It is a truth universally acknowledged that a college student in a dorm should be in want of the comforts of home. One of these comforts, at least for me, is spiced apple cider in the fall. It is something that my Grandmother taught me to make when I was younger and something that I have missed very much since going to college. Luckily for me, I am living in an apartment-style building this year and have easy access to the stove. (Which is fantastic because being unable to cook last year was killing me.) The cool are is certainly starting to settle in which makes it a fantastic time to enjoy a nice cup of spiced apple cider! Luckily for you, this delicious beverage couldn't be simpler to make!
Ingredients:
1 gallon Apple Cider (I bought mine at Walmart, but if you live near an apple house, even better!)
1 box of Red Hots
(Yep. That's it.)
Equipment:
1 large pot
1 stirring spoon
1 funnel
1 set of measuring cups
Instructions:
Place your pot on the stove and pour in your apple cider. If your pot is too full and is at risk of bubbling over, ladle out a few cups of cider and store them in a separate container.
Heat the stove eye to a just-below-medium setting. Making great cider takes time. You don't want the stove eye so hot that your cider burns!
With your measuring cups, add Red Hots for desired taste. This is all up to you. I added a little less than 1/2 a cup for cider with a little more of a kick. If you want spiced cider with a bite, add more. If you want a more subdued flavor, add less.
Let the mixture sit on the stove for around 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Depending on your stove, this may take more or less time. You'll know it's done when the cider is red, all Red Hots are melted, it lets off a little steam, and your kitchen smells delicious!
Turn eye off and let the cider cool a bit before you enjoy!
Warm and sweet spiced cider in a Bahamas mug! Thinking warm thoughts!
Once cider has cooled, it can be returned to its original container and stored in the fridge. Spiced cider is yummy warm of even cold! Be sure to drop 3 or 4 Red Hots in the cup before you microwave your cider if you are choosing to do so. Some of the good, spiced taste can get lost if you don't.
It's so yummy that there wasn't much left to store!
And there you have it! With few ingredients and very little effort, you can make a fall favorite in the comfort of your own home!
Enjoy some awesome apple cider and stay warm! Be sure to follow me for more tasty recipes!
It is amazing how the tiniest things can be God's way of speaking to you if you are willing to listen. A while back, I was driving home from school on the winding mountain roads. Something happened that opened my eyes and eased my heart. It wasn't anything most people would consider extraordinary, but it was remarkable to me. The story I am about to tell you involves me, a road, a tiny mole, a car, and utter terror....
Behold the mole. I promise I tried to find a picture that would make these furry little excavators look semi-cute. This is as close as I came, ladies and gentlemen. If you ignore his freakishly large hands, this little guy is adorable. Moles are blind. They have itty bitty little eyes, and if they could see, they would hardly be able to see at all! God made these little guys the way they are for a reason: to survive in the environment He put them in. Though they may look disgusting to us, God thinks these little guys are his teeny tiny masterpieces!
How exactly did God use Mr. Mole to teach me something about Him? It's simple. I can't stand to see things get hit on the road. It is seriously one of the lowest moments of my day when I see a squirrel run to certain death just for an acorn! That being brought to light, my story goes a little something like this:
I was driving home from campus,
admiring the all-encompassing beauty of
Fall in the mountains, when suddenly tragedy struck!
In the distance, I could see a chubby little mole scurrying
across the road! He crossed the yellow lines; I would not be the
one to strike the poor soul. But alas! A golden sedan was flying down the
road at top speed! Surely the creature would never survive! Glancing in
my rear-view mirror, I tensed up in fear of what was to come. What happened next was
nothing short of a miracle. The little mole was alive! He scurried off the road and
back to safety! Hallelujah! Oh happy day!
