DIY Wedding Details

I love making things. There is something incredibly relaxing about making something, whether it's food, a piece of art or a gift for someone.

It's been 9 months since I got married.......and I realized that I had quite a few DIYs for my wedding that I wanted to share with you!

First up- flowers and bouttinieres.

I knew that I didn't want to go with anything traditional for the wedding and my biggest DIY surprise for myself was that I made my flowers from crepe paper! Once I knew what I was going to do for flowers it just made complete sense for me-I'd get to customize the sizes, colours and even the quantity.

Using this blog post from Studio DIY, a couple of my bridesmaids and I were able to put together all of  flowers over the course of a couple of evenings. One evening was spent cutting out everything, the other was spent making them.

Gorgeous flowers for my gorgeous gals!

 Just look at how vibrant those colours are









I hired Wildfell Florals to make some simple herb bouttinieres for the men. For my groom's bout, I added a special touch- a succulent that I had kept growing from my Feb 2015 photoshoot with Arynn Photography. While this may not count as a complete DIY, as someone with a notorious black thumb  I'm extremely proud of myself for keeping the succulent alive.
 

The succulent is still alive and well, and I've managed to propogate two more baby plants from its leaves


Wedding Favours- Tea Sachets

This is the DIY that took up the most of my time...but was the most fun to do! I looooove tea. It's my go-to beverage, with coffee being a close second. These bags were my pride and joy, but took a lot of effort to make. I'd say they took about two evenings of work but were well worth it.

I had five types of tea hidden amongst all the sachets.

1. Chai
2. Earl Grey
3. Pomegranate Green
4. Genmaicha
5. Tropical Black Tea

First off- those tags took an entire evening of taping (there's a washi tape strip on the other side for colour) writing and threading. I put 2-3 servings of tea into teabags to seal up so they didn't lose their flavour, then put them into the little burlap bags.

It was a fun couple of nights to hangout with bridesmaids and put them to work...but when you've got 250 to make it was awesome to be able to split up the work.


Have you tackled any DIYs lately, wedding or day-to-day life?

#BioreBakingSoda Influenster Box

I came home from a long day of teaching to find a bright green box waiting or me at the post office. Turns out...my Influenster VoxBox had arrived!

I knew that the box was a skincare line and when I received it, the brand was on the outside- it was a Biore VoxBox

products were received complimentary of Infuenster so I could test 'em out 

I was excited because the last couple weeks (okay...last full month) had been fairly stressful with some personal issues, and a ton of of supply work-which led to breakouts galore! I was hoping that whatever Influenster sent me would be a natural product, but was happy to try this. 

I'll start with the Pore Cleanser. It ha a thicker consistency, but managed to get right down to my pores. My skin felt squeaky clean when I was done! It also didn't smell weird or overly chemical, unlike a lot of facial lines I've used in the past. 

The scrub reminded me of the Dermalogica one, except this I wouldn't use everyday. To use it, you put a bit into your hand, and mix with water to get a paste of whatever consistency you choose. If you want a more exfoliating effect, use less water. If you want a gentle cleanser, use more water. 

As someone who's been using purely natural products for the past little while, these products were a bit rougher on my skin than I expected, but my skin grew to adapt to them. Depending on how my sin reacts (which could take a couple weeks) I may or may not stick to this product. 

I think these products would best be suited for normal to oilier skin tones. Sensitive skin- stay away! 

New Year. New Beginnings

I always felt a bit odd when New Years' Eve comes around.

Maybe it's because as a teacher my personal New Year has always been in September when I started classes or teaching piano. Growing up, I was quite confused that we started a new year in the middle of the year. I knew calendars started with January and ended with December, but it just didn't make any sense to me.

Another thing that never made sense to me was New Years' resolutions. Goals that were set, that many tried to keep and ultimately failed at doing.

New Years' eve this year was relaxing, spent with my in-laws and a family from church. We got fireworks going, played board games, and watched movies until midnight. It's a stark contrast from the many New Years eve parties that were advertised on Facebook, the radio and TV...but it was perfect. No crazy big countdown, no heels- just my husband (!! I am still not over calling him that and it's been 6 months), sweatpants, my in-laws. a good cup of tea and a movie. Dec 31st quietly turned into Jan 1st.

