Rhapsody in Rooms

A Colorful & Creative Life

My 6 Day Fitness Routine

New year, new you. That’s a motto you hear swirling around a lot every January.

Everyone is looking to change, slim down, eat better, feel better, and improve their lives. I think that is all well and good but I think it also puts a lot of pressure on yourself. That’s a lot of change (and probably a lot of habits to break) but definitely attainable too.

Yet at the same time I love the start of a fresh year. I always do feel like I have a fresh outlook, feel invigorated, and am ready to just put down the candy already (which I tend to hit a little harder than most).

I’m pretty good with regular exercise and am also training for some upcoming races in the next few months but am still feeling motivated to get more fit and toned. I thought as we all strive for better fitness together I would share a great workout routine that I’ve been doing for a couple of months that is really working well for me. (Big thanks to a co-worker who wants to be a personal trainer for putting this together for me.)

The beauty of it is that it can work for all fitness levels! I’ve put what I do below but you can cater the pounds of the weights and the reps to what challenge you and then build from there.

My 6 Day Fitness Routine

Fitness Equipment Needed:

Weights (I use 10 pound and 5 pound weights currently)
Exercise Ball
Exercise Band

Day 1: Chest Day

Dumbbell presses on the ball – 5 sets of 12
Pushups – 4 sets of 10
Tricep kickbacks – 5 sets of 10
Flies on ball – 5 sets of 10
Triceps (skull crushers) – 5 sets of 12 on each arm
Abs (see end)

Day 2: Back

Bentover rows – horizontal – 5 sets of 10
Bentover rows – vertical – 5 sets of 10
Uprights – horizontals – 5 sets of 10
Dead lifts – 2 sets of 25
Bicep curls – 5 sets of 10 each arm
Abs (see end)

Day 3: Shoulders

Arnold press 5 sets of 12
Front raises 5 sets of 10
Lateral raises 5 sets of 10
Abs (See end)

Day 4: Leg Day

Squats with dumbbells 5 sets of 12
Lunges 5 sets of 10
Calf raises with dumbbells on stairs 5 sets of 15
Calf raises with bands 3 sets of 10
Abs (see end)

Day 5 & 6: Cardio

I usually run every Saturday and Sunday morning as my cardio but do what feels good to you! Power walk, bike, elliptical machine, jump rope, a favorite sport…the list goes one. Find what works for you and make it work!

Everyday: Abs

Jack knife with ball (I use an exercise ball) for 2 minutes
Windshield wipers – 20
Superman crunches – 25
Bicycle crunches – 25
Butterfly crunches – 25

I tend to do the strength training Monday through Thursday in the order listed above, have a rest day on Friday, and then run on the weekend. That’s just what seems to work for me!

I’d love to know how you like this workout routine if you try it. Or if you have stellar workout tips I am all ears! Now stop reading and go burn some calories!

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Paula@SweetPea

This looks like a great plan for staying fit that would work for anyone. If you want to run together on a Saturday or Sunday, please let me know. My running partner is injured and I’ve only run once in 2015!ReplyCancel
- Megan
  
  Thanks so much Paula! We should definitely run together sometime! I’m not promising any fast times though!ReplyCancel

Disco Ball New Years Presents

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had a blast inviting in the new year, whether that meant being snuggled up at home in your PJs or partying out with friends! I enjoyed snacking, dancing (with a four year old dance buddy), and gabbing with my friends for a few hours on New Years Eve.

To really set the tone of the new year I wanted to do a little craft for my wonderful co-workers that I love dearly. Our office has such a happy, vivacious vibe and a lot of people gave everyone small gifts around Christmas. I wasn’t able to make that happen but I thought that it could be fun and would start the new year off right by doing a little giving myself.

When I spotted these mini disco balls (similar disco balls) at the store I knew I had to make them the star of the gift.

Plus, they have lip gloss inside them (which is so cute yet so middle school and I love that)! But sorry boy co-workers, no gift for you…

I started with the disco balls which conveniently had two little holes on top (I think perhaps to make them into ornaments or put on a key chain?).

Then I cut gift tags out of glitter scrapbook paper. I just cut out a rectangle and then clipped the corners to make it a little fancier. I used a one hole punch to put a hole in the top.

I decided to use my metallic Sharpies to write “Bling it on 2015” on the white side of the tag.

Finally I took curly wrapping ribbon (I used this because it was pointy and easy to get through those little holes), strung them through the holes, tied on a tag, curled the ribbon, and called it a day!