The story seems pretty unimportant, right? A little mole barely escapes getting hit by a car. That's just the thing, though: sometimes God uses the most seemingly unimportant things to speak to us and we might miss them if we aren't paying attention. You see, as I looked in my rear-view mirror and saw that little mole waddle off to safety something inside of me jumped for joy that this small life had been spared. There was nothing this mole could do to save himself, but God was watching out for him. In this mad world we live in, it is tempting to think, "God has more important things to look after than me." Matthew 10:29-31, however, tells a far different story...
"Are not to sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."
God is watching over you even when you don't know it. Yes, He watches over you even when you can't feel it. God is concerned with the sparrows even though you can buy two of them, TWO of them, with a penny. How much more worthy must you be since Jesus paid His life for you? No, much like the little mole, we can't always see how God is watching over us, but we will see all of this clearly in the rear-view mirror.
When you're going through life and it feels like we are the smallest, most insignificant person on the plant, God is watching. He is watching and He sees every bump and every bruise. He sees every tear we cry. The best part is: He is working all of these things together for our good. God is always working His higher purpose for our life even when we can barely make sense of things on a day-to-day basis. Yes, our lives are often very simple, but God still cares. He cares because He is the one who made us. We are His and He is ours.
Whenever you're feeling so small that God couldn't possibly care, you couldn't possibly be more wrong. God cares about every little thing in our lives. All we have to do is cry out to Him when we are struggling or hurting. God doesn't just want us to go through the storms thinking about how someday we will understand. That is promising news, but realistically, it doesn't always help in the here and the now. God wants us to call out to Him so He can wrap us up in His arms and love us when everything falls apart. We may feel like the moles of the world, wandering around blindly and barely escaping danger, but God is always watching. He is always there. All we have to do is call for Him.
Casting Crowns said it best in "Who Am I?"
"I am a flower quickly fading, Here today and gone tomorrow. A wave tossed in the ocean. A vapor in the wind. Still, You hear me when I'm calling. Lord, you catch me when I'm falling, And you've told me who I am. I am Yours."
A hilarious video featuring some of NBC News' finest anchors has recently gone viral. I watched this side-splitting video twice before I actually started to dissect what made Brian Williams and Lester Holt perfect for this spoof and then it occurred to me: Their voices are perfectly flat and absolutely void of any sort of dialect. If nothing else, watch the video from about the 1:13 mark on and you will see what I mean. This got me interested enough to consult my handy-dandy go to fact checker (Google) in order to find out where these two men are from. Holt is from California whereas Williams is from New York. Does anyone else find it a little odd that two men from opposite coasts have the same flat accent? Sadly, most people aren't surprised by this.
You see, mass communication has had a huge effect on the way Americans view dialects. I am sure that this isn't anything unique to any region in particular, but I will use my experience as a person from the Appalachian mountains.
I get a lot of grief for the way I talk.
I get grief when I go on vacations. I get grief at my college. I get grief from teachers and people who consider themselves intellectuals because for some unknown reason, I am expected to find my intelligence inferior to theirs simply for the way I talk. Here's that catch: I don't want to change. Everyone's dialect reflects their heritage and upbringing. In my hometown, most people will have a commonancestry. (Which I've heard means we moved to Appalachia to escape the Potato Famine.) The way people in Appalachia speak is a direct reflection of their heritage just as is true for anyone anywhere in the United States.
Yes, I speak slower than some people.
I speak slowly because when I am talking to you, you are important and I am in no hurry. I have no need to rush through conversation, but if I'm pinched for time, I'll let you know. I was raised to give people respect and value them (because, after all, the most important thing we have in life is each other). Everyone was raised with different guidelines for decorum so we all carry conversations differently. You know what? That's pretty awesome.
The Media has caused an environment only accepting of one dialect.
