Showing posts with label little things. Show all posts
Showing posts with label little things. Show all posts

Friday, June 27

THOUGHTS ON THOUGHTFULNESS WITH TINYPRINTS





After spending so much time abroad and then coming home, I started to look at the way I was communicating with my friends and family. Most of the young people in my generation have had the best of both worlds in regards to ways  of communication: we were around for the pre-social media age as well as the rise in social media/technology. Naturally though, many of us have gone with the easier forms of communication like text messages, e-mails, facebook messages, etc. When I was in Costa Rica I realized that I had taken our postal system for granted because down there, there is no formal mailing system and most places don't even have a real address. 

Now that I am home, I have been finding ways to send more hand-written notes to the people I care about. We are so unaccustomed these days to sending and receiving hand-written notes that I was able to really surprise a few friends with some just thinking of you and wanted you to know cards. Their reactions and appreciative words from a simple card really show that thoughtfulness goes a long way. It really shows you that the energy you put into this world is what you often times will get out of it!

I was recently introduced to the website Tiny Prints and wanted to explore their newest designs. I was blown away by the selection of stationary and thank you cards that Tiny Prints has to offer and it was almost too hard to choose. Not to mention, the people at Tiny Prints were so lovely to work with that I cannot say enough good things about this experience. I ended up with the gorgeous personalized stationary cards you can see above as well as matching address labels. I am so excited to start sending out more notes to my friends just because. Tiny Prints was also so gracious to offer me my own personalized notepad so that I can stay on top of everything. Even though it is summer right now, graduate school and life responsibilities never end (thank you, adulthood!). Since I am 100% a lists person, I could not turn down the opportunity of a notepad with my name on it! Not to mention I was able to find one that pretty much matches my blog design perfectly. Meant to be? I think yes.



Monday, August 19

who knew mangoes were so dangerous?





last thursday was mother's day here in costa rica so the whole family spent the day at the finca.
someone came up with the idea of picking some mangoes to eat so i volunteered myself. little did i know what i was getting myself into.

as soon as i walked under the tree, two magoes came flying down toward the ground out of nowhere. apparently falling mangoes happens when they get too ripe in case you are ever standing under a mango tree. if one had hit my head i would have been out. cold.

so i get up in the tree, i'm reaching out to grab a mango and i hear "DON'T LET THE JUICE GET ON YOUR SKIN!!" uhm, what?? i thought this was going to be a piece of cake and then i wold get to eat some mango. apparently the juice or sap from where the stem of a mango breaks from a branch will actually burn your skin. i opted for the method of shaking the tree branch to get the magoes to fall down rather than pick them with my hands.

seriously, who knew mangoes were so dangerous??

Thursday, June 27

instagram life lately






the last two weeks of school before our three week vacation has been pretty relaxed compared to last year. so relaxed that i have fallen into the feeling of not wanting to do a darn thing!! all i can think about is going home and all the fun adventures i am going to have during my 2.5 weeks at home.

here are just a few pictures of what i have been up to lately.
you can follow all of my instagram posts here!
i hope everyone is enjoying summer at home and not melting away.
happy end of the week!

Thursday, June 20

as of late,


as of late,

i have been spending a lot of time with one of my tutoring families. i have said this before but i really love getting to know my students and their families on a closer level and these three little girls may be some of my favorites.

i have been obsessed with this online boutique. why does everything have to be so cute??

i have also been obsessed with gel manicures. two full weeks with an un-chipped manicure? why on earth did it take me this long to discover how wonderful they are?

i have been trying to spend some extra time with my little pup as i wont be seeing him for a few weeks. it's always so hard to leave him when i visit home but the welcoming i get when i come back is worth it :)

i have been able to think of nothing but going home for a visit at the end of the month! man, am i ever grateful that teachers get the same vacation their students do.


happy almost friday, guys!

