VALENTINE'S WARDROBE
Got plans for Valentine's day yet? Or better yet, do you have your Valentine's outfit planned yet? If not, I have some inspiration for you!
all clothing above from zara
I'm in love with everything from Zara. Seriously, how cute are those pink heels in the hot date outfit? And I'm hoping to snag that oversized cardigan today.
James and I are heading to Vancouver today for the you & her launch (check out their website and buy their undies to support girls in Africa!) so we decided to make a Valentine's date of it. We'll be there for less than 24 hours but I'm hoping to squeeze in as much as possible including breakfast at Medina Cafe and hopefully some qt at Zara. We have no official plans on the big day itself but here's to hoping my man has something special up his sleeve (no pressure darling..)
Happy Wednesday!
xo,
s.s.♥.
RASPBERRY CHEESECAKE BROWNIES
Are you a Valentine's lover or hater? Even though I have been single for most of my life (James was my second official boyfriend, and the first one was in grade 9 for two weeks, ha) I've always loved Valentine's Day, probably because I'm a hopeless romantic at heart.
So I made you a dessert for Valentine's Day. You can make it for your boyfriend or your friends or heck, make it for yourself, and rent The Notebook. You can pretend you're eating it with Ryan Gosling. That sounds like a pretty fantastic Valentine's Day if you ask me.
Enjoy!
xoxo,
s.s.♥.
WINTER FITNESS GEAR
The cold weather in Victoria has returned...booooooo. Tomorrow morning's forecast is "-3 feels like -7". I know some of you in your blizzard like conditions are laughing as I complain about -3 weather but us islanders just aren't used to that kinda cold. Torrential rain? Now that is something we can handle.
When it comes to running, I'm more of a fall runner than a summer one. I'm even ok with running in the winter (just not -10 please). But I'm only ok with it, if my running jacket is good to go. I live in that thang in the winter time. I purchased it 7 years (!!!!) ago and I still use it all the time. It just goes to show investing in good gear is definitely worth it.
Below are some winter running essentials. You can't just slap on some capris and hope for the best. If you're taking on winter running, you gots to be prepared!
ONE WORD 2014 // AMY
Hey! I’m Amy! After giving it a lot of thought, I decided that 2014 needed a word that I could hold onto during the ebb and flow of the challenging and beautiful times ahead. I chose the word ‘cherish’ because I wanted to see the value in each situation, and to foster a hope for each day. Sometimes I find it easy to be worried with the unknowns in the future. Often, I voice my frustrations more frequently than my gratitude. My husband recently joined the army, and the decision was a substantial one. We will be given orders on when and where to move, and we can certainly expect to move often. This did not originally fit with my “plan” for our future together. My career plans, and hopes to settle down and buy a house suddenly need to be drastically modified. As the unknowns ahead started to fill my mind, and I lost sight of what truly matters. Then I read 1 John 2:15-17:
“Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.”
I realized that my own achievements and possessions had become a major priority. Yikes! I also realized that in all things, I needed to rejoice, and to find moments and people to cherish and appreciate. Life is a gift, and I have been given so much to be thankful for. Living for Christ and loving others is much more important than the career and possessions that the world makes so appealing.
Thank you for sharing your heart Amy and again, thank you for taking all the beautiful photos!! (Hire her!!)
xo,
s.s.♥.
ONE WORD BRUNCH
FYI I am a straight up lover of brunch. You want to take me out for dinner? Ahhh, let's do brunch instead? Waffles, morning light, pretty flowers, the comforting smell of coffee and bacon...now those are my game. Orange juice? Oh, you got me hooked. Now add inspiring conversation to the mix...a little piece of Heaven.
And that's what last Saturday morning was. I invited some girlfriends over to have a One Word brunch. As you know, I've been doing this One Word thang for a few years now (2012, 2013, 2014). Last year I hosted a One Word dinner (which was so lovely). This year I decided upon brunch because as you know, I'm a lover of brunch. Basically each girl brought her incredible self, some delicious food and the word God had given her for 2014.
I made waffles (which my sister in law had made on Christmas day and are THE BEST and yes, I'll be sure to share the recipe soon) and Danae made candied bacon (which was ahhhmaazing!) We ate a lot and laughed a lot...the best combo.
Ok, and can we talk about the elephant in the room for just a moment? You may be wondering why I have pictures of a lovely girly brunch with a "Let's get it on" chalkboard in the background? Ha, it's only up because of sheer laziness. It's been up since I hosted a lingerie shower for a friend in October…October, oh gosh, I know. Note to self: get around to decorating dining room...
It was so incredibly, cool to see how God gave each of us unique words. I'm in awe of how good our God is. He cares for each of us individually and He speaks clearly today!
Each girl's word was so inspiring that I have decided to feature them all. Yes, you'll be hearing from five beautiful women of God over the next couple weeks...get pumped!
You may notice only five women appear in these photos, that's because the incredible Amy was taking the photos (hire her, she's amazing!) You'll get to meet her soon enough though, because she's sharing her one word tomorrow.
We each left that brunch feeling soooo refreshed. It was so so so so good to gather with intentionality and bacon too of course.
xoxo,
s.s.♥.
P.S. Do you have a word for 2014? if so, I want to hear from you! Blog about it or comment below :)