Surviving Life's Rough Patches

Each  of us have reached points in our lives where it has seemed impossible to go on. The present is horrible, and the future seems bleak. We question every decision we made in the past. We begin to doubt our ability to make sound decisions in the future. Our world collapses around us. This feeling consumed me recently, and quite frankly, I am still climbing out of the slump. I am not going to say that it's easy to recover or that it wasn't your fault that you are where you are. THE GOOD NEWS IS that your life is in YOUR hands, so at this point in one's life you can either sit around dreading life or go out and pursue your dream life. Your fairy tale ending is possible!  

Recovering is a process and a few things need to be kept in mind when your world seems to be falling apart:

1. If things are miserable currently, they are bound to get much better soon.

2. Your future is in your hands and your hands alone. Do not blame other people for the crummy situation that you are in. Get off your butt and make the situation better.

3. God is watching out for you, and he will take a tough situation and turn it into something beautiful.

 Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

4. To die sad would be miserable. You have not fulfilled the joy and your purpose that life presents. If anyone should ever want to die it should be in the happiest moment of their life. The saddest people have so much potential to be happy. Push though the tough times! You're moment is coming.

5. You are not going to feel better tomorrow or even next month, but slowly things do improve. 

6. It helps greatly to distract one's self. Take on more responsibility at work, volunteer to help the community, hang out with your friends. Sitting around alone will only make you feel worse.

7. Lastly, remember that no matter how alone life seems, there are people in the world, even strangers, who care about you. Seek their help when you need someone to talk to. Our minds can make a tough scenario seem even worse. 

The happy times are on their way!! Just persevere. 

Keeping Chickens in the Winter: Advice

Chickens are easy in the summer, spring, and fall, but when it comes to winter they can be a bit...unintelligent.
A few problems we've had:The chickens are terrified by the snow. Ours refuse to walk on it, which is a problem because they need to eat and drink. Also, in the winter the water freezes which is a problem for obvious reasons. And finally, the chickens need to stay warm at night. Finding frozen chickens would be quite the terrifying experience... Luckily, I have the solutions to each of these problems.

Rooster scared of snow.

Firstly, when it snows, we go out and shovel an area by the waterer, and we hang the feeders underneath the coops.

Feeder hanging underneath the coop

 When temperatures are below freezing, we have to change the water daily in order to have liquid water for the chickens. Our larger waterer typically stays liquid longer.

Waterer frozen over.

 In order to keep our chickens laying and warm at night, we put a heat lamp in the coop.

Hope these tips help my fellow chicken lovers! Also, our chickens are free range, so they have fairly unrestrained access to our property. The snow on the ground problem is probably not a problem for people with an enclosed coop area.

How to: The Perfect Snow Day

Snow outside. School is closed. The fire is going. 24 hours just to relax and enjoy the day, but what would complete the perfect snow day??

For starters:

• Sleep in. Turn your alarm clock off and sleep until you are ready to start the day. Slept in until 12? No worries. Today is a day of recuperation. You have no where to be, no one to see. Have a late breakfast/brunch. Pancakes anyone??

• Roll out of bed in your pajamas and slippers, and you could even wear your pajamas all day! NO EXPECTATIONS TODAY.
• As for breakfast, you actually have time to whip out you culinary skills for once. Throw yourself together a breakfast of champions. After all, you'll need all your energy for playing in the snow later.
• May I suggest: Fluffy Maple French Toast with Fresh Fruit on the side and a glass of milk

• Ingredients:
•  6 slices of thick sliced day old bread
•   1 3/4 cup of milk
• 3 eggs
• 2 Tablespoons of maple syrup
• 3/4 tsp of cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• butter (for skillet)

• To Make:
• Heat non-stick skillet.
• Whisk together all ingredients besides the bread and butter (of course).
•  When skillet is hot, drop 1-2 tablespoons of butter.
• Quickly soak your bread, flip, and add to the skillet.
• Repeat on each slice. Cook slices for 2 minutes on each side. Drizzle on syrup and add cinnamon as it cooks.
• Remove with spatula, and let it cool for a few minutes before serving.

Recipe adapted from:  http://www.babble.com/best-recipes/fluffy-maple-vegan-french-toast/

Day activities:

Awe isn't she cute?

• Firstly, the obvious necessities for a snow day: Suite up to brave the cold and build snow creatures, have a snow ball fight, make a snow man. Have you truly had a snow day with out doing these things? We made Snow Glow Blobs by piling snow into piles and making faces out of glow sticks. Due to the snow being too frozen to roll, this was our solution. My only warning: The glow sticks dimmed really quickly. We think it was due to the cold.



