Lemon Rosemary Wanna-be Margarita

Hey friends! I wasn't planning on posting today, but it's hard not to when there's such a fun challenge with Melyssa's Creative Collective. I love this link-up of crafty projects and experimentation. Today's prompt is concocting a cocktail, which I should really start doing more often.

I wanted to try out the lemon-rosemary combo...Original thought was a margarita, but there wasn't any. A friend put it perfectly, saying "when you don't have tequila for a margarita...use rum". Catchy, huh? Well, that's pretty much what happened. This recipe was heavily experimental and it turned out really nice! 

Ingredients

- Margarita mix

- dark rum (or...tequila!)

- 1 tsp honey

- a few sprigs of rosemary

- 1/2 lemon

I like that I tried using honey in a cocktail - but it may not have been necessary since Margarita mix is darn sweet on it's own. Maybe a bit more water instead of mix.

First I infused the honey, lemon juice, and rosemary by heating in the microwave for less than 10 seconds. Since the honey has so much sugar, it will heat super fast. 

Then, I poured in some rum and probably triple the margarita mix. I poured it all into the blender, added ice and blended it up into an ice-y froth. Garnish if you like. This is great for summer and I'll definitely be making it again - who knows, maybe with tequila ?!

Did you join the link-up? What's your favorite cocktail? Cheers, all!

Fresh Squeezed Wishes

Hi lovelies! Did you have a wonderful weekend? I sure hope so. 

Just a little heads up, it may be kind of quiet around here for a few days while I'm getting my new blog up and running...I've been making some good progress :)

Here's some fresh squeezed goodness to start your week...One morning, I hand-squeezing all these oranges. All fresh from the farm in Costa Rica. I love starting the day with juice!

How do you start your day? And your week? 

What we can learn from bees

Just to preface this. I am not a bee expert by any means. I am simply fascinated by the little creatures. Today I met with a mentor who's had bees for several years and I got to observe a bit and ask questions. And I was inspired to write about them. So...

Bees!  l

These insects are incredible. Really. I think we as a species can learn so much from them. 

* They're all about community. Sometimes people are selfish. I definitely am. But bees are actually in it for the whole community. They can't survive without the queen, or by being separated from their hive for very long. So they'll actually sacrifice themselves or others, for the sake of the hive. Talk about team-building!

* Highly organized society. Each bee throughout their life has a very specific function to complete. The first few days after being born, they clean up the cells. Later on, they act as guards to protect the hive. And only in the last phases of their lives they are able to leave the hive to collect nectar, pollen, and water. Yep, they've got organization nailed down. I aspire to be this efficient.

* They really are busy-bees. This expression is full of truth. The female worker bees that is, (go figure...) They can fly extremely far distances in search of food and work hard building up wax to deposit the honey. 

A Honey Bee colony will fly a total of around 55,000 miles to make just one pound of honey. { source }

* Honey! I may be biased, but we should really learn how to make something so nutritious and medicinal as this sacred nectar. I mean, we came up with all kinds of GMO and strange things to stick in stuff we eat. Sometimes I'd rather live on a farm and suck on flowers too ;)

What do you think when you hear the word 'bees'?

in

Tips to Playing Carnavales

Flipping through some photos, I came upon a few favorites from Carnvales in Cusco which are pretty entertaining to share. (I'm on the left, covered in foam.) These carnavales are basically an excuse for full on water and foam fights.  It's not really like Brasil's Carnival, but also celebrated in February. 

Tips to play the game:

1. If you go outside, you're playing. People go all out for a few weeks and if you go outside you're not considered 'safe'. The main arena for the games is the Plaza de Armas, the main square. I remember some people had buckets of water on balconies, waiting to dump on 'innocent' passer-by-ers. 

2. Stock up. And if you actually want to get in on this action (instead of just wearing a poncho and running), make sure to go fully stocked with supplies: water guns, foam spray(or powder?), water balloons, etc. There are tons of street vendors and shops for all your carnavales needs. 