Can you tell that I had a blast photographing these disco ball New Years presents? Disco balls, ribbon, and glitter make me giddy and camera happy!

Psst — Fun tip: Use a one hole punch and scrapbook paper (the little pieces you thought you wouldn’t find a use for) to make pretty confetti. That’s how I made the glitter confetti in the pictures!

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cassie

i love anything that involves a disco ball! so fun!ReplyCancel
- Megan
  
  Me too! I definitely want to incorporate a disco ball or two into my everyday décor!ReplyCancel
Kim

So cute! Perhaps I will do this for Valentine’s Day! Where did you find the lip gloss balls?ReplyCancel
- Megan
  
  Hi Kim! I got the lip gloss ones at Wal-Mart in the Christmas section…so I’m pretty sure they are seasonal. 🙁 Maybe they will put something out for Valentine’s Day?ReplyCancel
Paula@SweetPea

Adorable! This is the perfect New Year’s treat for you co-workers.ReplyCancel
- Megan
  
  Thank you so much Paula! It was fun to make a little gift for them!ReplyCancel

Thai Red Curry with Butternut Squash and Chickpeas

My goodness it seems like winter really hit this week. Nor does it help that I spent the last week in sunny LA soaking up plenty of rays in 70 degree weather. My first warm Christmas and this girl wasn’t complaining one bit (but really how could I since I spent a glorious week with my sister and her amazing family?!).

However, coming back to 30 degree weather and possible snow showers has put me right back into a frigid winter mindset. What is one of my favorite ways to endure the cold weather? Warm soup, chili, or curry of course! Really, I could live on variations of soup all winter long. It’s one of my favorite things ever!

When I stumbled across this recipe in a local paper (of all places) I couldn’t wait to make it. Nor did it disappoint. It brings another two of my favorites together: Thai food and butternut squash. Not sure you like the sound of that? Well I brought it to work for my lunch and just by heating it up I think I hooked everyone with the smell. It smells heavenly and tastes even better. I highly recommend just giving it a shot! It’s so delicious (and really is quite nutritious).

Thai Red Curry with Butternut Squash and Chickpeas

Ingredients

1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed
2 tablespoons of oil
1/3 cup of Thai red curry paste (easily found in most grocery stores)
15 oz. can of chickpeas
13 oz. can of coconut milk (I use the light version)

Directions

Heat a pot over medium-high heat. Add oil, then add the curry paste and stir for one minute, until fragrant.
Add the squash and stir to coat with curry paste. Stir in chickpeas.
Add the coconut milk and 3/4 cup of water and bring to simmer.
Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and gently simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the squash begins to soften.
Uncover pot and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until the squash is tender but not falling apart and the sauce has reduced slightly.

There you have it! The hardest part is peeling and cubing the squash (why are they so hard?!) but the rest is just adding a bunch of ingredients into a pot. This sounds like the perfect dish for a cozy New Years weekend – plus a healthy and filling meal to jump start a healthy new year!

How to Light, Ribbon, and Decorate a Christmas Tree

This year I was SO excited to meticulously light, ribbon, garland, and ornament my Christmas tree. Sure, it was a $20 half off cheap-o tree in the clearance after Christmas sales a few years ago. But that didn’t stop me from knowing that I could make this the prettiest, glitteriest, glitziest Christmas tree I’ve ever decorated.

Here is a step-by-step guide on how I took an unlighted, cheap Christmas tree and lit it up in Christmas cheer!

Step 1: Take one section at a time.

This year I decided to take fluffing and lighting the tree one section at a time. That means I started with the base, fluffed it, and then wound the lights into it. Then I would do this with the next section and the next until I had a complete tree.

This just makes the whole process so much easier (and eliminates some of those plastic tree scratches that makes your hands and arms look like you were attacked by a cat). Plus, you are able to best light the tree this way.

I used Vidya’s awesome tutorial on how to best light a tree. Basically you wind the lights up and down each Christmas limb instead of just circling the tree and only having lights on the outer branches of the tree. This helps better light the tree with depth and makes it look like a prelit tree too!

Step 2: Layer on the ribbon and garland!

Now that the tree is perfectly lit and you are already basking in the holiday glow of the tree, it’s time to add some beautiful ribbon. This is the first time I had done ribbon on a tree but I don’t think I will ever NOT have it on my tree again! Ribbon can set your color scheme but it also plays well with the lights. It doesn’t block any lights but glitters and gleams with the lights behind it. Plus, it adds a whole lotta sparkle and that’s the point of this year’s theme, right?

