Crafting With Vinyl

I've signed up with a few companies to review products of theirs at a discounted rate. One of the products I ran across was Angel Crafts 6x12" Vinyl which has a multitude of colors and you receive 35 sheets.  I was able to order through my Amazon Prime account and received the vinyl pack in 2 days.

As you other crafters may know or have experience fed, we can get "crafter's block". Well, I got hit hard once I received the vinyl.  It took me a few days to come up with an idea.  I finally remembered that my husband wanted to steal my "Powder Room" sign  from my water closet. BAM! It hit me! I'll make him his own personal "Powder Room" sign for his "Man-Crafting Station".

I brought out my trusty Cricut machine and got started. Here you can see the settings I used for cutting the vinyl sheets. It seemed it was perfect because I had no problem cutting through the vinyl fully and with no tears or mishaps.

Here are all the letters and brackets cut out.

I always joke with my husband that this is what a gun should sound like in a cartoon.

Here is Hubby's new custom "{Gun} Powder Room" sign.

Hubby just came last night from an international flight and saw his wall. The verdict- he likes it!

Like I mentioned earlier, the vinyl is easy to use, cut and position. I even had to reposition some letters because they were really crooked. (He has stuff on the floor that is too heavy to move and I had to maneuver around.)

I hope you like it. Have you made anything with vinyl before? I'm a newbie and look forward to creating other items in the future with this pack I purchased.

Cycling the SART YRP to River View Golf Course 01/25/11 by lisas.lil.lam at Garmin Connect - Details

Cycling the SART YRP to River View Golf Course 01/25/11 by lisas.lil.lam at Garmin Connect - Details

Getting back into the groove

Once again I had excuses for NOT exercising..It's too cold..It's too early.  It's too late...I'm too sleepy...I need to get the kitchen cleaned...I need to tend to the kids...yadda yadda yadda. Well, once again I am going to get back in the saddle and work off these 25-30 pounds to get back to my goal weight.  I CAN and WILL do it. I am determined.

With that said, here is the routine I have been trying to stick to.  I do 2 rounds of the following exercises with only a 2 minute break between the rounds.  I only pause between each exercise long enough to get into the next starting position.

Here it is:
80 Jumping Jacks
50 Vertical leg crunches
20 Sit ups
15 Tricep dips
20 Squats
10 Side lunges (per leg)
15 Leg lifts
50 Bicycles
15 Wall/Push ups
40 (kneeling) Russian twists

Yes it DOES hurt, but in a good way.  Will you hate me if you try this routine out? Yes, but give it a week and see your efforts show some headway. Then, you'll thank me.

I am a curvy girl who wants to be fit. What about you?

01/30/12 Community jog by lisas.lil.lam at Garmin Connect - Details

01/30/12 Community jog by lisas.lil.lam at Garmin Connect - Details

I went out again tonight. Accomplished 3.55 miles in 45:51 mins. Burned 375 calories. Decided against using my 5K trainer, wanted to push myself as hard as I could handle. Yes, Yes I did want to vomit during my jog. My avg HR was 171 but my max was 189. I don't feel it as bad as you would think, but I think I need to find a way to bring it down a bit before I explode. Yikes! Goodnight everybody.

01/29/12 Community jog

Untitled by lisas.lil.lam at Garmin Connect - Details

Once again, I got out there. I've been sick for the last few days and today is the 1st day of feeling normal. So, I took off for a short run. 2.09 miles in 27:21 minutes. Not bad, not great. Felt like I had heartburn and wanted to vomit at a couple of points, but I did finish what I set out to do. The plus, I burned 224 calories in the process. Burn baby burn!

01/24/12 Community jog

Untitled by lisas.lil.lam at Garmin Connect - Details

Same route as yesterday. Took one extra minute, to the second, to make it round trip. 4.08 miles in 56:05 mins. Burned 489 calories, that's 27 more than yesterday. Not too bad. :) Night all.

Eastvale jog 01/23/12

Untitled by lisas.lil.lam at Garmin Connect - Details

I got back out there. 4.08 miles in 55:26 total time, moving time was 54:05. Burned 462 calories! I'm exhausted. Just wanted to share. Have a great day/evening!

