Christmas Gift or Just Because

The canvas I made below would be a great Christmas gift or a "Just Because" gift or house decor.  If anyone is interested in me personalizing one for them I can. 
I will charge $15 (plus S&H) for a canvas that size with a 4 letter name or an initial.  This canvas is 11x14.
I will charge $18 (plus S&H) for a bigger canvas with a longer name.
Email me: jlr1004@swbell.net or leave a comment on here if interested. 
Please pass this along to anyone you know that may be interested. 
Thanks! 

Off the Beaten Path

This post doesn't contain a yummy recipe or a workout.....

I have had A LOT of free time on my hands these days with no studying (YAY!) and no job (no bueno) so I have gotten crafty.  I have to find things to do to occupy my time here in the country :)

Dan and I had been looking for something to go over the toilet in our guest room.  We had a print there that we had gotten as a wedding gift and I still love that print, just wanted something different.  We ordered a canvas off of canvaspeople.com of a scenery picture we had taken at Petit Jean.  We got it in black and white....mistake.  It looks awesome and we LOVE it, but the black and white does not look good with our browns/creams/tans in the bathroom.  We should have gone with sepia or color.  Soooo......that's what lead to this project

MIA

MIA.....for a good reason! I have abandoned my blog for a couple weeks because I had to buckle down and spend every free moment I had studying. It was well worth all that studying because I PASSED!!! I am officially an RD! Yay! It is the biggest relief I have ever felt. I can't even explain it. Now I wake up and can do what I want to do. I don't feel guilty about reading my Runner's World, cleaning the house, going to see friends, shopping, watching the Today Show, etc. It is such a wonderful feeling. I feel very blessed that the Lord enabled me to pass the first time. We are now praying the Lord opens the door for a job soon. I have been encouraged the last couple of weeks because new jobs have been posted (where as there had been nothing before this) and I have put in my application. I have had one interview. So we are just waiting to see what the Lord has in store for me now. In the meantime...I will continue giving recipes and workout ideas! :)
Recipe
This recipe is one that Dan had to help me with. We did chicken & veggie kabobs. We look forward to the weekends so much (or at least I do a whole lot) because Dan usually always grills. It gives me a break from cooking but we still get to enjoy homecooked meals vs going out to eat and spending too much money :)
Chicken & Veggie Kabobs:
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into cubes
Italian dressing for marinading the chicken
1 red bell pepper
2 small zucchini
1 onion
or any variety of veggies you prefer
Skewers to put the food on for grilling
Dice the chicken into cubes and marinate in Italian dressing for a couple of hours.
If you are using wooden skewers you need to soak them for about 30 minutes in water to keep them from burning on the grill.
Cut the onion, zucchini, and bell pepper into bite size pieces that will fit on the skewers.
Assemble the skewers however makes you happy! We did a few pieces of chicken separated with several veggies on each.
Sprinkle with seasoning of choice (we used Nature's Seasoning) and grill. I can't give directions on grilling....that would be Dan the Man's job :)
They were DELICIOUS and so very healthy for you. I did a couple of skewers with just veggies b/c we had more veggies than chicken. The next day I heated the veggies over some brown rice and had that for lunch. It was perfect.
The finished product....mmmm!! My mouth is watering now!

The skewers before they had been grilled.

Dan working hard to assemble the skewers. So thankful for a husband that loves to grill and help out in the kitchen.

Workout

Strength training .....

I am going to start giving strength training moves for different muscle groups. Group 1: shoulders.

1. Standing Row (not sure if this is the proper title...but thats what I like to call them)

Get a dumbbell in each hand. Stand up straight with 1 foot slightly in front of the other and the dumbbells hanging down in front of you (arms straight and palms facing you). Pull the weights up to your chin while keeping your elbows above your wrists. Lower back down where you arms are straight. That is 1 rep.....do 10-15 reps.

2. Straight arm raise

Get a dumbbell in each hand. You will want to use light weights for this move so you don't hurt your rotator cuff. Stand up straight with 1 foot slightly in front of the other and the dumbbells hanging down in front of you (arms straight and palms facing you). Lift the weights straight out in front of you with a slight bend in your elbow so as to not put too much pressure on your rotator cuff. Lower back down and lift your arms straight out to your side with a slight bend in your elbow. Lower back down to the starting position. That is one rep...do 8-12 reps.

3. Overhead Press

There are several varieties of this you can do. I'll explain one. Grab a dumbbell in each hand. Lift above your head in the position that looks like your showing your muscles :) with palms facing the front. One arm at a time, twist the weight as you press it above your head (your arm should be straight and palm facing your head) and lower back down to the starting position. Alternate arms and do 10-15 reps per arm.

All of these moves will work your shoulders which is a major muscle group in your body. For girls, this is a great way to get lean looking arms without looking bulky. When working a major muscle group (shoulders, hamstrings, back, quads, etc.) you will burn more calories throughout the day.

Keep cooking and moving my friends!