for a long time now, the bedroom that i share with my boyfriend has not been as relaxing as i'd hoped for the past couple of months. we don't have any closets, so all of our clothing is visible at all times. i discovered recently that this was causing me to feel distressed - even when all of our clothing was neatly hanging or folded on shelves, i could still see all of it.
another problem i was having stemmed from how dark our room was and where our bed was situated. i was having trouble waking up and getting out of bed because my side of the bed was tucked against a corner. together, we hauled an old dresser of mine from my parents' home up the stairs and moved our bed to the center of our bedroom. by putting most of my clothes into my dresser, i instantly felt a calming sensation. just being able to close the drawers and have it out of my sight was enough. i also rearranged our tapestries so the light would reflect better. this immediately brightened our room. with moving the bed, i found it easier to wake up the past two mornings. i still have a few things to work out (like where to hide my shoes) and some objects to rearrange, but as of now my soul is settling. although i already have plants in our room, i didn't have any by the bed. i purchased a peace lily, hoping to breathe better while i sleep at night. if you feel a little unsettled in your bedroom or at home, moving your belongings around to play with space and light is a great way to give yourself a positive boost! and definitely, add a plant :)
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for many people, driving behind someone on the road and watching the person in front of them throw a cigarette butt out the window is just something we simply look past. however, i've recently started to become more aware of the amount of cigarette litter that surrounds us. this trash consumes our gardens, sidewalks, roads and other places we try to keep beautiful. how difficult is it for someone to throw away their finished cigarette (properly)? why have we allowed this nonchalant form of littering to become so acceptable? through this, we have forgotten that cigarettes are toxic trash and we need to become aware of this again.
today during my break, i took a walk downtown to enjoy the sunshine. as i was looking around, i walked past an elderly man sweeping our korean war veterans memorial. when i looked closer, i saw that there were cigarette butts littered throughout the brick - bricks containing the names of people who fought in a war. when throwing a cigarette butt out of a car window, you don't actually know where it's going to end up; at the moment maybe all you care about is getting it out of your hand. but on west market street, your cigarette butts end up here. where alan myers, a korean war veteran, is left to clean up after you. recycling has been a very important thing to me for a long time now. it makes me sad when i see things that can be recycled simply thrown away into the trash can to go to the landfill, because someone was too lazy to take the extra step. reminder: there is NO away. i'm writing this to remind myself and everyone that the short cuts we take and the daily habits we have directly impact our environment. so - as many of you may already know, the united states will be leaving the paris agreement on climate change, which was an agreement for our country to participate in reducing the emissions we put into the atmosphere. being part of this agreement meant that the united states would, as a country, decide how we were going to go about doing reducing these emissions. there has been quite an uproar about this, but i think there is a huge idea that is being forgotten. just because our government has decided not to participate in protecting our environment doesn’t mean that WE THE PEOPLE can’t take our own steps to do so. the problem started with us and it can be solved by us. some facts for you to consider:
what i’m trying to get at is – we shouldn't be relying on someone else, our government in this case, to take care of our environment for us. we are perfectly capable of doing this on our own. each of us is directly responsible for every action we take. just making a small change in our daily habits is what is going to affect our environment. i’m not saying that i agree with what our government has decided. i’m just saying that we as individuals have complete power over what we’re purchasing and how we decide to discard it. this is what is going to be the change that affects our future. from traveling, i understand that there are some cities that do not currently offer recycling. however, there are many things people living in these areas can do to combat the amount of waste they produce. be aware of what you purchase on the daily. questions to ask yourself (not just people who can't recycle):
it’s the little things that make a big difference over time. if you live in an area that DOES offer recycling, check out what types of products they accept for recycling purposes. for those of you living in my area – penn waste accepts just about EVERYTHING. ie; cardboard, paper, metal and aluminum, plastic containers and bottles, cartons and glass. for a specific list under each category, visit pennwaste.com. i just want to emphasize that if we all work together, we can make the difference. complaining about our government’s decision all over social media isn’t going to get us where we need to be. action is going to get us there and we need to do it on our own. thanks for reading guys ❤ more ideas for reducing waste, increasing recycling and being a better earth-dweller overall are greatly appreciated :) (facts from: http://www.recycleacrossamerica.org/recycling-facts) (photo from weebly.com) last week, i got to travel with my best friend on our first real vacation together. we flew to houston, tx to visit her brother. our 5 days were filled with amazing breakfasts & dinners as well as endless laughs & carter cuddles!
