First Published 6/1/14


I find It odd we live in a society where racial slurs and homosexual offensive words of which I will not name here makes their way into every song, story, and TV show aired to the teenagers of today. All we are doing is sucking the future generation of our society into an abyss of sexism and hatred for anyone seen as different.

 

The most popular songs seen on the radio today are full of getting drunk and having sex usually with a healthy dose of money and a touch of swearing for good measure. No wonder we have entered a society where the divorce rate is 50% and almost everyone is scared to show who they truly are. Body image issues and poor self-confidence is at an all-time high and only getting worse with songs like “Blurred Lines” topping the charts. Are we that desensitized to violence that most everyone does not realize how degrading and full of sexual violence those lyrics are?

We live in a world where the word love is not heard often and when it is people freak out, they stutter, panic, and finally end with an awkward thank you. People are so easy to enter into a one night stand yet when someone develops emotion it turns into an awkward situation of suffocation and clingy vibes. What are we afraid of?

 

We are taught as children to fear the stranger in the dark alley, to fear the bad man dressed in black, and to fear our own emotions. Boys are taught not to cry and when women cry they are on their period. Why is society so thrilled to watch the next horror film full of violence, murder, and gore yet the very idea of a happy romantic comedy makes many people gag?

 

This past evening I finally told my partner that I loved him. He was terrified. Not only did he stutter and fill the awkward silence with a few kisses and panic-filled eyes, but he did not know how to react at all. I ended up coming to the rescue in hopes to pull myself onto a life raft from the pit I just dug myself into, by immediately coming up with a scale for love. A literal definitive answer for me apparent irrational response of having emotion for the gentleman I have never felt more comfortable with, the guy that not only takes me to a sandwich shop when I’m craving it but also stops for a pizza in case I’m hungry later. The boy that brought ME flowers when I made a birthday dinner for HIM. To his defense, (again saving him from the fear of emotional attachment) he does not believe in love.

I never knew what to make of this fact as it caught me very off guard the first time he said it. After digging a tad deeper I learned it was more he had never experienced love so he had no hopes of believing it existed.

 

I am a person that is terrified of a long term committed relationship because I am bothered by the concept of having to share my life with another. I sabotage any great relationship by overreacting to the little things and refusing to work out any non-perfect situations. Yet I have always believed in love. I fall quickly yet live with a guarded heart. I let fate make my decisions because that way I wont have to live with the consequences. I see the good in people but not the person. Perhaps I am just as blinded as the women that are drunkenly taken advantage of. I don’t see what is right in front of me but instead rely on the impulses of the drug coursing my veins. 

 

Ramblings of a Twenty Something

As I sit here contemplating my value within the realm of time and space I stop to ponder the very essence of this title. "Ramblings of a 20 Something" started within my personal journey through a world of Pinterest boards, Twitter feeds, Monogramed everything, and the very concept of a capitalist society driven by money, power, skin color, and age. Throughout history we have always seen the success of the rich old white male and this my friends is a tale still told today. As a 20 something I am determined to make my footsteps upon this planet something known. Armed with my thoughts and a goal to change the world I know this is a plan that will change the rest of my life.

I am a 20 something, but I am something you could never imagine. I am a thinker, a free speaker, a creator, at times a mess, but I am always capable. Never doubt the blank stare upon my face for within is an explosion of thoughts, knowledge, and wisdom just waiting to be unleashed upon this earth. For that I know I can succeed in creating my vision into a reality that will transform us all into a world of light. Do not discredit me for my age but rather for my actions. Do not doubt me for 20 but rather be amazed by the something I am.

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Cheers! 

DIY Chalkboard Laptop Skin

I have been on the hunt for the perfect laptop skin, after spending hours upon hours on every site known to man and a few sketchy sites which probably shouldn’t be, I gave up, devastated with the idea my laptop will just have to suffer through the scratches and stickiness of the land of the college student back pack.

But never fret!

I simply seeped some tea and allowed my cranium to flow and

Voila!

Inspiration hit!

No longer will I be cursed with the trauma of a scratched laptop and the agony of having to carry a pen and notepad to scribble nuggets of knowledge.

But the best is yet to come!

I realized the problem I had with choosing a laptop skin is that I didn’t want to pay for an expensive custom skin (I do not use a standard size macbook) and be stuck with the same design for ages!

The answer my friend is contact paper…chalkboard contact paper.

 I have been obsessed with chalkboards for as long as I can remember and I was so excited to find this product on amazon that allows me to not only doodle in class, but also prevent scratches to my laptop on treks between classes!

For this project you will need:

Chalkboard contact paper (you can find here)

A ruler

Sharpie or other permanent marker

Scissors

Squeegee or old plastic card

And a laptop!

Begin by measuring your laptop

Then sketch your rectangle (or square if your laptop is funky) and cut it out

Next slowly peel back the edge to allow a little sticky to show and press firmly to your laptop

Slowly peel back more of the paper backing while smoothing the surface onto your laptop

Finish by using the plastic card to press out any air bubbles

In order to have a great chalkboard surface you must “season” the chalkboard paper by rubbing chalk all over it like I have done here:

Next erase and write whatever your heart desires!

