Tea Time

I like coffee, I do, but I'm more a tea girl. Today I decided that I really didn't want to do coffee, I've been a bit jittery lately. So I drank Yerba Mate Chai Tea instead.

I love the flavor, and its a great diet tea, as it gives you energy and suppresses your appetite. I kinda ran out of time for breakfast this morning, so this was a great way to get me through to lunch.  Also, since I was at work, this is in a tea bag. I don't really feel like lugging my tea strainers and loose leafs to work.

My pretty tea cup.

Normal Yerba Mate teas are packed with energy and great teas for you, but truthfully, to me... they taste like a tea cup of yard clippings. Bleh.
So the chai packs enough flavor in without being overwhelming.

My other favorite teas are Earl Grey and English Breakfast. Tea is one of the few things I can drink without sugar, any time. Although, I do enjoy real southern sweet tea as well.
But if you are trying to give up sugar (like in forebearance February for example) it works well.

I tend to prefer loose leaf tea over tea bags, but I'm not a snob and take the shortcut when I have to.
When making loose leaf its important to have a good tea strainer.  You know, one that doesn't accidentally spill tea leafs into your cup.

I love mine because its fine mesh doesn't let any stray tea particles through, but plenty of flavor.  Its also machine washable. A total bonus in the busy beaver household.

Now depending on the tea, usually you put in water that is just under boiling, and let it brew for 4-5 minutes. Sometimes less. Typically if you want a stronger cup of tea, put in more tea. Don't let the tea brew longer!
That just makes it bitter.
So strong tea = More tea.

Of course then there is the whole array of teas that are herbal... basically any plant you wanna try.
When I cut back my lemon balm this summer because it was insanely overgrown (its in the mint family after all).  I made a lovely light lemony tea.

Another favorite is Kava Kava tea.  Its super relaxing, and calms the nerves. I usually do my own herbal blend of chamomile, kava root, ginseng, ginko and mint tea... makes for a calming, relaxing good night sleep tea.  There are commercial brands of the tea ready to go if you don't feel like making your own blend.
With Kava though, it can be tough on the liver, so use with care.


Despite what JigglyPuff says, after drinking Kava tea and having a great night sleep, I can handle the morning.

Foodie Friday: Meatloaf cupcakes.

Meatloaf is a wonderful tasty dinner, but with just two of us in the household, making a whole one seems such a waste.
So this week I tried something I had heard about.

Meatloaf cooked in a muffin or cupcake pan.

You can also think of this as really big meatballs.
This makes about 6 meat-cakes (I know horrible name, still trying out different options)
1 lb of ground beef/chuck
1/2 package of dried soup mix
1/2 cup of crushed saltines
1 egg

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.  I used my hands to make sure it was well mixed.

Spray the cupcake pan with oil.  I have a wonderful misto oil sprayer.  It uses oil I already have and makes it into a fine mist. The Misto Oil Sprayer!

Form balls out of the meatloaf, large enough to fit into the pan, but not overflow too much.

Next cook at 350 degrees farenheit for about 1/2 an hour.  Adjust cooking time as needed for your oven.

My son was wary at first since it didn't look like normal meatloaf, but once you add ketchup to the plate, it was all good.  1-2 cupcakes as a serving.  I was able to freeze the remaining cupcakes for quick dinners in the future.

I swear it was clean an hour ago!

I cleaned my living room, it was picked up, neat, and vacuumed.  That was 1 hour ago. 

A lot can happy in 1 hour when you have a puppy.

After 1 hour

As you can see from the photo.... the dogs decided to de-fluff a toy. They generously spread the love  fluff across the whole living room. As well as spreading the dog toys across the room as well.

After I've cleaned (again)

So to help me get this BusyBeaver house clean I have 2 (yes 2) vacuums. After using my last vacuum to death, I got a Bissell Lift Off Revolution Pet Vacuum.

It's done pretty good for the last 8 years. (approximately)

That's with 2 cats and 2 dogs and a kid.
It's still hung in there and cleaned well.
I will say my old version (because you know they are always improving things), is a beast.   It's heavy and I don't really feel like carrying it all around my 2 story house.

So for upstairs, a few years ago, I received a much smaller, more portable vacuum..

I use this for my stairs, and the smaller area upstairs. It's fantastic, and light enough my son can use it to vacuum as well. BONUS:  one less chore that I have to do.