This past year has been a year of changes, the biggest one being that I got married!

I also went from working 3 part-time jobs to none to 2 part-time jobs (one of which I am self-employed), moving from a suburb to a small town and living 7 hours away from my parents.
All of these changes were monumental changes for me, and in the span of 6 months since I've been married they've led me to meeting great people, working great jobs and feeling much more content than I had been in years!

2016 is just a number, a year. I'm hoping this year will follow the greatness of last. I haven't set any resolutions for myself.....mostly because I know I won't keep them. I have vague goals I want to work towards but they're goals that have been in motion since I decided my career path.

Readers, tell me- have you set any resolutions?

Happy New Year!

xo

Time's a tickin'

Hello blogosphere!

Have you had those days, weeks, months, years where it feels like all you're doing is rushing, and not taking the time to just enjoy the moments you're in?

Over the past few months, I've been trying to spend a few moments every day just pausing to reflect on anything and everything that comes to mind. In the midst of rushing to make dinner, or teaching lessons I'll have moments where I go "this is wonderful and I am so thankful to be able to do what I love"

I'm officially a married woman, and with that came some changes. The biggest one of all was moving from a suburb of Toronto to a small town 7 hours north from home. It was a big change because it was just a completely different pace of life. There isn't an insane rush to go anywhere, and there are no feelings of anxiety to run late anywhere. This new town has given me time to stop and smell the roses, and to just destress. The moving process was also quite easy. We had a ton of family and friends help us move everything from my parent's place to our new apartment and it was a breeze.

Part of having time to relax has been playing around with quite a few recipes. From raw vegan desserts, to gluten free breads to quite a few slow cooker recipes- I've been cooking a lot! It's been a lot of fun making new recipes and adapting them to my own tastes.

Though I'm still waiting to hear about a job, and I live farther than I ever have from home- I'm surprisingly not stressed or anxious. Everything will happen in its own time and in the meenwhile I' just be cookin' up a storm!

Hello universe!

I swear...I don't mean to leave the blog alone for such a long period of time.

The oldest excuse in the book- life got busy.

Since my last post, I've been working 3 jobs and planning my wedding!

"Is she crazy?" you may be asking.

YES

Absolutely, completely one hundred percent insane. And I love it!

Two of my jobs involve what I've been wanting to do as a career since I was a wee little one- I've been teaching private music lessons to around 30 students, plus co-teaching 3 group musical theatre classes. I like being able to connect with students and push them to be their best while still having a lot of fun.

My third job is something that was just for "fun"- I started working at a raw vegan restaurant. It has such delicious food, and it's always a great atmosphere.

But doing wedding planning on top of that? Yeaaah....not my smartest move.

If I had to go back in time, I would make myself schedule more me-time, just so I don't feel run-down.

All this hard working is going to be paying off though, because I'm marrying this handsome man in exactly THREE WEEKS!

#ThriftStyleThursday-Bollywood Babe (Influenced by India)

Alright guys, whoever voted for this week's #ThriftStyleThursday...I love ya!

For someone who is Indian, this week was actually a bit of a struggle for me. Do I just put on an Indian outfit and go completely Bollywood or do I tame it down?

It's really hard to make outfit decisions...

I decided to focus on two aspects of most Indian outfits- bright bold patterns, and bright bold jewelry (bling bling baby!) 

Except...what's a girl to do when she has a rotating wardrobe of black and denim, but barely have any colour?!

Well...I made it work. I remember buying this top when peplum was just starting to take off. It was one of those "it's cheap and trendy, so I'll buy it" moments. I mean for $3, you can't go wrong! It features a very popular Indian motif-the ever-so-popular paisley. Combine that with a giant shiny statement necklace straight from India itself?

[Shirt-$3 from Stitches] [Necklace-gift]

Also Bollywood- appropriate? A thick, shiny head of hair, and tons of eyeliner!

[Hair- au naturel baby!] [Eyeliner- Essence waterproof eyeliner, $2.99 at Shoppers Drug Mart]

My hair has been one of my biggest struggles since I was a baby. Would you believe that as a baby, I had a head full of curls?! 

