Tag: Inspiration

Put Together Nicely

Posted on by Amada Acosta Addair in Mama

As a young person, I tried to pay attention to people whom I admired. I sought to emulate them. But, of all the things I noticed about people, I don’t recall paying attention to the way they dressed. Looking back on it, there are a few people from my youth that spring to mind when I think of fashionable or elegant. But it is only now as I contemplate this question that those images even come to mind.

When I finally had the means to invest money on my wardrobe it took time to decide what I liked. I had to realize some key things about clothes and personal presentation to help improve my style.

Eventually, I realized that I did not want to be fashionable or trendy person. Being fashionable or trendy requires a great deal of effort, attention, and money. None of which I wanted to emphasize in my daily attire. But, i do try to find ways to look put together nicely. Here are some of the lessons that I have incorporated into my life in order to look put together.

Color Me Happy

A key component to looking put together is to find ways to flatter your looks. One component of this is understanding your coloring. After all, not all colors look the same on everyone. What may work for a person with a fair complexion and blonde hair might not work for someone with black hair and an olive complexion. For that reason, understanding the colors that look best on you will help elevate your style. For more guidance on colors, check out this story from InStyle.

Tailored to a T

Tailoring your clothing to your figure is important. It makes you look like you spent more money on clothes. and ensure that everything looks nicer on you. Second to selecting the right colors and styles, tailoring your clothes to fit your body, makes you look more elegant.

You will want to find a good tailor or seamstress. Ask around to see who other people use. Once you do, that person can become a valuable ally in helping to identify the rights cuts and fabrics for you.

Confidence is Key

The third most important thing to looking put together nicely is to feel good about yourself. Internal confidence can elevate any outfit. The reality is that even the most beautiful clothing will not look good if your confidence does not shine through. To feel confident in whatever you wear, remember to listen to your internal cues.

Steam, punk

So, you have selected the right colors. You have taken your clothes to the tailor. Now, you have to properly care for your clothes. Wrinkled clothes do not hang properly on your body. They detract from your overall appearance. Clothes looks so much better on you when you take the time to iron or steam it. Doing that makes people focus on you, not the wrinkles in your clothes.

What tips do you have for someone who wants to look put together nicely?

Captured moment

Posted on by Amada Acosta Addair in Poetic License

The mahogany squirrel stood still. It’s back flat against the cream colored shed in which it hoped to blend.

The Blue jay saw the woman with one eye as he cracked open a birdseed.

“Damn it’s cold.” She said out loud.

She saw both Bluejay and squirrel nod in agreement.

We are all the same thing. She posited.

A perfect moment to capture, she thought to herself and began to fumble for her iPhone.

“Bitch, just be.” The voices of blue jay and squirrel reverberated in her head.

Just be. And they all went their ways.

Invest In You

Posted on by Amada Acosta Addair in Money

2020 has been a year fraught with stress and surprises. One thing that has been helpful to me has been to focus inward.

For years, I promised myself that I would become fluent in four languages before I die. It is a bucket list goal that I have nurtured since youth. In high school, I studied French. I learned a great deal from my one year of study. In years later, I maintained my knowledge through different techniques. But, I was far from fluent.

A few years ago, my husband and I traveled to the Dominican Republic. There, we met and connected with a couple from Brazil. Although neither of them knew English, I was able to communicate with them by speaking in Spanish. And, my Spanish speaking skills somehow facilitated my ability to understand their Portuguese.

Fast forward to the pandemic lockdown in March and April; I decided to pursue an item from my bucket list. I began to learn a foreign language, Portuguese, with Duolingo.

My language practice became very important to me. I appreciated the consistency that this program has given me during these last few months. And, I am happy to finally be working towards a long-time goal. I do believe that my Portuguese-speaking skills have been aided by my prior knowledge of Spanish. Nonetheless, my progress has been substantial. I am able to comprehend a large amount of Portuguese. More importantly, I am finding great joy in my studies.

If you are interested in investing in yourself, consider the following:

Invest Money

I have paid for a Duolingo membership. I practice 10-30 minutes each day. This program gives me a solid base on which I am building daily. But, there are applications that I have already been paying for that I can now use to enhance my language skills. I am watching Portuguese movies on Netflix and other streaming services.

Invest time

As stated above, I work on my language skills about 10 to 30 minutes daily. However, there are other ways that I invest time on my new language skills. I have enjoyed watching Brazilian programs on streaming networks. When I do use a TV show or movie to “study” I do two things. I watch the same movie twice. I read it with Portuguese subtitles and English language. Then, I watch with Portugues dubbing and English subtitles.

I listen to podcasts on Apple. The programs run between nine to twenty minutes. They are great commuting material. However, it is a good idea to go back and listen to the podcast one more time. I like to stop the podcast to practice with the podcaster. It gives me another opportunity to improve.

Another way in which I invest a little time is by reading Portuguese magazines, newspapers, and websites. Even 5 to 10 minutes daily of this type of reading, once or twice per week improves my language comprehension.

