It is now March so I am here to share my bullet journal spreads from February and what I liked/disliked and will continue to modify.
Title Page. I got creative with the design and Valentine’s self- love theme. I regret putting a box around the calendar but overall was happy with the way this turned outSimilar event/monthly overview spread as January. Will use againThis month I used the same style habit tracker, but changed up my mood tracker and used hearts that I coloured in. I also followed @caitlinmariedasilva ‘s self love challenge to write one thing you love about yourself each day, truthfully I kinda stopped using the self love page after Valentine’s was over but 2 weeks isn’t too bad… I did love the garlands I drew hereBudget page, I ran out of room half way through January so splitting my budget/spending into categories both helped me to see where my money was going, but also left me with more space. My categories are income, savings, groceries/food, spending/shopping/misc and transportation/AutoFirst weekly, I was seeking advice from instagram for what to include in the space at the bottom. I went with a post-it note for shopping list, a study log which has yet to prove useful, a box for next week, and two tracker stickers for workouts and hydration, also not used to full potential. I like the longer to-do list space for weeks that I need that and I like having a space to write work/events/appointmentsI love this large daily box spread a lot. The space for course break down of homework or due dates was helpful and better for me than a study log space. 10/10 would recreate this spread. It was initially inspired by Caitlin Marie DaSilva (@caitlinmariedasilva / Caitlin’s Corner on YT)I had fun with this week’s spread as it was reading week, I was spending half of it at my boyfriend’s home a few hours away so I both had a fun things list and a homework to-do list. I also had fun with the weather spread and my packing list was useful but probably unnecessary for future long weekends away.
This month I used an array of pink Crayola Supertips markers and my Faber Castell PITT Artist Pens (M, S, F)($12 CAD Indigo stores). Bullet Journal from Michael’s ($9 CAD). This month I felt more comfortable with the weekly spreads though I haven’t quite narrowed down a consistent style. It’s about learning and growing as you go right? The point is that I’m stepping out of my comfort zone and flexing those creative areas of the brain. It’s also a stress relief to sit down Sunday and plan my week – both for piece of mind that I know what I have to do and get it down on paper but also just for some quiet time.
Are you a planner or do you use a bullet journal? Let me know in the comments!
And don’t forget to follow me on instagram o find out what I’m drinking and doodling @teawithkayla
If you follow me on Instagram (@teawithkayla) you’ll know that I started a bullet journal. What is this you ask? Well a BuJo for short is a method of organizing tasks and to dos, sort of like a planner of lists, but it is so much more. As you’ll see in my spreads you can keep collections (lists of activities, items), goals, track spending, habits, moods, health etc, and use it like a creative and flexible planning system.
Below is an overview of my spreads to set up the year, and myself for the semester.
The journal – Michael’s store ($5 USD, $9 CAD)Yearly overview calendar and eventsSavings goal tracker, student debt tracker, social media statsCollections: what I read/watched
Student spreads
This is where it gets messy. Two versions of my schedule. The right side version I messed up and decided that it was better to not have the gym schedule included. I set up the left first but left it blank because I thought I would like the right better. I did not.Readings for the semester – inspired by @CaitlinmariedasilvaSemester at a glance – syllabus, tests and assignments
January set-up
I made a monthly events overview, habit weather, and mood tracker, expenses page (not shown because it was already filled in, and a tried a few different weekly spread layouts
Printables from the Petite Planner http://thepetiteplanner.com/vip-resource-library/January Events page (left) Habit tracker, Weather and mood with notation for feeling sick and period (right) Clearly I need to work on some habitsFirst Weekly Spread. I like this layout but Would shift the spacing down a little next time since there was a lot of wasted spaceNext weekly: This time I tried more of a planner style horizontal layout. I did not make the best use of this but overall would try this spread againI made a one page weekly spread in two different formats here. Left: I used printables from The Petite Planner (http://thepetiteplanner.com/vip-resource-library/) and wrote numbers on them. This spread would work for a less busy week Right: a more straightforward list style, after filling in more details I noted the day that I intended to do each task next to it.
Ah, Fall is here and I am happy. It is nearly 30Ā°C today so not exactly Fall weather but nonetheless all the fall stuff is out and I’m am so ready for when that temp does become crisp and chilly.
