Wingless || A poem
I wondered wholeheartedly
as the whiskey wooed my wounds.
I wandered within my wisdom
while the warmth of the world
washed away my worries
& the wind whispered wordlessly.
Why wish upon the stars
when I can walk among them?
Why wait for the earth to be woven
when I can weave it myself?
Why worry about worthless wars
when I am waging them within my wellbeing?
I am wingless but still worthy;
I am wild but still working,
willfully but not woefully.
Wherever I will whimsy,
I wondered wholeheartedly.
By Carmen Varner
+++++++++++++++++++++
Wingless is about the internal struggle we have within us. We wage a war upon ourselves by constantly criticizing our bodies, underestimating our power, doubting our self-worth. But we are everything & more. Why wish upon the stars when I can walk among them? Don't idolize others, when you are the star. We are stars, we are worth it. Why wait for the earth to be woven when I can weave it myself? We don't have to wait for our futures because we create it every day. We don't need others to do work for us when we are more than capable of doing it ourselves. Why worry about worthless wars when I am waging them within my wellbeing? All these thoughts & problems rise from our own minds. Change your attitude & stop the war against yourself.
What are your thoughts about being Wingless? What did you gather from my poem? I love to learn how others translate what I write. Let me know. :]
Follow me on social media for more poems & writing:
Bloglovin // Facebook // Instagram // Pinterest // Twitter
Bloglovin // Facebook // Instagram // Pinterest // Twitter
How to Toast Quinoa
Quinoa is a magical little grain that's high in protein & gluten-free. In fact, it's actually a seed. I want to show you a wonderful way to give it some natural flavor. That said, you definitely don't toast quinoa in the toaster! Hehehe. Keep reading to learn how to toast quinoa.
1. Locate your quinoa. Found it? Got it? Good. Moving on.
2. Preheat your pan. No need for oil.
3. Gently rinse your quinoa. There's often dirt & other bits o' nature in there.
4. Add your desired amount of quinoa to the pan.
5. Stir lightly until toasty.
Ok, so yes those are the basics.
You really need to keep your eye on the pan, constantly moving the quinoa around. If you don't it'll burn. You'll know your quinoa is just about ready when you start to hear some slight crackling. This means they're getting nice & toasty. You'll see the edges start to brown. You'll smell a lovely waft of aromatic flavor -- kind of nutty.
Slight crackling. Brown edges. Fragrant smell. These are signs you know it's cooking & that it's just about ready. You may toast the quinoa for however long you prefer. Simply monitor the brownness. Let that be your guide because you don't want it to be over toasted or burned.
After your quinoa is toasted, cook as directed. This usually means boiling it for about 20 minutes. Add water to your pan & just let it simmer over low heat until ready. The usual ratio is 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water. Substitute couscous with quinoa in this cumin chickpea dish. Do you have much cooking with quinoa experience? Was learning how to toast quinoa useful? Have you ever tried toasting your quinoa prior to eating it? :]
1. Locate your quinoa. Found it? Got it? Good. Moving on.
2. Preheat your pan. No need for oil.
3. Gently rinse your quinoa. There's often dirt & other bits o' nature in there.
4. Add your desired amount of quinoa to the pan.
5. Stir lightly until toasty.
Ok, so yes those are the basics.
You really need to keep your eye on the pan, constantly moving the quinoa around. If you don't it'll burn. You'll know your quinoa is just about ready when you start to hear some slight crackling. This means they're getting nice & toasty. You'll see the edges start to brown. You'll smell a lovely waft of aromatic flavor -- kind of nutty.
before, nice & white |
before, nice & white |
Slight crackling. Brown edges. Fragrant smell. These are signs you know it's cooking & that it's just about ready. You may toast the quinoa for however long you prefer. Simply monitor the brownness. Let that be your guide because you don't want it to be over toasted or burned.
after, so toasty. |
after. mmm. |
After your quinoa is toasted, cook as directed. This usually means boiling it for about 20 minutes. Add water to your pan & just let it simmer over low heat until ready. The usual ratio is 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water. Substitute couscous with quinoa in this cumin chickpea dish. Do you have much cooking with quinoa experience? Was learning how to toast quinoa useful? Have you ever tried toasting your quinoa prior to eating it? :]
50 Things to be Thankful for
I'm here to give thanks. I want to take a moment to just be thankful. Be joyous for everything I have. I want to inspire you as well. We need it. The world needs it. Hopefully, there are some things on this list that you are thankful for too.
