Life Joys

My favorite time of year has started - the time of year when you can lay outside and a nap. Hopefully intentional. I maybe took an unintentional nap at the park today. 

Then I walked to the coffee shop and got some free shots of espresso. They have posted on their Instagram that they have a special offer to get free coffee if you tell a fact they post. I thought they were all done. Nope. Free coffee and fizzy water for me. 

Yay.

Earlier today, I was checking out my plants that I have in the window. Look at how much they've grown! I got these pots at a 'Buy Nothing' swap, where I was able to grab random items that made my heart joyful. For free. I like free.

And the seeds were from somewhere...I think the swap, too! But look how they're growing. From nothing, it seems, comes something. From baby seeds come mighty trees. Except these aren't trees. Thank goodness.

Lastly, y'all, overalls. When I was in grade school, I wore overalls for three years straight. Not like hyperbole 'three years straight'. This is legit. Every day. I could probably count on my hands the amount of time I wore something besides overalls. 



As a side note, also, there's tons of different styles of overalls. 

But I got a new pair! It's been years. Someone gave them to me...randomly. The amount of joy I have from them is maybe I bit too much. Whatever. Overalls. I'm thankful.

Find joy in the simple things in life. Jesus provides those.

Peace.

Thank You

The radio says some really weird things. Usually, because of this, I zone them out. Or listen to really cool CDs. Like Hamilton. For hours on end. Hours. And hours. 

Here, learn a song from Hamilton. Here, listen to it.

I never thought I would find a use for this.

Anyways, I didn't listen to a CD or zone a couple weeks ago. It went into a segment where someone was talking and they had a REALLY good point. 

Instead of saying sorry, say thank you. 

Examples: 

Instead of saying, "Sorry for being late," say, "Thank you for waiting for me!"

Instead of saying, "Sorry for having to cancel," say, "Thank you for being understanding!"

Instead of saying, "Sorry I didn't explain that clearly," say, "Thank you for taking the time to understand what I was saying."

This does a couple things --> 
1. It takes the emphasis off the negative and turns it to a positive.
2. It takes the emphasis on the thing you did wrong and puts it on what the other person did right.
3. It makes both parties feel a little bit better about the situation.

This change has made life quite lovely the past couple of weeks. I still over-apologize, but I do so less. There are still times that we need to apologize and admit wrong. But, more than that, there are times where we need to thank the people around us for what they do.

Peace.

Produce Bags

I did another thing! So, I've been avoiding buying produce for a bit of time (well, produce that needs to be put in bags) because I didn't want to use a plastic bag. It just made me frustrated often that I would be putting more plastic into the environment. 

First one - handmade. Sewn by hand.

Y'all. I wanted kumquats for a year. I finally got them today. 

Why? How?

I made produce bags!

I have two right now, but I figure I'll make more. How did I do it?

Old pillowcase. Cut into three parts (when the pillowcase if facing horizontally). Then, I sewed up the sides, leaving the top (one of the smaller sides) open. I flipped the top over itself (like to make a place for a shoelace to go through). Literally, this doesn't make sense. Maybe someone has a way to do this online...

Here. Someone else wrote it. I don't feel bad about taking it.

Oh! But I'm also really thrilled because everything I'm using to make these bags is reused. Or repurposed. I didn't buy anything. Old pillowcase. Extra shoelaces. A sewing machine.

Second one - sewn with machine. Dang,
I need practice.

Anyways, I've been really thrilled because now I have produce bags! And, actually, I'm using making them as incentive to grade papers. Cool? I know. 

But that's a really practical change I've been able to make to help the environment and for me to be able to help my body.

Life is good. I hope this made sense.

Probably not. 

But whatever. I got kumquats. Apples. And broccoli. With zero-waste. 

Peace.

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!