The Friday Five...

{ spinning...and spinning...what a way to experience life }

{ going out to breakfast during the middle of the week...such a treat }

{ it still amazes me...the best babysitter while packing up the car }

{ this never gets old : )   }

{ wearing the evidence of a mountain climb }

What are Your Five?

Garage Girls: Workout #32

There are days that this is my mantra.  Today may be one of those days.  School has begun again in our household, and I can already tell how life can get in the way of making time for yourself.  I am determined to not let this happen.  I will make time for myself, because it makes me better...at everything.  I organize my thoughts, I prioritize my day, I create in my head before I ever put pen to paper.  I need this...so here I am...not making excuses.

Let's Go.

     Warm-up:

     50 Jumping Jacks

     Workout: Crossfit workout "Murph"

     run 1 mile
     100 pull-ups
     200 push-ups
     300 air squats
     run 1 mile

 ....and here is another great workout song-

Have fun : )

***UPDATE***

Oh Murph...you are a toughie!!!  Way to go Angie for not following your own advice- 1:00pm is NOT the best time to work out.  In the spirit of being completely honest...about half way through the second mile, I convinced myself I was having a heart attack- my left arm was numb and tingling and I was having sharp pains in my chest.  Needless to say, I wasn't or, if I was, I have recovered remarkably : ) Anyway...at the end of the day I may be disappointed that I was not able to control the thoughts in my head, but I am SUPER pleased that in spite of convincing myself I was going to keel over on the hot pavement and not be identified for several days because I was not carrying any form of identification with me....I beat my previous Murph time by three minutes!!!!! Yeah me!!!!....take that, you super annoying, nay-saying voice in my head!!!!

Photo challenge: this is "comfort"

via Angie

via Kelly

via Angie

via Angie

via Kelly

via Angie

via Kelly

DIY: Morse Code jewelry

I LOVE wearing jewelry that has meaning...and I LOVE for that meaning to be a little hidden...so I instantly fell in LOVE with the idea of using Morse code to make necklaces.  I was inspired to make my own after seeing a Morse code necklace from COATT.  Morse code is easily translatable using round beads for dots and tubular beads for dashes.  These necklaces are easy to make, and simple and sweet to wear...and every time I wear mine, I think about what it means to me. 

You can always translate your name, word or saying, letter by letter using the Morse code alphabet above, or you can use an online translator such as the one found here.  Once you have translated what you want your necklace or bracelet to say, you are ready to get started.

You will need: 

round beads (I used 3.2mm sterling plated beads)

tube beads

lobster clasps 

crimp tube beads

silk cording (I chose a golden taupe)

collapsible eye needles

scissors

crimpers 

Cut the silk cording to the length you prefer, but remember the silk is very light and works better in shorter lengths.  Thread your beads in the direction the viewer will see them- your last letter should come first. 

Once all of the beads are on your cording, tie a knot at either side so the beads will not separate and catch on the silk

When attaching your clasp, thread the crimper bead on first and then the clasp, looping the cording back through the crimper bead.

Use the crimpers to secure the bead in place.  Once secure, trim the cord, and follow the same steps for the other side of the clasp.

Within 15 minutes, you will have a simple and sweet necklace that has much more meaning than at first glance. 

Some of the necklaces I have made have said "live and love life" ,  "forever, I do" ,  "at peace" and "in love" .  I just made my mom a five strand necklace- each strand with one of her grandchildren's names on it. 

Good luck.  I would love to hear what creative sentiments you come up with : )

Have you seen this?...Tiny Desk Concerts for NPR

source

I came across these extraordinary, acoustic mini-concerts on youtube the other day and I have become time-suckingly addicted to them.  There is nothing like hearing some of the biggest voices huddled around a small desk with an audience of 20-30 people.  I am entranced with the trimmed down- no pomp and circumstance of these endearing performances.  And the variety of performers is amazing (over 200 artists have preformed) - from classical...to pop...country... folk...indie...opera...blues...it's all there.  If you have 15 minutes to spare and want to be inspired, watch an episode of a tiny desk concert.  It will be well worth your time. 

Here are just a few of my favorites:

1. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes - I had to start with this enigmatic and very carefree performance.  I LOVED watching the biggest group to ever perform on Tiny Desk Concert- I have always envied people who sing from that "eyes closed tightly" committed place.

2. Phoenix - I love when you listen to a song...you really like it...and then you realize that you have heard it before...but it never sounded like that before.  You essentially fall in love with the same song twice.  Here is a good example of that. 

3. Tallest Man on Earth - these small performances highlight the best of musicianship.  It is great to be able to hear pure tones and see every movement of fingers as they bring forth amazing music.

4. Adele - I had to include her because...I LOVE her.  And I love how big her voice is in such a small space.  As I listened to her, it felt almost as if her voice was way too big for that tiny desk.  LOVED it...even though I will never be able to hear "Someone Like You" without thinking of the infamous Emma Stone SNL skit : )

You can find all 200 NPR Tiny Desk Concerts here.  Enjoy : )

(all videos are from Tiny Desk Concert for nprmusic)

Photo challenge: these are "signs"

via Angie

via Kelly

via Angie

via Angie

via Kelly

via Angie

via Kelly

via Angie

Artist Spotlight: Peikwen Cheng

The Burning Man Festival is happening right now in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada.  Every year, thousands descend on the desert and literally create a temporary city in a vast, hard and dry expanse of land.  Peikwen Cheng is a photographer who has been traveling to the Burning Man festival since 2000.  These photos are from his "Lost and Found" series which focuses on his experience "losing the ability to dream and then re-finding it" at Burning Man.

When I first saw these photos, they looked as if they had been taken straight out of a Mad Max film.  The fact that they are of actual people expressing themselves in the most creative and interesting ways in such a desolate place, is simply amazing and somewhat breathtaking.  Cheng's decision to photograph a few people separated from the thousands in the midst of what seems to be dust storms, is ingenious.  Instead of seeing a group of people often thought to be a wee bit crazy, the viewer can appreciate the eccentricities that are responsible for the the beautiful and magical creations in the photographs. 

(all images by Peikwen Cheng and quote from cnn)