HELLO WEEKEND

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HELLO WEEKEND!
So happy to have arrived at Friday. This week has been something....

First of all, I thought my mail was being stolen...then my faith was restored in humanity (this instagram post explains all) 
 

Then, I drop my already broken phone off my lap and it lands on carpet and BOOM the screen goes black..I can still use siri but that's about it. I need a new phone ASAP but my plan is so good that I need to buy a phone outright and OHMYGOSH iphone 6's are like $1000.
 

And then yesterday morning I decided to be hcore and run 4km to my 8am training session at my gym. Because I was headed to work after, I needed to run with a backpack on so I could get ready after my workout. First of all, running with a backpack full of stuff SUCKS and second of all make sure you backpack isn't junky because this may happen.... I'm crossing the Bay street bridge and am so happy that I'm almost at the gym when all of a sudden a guy in a white truck honks viciously at me...at first I was like REALLY? and then I turned around and saw my pink bra hanging from my backpack which had magically come open and no not just that, but my flannel, t-shirt, socks and NEON undies were littered 10 feet behind me. Oh and did I mention it's rush hour? ON THE BAY STREET BRIDGE???? Good thing my face was already red from running because MY GOODNESS morning commuters just saw all my undergarments.  But thanks to the guy who honked because I would've kept going and that would have been awkward losing all my clothes...
 

But I'm seeing blessings in disguise. No phone = I can get a lot of stuff done! And undergarments on the sidewalk = laugh for others and now me and future sermon illustration! Good thing God has a sense of humour.
 

So this weekend I just want to curl up in an overpriced HBC blanket and hide from the world...JK JK. I plan on hanging with my students, baking lots of fall things and hitting up the gym! And potentially working on a new logo for S.S.Heart.

 Hope you have a fabulous weekend! This is the time I'd say follow me on snapchat, instagram blah blah blah but obvs I'm MIA there because I have no phone and only will post the sporadic insta when I steal James' phone ;)

XO, 
laura

THREE PUMPKIN RECIPES YOU SHOULD MAKE THIS FALL

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Well it's officially fall and I'm very ecstatic round here. The weather has definitely cooled down and I am very happy I'm not sweating buckets on my walk to work...also fall weather for running is just the best.

This weekend I'm excited to get into my kitchen and try out some new pumpkin recipes. Having two students really encourages me to bake a lot which is not so great for my waistline but great for this blog.

But over the years, I've actually posted quite a few fall recipes (big surprise there!) Here's three pumpkin recipes you should make this fall...

1. PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE MUFFINS

These Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins are hands down the VERY BEST MUFFINS YOU WILL EVER HAVE. They're a labour of love because they take a little longer to make but they are SO WORTH IT. I'm seriously drooling over here.

2. PUMPKIN SPICE SNICKERDOODLES

These, Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodles are the easiest thing to bake and they are ridiculously delicious!!!

3. HOMEMADE PUMPKIN SPICE LATTE

If you want to save money this but still want to drink "fall in a cup" then you need to make Pumpkin Spice Lattes at home! They are super easy to make and will save you a lot of $$$!!!

A lot of these recipes call for Pumpkin Pie Spice...a spice that us Canadians don't really sell. Well I got you covered....click here for the recipe!

Have you gotten into the fall baking craze yet? What are your "must" make fall recipes? Please let me know in the comments!

XO,
laura

SSHEART SUMMER BOOK CLUB RE-CAP

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So remember when we were reading 10 books this summer? Today is the last day of summer...or is it the first day of fall? Well anyways, summer is GONZO and fall is here and we're supposed to be finished 10 books! 

Incase you forgot...here is what was on my list!

I wish I could tell you I finished 10 books....I finished 9.2. I'm still working away on Simplify (and have about 30 pages left of Fashioned to Reign!) and I'll get to that below!

I reviewed some of the books I read here and here but to save you some time I'll put a quick review of the books below...

SUMMER READING RECAP

1. Silver Girl by Elin Hilderbrand....I thought it was ok. A little drawn out but hey it's a summer chick lit and got me dreaming of Nantucket!

2. The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion....Definitely gobbled up this one. If you haven't read The Rosie Project, do that right away! The sequel was cute but not as good as the first one. It was enjoyable enough to recommend though. The main character is just hilarious...love that Don Tillman.

3. One plus One by Jojo Moyes...I don't know why I keep reading her books. I find them all just mediocre. This one had a cute ending but I don't think getting there was worth it.

4. Brain On Fire by Susannah Cahalan...This one was a non-fiction story about a young journalist who seems to go crazy. It was very intense. A lot of medical stuff, which I may have skimmed through but it was very riveting and I would highly recommend it!

5. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving...OH MY GOODNESS, SO GOOD. I fell in love with the character of Owen Meany...he's just so fascinating. I don't even know how to describe this book, you just have to read it. 

6. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern...I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I definitely got sucked into the magical world of the Night Circus and loved the characters. I didn't loooove the ending but I don't know how I would do it differently so I better not complain.

7. The Shadow Queen by Sandra Gulland....I was very excited to read this book as I absolutely loved the Josephine B trilogy but oh my goodness, I was so disappointed. I would not recommend this one as there was some weird dark spiritual stuff in it that was rather disturbing...but not only that, the characters weren't developed and it was just blah. 

8. Fashioned to Reign by Kris Vallotton...This is a great book to read if you're passionate about seeing women empowered. It's an easy to read theologically enriched book about how it is God's plan to see men and women serving alongside each other in leadership roles! I wish I could meet Kris to give him a big hug.

9. Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee....Ok so technically I was supposed to read Where'd You Go Bernadette BUT I had already read it and I really wanted to read this one by the amazing Harper Lee. I ended up listening to this one on audiobooks through a lot of my runs this summer. It was soooo good. The audiobook was narrated by Reese Witherspoon and she did such a fantastic job. It's the sequel to To Kill A Mockingbird and it was so good. Reading it made me think of the post I wrote just awhile back on what a tragedy it is to idolize people instead of realizing that they are people and they make mistakes.

10. Simplify by Bill Hybels...ok to be completely honest, I've been avoiding this book....ha. I've been avoiding it because I know I'm going to get convicted and need to change my life. HA. I know that's not a good reason to not read the book but it's #realtalk. BUT I'm determined to finish this one this fall, so I'll get back to you on it!

So there you go, 9.2 books I finished this summer! Now it's fall and I'm working on my birthday goal of completing 25 books before I'm 30! Would love to hear some of your reading recommendations! What book must I read before I turn 30??!!

-laura

HELLO WEEKEND

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Hello WEEKEND! Mine started a bit early as I took today off because RIFFLANDIA! Rifflandia is a local music festival happening in my city and it's my first year attending. It's a multi-site festival with music in a billion venues all across town. Last night James and I checked out Boreal Sons at the Wood Hall (a cute chapel esque venue) and we loved them. Afterwards we headed to some night shows in an industrial-ish part of town.

My goodness, it felt like we were transported to another city! The whole block had music coming out of multiple venues and there was a DJ stage in the middle of one giant parking lot. So many good vibes...but I was getting beyond tired at 10pm and had to go home..LOL. Tonight I will prep myself with lots of caffeine so I can last till at least 1am..

• James' band is playing tonight at 9:30pm at Alix Goolden (which is a stunning venue!). If you can't see them there you can catch them Sunday in the park at 2:30pm and if you're a real night owl, they're playing at 3AM on Sunday morning at CMCT studio!
   
• Now onto the real important things: What to wear...It's supposed to rain :( So I'll probably wear this hat, (which btw I've been LOVING especially because it gives me an excuse to not wash my hair) a long skirt (because technically it's still summer), and a leather jacket (faux) (dream jacket). 
   
• Oh and I signed up at the gym and start with a personal trainer...TODAY. I'm a little bit afraid because I know I'm going to have to change my eating habits but I'm a whole lot EXCITED because I'm going to get in shape for our fall vacation! And now all I want to do is buy cute gym clothes (like this and this and this!)
  
  Hope you enjoy the final weekend of SUMMER! And if you want to catch some of RIFF be sure to follow me on social media!  

XO, laura

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A FREE PRINTABLE AND A LITTLE KICK IN THE BUTT FOR ALL OF US

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I have the above statement on my wall at work.

It's there because sometimes I need the reminder...who am I kidding? Everyday I need the reminder.  

We human beings can be terribly selfish at times....but on the flip side, we can be incredibly compassionate too. We were created to love and when we do, it's a beautiful thing.

I once heard someone say (and I think I've quoted this at least twice before on here!) that you can't always change someone's outcome in life but you can change their experience. We have the power to love others, to go the extra mile and spend sometime listening, praying and serving. You can actually help change someone's experience of life...that's pretty incredible when you think about it.

So maybe you're like me and need the reminder too....I got you covered. You can download and then print this baby up. Let's keep making this world a more beautiful place!

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD EXTRA MILE BLACK
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD EXTRA MILE PINK
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD EXTRA MILE BLUE

Love you to the moon & back,
laura