My Summer in Pics

Hello everyone!

I know I've been MIA for quite a few months and I'm sorry for that. I thought that I would find time to blog while abroad but apparently it wasn't possible for many reasons, the main two being: (1) the internet here is kind of crazy, so it goes on and off for days and (2) I've been quite busy with work and just having a good time with my friends/co-workers that I haven't had much time for blogging.

So for now, I'll just leave you with some pictures of things I've done/ seen since June and I hope I can start posting more often now that work is starting to slow down. Enjoy!

Marked turtle nest...pretty much what my job consists of (marking nests)

Crooked palm tree

Yal-Ku Lagoon

Chillin' at the beach

Tarantula outside my room...eeek!

Loggerhead turtle laying eggs

What I do when I'm bored at work...

Mural outside the ecological center

My new friend I found at the park

 Yummy chicken quesadillas!

Massive mushroom and cheese stuffed burgers I made for my friend's birthday

 

Green turtle laying eggs

Loggerhead hatchling...super cute!

Me with a baby loggerhead! :)

Yet another turtle mural!

Swimming with whale sharks!

 

Whale shark!

Loads of baby turtles!!

Having fun with friends!

What's In My Carry-On Bag: Boston Edition

Hello! For those who don't know, I'm going to Boston today! I'm mainly going for my sister's graduation, which is on Sunday, but we're staying there for a whole week so that my brother, aunt and grandparents who've never been to Boston before, get to know the city and do some touristing. Since I'll be away til next Friday, I prepared some travel- related blog posts that I'll be posting while I'm away. I hope you enjoy them!

 

So you see that pink bag on the top left corner? Well, that's my carry-on bag. It's not the bag I usually use to travel but this time I didn't need my little rolling luggage and I don't feel like hauling a huge tote so this bag was the perfect size for my needs. Now, on to what's inside! (In no particular order).

1. A sweater. It's always cold on the plane so a sweater is a must.

2. A change of clothes. Just in case. You never know what's going to happen or when you're going to get stranded without your luggage. Been there, done that.

3. iPhone and Kindle Fire chargers. To charge my iPhone and Kindle.

4.Kindle Fire (the thing in the green case) and iPhone (not pictured because I took this picture with it). To read and stay entertained during the 3.5/4 hour flight to Boston.

5. Tinted moisturizers. Just in case my lips get dry.

6. Kleenex. I always carry some with me. 

7. Earphones. If I want to listen to music or watch a movie on my iPhone or Kindle these are always useful.

8. Pen. Just in case I need to jot down something.

9. Hand lotion. In case my hands get dry.

10. Wallet. To carry my ID, some cash and debit/credit cards

11. GRE vocabulary list. Just in case I decide to study during the flight.

12. Small cross-body bag. I carry my wallet, tinted moisturizer and iPhone in here.

13. Tylenol. Just in case I get a headache while on the plane.

So that's pretty much it!

Just a Few of Announcements!

Can you believe it's May already? I sure can't! Time is going by so fast! Also, I wanted to mention that I've been blogging for 3 months already! I can't believe it! My 3 month bloggiversary was on April 28th. So thanks to all of you who follow me and read my blog, it means a lot to me. :)

I just wanted to make a few quick announcements because a lot has been going on and there might be a few changes in the next couple of weeks but hopefully I'll keep on posting 2-3 times (at least) a week and sharing fun stuff with you guys! So yeah, this month is pretty busy for me because:

1. I'll be going to Boston in a few weeks for my sister's graduation and will be there for about a week. I'm planning ahead so I'm working on a book review for that week and possibly a tutorial. I'll also post My Week in Pics, which should be fun because I'll be in Boston of course!

2. I'm taking the GRE on May 29th. That week, I'll probably be super stressed and will most likely not post anything until after the day after the exam. As you might or might not know, I majored in Environmental Biology in college and graduated in 2012 but I want to continue studying and get my Master's, for which I'll be applying in the fall, and then my Ph.D. So yeah, wish me luck! :)

3. Last but not least...and definitely the most exciting announcement is... I'm moving to Mexico! Well, only temporarily. But yes, I'm super excited because I'm going somewhere near Cancun and will be working with an organization dedicated to sea turtle conservation and environmental education. I'll be there from June 1st til the end of August. I'm really excited because this is definitely what I see myself doing full-time in the future and I'm sure it'll be a great experience. I'm really hoping this won't affect my blog a lot. There is internet where I'll be living so I'll definitely continue posting stuff. My Week in Pictures posts will probably be way more exciting then, I'll continue reading and posting reviews as always and I'm excited to say that I'll probably be posting more recipes and cooking tutorials because I'll be doing my own cooking there. In terms of  sewing/knitting/crafting DIYs and nail tutorials, I'm not sure how those are going to work out since (1) I'm obviously not taking my sewing machine or any other craft materials, so I might do some tutorials beforehand and post them sporadically throughout the summer and (2) I'll be working outdoors and handling turtles and equipment so my manicures wouldn't last a single day so I might skip those altogether during the summer.

So yeah, I think that pretty much covers everything that's been going on/ will be going on during May and the rest of the summer. Thanks for reading and hope everyone's week is off to a great start!

Earth Day, Eco-friendly Tips and Freebies

Happy Earth Day!!!!