For some reason, Americans today strive for the flat accent. We all seek to have plain speech that doesn't distinguish us from the next person. If you watch the news (or anything on television for that matter) you will most likely find that everyone is speaking in roughly the same manner. Where is the color and vibrancy in that? Where is the celebration of the uniqueness of man? Where is the diversity? After all, America is a melting pot, right? Apparently this isn't the case. We have been taught that one of the greatest things about America is that America is a place where everyone mixes together. Nowadays, people say we are less of a melting pot and more of a salad bowl. Our cultures are unique and distinct yet they compliment each other beautifully. I like to think that we are like the salad at Olive Garden. You've got your lettuce, tomatoes, onions, peppers, croutons, and it is all tossed together in the same delicious salad dressing. Everything is different and has it's own flavor, yet it is all tied together with one common trait. This is the quintessence of America.
If we claim to celebrate diversity we should celebrate the diversity in the way we speak. It has been said that the hamburger is the only truly American cuisine. If this is the case, then imagine people from every state sitting down at a big, long table. When it is time for the meal, everyone is served the same exact McDonald's hamburger and is given water to drink. They have to do this because it is standardized, across the board American cuisine. That doesn't sound very fun does it? Now, instead, imagine this: the same people meet for dinner, but this time everyone brings their own flavor. The Louisiana native brings Jambalaya, the citizen of Maine provides lobster rolls, people from Chicago and New York City compete to see who has the best pizza while the Georgian and Texan just shake their heads and smile as they sit down their apple pie and fresh tacos. Which of these dinners would you rather be at?
You see, America is too beautifully vibrant to try to standardize our speech. The drawls and distorted word endings have been artfully crafted by years of existence. To drop our dialect is to deny our history and to mock someone else's is to be an utter fool. (You can explore and embrace your heritage while respecting everyone else's or you can snidely mock a person who speaks differently than you. Who is truly ignorant there?)
We all ought to learn to love not only our manner of speaking, but also that of those around us. No one should feel more or less intelligent or superior simply because of the way we speak. We are all different, but without each other's dissimilarity, our country wouldn't be what it is. We are Southern, we are Northern, we are Midwestern, and everything in between. We are doctors, we are farmers, we are firemen, we are housewives, we are whatever we want to be. We are tall and small, we are bohemian and conventional, we are young and old, we are nerds and jocks, but together we are America and America is beautiful.
I recently moved in to my brand new, first-ever dorm room and it has been quite the adventure so far! Saying that our rooms are small would be a drastic understatement. I share my space with another girl which further reduces this square footage. Needless to say, I've got to get the most of every inch I have! I've been figuring out things pretty quickly so here is my advice to any other girl that may be moving in to close quarters!
One: Loft That Bed!
It may sound intimidating, but lofting is definitely the way to go! Getting your bed way off the ground opens up so much room for activities (name that movie!) The under area is now free to use for a futon, your desk, extra closet space, a hang out area, a media area, a wall to wall fish tank, a dance club for short people, a panic shelter, a... you get the point. Think it doesn't sound safe? Don't fret. Brace your bed by pushing it in a corner. A corner of any size will help. Still scared? You can add a bed rail protecting you from a plunge to certain doom. Having trouble getting up that RIDICULOUS ladder? You can get one that hooks around the rail and pull yourself up. Extra Bonus: hot air rises, cool air falls. You're welcome.
Two: Put a Curtain Under Your Bed
(Refer to the picture in tip one.) Adding a curtain is a clever way to accomplish many things. For me, it separates my desk and study area from the rest of the room. For you, it may just be a neat way to cover up the clutter under your bed. The assembly of one of these babies couldn't be easier! You're going to need a tension rod that fits your bed's dimensions, a pack of curtain rings with clips attached, and a flat sheet. Measure the tension rod and secure it with the spring and screw. Now, slide the rings on the rod and prop the rod up on either end of the bed. Finally, take the flat sheet and clip it to the clips on the rings. Extra Bonus: The sheets block out light so you now have a tricked-out nap area for when you are too exhausted to crawl up to your bed!
Three: Put the Desk under Your Bed
This one is a matter of preference, really. I think it works out pretty well! I put my desk under the bed and turned it so that the long end is against the head of my bed. Now, it's out of the way and tucked behind a curtain for optimal study space! Also, I have some extra room to pull out my desk chair and have a fun little hang out area! (It also doubles as the aforementioned nap space.)
