Big Changes!

I'm back! I know, I know, it's been a while. While it might have seemed like I simply forgot about this little blog, I've actually just been super busy with some new and exciting changes! Today, I'm so stoked to tell you all about it!!!!

First things first, you might have noticed that the blog has gotten a major facelift! Two big things have changed... both the name and the logo.

Name
When I originally created this blog, I needed a name. I called it Purpsicle for a few reasons. When Wes and I were courting back at camp, he would make up silly names for me using my camp name (I think he gets a great deal of enjoyment out of finding new ways to make me roll my eyes lol). One of those was "Purpsicle" (my camp name was Purple, so... purple + popsicle = purpsicle...why that was a name, who knows). Somehow this one in particular was deemed hilarious and stuck around...and was still in existence when I started a blog years later! I liked that it reminded me of camp, it made me laugh, and was unique to me.

Fast forward a year or so to now...
I was starting an etsy store and wanted to link my blog, FB page, and etsy store together. Of course, someone else had the name Purpsicle, so I put some more thought to a domain name. That's when Purpcycle came to me. What the heck is that you ask? Allow me.

It's basically a combination of two concepts. The first concept is purpose. I want to have purpose and intentionality behind everything I do, whether it's my life, my blog, or my business. The second concept is the idea of a cycle - whether it's to recycle, upcycle, or participate in the cycle of life. Not neccessarily the idea of "what goes around comes around," but the idea that what we do influences other people's lives too. I never want to forget that my actions affect others, whether it's a smile, making a purchase, or throwing away trash. So, there you have it, a new name.

Logo
Having a new name warranted a new logo since the previous logo was now spelled wrong. This is where I start getting really excited!

I got in touch with my friend Alison from The Creative Co. and she designed a new logo for me. And I am in LOVE. Seriously, I can't get enough. Check out her amazing handlettering work on instagram @creativecollective or @alicastillo...I couldn't be happier.

And then, to top it off, my friend Kristi digitized the logo for me. You can check out her work on Facebook or on her website. You can check out more of her art here. And come back soon, because you will see a bunch more of Kristi's work around here in the near future!!

All this logo and name business leads me to...

Etsy! 

I've started an Etsy store. It's called Purpcycle too! Still very much a work in progress, but you can check it out here. I have had the domain name for a long while now, but I've finally been able to bring my ideas together and turn it into something tangible. I have many hopes and dreams to develop this further, and I am so excited to share that journey with all of you. It's been fun to have something to do outside of school that represents me a little more, plus I've always wanted to have an Etsy store. So yay! I'm going to post more on this soon, and will launch it more formally once I have updated info and listings there.

Essential Oils 
Another thing I have wanted to do for a long long time is to dive into the world of essential oils. I researched and researched for years (literally - ask my mom), before finally making the plunge and buying a kit. I could not be happier! I love them. Two things led me to finally order them. First, I was starting my Etsy store and wanted to use the best products I could and secondly, my friend got a kit too so I got to check hers out in real life. If you want to know more about the essential oils I use, you can check out my page above! I have lots of fun recipes and tutorials coming up about these, so stay tuned :)

What does this mean?
Well first of all, it means that any links are in the process of being updated because they no longer work. It also means that the posts on my Facebook page are no longer accurate, so I will be re-posting some old favourites in the next few weeks and taking down the old posts. Finally, these changes simply mean that there are very exciting things that are happening more often now. I have so many things that my fingertips are just bursting to type out, so hopefully that happens very soon!

A day in the life of a tea addict...

Recently, I found myself home all day with a pile of papers to write and a ton of snow outside my window. This meant one thing - there was going to be a lot of tea in my future. Not that there is anything new there...ahem. Anyways, I decided to document the tea I drank all day, so all you wonderful people could appreciate it too!

To be honest, I just wanted to know how many cups of tea I drink in a day...I always lose count but I know it's a lot - haha. Well, here is how the day unfolded!

Cup #1
Cream of Earl Grey

Along with Earl Grey Vanilla, this is one of my favourites. It's a perfect tea to wake up with, and I sipped it while sitting in my big green chair, reading and journalling. Perfection.


Cup #2 
Polish Tea

When my friend Tahlia went on a missions trip to Poland last summer, she got me this tea. It's so yummy! It's a black tea with fruit and hints of vanilla and even some little blue flowers... And the little tin it came in is adorable! I will definitely be filling it with more tea when it's empty.

