Because Mondays are hard and sometimes we need a little inspiration…
Ever realize how our own minds can hold us back? Change, new situations, unusual experiences all awaken some degree of fear, but rather than feed the fear, remember to feed the excitement. Turn the negative “what ifs” into positive ones.
Check out what I’ve been checkin’ out this week…
1. One young man. One big ocean. And one giant dream.
2. A cute little reminder that can make a big impact.
3. Stray dogs trained to chase stray tennis balls at the Brazil Open.
Easter is right around the corner and you know what that means… Easter eggs! And while I don’t quite understand the connection to Easter and colored eggs, it is a tradition I love to partake in. All my life I have happily bought egg coloring kits and mixed chemicals and dyes together to make pretty eggs. This year I thought of something new. I thought there has to be a more natural way to dye eggs for Easter. So I did some research and here is what I came up with.
For each of the following colors, use 1 cup of water with one of the following:
1 cup chopped purple cabbage = blue
1 cup red onion skins = lavender
1 cup yellow onion skins = orange
1 cup shredded beets = pink
2 tablespoons ground turmeric = yellow
For a dozen eggs, you will need about five cups of dye. So you can make five cups of one color using the same ratio or split it up and make one of each. In order to make the dye, mix the coloring agent (cabbage, onion skins, beets, or turmeric) with water in a saucepan and bring the water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, reduce it to a simmer for roughly 15 to 30 minutes. This timing difference depends heavily on how dark you want your eggs. As a rule of thumb, make sure the water is two shades darker than the desired color of your eggs. Once you have the desired color, remove the pan from the heat and let it cool before straining out the added ingredient. Add in a teaspoon of vinegar for every cup of water and you are ready to go!
Tip: Use white eggs to get the most color pay off. And if you didn’t already know, make sure the eggs are hard-boiled first!
Mix the dyes together for some fun, custom colors. Since all of the eggs are dyed with natural ingredients, they are safe to eat after. They might even have a little extra kick to them!
Valentines day is right around the corner and while giving gifts is fun, giving socially conscious gifts is MORE fun. Here are a few twists on the typical chocolate and flowers. All of the products below are socially conscious in a variety of different ways and are sure to make the guy or girl in your life happy.
Chocolate:
To me chocolate is great any time of day, month, year, etc., but chocolate on Valentine’s Day is always a little extra special. It’s a great time to splurge on a pricy piece of chocolate that you normally might not gravitate to for your daily (or weekly/monthly/not at all if you have a better self control than I do). I love the Endangered Species Chocolate bars, which are in fact not made out of endangered species, but give 10% of profits to endangered species organizations. My favorites are the dark chocolate with espresso beans and dark chocolate with peppermint crunch. You can find this brand at a variety of grocery stores, but if you can’t find this particular brand, Whole Foods usually has a decent selection of socially conscious chocolate.
This next one is a type of chocolate you might not want to eat. This Too Faced eye shadow palette is made with cocoa powder so it smells delicious. The soft texture, high pigmentation, variety of neutrals and statement colors, and the oh so delicious chocolate scent make this palette something special. Another thing that makes it special is because Too Faced is a cruelty free brand.
Flowers:
Before starting my blog I would have never thought to look into the flower industry’s effect on the environment. But with the upcoming holiday, the idea popped into my head and I started to do a little research. Did you know that 80% of cut flowers sold in the U.S. are imported? Between transportation costs and the pesticide usage, there are plenty of reasons to look into flower alternatives. Luckily there are some alternatives:
How are you celebrating Valentine’s Day? Leave your plans in the comments below!
Because Mondays are hard and sometimes we need a little inspiration…
Remember to take time to disconnect. Whatever is on your phone can probably wait, but sometimes what’s right in front of you can’t. Don’t miss it.
Check out what I’ve been checkin’ out this week…
1. When I was younger, I definitely would have loved one of these “normal” looking dolls.
2. A few things to start doing in 2016.
4. Rhode Island celebrated a great cause this week for a new holiday called D-Strong Day.
Because Mondays are hard and sometimes we need a little motivation…
When you fall, choose to get back up, get better, learn from your mistakes. It is what separates a failure from a success.
