Simple Ideas--Eco-friendly Orange peel planters

Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best ones.  I had some tomato seeds I wanted to plant the other day.  I wanted to start them in planters indoors before transplanting outside.  I was looking around for containers to use when I spotted the orange peels left from my freshly-squeezed juice that morning so I decided, why not?!

The alternative was to just throw the peels in the compost bin so I went for it.  It was simple, efficient, and I think they look quite nice.  I'm curious to see if they work since I'm wondering if the acidic content may affect the seed growth. Only time with tell.

Step 1: Slice oranges in half and squeeze out the juice using a juicer, like this:

Step 2: Scoop dirt into the hollowed-out skins

Step3: Plant seeds, water, place in sun

Step4: Drink fresh orange juice and enjoy your new eco-friendly planters.  Ta Da!! (Note the chocolate bin also used as a planter. Worked great too! Please do NOT note my dirty windows.)

                        

The Power of Sports

Nelson Mandela once said that “Sport has the power to change the world…it has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than government in breaking down racial barriers.”

The new soccer season started last week and I played my first organized-league game since arriving in Guatemala.  Although it did not end with a score I would have liked (5-0 to be exact), : ( I enjoyed playing in the game and sharing the field with my teammates. I was also completely surprised by the turnout of the town to watch the games.  There were A LOT of people there.  Which made me especially nervous since I'm the only "gringa" girl on the team (and only one other in the league, who is amazing) so I had all eyes on me and a lot of pressure to not be a total moron on the field.

                                          Can you spot me (the "gringa") in this photo?! : ) On a side-note, these have to be the world's most unflattering uniforms ever!

I'm amazed at how much joy the season has brought to me already and it's only just beginning! Besides the obvious love of the sport and rush of endorphins from exercise, it's helped forge deeper bonds with my community than I expected, especially after just one game.  One of the players on the competing team is a local mom at the school and we both smiled at each other during the game with a mutual look of "Hey, I didn't know you played soccer too! No wonder you're so awesome! Let's be friends now!"

The next day at school, a few of the kids who were watching the game came up to me with a look of new admiration (or pity, I couldn't tell) and one of them so non-chalantly asked me, "Why did you lose?" in a way that suggested we had chosen that outcome on purpose.  I teased him and told him we needed his coaching skills, and lo and behold, he showed up to our next practice, eager to help (it got rained out, but that's not his fault).

To top this off, today (Sunday) I was walking down the street this afternoon and a local kid who I had never met before stopped me on the street. The following conversation ensued:

Kid:"Hey, are you the girl who plays soccer?"
Me: "Yes," I replied, excited for the recognition.
Kid:"Your team lost the game last week, right?"
Me: "Yes," I responded again (with a little less enthusiasm and getting ready to defend our reason for
        "choosing" to lose again).
Kid: "But you play soccer. You will win again. God Bless you. Have a great day."

And just like that, he and his buddy were on their way again and I was struck how the simple act of playing soccer can open up a world of comradery amongst people I didn't even know were watching.

                                  
                                                         Go Team San Marcos!

I love sports.  I love kids.  I love small-town San Marcos life!

Simple Murder-Mystery Salmon

I'm always looking for new "recipes" to make.  I use the term "recipe" loosely since I'm not much for following measurements or step by step instructions for meals, rather I like to mix and match and try things together until they look and taste about right. 

As a "pescetarian" and someone who has limitations on what they can eat (no gluten, dairy, sugar, most oils, etc.) it's often hard to get creative and eat the same boring meals eat day.  Also, as someone who MUST eat when hungry and has NO patience for cooking once hunger begins, I'm always looking for quick, easy meals.

I invented this SUPER EASY and SUPER DELICIOUS salmon yesterday (to be fair, maybe I didn't invent it and this recipe already exists. I have no idea since I didn't look for one, I just looked in my kitchen and threw together what I had) and thought I'd share the "recipe." I have know idea what the measurements were, so I'm just going to guess-timate. You should use your creativity and brain power to adjust for your own liking.   

 (I didn't actually take any photos of the meal, but I found these online and they look about the same. You get the idea).

Ingredients:
Salmon- 2 servings worth
Garlic- about 2 cloves
Olive Oil- a capful
Rosemary-a teaspoon
Basil -about 4 leaves
Ginger- a pinch
Salt and Pepper to taste
Balsamic Vinegar- 3 teaspoons? I just poured it on top to coat
A good Murder Mystery Book

To make:
Place all ingredients (except olive oil) in a ziploc bag.
Shake and let sit to marinate a bit. (I let mine sit as long as it took me to read a chapter in my book and get back up from the hammock).
Add a cap full or so of olive oil to a pan.
Pour contents of bag into pan (try to get garlic and goodies into pan for a minute before the fish but if it all falls out at the same time, no biggee) and sautee (with a lid on) for another chapter.
Add more balsamic vinegar and let simmer (with lid still) until it forms a sweet, sticky glaze, fish is cooked, and you've finished the next chapter.

Eat and enjoy!

Riquezas/Riches

I was cleaning out my email and came across this story that someone sent me a few years back.  It's such a sweet message and one that resonates highly with me and the way I aspire to live my life.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Estaba limpiando mis correos y encontré esta historia que alguién me mandó hace unos años atrás.  Tiene un mensaje tan dulce y uno que llama la atención porque es la manera en que intento a vivir mi vida.  Espero que les guste tanto como yo!

(GRACIAS GUILLE por compartirme esta historia!)

