GOOD FRIDAY
When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
| Romans 5:6-8 NLT |
I just wanted to send some Good Friday love to all of you. Good Friday represents the biggest sacrifice ever made to mankind. God loves us so much that he sent his one and only son, Jesus to come to earth and sacrifice his own life so that we may have life and life to the fullest. It doesn't matter who you are, where you come from, or what you do. God loves you.
✝ = ♥
xo,
s.s.♥.
CLASSIC BANANA BREAD
I could eat a few things for days on days. Galaxy bars. Peanut butter rolo blizzards. Mangos. Baked brie. Oh and banana bread.
Yes, put me on a deserted island with a life time supply of banana bread and I'd be one happy girl. I've been searching for a great classic banana bread recipe for awhile. Classic to me means no nuts, no extra spices and no chocolate...just bananas in this banana bread. Now don't get me wrong, I like nuts and spices and chocolate in my banana bread. I just didn't want them in this banana bread.
Now this banana bread takes a wee bit longer than a normal banana bread. Ripe bananas are heated up then strained to extract juices. Banana juices are reduced over heat. Banana is sliced then placed along the top of the bread. Sugar is sprinkled on top. This banana bread is a labour of love. You should make it for someone you love....or someone you don't love because they need love too :)
| CLASSIC BANANA BREAD |
Ingredients needed:
1 3/4 cups of flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
6 large ripe bananas
1/2 cup unsalted butter (melted then cooled a bit)
2 large eggs
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp sugar
Directions:
1. Pre-heat over to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan with a bit of butter (be sure to get the sides!)
2. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Give it a little stir then set aside.
3. Place 5 bananas in a microwave safe bowl, cover in saran wrap and then make a few slices in the plastic to allow steam to vent out. Microwave on high for about five minutes (until bananas have released their juices).
4. Place bananas in a mesh strainer over a bowl and stir until juices have been strained into the bowl (about 10 minutes). Place bananas in a bowl and transfer liquid to a pan over medium-high heat and cook until juices have been reduced to 1/4 cup (about five minutes). Then remove pan from heat. Add reduced banana juice to the bowl of bananas and mash together. Add brown sugar, vanilla, eggs, melted butter and give it a good whisk.
5. Slowly add in dry ingredients to the banana mixture. Fold with a spatula until combined. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan.
6. Slice the sixth banana and then place along edges of the batter. Sprinkle with sugar and then cook for about 60 minutes (until toothpick comes out clear, you know the drill!) Once out of the oven, let it sit for 15 minutes in the pan.
7. ENJOY!!!
Recipe slightly adapted from annie's eats (originally from cook's illustrated)
Enjoy this classic banana bread :)
xo,
s.s.♥︎.
MY RUNNING JOURNEY
I was in the middle of writing a running update for ya when I realized I have never shared how I started running in the first place.
The truth is, I haven't always been a runner.
Ok, so you know those super fit families? The ones who go for hikes all the time, where the father and daughter go running around Elk Lake once a week?
Ya, that was not my family at all.
Being Italian and all, I was put into soccer at a young age but I stopped around 13 because soccer = way too much running. I switched over to baseball and mastered running the short distance to 1st base. I played baseball until grade 12 and then didn't exercise for a good solid two years...yikes.
I always believed that I couldn't run, that running just wasn't for me, that I wasn't the running type and I was content with that.
Until a few years later where I actually just started running and realized it wasn't as bad as I thought it was.
I started out by running with a few friends running around Rithet's Bog. I honestly had to walk every 500m or so but I kept at it and gradually, the running intervals grew longer and longer until I didn't have to walk at all. I started running on my own and oh my goodness, I actually started to enjoy it.
Now don't get me wrong, I haven't reached some nirvana-esque relationship with running. There are days when I hate it (especially when it's cold and rainy outside) and it's hard to psych myself into going out the door, there are days when the last thing I want to do is go for a run BUT the days when I believed I just couldn't do it, the days when I believed I just wasn't a runner are completely gone.
I'm a runner.
Sorry if this is sounding like an infomercial but I just want to encourage those of you who are starting out running or haven't started yet...you can do it! One step at a time, one lap at a time. You got this.
stay gold,
s.s.♥︎,
ONE WORD 2014 // KRISTY
Today's one word comes from my friend Kristy. Kristy and I have been friends for a number of years. We've been on many adventures together including seeing JT live!! Kristy has a beautiful voice (figuratively and literally)...take it away girl...
I first heard of the “one word” a few years ago with Laura at an amazing women’s conference called “She Loves”. I came away thinking that it was a cool thought but never put much more into it.
However, for some reason this year it's been jumping at me to consider.
So since Laura’s first post about her “one word brunch,” (which, if you know those ladies, you know it was most definitely as good as it looked in the pictures), I have been seriously giving it some thought and prayer about what my one word would be.
The past couple of years have been ruled by health struggles and more specifically this year, emotional struggles. Through most of it, I took on a “survivor mentality”... not letting anything get me down or stop me from participating or continuing on with life...“eliminating the interruption”. Looking back, I should have allowed myself to be content with the need to rest but I let fears of being forgotten, or left out or missing out get in the way of that much needed rest.
This past fall everything was too much to hold and I broke. I fell into a season of depression, something I never thought I would suffer from. It is not something that is easily understood, and not something that is easily ‘fixed’. And I learned it can take a toll on a lot of things, especially friendships.