01/12/12 Community jog

Untitled by lisas.lil.lam at Garmin Connect - Details

I got out there. Just ran/walked 3.68 miles in 50:43. Burned 396 calories! There's definitely a breeze. When I left, it was already at 8mph, it's now at 10mph as I write this. Ugh, those breezes sure get you.

I had to take Wednesday off because on Monday I decided to do my Jillian Michael's "Banish Fat Boost Metabolism" exercise dvd. That killed me. Put me out of commission. But, I am recovered enough to get out there tonight. That night I burned 500 calories in 52 minutes. But, my right leg was uncooperative for the next 36 hours.

Yay! I CAN DO IT!

1/8/12 Community Jog

Untitled by lisas.lil.lam at Garmin Connect - Details

I did it. I got out there again. Actually, I've been out there a couple of times, but I kept forgetting to charge my Garmin device, so I couldn't post my results.

My New Year's Resolution was just to get off my butt more. I was able to get hold of a used elliptical similar to the one I had before, but a level or 2 up from mine. I just picked it up a few days ago and have logged a few miles on it so far.

Today, while my kids were eating breakfast, I logged approximately 2.12 miles on the machine. Boy was I drenched. But it felt good to accomplish that. I didn't get to do much else in exercise afterwards because we were cleaning house and prepping our kids for going back to school after our "Winter Break". So, I decided I wanted to log some more miles. I used the Garmin 500 Edge device as usual to monitor my distance/time/calories. But, I also used the "Couch to 5K" app on my iPhone. It has to walk/run, training your body to handle a straight run of the 5K. I tell you, when I don't use this app, I overdo it and my knee feels like it wants to fall off, rather pop off and scream bloody murder at me.

So, in conclusion of my exercise today I feel pretty darn proud of myself. I accomplished 6.45 miles today. Holy Cow!!! That's a lot for me!

What are your New Year's Resolutions, if any?

11/14/11 Bike ride

Untitled by lisas.lil.lam at Garmin Connect - Details

So, I made it back out on my bike. Weather was nice. An old friend from high school contacted me and asked if he could join. Sure. This was his 1st time out on his bike since having some knee surgery back in April or May. He had a hard time, struggled when making the ascensions under the overpasses. However, he did try. My goal was to make it to the beach, which would have been 24 miles round trip, but we only made it half way= 12.21 miles total. But, that's okay. We still got out there.

I hope to make the ride to the beach and back at least once before my kids go back to school after Thanksgiving. Fingers crossed.

YRP to Anaheim Stadium by lisas.lil.lam at Garmin Connect - Details

YRP to Anaheim Stadium by lisas.lil.lam at Garmin Connect - Details

So, I did it, AGAIN! I got off my duff and got back on my bike. I am exhausted. My legs wanted to fall off around mile 10. I wanted to go last week, but I only slept 3 hours AND it was a high of 100 on Thursday, when I finally had the time to go. Today, no excuses, not even the fact that I had once again slept only 3 hours.

You can click on the link above to see how I did. Have you been able to stay on track with your exercise routine? let me know.

08/25/11 Cycling

08/25/11 YRP-HC bike ride at Garmin Connect - Details

Today is day 2 of my cycling for the week. Unfortunately, it looks like that's all I'll get during the week due to my middle son's kindergaten schedule. No big, I'll find and make the time as I go.

Let me just start by saying that it was really WARM when I started cycling. UGH! From the get-go, my legs did NOT want to cooperate with me and do that thing called "work/pedal". OUCH! I tried really hard to find a pace to maintain, but my legs felt like jello. By mile 9, just after my turn around point, I wanted to fall over. I am amazed that I made it back to my car. That's how painfully sore my legs feel right now. At least I can say that I did it and I found the strength to push through and finish what I started! My body, family and my heart will thank me for my efforts.

Until next time. Stay healthy. Find the energy to push through.

08/24/11 Community jog via Couch to 5K

08/24/11 Couch to 5K jog at Garmin Connect - Details

 

So I just got back from my evening jog. Yay! I did it!

 

Again I used the Couch to 5K app for the iPhone tonight.  I also played my Pandora stations/music while on my run.  I covered 3.26 miles in 45:51 mins and burned 313 calories.  Not bad.  All I can do at this point is get better and improve over the time.  I feel good about myself and my accomplishment.  I know that by finding/making the time to do this, I set an example for my 4 kids and I improve my overall health. 