I used two spools of wired ribbon from Michael’s (70% off!).

I did wide gaps between each round of ribbon because I wanted to alternate the two different patterns on the tree.

Once you have all the ribbon on the tree you need to start twisting and playing with it. You don’t want what looks like roads just plowing through your tree. You want the ribbon to play and mingle with your tree branches, weaving in and out. You also want to wrap some limbs around the ribbon to give it a gathered look at times.

After the ribbon was in I added one strand of silver garland just to up the shimmer factor. I didn’t end up having enough to go between each ribbon round but I looped it 3 times around the tree and it was just enough.

Step 3: Adorn with ornaments!

Finally, the icing on the cake – ornaments! Whether you are using a color scheme to choose your ornaments or going al la carte with your ornament collection, this is the fun part that doesn’t really take much skill. Just be mindful to look for holes where you are missing ornaments. Plus, I like to hide some deeper in the tree to add some more dimension.

I used silver, gold, and white ornaments all over the tree. I chose to use balls and icicle lights so everything wasn’t the same shape.

Step 4: Skirt it!

Pretty much anything goes for a skirt! Your favorite fabric, a cozy blanket, faux snow (I picked some up last year after Christmas from Target for 50 cents!), or a specifically made Christmas skirt. Just make sure to add something so those plastic legs aren’t showing.

That completes my four step guide on how to decorate a Christmas tree in a fool proof and glamorous way! Do you have any tips to add? I’d love to hear your best Christmas tree decorating advice in the comments!

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Paula@SweetPea

Your tree is so pretty! I add lights to my porch tree the same way you do. I think I actually learned that trick from Martha Stewart shows many years ago.

I hope you enjoyed your Christmas on the west coast!ReplyCancel
- Megan
  
  Thank you, Paula! Learning that light trick helped decorating so much this year. Go Martha!ReplyCancel

A Gold and Glittery Christmas Wreath

In staying with my “The Most Sparkliest Christmas EVER” theme this year I decided to dip a (glittery) toe into the wreath making world. For some reason I am many rounds short of ever making a wreath in my life. It just never appealed to me UNTIL a wreath was pretty much the only way to add some curb appeal to my little apartment. Suddenly I wanted to make ALL the wreaths. Plus, my neighbors have some pretty impressive ones and I wanted to add to the festivity.

So after conferring with my wreath making connoisseur friend, pinning inspiration, and strolling through the aisles of Michaels (and the Christmas section in Wal-Mart), I hit upon my next creation: a gold and glittery wreath. Bingo. That’s just what I need on my door. All the glitter, all the time!

All I need to make my glitter extravaganza wreath was a roll of 35 foot ribbon (plus a little more to hang) and a wreath form. I first thought I was going to use a foam wreath form but the circle just seemed too skinny for the wreath. So I actually went with the straw form (don’t unwrap it!) and it was perfect (and much cheaper).

Now, I went real classy when making this wreath by using a good measure of duct tape. When all else fails, duct tape doesn’t (put that on a t-shirt, right?!).

To start the wreath, I taped the ribbon to the back of the wreath form. [You can also use wreath pins but I didn’t think to buy those in my naive wreath making.]

Then, tightly wrap the ribbon around the form, making sure you don’t see any of the wreath form underneath the ribbon. You will have to overlap quite a bit but that is ok. Just make sure to really tighten it every time you wind it to cut down on gapping.

Once the wreath is completely covered, duct tape the ribbon on the back of the wreath.

Finally, you need to make a bow. In full disclosure this is my first time making a bow and it is WAY harder than anticipated – especially with the ribbon I was using. It seems like ribbons with more bend and wire are easier to manipulate into bows. I based my bow loosely on this tutorial but honestly I cannot really tell you how I made it. After over an hour of wasted YouTube tutorial watching and crinkled ribbon, I said heck with it and just went rogue on my bow making. Four loops and a little duct tape later I had a bow.

However, since I see more wreaths in my future (hence more bow making) I pledge to learn how to make a bow and share with you my findings.

Lastly, use the same ribbon or a coordinating ribbon and loop it around your wreath to hang it. Secure it to the top of your door with – that’s right – duct tape.

Now isn’t this the classiest wreath making tutorial you just ever did read? Thought so!

Now there, a glittery gold wreath! My only wish is that I could take a paint brush to that door and turn it into a fun color! But alas, not in this apartment building. Perhaps some outside of the box thinking is needed for me…

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