Thankful Thursday | Sleep

Obelix can sleep anywhere, in any position.

I used to be able to sleep anywhere, in any position,

but not anymore.

Lately, my body has been acting up.

I haven't exactly been good to it staying up all night

for both the American presidential election,

and then a couple of days later for my birthday sleepover.

Almost a year ago I had 2-3 weeks where I couldn't sleep.

I couldn't function properly, because I didn't get any sleep at night,

but no matter how tired I was I just couldn't sleep.

It was because of stress.

These days it's sort of returning, this whole not-being-able-to-sleep-thing.

It's horrible.

I'm really tired all day, 

but when I finally get to go to sleep at night I can't.

Yesterday I finally feel asleep almost right away.

I really needed it too.

So much that I overslept this morning, 

even though I had a late class.

I take sleep for granted a lot, but sometimes being able to sleep

isn't just a necessity - it's a blessing,

and today I'm really thankful that I could sleep last night.

- Lea Binta

Confession | An organized mess

I'm a very special type of person.

What some like to call artistic.

Aka messy and unorganized.

I don't agree with this!

(the messy and unorganized, not the artistic part)

My way of organization is just a little different than what is 

"normal" and acceptable to others. 

I'm a creative person, which includes organization.

Yes, it's true that I always have at least 5 projects going at once,

but occassionally I do finish one! 

It happens!

My husband is the complete opposite.

Not that he isn't creative, he's just a very organized form of creative.

When I feel creative I usually take up half the living room for 3 days,

until I get bored of the project. 

When he is creative he sits in his seat, drawing and making lists, 

before actually doing anything.

And then he gets it done right away,

instead of putting it off for months and months.

I find this very strange..

Our differences are most vivid when you take a look around our apartment.

Hubs' way of organizing:

My way of organizing:

Do I look messy to you?

Trust me, I know exactly what is in which pile. 

Over the years I have, however, discovered the advantage of lists

because, well, I get caught up in projects and forget to do

the important things.

So now, if I have to remember to do something, I always make lists.

(Plus, I love the satisfaction of checking things off a list!)

We're already halfway through November, and it kind of stresses me out,

so here's my list of the things I have to get done before December:

- Finish homemade Christmas gifts and buy remaining gift

- Finish the gift for the homemade gift exchange (read more here)

- Take picture for Christmas cards

- Write and send Christmas cards

- Pass grammar exam (!!)

- Write long overdue letter to a friend currently in the states

- Finish Christmas decorations

I'm hoping to check some stuff off soon,

but we'll just have to wait and see. 

- Lea Binta

Christmas | Well, almost..

It's November!

NOVEMBER!

This means it's time to get all the Christmas preparations in order!

I'm not supposed to actually start decorating for Christmas

until the last week of November, 

and I won't. I'm just getting everything ready.

Sort of.

- Lea Binta

Just a Thought | Monday

Monday is always a little overwhelming for me.

I'm always a bit more tired, and it's virtually impossible to get everything done.

Yesterday was exactly that.

In some ways. 

Honestly, yesterday wasn't too bad of a monday. 

I got off uni earlier than I thought I would,

and even the 20 minute walk in the pouring rain wasn't that bad, because

1. I was wearing boots and a winterjacket, so the only thing getting drenched was my jeans.

2. the rain drumming on my hood sounded a little like the rain drumming on our tin roof in Nigeria,

and that is one of my favorite sounds in the world.

3. at one point, where the rain was beating down on my face, I closed my eyes,

stuck out my tongue and imagined they were little snowflakes instead of raindrops.

So if you saw a girl walking along the sidwalk yesterday with halfclosed eyes

and tongue sticking out, that was probably me. 

Or some other looney. 

But the thing that really made my monday all better was when I got home,

completely drenched and starting to feel a little cold 

(and foolish because of the whole tongue thing),

I was met with hot cocoa, jazz and lit candles.

Having a hubby ain't all bad, I tell you!

How was your monday?

- Lea Binta

Thankful thursday

Yesterday I was thankful because my hubby bought a big cake.

Today I was thankful because there was still some cake left over.

Did I mention that I love cake?

And TGIFT!

(Thank God it's friday tomorrow)

- Lea Binta

Confession | "needS"

I consider myself a nice person,

but I have a nasty side that not many people know about.

It's not an obvious "call-you-bitch-to-your-face"-side,

but more like a battle in my mind.

Do you remember the cartoons with Donald Duck, 

where he would have an angel on one shoulder

and a devil on the other,

and they would battle each other?

I have that.

What do they battle about?

Judging others.

Based on what?

Mostly spelling and grammar.

That's right, I judge people based on how they spell.

They worst part is that I'm not that great at grammar myself.

I just always notice other people's mistakes.

Then after noticing and ridiculing the person in my head

I get mad at myself for being that way.

But I can't help it.

That devil on my shoulder is having a field day sometimes.

It might go something like this:

Reading an article/folder/ANYTHING with spelling or grammar mistakes.

Devil: Ha! Who wrote this!? The person must be a moron. 

They can't even tell the difference between "break" and "brake"!

Angel: Hey - be nice! The person could be dyslexic.

Devil: I know dyslexic people, and even they know that one!

Angel: Well, maybe they had a hard time growing up,

and couldn't focus on school work becausey they had an abusive parent.

Devil: They can't ALL be dyslexic or come from abusive backgrounds -

look at all these pages with mistakes!

Angel: Maybe english is their second language.

Devil: English is YOUR second language too!

Angel: JUST SHUT UP AND BE NICE!

Devil: Fine.. 

Then I spot another mistake and the whole thing repeats itself.

It's quite exhausting.

I have this coffee cup with a lovely quote on it.

It says,

"The world needs more flowers"

Yup, that's what it says. 

In my perfect world anyway.

Because you know what? 

It doesn't say that.

It says,

"The world need more flowers"

When I noticed I almost gave up drinking from that cup ever again. 

They can't even check their grammar before producing the cup nationally?

What has this world come to!?

My devil had a real good time when that happened.

Then I figured,

heck, it's just a cup.

Nobody's perfect.

I guess coffee cups aren't either.

- Lea Binta

Quick DIY | Pink Lemonade

I'm seeing a friend tonight who just moved to a new apartment. 

I wanted to bring her a little something, but I'm totally broke,

so I had to make use of stuff I already had.

The weather this past week has been rain, rain, oh, and a little more rain,

so I thought it would be nice to reminisce about those summer days,

and what better way than to enjoy a little pink lemonade

and pretend the sun is shining outside? 

I don't really have a recipe, I just kind of taste it along the way,

but for just over a liter I use about 1 cup of lemon juice,

1 cup granulated sugar and 4-5 cups of water, depending on how strong I want it.

Add a touch of grenadine or some other red syrup for the pink color,

et voilá!

It's also great for cocktails!

Simple cocktail:

Squash a couple of berries (black berries are great for this) in

a glass, add 1 part vodka and 2 parts lemonade.

Top with a couple of fresh berries.

- Lea Binta