The left blob (done later) is much brighter than the right blob (done first).

•  Take a walk and take in the sights. Note tracks in the snow from creatures that were there before. The snow turns your everyday world into a whole new place. It's amazing.

  

  Walking in the city with my girls.

• Next, curl up in front of the TV with friends and family while drinking hot chocolate and watching some old classics like Elf or It's a Wonderful Life. For me I chose The Sound of Music since our snow days were after the holiday season. 
  
• Remember snow days are your day of recuperation, so paint you nails, take a bath, try a new makeup look, have a you day. 
• In conclusion to the day, eat a decadent dessert (forget about calories!) and just have a great day!

My snow day necessities:

•  Warm socks
• Blankets
• Fireplace
• Thermos
• Hot chocolate
• Boots
• Sunglasses
• Netflix
• Friends and family
• Comfort food
• and of course, warm weather gear

Picture courtesy: http://www.mccormick.com/Recipes/Breakfast-Brunch/Quick-and-Easy-French-Toast

Gossip Girl Addiction

In the present day and age there are many addictions that mankind chooses to ignore. One of those addictions is instant streaming video (Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, Blockbuster online, etc.). I had never fully understood this addiction until, with the persuasion of a close friend, I discovered the most magnificent show ever devised for New York City, fashion loving people in all of history,  and that show is Gossip Girl. I know what you're thinking, "Gossip Girl, that must be a show for middle school girls where all the main characters do is go around gossiping and talking about boys.". Truth be told, there is slight truth to that. Gossiping is involved and multiple boys, but the interweaving story lines and clever surprises at ever turn make it worth while for anyone (although I would recommend ages 14-45ish).

The amazing Gossip Girl cast.

A few things that hooked me from the beginning were: the high end fashion, the scandal, the intense romance between Chuck and Blair, and the peek into the lives of the elite citizens of our nation.

As for fashion, one can only begin by discussing Blair Cornelia Waldorf (Basically the Queen of the show). She is the fashionable, scheming, brilliant daughter of a fashion designer mother and a gay father. With many of Blair's fabulous outfits she wears a designer headband along with high end outfits gushing with upper east side influences.

One of Blair's most unique looks

Another important icon to the Gossip Girl fashion world is Chuck Bass *Key angels signing in the background*. Fittingly, Chuck is Blair's lover and also extremely wealthy. His outfits are simply to drool over. If Blair is headbands, headbands, and more headbands, Chuck is suits, suits, and more suits.

Finally, my favorite piece of fashion on Gossip Girl, the formal wear. Just about every episode there is some sort of black tie even that involves extravagant gowns and high end tuxes, basically every girls dream come true. Serena Van der Woodsen and Blair team up as powerful best friends in their luxurious looks.

The sophistication and class in these looks is simply amazing.



My most recent find.
 Drool worth? I think yes!

Due to the magnificent looks on the show, I constantly find myself headband shopping or on the Barneys website drooling over things I cannot have. I am constantly being torn between the carefree side of me that loves to travel and get dirty, and the side of me that wishes to work my way up through societal rankings to become an upper east sider. Gossip Girl is like my looking glass into the a wealthy unique Manhattan world. Whether I wish to become a part of it, only time will tell.










A few lessons that Gossip Girl has taught me:

• Tights are not pants.
• Have a little faith, and if that doesn't work, have a lot of mimosas.
• Chuck Bass can do anything because he's Chuck Bass and your argument is invalid.
• A hot lifeguard is like Kleenex, use once and then throw away.
• You aren't anyone until you're talked about.
• Every happy ending is really just a new beginning. Because on the Upper East Side, the good times never last forever.
• All guys are jerks, but they get hotter with age, and we learn to be more tolerant.
• Men have bad taste. Once men have tasted caviar,  it baffles me how they can settle for catfish.
• Destiny is for losers. Don't wait for things to happen.
• You can't make people love you, but you can make people fear you.
• Don't be a stop along the way, be the destination.
• Whoever said you can't buy happiness didn't know where to shop.

(For those of you who have yet to watch Gossip Girl, the lessons are themed off of famous quotes in the series. Not necessarily my actual beliefs.)

Ignore me, but doesn't Chuck just look divine?

Lastly, are you truly obsessed without fandom merchandise??? I am the proud owner of a shirt that Ed Westwick (Chuck Bass's handsome actor) promoted, and all proceeds went to the Saint Judes Children's Hospital. Also,  my biggest advice to new Gossip Girl watchers: It may take a few episodes to get fully interwoven into the lives of these Upper East Siders, so I recommend giving the series until season 2 before judging it. Happy watching!