These two vacuums help to keep us ahead of the game in the pet hair.
Now in our house, I've come to terms of never being one of those "magazine homes".
I heard it most eloquently put....


" Clean enough to be healthy, dirty enough to be happy."

Really, when it comes down to it, would you rather spend your time cleaning or spending time with family.
When we are at the end of our journey, looking back, what do you think you'll wish you had spent more of your life doing? Dishes, or board games with the kids? Getting ice cream, or vacuuming?

Clean enough to be healthy, dirty enough to be happy.

Puppy Toys!

This summer we got a new puppy.

My beloved Kira died suddenly in June. 

My son, who is 9, is now ready for a puppy and to learn all the responsibilities associated.  He chose the pup, the name, and is responsible for her. 

We rescued her from PetPromise in Columbus, Oh.

6-8 weeks old

12-14 weeks old

Her name is Ruby.

He's getting really good at the taking care of the messes Ruby makes. 

Soon, when she's old enough, he'll take her to puppy classes.

We recently upgraded her tiny puppy collar to her permanent Lupine Collar. 

I love Lupine collars, not only do they come in awesome colors, but they are guaranteed for life. 

That's right, have a dog who likes to chew through leashes? (Cough, Cough, SPARKY).
They'll replace it for free.

My son chose our dog Sparky's collar, which I didn't care for, but he chose it, so there you go.
This summer however, Sparky met our neighborhood skunk. So out the collar went, and hello skunk bath!

A perfect time to replace his collar with a better Lupine collar. 

Sparky sports a blue and brown Muddy Paws collar.

And Ruby has the Purple Jelly Roll collar.

Now just wait until she's full grown for the matching harness!

Ruby certainly keeps us on our toes. At 14 weeks, she's getting into everything.

As her confidence and strength increases, so does the amount of "everything" that she gets into!
She's only 5 pounds but she jumps the last 2-3 stairs on our staircase.

Now something our other dog sparky absolutely adores is his Wobble Kong.




It keeps his mind busy and entertained while working for the treats and food inside.

I think it took him about 30 seconds to figure out how it works.

Even Ruby is jumping onto the wobble kong wagon, even though its as big as her!

Two Peas in a Pod - SNUGGLES!

Coffee

Being the BusyBeaverMom can be exhausting.

I generally get up around 4:45 in the morning so I can squeeze in a shower before my son gets up at 5:30 for his shower.  Breakfast is at 6:30 and out the door to the bus by 7:00 am.

Then off to work for me, for my full time job.   Home again, meals, homework and evening activities, before finally sitting down to write this blog. 

Needless to say, I need a little kick start in the morning. 

On my trip to Puerto Rico earlier this year, I got to experience some exquisite coffee. 

Nothing like the watered down stuff we get back home.

So I bought some to take home with me.  Yaucono Coffee..   

Very delicious stuff! I highly recommend it!

Life needs coffee. Or at least my life does. :)

My Little Chef

My son loves to cook. He's a young foodie.  Around 3-4 yrs old he dove into sushi, and he's been a fan of fish, salmon, quinoa and almost any vegetable you throw at him.
Yes, a child who loves broccoli, raw spinach, green beans, and asparagus.

He's my taste tester for all sauces and soups. He lets me know if what's cooking needs more spice, pepper, salt, or soy sauce.

Now that he's back in school, they have Library day. He has repeatedly checked out the same book so many times I've decided to buy it for him.

Emeril's There's a Chef in My Family!

He has 2 favorite recipes from here......

Baby Bam! - A spice mix, we put it on everything! Pasta, veggies, meat!
He loves the spice mix so much he doesn't allow me to use it!

Then there's the recipe for Chicken Parmesan:  Absolutely delicious!



A chef in the making! One with a refined pallet and a taste for veggies!

Trip to Puerto Rico- Part 1

Puerto Rico: Part 1 – the prep work

It’s no secret that I love to travel. I love seeing new places.  I love to absorb the local culture around me.  So when I was given the opportunity to go to Puerto Rico, of course I said Yes.  I can hardly contain my excitement as I count down the days.

Part of the excitement for me is the research and planning.  I look up online all the info I can about my destination. This is so 1) I don’t look like a tourist too much 2) I know if there’s anything I definitely don’t want to miss while there.  Also it pays to be prepared for any weather situation (says the inner girl scout in me).

