave everyone hanging?  No, here's a great workout I found on Pinterest.  Click here for the link.  Maybe you can fit this into your weekend!

Workout Today

So guess what?

I went to the Y this morning to take Boot Camp.  Oh yeah, 3 kids in tow to the Play Care and they were awesome!  Kari, the instructor, taught a great class AND used workout #3 as inspiration.  Woot!  Woot!  So I got to experience my own workout TWICE in her class, plus a bunch of other weights and boot campy things.

What I learned:  I think the 10 minute work outs are DO-ABLE; however, I think from here on out I will make them less time for each "station."  Doing some of the exercises for a whole minute is a LONG TIME!  I definitely had to rest during the minute on a few exercises, so maybe less time will allow us to each exercise more efficiently and completely.

Tomorrow I'm doing a RIPPED video with my friends.  But if you can't go back to Workout #3 and cut the time down to 30 seconds for each exercise and do the whole thing at least 2x's.

Happy working out!

Workout #3

Confession:  I have been pounding cookies.

Fact #1:  We had friends over last night and I felt dessert was necessary.

Fact #2:  I made cookies.  Wyoming Cowboy Cookies, filled with oatmeal, peanut butter, and M&Ms.

Fact #3:  They are addictive.  Really.  Sugar is so addictive.

Fact #4:  I need to work some cookies off.

Workout #3:

Minute 1:  March/jog warm-up
Minute 2:  Squats, toes forward, knees over ankles, hips back
Minute 3:  Burpees
Minute 4:  Dips (use a chair)
Minute 5:  Wall Sit (take breaks if necessary)
Minute 6:   Mountain Climbers
Minute 7:  Bicycle crunches
Minute 8:  Push-ups (take breaks if necessary--modify with knees on floor if necessary)
Minute 9:  Back Extensions
Minute 10:  March/jog
*Cool down/Stretch

(REPEAT 2-3x's if desired)

I will be posting explanations in the "Daily Workouts" page that you can access from the navigation bar above.  However, here are some for today's workout. 

Explanations:
Burpees:  Starting from standing position, put hands to floor, push back both feet into  plank, jump both feet back between hands, come back to standing or jump with hand in the air.  Modification:  From standing, put hands to the floor, extend one leg back into modified plank (knee down), extend other leg back into modified plank.  Reverse motion, walking feet back between hands, stand up.

Dips:  Sit on the edge of a chair, piano bench, window seal, whatever.  Put hand on the seat on both sides of your hips.  Bring hips in front of chair, arms extended, walk feet out from chair so that feet are well in front of knees.  Bend elbows, lowering your hips toward the floor.  Extend the arms again to bring the hips back up.  Repeat motion.

Mountain Climbers:  From plank or modified plank, bring one knee toward chest at a time.

Push-ups:  You know how to do these.  However, if you are unable to do them on the floor, you may do push ups against a wall.

Back Extensions:  Nice to do these on a ball, but if you are on the floor, lie on your stomach.  Extend your arms in front of you or bring your hands behind your head.  Lift chest off the ground,  working the lower back.  Bring chin back toward floor and repeat.

Work Out #2

Okay.  So much for posting a workout everyday!  It's 10pm and I didn't post a workout yesterday.  I'm posting one today, but honestly, it's really for tomorrow since it's not going to happen today.  Here are our options:

1/2 hr. cardio: walk, jog, group class, whatever . . .  +

Full-Body Strength Quick Workout

Plank -- 1 minute

Bridge --hold 20 seconds, pulse 10 & repeat

Crunches -- 1 minute 

Hover Plank -- 1 minute

Hip-ups, right side -- 1 minute

Bicycle abs -- 1 minute

Side Plank, right side --1 minute

Hip-ups, left side -- 1 minute

Lower back extensions -- 1 minute

(nice to do on a ball) 

Side Plank, left side -- 1 minute

(The above work-out is also in a jpeg on the bottom of the post so you can pin it if you want.  I like having these on my health & wellness board so they're all in 1 place!)

A few tips:

*Think QUALITY over quantity when it comes to crunches.  If you crunch or bicycle slowly and can concentrate on using your abdominal muscles to do the work, it will be much more effective than doing the exercises quickly but inefficiently.

*Modify if necessary.  Planks should be in a push-up position.  If you cannot hold plank without sinking your back down or pushing your behind up in the air, modify by bending your knees so they rest on the floor, just behind your hips.  You will get the work you need.
Have fun!  :)

Working Out Throughout the Year

I'm definitely ready to start anew with eating well and getting workouts in after having baby #3.  The downside:  3 kids makes it harder to get to the gym and I don't have a triple stroller (nor do I want one!), so I've decided I have to take some initiative and start using the helpful home workouts I've been pinning for the last year.  :) 

I will try to post 1 work out a day.  Today I did Pilates (yes!  I did get to the gym) so I'm posting a shorter--10 minute--workout.  If you need longer, repeat the workout 2-3 times.  I recommend a little marching out & stretch at the end to prevent blood pooling and lactic acid build-up.  Let me know if you did it so I can have some accountability too! 

Also, I'm doing some meal-planning for a healthy diet.  I'll post that later.  

The first workout I'm posting came from TheUltimateFemale.com