Ten Thousand Villages Loves

There's this store in the Old Port, aka Portland, that I'm in love with. I know it has a few other shops around the country, I'm not sure where though, but it also has a website. The store is called Ten Thousand Villages, and it's a nonprofit fairtrade shop, two of my favorite things! Everything in the store is handmade, a lot of it is upcycled, and is from all over the world. Everytime I'm in the area I just have to go in and I almost always leave with something. The other day my mom and I started our Christmas shopping (I didn't want to because I don't like to think about Christmas until after Thanksgiving) because we're going to be sending presents out to my brother and his family in Alaska pretty soon. I of course wanted to get some gifts from Ten Thousand Villages, and decided that I would share some things from the store that I love with you guys here on my blog! I hope you like them.

This dancing sculpture from Burkina Faso is awesome.

What a perfect toy to get a little person as a gift!

Made in Kenya, this bracelet is beautiful.

 I want this for my everyday bag!

Prettiest leaf wind chime ever.

I am in love with this quirky cheese knife.

They are called flowing waters earrings. I can totally see it.

I'm going to get this tree topper angel from the Philippines.

The story of how this wall art is made is too cool.

And finally any Zelda fans out there want this owl ocarina?

I could literally (not really) buy everything in that store. I'm going to put it on my wedding registry, whenever that will be haha. And the things you see in there, I can't believe it's all handmade! Unreal. I love that it's fairtrade and sustainable, but I also love how local it is to me, because I love being local as well! Let me know if you end up checking the shop out. Have a wonderful week!

Naomi Odlin

Tea.

Hello there everyone! One thing that I have gotten into the habit of doing, is as I'm winding down at the end of the day, I'll make myself a cup of tea. I'm a huge fan of tea, mostly chai (I could drink chai all day everyday), though there are many other types I enjoy. Not only is tea super yummy, in my opinion, but there are many health benefits for this beverage. After a little Google search, I have found some reasons why tea is a healthy drink. And here they are!

Drinking tea could help you lose weight. Many teas have little to no calories (unless you add sweeteners and milk), and they have components that help promote a higher metabolism.

Tea, especially green tea, is packed full of antioxidants, which is said to help prevent cancer. But keep in mind that tea isn't a cure all, it just has cancer-fighting benefits.

Black tea helps prevent your blood from clotting and clumping, and therefore lowers the risk of heart disease.

Tea has been found to improve your bones!

Oolong tea is suppose to help prevent the appearance of wrinkles and age spots. It strengths your skins elastin and collagen.

White tea can help keep your joints stronger, and green tea is linked to reducing arthritis by reducing inflammation and slowing cartilage breakdown.

Stressed? By drinking black tea your lowering your stress hormones as well as lowering your blood pressure, which is linked to stress.

Drinking tea can wake you up in the morning, due to the caffeine, however it won't stain your teeth like coffee does, so you can smile brighter.

And there are just a few reasons to drink tea! It doesn't matter if you use loose leaf or tea bags (I use both). Though if you can, try to get local, sustainable, and  fair trade tea when you have the choice. There are also so many different types and flavors of tea, from peppermint to chocolate to chamomile to passion fruit, the possibilities are endless! All of this tea talk is making me crave a chai latte, so if you'll excuse me I'm going to go make one!

What is your favorite tea beverage? Have a good weekend!

Naomi Odlin

PS: If you're wondering where I got all of this information, or want to do more research of your own, here are the links to the articles I read. 1, 2, 3, 4

Fall Recipes to Try

Happy November everyone! I can't handle how it's already dark at five now that we set the clocks back, I miss the sun. But before we know it we'll be setting the clocks ahead again and be at the beach in the summer! Thus is the cycle of life.

Since it's been slowing getting colder and colder, and now that I have brought out the down and wool blankets, it's about time to turn to my food Pinterest board and look for those yummy fall-type recipes that I want to try out this season. Here are ten that I can't wait to try.

Chorizo Macaroni and Cheese.

Cheesy Quinoa and Broccoli Patties.

Quinoa and Sweet Potato Chili.

Stuffed Acorn Squash.

Spinach and Tortellini Soup.

Caprese Lasagna Roll Ups.

Baked Hummus and Spinach Dip.

Mozzarella Sticks.

Crock Pot Rosemary and Olive Oil Bread.

And for dessert...

Chocolate Covered Frozen Banana and Peanut Butter Bites.

A lot of these look and sound like that aren't that difficult to make which I like. Also some of them seem like the could be stand alone meals, which is my most favorite thing ever since I'm not a big fan of making bunches of sides to go with whatever I just spent an hour or two creating. Maybe one day if I have a family I'll be more into side dishes, but for now it's not what I like to do. I think I may try to make one of those quinoa recipes today, because quinoa and I have a wonderful relationship together where we just love each other for who we are and what we might become (a meal in the quinoa's case). 

Are there any cozy meals that you can't wait to try out as the weather outside gets less friendly? Let me know and enjoy your November!

Naomi Odlin