Thursday, June 13

things that make me smile and a giveaway!


when a shirt i've been eying for months goes on super sale and is still in stock when i buy it

when the two year old sister of the girls i give private lessons to tells me i'm her teacher and that she loves me on my way out the door .. the cutest.

when paris takes me to get ice cream after a not so happy day at work

when my guilty pleasure TV shows are back on air .. hello, pretty little liars and the bachelorete!

when i get to see my friends and family in 2.5 weeks!

when the week just started and it's already thursday :)

and of course, giveaways! i'm participating in a giveaway with one of the best bloggers around, nicole!
i'm giving away a $10 Sephora gift card among some other great prizes! You can enter below :)


Blogiversary Giveaway Remember how I just had my first blogiversary? Well what better way to celebrate than give a giveaway with some of my favorite bloggers?!
The lovely ladies below are giving away 13 ad spaces, $95 in gift cards, and another $60+ in additional prizes:
Blogiversary Giveaway Treasure Tromp
Blogiversary Giveaway Treasure Tromp
Blogiversary Giveaway Treasure Tromp
Blogiversary Giveaway Treasure Tromp
Blogiversary Giveaway Treasure Tromp
And since I'm all about spreading the love, there will be 2 winners. 1 lucky person will win the grand prize (all the amazing prizes from all these lovely ladies) and another one of you will win the prizes from me ($25 to Sephora & 1 month of ad space). Sounds like a good deal? a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, June 10

happy monday


just some positive energy for everyone now that monday is here again!

Saturday, May 25

like jasper from twilight


another post from the blog every day in may challenge
when i saw what today's topic would be, i wasn't sure if i had anything to write about. then it was one of those moments where in the middle of the night something just comes into your head. so here is the thing that someone told me that i will never forget:

in college, i was involved in so many clubs and activities. many of them were leadership roles and peer education type organizations. there was always a lot of positive reinforcement exercises. in one group we were going around giving each other positive affirmations and when it came to my turn someone said,

"i love being around britta because she is like my own personal jasper from twilight.
she always knows how to calm everyone's nerves and make people feel relaxed."

at first i was confused. but then i realized that was such a huge compliment. making other people feel comfortable has always been something i strive for and hearing that i have the ability to do that made me feel really proud! even though it was said in a very creative way ;)



Monday, March 18

love these days





sometimes there is nothing better, or more needed than a car ride with friends and some sun by the pool.

i hope everyone had a great weekend!

Sunday, March 10

the sunday recipe



i think i've found a way to make schoolwork on the weekends more bearable:

a pizza bigger than the box it comes in
+
a beautiful afternoon outside in the mountains

grading the 80+ quizzes that i had to grade this weekend wasn't so bad with those two ingredients.

Friday, February 22

if you work really hard


i just love this quote from conan o'brien. seriously, i love it.

it is something i believe in wholeheartedly. hard work and being a good person. my parents did not raise my brother and i to follow a specific religion but they did always teach us to do the right thing. they taught us the value of a dollar and that if we wanted something, we had to work for it! i can remember washing the dishes after dinner time 5 nights a week and getting $2.50 for my piggy bank. those were the days.

but i still take any job i have very seriously and am always trying to do the best i can and figure out ways to improve even past that. my current job is no different. being a teacher is hard work and the beginning of this year has been tough. but hearing my students say, "teacher, this is my favorite class" lets me know that i must be doing something right. i am excited to see what other amazing things this year will bring. :)

Thursday, November 15

20 wishes


the girls over here have started this lovely idea that i just couldn't help but take part in. 20 wishes.
one year to complete 20 wishes that you have. that you want to complete.
not those "wishes" that you make when new years roles around that haunt you for a few weeks and then you slowly start caring less and less. no not those wishes.
the things that you want to do because you like them and because they interest you.
the fun things.

so here are my 20 wishes

- learn to take pictures with my new camera
- run a 5k race again (its been a few years!)
- go on a weekend trip with my girlfriends
- reach 500 followers on my blog
- travel to la fortuna, costa rica
- re-paint/re-do the bathroom in my apartment
- read at least one new book a month
- teach rocco some fun tricks
- take a trip to panama
- make a real thanksgiving dinner for paris
- send snail mail letters to my friends at home
- learn how to cook more easy but yummy meals
- buy some new boots (it's about time)
- go to a family member/friend's wedding (this one is happening!)
- pay off my smallest student loan
- find some paintings/prints to decorate the house
- go to a vineyard
- complete a DIY project from pinterest
- learn how to properly do my own makeup
- make some fun crafts with my students

what would you wish for?



