Sleep Cycle

I seem to be seeing a lot of interest on pinterest (see what I did there?) lately on sleep.  Posts about when to go to sleep depending on what time you need to wake up, how to have a more productive night's sleep, and how to wake up more productively. 

I wanted to share with you how I get a good night's sleep. 

I used to struggle with sleep; I could never get to sleep well, I slept fitfully throughout the night, and would wake up in the worst moods.

Something that took me a long time to figure is what to do physically if you cannot sleep.  Do not toss and turn and try to force sleep upon yourself.  Get out of bed and distract yourself, but not with anything with a screen.  Read the newspaper, a magazine, pay your bills, clean the kitchen.  Do not watch TV or get on your computer. The flashing lights will stimulate your mind further and it will be harder to fall asleep. 
When I can't sleep now I pray the rosary.  The repetitive nature of the prayers calms my mind and keeping my fingers busy gives me something to focus on. 
Obviously praying the rosary isn't for everyone.  Everyone can find at least one thing that calms their  mind down and allows them to focus.
At the combined advice of professionals and friends I have come up with the a system that works really well for me.

Steps for a Good Night's Sleep:

1. Make sleep a priority.  Everyone is different and everyone needs a different amount of sleep.  Some people can get by on 4 hours a night, some people need 9.  Listen to your body!  If you feel yourself getting sluggish throughout the day or your body isn't working it is supposed to; you may need to adjust the amount of sleep you are getting.  Experiment with more or less sleep to find what your body needs.  Set time aside and realize that sleep is an integral part of brain function, metabolic functions in the body, and heart function.  Is that extra episode of Criminal Minds really worth the hour of sleep you will lose?

2. Create an environment that helps you sleep.  I like to sleep in total darkness, I find I wake up less when I have less light in the room.  Make your bed a cozy and comfy place where you can relax; really what this means is don't do work in bed.  Your bed should a no work, no TV, no computer zone. 
3. Create a bedtime routine.  When you consistently follow the same routine before you go to bed, your body will start to recognize that it is almost bed time, and start to get sleepy at the right time every night.  My night time routine consists of washing my face, brushing my teeth, turning off all overhead lights, then reading or writing in a journal.  Usually by the time I am in bed and pulling out a book my eyelids are already heavy; whether it is 8:30 or 1:30.

4. Sleep Cycle.  This app is the best investment I have made in a long time.  I got it under a recommendation from a friend and it is awesome.  The app is an alarm clock, but it works a little differently than your average clock/radio.  You set the time you want to wake up, then place your phone facedown on your bed.  As you sleep the phone will track your movements; more movement=lighter sleep, less movement=heavier sleep.  Sometime in the 30 minute block before you need to wake up, the phone will start an alarm.  But get this!  The alarm will go off when you are in your lightest state of sleep, this way you wake up when you are already at your most awake.  I tend to wake up in a far better mood when I wake up to this alarm than I do with any other alarm clock I have used.

5. Sound Machine.  This isn't for everyone, I used to hate sound machines and now I couldn't live without it.  I use an app on my phone, which can run at the same time as my Sleep Cycle app.  I don't listen to the ocean, or macaws; I use noises that sound more like white noise.


Try out one or more of these and see if they work for you!


Start with one of these 

Money! Money! Money!

(you should really sing this title to the tune of the ABBA song)

Make Money With Things You Already Own

That's right!  Make a little extra cash with items you already have around the house!

I'm not a coupon queen, a secret shopper, or in any way an expert on saving (or making) money. 

HOWEVER,

I do have a couple of tips to help you clean out your house and make a few bucks along the way!

Clothes:

With the holidays right around the corner it's a good idea to start cleaning house.  You need to get rid of the old to make room for the new!  Go through your closet, anything you haven't worn in a year needs to go!  Unless it has extreme sentimental value you need to make room.  This is a great time of year to think about what you have or haven't worn throughout the year.  I promise, if you didn't wear it last spring you won't wear it this spring.

Everyone has a thrift store in their town, which you know I'm a huge fan of.  Thrift stores don't pay you for donating your clothes though.  You know who does?  Consignment stores.  Most consignment stores are selective about what they take, meaning they may not take everything you bring them.  If you have good quality items that are in season, the stores may pay you up to 50% of what they will sell them for. 

Usually the store will give you the option of choosing the cash or store credit.  There are pluses and minuses to both.
Cash: Negative-if you decide to take cash, you won't get the full percentage of what the store values your item to be.  Instead of getting the 50% the value of what you are selling, you may get 15-20%.  Positive-you walk out of the store with cash you then put towards whatever you need.
Store credit-Negative-you can only use it in the store, not for groceries or bills.  Positive-if you shop at the store often, this option will pay off in the end.  Sometimes, if you are using the credit the day of your sale, you can use the credit for tax costs as well.