Four: Command and 3m Products are Your New Best Friend
Check out the desk space! (Pardon all the empty picture frames. I'm still in the process of making it more like home and this post will be updated with final pictures!) As you can see, I have my DIY Chalk Board, but exactly is it holding on? I used LOTS of command strips, Velcro, and magnets in this area of my room. Let me point out where...
My memo board is hung on the wall with a small hook
My tiny blue mirror is magnetic and is attached to the metal part of my desk
The white picture frames are secured with small hooks
The small yellow picture frames are magnetic too
My chalk board is secured to one of my bed rails with 2 strips of Velcro
Not pictured: I attached two additional hooks to the side of my desk to hang my purse and lanyard on. (Later, I'm adding two larger, sturdier hooks to get my book bag and lap desk off the ground
Five: Bring LOTS of Pillows
You can't even see all the pillows in this picture! I have 7 pillows and I may get more. This one is pretty simple. I use them to make a pillow pallet at nap time and it. is. awesome.
Six: Make yourself comfortable
A painting my boyfriend painted me and a photo line
with lots of small, sentimental goodies
It is so important to make sure that your dorm is a place where you feel at home! After all, this is where you will be living for the next year of your school life. Make it cozy, but don't over crowd. AND: Bring lots of blankets to fight the freeze in chilly dorms. At the end of the day, your dorm should be a place you're happy to find yourself in!
Well, that's all for now! Until next time, you stay classy, Planet Earth! (Name that movie!)
Nowadays, there seems to be a constant battle between modesty and immodesty. The media industry does a lot to propel this phenomenon. It seems like you can't even walk down the street without seeing a woman who is wearing a shirt down to here and a skirt up to there (if she even has that!) In the words of The Jonas Brothers' hit song Love Bug, modesty is just so hard to find. This oppressing situation causes many girls to get discouraged because they feel like they can't meet the expectations the world has set for them... or they just don't want to. Sometimes, girls willing to show more than they ought to even somewhat demean girls who don't feeling as though they have some sort of power over them. Girls are mean and society is too. That is why the Dove company started their Campaign for Real Beauty. Their website has a tab linking to a Self-Esteem Toolkit and 1 on 1 activities for encouraging girls to see the beauty inside of them despite what media hurdles at them. It's an excellent idea, but here's the crazy part: it's targeted at girls ages 8-12... Whoa. Why girls ages 8-12 need to even concern themselves with this I will never understand!
I can remember as early as the end of my FOURTH GRADE year when my fellow classmates started wearing full-on make up and dying their hair. Why? To attract boys and show themselves off to other girls. (I was reading books to get my AR points and playing with my Barbie Talking Town House. I was clearly clueless... Clueless and happy.) Thanks goes to my wonderful mother for letting me continue to have a childhood. I unabashedly played on Build-a-Bear's bearville well through middle school and it was AWESOME! I guess it's safe to say that I wasn't hurdled into premature maturity like some girls unfortunately are. That being said, I never really saw the allure of showing myself off to everyone whereas some of my dearest friends did. In the words of Robert Frost, "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and I- I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." I spent much of high school quietly observing many things and here are the things I've found to be true about choosing to be modest, perhaps you'll find some of them worth agreeing with:
Modesty Makes People Take You Seriously.
My first job was at my local Chamber of Commerce. I worked the front desk and gave visitors information about my hometown (among various other things.) I found that most people didn't realize I was in high school because I didn't dress like I was. This was overwhelmingly obvious at various different events throughout my four years in high school. Take awards ceremonies for instance. If you're going to get up on a stage in a dress that comes up mid-thigh just keep in mind that everyone can see up it. Especially if you insist on wearing your 5 inch club heels. My tip: wear something that looks professional to such events and for crying out loud cover your assets! Slap on a pair of pearls and BAM! You just became the most mature-looking person in the room! (Side tip: there will always be that one hardly-dressed girl people are talking about in a bad way any time the event is recalled. If you just accept modest clothing, you'll never be that girl.)