Let me know what your favourite fall Ā flavours, activities and items are!
xoxo
Kayla
Affiliates:
Plum Deluxe Tea ShopĀ , Use Coupon code: teawithkayla
I have set out to taste test and review as many chai tea blends as possible. I especially love the cozy nature of a warm chai tea, with the spices, and earthy black tea, sweetness like honey and variations on this traditional tea.
Rules for consistency:
Regular way to make tea with hot water
1.5 DAVIDsTEA Perfect Spoons per nordic/16 oz mug (grande or Medium at Sbux), 1 DTPS for a 12 oz mug
90Āŗ water boil in Kettle
Steep 7 minutes
1 Teavana perfect spoon (1tsp) brown sugar for sweetener
1 splash of 2% milk
Traditional stove top chai
2 DTPS of Chai tea
1.5 cups Soy milk or 2% Milk (will aim for consistently one of these or will note which)
1 tsp brown sugar
time tbd
I would like to thank all the lovely Tea-ple of theĀ DAVIDsTEA FansĀ who sent me or traded samples of chai tea so that I can post this series. All other tea were purchased by me unless noted.Check out the Series tab for all the posts to this series in one place.All opinions are my own.
I was contacted by Vedic Tea (http://vedicteas.com/) to do a review of some teas, so here we are. Vedic is a play on the work Ayurvedic which describes the holistic approach to healthy balance of the mind, body and soul. It is believed that certain plants and herbs from the earth can help with this balance. Ayurveda originated in India where Ayurveda Practitioners would assess the balance of the person’s mind body and spirituality to discern herbal remedies to support balance. Ā There’s no denying that cup of tea can be a special part of one’s day, providing solace for the mind and soul, or remedy for the body like in certain herbal blends. Ā Read on to see my thoughts on the following teas. š
Breathe Deep
Breathe Deep is an herbal blend to help soothe. I drank this at the end of a congestive cold and it helped clear up and soothe my throat before work that day. It has a nice flavour aswell, a bit warming. Buy Here
Eucalyptus, with lung-cleansing properties, along with the healthy benefits of the tulsi herb (holy basil) helps to support healthy breathing. A perfect tea to put in your daily routine.
Fruity, and fresh, not as tart as I was expecting (good in my opinion). The apple cuts the tartness and there isn’t a hibiscus overload like many berry teas. Very refreshing Iced for a hot summer day. Would also mix great if made strong with seltzer water, as a tea popsicle or an adult bevvy. It’s also the North American Tea Champion 3rd place winner 2013.
Ingredients: Apple pieces, hibiscus, Saskatoon berries, cranberries, raspberry pieces, peach pieces, orange peels, linden flowers, strawberry pieces, cherry pieces and natural flavours. buy Here
Organic Turmeric Magic
This tea was unexpectedly fruity, and I thoroughly enjoyed it it that way. I made it both hot and iced and got different flavours both ways. Cold its more fruity, and hot it’s a more rich flavour both with hints of mango and citrus. Buy here
Ingredients:Ā Black tea*, turmeric pieces*, orange slices*, marigold flowers*, mango pieces*, pineapple pieces*, papaya pieces* and natural flavours. * All Ingredients Organic.
Crimson Guava
Ingredients:Ā Green tea, mango pieces, goji berries, jasmine flowers, rose petals and natural flavours
This tea smells amazing, like a tropical paradise. I cold steeped this tea over night as that’s my preferred way to make cold fruity green teas, to get the most flavour without causing bitterness. Ā If you like tropical flavours without the coconut give this one a go!Ā Buy Here
Ayervedic Keep Well Women – Uma
A nicely balanced herbal tea, the warmth from cinnamon and ginger pair nicely with the lighter and earthy ingredients. Any tea packed with this much goodness is a gold star in my books! Drink this to help with any ailments, illness, (of course checking the ingredients in case of counter measures with any meds).
Apple pieces, rooibos, ginger pieces, cinnamon pieces, fennel seeds, juniper berries, cardamom, raspberry leaves, chamomile flowers, cloves, orange peel, St. John’s wort, black peppercorns, lady’s mantel, silver weed and natural flavours. buy here
Check out Vedic Teas website, and let me know what you think. Also go support them on social media as they are a newer company
Yoga is a huge part of self-care, and finding inner peace, calm, and balance. It is also a way to connect with your own mind, body, soul and show gratitude. I love to use yoga to calm myself when I am stressed, to push my body and extend my limits and to generally connect. It helps me sleep better, wake up more energized, release tension in my neck and shoulders when I’m stressed and allows me to focus on my breathing among all the other amazing benefits of regular practice.
