Quick storage/ Armazenamento rápido

Lacking storage space in your bathroom?! Take some wood boxes, varnish them and organize your towels, toilet paper and other bathroom items pleasingly to the eyes, as it's shown in the photo from www.realsimple.com.

Faltando espaço de armazenamento no banheiro?! Pegue uns caixotes, envernize-os e organize suas toalhas, papéis higiênicos e outros itens de banheiro de maneira agradável aos olhos, como mostra a foto do www.realsimple.com.

From: http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/organizing/turn-clutter-into-storage-decorating-solutions-10000001066039/page3.html

"Take this waltz"/ "Entre o amor e a paixão"

Margot is happily married to Lou, until she meets Daniel and feels incredibily attracted by him... who she discovers lives across from her house... What to do now?  Find out what she decides to do in this dilemma.

Margot é feliz em seu casamento com Lou, até que conhece Daniel e se sente incrivelmente atraída por ele... quem ela descobre morar do outro lado da rua...  O que fazer agora?  Descubra o que ela decide fazer com esse dilema.

Picture from: http://stephanieklein.com/2013/02/take-this-waltz/

Turn to jelly

From: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/2014/05/140513_todays_phrase_turn_to_jelly.shtml

Imagine trying to eat a jelly baby this big!

Today's Phrase

If you turn to jelly, it really means you suddenly feel very weak because you are nervous or frightened. Sometimes you can say your legs or another part of your body turns to jelly and this means the same thing.

Examples:

When I saw how high up we were, I turned to jelly and I couldn't speak.
His legs turned to jelly after riding the ghost train at the funfair!

Take note

If something is like nailing jelly to the wall, it is impossible to understand or describe exactly what it is.

Example:
Writing the history of this period is like nailing jelly to the wall.

Interesting fact

In the UK, jelly describes a soft sweet food made from fruit juice, sugar and gelatine which you can see through and that shakes when you touch it. It's often eaten at children's parties. But in the USA jelly describes a sweet, sticky substance made with boiled fruit and sugar and is spread on bread. The British would call this 'jam'.

Jars > storage/ Frascos de vidro > armazenamento

The idea today is simple, you won't have to spend a penny and will even reuse some jars you would throw away.  What about taking some beautiful and different size jars, cleaning and having them help organizing your office stuff? Have a look how interesting and sustainable this tip from www.realsimple.com is.
A ideia de hoje é simples, você não gastará um centavo e ainda reutilizará frascos de vidro que jogaria fora.  Que tal pegar alguns frascos bonitos e de tamanhos diferentes, limpá-los e usá-los para ajudar a organizar seus itens de escritório? Dê uma olhada em como essa dica do www.realsimple.com é interessante e sustentável.

From: http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/organizing/turn-clutter-into-storage-decorating-solutions-10000001066039/page6.html

Slow Movement

O slow movement é um movimento mundial que busca reduzir a velocidade que temos dado as nossas vidas, sempre correndo em tudo que fazemos e perdendo qualidade de vida.  O título abaixo (que acabei de encomendar para ler) trata desse tema, que originou-se do slow food, iniciado na Itália nos anos 80, em oposição ao fast food.  Atualmente existem várias vertentes desse movimento como o slow city, o slow work e o slow travel.  Uma das principais ideias preconizadas pelo movimento é "fazer melhor e devagar", aproveitando de forma mais completa cada atividade, em busca de uma vida mais plena e bem vivida.

Picture form: http://www.legal.adv.br/20091125/slow-movement/

Stick your neck out

From: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/2014/04/140429_todays_phrase_stick_your_head_out.shtml

Do you stick your neck out like these giraffes?

Today's Phrase

If you stick your neck out, it means you take a risk by saying or doing something that other people might not like.

Examples:

John stuck his neck out and told the boss what we thought of him.

He decided to stick his neck out and buy a new sports car, even though he hadn't asked his wife.

Take note

If you are up to your neck in something, it means you are really busy with it or heavily involved in it.

Example:

Dave is up to his neck with his studies and has no time to go out with his friends.

Interesting fact

Giraffes are the tallest living land animals. They can grow to a height of 5.3 metres. A group of giraffes is called a tower. They are mainly found in Africa and can reach a running speed of up to 60 km/h.

