Cup of Thoughts

My high school graduation was this past weekend. I still can't wrap my mind around the fact that I'm officially graduated. Seeing so many family members and friends gathered all together was such a tremendous blessing.  Because of my local homeschool co-op group, I was able to have a regular graduation ceremony. At first, I have to admit, I was completely opposed to the idea. Walking in front of a big crowd, donning a sweaty gown and cap, in the meantime, trying not to fall and make a disaster of myself, haha no thanks. However, I was convinced that if I don't go through with this now, I will for sure regret missing out on the experience later. And now I am so thankful I did it. Here are some following snapshots that were taken during the big day. Total, there were only 12 graduates. Some of them I knew, most of them were complete strangers. Even though we were all shy and a bit awkward, especially me, the whole ceremony united us in ...

Sally Hansen's MiracleGel line is awesome. Let me just put that out there. I picked this polish up during a quick run to Walgreen's and it has become my new favorite. Sally Hansen's MiracleGel, Greyfitti 206 Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Top Coat I topped it along with the MiracleGel top coat. Which does an outstanding job. Not only does it apply smoothly, but the polish is durable.  This lasted for a whole week without chipping (!!!). I also use the top coat with other non-gel polishes and it works fine. ♡ Anna

Crunchy, surprisingly delicious, and healthy. Kale chips are one of my most favorite snacks. If I make a large batch of them at once, then I have snacks for meals later.. as long as they're not all devoured beforehand. The only ingredient you need are the leafy greens. Unless you would like to add some extra flavor, then you can grab some grated parmesan or salt. Instructions:  Preheat your oven to 350°. Pick a baking sheet, the bigger the better. Spray it with a light layer of olive oil spray. Wash the selected kale leaves and pat them down until mostly dry. Now you can spread the kale over the baking sheet, sprinkle some salt or parmesan if desired. Once you've placed the fluffy greens into the oven let it cook for at least 10 minutes. Then continue to watch until crispy, unless you like some moisture to be left, then you can pull them out. And that's it! Easy, right? I hope this inspires you to try it out for yourself! Just remember, whatever you p...

Creating Christmas tags were always one of my favorite traditions. This year I decided to change up the routine a bit. Instead of cutting last-year's Christmas cards and transforming them into labels, I used some plain watercolor paper, water pencils (which can be picked up from your local craft store, or the craft aisle in Walmart ), along with pencils, rulers, scissors, and hole punchers.  I came up with most of my own inspiration, but I must admit that Pinterest helped a lot.  Here's some close ups of some of my favorites. "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." ( I Peter 2:9 ) ♡ Anna

Warm, spicy, chewy and delicious is the perfect description for these super easy pumpkin spice cookies. Here is the list of ingredients: 1 ½ cups of quick oats 1 ½ a banana (you can either devour the remaining half or freeze it to make Semi-Healthy Ice Cream later) 6 tbsp of pumpkin puree 3 tbsp of pumpkin spice 3 tbsp of cinnamon 2 ½ tbsp of coconut oil (you can also use applesauce as a substitute) 2 tbsp of raw honey Instructions: Preheat the oven to 350 °.  Mix everything together. (It might be easier to mash up the bananas separately.)  Once everything is perfectly combined, you'll want to scoop out 2 inch balls onto a baking sheet.  Bake 'em for 10 minutes, then pull the sheet out and mash the tops. (I pressed mine down as if they were peanut butter cookies.)  Place the sheet back into the oven for 5 more minutes, or until nice and brown. Let them cool for at least a few minutes. Only a few. Grab a glass of milk...