Unfortunately, keeping those pretty curls tangle-free was my poor mother's biggest struggle. By the time I started school, chop chop-no more curls! 

Over the past several years, I've killed my hair. Between dying it different colours, straightening it almost every day in university, and blowdrying it to straw....my hair wasn't happy. It was brittle and still crazy prone to frizz. 

I made a huge change in February of this year when I started the no-poo movement on my hair. I wash my hair with apple cider vinegar, and condition with coconut oil. Yes, oil. Coconut oil is the only oil that is able to completely penetrate into the hair, conditioning from the inside out. I think it's paid off wonderfully because my hair is the softest it's ever been! 

What is your favourite Indian trend?

Take an exotic vacation to my thrifty gals to see how they styled this weel's Indian theme!

❇ Aligator Toe ❇ Being Zhenya ❇ Bethie the Boo ❇ Buttons and Birdcages  ❇ Confessions of a Refashionista ❇ Eclecticity ❇ Erika’s Style Diary ❇ Lipstick and Yarn ❇ Muddy Flowers ❇ Rachel’s Lookbook ❇ Sandpaper Kisses ❇ Sincerely Miss J ❇ Sistas From Cali ❇Slight Impression ❇Snippets with Alex ❇ Spoolish ❇That Cheap Bitch ❇ The Two Cent Chick ❇

-Sarina

Foodie Feature-My Take on Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls

Hello! 

As mentioned in a previous post, I am beginning a series called Foodie Feature, where I try out different recipes from my cookbook arsenal. 

This week's Foodie Feature is a recipe inspired by this cookbook: 

The Good, the Bad and the Yummy, by Adina Steiman

I picked up this book at a discount bookstore in the States a few years back, and I love it! True to its title, it gives recipes that are "good" (healthy pick-me-ups) and "bad" (delicious treats), with the focus on every recipe being delicious.

This week, I wanted to make something for a girl's day sitting poolside. I was looking for something light, healthy-ish and easy to make. I decided to use this book because I remembered that there was a fresh rice paper roll recipe in it.

However, true to my Sarina style- I can't just follow a recipe. I absolutely have to tweak it in some way.
The original recipe called for shrimp, rice noodles, cilantro and cucumber.

What did I do?
...
...
I decided to make dessert rolls. 

Following true rice paper roll form, I had a carb- homemade sweet rice with condensed milk, something crunchy- a Pink Lady apple, and something herby- mint leaves. I also added in slice of mango and strawberries, just for some beautiful colours. These flavours together just screamed summertime to me!

The tricky thing about this recipe is prepping the rice paper. Each piece needs to soak in water for a bit beforehand, so that it becomes pliable. Too short of a soak time and the rice paper is brittle, too long and it becomes a mushy mess. I slowly got the hang of it though, and somewhat mastered the rolling technique. 

Look at these beautiful colours! So summery

Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls-makes 8

 (adapted from The Good, The Bad and the Yummy)

8 sheets of rice paper

a bowl filled with water- must be large enough to fit the rice paper into 

1/3 cup rice

2/3 cup milk

1/4 cup condensed milk

1 mango, seeded, peeled and sliced

1 apple, cored and sliced (I didn't peel mine, but if you want to you can)

1/2 pint of strawberries, washed and sliced into quarters

2 sprigs mint leaves, taken off the stem

• First prepare the rice- in a small saucepan, combine rice and milk. Over high heat, let rice boil. Turn heat to low and let simmer for 15 min, stirring occasionally. After, stir the condensed milk into the rice. Set aside. 
• To make rolls
• Soak a sheet of rice paper in water for 30-40 seconds, or until pliable. 
• Lay rice paper onto a flat surface. Put a teaspoon of rice mixture down the middle. Top with 2 slices each of apple and mango, 4 strawberry quarters and 2 mint leaves. 
• To roll. Fold top and bottom towards each other. Pull one side of rice paper towards the middle, making sure all ingredients are tight together. Roll. 
• Repeat process for all 8 rolls

Have you have fresh rice paper rolls before?

