Favorite Snacks
Clockwise starting with top left:
Goody Good Stuff Koala Gummy Bears: You guys, these are amazingly delicious & I like the texture much better than regular gummy bears.
Organic Apple Cider Vinegar Drink – Ginger Spice : This one is a bit of an acquired taste, but I think you’ll come to love it. And it is just so incredibly healthy for you.
Sahale Snacks Tuscan Almonds with Parmesan + Herb: Most of the Sahale line of flavored nuts are amazing, but these are my most recent delicious find.
Trader Joe’s Sipping Chocolate: This was a birthday gift from a friend, and it’s incredible.
Brown Cow Cream Top Greek Yogurt, Maple Flavor: I cannot get enough of this. I think it might be the best yogurt I’ve ever had and I eat a lot of different yogurts; it’s one of my favorite foods to try new flavors and brands. This one is standout.
I have also been making these 1 Minute Coffee Cakes preeeeettty much daily since I discovered it! YUM!
I hope you enjoy and find some new favorite snack foods too š
Boucle & Bootights
City and Country
Guest Post from Katie: Knitting in Albania
Hello, friends! Today I’d like to introduce you to my in-real-life friend, Katie Hawkins! Katie is currently serving as a missionary in Albania. I’m just so thrilled that she took some time out of her busy life halfway across the world to share with us one of the things she’s learned as a missionary: asking to learn from others. What a powerful way to build community! Instead of always sharing our passions with others, look what can come from asking to learn their passions:
I once tried to learn how to knit a long time ago from the internet. I couldnāt do it. Who would have guessed that years later Iād learn to knit in another language!
Iāve been living in Albania for almost 2 years now. Knitting is crazy here. If speed knitting were an Olympic sport, Iām pretty sure every Albanian woman would qualify. And they donāt even look at what they are knitting. They can carry on conversations and keep eye contact with you the whole time. Itās pretty crazy.
I feel like practically every single woman knows how to knit. They knit socks, hats and shirts the most. Not because they are trendy but because they need them for winter to stay warm. Many times, they even spin their own wool. Because itās cheaper than buying yarn already colored and spun (which you can get for $1.50 here).
You can see women knitting all the time everywhere: on their porches, on the side of the road, by their fireplaces, near their sheep/cattle as they wait for them to eat. So I figured if I was ever going to learn to knit, surely Albania would be the place.
But to be honest, I was pretty scarred from my first attempt to learn. I tried to make a scarf but it was so wavy that I almost got seasick just looking at it.
I didnāt really want to go back down that road. But since I wanted to become better friends with one of the ladies I live with, I thought itād be a great way to spend some informal time getting to know her.
So I asked if she could teach me. {Read more after the jump…it’s a bit long, but worth it :-)}
She got a huge smile on her face and said of course! I started with a sock. She let me use her needles but when I hadnāt finished the first sock nearly two weeks later, she asked if she could finish them for me because she needed her needles back. 20 minutes later, she had finished both socks for me. My first pair of socks!
But during that time, she came to my house more to check on my sockās progress. I went to her house more because I often got stuck and needed help. And guess what. Because we saw each other more, we got to know each other more!
And so I started another pair of socks. After I went and bought my own needles so I could knit at my own pace! But I was getting brave. I used two colors! And made lines in them!
There are two other women who live in the same gated area too. After I got started with my new sock project, one of the other ladies began to check on me. And offer her help. And sit with me while I knitted.
So I began to ask her for help too.
Then my landlady began to check in on my knitting. And soon, I was recruiting her for help. Before I knew it, my roommate (who was starting to learn to knit at this point) and I would be spending a couple hours several times a week knitting with these women. And guess what happened.
We learned about their pasts. We learned about where they grew up. What life was like in Albania as a child in a village. We heard about funny childhood memories. We heard stories about when their kids were younger. We learned more about them. They learned more about us. We connected. We bonded. We deepened our relationships with each other.
All because I asked for help for something I wasnāt even sure I wanted to learn how to do.
When I asked these women to teach me how to knit, they loved it! Now, anytime people come over, one of the first things they do is brag on my roommate and I because we know how to knit. It makes us more Albanian and the Albanians prouder!
Ok, technically, we only know two stitches and neither of us have yet to finish a project by ourselves. So the they use the term āknow how to knitā very loosely when describing our capabilities. But they are just so happy they could teach us and share their passion for knitting with us.
They donāt really care if we donāt love it as much as them. They just love the fact that we are interested in something they love so much and are willing to try to learn. They know we arenāt good. But they donāt care. They care that we want to learn from them.
I know I love to share little bits of wisdom about my passions with people. I donāt care if someone is starting out or just curious. I just love to pass on any revelation or bits of advice about the things I love. But how many times have I missed an opportunity to share because someone didnāt ask?
How many times has someone else missed an opportunity to share their passions because I didnāt ask? Maybe instead of offering our help all the time, we should ask for help more too. Chances are, when someone is passionate about something, they will be more than happy to help. And who knows, an acquaintance might become a friend…or three!
Who can you learn from this month?
Weekend Bonus! Makeup Vlog
Coffee Date Vlog 3!
3.) Don’t you think it would be awesome if I traveled around and spoke about faith-based fashion? I kind of think it would be super awesome (but I might be a tad biased!).
4.) I’m so very excited to have Lily & Light on my sidebar this month! Ya’ll shout out to sweet Kristin!
5.) I really want these. Really, really, want these floral striped staws!
Linking up with Rags to Stitches for Coffee Date!
That’s all for now, but as you can see, I’m a bit #caffeinecrazy so I might be back later š
Pink Fur & Mermaid Sequins
Lavender Hot Chocolate
Pink Pants & The Happiness Equation
PS> Another #KissSlaveryGoodbye post wearing my Radiant Cosmetics Daphne lipstick. So totally in love with this lipstick & mission.