It’s a fine line to balance between being prepared for anything and being a minimalistic packer. An eternal struggle.  I especially dislike checking luggage. I want to get on and off the plane and head towards my destination, no waiting around for the luggage to come out.  That is why I’ll be using carry-on only.

Now, I’m very particular. I don’t do wheeled carry-on, or the hard sided things. I want something that will fit in the overhead bin easily and then just throw over my shoulder and get on my way.  After much research (and deciding that my little hiking daypack wasn’t going to cut it) I decided on the Osprey Porter 30L, in bright red.  As my big sister always said “You want your luggage so you can see it walking away”.

(Yes the picture looks orange, but its really more reddish.)

Between the reviews and the general description it looked like everything I wanted in travel luggage. It’s a backpack style carry-on, without wheels. It has side handles so you can carry it like a suitcase, plus the backpack straps tuck away.  The biggest perk for me was the way it opens up all the way like luggage.  This way you can get to exactly what you want without digging through the backpack. This also means that once at my destination I can just set the bag on a chair and open it wide, leaving the clothes in the bag.

As to what to pack for Puerto Rico. I did extensive research for this, as I will be coming from Ohio in wintertime and heading to a tropical island. With Highs in the 80’s and lows in the 70’s to upper 60’s, I really won’t need bulky warm clothing (Plus!). 

So a general idea of what I’m packing for 5 days in Puerto Rico…..

·         1 pair of jeans (for the traveling there and back)

·         1 pair of shorts

·         2 dresses (1 casual, 1 a little nicer)

·         3-4 pairs of shoes - I'm having trouble deciding between sandals

·         3-4 shirts

·         2 swim suits

·         1 pair pajamas (tank and shorts)

·         Winter jacket and buff infinity scarf

Now, the jeans are to keep warm during travel, and in case of a chilly night.  If this were merely a casual trip to a beach island I could probably reduce this list down even more, but I’ll be attending a wedding, hence the nicer dress and extra pair of shoes.  So I’ve packed 1 dress to wear over my swimsuit on the way to the beach and 1 dress to wear to the wedding. (last minute addition of my favorite beach hemp skirt- very casual)

Shoes, now I’m not a big shoe person.  I’m packing 2 pairs of dressy sandals for the wedding.  The rest of the time I’ll either be at the beach (no shoes required) or site seeing (sturdy walking shoes required).  In my past trips I’ve gotten along fine in my VFFs (Vibram Five Fingers) shoes. I did a hike in Niagara and toured NY City  in my VFF speeds.  So I think these can handle anything Puerto Rico throws at me.  White toe shoes don’t look very nice with a dress and are difficult to get on after swimming with sand.  So I’ll be taking my kigo mary janes, nice easy slip on/off shoes.

Really, since I’m only going to be gone 4-5 days, 3 shirts are plenty.  Basic, plain shirts can carry off multiple looks. And seriously, I don’t need to do laundry unless I’m spilling sauce down my front every day. (Like that has ever happened ;)  ) Don’t be squeamish, you can wear a shirt for multiple days before it’s “dirty”. I've decided on tanks with built-in bras so I don't have to worry about those.

Tossing in a couple soft t-shirts in case I need to cover up a bit ( too much sun anyone?)

A swim suit is a necessity, 2 is just a convenience.  As far as undergarments go… I love exofficio.  Their items are sink washable and dry quickly.  So you can travel with only 2 pairs of underwear! Not saying that I'm doing that, but it's a minimalist dream.

Winter coat is a must as I’ll be coming from wintery Ohio.  This can be folded up and act as a pillow later. The grey Buff infinity scarf is a favorite. I can wrap it around my head to keep warm or open it up as a shoulder cover in case it gets cool in PR.  Such a multifunctional piece.

Really that’s it as far as clothes go. Easy-Peasy.

Other items that are packed (cuz who really just takes clothes?)

Toiletries (darn those liquids)

· Quart sized ziplock bag (for TSA)
     o   Shower gel (yes I could use soap, but I like my girly smelly stuff)
     o   Lotion (we know I’m gonna get burned)o   Tiny travel perfume (gotta be fancy for the wedding you know)

·  Dry travel shampoo (found this great camping/biodegradable shampoo/conditioner packets!!)

· Toothbrush/Toothpaste (wait! Why isn’t the toothpaste with the liquids?
      o   Well, great question…. The toothpaste tablets are dry! Just crunch and add water.