Gossip Girl truly is, "...your one and only source into the scandalous lives of Manhattan's elite".

 

 

Pictures courtesy of these sites: http://www.kidzworld.com/article/24671-gossip-girl-season-4-episode-1, http://fatalperfectioon.blogspot.com/2009/11/blair-waldorf.html,  http://whatchuckwore.tumblr.com/, http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/chuck-bass/images/29673386/title/suit-yourself-bass-photo, http://fcukyeahblairwaldorf.tumblr.com/page/2, http://fashionismyonlydrug.blogspot.com/2012/01/get-look-serena-van-der-woodsen.html, https://www.blogger.com/blogin.g?blogspotURL=http://sofyagunlukleri.blogspot.com/2012/12/gossip-girl-finali.html

Voyage à Québec: Day 2

Disclaimer: I am not sure why the video quality is so poor. If anyone has any advice for that please comment. Thanks!

The second day of our trip to Québec was dedicated to experiencing the Québec Winter Carnival. The Carnival is truly an amazing experience, and something that everyone needs to experience in their lifetimes. The Carnival has things for people of all ages, and to make the experience even better, the carnival was very budget friendly. As mentioned in my earlier post, for simply $15 Canadian, one can access all the attractions for 3 weeks. I can not stress enough how much we enjoyed our trip. The people were nice, the food was good, and the experience was unforgettable.




Part of our beautiful walk to the Carnival

In front of the Capital Building

To begin our day, we ate breakfast in our apartment then headed over to the carnival dressed in many MANY layers. At the carnival we ate some tire d'erable (our favorite snack) then headed over to snow tubing. At the bottom of the tubing hill, we each grabbed a tube then walked up to the top of the hill. Once at the top you could decide to either go down solo or in a pair. Each time I went down in a pair. I would recommend leaning in towards the chute walls for some "turbulence" to add excitement to your ride. Another important thing to mention about the carnival is that the lines were not bad at all. The longest we ever waited in line was about 8 minutes.

After snow tubing, we looked at some magnificent snow sculpture and the many exhibits that were set up lining the path to the main "food/warmth tent".

Walking through the Carnival

Ice Furniture

Snow sculpting (soldiers carrying a casket)

After warming up we went dog sledding. Dog sledding was a great experience! The workers and dogs were in good spirits. The worker leading my sled even let me drive! I will worn though, the dog sled rides are short in length, but you will certainly get your money out of this amazing experience! Unlike the rest of the events in the main carnival area, dog sledding and sleigh rides DO cost money. Dog sledding is $8 for kids and $10 for adults. Sleigh rides (which we weren't able to do) are $7 per person.

Ice fishing

Next, we went ice fishing (which is free, but upon catching a fish it does cost to have it cooked). This was another great experience. Just like everywhere in Québec, the workers were very friendly and ready to help. The area for ice fishing appeared to be a large tank stocked with trout. In the tank there were holes cut into plastic which was covered in a thick layer of snow. Covering each hole was a bucket. To fish one would move the bucket (I would sit upon mine) and put the bait in. A fish was caught anywhere from 1-7 minutes later. It was a fairly fast experience due to the fish being so hungry.

Beautiful icicles on a wreath

After fishing we went into the city for lunch, then hiked back to our apartment to warm up. Once warm, we prepared for my most memorable experience of the entire trip. We grabbed our towels, a warm hat, and our swimsuits and headed back to the carnival to enjoy the Arctic Spas Village. In this unique Scandinavian experience one goes into a "heated" changing room (hardly felt warmer than the outdoor air) and changes into a bathing suit with a winter hat on to hold in body heat. Once changed one ventures out of the changing room into a hot tub heated to about 97 degrees. Once in the hot tub you hardly feel cold... But you don't forget the chilly external air due to the ice forming atop the hot tub's foam and in your hair and hat. To add to the experience it is highly recommended that you get out of the hot tub and roll around in the snow. At first we thought anyone who would do that was crazy, but to our surprises we each got out and rolled around in the snow then quickly hoped back into the hot tub. After the hot tub you get into a sauna to warm up before finally changing out of your swim suits and back into your many winter clothes. The entire experience was unforgettable, and afterwards we were each feeling very energized and ready to take on the world.