Reading corner/ Canto de leitura

The site www.realsimple.com really brings simple ideas to solve some dilemmas. The suggestion below is for a small spot you may have at home, sometimes it's a passageway where you don't have room for many things, but it still feels as if in need of something to fit in there.  With not too big pieces of furniture you may convert this dull area into a reading or resting corner.  
Go ahead an get inspired by the colors and combinations of this picture!
O site www.realsimple.com realmente traz ideias simples para resolver alguns dilemas. A sugestão abaixo é para um pequeno local que você possa ter em casa, algumas vezes um lugar de passagem onde você não tem espaço para muitas coisas, mas ainda fica aquela sensação de que algo está faltando. Com algumas peças de mobília que não sejam muito grandes você pode converter essa área insossa em um canto de leitura ou descanso.
Vá em frente e inspire-se pelas cores e combinações dessa foto!

From: http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/decorating/small-room-decorating-00100000106797/index.html#15

Grammar, grammar, grammar...

What about some grammar analysis!?

From: http://www.shared-visions.com/explore/english/engchart.html

Play your cards right

From: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/2014/04/140424_todays_phrase_play_your_cards.shtml

The jack, queen and king are often the best cards to have in a card game

Today's Phrase

If you play your cards right, it means you do the right thing and become successful. People often use this phrase to offer advice and encouragement, saying that 'if you play your cards right', something good could happen.

Examples:

If you play your cards right, he might ask you to marry him!

John, if you play your cards right, you could become the new manager.

Take note

To lay (or put) your cards on the table is to be very open and honest about your thoughts, feelings or intentions.

Example:

I think it's time to lay your cards on the table. Tell me honestly why you don't like my new boyfriend.

Interesting fact

According to the Guinness World Records, Antonio Esfandiari from the USA won the highest ever money prize in a poker tournament. He won an amazing $18.3 million in Las Vegas in 2012.

Bike wheel/ Roda de bicicleta

Have a look at this creative and useful idea from
www.pinterest.com!
The bicycle has fallen into pieces... but you can still keep some of it.  A bike wheel can turn into a quite unusual pan holder: you can fix it to the ceiling and have some hooks to display and put your pans away, giving your kitchen that unique look.
Dê uma olhada nessa ideia criativa e útil do www.pinterest.com!
A bicicleta caiu aos pedaços... mas você ainda pode guardar um pouco dela.  A roda da bike pode transformar-se em um suporte de panelas um tanto inusitado: você pode fixá-lo no teto e ter alguns ganchos para exibir e guardar suas panelas, dando a sua cozinha uma cara ímpar.

From: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/534591418238225756/

Expressions with HAVE

From: http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=8602

Busy bee

From: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/2014/04/140417_todays_phrase_busy_bee.shtml

Very busy bees

Today's Phrase

A very simple phrase today. Bees look like very busy animals, so if you say you are as busy as a bee, or call yourself a busy bee it means you're very busy!

Examples:

I've been a really busy bee this morning. I've been to the shops, paid my bills, had a haircut and even been for a run.

Frank is such a busy bee. He's always doing about five projects at once! He needs to take it easy.

Take note

If you have a bee in your bonnet about something, it means you are obsessed by that thing - you can't stop thinking about it.

Example:

He's got a bee in his bonnet about fast cars. He talks about them all day long!

Interesting fact

Bees' wings move very fast. They move them up and down around 200 times a second.

My classroom/ Minha sala de aula

Today's post is really special for me because the picture below shows my beloved private classroom, which units two of my passions: teaching English and decorating/renovating in an economical and creative way.  Here we can find some examples of the 3 R's of sustainability: reduce, reuse and recycle.  

- The table top was made from a door, painted in black and put onto a desk;

- The board was made from a partition wall painted in a special green paint to be used with chalk;

- The stool was renovated by using a new layer of varnish and upholstering the top.

With ideas like those we can renovate economically, give new function for objects we already had, and help reduce, at least a little, unnecessary consumption.

A postagem de hoje é muito especial para mim, pois a foto abaixo mostra minha querida sala de aula particular, que une duas de minhas paixões: ensinar inglês e decorar/renovar de maneira econômica e criativa.   Aqui podemos achar alguns exemplos dos 3 R's da sustentabilidade: reduzir, reutilizar e reciclar.

- O tampo da mesa foi feito de uma porta, pintado de preto e colocado em cima de uma escrivaninha;

- O quadro foi feito de uma parede de divisória e pintado de tinta verde especial para ser usado com giz;

- A banqueta foi renovada recebendo uma nova camada de verniz e estofamento no assento.

Com ideias como essas podemos renovar de forma econômica, dando nova função a objetos que já tínhamos, e ajudando a reduzir, pelo menos um pouco, o consumo desnecessário.