Books

Every town has a public library, a library will always take donations of used books.  Will a library give you monetary compensation for your books though? No.  Most used book stores will though!  Similar rules apply to selling used books as do selling used clothes.  The store will value the popularity and condition of an item and give you around 50% in store credit and about 15% in cash. 
I would definitely recommend taking the store credit on this one.  You may not be a big reader, but I'm sure someone you know is.  Birthdays and the holidays always seem to be around the corner; it can be awkward to buy someone clothes, but never books!  This is also a store credit that won't go out of style, you won't gain weight and never want to wear it again, and when you take it home and it falls apart you can still use it!

Electronics and Electronic Media

Amazon and Ebay are great places to sell old textbooks, movies, CD's, stereos, DVD players, or any other electronic items you may have. 
Ebay allows you to price the item at the price you would accept, then people can bid higher if they want.  A bidding war will occur when an item has a high popularity, is rare, or fills a special niche.  The negative side of Ebay is that you have to individually sell and ship each item you sell.
Amazon Market is very similar to Ebay in that you list prices and individuals from anywhere in the world can buy it.  Amazon Market is different in the way that it does not allow shoppers to bid and raise the price of an item.  On Amazon Market shoppers can compare an entire list of items matching what they want and buy from the lowest priced seller.  Amazon Market has the same negative as Ebay.
Amazon Trade-In is a specific part of the Amazon Market.  If you decide to sell to the Amazon Trade-In, Amazon will buy your items from you.  Once you list the item Amazon will set a Trade-In price, based on the popularity and condition of your item.  The positive thing about Amazon Trade In is once you agree to sell a set of items, all you have to do is print a shipping label, pack up your items, and your mailman will pick it up at your house.  The negative part of Amazon Trade-In is that Amazon may not offer you the fairest price and Amazon Trade-In will only pay you in Amazon credit, not cash.



Take all that old junk laying around your house and make some money off of it!

DIY Storage

About a year ago I invested in a set of airtight storage containers to use in my kitchen.  They are great, keep my ingredients fresh, and look adorable. 
The only problem was keeping everything straight and the ingredients separate.  I didn't want to slap a post it note on them but I wanted something equally as changeable. 
I decided to paint the top of the containers with chalkboard paint.  Now, I can change up what is inside the containers without having to print new labels every time. 

I've also started expanding the collection, this time without the added expense of purchasing new containers. 

We don't have glass recycling where I live and I constantly find myself with empty spaghetti sauce containers, bottled veggies, etc.  I didn't want to just throw away these things, so I decided to give them a new life!  I cleaned out the containers, took the labels off the jars, and painted chalkboard paint to their lids as well. 

I love having these smaller containers!  I am able to store herbs I buy in the bulk bin, make my own essential oils, make salt scrubs to put in them, anything I want! 

This project allowed me to reuse objects that would otherwise have been thrown away.  Reusing these glass bottles also gives me opportunity to contain other projects I want to start on!

Stay posted for more projects using food stuff containers in a new life!

Spinach Burger

I'm not sure if I've shared my love of veggie burgers with you yet.  If not, I LOVE THEM.  They are they chock full of hidden vegetables to keep you healthy and super convenient to warm up when you are in a pinch.  And they are delicious (that's the most important part)!

The bummer of Veggie Burgers when you buy them at the store is that they can be quite pricey.  I don't know about you but I'm not a huge fan of pricey.  Store bought veggie burgers also tend to have non-nutritious fillers that aren't helpful for the health conscious.

The most recent veggies burgers I've made were actually spinach based.  The recipe comes from Better Homes and Gardens and it was so easy! I doubled the recipe so that I would have enough to freeze and take to work for lunch later on.

What else goes with burgers but fries?  I've been trying to make healthier choices and fries are often not on the healthy list.  Instead I decided to make cauliflower poppers as a fry substitute.  The recipe I used came from Delighted Momma and it was super easy as well! 

Add a Coke and you have the perfect vegetarian substitute for the classic burger meal!

Magazine Holder

I need all sorts of organization in my classroom.  There are coloring sheets, magazines, scrapbook paper, construction paper, lined paper, graph paper (you get the picture).  Browsing through educational websites to find ways to organize all these things can be quite discouraging however.  Most items you see in educational stores are quite expensive and hardly seem to fit all of your needs.  What to do? Make your own!

What I have for you today is a pictorial tutorial on how I made my own organizers out of cereal boxes!

Step One

I took a regular 12" ruler and drew an angled line across my cereal box.  I didn't use any specific measuring tool for the angle, just fiddled around until I found an angle I liked.

Step Two

Next I cut off the four flaps at the top, then cut down the line I had drawn on the cereal box.

Step Three

Use the piece you just cut as a template for the second side so they match.  I laid out the cut piece and drew my cutting line so that both sides would have the same angles.  After you have cut both sides you can cut the small piece running up the middle with a straight line in the middle.



See! Three sides cut out!

Step Four

Measure out the amount of wrapping paper you will need, just as you would if you were wrapping a present.  Start with one side of your box on the edge of your wrapping paper, and keep flipping it until you have measured out each side.

