Category: Lifestyle

Lifestyle
15 Activities You Can Do With Your Friends for Self Care

Doing self care with your friends can be a wonderful experience. Sometimes it helps to have someone else there who understands what you are going through and knows how to help, while other times it’s just nice to spend time with friends. In this article, we will discuss 15 activities that you can do with your friends for self care!

1) Spa Day: This is a classic for a reason! Going to the spa with your friends can be incredibly relaxing. You can get massages, facials, and more.

2) Cook or Bake Together: Baking or cooking together is not only fun, but it’s also a great way to bond! If you are craving some homemade cookies, bake them! Maybe your friend has a special recipe that they want to make.

3) Shopping : Shopping can be a fun activity to do with friends. You can go to your favorite stores or explore new ones.

4) Eat Out: Eating out is a great way to get together with friends and have some fun. There are so many different restaurants to choose from, you’re sure to find one that everyone will love.

​​5) Watch a Movie: This is a great activity to do with friends. You can watch any movie you want, whether it’s funny or serious.

6) Exercise Together: Working out with friends is a great way to stay accountable and have fun. You can go for a walk, run, or bike ride together.

7) Play Games: Board games, card games, or any other type of game can be a lot of fun when you play with friends. You can play in teams or go against each other — it’s up to you!

8) Road Trip: Taking a road trip with your friends is an excellent activity for self care. You can drive around, sing along to the radio, and enjoy each other’s company!

9) Volunteer: Volunteering together is another great way to spend time with friends while doing some good in the world. You can help out at a local shelter, food bank, or other organization.

10) Take a Class: Taking a class together is a fun way to learn something new and spend time with friends. You could take cooking classes, dance classes, or any other type of class you’re interested in.

11) Hike: Going on a hike is another great way to spend time with friends and get some exercise. You can find hiking trails near you or go on a road trip to explore new ones.

12) Cafe: Cafe hopping can be a lot of fun with friends. You can try new croissants, macaroons, and more!

13) Visit a Museum: Visiting a museum is a great way to learn about history, art, and more. You can go with friends or family members and have a fun day out.

14) Plan a Trip: Planning a trip together is an excellent way to spend time with friends and get excited for the future. You can plan a trip for the summer, a weekend trip close by or even an international adventure!

15) Paint: Painting together is fun and creative. You can paint pretty much anything you want — the sky’s the limit!

Conclusion: If you are looking to do self care with your friends, these 15 activities should provide some inspiration. Remember that there are so many ways to enjoy time with your friends. Just have fun!

FoodLifestyle
Cold Brew Coffee Is In Style – Here’s How To Make Your Own

When the weather is hot and you’re tired, few things can beat drinking a venti glass of Starbucks cold brew coffee. The coolness of the drink will instantly refresh you, and the caffeine content of the drink will give you a much-needed boost of energy. But what can you do if you’re stuck at home and you’re craving for cold brew coffee? Instead of suffering through coffee withdrawal, why don’t you just make your own? There’s no need to pay for Starbucks. Cold brew coffee is in style and here is how to make your own.

Why is Starbucks cold brew so good

To make Starbucks-style cold brew coffee at home, you need to know first why the famous beverage is so tasty. It is known to have a sweet and smooth taste that even non-coffee drinkers enjoy. So what is the secret of this drink? First of all, Starbucks uses quality coffee beans. So that’s the first prerequisite to making delicious cold brew coffee. You also need to know that the popular coffee shop chain brews in big batches. This is how they can keep the taste consistent. Last but not the least, you need to know that it takes 20 hours to make your favorite drink.

Making the Cold Brew

Grinding the beans

The process of making Starbucks-style cold brew coffee is composed only of three steps. The first thing you need to do is to make sure that you have the right grind. In making cold brew, you need a larger grind than usual. Its coarseness is close to that of raw sugar. The reason why you need a larger grind is to prevent the coffee from getting bitter. So you need to change the setting of your grinder to coarse before you start grinding for your cold brew coffee. The best thing for you to do is to grind the coffee by batches.

Adding the right amount of water

The next thing that you need to do is to add water to the coffee grounds. In making cold brew coffee, you need to a higher coffee to water ratio compared to brewing using the drip method. For the Starbucks-style recipe, the ratio is 1:1, which means 1 ounce of ground coffee to 1 cup of water. Drip uses about a half-ounce of coffee per cup of water. So if you are using 8 ounces of coffee, you also need 8 ounces of water. Because of the 1:1 ratio, it is easy to scale this recipe up or down.