 

Okay, that's enough.  Need to shower. I'm drenched, it's been warm out these last few nights. Later.

 

Stay healthy friends.

08/23/11 YRP-HC bike ride

YRP to HC 08/23/11 Ride at Garmin Connect - Details

I did it! I worked out the timing just perfectly, even including the fact that it took me 40-45 minutes to get to my starting point. Darn 91W fwy and it's traffic! I was able to cover 19.13 miles in 1 hour 16 minutes, averaging a speed of 15.0 mph. I had some good speeds in there, but my legs are beat from the 3.44 mile jog that I ran last night. Right now, my legs are screaming profanity at me and they hurt, B A D!!!!

Enough with the complaining already. I did it! I am that much closer to getting back on track to being fit again! WooHoo!

Until next time. Stay healthy.

Eastvale Community jog 08/22/11

Eastvale Community jog 08/22/11 at Garmin Connect - Details

So, I decided I needed to get out "there" and get off my duff, no more excuses!

I downloaded the "Couch to 5k" app for my iphone and decided today was the day to start using it. It had me jog 1 min and walk 1min 30 secs, I didn't officially finish the day 1's cool down, so it didn't accept my day as complete. Dang it. So, I continued on to day 2 , or so I thought! The total time per day was to be 25 mins each day. Luckily, I had my Garmin device with me and was able to see that I ended up doing 3.44 miles in 47 minutes time with lots of walking, but NO stopping. So proud of myself. I really need to get back in shape. I have my 20 yr reunion next month AND I go back to Honolulu in December and had already bought a new bikini to wear. I NEED to fit that new bikini!!!

I plan on trying to move more. Wish me luck.

Until next time, stay healthy!

08/16/11 Bike ride YRP-HC

YRP to HC ride 08/16/11- Details

So today was the day I decided I HAD to get back on my bike. I'm glad I did! I was (just barely) able to cycle 16.75 miles in 1hour and 6 minutes. I ended up burning 502 calories, which is better than nothing at all.

Yesterday my (now) 5 yr old started Kindergarten and he only goes until 11:55am, not very late all and my 9 yr old started 4th grade. My daughter started 7th grade last week. My 3.5 yr old gets to attend a preschool/daycare when I need it. Needless to say, this school year will be busy. Oh, did I mention that the older 3 have Tae Kwon Do 3 days/week? So, with the tight schedule I thought I would give my cycling a go and see how far I could get in the limited time alotted. I did it! As I neared my turn around point though, I made a sharp turn and caught the dirt edge... Almost took myself "out" while still attached to the bike, no good. Luckily, I was able to recover without hitting the ground. Whew! Getting back to my car was harder than I thought it would be, I was just as exhausted as if I had cycled 46 miles (to and from the beach). I was so glad to make it back to my car, unscathed.

Needless to say, I am truly tired and am looking forward to bedtime tonight. I am exhausted, but in a good way.

Oh. I should add. Yesterday I tried out the "Gold's Gym Cardio Workout" for Wii. It's a boxing game. I thought it was a bit slow, but let me tell you, after all the different routines I ended up doing, I "threw" 1,030 punches and my upper body is HELLA sore. OUCH!!!!!!!! (Lifting my bike in & out of my car was torture.)

Until next time. Take care and be healthy.

07/27/11 Bike ride w/my munchkins

Untitled by lisas.lil.lam at Garmin Connect - Details

Blogging has not been easy these last couple of days. Darn Blogger's been on the fritz again. Arg!

Last week we didn't do any cycling as my older 2 were prepping for a Tae Kwon Do test. They were "belting up" to yellow belt. They only started TKD classes 5 weeks ago and the facility had testing the 1st weekend we were there, so we did not get to participate then. My older 2 were invited to test, my 3rs child didn't, he has a hard time focusing on the instructions (he wants to play instead), so maybe in the near future he'll be able to test. Both my daughter and my oldest son passed their tests. They even had the opportunity to kick/break boards, they brought their boards home. My daughter, being an amazon, had to break 2 boards, and she succeeded on her very 1st try! Yay!

On this past Tuesday (07/26/11) they received their certificates and their yellow belts. So awesome!