Step Five

Now start wrapping it up like a present!

Step Six



I trimmed about half an inch from the top and bottom to make sure I wasn't folding up an absurd amount of excess wrapping paper.

Step Seven



I wrapped the bottom of my cereal box just like I do when I wrap gifts.  Everyone has their own way of wrapping gifts, use your own judgement for how you wrap yours.

Step Eight

The last thing you need to do is trim away the excess paper at the top of the box on the angle.  I cut small slits on each corner, folded the tape into the box,  and taped them down.

Note to crafters: I discovered that the size of the Life Cereal box was too small to comfortably fit magazines inside.  I plan on repeating this project again, but I will use larger cereal boxes.

The Festival! The Festival!

One of the wonderful things about the South is that we love to celebrate.  There are festivals celebrating local agriculture, local music, local art, movies, our history.  Each area has it's own special celebrations honoring what makes it special! 

This weekend I attended the Peter Anderson Festival in Ocean Springs, MS.  The festival honors the memory of Peter Anderson, a potter from the area who supported many local cultural programs while he was alive.  Over the last few years the festival has evolved from a small local art show to one that takes up an entire weekend with over 400 artisans from all over the country.

There was an amazing selection of art available, everything from pottery to posters to pretty jewelry.  In addition to the wide array of shopping available from booths, all of the stores in downtown Ocean Springs were open and ready for business with special deals celebrating Peter Anderson.

This year the festival organizers did something a little different and created a 'food court' in one area of downtown to showcase local food vendors.  Restaurants along the festival route also had tents set up on the side of the road showcasing their specialities.  Blue Moon was one of the sponsors for the festival and there were Blue Moon booths set up around the route selling beer and other drinks for shoppers.

One of my favorite booths, a new vendor to Peter Anderson, was Catherine Herrington. She is a graphic designer who uses mixed media in several of her pieces. I loved her use of Southern phrases in her work and picked up a few things to decorate the apartment!

So, we've got good food, great art, and amazing weather.  What are we missing?  Music!  Local bands and singers were set up around the parade route to keep the mood light.  It was an amazing weekend spend with good friends and family!   If you aren't sure what sort of local celebrations are going on in  your area keep an eye on your local newspaper.  If anyone is going to spotlight local events they are.  A more tech savvy option would be to check out The Southern Living Event Calendar, they also have links to other more local magazines. Get out there and support your local entertainment, local vendors, and celebrate what makes your city special!

Start the Day Off Right

I love breakfast, but it's not often that I have the time to really put some effort into it. 

This weekend I was visiting my sister and we made a absolutely scrumptious breakfast that I just had to share with you.

Vegan French Toast with Fall Fruit Compote

Ingredients

4 slices white bread
1 cup almond milk
2 tblsp cornstarch
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 tblsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tblsp vanilla
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 a zested orange
Canola oil

Directions

Pour your milk into a large mixing bowl, add the cornstarch and mix until evenly distributed.
Add the flour and mix again, it's okay if it's a little lumpy.  Then add in all the spices.

Toast your bread lightly in the toaster so that it gets a light crunchiness to it.
Soak the bread in the almond milk mixture until it starts to get spongy.

Heat a large skillet on medium high heat with a light layer of canola oil on the bottom.
Cook each piece of bread for a few minutes on each side.  The bread should be golden brown on each side with flecks of dark brown.

We served our french toast with a pear, apple, and cranberry compote that my mom had made earlier in the week. 

Sprinkle a little powdered sugar on top and enjoy!

Recipe Binder

I love the way recipe boxes look, they are so neat and put together.  But here's the thing, my life isn't so neat and put together.  I like to make a mess, stir vigorously, splatter when boiling,  stack dishes, and use my hands while I cook.  These tendencies do not work well with a tiny card consisting of cramped directions.  This is why I have created a recipe binder!

(Sorry the pictures are a bit blurry)

I have found that keeping my recipes in a binder allows me to have all the ingredients and directions on one page.  Since I am using full pages I do not have to cramp my writing, write in (later undecipherable) short hand, or worry about ruining recipes that one of my family members may have written by hand.  I achieve all of these things by keeping all of my recipes in plastic page protectors.

I used to keep all of my recipes in a composition notebook, which is why most of the recipes are written in my handwriting in slipped into the page protectors.  As I have added to the collection within the recipe binder I have been able to print out recipes I have gotten online or slip in recipe cards from family members  into the page protectors as well. 

I separated my recipe binder into 9 categories: breakfast, appetizers, soups/chilis, salads, side dishes, pastas, main dishes, bread, and desserts.  You can change the categories based on what you cook most often!  I made my tabs out of some cute file folders that I found on sale at Wal-Mart a few weeks ago. 

Since I have the plastic page protectors I never have to worry about ruining my recipes! I just wipe them off with a sponge, a Clorox wipe, a paper towel, or any other cleaning product then it is good as new!  Everything is organized, easy to find, and colorful!