Sarina

Thrift Store Finds-A Ruby Red Convertible (dress)

I wish I thrifted an actual convertible, how cool would that be?! The closet I'll get to it is a Hot Wheels car...

Where I work at the moment is a hop skip and a jump from my favourite thrift store. I have gone there at least once a week since the summer started, and I have never left empty-handed. They have two sales every week. Items labelled with one type of coloured tag are 50 percent off, while a different coloured tag are marked down to be $1.

I have this thing...I love convertible dresses. A dress you can wear a million ways, just by tying it differently each time. The only problem is they're definitely not a thrifter's dream. Good quality ones start at $100 and up if you buy them through online companies, such as Dessy or Henkaa.

They have never been in my budget until this year. I bought teal ones for my bridesmaids dresses, and I thought that I was being smart and thrifty-ish by getting them off of Etsy! However, I wasn't smart enough, I should've bought one for myself too!

Well....yesterday was my lucky day.

I went to the thrift store just for a browse, and I saw this beautiful, silky red material peeking out from behind the coats. I decided to investigate. It was a convertible dress for $18! Of course, I had to grab it up. 

I got to the register after picking up a couple of books, started checking out-and got really confused when the cashier told me my total was $14. 

"Wasn't the dress supposed to be $18?" I asked

"Originally, yes. But yellow tags were on the half price sale this week" she told me. 

Hello wardrobe wonder! 

Halleujah!! I was pretty excited. I only have three red things in my wardrobe-a crazy fancy floor length cocktail dress, a cozy rust-coloured cardigan and a red sweater.

This is definitely a purchase that I can see myself re-using over and over again. I'm already dreaming up outfits...

Sarina

Foodie Feature!

Hello there!

As a kid, my first introduction to reading was...different to say the least. My mother had a collection of cookbooks that was about the size of me (at the time) that she never used! So my little tiny self went through all those books, looking for the yummiest things. As I got older, I actually started to read the recipes instead of just drooling over the pictures (and wondering why I couldn't have only chocolate cake for every meal...I mean, it sounds perfect to me...right?) 

I started really getting into cooking and baking around the end of grade eleven. I enjoyed the process of gathering ingredients, mixing, and achieving my well deserved result-delicious things! Around this time I also started watching a certain Canadian chef on TV-Bob Blumer

I got to meet my favourite chef earlier this year at a Food and Wine show-he gives the best hugs! 

I guess this cooking thing became a hobby of mine over time, because I'm still crazy about it! I've always wanted to go to culinary school but took music as my 'safe' option.  Instead, I watch the Food Network like it's my job, create disasters (and miracles) in the kitchen and treat my friends as guinea pigs to my latest concoctions. I knew my fiancé was the One when he bought me a cookbook for our first Valentine's day together. So much more useful than flowers! 

Over the past couple of years, I've amassed my own small collection of cookbooks that I've read a million times, and tried recipes out of. The newest addition to the collection is this beauty-generations eats by Amy Rosen.

New books make me happy

It effortlessly combines catchy titles, yummy recipes, and movie recommendations as an accompaniment! I perused this book at a thrift store today and quickly realized that it was a never-used copy . When I took it to the cash register, I had sticker shock-instead of being the dollar it was marked as, it was fifty cents!! There was a flash sale, with all cookbooks being half off. So much excitement! 

I want to introduce a new feature to my blog-Foodie Features! Once a week (well, I'll try) I will feature a recipe from one of my many cookbooks, complete with photos and a recipe. This blog started off as a food blog, and I haven't posted much of that lately.

Sarina 

#ThriftStyleThursday-Delightfully Dainty

Hello there!

This week's theme is delightfully dainty. When i think of dainty, I think of teeny weeny things, like rings and small patterns. 

This week I'll be featuring one of my favourite patterned items

Indian suit- free, birthday present, earrings- $5, Ardene

The pattern on the top and pants of this suit scream dainty to me. Even though the colours seem to take up most of the suit, if you look carefully you can see quite dainty little patterns.

What do you think? Does this seem dainty to you?

As always, visit the delightful dainty divas to see how they styled this weeks Dainty theme!

