Oh, Is This What A Weekend Feels Like?

I'll be the first to admit that I don't always take advantage of the fabulous opportunities that come with living in New York City. Honestly, my free time usually consists of hanging around my apartment. Isn't this the city with something for everyone? Don't I love adventures? So what am I doing?? (Well saving money mostly.) 

Yesterday though, I had the day off and decided I was going to go out, take a "me" day, and do something new and fun! I still didn't want to spend a lot of money so I gave myself a limit of $30 to spend and came up with some fun ideas that would be cheap. 

I thought about going to a museum with my sketchbook and sketching some of the sculptures and whatnot, something I've seen others doing and love the idea of (I really want to get back into drawing, I haven't done much since college but I loved it when I was doing it everyday). I also thought about going to a coffee shop and being one of those people on their laptops who just sit and take up a table for hours (I figured I could get more done in terms of job searching and getting important stuff done in a different environment). 

I had some other ideas too and ended up meeting a friend for lunch at Qdoba before she went in for work. Then I went thrifting! Which is something I absolutely love to do and hadn't done yet in New York. There's two places on the same street as HC and I always walk by and want to go in, so yesterday I did! And I found some really awesome stuff! If only I wasn't on a budget... But I did find some stuff I've really been needing, a pair of skinny jeans for just $8.50 then I went to a mall and grabbed some basic stud earrings I've been eyeing. Both exciting purchases :)

Still in an adventuresome mood, I paid my first visit to Trader Joe's and oh my word! I fell in love! Haha, everything was cheap and organic and awesome! I really love that it's all store brand products. The line discouraged me from buying anything, however, I will most definitely be returning :)

I had the day off again today (this is feeling like an actual productive weekend!) and am writing this from Argo Tea, a great little tea place with stores throughout the city. Where I plan to chill for a couple hours, maybe meet a friend, and overall get some work done so that I can start to have a better answer to the question, "What are you doing with your life?" 

xo ash

Teasing Weather

Brrrr....

Wasn't it just 50* last week?! Yes, yes it was. And now, it's FREEZING! Literally. 27* doesn't do much to encourage me to leave the house. In fact after waking up this morning and getting all dressed and ready I turned on my white Christmas lights I have in my bedroom, made a cup of hot Toffee Almond Supreme tea and crawled back into bed with my laptop :) I'm doing work though, don't worry, it's just so much warmer and cozier under some covers!

I've been working on sprucing up my resume and looking into other options for jobs/internships/service... pretty much anything, in case things don't work out with my current internship. Applying for anything else is just such a long process, there's editing the resume plus updating my portfolio then actually writing up a cover letter and applying...

Now though, I am going to get out of bed and do a little shopping with my birthday money before work tonight :)

Cheers!

(Random fun fact - I don't think it really fits me but I really like it when people end a conversation or as a goodbye say "cheers!")

A Good English Cuppa

It's been a crazy last few weeks, first travelling home for the weekend which turned into a week then returning to New York for 5 days before heading out to Kansas for Thanksgiving and to be reunited with my college friends in what is a big visitation weekend at Hesston. My days and body are very confused on the ever changing schedules but I'm pretty sure that today is Monday which can only mean one thing: it's recipe time!

I'm not going to get all fancy this week, this isn't even going to be a recipe for food (although I do have some great dessert recipes I've discovered... stay posted!). This may be cheating since it's a drink and drinks are commonly made in mugs... but my recipe for the week is simple English tea in a mug.

Yes it's simple and maybe this version of tea is cheating on another level because it doesn't involve a kettle and stove and whistle but tea means a lot to me. You see, my granny was born in England and although she moved to America at just 6 months of age, she was very English, her mother having grown up and living in England until that point. And what is more English than tea?

Grannie passed on the tea-loving gene to my mom who also raised my sister and I on it. Our coffee maker was even turned into a hot tea maker as my dad slowly gave up on anyone else in the house liking coffee.

Growing up, I might be greeted in the morning with a hot cup of tea to 'help me wake up slowly'. Whenever I was sick or feeling down, a cup of hot tea was always the answer and would be quickly delivered by my mom or my grannie. Before school started each fall, my grannie would host a tea party for the girls in the family, my sister and I, Mom, my youngest aunt, and my younger cousins. Whenever we would stop by Grannie's house after school, have a sleepover, or after a big family meal, a nice cup of hot tea was offered. At our tea parties, Grannie would educate us on the etiquitte of tea and always have a few different choices of tea. Sugar cubes were always on hand because that was the best way to sweeten tea.

Back-to-school tea party - many years ago

My wonderful Grannie passed away almost a month ago. It's hard to believe it's been that much time already.  It's been a crazy, surreal, emotional few weeks. I don't want to dwell on all that though. The important thing is her life, I know she's in a far better place now and all we can do is remember the good times and happy memories. It is also important to keep her memory alive through the little things and, for me, one thing that will always remind me of my grannie is hot, English tea.

I don't use a kettle and stovetop. And I don't have sugar cubes on hand or beautiful china teacups. But the taste is the same and that is one of comfort and warmth and love.

Hot English Tea

Fill a mug almost full with water. Microwave 1 1/2 minutes. Place 1 teaspoon loose-leaf basic black tea (I like English Breakfast) in a tea ball, tea bag, or tea infuser of some sort (or use a pre-made, storebought tea bag, of a basic black tea such as English Breakfast. But PLEASE don't use Lipton :P ) 

Place the tea bag into the hot water and steep 3-4 minutes, depending how strong you like it. Remove the tea bag and squeeze out the bag with a spoon. Add sugar to taste (1 Tablespoon if you're a lady in my family ;) ) Add a splash of milk (about 1/2 Tablespoon) and stir. 

*Tea etiquette: Only add milk to basic, black, English tea.

Curl up with a good book, sit and look out the window, use it in the morning to "wake up slowly," or invite a friend over to join you, set out some cookies and sweet bread and enjoy your tea.

<3 Ashley