3. Definitely go with friends. Two reasons: what's more fun with friends than making a giant mess? and So you're not left empty canned and defenseless!

*Disclaimer* I don't encourage using foam spray bottles because they've got weird chemicals in them and I don't think they can be recycled. Maybe a good alternative would be some type of power, like in India's Holi festival. Now I want to try that.

Have you been in something like this? Do you dare get so messy??

Happy carnavales a mis amigos/as en Peru!

The Sunday Currently { vol. 2 }

C  U  R  R  E  N  T  L  Y  .  .  .  

R E A D I N G The Secret Life of Bees. 

W R I T I N G this post....(sarcastic 'duh')

L I S T E N I N G to a recently discovered band, Pickwick. Diggin' them! A little preview:

T H I N K I N G What an incredible and passionate person Harvey Milk was. For some reason, I hadn't known much of his story, except he was a gay rights leader elected to office. Recently I just watched two documentaries about him and they both brought me to tears.  

S M E L L I N G Sleepytime Tea and my pillow :)

W I S H I N G that the package I sent to my husband arrives to Peru...fingers crossed - it was birthday gifts!

H O P I N G you have a beautiful and positive week!

W E A R I N G a cozy robe. 

L O V I  N G today! What a productive day with my mom - full of flowers, planting, painting, and lifting things.

W A N T I N G to edit some special photos and finish Photoshop class. 

N E E D I N G some sleeeep. 

F E E L I N G  ecstatic about my first year performance for Vagina Monologues...and it's next month. Can't wait! 

Joining this lovely link-up with Lauren. Come play next time too! Wonderful wishes, all :) 

DIY: Recycled Bottle Centerpieces

Good morning, friends!

A whiiile back I shared a post that will make you feel like a badass DIY diva for completing. It's called DIY: Breaking Bottles with Fire. Now just imagine all the possibilities of broken bottles (that sounds strange).

I used various shades of blue and green bottles for my wedding table centerpieces. They fit the peacock theme perfectly :)

Materials/supplies
- broken bottles
- fabric
- ribbon
- glue (tacky or hot glue)

Putting It Together
Measure the diameter of the bottle and cut 1 1/2 inch thick fabric. Glue from the outside and over to the inner part of the bottle to create a finished-look. Then tie on a pretty ribbon to complete the decoration.

Start saving up those wine bottles, ladies, and get crafty!

What would YOU do with these bottles?

Linking up with lovely Nicole with Treat Yo' Self :)

Birthday + March Wishes

{ via }

Today is a really special day......it's my husband's birthday! I'm so so joyful to have him as my closest friend and support. Happy birthday to him, mi gatito. He loves cats, but you may have guessed that already ;)

NOW, onto some of my goals for March...I love so much linking up with lovely Melyssa and her amazing enthusiasts :)

* Transfer my blog. This has been underway awhile and this month the change is happening! I'm so excited to have a fresh spot to share!

* Organize wedding photos. It's been a long while since our wedding - like about 7 months. I've accumulated a whole lot of lovely photos from friends and my parents, which I am so overjoyed to have! But now comes the daunting task of sorting through, editing, and compiling them all (essh!). I'd like to give attendees some of these photos to remember the day. I'm looking into prints, CDs, or electronically sharing (through Picasa or Flickr?). Does anyone have experience or ideas with this? :)

* Keep learning! I'm taking a Skillshare Photoshop class now and it's sooo helpful! Little symbols and buttons are making so much more sense now :) This month I want to attend a Beekeeper's Guild meeting and maybe try to apprentice a beekeeper. Those insects are just so enthralling and I really want to try working with them!!

* Read a book. There's tons of books I've been glancing at and referencing, but I want to read an actual book start to finish this month.

* Save money. After this short weekend trip to the Redwoods (I'll post on this soon), I was kind of wiped out. So back to saving!

* Eat corned beef and cabbage. Yum.

What's up for your March? Any new projects or goals?