Modesty is Liberating!
My cousin Mandy is the perfect Southern mama and a wonderful photographer. When she took this picture, she initially posed me and then said, "Your dress comes back too far now!" "No problem!" I said, and pulled my skirt extender down farther. (Skirt extenders are wonderful things. We'll talk more about those in another post.) This picture would be utterly horrifying in a media-approved length dress. When everything is covered, you a free to move! When your clothes aren't too tight, you can breathe! My Tip: wear things that cover you and don't squeeze you like a tick. Now you are free! Run through the fields! Pick up your pencil when it falls! Don't spend all night pulling your dress up! Life is fantastic! It's spectacular! Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, Zip-a-dee-day!
Modesty Encourages Creativity.
Take formal events for example. Sure, any girl can find a dress that's cut out in all the wrong places with strategically-placed jewels and a slit that does from here to Kalamazoo. Looking cute and modest at these events takes a little more creativity. (Also, modest dresses are generally cheaper! This one was only about $80!) You get to pick fun accessories and you still look great! My tip: Find something that's cute and covering then dress it up with eye-catching details to fit your fancy. In the end, you still look gorgeous and you are free to dance the night away free from the fear of embarrassing wardrobe malfunctions. (I've seen some terrifying things...) Extra bonus! See that handsome guy with me? He's amazing. He's like a dream come true. When you dress modestly, people see the you behind the clothing. They fall in love with your heart and soul instead of other things. (People like that don't have wandering eyes, either.) It's a pretty awesome thing and it makes for a really great relationship, in my opinion!
Modesty Keeps You Warm in Winter.
What? Seriously? Who knew?!? Observe the frigid city of New York in Winter. Observe the people ice skating outside of Rockefeller Center. Observe cute and happy me not about to die of hypothermia. Keep yourself actually covered up during the cold months and you won't constantly be shivering. My tip: Wear thick tights under dresses with boots in winter. It's awesome. Sweater dresses that are cleverly banded at your rear end and Ugg boots will not save you from frost bite! Further more, leggings aren't pants. Jeggings aren't pants. Please just do everyone a favor and wear these articles of clothing under reasonable length skirts and dresses rather than an over sized t shirt! And on the opposite end...
Modesty Leaves Less Skin to be Burnt in Summer!
Ahh, Disney World! Nothing can match your magic! Orlando is hot. In the summer, Orlando is REALLY hot. Hot and muggy. Sure, it's tempting to go for a tank top and shortie-short shorts. Keep in mind, however, how much time your spending with so much skin exposed and how easily you can get burnt in that vulnerable situation! Even if you tan instead instead of burning, you can still get skin cancer. (Don't even get me started on looking like a leather couch when you age!) My tip: during summer, go for reasonably-length shorts and cute tops. Looser ones are especially good because they help keep you cool whereas tank tops just stick to you when you get all hot and sweaty. Yuck! Side note: See Gaston behind us? He was the most alluring (albeit arrogant) man in the village, and who did he want? Belle the exceptionally beautiful, smart, modest, headstrong bookworm who was different than every other girl. The air-headed, immodest girls in Belle's village? He wasn't interested in them; he just used them.
Modesty Keeps You From Being That Person.
Pretty much every girl has been on a trip where this ultimatum has been given: one piece or t shirt. This one is pretty self explanatory. My tip: just buy a cute one piece in the first place. Media will try to convince you that cute one pieces don't exist, but trust me. They do. This way you don't have to buy a one piece just for a trip and waste your money. Even better, you won't be the dorky-looking person with the t-shirt bubbling up with water all the time. (We've all seen them. You know it happens.)
