by Amy | Sep 14, 2012 | Blog, The Art of Fitness
Hey all! Here are the Trim and Tone circuits from last night’s class. Get your fit on!
Here’s how it works. Do each exercise in a row with no rest between moves. Once you’ve done the whole circuit, recover for 60-90 seconds…then do it again. Do each circuit three times.
Circuit #1:
- Nosy Neighbor: 30 Seconds
- Squat Kick: 1 minute
- Globe Hops: 1 minute
- Plank Jacks: 30 seconds
Circuit #2:
- High Knees: 30 seconds
- Mountain Climber: 30 seconds
- High Knees: 30 seconds
- Mountain Climber: 30 seconds
Plank Jacks: Start in a plank position {see above}, next pop your feet out and in…like a horizontal jumping jack. Keep your hands firmly planted.
Globe Hops: Squat then take a small hop to the right. Squat again, hop forward. Squat, hop to the left. Squat, hop backward. Make your box in one direction for 30 seconds, then reverse your direction.
Have a great weekend!
Amy
by Amy | Sep 14, 2012 | Blog, The Art of Fitness, The Art of Living, The Art of the Moment
This is a video post. To lessen the frustration of waiting for the video to load…why not scroll down now, then read what I have to say? By the time you’re done, you’ll be ready to watch.
A few months back I got an unexpected email. I’ll tell you more about it next week, when I share the companion video to this post…but this gist is this. I had been praying that God would open a door for me to use my professional skills to further His kingdom.
Then bam! I was blessed with a tremendous opportunity to create a video to help gain support for Nick and Amanda Dunn’s upcoming mission to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. They are brave. They’ll be gone 5 years. The work they’ll be doing is awesome.
Like I said. More next week. For tonight I’ll just show you this video. It’s a combination of footage the adorable couple in question sent me and photos from their trip to the mission field. This is proof that when you ask God to provide outlets for you to use the talents He has given you, to do His work…He’ll provide. We are all given specific abilities. Even our silly quirks play a role in our life’s ministry. Spend some time tonight thinking about your interests, passions and quirks. Ask God to show you how they can be put to service. You might discover something you never expected.
Now enjoy this short video.
Amy
God of this City: Missionary Support Video from Amy Allender on Vimeo.
by Amy | Sep 12, 2012 | Blog, The Art of Projects, the house
The other night I was talking to my dad about my carpeted stair situation. He said something that kind of scared me: “Well, if there’s one thing I can say about carpet….it’s that it’s usually hiding something.”
And it was. Brown stairs, a broken tread, a million staples, and some nasty wallpaper.
But it was also hiding something else. A pleasant surprise, in the form of nice, warm wood flooring in the upstairs hall.
I finished ripping up the stair carpet today and it led all the way up to the hall. So I figured it might as well go too. And I’m glad it did. Not only did I find these gemly {is gemly a word…as in h”like a gem”?} wood floors, I also took out a lot of gross smell.
Since day one in our house I’ve noticed a smell. And I think I know where a lot of it is coming from. These shag carpets. They soak up bad smells like a Sham Wow. I would be lying if I said I didn’t dry heave at least a half dozen times while tearing up the hall carpet and pad today. It was bad. I cleaned the wood and things smell much improved.
Now, on to the second order of business. I wanted to paint this week…but that is going to be put on hold. It turns out that Sherwin Williams is having a 40% off sale the weekend of the 21st. To me {queen of the cheapskate clan} a savings of 40% is well worth the wait. Fo-Real. So I’ll take it easy on the prep.
I did, however, bring home these sweet paint samples. Tell me what you think.
Now, before you ask…yes this is a photo of the same colors. They are just on two different walls and the light hits them differently. Isn’t it crazy how the colors seem to change?
We are putting one color in the nook with the stairway. And a different color in the dining room and living room. All the trim will be crisp, clean white…as will the wood paneling and the built in hutches. Opinions welcome!
Amy
by Amy | Sep 11, 2012 | Blog, The Art of the Moment
Before Labor Day I had the good fortune of photographing Nadine and her son Phinaeus. They are beautiful. Phinaeus is simply stunning. That lovely skin. Those precious curls. And let’s not forget the dimples.
Once we found each other at our rendezvous point {a dirt road in Minot} it was smooth sailing. The setting is simply divine.
If you like what you see…be sure to tell your friends. Or you can just be a frequent gawker here. I’m okay either way.
Thanks again to Nadine and Phin! You guys made this shoot a total blast.
Amy
by Amy | Sep 11, 2012 | Blog, The Art of Projects, the house
Nope. I’m not talking about that classic Jodie Foster flick from the early 00’s.
I’m talking about what lies beneath all of the surfaces in my house. In preparation to paint the living room and dining room I needed to do a little removal. Which led to quite a few unsightly discoveries.
All clues about the history of my home. The transitions it’s gone through. The fads and trends that have graced its walls. On second thought, I don’t know if “graced” is the right word for pea green carpet, striped wall paper and thick wood paneling.
As with most home improvement projects, this excavation job began with a simple, “Well, before I paint, I need to remove this chair rail.” Under the railing…I found
Believe it or not…we are leaving the paneling. Just adding a little class in the form of white paint and a sweet chair rail.
