Question Everything

Question everything. 

One of the best years of my teaching career was the year my teaching partner and I began questioning why we did the things we did. We had taught many years together, and to the outside world probably looked like we had teaching kindergarten down pat. 

That year we challenged ourselves to question why we did what we did, and to change our teaching techniques where necessary to improve our classroom. It was such an awesome, exciting year as we began to do things differently. 

Recently I was watching a You Tube video of a young woman recommending exactly the same thing. Now of course don't take the "everything" part too literally, but still embrace the idea of questioning what you believe and why?

Another idea that falls in line with this is something employed by Toyota called The Five Whys.  This entails asking the question, "Why not?" and following it through with four more whys in response to each answer. 

Author Tanner Christensen of The Creativity Challenge states, "By taking this approach...you can implore your imagination to explore possibilities you may not have imagined before."

Sometimes it's just easier to do things the way you always have whether they are the best way or not. Sometimes we do things because that's all we know, and we've never taken the time to look for alternatives. 

I find life to be more interesting when you begin to question why, and continue to search for new and different ways to do things. 

Chickpeas and Avocado

Chickpeas and avocado. 

I don't usually include recipes on my blog, but recently I came across a very unusual sandwich choice that turned out to be delicious. I thought I would share it with you today. 

Ingredients

1 can chickpeas

1 large avocado

Red onion

Lemon

Salt & Pepper

Seasoning blend

Rinse and drain your chickpeas. Then roll them between two paper towels to remove their skins. This can be a little painstaking, but is worth the effort. 

Then using a hand potato masher mash up the chickpeas, but be sure to leave a few whole beans. 

Dice up an avocado, and mash it with the chickpeas. 

Dice up about an eighth of a cup of red onion, and add to the mixture. 

Squeeze the juice of half a lemon onto the mixture. 

Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper. 

Add a seasoning blend of your choice.

Mix all ingredients together. 

Toast two pieces of bread. (I highly recommend this step.)

Serve with lettuce and tomato. 

I've served this twice so far, and it has it has become a new favorite. I never would have thought that this combination would have been so yummy, but it really is. 

You Know You Are On Vacation When...

You know you are on vacation when...

The dead give away is when you find yourself eating a Texas shaped waffle for breakfast at La Quinta. 

Chuck and I decided to get away for a few days since he's been so busy at work. We had been wanting to visit his aunt and uncle who live just outside of Austin, and decided this would be the perfect opportunity to do so. 

We had a wonderful visit which lasted into the night, and then drove south to our hotel room. The next morning we were up early, and headed to Wimberly. We spent the morning checking out the shops, and ate lunch at The Leaning Pear which is a favorite of mine. 

We left after lunch because we wanted to make sure we had plenty of time to make it to Shiner for the brewery tour. I've decided that factory tours are one of my favorite tourist attractions, and unlike the Bureau of Engraving and Printing tour this one actually gives out free samples. As we watched hundreds of bottles of beer make there way down the assembly line I couldn't help but remember a favorite childhood counting song.

Our next stop was The Salt Lick BBQ which is a place I've been wanting to visit. Luckily we didn't have to wait at all, and enjoyed our meal. On the way out we saw a hummingbird moth for the first time. Chuck could have sworn it was a hummingbird until we took a closer look at the little imposter. 

The next morning we visited the LBJ Presidential Library. We actually visited it once before when Brittany was three months old, but the library underwent a renovation in 2012 so there was more to see this time. The library did not disappoint, and I highly recommend visiting it if you haven't already. So much history happened during the five years of LBJ's presidency, and we spent several hours there reliving the era of our childhood. 

After stopping for lunch we headed home to pick up Cooper, and were happy to be sleeping in our own bed again. Sometimes just a few days away from home is the perfect length for a vacation. 

Your Comfort Zone

Your comfort zone. 

"No matter how boring or painful your comfort zone is, if nothing tempts you out, you'll stay where you are."