❇ Aligator Toe ❇ Being Zhenya ❇ Bethie the Boo ❇ Buttons and Birdcages  ❇ Confessions of a Refashionista ❇ Eclecticity ❇ Erika’s Style Diary ❇ Lipstick and Yarn ❇ Muddy Flowers ❇ Rachel’s Lookbook ❇ Sandpaper Kisses ❇ Sincerely Miss J ❇ Sistas From Cali ❇Slight Impression ❇Snippets with Alex ❇ Spoolish ❇That Cheap Bitch ❇ The Two Cent Chick ❇

Wedding prep and my Something Blue

Hey there!

Ever since I got engaged, my fiancé and I have figured out a ton of wedding stuff. It's only been a month but we have our chapel, venue, caterer, and photographer. Being a thrifty gal, I wanted to keep the costs down as much as I could. 

One thing I didn't waver on were my brand new wedding shoes! I always knew I wanted Fluevogs for my wedding, ever since a friend introduced me to te brand. The only problem is...their shoes START at $200 and go up from there. What's a girl on a budget to do? Go hunting of course! There a ton of places I 'Vogs for cheaper. There's the Fluemarket, Amazon.com, eBay and even kijiji.ca! 

I ended up finding the *perfect* pair of shoes. Blue pebbled leather, pointy toe, 3 inch heel. Did I also mention they're the comfiest shoes I've ever worn?! 

Best purchase ever.  

I can't wait to rock these down the aisle!

What are your favourite shoes?

-Sarina

#ThriftStyleThursday-Fabulous Florals

Hello!

This week is a bit of a rushed post, because I completely forgot...(oops) 

But I did have a dress in mind! 

This week I wanted to use my fabulous floral dress that I got at a thrift store back in London. 

Asos dress-from Talize, $12

(sorry for the terrible photo this week, using my phone)

It's one of the most flattering pieces I own! It's a fit and flare, so it highlights the best parts of me! 

Don't forget to check out my other thrifty gals!

❇ Aligator Toe ❇ Being Zhenya ❇ Bethie the Boo ❇ Buttons and Birdcages  ❇ Confessions of a Refashionista ❇ Eclecticity ❇ Erika’s Style Diary ❇ Lipstick and Yarn ❇ Muddy Flowers ❇ Rachel’s Lookbook ❇ Sandpaper Kisses ❇ Sincerely Miss J ❇ Sistas From Cali ❇Slight Impression ❇Snippets with Alex ❇ Spoolish ❇That Cheap Bitch ❇ The Two Cent Chick ❇

Thrift Store Haul- Value Village and a Garage Sale!

The best deals are in the most unexpected places, and after the past couple weeks I am a firm believer in that. 

The weekend I had my vacation, my fiancé and I went to our first stop-Value Village! I'm always drawn to the books and begin the hunt for awesome quality kids books. This trip was a good one for books! 

I was ecstatic to find 'Where the Wild Things Are' and 'Scaredy Squirrel' for a buck each! The rest of the books are just fun little finds. 

The best deal on this trip was the community garage sale I went to about 20 min from where I was staying. I wish I had taken a photo of just how huge this place was, and how flawlessly organized each section was. Christmas, books, kitchenwares, electronics, even a section of brand new stuff from a drugstore that had moved! I had I resist from buying everything! All the mugs, teapots, kitchen gadgets and CD's! I took this as an opportunity to buy a couple things for my future home. 

Guess what this entire box cost me? 

$15!!! One of the best deals I've ever gotten! 

I already finished both chapter books, and I'm in love with the Goody spin pins.

What are some of your best garage sale finds?

Sarina

Huge news!

Hello hello hello!

I just got home, and this is not going to be a #thriftstylethursday post.

Instead, this post is going to be about something big that happened this weekend.

I'M ENGAGED!

I went up north to visit my boyfriend this weekend. Unbeknownst to me, he wasn't planning on being my boyfriend for very long. The day after I traveled up, we went on a canoe ride and he proposed to me.


In case you're wondering, I said yes!


We drove back down south, and made a detour to visit his grandparents and a friend of mine, where we did an impromptu photoshoot! My friend didn't actually know we were engaged until the beginning of the photoshoot. I'm sneaky like that ;)

My friend's reaction when she found out

The ring

Until next week,

Sarina

#ThriftStyleThursday- Dapper Toppers (Hats)

Hello there!

