Weekender

As I mentioned earlier, my friends and I were all pumped for a weekend up north when we received the news that the cottage we rented no longer had electricity. So instead we headed out for some horseback riding on Saturday morning. I am not sure if I have mentioned this but I absolutely love horses and was very excited! It was a chilly yesterday morning but the ride was pleasant and eventful. Here are some pics. 

Here I am getting on my horse named Penny.

One thing I loved about the ranch was that there were lots of dogs around playing.

My group and I heading out for our ride which lasted about 1.5 hours.

As you can see, Penny is a bit slower than the other horses. She was also very funny because she would stop randomly to chew on some grass. Apparently she is notorious for stopping along the way to eat!

The scenery was beautiful and I couldn't believe I was out horseback riding that morning. If you had asked me what I was going to be doing on Saturday I would not have thought I'd be horseback riding!

Here I am with Penny after the ride.

One of our instructors fell off her horse and was soaked in mud. Unfortunately another rider also fell off his horse. This is what I meant by eventful.

After the ride we all headed to downtown Oakville for lunch. I had this awesome prosciutto pizza topped with fresh basil. It was amazing!

I hope you all had a lovely weekend. It goes by so fast :(

Half-Moon Nails

This evening I was supposed to head up north for an impromptu ladies weekend at Blue Mountain. Unfortunately, we had to cancel our plans because the electrical box in the cottage we rented blew out! What are the chances?? I have been a bit bummed but am now optimistic the weekend can be salvaged with a trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake and some horseback riding. Either way, I had planned to leave you with another post before I left so here's a little something I tried out this past Thursday night...

I tried the half-moon style of painting nails. I decided to go with black and gold because I like the contrast. I have never done anything this fancy with my nails on my own before so I did not know how it would turn out.

I followed this guide from The Beauty Department

Below is a pic of how my nails turned out. I am happy with the result and am excited to do this again. Next time I think I will do it with coral and gold. My only tip is to not press the reinforcers on too hard so that they don't peel off the nail polish when you take them off. Also, take them off when the black coat is still wet. I did a base coat, two gold, one black and a top coat. 

I don't want to toot my own horn but I think it looks pretty good for my first try. Here's to fun nails all weekend (and hopefully into early next week)!! What do you think?

Happy Friday!

Versatile Blogger Award

Thank you Shauna Wyrick @ Life Captured for nominating me for the Versatile Blogger Award!!!! I am really excited about this nomination simply because I love versatile blogs for their variety of topics and insights. 

The rules for this award are as follows:

1. Nominate 15 bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award

2. Add an image of the Versatile Blogger Award

3. Thank the blogger who nominated you in a post with a link to their site

4. Share 7 random facts about yourself

5. Include the set of rules

6. Inform each blogger of their nomination

7 Random Facts About Me

My favourite fruit is a really ripe mango 

I love to go out for brunch on Saturdays 

I love nature and the outdoors and could spend everyday outside riding my bike
I am as close to a Virgo as you can get
I am a perfectionist who is working really hard to not be a perfectionist
I sleep with ear plugs every night
I love jewellery more than I love clothes

Blogs/Bloggers I nominate (in no particular order) are...

from Freya, with love
Ryan's Pearl
Orchard Bloom
A Lovely Escape
See Jane
Hip Shapes and Bristol Fashion
Born Lippy
Walk of Fashion
Cupcakes and Cashmere
The Londoner
The Drawing Mannequin
A Beautiful Mess
Shybiker
Life Captured
Oh My Heart

Thanks again Shauna :)

Hoisin-Lime Salmon with Asparagus Couscous

Last night I made this lovely salmon dish for dinner. The bf and I realized we don't eat enough fish so we stocked up on some a few weeks ago. Broiling salmon with onions on top and serving it with a tomato and cilantro salsa has been my go-to fish dish for the past few years. It was definitely time for a change. I had some asparagus in the fridge and ended up coming across this recipe on the Martha Stewart site. I have never eaten salmon with lime and hoisin sauce and was pleasantly surprised. Since I have been eating a lot of quinoa switching it up with couscous was also a nice change. Overall a success!!

D.I.Y. Curtains

I have been sewing sheer curtains with my mom. Okay, let me rephrase that ... my mom has been helping me sew sheer curtains. I am merely her assistant. My mom used to teach sewing and is very skilled in this area so I am trying to learn from her. I think that sewing is a useful skill that comes in handy for many home decor projects, mending clothes etc. I know how to sew some things but still have so much to learn! Unfortunately the sheer fabric I chose for our curtains is really slippery and hard to work with so I won't be doing much of this project :( You're probably all wondering why we are even bothering to make our own sheer curtains since they can often be found at a reasonable price. The problem is we have 11.5 foot ceilings and haven't had any luck finding that length in stores. It would cost a lot of get them specially made so my mom graciously offered to help out. We are working on them little by little and hope to finish sometime soon. I will post more pics when all panels are finished.

If you are considering sewing your own curtains check out this post for a tutorial. It's actually pretty fast and simple but beware if you choose a slippery fabric!

This Week...