Cup #3 
Organic Raspberry

At this point, I was ready to slow down on the caffeine and settle in for some serious homework. This tea is divine with a little bit of raw honey...mmm!

Cup #4
Sleigh Ride

This tea is from David's Tea's Christmas collection. It's fruity and delicious, but my favourite part is that it has little bits of popped popcorn! So fun!

Cup #5 
Eggnog

I love this tea because it tastes like eggnog, but it's tea! Generally eggnog makes me feel gross, but this is a happy medium. It is a rooibos tea and even has mini white chocolate chips in it that melt into your tea...

Cup #6
Peppermint

Time for bed! At this point I had a headache from a day of staring at my laptop and wanted to relax a bit before bed. Peppermint tea always hits the spot.

Well...there you have it! It was fun to look back at all the kinds of tea I enjoy in a day, and now I want to have a whole bunch of friends over for a tea party! So come visit me, OK?

I challenge you too - share your #dayoftea or #teaoftheday!

Cozy Winter Chili

I don't know about you, but one of my favourite foods on a blustery winter day is a great big bowl of hearty chili. So today, in honour of this cold (-27 Celsius!) and very very snowy day, I bring my favourite chili recipe to all of you (hi mom - I assume you read these). By favourite recipe, I mean I watched my mom make chili as a child and then recreated it when I went to university, and it has evolved to look something like what you see below.

My chili making philosophy is to keep it simple, keep it cheap, keep it filling, and keep it clean. What, you don't have a chili making philosophy? It's just me? Well...let's all get along and call it being unique ;)

Ingredients: 

1 lb ground beef (grass fed if possible)
1 large onion
1 large green pepper (I buy a bunch when organic peppers are on sale, wash and clean them, and freeze for later)
2 TBSP chili powder
2 c. beans (I usually combine kidney beans and black beans, but you can add chickpeas or anything else you like. If you like lots of beans, go ahead and add more! I buy mine dried (the most affordable way to buy organic), so I rarely, if ever measure - I just soak and cook a few handfuls when it's convenient and pop them in the freezer for later)
2 cans diced tomatoes (we get the organic ones from Costco - $10 for 8 cans)
Salt and pepper to taste (optional)

Directions: 

1. Brown ground beef. While it is cooking, dice onion and add it to the pot, then dice green pepper and add it to the pot.
2. After the beef has browned, add the chili powder and continue cooking.
3. Add the beans and cook a few more minutes, just to coat and flavour with the chili powder.
4. Add in tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste (if desired).
5. Bring to a boil and then turn down to simmer. Let simmer for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Chili is like soup - the longer you let it stew the better the flavour. I try to cook for at least an hour.
6. Serve it up! We like ours with shredded cheddar, garlic bread, or naan (at which point Wes pretends we are actually eating curry and eats his chili with his naan - in case you wondered how it works here).


Serves 6.

Note: to make this in the crock pot, I just brown the beef first, and throw everything else in the crock pot in the morning and set it to low for the day (8 hours). 


I will be eating a big bowl of this in front of the fire later today while I skip classes to write papers and avoid getting swallowed by a blizzard. Feel free to join me!

Engagement Pictures

I have been excited to share this post for quite some time - our engagement pictures! I think I keep convincing myself that I will write these eloquent and beautiful posts about being engaged, with all sorts of profound thoughts, and so I just haven't written much. I have decided to change that, and just share what I have to say at the time I'm writing. Being engaged is so much fun - and every day gives me a new reason to be thankful for the man God has blessed my life with. I mostly just feel so undeserving of such a gift of Grace. Seriously, he is way nicer than I am! When I grow up, I want to be as cool as Wes.

Recently, we took engagement pictures with the best photographer ever Dorazio Photography... aka my super amazing little bro, Josh! There is a beautiful park near my house, and Josh caught so many perfect moments of us. Basically, the 3 of us hung out and laughed for two hours and he got to boss around his bossy older sister and I have amazing pictures to show for it. I think it's a pretty good set up if I do say so myself ;)

But SERIOUSLY! Aren't these awesome? Take a look at his page for more of our pictures and the rest of his amazing work!

I'm always laughing when we are together...

All photos courtesy of Dorazio Photography.