growing up, my dad always had this odd plant growing in the garden. i thought it was just some outrageously large weed that he never got around to uprooting. as my love for plants has grown over the past few years, i discovered it was rhubarb & was ecstatic when i found it can be used in a variety of recipes. i made it a goal this spring to bake something with it & i finally have! INGREDIENTS: 1/2 cup cut rhubarb pieces 1 cup strawberries 1/2 cup rolled oats 1 cup brown sugar 1 tsp cinnamon 1 & 1/3 cups flour 1/2 cup butter, softened DIRECTIONS: heat oven to 360 F. mix rhubarb, strawberries, brown sugar, 1/3 cup flour & 1 tsp cinnamon in a bowl |spread mixture in a pie plate | mix butter, oats, 1 cup flour, sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon in separate bowl |sprinkle oat mixture over rhubarb mixture | Bake 40-45 minutes, or until top is crispy & brown add vanilla bean ice cream to a warm bowl of crisp. a delicious, fresh spring treat!
after what i SWEAR was the longest four years of my young life, i finally graduated from college. it is such a freeing, yet frightening feeling to be thrown out into the world. thankfully, i was given the opportunity to work full time with an incredible company, relieving my job search jitters. i think the best part about graduating college is that from this point on, i'm not expected to do anything else. there are no societal standards that i feel pressured to live up to. from this point on - i get to just do me. i'm going to continue to set goals for myself & achieve them at my own pace. stay tuned to see what my post-grad life turns into :)
cuticles feeling gross and dry? use this quick and easy recipe for cuticles that feel healthy and refreshed: `mix together some white sugar and your regular hand soap that you use for washing, until you have a consistency that includes more sugar than soap. it's really that simple - you're done! put a small amount of the mixture on your hands and rub into your cuticles. rinse with warm water and massage in your favorite lotion!
we all have our favorite body care/beauty products, and recently i've been crushing on a particular three for my face, lips and skin: what: in a new york minute - glycolic face mask where: perfectly posh cost: $14.00 i've been craving brighter skin and i think i've found the product that helps me with that. this five minute face mask cleans pores, removes dry skin and leaves your face feeling refreshed. i use it before bed - perfect for settling into sleep. what: just peachy - tinted lip balm where: sunrise soap company cost: $3.00 i've recently been enjoying wearing lipstick, but found i had to sacrifice moisture. while browsing my favorite local soap shop, i found this lovely tinted lip balm! it serves the purpose of providing moisture AND color. i'm obsessed with this product already and will definitely be purchasing more. what: handmade natural soaps where: sunrise soap company cost: $5.00 each i adore our downtown soap shop and i've been purchasing products there for years. nag champa has been my recent go-to scent because it leaves the bathroom (and me) smelling wonderful after i shower! i'm excited to try the rose scent i picked up the other day - it already smells amazing sitting in the bathroom. sunrise soaps are my favorite because they are handmade with amazing oils that leave my skin feeling great. (the above products and my opinions of them are not related to the companies whatsoever. these are simply my favorite products and my ideas regarding their effectiveness)
for a long time, i used the excuse "it's too expensive" for not eating healthy. after expanding my "shopping mind," i came to find that i was mostly wrong about this idea. i found that just by looking a little harder and going somewhere different than i was used to grabbing groceries, i could find everything i needed and more - at a great price. today was payday (therefore grocery shopping day). these are a few of the great deals i found at a different places in my area! what: organic granola where: d&k surplus grocery cost: 99 cents i bought two boxes and am regretting not buying a few more before they're gone! d&k is very much a hit or miss - a bad thing because you usually can't buy what you bought last time you were there, but a good thing because you never know what you'll find the next time! what: corzo & quinoa where: central market house - compleat cost: corzo - $1.95; quinoa - $3.95 shopping small and buying local is super important to me. the city near my home is trying to revitalize and i try to support them every chance i get! learn about the benefits of shopping local here: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/244839 what: asparagus where: central market house - dennis fitz cost: $1.25 although i know i could have gotten more bang for my buck at a big supermarket chain, i chose to support this little farmer's stand instead. what: chiquita bananas where: aldi cost: 44 cents/lb i love aldi because similar to d&k, you never know what you're going to find. but unlike d&k, aldi offers produce and a lot of items unusual from what we see at the everyday grocery stores. the bananas at aldi are usually a little green, so i'll be sitting these in the sun to ripen a little so we can eat them sooner. want to eat healthier? check out all of the options for shopping in your area before deciding it's too expensive like i did. you'll be surprised with what you find!
(various items from d&k and aldi) |
hi! i'm bradania - lover of coffee, plants, adventure & life // thanks for visiting!
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