Hawthorne and Teaching

As I lifted the plastic octopus a small boy squinted and enunciated oc-to-pus. The kindergarten boy was learning the enunciation of sea animals. It had been a long day already and it wasn't even half over, poor kid. After settling back in with his classmates I was assigned three books "The Quack Song (I don't have a picture of ducks so I used a chicken picture I took earlier this year at the school)," "Princess Party", and "A Quiet Dog." Four different rotations of students came to my table. Including a mischevious little boy, for the point of this post we'll call him Wilbur. Wilbur was having so much fun at the para's table being a complete distraction by farting, talking obscenely and shouting whenever I even glanced at him. This added to the three recesses I monitored was quite a fiasco! Quite a day let me tell you!

After a nice sunny stroll home I began making a refreshing cup of iced joe and sprucing up my blog. But just when I thought all the stress of the day over, my phone buzzes. My SO's car is on fire and his pants were splashed with battery acid! Thankfully he didn't get hurt. But made sure I got a video of the whole incident. My goodness, gracious. 

Faint Whispers of Spring

So the Midwest is a harbinger of blowy snowy weather. Pictured above is a vase of my favorites: roses, sage, and delphinium. It's a bit of hope on such a blustery cold day! Pictured below is Kansas today. 

Coffee, words, and yarn are what's on today's agenda. Haha! 
I started a new knitting project last night a scarf. It's a chartreuse color, which I absolutely adore, mostly because WHO DOESN'T LOVE SAYING CHARTREUSE! It's a neat color too, I think. 

As I write I'm wearing a knitted hat, I made, with a cabled ring in the same yarn. Quite a topical color I think! I also like periwinkle, which again is a beautiful color but oh so fun to say! 




Now that I've surely confused my readers about odd sounding colors I'll proceed with the core topic of this post-- the paradoxical weather and the harbinger of Spring. 



With this Spring comes a completely new feeling as the creeping white periwinkle drips the dew of a brisk morning in my new city. This new feeling of independence is so reviving like a sweet summer wind full of the faint smells of flowers and harvest. This Spring is full of so much promise as I dream about my honey and I dancing in the moonlight or visiting our favorite art museum. My heart is full!






I have found a very nice place to stay that I'm inquiring about, fingers crossed. Maybe, just maybe, I will be in my new city within the next week. Goodness gracious that would be a dream come true! I would be in a location stockpiled with jobs and the modern convenience of a grocery store, coffee shop and bookstore within walking distance. Funny how dreams work. I can't even count the songs I've listened to about dreams just staying dreams. It's quite a battle to dream freely. 

My readers make me happy as well! It is so nice to see that someone is reading my writing and that I'm not just throwing my words at a brick wall. So thank you! Cheers to a wonderful day! 

Morning Has Broken

As I cracked an egg into my mug of Vietnamese coffee I scanned the Classified's job section. Vietnamese coffee is made with eggs. In fact, the whole egg, shell included! Relaxing for me includes watching coffee videos on Youtube. 

                                Vietnamese coffee has a rich flavor of tiramisu. It's a great variation to the ordinary cup of Joe. Its layers are similar to custard and the taste is absolutely exquisite. Besides,  eggs have protein. If you're looking for that extra protein boost plus caffeine in the morning, then this might be your answer. The eggs used in this coffee are processed in boiling water so there is no need to be intrepid about the raw egg factor. 

Tasting coffees from all over the world is a favorite activity of mine. I have been experimenting with everything from Mexican to Vietnamese coffee preparation styles. Drinking coffees with preparation styles from all over the world is an exciting way for me to begin my day. I enjoy reading the paper in the morning, knitting and reading my Bible. I wake up way too early, generally speaking. Which, in a sense is a blessing and a curse. My mornings I try to be productive but recently I've been in rather a glitch. It seems that I'm stuck on trying to escape my ordinary life. I want a change of pace but I want to make an epic move in life. My grandmother, who's an amazing lady!, has a refrigerator magnet that says "Ordinary women did not go down in history." 

                                              Is being unordinary bad, I think not! So with my quirky early morning waking coffee habits, and my endless flame of new ideas and inspirations I'll travel on through this life being grateful for every day I'm blessed with. Thank God for Vietnamese coffee and early mornings!

Coffee, Standing in the Way of Happiness?

Did you know that nearly 50% of American adults drink coffee every day? Praised by the media and daily drinkers, coffee has a high-ranking place in the American diet. Harvard studies show that coffee is high in natural polyphenols, which are micronutrients that have been linked with preventing cancer, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease. According to, mensfitness.com, coffee also works as an antidepressant and spikes your Adrenaline levels.

Is this a bad thing? Not entirely.

While this news is all fine and dandy, coffee, on the flip side, has its negatives.

Coffee is a drug.

Yes, that’s right an addictive drug. Just this year Caffeine dependence was labeled as a new mental illness.

Do you ever get a headache around 9:00 AM? Do you have trouble sleeping? Increased heart rate?

Did you know that all of these symptoms can be attributed to drinking your morning cups of Joe?

According to MayoClinic, high consumption of boiled coffee (boiled or espresso) has been associated with mild elevations in cholesterol levels. Two or more cups of coffee can increase your risk of heart disease in people with a specific- and fairly common- genetic mutation that slows the breakdown of caffeine in the body.

So, next time you’re reaching to switch on the coffee pot, consider drinking milk or juice instead which offers nutrients and vitamins not found in coffee.

I hope I have enlightened caffeine drinkers with this insightful article.

Cheers!