A sea if tulips in the park

I had zucchini left over from pizza night so I made zucchini bread. I used this recipe

I saw this beautiful swan 

I celebrated three birthdays 

I felt like painting my nails red, so I did 

We put up our new art!

Happy Monday!

What are you reading (magazines not books)??

I came across some of my old magazines the other day and realized that I basically don't buy or read magazines anymore. I flip through gossip mags when waiting in line at the grocery store. I'll sometimes pick up whatever is available in a lobby while I wait for an appointment. Aside from that I don't read them. I used to love Seventeen and Young and Modern when I was a teen...

I also went through a pretty short stage of purchasing In Touch to get the latest celeb gossip...

Then I got my own place and it was all about Canada's Style at Home. I even had a subscription to this one!

Images via: 1/2/3

Do you have a magazine subscription? What magazines do you read/adore??

Pita Pizza Wednesday

Wednesday night was pizza night. The bf and I both love pizza and like to make it once a week. I especially love pita pizzas because they are fast and easy to prepare. Not having to roll out the dough saves a lot of time and the crust is thin, just the way I like it! Even better is that we often have several left over for lunches. Here are some pics of our prep: 

adding some extra flavour to the tomato sauce 

the bf always grates the cheese

We made two different pizzas this week...

mushroom and zucchini

prosciutto and artichoke

I love experimenting with toppings but think that my fave pizza is probably Hawaiin (pineapple and ham). What are your favourite pizza toppings? Any suggestions?

Macaroons

Check out the enticing display of macaroons at Nadege. I love the array of pastel colours and want to eat them all! I have tried a few flavours and think that salted caramel is my favourite. Mmmm macaroons!!

Weekender

As far as I'm concerned, the best Saturdays are spent outdoors. I love getting out for a long bike ride on Saturdays and am going to try to do this most weekends this spring/summer as long as the weather cooperates. Yesterday the bf and I decided to enjoy the somewhat warm Toronto weather and headed out for a long bike ride along the waterfront to High Park. We wanted to get outdoors and see the cherry blossoms in the park. Here are some things I saw:

rowing practice

lots of water and seagulls 

First soft serve this year. Worth the 10 min. wait in line

dogs swimming

beautiful cherry blossoms

So many people came out to adore these trees.
 It was like a sea of white flowers. 

Unfortunately the High Park Zoo has lost funding and is set to
close down this June. This is really sad because it's a free and accessible
activity for children and families. It was also the first zoo to open
in Canada (in 1893).  You can donate here.

I enjoy watching the bison

Happy Sunday!

Dog Or No Dog??

Playing with a Chihuahua 

Some French Bulldogs I like a lot

I have always wanted a dog but due to lack of space and allergies in my family I never had one growing up. Now that I am 27 and have my own place I am seriously considering getting one. By seriously considering I mean watching almost every episode of Dogs 101 to figure out what breeds I like and can adapt to city living, talking to colleagues and friends who have dogs about the pros and cons and even going as far as contacting a Goldendoodle breeder this past fall. I also pop by the Humane Society every so often but am hesitant to adopt a dog since adopting is often recommended only to experienced dog owners. The bf and I are still considering getting a dog but are hesitant due to the cost and big commitment it takes to raise a well trained, healthy dog. The general consensus amongst our friends is that having a dog is like having a child (although it's the best decision they've ever made). We are so not ready for that lol so we've decided to think about it some more. Our top contenders are:


Miniature Goldendoodle

Cavalier King Charles

Bosten Terrier

Images via: 1/2/3

What's your favourite breed?

Do you have a dog and what's your experience been like so far?

Kale Chips Are Yum!

I love kale chips because they are salty and crispy just like potato chips but are healthier. However, this doesn't mean that I am willing to pay over $5 for a fairly small bag at the health food store. Instead I followed this recipe. The only change I'd make is to add the salt after the chips come out of the oven. Salt draws out water and can leave you with soggy kale chips which sucks! I also added some garlic.

Go make kale chips now! Trust me, they are delicious.

D.I.Y. Framed Paper

I never thought of paper an anything that special until I stumbled upon The Paper Place a few years ago. The store is located in Toronto's Queen West neighbourhood and has a zillion kinds of paper and basically anything you can think of related to stationary. I often pop by there and flip though their prints for D.I.Y. projects which have included using transparent paper to cover lights and framed paper as wall art.

This past weeknd I took my mother there to pick out some prints for her bathroom. Here are some of the blue prints she chose:

I used Ikea Nyttja frames and put them in her bathroom...

I am in the process of putting up some framed purple prints in her bedroom...

I couldn't decide what to put above my headboard for the longest time and framed paper turned out to be a good option. I chose dark purple prints to compliment my LILAC (big surprise lol!) bedspread. Check out these beautiful purple prints in Ikea Ribba frames that I put up this past fall. I love looking at them!

What do you think?

Get Fit Tips?

Couch Potato Cat

North Pole Couch Potato 

1/2

I would not call myself a couch potato but in the past few weeks I have slacked off when it comes to getting my butt to the gym. I try to exercise a few times a week right after work (mainly spinning, elliptical and/or weight training class) but once in a while I lose motivation or get sidetracked.

Does anyone have any get fit tips??
What helps you stay motivated??