For dinner, we grabbed some soup at one of the carnival vendors for only $2 Canadian, and it was some of the best soup we have ever had. After the soup, we continued to explore the carnival,  including a stop at Bonhomme's magnificent palace, until we were overwhelmed with cold and fatigue and headed home. At home we ended the night with some delicious raspberry pastries (that only cost $2 Canadian for a box of 12) and milk before we crawled into our warm beds to end a great day in Québec City.

Delicious $2 Canadian soup!

Inside Bonhomme's Ice Palace

Bonhomme the (creepy) snowman

Maple Delights: A Must Try!

Upon our journey to Québec City, we ran across a young man handing out samples on le Rue Saint-Jeane. The sample was a warm concoction of maple and milk topped with foam and some sort of spice. Amazed by the delicious maple milk we went into Maple Delights and each got some amazing maple milk along with a pastry. I got a maple pie topped with fruit and nuts. Unfortunately, it was the last one. I would have bought more slices for throughout the day!

Atop the balcony

 We sat atop a cute balcony surrounded by histories of maple and physical examples of the different buckets and taps used throughout history.

Maple Pie and Maple Milk

Warming up with maple milk

Almond croissant

In addition to having the history of maple and maple foods, the cafe offered a wide assortment of maple gifts and products to purchase. To our pleasure, the service was impeccable and the cafe had wi-fi. Surprisingly, it was very hard to find a location offering internet connection that wasn't "broken" in the city. I will certainly be going back the next time I am in Québec City.

Top Québec Foods That Every Tourist Should Try

When in Québec City there are a few foods that every tourist is "required" to try in order to get the full experience.

First, and certainly my favorite, is tire d'erable, a maple taffy. Tire d'erable is an experience in itself. Heated maple syrup is poured upon snow, and then allowed about 30 seconds to begin hardening. With a provided Popsicle stick, one sticks the stick in the snow and rolls it to form something like a lollipop. These are typically sold at places called Sugar Shack.

At the Sugar Shack!

Another important food to try is poutine. Poutine is an interesting dish. Semi-mushy fries are covered with gravy and cheese curd. It's sometimes accompanied by other topping, such as different meats.

 Our poutine was covered in simply cheese curd and gravy.

Beaver tails are another food that all tourists must try, and they rank high on each of our lists. They are a cinnamon pastry shaped like a beaver's tail and they are covered with a wide variety of toppings.

Maple Butter Beaver Tail with 50 cent hot chocolate.

 Toppings pictured to the right and left.

When visiting a place with French influences, one must order crepes! We went to a cute, fairly inexpensive place on Rue Saint-Jeane called Casse-Crepe Breton. The service was wonderful and the food was amazing, although the crepes were slightly overcooked, a bit cruchy...

 YUM!

Finally, although not a requirement, it's important to try a high-end restaurant to get a sampling of unique cuisine only available in a place like Québec. We went to Le Cochon Dingue in Old Québec City.

Entrance to Le Cochon Dingue

Duck Sandwich with Cole Slaw and Skinny Fries

Delicious Sugar Pie!

All in all, when visiting Québec City be sure to try these unique traditional foods!

Voyage à Québec: Day 1

Recently, my father, some friends and I traveled up to Québec City, Québec for a long weekend (January 30th-February 3rd). The Carnaval (french spelling) was an amazing experience. For just $15 Canadian dollars you can access all the Carnaval festivities. Below I will recount our experience along with advice for future carnival goers.

First, a few tips:
To save money and create a more relaxed feel, we rented an apartment in downtown Québec. The location was perfect for the carnival. 3 minutes down the street was a grocery store, and restaurants surrounded us all around. About a fifteen minute walk away was the carnival, and along the way were beautiful views, making the walk a true enjoyment.

 In February, the high is around 21̊F, and the lows are around -4̊F. MAKE SURE YOU DRESS IN LAYERS!! Also, boots are a necessity.

Day 1:

We got up at 3:30 to drive to the airport. We flew standby making the flight essentially free. Downfalls to flying standby: You must know someone who works for the airlines, AND it is not a guaranteed seat. Standby flyers only get the left over seats on the plane, so you can easily loose your seat if another flight is cancelled or fills up etc.

After a lay over in Newark we finally landed in Montreal and rented a car to drive to Québec City. 

Once in Québec we stocked up on food in the nearby grocery store then headed to the Opening Ceremonies of the Carnaval and the Crowning of the Duchess.

Being an American, bagged milk came as quite the surprise!

Trying to keep warm in the 10 degrees F. air. (A warm night!)

Crowning of the Duchess

Friend enjoying the festive night.

The Opening Ceremony was filled with music, dancing, and fireworks. We ended the night by rushing back to our apartment realizing that we need ALL of our warm clothes.