Straws and Cups

I was, also, thrilled with this packaging.

Hello, hello! I've been quite the busy lately. This weekend, I'm trying to get lots done and be wise with my time. As of now, I'm almost done with my laundry.

Almost. It was a lot of laundry. And, as we all know, I hate doing laundry.

I've had a couple super major happy points in the last couple of weeks that I wanted to blog about. One of the things is that I got stainless steel straws! Why did I get these?

I really like straws. They make me happy. Also, I have a smoothie for breakfast every morning and without a straw, seeds are stuck in my teeth. You don't want to give a 5th grader any more ammo to think you're cooler than you are. 

Yesterday, this cup got busted. I'm sad.

So far, they have been working great! I'm cutting down on the amount of straws put in landfills (they don't break down, they can't be recycled). And since Americans use around 500 million straws a day, I'm glad I can make a very small dent. Want more information? Check here. 

The second change I was able to make was bringing my own cup to the coffee shop. Yes, if I'm staying there, I can use their cup. However, if I'm leaving, I don't necessarily want to use a paper cup if I don't have to. You see, even though I can recycle it, if I don't need to use it, I shouldn't. That sentence didn't flow. Whatever.

But I started bringing my own cup! They charge for whatever size it is (and sometimes I even get 25 cents off for using my own cup!). 


Smaller impact, something reusable. I'm thankful.

All the cups!

OH. Also, I looked into making an investment in a cup. Then I wised up and looked in my cabinet. Any cup that would be a carry cup (is that a phrase?) could be used. Amazing things happen when you just ask if you could do something (like use your own cup). 

Ask.

Peace.

The Day of Valentines

Hello! Hello! Guess what - well, no. Did you know that the origin of Valentine's Day is unknown? There are thoughts of it originating from a Roman holiday called Lupercalia. It was a giant feast and it was based around love and you can look it up because I don't want to explain. And, sometimes, it makes me uncomfortable. 

Thank you, Zara, for this cup.

Around sometime in the world, there were three men named Valentine who came along. They were all martyred for what they did. The most common story is the emperor at the time forbid marriage because he believed it made his soldiers less strong. Valentine didn't find that to be right, therefore he continued to perform marriage ceremonies. He got arrested, but he continued to perform the ceremonies while he was in prison. Eventually, he healed the jailor's daughter of blindness. After that (well, a bit of time after), he had his head taken off. Ouch.

That would hurt.

But there's the origin! Or, at least, the though origin.

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day! OH. I forgot this! St. Valentine got beheaded on Valentine's Day (the 14th of February), therefore that's when we celebrate. 

Anyways. I struggled to put together a gift because I didn't really know what to get my students. I went around my apartment and struggled with a gift. I found all the things! Tugce had left some little gift bags and today I got to use them! My stash of tea has slowly been going down (I'm almost to a less crazy tea lady stage...), but I figured I could use that! 

See? A classy Valentine! All the happy things.

Someone also posted on the Buy Nothing page today a load of chocolate. I don't think I've given my students chocolate all year - so tomorrow is the day! Each kid got two pieces (except for two kids...I couldn't find their second piece...). 

And then! In the bag I wrote them a little note. Classy, cheesy - "You're my cup of tea." Class. Almost as classy as when I gave crayons and said, "Crayon you be my Valentine?"

I'll be the classy teacher until I'm not anymore. Which will be never.

I'm thankful I can bring joy to a day without spending money and using what I have. I think that's resourceful. And it'll bring smiles to face either way!

Peace.

PS - You're my cup of tea.

Books Read

So, I made a post about wanting to read and asking for suggestions on books - I got lots of response. I think it would be good, for accountability sake, to write down the books I've read. Here's a progressive list -->

1. As Sure As the Dawn by Francine Rivers - this is one of my favorite books. It makes my heart beat and brings joy to my soul. I love books with character development and I love seeing a change of heart in people. This book is in my favorite series (Mark of the Lion), but this one can be (somewhat) taken out of the trilogy and stand alone.

2. Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers - I've read this book MULTIPLE times and let me tell you: it's lovely. It's based on the book of Hosea in the Bible (my favorite book) and tells it beautifully. Love, redemption, pain, healing. All of the things. Read it. This book used to frustrate me because the main male character always seemed perfect and that wasn't logical. This time, for the first time, I was able to see flaws. That was good for my soul. Not one person is perfect - except Jesus.

3. The Atonement Child by Francine Rivers - I've read this book a couple times. I come back to it usually once a year. It goes over the story of a young lady who was raped, became pregnant, and goes through the pain and process of deciding what to do. It's beautifully written and the Lord is very evident throughout the text. I love to see Jesus played out in a very practical and kind way.

4. No Place For Magic by E.D. Baker - I finally read a book not from Francine Rivers AND all in one day. I'm a cool kid. But, really, I went book hunting with my friend Nomi and found this book (and the next book in the series!). I bought them "for my classroom" and the rest is history. This story is super great. The first three books set up the story line - a girl kisses a frog and turns into a frog, she tries to become human again, attempts to fall in love, all the fun things, break a family curse. You know, the usual. In this book, she's fighting to gain the affection of the family she is going to marry into, but they hate magic. She has to balance that out while still trying to save the world. It's a super grand book (and series, really!), and I great suggest reading ALL of them.

Tortilla Chips

I'm a big fan of tortilla chips. They make my heart happy. 

I'm an even bigger fan of making things myself because then I know what is in them. That's always nice.

Today, I made tortilla chips. Inspiration came from a site I'm on where people share ideas about how to live more waste free. Someone was looking for a way to make baked tortilla chips. I gave her my recipe, then thought it would be helpful to write it down in case someone else wants it. 

ALL THAT ASIDE. Here's this.

Let's all take into consideration that I fail to follow recipes and keep any concept of time. There's your clarifier.

You need...
- corn tortillas
- cookie sheet
- salt
- oil (coconut or olive)

The first step is cutting your tortillas into sixths. That's a fraction! I used like six tortillas to fill a plan. I think.


Anyways, cut them into sixths. Then you're going to put a light (very light!) layer of oil on the bottom of the cookie sheet. Then, you make sure to space out the tortillas so that they don't overlap. If they do, they won't cook evenly and then they'll be stuck to each other.

And that's no fun.

Then, you put a baby bit more oil and a bit of salt on the top of the tortillas.

Cook them for approximately 10 (checking the oven often) or so minutes at 350. 

Works like a charm. Tastes lovely. And maybe, just maybe, better than chips bought at the store!

Peace.

All the yummy things!

Tea Party

Look at all the tea party cups!

Last weekend (on Saturday), I went around to every apartment in my building and asked them to come to 'Tea Time at Apartment #4!". In the note, it included that there would be tea, coffee, and (if you're lucky) hot cocoa! 7:00, my place, Sunday night.

So, I had my neighbors over. I have 12 apartments in my building, people from seven of those came. It made my heart happy. I got to use my cups, coffee, and tea (and one of the packets of hot cocoa!) and we just had joyful conversation. Everyone was able to talk when they wanted and get to know each other better. 

I like the idea of building community where I live. 

Tea sometimes speaks truth.

I've talked to people about this, but I feel like the art of inviting people into your home seems lost. It's easier, I guess, to invite people to a coffee shop for tea or coffee. It's more safe, in a sense, to invite people over a shop because then people can't see your messy life.

But I think it's a more real environment to invite people into your home to share a cup of tea or coffee. Or a cookie. It's more vulnerable, it's open, it's more honest. When you're in your own home, you can't hide from things as well as you could outside the home. 

Invite someone over to your place for a cup of tea. See what happens.

Peace.