As you know tea is a big part of my life so here’s my favourite yoga lifestyle and tea pairings. Let’s start with the bottle. These Libre Tea Glasses are great for on the go! They have a borosilicate glass interior, and a tough poly exterior to protect the flavour-free, easy to clean glass. Ā Shop here: http://shop2usd.libretea.com?aff=25
Yogi Berry –Ā DAVIDsTEA
This oolong tea is blended with dried raspberries and strawberries as well as ginger and kombucha powder. Its a sweet, zingy punch with a boost of healthiness. I like to drink it cold steeped to cool off or to warm up for some good stretching. Yoga pants optional. Pick this one up soon because it’s on its way to being retired from the tea wall.
“Itās not always easy to make healthy choices. Not when there are so many delicious things just waiting to be tasted. But with this fruity, berry-packed oolong, weāve created the impossible: a wholesome tea that also happens to taste amazing. First we took big pieces of strawberries, raspberries and currants ā a.k.a. the original Super Fruits. Then we added a spicy-soothing hint of ginger root. Finally, we laced it with kombucha powder, a trendy ingredient that in-the-know yogis have been sipping since the ā60s. Groovy, man.”
A post shared by Kayla (@teawithkayla) on Mar 28, 2017 at 7:02am PDT
Ingredients:Ā Oolong tea, ginger, sweet blackberry leaves, strawberry, safflower petals, raspberry, red currants, red rose petals, kombucha dry concentrate (maltodextrin, cane sugar, water, herb mixture, green tea, kombucha culture), natural red fruit and ginger flavour
Hot Yoga – Steeped Tea
This tea is so yummy, warming and invigorating. I thought it was going to be too spicy for my liking but it’s a great balance of warm ginger and cardamom without being too peppery. Drink this to get the blood pumping before a class or to warm up on an icy winter day. Many of the ingredients are also beneficial for anti inflammatory purposed and may help your body find balance.
A post shared by Kayla (@teawithkayla) on Mar 29, 2016 at 2:08pm PDT
“A spicy blend of hawthorn leaves, ginger, and cardamom.” Ingredients: Cinnamon, cardamom, hawthorn leaves and flowers, ginger bits, cloves, black peppercorns, safflowers and blue mallow flowers.
Buddha’s Blend –Ā DAVIDsTEA
This is one of my favourite lightly flavoured green teas that just makes me want to smile upon the earth! Sounds crazy but the smell alone is so relaxing and then the flavours are amazingly light, almost fruity, and smooth.
A post shared by Kayla (@teawithkayla) on Mar 21, 2017 at 6:27am PDT
“We donāt like to brag, but weāre pretty sure we just found the key to achieving nirvana. Itās easier than you might think ā youāre actually just a cup away. You start with a fresh, delicate mix of white and green tea. Then you sprinkle in a few jasmine pearls for their sweet, floral perfume. Next, you add the unexpected fruity aroma of some beautiful white hibiscus blossoms. Finally? You sit back, relax and take a sip. Heavenly…” Ingredients:Ā White tea, green tea, jasmine pearls, white hibiscus blossoms, natural and artificial flavouring
A post shared by Kayla (@teawithkayla) on Nov 9, 2016 at 6:32am PST
“This deliciously delicate blend is inspired by the tea traditions of monks in rural China. The story goes that these monks had to beg for their tea each morning, receiving small gifts of whatever people had on hand. This resulted in an unusual medley of many different tea types ā from delicate white teas to rich oolongs and everything in between. The result? An intriguing melange of flavours, known as a āmonkās blend.ā And with floral jasmine pearls and velvety milk oolong, this luxurious blend is inspired by those classic mixes. Delicately perfumed and lightly creamy, itās pure heaven in a cup.”
Ingredients:Ā White tea, milk oolong tea, jasmine green tea pearls, natural milk flavouring (derived from lactose).
Let me know what teas you like to pair with your yoga practice.
xoxo
Kayla
Disclaimer: I may receive a portion of sales from Libre Tea if you use my affiliate link. All opinions are my own.