Invest in People

Of course, no language skill can be complete without investing in speaking and social opportunities. After all, the purpose of acquiring a new language is to increase your ability to connect with other humans. I have had it a little easier than most in this department. One of my co-workers speaks Portuguese. As such, I am able to engage in light conversation with him.

In time, I will need to actively create more speaking opportunities for myself. At that point, I foresee scheduling coffee talks with my colleague in person. Additionally, I have a Brazilian friend that I want to engage with remotely via Zoom.

I hope you will excuse my language-laden post. But, I promise you can apply the ideas that I shared here to any goal you may have. Once you decide to invest in yourself, your next step is to decide how you will invest your time and money into this goal. And, if you need someone to brainstorm, hit me up in the comments. I would love to help you create a plan.

The truth is that you are worth investing time, money and attention. You can start today by asking yourself…

How will you invest in you?

Monthly Motivational Mantra

Posted on by Amada Acosta Addair in Motivational Mantras

Yes, you may.

May… the month of possibilities.

May has always been a special month to me. It is the month in which my youngest brother was born. For me, it is the month that signals the beginning of summer and the hope of good days to come.

May is also a word filled with meaning. May can express possibility, I may go running this afternoon. It can express opportunity, You may win. It can express contingencies, you may have to take an alternate route. It expresses wishes, May your life be long and prosperous. For that reason, May is the month of magic.

Use this month to explore your possibilities and express your potential. That’s what I will do. This month’s posts will discuss potential and what it takes to go for it. I hope you enjoy them. And… May you have a wonderful Spring.

 

 

 

 

The Comfort of Home

Posted on by Amada Acosta Addair in Food Fight, Mama

With the stay at home orders that have been issued as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, I have been longing for the comfort that my parents provided for me in youth.

One of the ways in which I, and probably many people, transport myself to different times or feelings is through the use of food. The smells emanating from the kitchen and the flavors that hit your taste buds, can act as a time machine to take your mind to memories of safety, security, and love.

This week I did exactly that when I decided to re-create my father’s Mexican shrimp cocktail or cóctel de camarón. And, although it wasn’t an exact match, it was enough to cause those feelings to flood back into my heart and mind.

I was glad to have asked my mom for the recipe; she texted me a list of ingredients. I had a good laugh after I called her to ask for the precise measurements. “No measures, just make it taste good for you.”

When I pressed her a little further about this she gave me the most logical explanation in the world. “Look,” mama said in Spanish, “when papi makes for us he puts four jalapeños in it.” I felt my eyes widen at the thought of that much spice. “But, when you’re home maybe two jalapeños. You see?” And I did.

To that end, I hope you enjoy my papa’s cóctel de camarón recipe. Remember that the most important thing is to make it taste good for you.

Ingredients

1- 1 ½ pounds of shrimp

1 bottle of Clamato

1/2 cup of Ketchup (I maybe added a third as ketchup is not one of my favorite flavors)

Juice squeezed from 2 limes (you can also use lime juice from a bottle but I think fresh ingredients are just better.)

2 jalapeños (remember that you can reduce the spice by removing the seeds)

1/4 onion

2 avocados

1 tomato and

cilantro to your liking.

If it’s not pre-cooked, boil your shrimp. I boiled large shrimp in water and lime (the juice of one lime was used for the shrimp boiling.) Next, drain the water and return the shrimp to the same pot.

Add the Clamato and ketchup to the pot and turn on a low heat.

Now, add your lime, tomato, onion, jalapeño, and cilantro. Let the flavors meld on a low heat for 5-10 minutes max. It doesn’t necessarily have to be cooked because you pre-cooked the shrimp. But, the cooking process does help the flavors blend together nicely.

When you’re ready to eat, add your avocado; my papa’s recipe calls for the avocado to be included during the cooking/melding process. But since I am the only person in my family that would eat this meal, I chose not to add the avocado so that I could refrigerate a portion of it and eat it at a later time. I reasoned that if the avocado turned brown by the next day, it would reduce my enjoyment of the leftovers.

A few notes about how to eat and enjoy this delicious meal:

Cóctel de camarón can be eaten immediately from the stove or you can choose to put it in the refrigerator for a little while to make it a little colder. I like it colder because I associate this as a summer meal. The leftovers I ate the next day without warming it up. The day I cooked it, I ladled some into a bowl and ate it immediately. I learned that, straight off the stove, the distinct flavor notes are more evident.

I like to chop vegetables into small uniform pieces, as you can see from the accompanying photo. However, your taste buds and chopping skills can dictate how you cut them up.

The cilantro is not a dealbreaker. If you are among the percentage of the population that tastes soap when you eat cilantro, omit it and enjoy the meal without the soapy taste.

I also like to eat saltine crackers with it as that is how I grew up eating this meal. However, the crackers are a filler and do not really add to the experience.

In conclusion, I hope you enjoy this meal and please share any modifications you may have done to it with me by adding a comment to this post. I would love to know how you have made my papa’s recipe your own.

Papa’s cóctel de camarón