Friday, March 29, 2013

Easter weekend

I wanted to write a little bit about my other blog, Sara Silva Music.
I am a worship leader, and my favorite thing to do is share songs to encourage and tell stories about life.

As this Easter weekend begins, I wanted to share with you my first original song, called Your Loving Sacrifice. I wrote it last month at Organic Life Coffee House, a lovely Christian coffee house in Lutz. I just finished doing a 2 hour worship set that morning. I have been wanting to share a new song for a long time, a song that was written from my hands. These lyrics came out, and the melody followed.

This weekend, we remember what Jesus did and why He did it.

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Origami Fold Newspaper Pots

I find a lot of gardening tips on Pinterest, and when it combines reusing and recycling product it's good for me.

I found directions for seeding pots from AllOurDays.com. There are pictures with the directions, and that made it very simple to follow.

They are not as sturdy on their own, but when you put dirt inside them they hold together.
They are very good for seedlings and starter plants. I tried planting bigger seeds in them, and the bottom expands. Not a bad way to start though.



Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Recipe: Greenie morning smoothie

This year I started incorporating more fruits and vegetables in my diet. I try to make a green yummy drink every morning to start my day. It's very simple to make. All you need is:
  • Orange juice (1 cup or more, depending on how many people you are serving)
  • One handful of spinach (more to make it super green!)
  • Bananas ( I usually put 1 or 2 whole bananas)
  • 1 cup or water (optional)
You can add additional fruits or veggies, like kale, cucumber or tomato. You can also add nutritional yeast or protein powder. As long as you have enough orange juice (or any of your favorite juice) and water, you will not taste the spinach. You will only taste the juice, I promise you! Blend these yummies together and you get a great green breakfast drink!


The best thing about this greenie is that you can drink as much of it as you want, until you get full!

Let me know if you try this out or what you mix to make a morning smoothie. :)



Lunch Workouts

I have been trying to make time to exercise in my lunch hour. I used to bring a lunch with me, but now most days I don't have much time (I am working on time management).

This time I made a big effort. Yesterday I made my usual green smoothie (I'll post a recipe of my favorite greenie). I made sure to bring my snacks. I brought my backpack with my exercise clothes. So when lunchtime came, I changed my clothes and walked to my car. I usually park my car 1/2 of a mile away from my office. I couldn't afford parking by my office building. Anyways, it's still good exercise.

I thought I had time to get gas and a good lunch. So I walked the half mile to my car. A new gas station opened up by my work, and the gas prices are cheap. I drove my car there, my gas on almost empty. As I opened the gas tank door, I realized I left my debit card in my wallet...in the office. I also forgot my license, which was also in my wallet.
I went back in my car and drove back to work. I couldn't get the lunch I wanted. But I did get something to eat. Thanks to the Starbucks app, I put more money on my account and bought a sandwich. I'm trying not to eat breads and pastas, but I can work on that tomorrow.

I can't wait to wake up tomorrow morning! I am doing 100 squats a day. I can do them in the morning before I take a shower. It is said to tone your middle and your lower body, and that is what I need right now. Boy, did my legs feel like jello on day 1! Tomorrow will be hard. I know I will be sore. But I will do it.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

This year's garden

It's been a year since I talked about my garden. Most All of the plants in the post from last year have passed away. The cherry tomato plant and the strings beans produced vegetables. The other plants eventually withered away from the summer heat last year.   This year, I grew new plants from the seed (with help from my parents, of course). Here are some pictures:


This is a tomato plant I grew from the seed.



These plants are lemon and grapefruit, I think. I don't know which ones are which.



And these beauties are garlic cloves. I planted them in origami paper cups made out of newspaper. I was surprised to see how they grow. You just plant them, and I hear they grow in any type of dirt/soil.



There's a certain awe and feeling of accomplishment when I see seeds I plant grow. I am amazed at what God has given our hands to do.

Have you been growing anything? Do you plan to this year?

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Pattern Review: Sundance Slouch Hat for Crochet

I have been trying to find the perfect hat design for a friend that has dreads. I promised her to make a hat for her around Christmas time 2011, I believe. My family and I were ready to go on vacation to visit my brother, and I threw the project on the back burner. Almost two years later, I found the strength to start searching for a pattern. Luckily for me, I found it on Pinterest.


The Sundance Slouch, designed by Lasmama  (this picture is from the designer). You will need to join the Craftsy website to get a PDF of this FREE pattern. The pattern was simple to follow, at least for an advanced beginner like myself.

The first hat I made for my friend was with a red yarn. The yarn was one of the first skeins of year I received when I started crocheting, Sadly, I didn't keep the label, so I don't remember what the brand was.

I followed the pattern completely, including changing the hook from the J/6.00 MM hook for the brim to the K/6.50 MM hook for the body. Glad to say that my friend really liked it, especially the fact that it was snug on the brim. The hats she bought from the store would eventually loosen up around the edging, defeating the purpose of covering her head. I didn't take a picture of the hat I made her after I completed it. The next time I see her I will try.

I am trying to pattern again, only this time I increased the size of the brim from 8 to 12 single crochet stitches. So far it looks good, but I might have to use the whole skein this time to finish the top.



All in all, this is a great beginners hat pattern.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Making small goals

I'm writing in here because I want to remind myself how I was feeling.

I have always had trouble with the way I look and how my weight is. I used to weigh less (12 years ago), and since I am not married and I don't have kids I shouldn't have a problem with losing weight, right? Even without those barriers, it's still a struggle. And I have to remind myself that I am getting older and my body is changing, but that shouldn't stop me from trying. Any little effort helps in the long run.

I felt really bad about weighing 203 lbs. I've been trying so hard to not go back, but other things in my life made me forget my motivation. It's not about being skinny enough to wear bikinis. It's about me being comfortable with myself. Nothing more.

Yesterday I felt bad, and after work I made an effort to do some exercise. Today, it's cloudy and rainy outside. But I have my workout clothes in me car, and I will make an effort to walk/run on my lunch break. It's about making small goals.

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