Truly Lovely

Wednesday, October 31

i wish


i wish ...

that you can buy anything you see on pinterest immediately. i.e. that american flag shirt. i need. it.

i wish ...

that i had unlimited miles. fly home for a weekend with the girls? done. fly home for thanksgiving dinner, oh yeah.

i wish ... 

my parents didn't lose their power from silly sandy. i have things to talk about and questions to ask!

i wish ... 

my computer's cooling fan wasn't broken and my battery lasted more than 15 seconds unplugged. grrr technology.

those are my current little wishes. what are you wishing for?


linking up with here.

Tuesday, October 9

some things are just too cute



some things that have been making me smile lately:

1. this recipe .. i mean, come on! who comes up with these things?? these pies are definitely going on my must do list .. they are just too cute

2. when my students walk past me at school and give me the "live long and prosper" hand symbol and i give it right back ... no words exchanged.

3. rocco ... when i'm watching some tv on my computer and he curls up in a ball on my chest and watches with me

4.  when my dad sends me an e-mail with a link to songs like this

5.  knowing that p and i both have this friday, saturday, and sunday off

hope everyone else has been doing lots of smiling!

post idea from the lovely nicole
photo source

Monday, October 8

which to choose



alright guys, i'm trying to make this pretty important decision: canon or nikon??

this is going to be my first DSLR purchase and i'm pretty excited about it. i've had a smaller canon digital camera for a while but i think its time for an upgrade. since i've been living in another country for a while now, i've realized how important it is to me that i take pictures both here in costa rica, and during my times at home.

i know that it isn't the camera that takes the great pictures, its the person .. right?? so i want to learn! with my job i have plenty of time to teach myself a little bit about how to take a good picture.

so my question to you guys is: canon or nikon?? i've read that the only difference between canon and nikon now a days is personal preference, the way the buttons are laid out and the operating systems. so i've found two camera's that have definitely caught my attention: 

the Canon T2i, and the Nikon D3200.

i've read amazing things about both but now i just don't know what to pick! if anyone has anything to say about either camera i would love to hear your advice!

Thursday, September 27

hotwheels

so a few weeks ago, paris's car kind of broke ... on the highway. okay so it didn't just like shut down on the highway. however something clearly broke and then started making this ugly noise every time paris accelerated. needless to say we were then out of a car.

however, around the same time, paris's dad had bought a fixer upper that he was going to give to paris. it looked something like this.


yes, i said a fixer upper. when i first saw this i thought .. greeeat it's going to be just like the one we just broke. but apparently paris's dad is a car guru. i mean, he really loves playing with cars. and on sunday, p's birthday .. he got this


you should have seen his face. such a happy guy! so needless to say he has been showing everyone. and we've finally been able to get around a little bit more. hallelujah!

Thursday, September 6

the coming of fall


it's that time of the year again where everyone is talking about the going of summer and the coming of fall. the time where the overly heated days turn into perfectly cool afternoons and beautifully cool nights. the time when little dresses and wedges are turned in for big sweaters and tall boots.

oh if only costa rica had a fall season! right now we are in the rainy season so sometimes it gets cool but nothing near that of a sweater and scarf combo cool. and then it usually just gets really hot and humid again.

fall is just my favorite season and i can't help but be jealous of all of you blogland people who keep talking about all of the fall clothes and boots you are going to be wearing. if you had asked me in high school if i would rather have new jersey/new england fall (oh endicott first semester how i miss you) instead of costa rica weather i would have picked costa rica by a landslide.

but after experiencing two new england autumns you just don't want anything else.

well .. i want autumn! so all of you people gearing up for my favorite season so me a favor and take it all in. don't miss a single orange leaf or pumpkin picking opportunity. i'll be watching you ;)

Thursday, July 26

a nice day


yesterday's afternoon had some of the nicest weather we've had in a while. and for once, all of paris's 4 sisters were at the house at the same time. 

paris's dad rolled up in one of his new toys, a motorized bicycle, so of course everyone had to try it. it was just one of those perfect days though. everyone outside in the beautiful weather, everyone laughing and having a good time.

its those kind of moments that you just can't help but love.