 **Para la version en espa ñol, miren más abajo.

 

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Once upon a time, a wealthy father took his son on a trip to the countryside with the intent of showing his son how poor the country folk were. They spent an entire day and night with a poor, humble family on their farm. At the end of the trip, when they returned home, the father asked his son:

-What did you think of the trip?
-It was great, dad!
-Did you see how poor the country folk can be?
-Yes!
-And what did you learn?
-I saw that we have only 1 dog at home but they have 4.  We have a pool that only covers half the yard; they have a river without an end in sight.  We have imported lamps in the yard but they have all of the stars in the universe.  Our yard only reaches the fence line; their yard stretches beyond the horizon.  They have time to talk and enjoy their family while you and mom have to work all the time and I never see either of you.

At the end of this speech, the father remained silent and the son added:
Thank you, dad, for teaching me how rich we might be some day!

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Una vez, un padre de una familia acaudalada lleva a su hijo a un viaje por el campo con el firme propósito de que su hijo viera cuan pobre era la gente de campo.  Estuvieron por espacio de un día y una noche completos en una granja de una familia campesina muy humilde. Al concluir el viaje y de regreso a casa, el padre le pregunto a su hijo:

- ¿Qué te pareció el viaje?
-¡Muy bonito papá!
-¿Viste cuan pobre puede ser la gente de campo?
-¡Sí!
-¿Y que aprendiste?
- Vi que tenemos un perro en casa, ellos tienen 4. Nosotros tenemos una piscina que llega de largo a la mitad del jardín, ellos tienen un arroyo que no tiene fin.Nosotros tenemos unas lámparas importadas en el patio, ellos tienen todas las estrellas del universo. Nuestro patio llega a la muralla de la casa, el de ellos tiene todo un horizonte. Ellos tienen tiempo para hablar y convivir en familia, mientras que tu y mamá tienen que trabajar todo el tiempo y yo casi nunca los veo.

Al terminar el relato, el padre se quedó mudo... y su hijo agregó:
¡¡Gracias papá por enseñarme lo ricos que nosotros podemos llegar a ser!!

 

I'm Addicted to Travel

I LOVE traveling.  If you've never been a traveler, you wouldn't understand it and there's no sense in trying to explain it because you just won't get IT.  But that 'it' of travel is beyond amazing.  I just got back from a whirlwind trip around Guatemala with my parents and it reminded me, once again, how much I love IT.  (more to come on that trip in a later post)

 

I love travel so much, I might even venture to say I'm addicted to it. According to Dictionary.com (a highly scholarly site), addiction is defined as:

the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.  

 

I know that if I ever had to stop traveling, I would be BEYOND SEVERELY traumatized! I practically break into a cold sweat just thinking about that nightmarish of a situation.  I also know that I am enslaved to travel.  Every decision I make boils down to, "will this help me get to (insert next location here)?"  Do I really need that Q5 bottle of water (that's about 20 cents) or can I wait until I get home and drink free water?  Sure, I'd love to go out to dinner, but I'd rather save that Q40 (~$6) since I know every penny counts towards saving up for my next trip.  See a job I like in an area of the world that won't allow me to easily travel to parts I want to--Pass! No thanks. Basically, all of my daily habits/practices/life choices are all based on getting me my next "fix" of travel.

 

I recently read this article (see below) and loved it.  I especially like #s 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 15, 17, 18, and 20.  (although not so much 20 anymore, since my Loki boy is at home).  Mom was impressed at my #17 and my ability to pack.  Everywhere we went on this trip, she constantly made comments like, "why didn't you tell me to pack that too?" "I didn't think to bring one of those." And my favorite, "See, Dani, this is why you should work in travel...you just know things like this. No one else knows to pack those!" Thanks, mama.  You'll be happy to know, I don't plan on stopping anytime soon, thus I'll keep those skills honed.  After all, it's for my own health to keep seeing the world; it's the only treatment for my 'mad travellers' disease.'

*************************************************

Do you break out in a cold sweat when you don't have your next holiday planned? Do your relatives barely recognise you anymore? 
 
You may be suffering from dromomania, or "mad travellers' disease" - a medical condition that describes people who are driven to wander long distances due to irresistible impulses.
Or you could just love to travel.

So how do you know if you're developing an addiction to wandering around the world? Take a look at this list:

1. Your suitcase is never fully unpacked.
2. You can swear in different languages.
3. The only reason you work is to save up for your next trip.
4. The flight attendants greet you by name - without looking at your ticket first.
5. You have more friends overseas than at home.
6. You plan your next trip before you finish the current one - or as soon as you get home!
7. Fellow travellers ask you for directions in foreign places, and you know where to point them.
8. When you sit down at your work desk you reach for the seatbelt.
9. You have more miles in the air than you have on your car.
10. You own more of those tiny bottles of toiletries than standard ones.
11. Waking up at home feels strange.
12. You try to curve your pillow around your neck, like a travel pillow.
13. Some people collect books, but your room is filled with souvenirs.

14. You're an expert on currency conversions and have a stash of money in different currencies.
15. You panic at the thought of having to stay in one place for too long.
16. You find it hard to sleep without the sound and vibrations from the jet engines.
17. You can pack in under five minutes.
18. Your bucket list is almost entirely travel-related.
19. You wear t-shirts or other items of clothing emblazoned with country names.
 20. You feel sad when you walk through your front door.

Original Link: http://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-advisor/signs-youre-totally-addicted-to-travel/story-e6frfqfr-1226643080602#ixzz2avvaQhHt