A Book That Takes Its Time

Irene Smit & Astrid van der Hulst

What is tempting you out of your comfort zone?

Lather, Rinse, Repeat

Lather, rinse, repeat. 

Sometimes if you are not careful you find yourself in a lather, rinse, repeat kind of life. Each day seems to fade right into the next. Before you know it you are in a rut.

If you have the tendency toward routine, like me, you begin to gravitate toward the lather, rinse, repeat life. However, consciously shaking yourself out of too much predictability is probably not a bad idea. 

I'm glad that the hottest part of summer is now behind us. September, according to author Gretchen Rubin, is the second new year because school begins. 

Organizations that take a break for summer start up again, produce in the grocery store begins to change, and the new season of television viewing begins. Some even take the unofficial start of fall to redecorate their homes in all things pumpkin. 

September ends up being natures way of disrupting the rut that may have been summer. I'm looking forward to getting outside more now that the weather may not be a little more forgiving. Already I'm finding myself more motivated, and look forward to all that fall brings. 

Cultivating Creativity

Cultivating creativity. 

The word cultivate originally referred to agriculture. A farmer would prepare his soil before planting. However, it actually can apply to anything that requires "nurturing to help it grow." 

Creativity is such a thing. Left alone it might wither and die, but through nurturing it can flourish. Carrie Bloomston, author of The Little Spark, believes that, "Creativity isn't something you do; it is who you are." Her book offers plenty of inspiration to be that creative person. 

Making room for creativity in your life, allowing for inspiration, and just noticing the world around you helps to cultivate that creative person within. One fun idea she writes about is keeping a jar of markers handy just in case inspiration strikes. 

"Creativity can strike at any moment and you want to be ready for it when it does."

I find it's easy to get caught up in my daily routine, moving on quickly to the next thing I lose sight of what really is important. In order for me to grow I must cultivate creativity at each turn. Listening to music, trying new cuisine, exploring the shelves in a book store, noticing the design patterns in a piece of fabric are all ways to make me more aware of my surroundings. 

Instead of worrying about what I can do to be creative I'd rather focus my energies on absorbing the creativity right before my very eyes, and being "...open to possibility, opportunity, and the moment."

"Not all who wander are lost."

J.R.R. Tolkien

And Beyond...

And beyond...

Chuck and I had an interesting culinary experience this weekend. We had a gift card to T.G.I. Friday's that we were needing to use, and as it happened we were going to be in the area where one was located, so we decided to stop by. 

As I glanced over the menu I noticed they were serving The Beyond Burger. I was intrigued because I knew that it was a plant-based alternative to regular burgers, and I had seen the patties at the store before. 

Chuck and I decided to order one after we checked online to read a little more about them. They claimed to taste like meat, and we were curious to try them out. They seemed to be getting rave reviews. 

When they arrived, at first glance, they did appear to be somewhat burger-like, except the patty was just a little too perfect. When I cut the burger in two that's when my doubts began. It actually was somewhat pink (beet juice), but I don't actually ever eat my hamburgers that rare. Also, at closer inspection you could tell that whatever it was (primarily made of peas) really did not resemble meat at all. 

When I took my first bite I was quite surprised at how much it tasted like meat. I took a few more thinking that this burger was pretty darn close to any meat burger I'd ever eaten. Except, that each time I looked at the pink, weirdly textured middle I began to like my burger less and less. I ate half, but really couldn't finish the rest. 

As I tried to explain my reluctance to finish the imposter, Chuck thought I was a little weird, until he began to notice an aftertaste each time he took a bite. What had started out for me being more of a visual thing, ended up a taste thing as well. It seemed that the taste of the burger was stuck to the roof of my mouth. 

Luckily, we were able to mask that taste with a brownie sundae so it wasn't a lost cause, but next time I'm wanting a non-meat burger I'll stick with a spicy black bean one instead.