It's definitely been a process but I can honestly say, with a smile and giving full credit to God, that I am much further ahead emotionally than I was even a couple of months ago.
SO — that being said, when considering my one word I thought for sure it was going to be “Joy” or “Hope”. But the word that God gave me was “FEAR”. I know, not too positive but it was followed with “TRUST”. The word is about facing it, and in turn trust God in the result of facing it.
Once I realized what my one word was, God challenged me on this ‘word’. I had to make a decision to not take part in something this summer that I was really looking forward to, a summer worship school at Bethel Church.
Through conversation, and prayer with leaders, I decided with all that's going on in focusing on getting well etc, that it wasn’t the best timing. AND I also realized that I didn’t have fear in saying yes to the go BUT I was so fearful of saying yes to His no. Fear of what it meant for me in not going, where would leave me in our ministry here at home, as a bunch of my friends from team are heading down, and also fear of missing out in time spent away with friends.
SO— I knew that I had to say no. I had to face those fears, and trust God that he has something for me in my continuous journey of healing.
Ever since realizing that this was my word, I have been challenged in facing other fears. It amazes me how much fear is connected to a lot of other things, like not feeling good enough, and diminishing my capabilities and gifts.
Lately God has been challenging me to write. One way of facing it is with this submission to S.S. Heart. So here I am, facing a fear.
Fear (trust)
“Do not be afraid, you are worth more than many sparrows” - Matt 10:31
"The fear of man brings a snare, but trusting in the Lord will keep you safe." -Proverbs 29:25
Thank you Laura for creating a place for vulnerability and for beautiful hearts to open up.
FESTIVAL FAVES & COACHELLA TIPS
So Coachella starts today and a little bit of my heart is crying right now. I attended Coachella on the infamous CADTOOL (Coachella and Disney trip of our lives) trip back in 2011 with Rachel, Courtney and Thea. And then last year I attended again with James on our Oregon/Cali Road Trip. Both times were amazing and both times I learned more about surviving Coachella. Let me be straight up with you, Coachella is very intense. I went in thinking it was a frilly dilly hippie festival but no. You need things to survive. And here my friends is my survival gear…aka festival faves. :)
1. Asos Kimono - Ok if you're going to a festival you need some cute trendy clothing. I'd be all up on kimonos because they serve not only as a beautiful covering when the sun goes down but also has a blanket to sit on when you want to sit back and enjoy the music from a distance.
2. Redoxon Vitamin Tablets - With being around so many people (and so many germs) it's best to be safe and pump up your vitamin c intake.
3. Marc by Marc Jacobs Bag - FYI you do not want to be carrying around a massive bag at a music festival. First of all, it's very annoying to be squished up near the front watching your fave band perform all the while getting bashed by the person's backpack in front of you. Secondly, you can't bring food or any cameras with detachable lenses into Coachella (the music part, not the camping part) so you don't really need a massive bag. I brought this bag last year and it was just perfect.
4. Gold Birkenstocks - You do A LOT of walking around and standing around so make sure you have super comfy sandals. I didn't wear the comfiest sandals, and it sucks. So if I ever go again, I'll be sure to bring some good quality sandals.
5. Clinique SPF 40 - It gets insanely hot in the desert so be sure to pack a good sunscreen!!
6. Cult Gaia Flower Crown - Your outfit isn't complete without a flower crown. (P.S. this one is on made sale!!!)
7. Baggu Fold Up Bag - Because it's boiling hot, you're obviously going to want to drink a lot of water. You can't bring any water bottles into the music part of the festival so you're forced to buy some (and then refill at their warm-ish water fountains). But to save money and avoid drinking the lukewarm fountain water, take advantage of the recycling program! For every 10 empty water bottles you collect you can exchange for one ICE COLD water bottle! And last year they introduced a whole lot more incentives (ferris wheel rides, posters, draws for VIP passes). It's actually super easy to collect empties because after every set people just leave their garbage everywhere. That is why a fold-up bag like this one comes in handy. Get your bag lady bottle collector on.
8. Bando Mobile Charger - Obvs you want to be tweeting, instagramming and facebooking all over Coachella. If that's the case, your battery is sure to run out at some point. They do have charging stations all over but who wants to sit around lots of sweaty people and wait for your phone to charge? Not me. Plug this bad boy into your phone and then instagram away.
9. Ray-Ban Sunnies - Self explanatory.
Extra Coachella tips-
Read the festival map VERY well and check out every exhibition. H & M has a magical tent where you get to drink water, charge your phone and freshen up at their beauty stations. I'm talking dry shampoo, wipes, sunscreen, the real deal. Also last year Fruttare had a tent where they just gave away free popsicles...ALL DAY. James and I didn't discover it until the second day, so be sure to read your map VERY WELL.
Plan your meals if you're camping! We ate amazing food because we planned out our meals and brought a camping stove. Festival food is amazing but very expensive so if you don't want to break the bank, plan some meals!
If you're camping onsite, bring a canopy with walls! The first year we went, we didn't bring a canopy and we were smoking hot by 7am. Last year James and I brought a canopy but only had mesh walls. It was better but could have been way better with solid walls. See you're VERY CLOSE to your neighbours and it can be a bit overwhelming. If you're like me and appreciate a bit of alone time then bring a canopy with solid walls or a tarp!
Ok, I could go on and on here. Coachella is incredibly fun but if you want to survive and get the most out of it, then plan well!!
Happy Friday!!!
-s.s.♥.
P.S. Coachella is live streaming both this weekend and next!