On Wednesday, 07/27/11, I made the older 2 join me for a bike ride. My daughter has been begging me to take her on this ride for weeks, ever since I mentioned it. (weather was just a bit too warm for us to do it, especially since it's not near the ocean.) We rode from Yorba Regional Park to Honda Center, or at least a mile within the HC. Our total riding distance ended up being about 15.2 miles, but because I forgot to turn on my Garmin device right away, we didn't record the whole ride. We were quite slow since my 9 y/o son wanted to just cruise through the ride, which took up a lot of our time. My kids were just starting to complain of their legs hurting within that last mile back to the car, but they made it! To top it off, after being home for only 40 minutes, I made them change clothes and took them back to TKD for their 3rd lesson of the week. I thought they'd be exhausted for bedtime, but not so much! LOL!

Well, hopefully next week we'll be able to get in our 2 rides. They go back to school soon, so I should be able to get in some exercise 4 times/week,maybe even 5 if I'm lucky.

Until next time.

PS> Please go visit my new website, I started a home-based business making truffles and sweets. Let me know if there is something there you would like to order. The caramel is hand-crafted by moi!

www.lisamariesdulcerie.com

07/14/11 Bike ride w/kids

Untitled by lisas.lil.lam at Garmin Connect - Details

My kids are on Summer break. This means they are home, also no time for true exercising and more time to hang at home and MUNCH. ARG! I've packed on some pounds, no bueno!

Today, after my daughter's ortho appointment we drove out to the beach after dropping off my monkeys at the daycare. We rode fom my usual spot out to HB just past the dog beach and then returned to the car. We totaled 13.3 miles. Yay! Afterwards, I bought the kids some Carl's Jr chicken wraps because they were hungry.

On this past Tuesday, I also made the older cycle with me and we rode out to Balboa past the Ruby's Diner on the pier, just to where the sidewalk ends. The kids had a chance to go run in the sand while I answered a phone call. We ended up riding 12.35 miles on that day. I'm very proud of them. I know it's tough to get out there and move that much when all you want to do is be sedentary. But they did it with little to no complaining.

Our goal is to cycle 10+ miles/day at least twice a week, maybe even 3xs/week. I want healthy, fit kids. I don't want unhealthy statistics living under my roof. It may sound harsh, but honestly, think about it. Most of the young kids you see today have guts resembling that of a 6-month pregnant woman, but theirs jiggles and shouldn't be on a 6-10 year old child. Get out there and move. Do it for their health if not yours.

06/20/11 Community am jog

06/20/11Eastvale Early am jog at Garmin Connect - Details

So last night I made the decision to go back in the swing of things. I decided I would get up before all my kids, so this means before 8:00, 7:00 in some cases. So, I woke up at 5:30am and contemplated my "go get 'em" feeling. I followed thru on my conviction and got out of bed. I jogged as best I could considering it's been a while since I last jogged. Not too bad. My knees are a bit sore, but at least they didn't feel like popping off this time around. Whew! I made it back in less than an hour, in one piece and can now continue with my day. 3.05 miles and 268 calories burned.

06/04/11 Back Bay bike ride

Untitled by lisas.lil.lam at Garmin Connect - Details

So, today's ride was an incomplete bike ride to the beach.

I have a "Rule of 3's". 3 bad things happen in one event, I need to stop & pull out.
#1- While airing my tires, my bike fell and I got knocked in the head by my handlebars. Strike.
#2- I hit a detour along the SART that lead me through the "hood" of Santa Ana. Not good since I was dressed "lightly". Signs were a little misleading so I started to freak and almost got lost. Strike.
#3- While riding the streets, I had to manuver around debris in the gutter... In doing so, my tire got caught along part of the asphalt (raised) ridge and I started to lose control and my bike started leaning into the street. I almost didn't get my foot out of the clip in time, but I did just before it was too late. However, a car was coming from behind me, freaked and wailed on his horn.. Yah, that's helpful, thanks! Strike.

I tried riding on, but my front tire (the one that got caught in the street) started acting a bit wobbly, so I decided to throw the towel in and turn around.

I made it back to my car with no further incidences, but man oh man, I just don't like having those kind of things happen in the beginning of my ride. Bad luck.

Stats- 13.54 miles in less than an hour and burned 426 calories. At least I got out there and tried.