I switch off between cute quotes and to do lists!

*NOTE chalkboard pens make the writing process much smoother and is less likely to come off while in a bag. Also the pens eliminate chalk dust!

Keep crafting as the earth spins!

Cheers

DIY Painted Bobby Pins

Hello my lovelies,

Today I am sharing with you the easiest craft tutorial ever. 

Like seriously…

Buuuut it’s also the perfect craft to send any lady children or boys with longer hair down the rabbit hole of the craft world

So grab the mini-humans and let’s get crafty!

To start you will need:

Black bobby pins

Cardstock

Nail polish

Badda-Bing that’s it!

Simply slide the cardstock through the bobby pins as seen here:

Next apply two coats of any nail polish and finish with a top coat:

Let your creativity run wild and always be snazzy!

Cheers!

June 1, 2014 I Finally Made the Leap

June 1, 2014 I finally made the leap.

Not many people know that the first Sunday in every June is National Cancer Survivor’s Day. I found this fact a little late while just running through the internet searching for a morsel of inspiration and that is when I finally made the decision to do something that I have been talking myself out of for years.

I made the decision to shave my head.

This past year has been a difficult one for both me and my family. My aunt and the reason I am who I am today was diagnosed with breast cancer. This crushed me. I couldn’t imagine living in a world without this amazing woman that has always inspired me. Not only did she teach me how to use a hot glue gun and started my passion for crafting at a very young age, but she also taught me about the importance of self-confidence. This woman was always the peak of sassy, and worked every outfit, every mood she ever had. I always found in inspiring to go through life with such flamboyant confidence that nothing could get her down. I wanted to be her more than anything else. She truly is my role model and will continue to be as she is fighting through the last phases of treatment and becoming stronger each day. This woman was never a quitter and would never let doubt get a second glance.

And that was why I immediately went to a hair salon.

After some research I discovered the most prominent hair donation organization Locks of Love does not make wigs for cancer patients. Being this was the cause I wanted to support the most; I found the Pantene sponsored organization Beautiful Lengths. This nonprofit makes wigs for girls and teen specifically with cancer.

http://www.pantene.com/en-US/PanteneBeautifulLengths/Details/beautiful-lengths-about-the-program.aspx

I chose to donate 22 inches of hair in 6 ponytails leaving me with about an inch left for Debbie, so that no girl has to go through the pain of feeling less than spectacular when they are already heroes for fighting such a terrible disease.

Slow Cooker Black Beans

Slow Cooker Black Beans

Hello my wonderful darlings!

Today I am sharing with you my recipe for slow cooker black beans. As a vegetarian, I find the majority of my protein diet to be infiltrated by an army of legumes with sergeant commander major black bean.

That being said, these wonderful creatures make their way into at least 3 dinners a 2 lunches a week depending on my schedule. After scouring store after store for canned black beans in my budget I came up greatly disappointed with a poor selection full of sodium and BHA.

Yum.

So I dived head first into the world of purchasing dry beans with little to no knowledge on how to actually cook said beans. Let the adventures begin!

After tons of research and even more trial and error I found this wonderful way to make enough beans for my human household of one to last through all my wonderful cravings.

To begin split the bag of beans in half. Yes half. As the only human and therefore only individual allowed to consume beans (sorry pup) I noticed half of a one pound bag is ample enough for me to eat before going rancid so there are no sad trips to the trash of forgotten leftovers. Also for this slow cooker recipe you will need…a slow cooker

Lets Begin!

Ingredients:

½ pound dry black beans

3 cups water

¼ large onion

1 clove garlic

A few sprigs of oregano, parsley, and cilantro

Start by giving your dry little legumes a quick rinse and sort out any stones peels or other undesirables. Next pour them in to you slow cooker.

Then, chop (roughly) the onion and garlic to release oils of flavors and add to the beans.

Next, pour in the 3 cups of water and top with the fresh (or dry) herbs.

Stir up and let sit for 3 hours on high or 6 hours on low

Enjoy!

These beans create a delicious sauce perfect  for black bean soup, over rice, succotash, whatever your heart desires. The fresh herbs bring out the depth of the black beans without adding too much flavor to prevent a wonderful marriage in any savory or spicy dish (I haven’t tried sweet but if you have a recipe share away!) Feel free to double the recipe to fit the serving size of a typical family unit just double everything but the time.

Be sure to check the beans periodically to stir and prevent from burning. Also check the beans 30 minutes prior to being done to see if the skins start to peel back if so, they are completely ready for munching!

Enjoy your legumes!

Comment below if you have any tasty black bean recipes to share or your favorite way to nibble this delicousness. Also stay tune for more black bean recipes as I will be documenting most everything I cook this month!

A special shout out goes to Lindsey Johnson of Café JohnSonia for inspiring this recipe with their way to prepare dry black beans!

http://cafejohnsonia.com/2013/02/how-to-slow-cooker-black-beans.html