·   Razor (I’ll be sporting a swimsuit, I don’t want to look like a yeti)

·    Make up: keepin’ it really simple here, I’m not into tons of makeup anyway. And seriously I'm only bringing makeup because of the wedding.

     o   Eyeliner

     o   Blush
     o   Base (not that I’ll really use it if I’ve gotten sun)
     o   Lip balm (awesome sparkly lip balm from Joshua Tree- Desert Shimmers)

·         Accessories/Jewelry 

     o   Comb – I’m lucky my hair is short enough I can get by with a comb instead of brush.

     o   Sunglasses

     o   Miniature Altoids Tin (the really small ones - great for carrying jewelry)

          -  2-3 simple yet nice silver necklaces
          - 2 pairs of earrings
           - A couple hair clips/bobby pins to do my hair for the wedding.

I’ve found that really, you’re not going to accessorize that much, so keep it simple.  Especially with a beach, I’m not wearing jewelry there.

“WAIT!!! What about sunscreen? You’ll burn to a CRISP!”

I plan on buying that there, I figure I’ll need so much that it won’t pass the 3 oz liquid standard for carry-on and I refuse to check luggage for stupid sunscreen. Besides, its not like I’m going into the middle of nowhere. They have sunscreen.

Other items that I feel are a necessity (for me at least)

·  Camera – just a really nice point and click (Nikon P7100), not my big camera and big lens.

·  Cell Phone

·  Charger for said phone

· SD card (maybe 2) for camera

· Notebook/pen – for writing when I’m bored.

·  Book for reading. I have a decent length layover

·  Passport/driver’s license and copies – even though Puerto Rico is like being in the US, just going to take it to prevent any delays getting through security.

·   Deck of cards. (never know when you’ll strike up a thrilling game of solitaire or go fish with a stranger)

·  Travel purse (something small for the necessities)

·  Sling bag for shopping (something bigger than my purse) to carry items to the beach and/or shopping.

·  Towel set – so I’m really excited about this…. I just bought the Wildhorn Outfitters Best Travel Towel Bundle.  The bundle is 3 microfiber camping towels.  What does that mean? Well they are super thin, super absorbent towels. The extra large is big enough for me to use as a beach towel to lay on, the middle towel I can use to dry off with.  Both towels folded up and packed are about the size of a good book, MUCH smaller than a normal beach towel all wrapped up!!!!!!!! This is perfect for a minimalist like me, and truthfully something I’ve been meaning to buy for some while now to take camping.  While there are other towels that are just as good out there, what drew me to this bundle was that the whole bundle was the same price as just 1 towel from other brands.  So to me, totally worth trying (after reading lots of reviews about how wonderful they were. )  Hey a girl’s gotta do her research ;)

Yes, all of this will fit eloquently into my carry-on. Only 50 total items for 5 days of travel. Not bad. (I counted the jewelry as individual items as well.

This picture shows the general amount of stuff I'm taking. What is not pictured is the dress I"m wearing to the wedding (it's hanging, attempting to remove some wrinkles.) and my long grey hemp skirt that I love to wear when at the beach.

Now another trick I do is to pack everything in ziploc bags. The gallon size is wonderful for a couple of shirts or a few pair of shorts. I squeeze the air out of them then zip them shut. This makes them compress down and are more efficient in packing.  Not to mention protection in case the bag gets wet or I have to transfer wet clothes anywhere.

I've also added a hat, to protect me from the sun when walking around.

As you can see from the pictures, this all fit wonderfully!

Now how does this apply to my travel plans?  As I’m going as a guest to a wedding, the big part of my trip is attending the wedding. Other than that, I really don’t have any firm plans as to what I’ll be doing.  I love to plan things that I might want to do, but once I get there I go with the flow.  Things (after researching) that I definitely want to do:

·         See Old San Juan (and take a selfie where Agent Coulson –from SHIELD was when they filmed there)

·         Beach time (that’s a given)

·         Very possibly go see El Yungue National Forest: The United States’ only tropical rainforest.

·         General site seeing and shopping

Other things that would be nice to see:

·         Zoo (cuz that’s the kind of girl I am)

·         Bioluminescent Bay – I’d really like to see this, but doubt I’ll get to due to how short a time I’m there… next time. :)

Everything on my list is suitable to all of the above activities.   Keep posted for Part 2, my review of my travels!