This week's #thriftstylethursday was a hard one for me-hats. As someone with a ridiculously thick mane of hair, it was always hard to brush and tame. As a child, my mother's way of 'taming' it was to just chop it off...I had a bowl cut for several years. As I grew older, the sheer amount of hair I had frustrated me so I usually kept it in one of two hairstyles- a bun or a ponytail.

Having to wear hats in the winter or summer gave me one of two options- leave my wild mane open so I could properly wear a hat or get a stretchy hat that would fit over a gigantic bun/ponytail but ultimately completely ruin any attempt at hair.

You've got to be kidding me. (This is pretty much what my hair looked like)

I also don't think that hats suit me very much. As strange as this will sound, I don't think I have a head shaped for hats.
Though I don't wear hats that often, I do have a soft spot in my heart for a few of them. Floppy sunhats, fedoras and cowboys are my favourites, and thought I haven't found the ideal ones for me yet, I'm holding onto hope that one day I will!

In the meanwhile, I decided to go semi-country for this week's theme, because one hat that I have and love is my trusted straw cowboy hat. And what goes better with country than the Canadian tuxedo, denim on denim, with both pieces fully thrifted? To accessorize, I kept it simple with a leather ring I picked up on vacation, a beautiful turquoise necklace, and a swipe of red lipstick!

And a closer look at the necklace and ring..

[Hat- gift from parents] [Leather ring, bought in Spain- $5] [Necklace-gift from parents]

[Shirt-Joe Fresh, thrifted from Talize- $2.50] [Jeans- Forever 21, thrifted from local thrift store- $2.50]

[Lipstick, Mac- Brave Red]

As a bonus, I also thought I'd use the excuse of a hat to showcase how long my mane is. Models, be jealous- that luscious thick head of hair is allll natural!

[Straw hat-gift from parents] 

Take a minute to look at the dapper toppers these lovelies wore this week!


❇ Aligator Toe ❇ Being Zhenya ❇ Bethie the Boo ❇ Buttons and Birdcages  ❇ Confessions of a Refashionista ❇ Eclecticity ❇ Erika’s Style Diary ❇ Lipstick and Yarn ❇ Muddy Flowers ❇ Rachel’s Lookbook ❇ Sandpaper Kisses ❇ Sincerely Miss J ❇ Sistas From Cali ❇Slight Impression ❇Snippets with Alex ❇ Spoolish ❇That Cheap Bitch ❇ The Two Cent Chick ❇

#ThriftStyleThursday- I'm a '90s Chick! (I don't care, I love it!)

I've been waiting for the perfect time to throw that song into something, and this week's #ThriftStyleThursday theme was my chance! I inquired with Martyna over at Spoolish about how to join #ThriftStyleThursdays, and now I am a part of it!

When I think of the '90s, I think of my childhood. Being born exactly in 1990, I grew up with some of my favourite TV shows being the Fresh Prince, Saved by the Bell, Boy Meets World (Topanga!!), 7th Heaven and cartoons like Johnny Bravo, Animaniacs, Felix the Cat, Dexter's Lab, and most of my favourite movies involved Disney princesses. The one thing that I remember really clearly about the '90s was SO. MUCH. COLOUR. Neon, crazy patterns, crop tops (which are all over the place now) and denim of every shade.

Being stuck in a fashion slump, I didn't think I'd have much for this week's theme, but then I looked into my closet and pulled out these three items. I remember buying these shorts last summer but never quite having a chance to wear them, and the shirt I got at a Stitches outlet but could never pull together fun, interesting outfits with it.

I love the back of this shirt- unexpected details like that make me happy!

The shoes not pictured in the outfit were actually free, through a university-wide clothing swap on campus this year. I wanted a pair of nice neutral oxfords but didn't want to shell out money at the time, and the next day I went to campus, found out about the clothing swap and ended up getting these! They looked brand new when I got them..I just happen to be really rough on shoes. 

[Shirt,Stitches -$3] [Shorts, H&M- $5] [Shoes, Ardene-free through clothing swap]

(PS: I know that technically I posted this on a Wednesday night, but I didn't want to forget!)

