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April 2020

Coping & Positive Thinking Life Quote Art

10 Inspirational Quotes for Growth

April 23, 2020

Is it possible to go through the most difficult time of your life, while simultaneously experiencing a period of immense spiritual and personal growth? Not only are those two things not mutually exclusive, but they are also intrinsically linked. That’s why I’ve put together these inspirational quotes for growth to help you through these trying times.

Shilagh Mirgain, Health Psychologist at the University of Madison, Wisconsin says in relation to trauma and hardship:

“We can shut down emotionally and let ourselves become hardened by it, or we can grow from the experience.” 

It can draw our attention to the ways in which we take certain aspects of our lives for granted. It challenges our very identity and beliefs we’ve formed leaving us to ask questions we never thought we would have to.

When we are willing to ask and explore those questions —who am I? What really matters to me? What do I want my life to be about?— we can begin to rebuild and construct a new foundation, often from the ground up, that is more authentic and based on who we really are and what’s important, rather than on the values others have placed on us.”

Dr. Shilagh Mirgain, The Surprising Benefit of Going Through Difficult Times, 03/21/2017

Have you ever experienced a period of personal growth during or after a tough time? If you feel comfortable sharing, I’d love to hear your story.

10 Inspirational Quotes for Growth

“Wherever life
plants you,
bloom with grace.”
—Unknown

“It is an act of
bravery
to feel your feelings.”
—Gayle Forman

“Ask for what
you want and
be prepared
to get it.”
—Maya Angelou

“There’s a future
version of me
who’s proud I was
strong enough.”
—Khanos

“And here you are
living
despite it all.”
Rupi Kaur

“I know this
transformation
is painful, but you’re not
falling apart;
you’re just falling into
something different,
with a new capacity to
be beautiful.”
—William C. Hannan

“Stop shrinking
yourself to fit places
you’ve outgrown.”
—Unknown

“Keep taking
time for yourself
until you’re
you again.”
—Lalah Delia

“Vulnerability is not
a weakness; it is our
greatest measure
of courage.”
—Brene Brown

“And too often
we forfet we are worthy
of our love too.”
—Dhiman

If you’d like to read a larger selection of quotes, make sure to check out my Pinterest boards for Coping and Growth quotes. I’m always updating it with words I find inspirational, thought-provoking & healing.

For more of my illustrated quotes, see my posts 10 Positive Quotes for Tough Times and 10 MORE Positive Quotes for Tough Times.

Food & Drink Life Whimsical Life & Home

French Lavender Whipped Coffee

April 7, 2020

A Little Background on Whipped (Dalgona) Coffee

Unless you have been living under a rock, you have seen the whipped coffee (Dalgona coffee) trend circulating around the internet and social media. And for good reason! Who doesn’t love coffee, and on top of that, it’s so aesthetically pleasing it’s hard to not jump on board.

Even though this whipped iced coffee drink originated in India, its most recent bout of fame was prompted by a video shared by a South Korean actor. He tried the drink at a cafe and said it reminded him of the Korean “Dalgona” candy, a honeycomb toffee. When the video started circulating, people worked on their own homemade versions. Enter a global pandemic where people are stuck and home and the #dalgonacoffeechallenge was born!

As a coffee lover, I was eager to try the trend and I was not disappointed. The coffee drink is EASY & fun to make and…it actually tastes really good!

Another one of my weaknesses is lavender. I LOVE the scent of lavender and when it’s done right, incorporating it into food. A local cafe I love does a lavender flavored latte, and the flavor combo of coffee, cream and a hint of floral is perfect.

So I thought…why not incorporate a hint of lavender into this nouveau famous beverage?

How to Make Lavender Whipped Coffee

There are two parts to this process: the homemade lavender simple syrup and the Dalgona coffee itself. One key to making an amazing whipped coffee drink is the ingredients. For the instant coffee component, I used Ferrara Instant Espresso Coffee, which I liked. (My friend made the recipe with a lower cost/quality brand and said the flavor was reminiscent of soy sauce! So I tried to avoid that.)

I used dried lavender for my recipe and ordered culinary grade organic French Lavender.

The ratio for the whipped coffee is always 1:1:1. Most sources say for 1 serving you use 2 tablespoons of each ingredient. You can multiply and divide as needed for more or less servings. For the lavender simple syrup, it’s 1 cup of water to 1 cup of sugar and then 1 tablespoon of lavender.

You can make the syrup first to let it cool while you work on the coffee. I use an electric mixer to whip my coffee, sugar and hot water, which I would definitely recommend. The process takes a while even without doing it by hand, and I like mine to be really light and fluffy! The finished consistency and color of the whipped coffee remind me of the “Frosty” drink from the American fast-food chain Wendy’s.

For the milk component, I like to use unsweetened almond milk but you can use any dairy (or non-dairy) of choice. Keep in mind that both the lavender syrup and the coffee have quite a bit of sugar, so if you are using non-dairy milk I would opt for the unsweetened version.

You can whisk the milk and lavender syrup together in a separate bowl, before adding it to a glass with ice. Spoon your whipped coffee on top and Voila! You have yourself a trendy & delicious whipped coffee with flavors inspired by the South of France.

French Lavender Whipped Coffee

 

Allie Marie Travels is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com

I hope you enjoyed your lavender whipped coffee! For more inspiration about bringing the flavors of Provence home with you, check out my post: How to Bring the Southern French Lifestyle Home with You.

If you loved this recipe, don’t forget to PIN for future reference!

Life Quote Art

10 MORE Positive Quotes for Tough Times

April 6, 2020

Right now the world is looking a little bit scary. Maybe you can’t stop watching the news or scrolling through social media threads, wondering how and when you will start to feel normal again. Or if anyone feels the same way that you’re feeling. Enter: more positive quotes for tough times!

Quotes have a way of really putting things in perspective. If you are struggling right now or feeling alone, reading words that encompass exactly what you are going through can really make you feel like someone out there gets it. This can be extremely therapeutic and I’ve relied on positive quotes for help during times where I’ve felt super low.

Another way I cope with anxiety, stress and sorrow is throwing myself into a creative project. That brought me to these illustrations of some of my favorite words. I hope the words and the art bring you comfort and strength during the hardship you are going through!

10 MORE Positive Quotes for Tough Times

“I hope this season of change
takes you to the place where
you need to be, where your
heart will be allowed to grow
and free to feel.”
—Dhiman

“You have been assigned
this mountain so that
you can show others
it can be moved.”
—Mel Robbins

“Kindness
begins with the
understanding that
we all struggle.”
—Charles Glassman

“Even the darkest
of night will end
and the sun will rise.”
—Les Miserables

“I am not what
happened to me,
I am what I choose
to become.”
C.G. Jung

“There is nothing in nature
that blooms all year long,
so don’t expect yourself
to do so either.”
—Anonymous

“May the petals
teach me
the art of
letting go.”
—Xan Oku

“Because no matter how
tough the world becomes,
you must never
run out of sweetness.”
—Bernado Kath

“Just because someone
carries it well doesn’t
mean it isn’t heavy.”
—Anonymous

“Sometimes all that
matters is that you’re
still trying.”
—Wilder

I hope these additional curated positive quotes for tough times bring you some sense of calm and relief during your time of uncertainty, grief or trauma. Trust me when I say you are not alone in how you are feeling. Just know that each day you will adjust a little more, and find those little things to be grateful for. It’s okay to not have it all figured out yet. You are strong and capable and you will get through this!

If you’d like to read a larger selection of quotes, make sure to check out my Pinterest boards for Coping and Growth quotes. I’m always updating it with words I find inspirational, thought-provoking & healing.