Hi everyone, I hope everyone is having a great day! I'm pretty excited about Earth Day. I think it's a great day to raise awareness and to remind people to take care of our planet. As inhabitants of this lovely planet, it's our duty to take care of it, nourish it and restore it whenever we've misused it. It's the only planet we can live in so we should try to maintain it as clean and organic as possible. Here are a few simple tips to make everyday more eco-friendly.

1. Recycle. Recycle paper, plastic and metal. This will help us accumulate less waste which is better for the Earth.

2. Use energy efficient light bulbs. Not only will this help you save on your electric bill but you will also help save the Earth by saving energy. HOWEVER, you MUST recycle these light bulbs once they stop working because they contain mercury which is very harmful for the environment.

3. Use reusable shopping bags. Did you know that the U.S. alone goes through 4 BILLION shopping bags annually? That is a lot of plastic! Sadly, only about 1-3% of plastic bags are recycled worldwide. So when you go shopping take your own reusable bags. They are super sturdy and come in all sorts shapes, sizes and designs you're most likely to find one that suits your needs and wants.

4. Buy organic. Yes, I know these products are more expensive and may not fit into everyone's budget but if you can, buy organic because they don't contain synthetic pesticides, fertilizers and/or genetically modified organisms (GMOs). These are not only bad for humans but also for the soil, water, plants and animals.

Freebies:
Freebies for Earth Day: (Note- These are not sponsored, I'm just sharing the love with you guys!)

Disney Store- Bring 5 plastic bags and get a free reusable bag. I think you can choose between a Brave or Cars bag.

HEB- (For fellow Texans) Bring 5 plastic bags and get a free reusable bag.

Caribou Coffee- Bring in your mug for some free coffee.

Pottery Barn Kids- Get a free seed packet.

National Parks- Free admission to all national parks all week.

Please Reduce, Reuse and Recycle and Happy Earth Day! :)

Giant Oatmeal Cookie Semi-Fail and A Few Words on Fails

Today I was really craving a chocolate chip oatmeal cookie, like really, really craving one. I decided to indulge since I had a pretty bad day. Apparently, I was also feeling a bit adventurous so I didn't look up a recipe and just waltzed into the kitchen and got all the ingredients oatmeal cookies usually contain: oatmeal, flour, sugar, eggs, vanilla, baking powder, butter and some chocolate chips. I just threw in a little bit of everything in reasonable amounts and mixed them together and threw my concoction into the oven in the hopes of making a good chocolate chip oatmeal cookie that would satisfy my craving. This is what I came up with.

Now, don't let the picture fool you, it might look ugly but it wasn't that bad. It was just a bit dry and it wasn't as sweet as a regular cookie. In my opinion, the chocolate chips compensated for the lack of sugar and the dryness was fixed by accompanying a slice of cookie (yup, a slice, because the cookie is about the size of a dinner plate!) with a glass of milk. Anyway, I'm going to keep working on my recipe and I'll share it with you guys once it's perfect, or as close to perfect as it can get. Which leads me to my next point: failures are not always bad.

I think failures are learning experiences... most of the time. In my opinion as a DIYer, there is a LOT of trial and error involved when coming up with a project. Sometimes more error than trial but you learn from your mistakes and go on from there. I would say that in most of the DIYs I do where I'm not exactly following a pattern or a specific set of instructions, there are mistakes that occur that I have to fix. And even though I may get frustrated because I have to redo the project or rip a bunch of seams if I'm sewing something, in the end I look back and take it as a learning experience because I know that the next time I make that specific project I won't repeat my mistakes and maybe I'll even laugh about that EPIC FAIL!

My Week in Pictures #3

I  hope everyone has been having a great week and is enjoying their weekend! I'm so glad it's finally Saturday, I've literally been waiting for the weekend since Monday. I guess it's mainly because this week has been a bit hectic so I had been really looking forward to catching up on some ZzzZzzZzz. Yeah, that and finishing up some sewing projects. Now, I'll leave you guys with my week in pictures.

Sunday: Easter cupcakes!!!

 

Monday: Mug for the giveaway.

Tuesday: Passion tea lemonade, my fave! :)

Wednesday: No pic. :(

 

Thursday: Picking out my weekend read.

Friday: Being a responsible person and studying for the GRE on a Friday afternoon.

Saturday: Ironing fabric for a project.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

<3, Martha

My Week in Pictures #2

Hi! Sorry I haven't posted much this week. I have extended family staying over this week for their Easter Break and therefore haven't had much time to finish any DIY projects I was working on or books I was reading. I promise I'll have something for you guys next week but in the meantime I'll leave you with my week in pictures.

 Monday: Thor.

Tuesday: I didn't take any pictures. :(

Wednesday: Spinach and cheese lasagna rolls for dinner. Yum!

 

Thursday: What a dreary day....

 

Friday: Haul from my shopping trip on Thursday. 

Hope you have a great weekend!  And for those of you who celebrate Easter, Happy Easter!

<3, Martha

My Week in Pictures

Hi everyone! So I decided that every Friday I'll be posting pictures that I took during the week. Keep in mind that they'll be pretty random but I just wanted to give you guys a peek of what happens in my life. Have a great weekend! :)

 

 Sunday: My supper- a pasty and coffee.

  

Monday: Sasha's first swim of the year! :)

 

Tuesday: My uncle's birthday cake.

 

Wednesday: Flowers outside my house.

 

Thursday: New nail color for spring! (Mintilicious by Rimmel)

 Friday: Fish tacos for lunch. Yum! :)

 <3, Martha