For some more takes on this week's thrifty theme, check out these lovely ladies!


❇ Aligator Toe ❇ Being Zhenya ❇ Bethie the Boo ❇ Buttons and Birdcages  ❇ Confessions of a Refashionista ❇ Eclecticity ❇ Erika’s Style Diary ❇ Lipstick and Yarn ❇ Muddy Flowers ❇ Rachel’s Lookbook ❇ Sandpaper Kisses ❇ Sincerely Miss J ❇ Sistas From Cali ❇Slight Impression ❇Snippets with Alex ❇ Spoolish ❇That Cheap Bitch ❇ The Two Cent Chick ❇

Chocolate-Almond Oatcakes

It's been a week since I've moved back home....and I am already starting to get bored. I don't have a summer job, so a lot of time is spent in and around home.

To combat today's dose of boredom, I decided to bake. I wasn't in the mood for a full-fledged meal, or a complicated dessert, so I went to something that I knew would be delicious no matter what-oatcakes.

Steel-cut oats were a huge breakfast staple this year. I enjoy the chewiness of them, and it was a breeze to make the night before and put into individual jars for the week. On the weekend, I used oats on top of pancakes to add both taste and texture, as well as keeping me fuller for a longer period of time.

Oatcakes were introduced to me on one of my practicum blocks. It was a cooking day with the kindergarteners, and we made healthy oatcakes together.

Now, I'm not a huge health person, so I took a basic oatcake recipe and jazzed it up. By jazzed it up, I mean I accidentally poured too much vanilla extract and cocoa powder into my oatcakes. Best mistake ever.

Chocolate-Almond Oatcakes-makes 12-14
(adapted from Edible Noir)

2 cups rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup brown sugar (I used white sugar, and it is a bit sweeter)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
3/4 cup margarine or butter
1/4 cup water
Optional: chocolate chips, walnuts, almonds, etc.

• Preheat oven to 375 F, and grease a large cookie sheet
• Mix together all dry ingredients
• Once dry ingredients are mixed, incorporate all wet ingredients and mix until a dough is formed
• Using a tablespoon to measure, form dough into small balls. Place onto cookie sheet and flatten tops
• Bake for 10-12 minutes

These babies are delicious with a pat of butter, jam or even some Nutella! 

Thrift Store Haul- Book edition

I went to the thrift store today and did a silly thing (although I like to think that I am planning for the future)

I went to the Salvation Army during their book sale. The way this limited-time sale works is that all books are 77 cents each- or 10 books for $5, 20 books for $10

Being the future planner that I am, everytime I go to a thrift store, I end up buying a least one children's book, if there are any.  I've built up my collection over the past few months!

Here are my latest additions to the growing collection! 

And here is the entire collection, in all its glory! Most of this has been thrifted over the past 6 months, and it's only going to get bigger!

What are some of your favourite children's books?

Influenster #imPressManicure Voxbox

After a year of working hard, I am proud to say that I am all done teacher's college! I am now back home, contemplating my next move, and waiting to start some additional teacher courses.

As you may realize by now, freebies are most definitely my favourite thing-getting packages in the mail just makes a day fantastic! So when I got the email that I qualified for the next Canadian Influenster Voxbox, I was excited. 

I got the package sent to my home address, and received it when I came back this weekend. 

                                  

A plain white box with two colourful shades of nails

This box was the Influenster imPress box. The imPress manicures are a set of stick on nails-no glue needed, and boast a staying power of up to 7 days. I was a bit apprehensive, because I've previously had poor experiences with stick-on nails and short staying powers. 

As seen above, I got two different colours for the nails- bright Barbie pink and beige with a black lace print. They were a bit difficult to apply, because the backing on the adhesive side sometimes wouldn't come off in one piece, but finally I got them on my nails.

I have no photos of me wearing the nails because... they didn't last long on my fingers.  I don't do much heavy duty work, mostly just typing, dishes and whatnot, but I found that the nails would fall off doing these small things. Two tips started fading after two hours!

My verdict: While they would be great for events like parties and going out, for everyday wear I'd stick to a good-quality nail polish and an amazing topcoat.