Straining the coffee

After 20 hours of cold brewing, your cold brew is ready to be strained. The key is to strain slowly. That’s what the baristas in Starbucks do. In the system that Starbucks use, gravity is left to do its work to separate the brew from the grounds. You will need cheesecloth for the straining process. Do not squeeze or press the coffee grounds. That will only extract the bitter flavor from the grounds. Remember to strain as gently as possible.

And that’s it! You’re now ready to enjoy your Starbucks-style cold brew coffee at home.

Lifestyle
How To Make Friends In A New Neighborhood

You are in a new neighborhood. This means you are in a new community. You will need to have the effort to find your place and fit in. Of course, you will also need to befriend your neighbors. That way, you will be able to have peace and respect for each other. You will also have someone you can trust in case of an emergency. Also, your social life will definitely be great within your home.

For you to be able to befriend your neighbors, you will have to make the impression. How will that be?

1. Always Greet and Smile

No matter and whoever you passed by, greet them. You can have a small talk with them and have the opportunity to get to know them and also introduce yourself. If you think they are busy, that does not mean you will ignore them. You can wave and greet them, hello to show your friendliness.

2. Check Out the Community

Surely, your neighborhood will have groceries, salons, coffee shops, etc. You will need to go see these places. The main reason would be to familiarize yourself with the neighborhood and to know if something you need is there. Another reason is to know more about people. You will know who are the ones that have their own business and you will also know about the employees. You will also be familiar with the regulars around and you will be able to bond over the same interests.

3. Join a Club or Group

Another way to know people with the same interests as you are looking and joining clubs or groups. If you are interested in sports, there might be a variety available in your neighborhood. Others may include book club or crafting. This way, you will have friends that you can exchange ideas with. You will also be able to learn something because of that. 

You can even make your own. There was a book series that is intended for children called The Baby-Sitters Club. The plot involves having a club wherein parents will just call if they would need a babysitter and instead of being frantic in finding, they will just call one place. It will be a great idea to have something like that too. It could be playgroups for kids or pet sitters or gardening. Anything that will be helping your neighborhood.

4. Compliment

Aside from greeting your neighbors, another way to break the ice with them is complimenting them. It could be their dogs or their garden or even what they are wearing that day. You will be able to start a small talk with that. You will make them feel good and show your interest to know more about them.

5. Invite or Be Invited

For you to get to know more about your neighbors and make connections, go ahead and invite for dinner. This is to show that they are welcome to your home even if you are still new. If the tables are turned, and you are the one that is invited, accept it to show your interest and also to appreciate their welcome.

Lifestyle
How To Make New Friends After College

Now that you have graduated, it is time to face a new life. You would need to find new jobs and think about your needs and bills. In short, it is time for you to be an adult and be responsible. But that does not mean you will neglect your social life. With busyness coming ahead, it seems quite hard to do it. But there are ways to do it, and it does not take that much effort.

1. Stay in Touch

The best way to have friends after graduating is staying in touch with your college friends. This also includes others like your high school friends and from other places. This way, you can still have someone to talk to and know someone you can just hang out with and share stories with. You can have a get together when your schedules align. Also, this is also an opportunity to meet new friends if they have met someone.

2. Trying a New Hobby

It is never too late to try something new. This includes sports, arts and crafts, music, etc. The great thing about this is that you will be able to make new friends. It could be through classes where you can bond with someone who is also doing that for the first time. Some hobbies also have communities online or even locally. Not only you will have new friends, but you will also have someone to guide and help you with your new hobby.

3. Join Some Clubs

There are some clubs and groups of all sorts around. You can find something that holds your appeal. It could be something new that you want to try or just an old interest. That way, you will meet some people that share your passion and also some more fascinating people.

4. At Your Work

Having a new job may be intimidating but that does not mean it will stop you from befriending your coworkers. Some of them might be as new as you, and it is a great tool to get to know them because you are having the same experience at the moment. Also, it will be great to befriend some of the seniors. That way, you can learn more about your workplace. So if they invite you to go out after work or have lunch with them, grab the opportunity.

5. Social Media

Nowadays, you do not even need to go out to make some friends. With different apps and social media, you will be able to meet someone, and you do not even need to be in the same country. Truly, the internet made the world smaller. Because of that, you can easily make friends. You can set up a blog and that way, you can meet people that share your interest. You can also have some meetups especially if you discover that you just live in the same area. In fact, you can find people with the use of social media and if you are a person who gets awkward talking to new people in person, this might help you.