The Most Convincing Reason of All (in My Opinion):
Modesty is just courteous. I mean honestly, who wants to lead someone astray? Who wants to cause hurt feelings in your boyfriend or husband because other guys stare at things no one should be staring at? Who really wants to be nothing more than an object? Who wants to get stared at by a creepy person? I don't think anyone in their right mind wants any of that. Modesty is also just respectful to yourself. You are more than appearance. Encourage people to know you and not just see you. You'll notice that you not only look great, you feel great! All of this being said, my first approach to fashion is always modesty. For me, there's no other way to go.
Most people have a love or hate relationship with chalk; there's hardly any middle ground there! I for one love chalk boards and if you are reading this you probably do too! I can honestly say that this is one of the most fun crafts from beginning to end I have done so far. (It's nice and cost-friendly too! ;D )
It looks mighty fine if I say so myself ;)
Here's what you'll be needing:
A metal tray of any sort
Fine grit sand paper
Spray paint primer
One trash bag
Tape
Chalk board paint
Acrylic paint
Sponge paint brushes
A towel
Chalk
Mod Podge (if desired)
Step One: Selecting a Tray
It's important to get a tray you like. It should be the right size and it should have a design you like. It's not necessary, however, to drop a lot of dough on your tray. (In fact, it's a bit absurd!) I suggest going to your local thrift store, Goodwill, or recycle store. You can find some awesome steals, and you won't be breaking the bank. I got BOTH of these beauties at my local thrift store for a whopping combined total of $1.56!
Step Two: Sand it down
Go over your tray lightly with some fine grit sand paper. This gives the slick metal a bit of a textured surface for the primer to hold on to. When I was done sanding, my trays looked a little like this.
Step Three: Prime it!
This step was a bit taxing in the hot summer sun! Take your trash bag outside and tape it to the ground securely so that it wont flop over on your drying trays in the wind. Set your trays on the bag and spray both sides with primer. Only spray one side at a time and be sure to spray a nice even coat on both sides. Let the tray dry well before bringing it inside.
Step Four: Paint it up!
(This is what the trays looked like after priming!) Paint the decorated edging any color you desire with your sponge brush and let it dry well. I recommend using at least two coats. Now paint a coat of chalk board paint on the flat part of the tray. Wait 30 minutes, then paint it with another coat in the opposite direction. (You can also paint over the colored part with Mod Podge to give it a more polished look. I hadn't in these pictures, but I will be going back and doing so!)
Step 5: Make it chalk-ready
Wait 24 hours between steps four and 5. Now talk a piece of chalk and dust the chalk board painted part of the board with chalk. Now carefully wash it with soap and water and dry.
Congratulations! You've just made an incredibly useful chalk board out of a cheap tray and it's totally awesome (name that musical!) You can now display it with a picture frame holder, plate holder, or even attach ribbon to the back and make it a hanging board. Be sure to share this with your friends, pin it, and comment!
I'm not a big fan of spicy, but a love hot and sweet treat! The first time I tried peach and mango salsa, this recipe started forming in my head. I absolutely LOVED it (as did my family), and I hope you will too!
Ingredients:
Peach and Mango Salsa (I got mine at Kroger)
Soft flour tortillas
Semi sweet chocolate chips
Olive oil
Ground cinnamon
Supplies:
Cookie sheet
Pizza cutter
Mug
Baster
Microwave safe bowl
Whisk
Aluminum foil
Paper plates
Plate and Bowl for serving
The Recipe:
Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
Get as many tortillas as you want and divide them in to stacks of two or three. On the cookie sheet, cut the stacks of tortillas into eight slices. Spread slices out on the cookie sheet.
In a mug, mix olive oil with cinnamon.
With the baster, coat both sides of each tortilla slices lightly with the olive oil mixture.
Bake tortilla slices for 5 to 7 minutes.
Pour chocolate chips in a bowl and microwave for 1 minute or until melted.
Place tortilla chips on a paper plate to cool and spread out your foil.
Dip the tips of the chips in the chocolate and place on aluminum foil to dry (you may also place the chips in the fridge to make the process go faster.)
Place chips on a serving plate and pour salsa in a bowl.
