Treasure hunt finds!

I have been way into teacups, teapots, and glasses at the thrift stores lately! It is usually hard to find really dainty looking items like these around me. I love them all!!!

Treasure hunting success!

I went treasure hunting this morning before lunch and I am so excited that I found so much great stuff! You can never tell if your treasure hunt will turn out to be a success or a bust. I can't decide if I want to sell them on etsy or keep them for myself! {Will post pictures later}

I definitely needed a change in scenery.

These are the before pictures from my apartment decorating project. I just wanted you to see what a disaster it was from the beginning. So, I moved into my new apartment in September and I was really hoping to get all of my decorating and organizing done asap so that I would be able to relax during the holidays. I totally dropped the ball on that one. I kept thinking of new projects to take on; like camping, then building my own bench table, then making moss terrariums, then making my own holiday greeting cards, then button thumb tacks, and before I knew it... December was here and my place was still a mess with boxes everywhere and homeless objects thrown about my apartment. This is my "studio" workspace. It's a bit cluttered and probably needs the least work. No biggie.

This is my sleeping space; boxes everywhere.

Living room/dining room.

Living room disaster!

I will be tackling my bedroom/workspace later; after the holidays perhaps.

A work in progress

These are the improvements I've made thus far. I am actually very proud of myself. This is my first place (with no roommates) and I really wanted it to look like an adult lives here. I think I'm getting close. I am housing this donated microscope for the time being and had no where to store it, so I just decided it would make a really cool decorative piece.

My improved living room where the pillows have homes, and terrariums are happy.

This is my reading nook (that I've yet to utilize).

And finally, my dining area. This is what I am most proud of. I've been wanting to do a collage of frames somewhere and decided that this is the best place for it.

I should also point out that it was my intention when I moved into my new place that I didn't purchase anything new; I wanted to use everything I own by repurposing it or updating it. And if I did need to buy anything, I would first hunt around thrift stores. I haven't finished the bedroom yet. That might be a project for after the holidays! :-)

Never the same again.

I've been back from my mission trip for about a week now and have just been trying to readjust to being home. I came home to all of my responsibilities of adulthood (boo!) and am milking the time until I run out of money! :-)

The mission trip has completely opened my eyes to so much and it's reinforced my aspirations for the future. I had the pleasure of being surrounded by such passionate and compassionate individuals, including MMI staff, volunteers, and patients. All of the people I've met through the mission have touched my heart in ways I cannot describe. The children were so beautiful and energetic despite being ill. We played, we colored, we did yoga and exercises and we taught them personal hygiene.

It was hard for me to believe people before when they said they felt like they gained more from their experience than their patients did. After the first day of work, I knew exactly how they were feeling. Our hands are so tied due to the lack of technology, supplies, and personnel so we all felt like we were inadequate. We could do so much more for these people if we only had the things that were so readily available back home. I especially felt like my hands were bound because as a Lab Tech, I am useless without better analyzers and test cartridges. I did the best I could with what I had. We just had to remind ourselves that with the little we had to give, it was still more than what they had to begin with. Seeing the smiles, the tears, and the hope on their faces was the real gift. Never have I felt so sure that God was with me.

With all that said, I was relieved to come home to my family, familiar food and a familiar bed. I won't say that the food was not good because some of it was good, but I also cannot say that I lived a foodie's dream. Keep in mind though, my daily menu consisted of rice, potatoes, and beef. We took advantage of the opportunities we had to get into town for dinner. The ceviche was amazing, rocoto relleno was spectacular, and the roasted chicken was delish. I don't mean to complain because I knew, coming into this, that food was not my priority. That is why I was so relieved to come home and have all those things I've missed available to me again. I was pleasantly greeted at the Farmer's Market with fresh, organic blueberries, melons, figs, red onions, squash, zucchini, and tomatoes! My mom's garden was also flourishing with fresh cucumber, shizo, mint, okra, and leafy greens!

Tonights menu: Seared tilapia fillets on a bed of roasted baby squash and baby zucchini in olive oil, garlic and lemon zest with basmati rice.