Well I lucked out. Mother nature decided to drop ice, snow, and rain on central Indiana this evening resulting in no school/work for me tomorrow. It's so convenient to know about school cancellations the night before instead of waking up that morning and eagerly sitting in front of the TV or computer screen with your fingers crossed. I can't say that I want any more of this wintery weather, but I will admit that a day of sleeping in and time to work on grading and reading sounds mighty fine to me. Anyhow, a free day for me tomorrow also gives me the luxury of staying up later tonight. What better time to add another blog post than now?
I want to dedicate this blog post to some fabulous and unique jewelry that I discovered a few months ago. While glancing through the articles in my national Chi Omega sorority magazine, I spotted an article about a sister in Texas who started a non-profit organization which caught my eye. This organization, be.the.joy, sells vibrantly colored jewelry such as necklaces and bracelets made by Ugandan women out of magazine paper. The organization calls this jewelry heart beads. The thing that really sparked my interest was the fact that the proceeds of the sales go toward helping fund the education of Ugandan girls. As a teacher, this made me want to support such a worthy cause. After ordering a necklace, I was not disappointed in the least. The craftmanship of the necklace was excellent, and it was more beautiful than I even expected. I ended up buying several other necklaces for a few of my friends' Christmas gifts.
Check out be.the.joy's website . Support a worthy organization and fellow women in our world. Not only will you have the satisfaction of giving the gift of education, but you will also find an absolutely beautiful and unique fashion accessory to add to your collection.
(Photo courtesy of be.the.joy's facebook page.)
Sometimes I find it amazing how many interesting places you can find nearly in your own backyard. Although I could make a lengthy list of all the places I hope to travel in the future, I lately have been trying to explore locally. This weekend I went on a fun afternoon outing with my boyfriend and another couple we are friends with to a winery just south of Indianapolis, Mallow Run Winery and Vineyard. I was excited to find it located off a country road and behind a cornfield. I definitely felt right at home. We first entered the upper level of the winery in which there is a tasting room coupled with a number of tables for casual dining. Downstairs we found a heated tent filled with tables and enjoyed the musical talents of a group called Acoustic Catfish. We had a wonderful time chatting, listening to the music, and appreciating this neat jewel tucked just off the beaten path. Perhaps we will make another trip there later this year. My friends, while chatting with one of the employees, learned that customers can come help harvest grapes. What an interesting experience that would be!
I've been very fortunate these past few months to take part in many of Indianapolis's unique experiences. Lucky me to have such a creative and fun boyfriend! Some of my favorite dates have been a Colts game, dinner and a Christmas show at Beef & Board's, rock climbing, and Christmas at the zoo. Who knows what adventure we will find ourselves on next!
During the months of November and December, I'll be one of the first to bound out the door and marvel at the beauty of snowflakes dancing toward the ground. After Christmas however, my desire for snow is complete and I am ready to move onto the next season. Unfortunately, January and February usually have the last word. They most certainly have this year with an unusually large quantity of snowfall. In response to today's snow that fell consistently during the day, I am posting a little picture inspiration to get my mind on warmer weather and the beautiful vibrant colors of summer. It won't be long until the summer months arrive and the bright sunshiny yellow sunflowers will be blooming back home!
Since I had the day off today, it seemed like a good day to make a trip to the grocery. I must admit that grocery shopping is not on my list of favorite activities, but it was much more enjoyable when I was able to take my sweet time and peruse the aisles. After placing the last few items in my cart, I strolled along the row of checkout lines trying to determine which would lead me to the quickest exit route. You know the game we all play. Well, let's just say that I wasn't a winner today. I chose a line with only one customer ahead of me, but after putting my groceries on the belt, I realized that this fellow shopper was apparently stocking up for the end of the world. After reminding myself that patience is a virtue, I began to watch the process going on between the customer and cashier in front of me. My attitude changed to one of respect when I noticed that the woman had first of all brought a number of reusable shopping bags and that she was quite the coupon clipper. She was not only environmentally conscious but also financially smart too! I will say that I only occasionally use a coupon, but I have to admire those who take the time and have developed the skills to deduct a large sum of money from their bill. I think I will make it my goal over the next few weeks to begin searching for coupons before going to the store. We'll see if I can turn myself into a savvy saver after all.
P.S. - Advice welcome and wanted from any skilled coupon users!