After this discovery, I moved to the stairs. You may remember my strong disdain for my carpeting. In case you don’t…I hate the carpet in my house. All of it. It’s in nearly every room, wall to wall shag in a variety of browns. So to paint the walls, I needed to remove the carpet hanging over the wall. Starting with this weird furry block.
Once the carpet was off the block, I decided that I needed to pull it off the bottom of the stairs as well.
So I kept pulling.
You know what was under all the brown carpet? Brown paint. Once I got to the bottom, it just kind of wrapped around the first tread.
And then I just kept pulling. Until my stairs were bald.
Along the way I discovered that the wall on the other side of the stairs was papered with brown stripes. Under the brown paint is mustard yellow. Under the brown carpet I found remnants of pea green runner. Woof.
It seems like my house is just begging to be pretty again. Not trendy pretty, but classic and simple. I can only imagine what I’ll find next. As soon as my hands recover from pulling all the staples out of the stairs…
Amy
by Amy | Sep 9, 2012 | Blog, The Art of Adventure, The Art of the Moment
Keeping with the blog theme here, let’s talk about the unexpected. Over Labor Day Derek and I got some tourist action in down in Rapid City, SD. Tonight I’d like to share some photography and thoughts from our time at the monuments.
I don’t think the four men featured in this monument would have ever expected to be immortalized in this over the top fashion. If you had told George or Tom that their face would be larger than life, carved in a mountain…I dare say they would not have believed you. These were men who did their job, who made their lives count. I don’t think any of them “saw it coming.” The impact their lives would have on our nation, the lasting affects their efforts would have on the generations to follow.
So often we can’t tell how our lives will ripple into the generations to follow. We cannot predict the circumstances that will come our way. We can only face the unexpected with a courageous heart, solid values, and a compassionate soul. Hoping to navigate in such a way that we live a life worthy of remembrance…even if we aren’t carved in a mountain.
Call me corny, but I’ve wanted to lay eyes on this rock for the better part of my life. I thought it would be simply breath taking. And it is.
If you’ve never seen it, don’t believe people when they tell you it’s hokey. It’s faces carved into a mountain. In case you didn’t know…hokey is not a synonym for awesome. This is awesome.
During our time in Rapid City we also went to the Crazy Horse Monument. {It’s where that awkward photo moment took place. } Like Rushmore, it’s a memorial sculpture in a mountain. Which is amazing because it is a project totally funded privately. Generations of family members have worked to preserve this land and move forward with the project. It’s been going since the 1940’s. Someday it will {hopefully} look like this scale model. You know how they “carve it”? Dynamite. Seriously, I’m not kidding. They are carving a person in a mountain with explosives. It blew my mind. {I love puns.}
Amy
by Amy | Sep 8, 2012 | Blog, The Art of Fitness
So…my first ever Fitness Friday did not go as planned.
Some things {mostly computer things…} got in the way.
But technically, it’s still Friday in Minot, ND. So Fitness Friday is still on.
If you have never done a Trim and Tone class, here is the drill. You’ll go through each exercise in the circuit back to back, with no rest between. After you’ve done each exercise in Circuit #1 recover for 1-2 minutes. Go through the circuit three times. Then Do the same with Circuit #2.
**Click any of the how-to images below to bring up a bigger version**
Circuit #1:
- 50 Jumping Jacks
- 1 minute: High Knees
- 30 seconds: Burpees
- 30 seconds: Mountain Climbers
Circuit #2
- 30 seconds: In & Out Squats
- 30 seconds each leg: Tae Bo Knees
- 30 seconds: X Jumps
In & out squats: Step your feet wide apart {wider than hip width}. Lower yourself into a squat, pulse twice…then hop your feet closer together {hip width} and pulse twice. Keep your legs bent throughout the exercise! Don’t come out of the squat position.
Tae Bo Knees: Just like Billy B. would want. Place your body weight on your left foot. Raise your right foot off the ground and bring your knee across your body. Reach your hands over head, then down toward your knee as you raise your knee. {Like you are smashing a pumpkin over your knee.}
Enjoy the workout! I’ll see you tomorrow.
Amy
by Amy | Sep 7, 2012 | Blog, The Art of Projects
Well…next week I dive into major house project number 2. I’ve been crazy busy this week and it seems like all of it will come to a screeching halt after this weekend. So, I decided that this is the perfect opportunity to do a little painting.
My living room. My dining room. My built in hutches. My front room. The ceilings. Some wood paneling.
The goal is to get all most of it done by the end of the week. Mind you…I’ll still some other obligations as well. Like feeding my husband and Panda Kitty, editing a super cute photo session, teaching fitness classes, maybe contacting a few nonprofits about doing some work…you know…the usual. Nothing super busy.
But here is the dilemma. I’m a color-commitment-a-phobe. I know it’s just paint, but paint is expensive. And I am very cheap. And I make very little money. And I have this complex about making little money and spending buckets of the dollars Derek earns by having a real job. So, while I know if I hate it I can always redo it…I’d rather get it right the first time.
So, I’ve started a Pinterest board of pretty paint colors. You should totally go over there and check it out. Seriously, they are pretty.
Then I started thinking about creating my own pallets from things that naturally appeal to me. Like my favorite photographs. Here’s what I came up with.
There are two bonus pallets over on the Facebook page. You should check those out too. And while you’re there…go ahead and like the page. *Insert corny smiley face here____*
After I had made my own pallets…I thought maybe you would like to make some of your own. So here’s the skinny on how I made it happen. (more…)
