The Beauty that Lingers...

Walking home from class today, I couldn't help but stop and smell the flowers. Literally! It's the middle of January and we're still blessed with such beautiful surroundings. It is times like these that remind us to stop, in the midst of our busy days, and take in all the beauty that surrounds us!

This beautiful day sent me straight back to a passage from Anne of Avonlea by LM Montgomery:


"Anne paused to throw her arm around a slim white birch and kiss its creamy white trunk...here in the woods I like best to imagine quite different things. I'm a dryad living in the old pines, or a little brown wood-elf hiding under a crinkled leaf. That white birch you caught me kissing is a sister of mine. The only difference is, she's a tree and I'm a girl, but that's no real difference."

Wishing everyone a beautiful rest of the day!

A Little Healthy Snack

After 2 years of surviving on frozen food, Trader Joe's yogurts, pre-made salads and sandwiches, I decided that if I continued that way I would soon be walking around with an empty wallet and no books! (Not to mention a doubled and tripled "freshman 15!") So, lately I've been getting quite creative in this small college kitchen of mine and making some tasty goodies, which I will share with you often.

Here's a little snack idea I came up with that's easy to make, and quite healthy! 

Sliced whole wheat bread, Feta cheese, Trader Joe's salami, Sliced heirloom tomatoes, and Cilantro.

I Dream of Strawberries

It's been a warm and sunny day in my part of the world today, with lots of birds chirping and dried leaves of the last season dancing with the breeze. With all their glory and warmth, it is days like these that bring nostalgic memories of spring! I gladly welcome the sunshine and rays but there is still so much missing! It always seems that after Christmas is over, it's not really winter anymore. Drinking a cup of hot chocolate or a bowl of soup just don't feel the same without those fuzzy Christmas socks, or the smell of pine cones and cinnamon. Sometimes I wish spring would come the day after Christmas (ok, maybe New Year's). 

My roommates and I took a stroll down to a local farm a few days ago, in hopes of picking a few strawberries and finally going on that tour we'd been hoping to go on for so long. As we walked up the steep hill, the chatter and giggles came to a sudden stop and this sign appeared before us "Farm tour closed. Starts again in March." March! With nothing else left to do we walked down the path, with empty hands, but souls full of dreams of spring...and of strawberries!