1. Being alive
2. Oxygen for making all life possible
3. Blossoming flowers in spring
4. Puppies, kitties, baby animals of any kind
5. Food when you're hungry
6. Music
7. Shoes on your feet & clothes in the closet
8. Good health
9. TV, literature, & film
10. Opportunity to get an education
11. Comfort when you're feeling down
12. Seeing friends & family you haven't seen in ages
13. Cold water on a hot summer's day
14. Sleeping in
15. Fresh cut flowers
16. Cell phones for being able to reach people with ease
17. The ability to read
18. Sun, moon, stars, & everything beyond
19. Taking off your shoes after a long day
20. Receiving a handwritten letter in the mail
21. Dark chocolate
22. Access to the internet & technology
23. Knowing true love
24. Gravity & breathing, that which we have no control over
25. Caller ID
26. Wisdom that comes with age
27. Pizza
28. Freedom to vote
29. Enough money to pay rent
30. Kindness of strangers
31. Sense of smell to smell mum's cooking or fresh bread
32. Sense of sight to see the sunset or your baby's first steps
33. Sense of touch to hug others with love or feel the rain on your cheeks
34. Sense of hearing to listen to thunder or your favorite song
35. Sense of taste to enjoy a warm meal or cold ice cream
36. Holding hands
37. The love & support of friends & family
38. A long night of sleep
39. Sales
40. Cozying up on winter's night
41. Sound of a baby's laughter
42. The last piece of anything (pie, pizza, candy, etc.)
43. How the leaves change color & fall in autumn
44. Travel
45. Sunshine to brighten the day
46. Advancement of technology & medicine
47. That first cup of tea or coffee in the morning
48. Pool & beach days in summer
49. Clean drinking water
50. Holiday traditions
Let's spread thankfulness, gratitude, appreciation, & kindness. Don't spread racism, hate, lies, or bad thoughts on others. We don't need any more fighting or death or darkness. Take the time to be thankful, genuinely. Don't do it to do it. Go out of your way to be grateful or do something kind. Lord knows the world needs more love.
Any plans for today? This is my first Thanksgiving away from my family (they are visiting my sister up in Berkeley). I will be spending the day with my boyfriend's family. Should be interesting. Now time to prep this vegetarian bake! :]
What are you thankful for? Anything from this list? What are your Thanksgiving plans? Does your family have any special traditions?
That's it from me on the blog today. :]
I'll be active on social media such as:
The Plastics from Mean Girls Costume Ideas
I've watched Mean Girls about 1,001 times but never thought about dressing as one of the Plastics for Halloween....until now! Mean Girls is a cult classic. That goes without saying, even though I just said it. But how can you achieve an authentic costume? Well, I've got the basics covered for you with this fab Mean Girls & the Plastics-inspired Halloween costume idea. In case you were wondering, the Plastics are a group of popular meanies consisting of Regina, Gretchen, Karen, & Cady from the film Mean Girls.
You'll need a pink sweater or pink shirt. This cropped pink sweater or long sleeve shirt ought to do the trick. After all "we wear pink on Wednesdays," remember? Don't forget to wear pink otherwise you can't sit with us. Why not pair your pink sweater with a denim skirt? They were extremely popular in the early 2000s along with sling-back kitten heels which are worn throughout the film. Put all 3 together & you've got yourself a very 2000s look. Mean Girls came out in April 2004, so there's a lot of potential
What you'll need for this Mean Girls costume:
- A pink sweater - Find it on Amazon
- Jean skirt - Find it on Amazon
- Pink Kitten heels - Find them on Amazon
Women's Mean Girls Christmas Outfit - Buy it on Amazon.
Other Mean Girls Costume Ideas
There's the bunny costume that Regina George wears or the Jingle Bell Rock Christmas outfit. You could dress like Regina's Mom or Karen Smith. There are a lot of costume ideas! Take a look at Amazon Regina George page to check out some ways to look like Regina George. For example, you could get an alphabet letter pendant necklace with an R initial for Regina. Bring your own Burn Book and bonus points if you cut two holes in your tank top.
Mean Girls Actors
Mean Girls stars Lindsay Lohan as Cady Heron, Jonathan Bennett as Aaron Samuels, Rachel McAdams as Regina George, Tina Fey as Ms. Norbury, Tim Meadows as Mr. Duvall, Amy Poehler as Mrs. George, Ana Gasteyer as Cady's Mom, Lacey Chabert as Gretchen Wieners, Lizzy Caplan as Janis Ian, Daniel Franzese as Damian, Neil Flynn as Cady's Dad, Amanda Seyfried as Karen Smith, and Rajiv Surendra as Kevin Gnapoor. There are plenty of Mean Girls Halloween costume options to go for such as the Plastics Mrs. Klaus costume for Jingle Bell Rock.
It's totally fetch to wear Mean Girls costumes at your next themed party. Halloween is inching forward. Do you have any plans yet? Hopefully these Halloween costume ideas have come in handy. :]
It's totally fetch to wear Mean Girls costumes at your next themed party. Halloween is inching forward. Do you have any plans yet? Hopefully these Halloween costume ideas have come in handy. :]
On the hunt for Halloween costume ideas?
Laney Boggs Prom Dress from She's All That - view here.
Bianca's Prom Dress from 10 Things I Hate About You - view here.
Rory Gilmore from Gilmore Girls - view here.
Wednesday Addams from The Addams Family - view here.
Cher's White Dress in Clueless- view here.
Halloween Costume Idea Cher Horowitz Clueless Yellow Plaid Outfit - view here.
Get the Look: Cher's Black & White Outfit from Clueless - view here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
POPULAR TOPICS
Beauty
beer
California
California Things to Do
Carlsbad
Coachella
Copenhagen
Del Mar
easy vegetarian recipe
Europe
fashion
food
France
Germany
Halloween
healthy vegetarian recipe
London
Mexico
music
music festival style
Netherlands
Oceanside
Paris
Portland
press trip
San Diego
self-employment
social media marketing
travel
USA Travel
vegetarian