Lifestyle
How To Make Strong Scented Candles At Home

Are you thinking of something you can give as a gift? One of the great things you could give is something handmade. You can make something simple but can make it personal which will add charm to your gift. In addition to that, you can also make one for your own. You can also even have it as a business. 

One of the things you can make is a scented candle which is great for this fall and upcoming winter. You will be able to relax with its scent and glow of it. The good news is it is easy to make them. You will just need the right tools and materials, and you will have the skill in making them in no time.

The Materials Needed

You will need is wax. Soy wax is said to the best because it burns longer. Make sure it is also unscented to add your preferred one later. Then you will also need a braided wick and tabs for sustenance, and then also a dye. You will also need fragrance oils or essential oils to add the scent. You would also need a skewer.

The Tools Needed

The tools needed are mostly in your kitchen. That is the stove and a double broiler. A thermometer would be handy to have a definite temperature. You would also need a glue gun which will be handy in the process.

Steps in Making:

  1. The first thing you will need is to put together the needed materials. This will include the scent of your choice.
  2. After that, if your wick is not pre-tabbed, you will need to tab them yourself. The advantage of this is it is cheaper and also you will get to decide the size of your candle, so it will not matter if you suddenly go with big or small. 
  3. Now it is time to melt the wax. You will need to place it in a double broiler or if you do not have one, in a metal container over a pan. The preferred temperature would be 180 degrees in Fahrenheit, and it will be handy to use a thermometer for this to watch out for it.
  4. If the wax has been fully melted, remove it from the heat.
  5. Put in the dye. You can match the color with the scent if you want.
  6. Put in the fragrance oil or the essential oil for the scent.
  7. Then after all that, let the wax cool down.
  8. While letting it cool down, you could arrange your mold by putting in the wick. Glue in the stabilizer in the base of the jar to be more sturdy.
  9. Use a skewer to tie in the wick then put it in the top of the mold, so it will be in the center.
  10. Then after all that, pour your wax in the mold or a container.
  11. You will need to wait at least 24 hours to ensure that your candle solidifies.
  12. After it hardens, trim your wick in about quarter inch, and you are done.
Lifestyle
What To Bring To A Dinner Party Other Than Wine

Having invited for dinner would be an honor and privilege no matter who and what. It does not matter if it is a holiday or just an ordinary get together with coworkers or friends, the important matter is that the host is kind enough to offer their home and eat food and have a good time. Of course, a great way to thank them is by giving them a gift. A bottle of wine is one of the common gifts to give, and that is why it would be nice to give them something different. If you are thinking about what will it be, here are some ideas:

1. Food

Even if it is a dinner party, it will never be too much food. Of course, it should be not something heavy that will compete for the meals. Some ideas are the following:

a. Appetizers and Snacks

This means something simple to eat before a meal or something to pass around when telling stories. You do not have to exert much effort in it. You can bring cheese that will be perfect for a cheese platter. You can also bring in some chips, nachos, or even popcorn that will work well in an informal setting.

b. Dessert

This could be either homemade or store-bought. It is what thought that counts. Examples of this is a cake or a pie. It could also be something of small portions or something that can be a snack such as cookies and candy bars, and also brownies, creampuffs, and lemon squares.

c. Condiments

You can also bring something to add to the food. This includes vinaigrettes or dressings on salads. Another is spices and herbs for pasta and other food. If the food involves steaks or something like in a barbecue party, it would be a lot easier because you can bring about just anything.

d. Fruits

Fruits can be eaten as desserts or snacks, so it does not fit the above category. But yes, a fruit basket is a nice gift for the host and also can arrange something that can be shared with other guests.

2. Flowers or Plants

It does not always have to be food. You can also bring something that is useful or rather will add interest with decor or the host’s home. One of this are vase or potted flowers or plants. This is also a great personal gift for the party hosts. That way, you will be able to give thanks to them and at the same time, you are also adding something to the party with no effort.

3. A Playlist

To keep a party interesting and exciting, good music will be needed. Why not have something you know everyone will like and maybe even have activities with. You can bring it with a USB or mP3 player or even just your phone. You can also go old school and have it burned on a CD. The playlist does not only involve music. If the dinner party is informal, you can also bring in some movies, shows, and even documentaries for something to watch. You can also bring in some concert DVDs if you want to stick with music.