Hey everyone! Welcome back to my blog. Long time no see…read? chat?.
Anyways I am back and have been reinspired to find time to make a tea moment, to blog and drink tea to my heart’s delight and bring back some reviews for yall! I had the opportunity to join Libre Tea at their table at the festival this year which has been held for 5 years now at the stunning Toronto Reference Library! I joined Wendy the CEO and founder of Libre Tea at the table to share #teamoments with all the folks who came out today. If you didn’t know (from my instagram) I was a Brand Ambassador for Libre Ā on Instagram for the past few months, posting photos of the Libre Tea glasses I was sent. If you haven’t had a chance to check them out definitely do so (LibreTea.com).
A post shared by CHAIWALA (@chaiwalachai) on Jan 29, 2017 at 11:24am PST
These are real cool kids with a really fun way to do Masala Chai
Zhen Tea
These folks are passionate about traditional teas from around the world and they make special trips to China to find and source different varieties. If you like traditional tea these are your people
A Canadian tea company from Alberta contacted me through Instagram and offered to send me some tea to review. I chose Dragon well green tea, Clear Skin herbal tea and Coconut Beauty black tea.
I had made a YouTube video instant review but lost all the footage š”
Dragonwell was a lovely fresh, light green tea. Steep with caution, 80C water and only a minute or less. You can definitely steep this one more than once to see what other flavours are brought out.
Clear Skin is an herbal tea full of all the good skin healing ingredients like anti-inflammatory lavender, red clover, chamomile, and peppermint, cleansing dandelion and antioxidant green tea. I would have to drink this one consistently to test if there’s visible results but it does have a nice herbal flavour with the chamomile peppermint and lavender that I would enjoy before bed. Purchase Clear SkinĀ here
Coconut Beauty is a delicious tropical black tea with coconut and orange. It was really yummy hot but I bet it’s great iced too. It was kind of like a creamsicle but coconut rather than vanilla flavour. I love this one! Definitely check it out!
Check out this company and let me know what you think.
Hey tea friends. I’m reblogging this because there needs to be some awareness and change regarding building codes to allow for people to live in tiny homes. I am an Ontarian and hope to live tiny someday.
I cannot count the hundreds of times that people use the word āillegalā to describe the act of living in a tiny house. Ā This word is being used incorrectly, over and over again, and I think this needs to stopā¦ today!
There is NOTHING illegal about living in a tiny house in Canada. Ā Tiny dwelling is not like like driving impaired, beating up on your wife or robbing a bank. Ā The police will not come and charge you, arrest you, handcuff you and put you in jail. Ā Using the word illegal is not just inaccurate, it also serves to undermine the credibility community and those who are interested in living sustainably. Ā It makes us appear as though we are all deviants. Ā I want everyone to STOP using this word today.
Soā¦ if living in a tiny house is NOT illegalā¦ then what is the problem?
No matter what you are feeling after this divisive election, regardless of where your vote falls, or where you live, or what you believe, please, take a moment to breathe.
I stayed up late watching the results of the American election roll in, from the comfort and blessed safety of my home here in Canada, and finally went to bed when at 12:30 it hadn’t been called yet. I feared the worst, and hoped for the best. I woke up at 5:30 this morning and checked my phone for the results. I was shocked, deeply saddened, and scared. Honestly I was in disbelief and ridden with anxiety and emotion. I just want to extend a hand and hug to everyone in America, and say that this is the choice that has been made by the people who voted, and this is now the catalyst for real true change. America you are now faced with the reality; racism, sexism, bigotry, hatred still exist. And now it’s time to turn this around, reflect on this and work towards a more loving and caring world and home.
With all of this being said, breathe, reflect, meditate. Take pause and do a little self care if you’re feeling like I am. Make a cup of tea, take a bath, go for a run, knit, colour, bake. Time to calm the nerves and come back at the world with a game plan for change, for inclusivity, equality and most of all for love.
Check out the Series tab for all the posts to this series in one place.All opinions are my own.
Ingredients: Apple pieces, hibiscus, Saskatoon berries, cranberries, raspberry pieces, peach pieces, orange peels, linden flowers, strawberry pieces, cherry pieces and natural flavours. buy 
