Thursday, March 31, 2011

creamy taco mac.




got this recipe from annie's eats and just added in some extra veggies. it actually turned out quite well and was incredibly simple! a quick weeknight meal! needless to say, we have A LOT of leftovers :)

--m

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

toms.

best.shoes.ever. these ones are cord and dark purple. seriously awesome- I highly recommend everyone own a pair :) I got these as an early birthday gift from my sister. thanks ange!

I also have been really wanting some jeggings lately- scored myself a black pair and a cute long sleeve t from the gap today for $30! man I love a good deal. the jeggings will go great with one of the cute tops I got from H&M yesterday.

I managed to get out for a run this afternoon- it was overcast today but a perfect temperature to get outside. spring is coming! back to yoga tomorrow! should be lovely- 2 days without yoga is 2 too many :)

--m

vancouver


[horseshoe bay]

and the strike continues.. although hopefully not for much longer. decided to go on a spontaneous trip to vancouver yesterday. a friend of mine had to drop off her niece and she invited me to join her for a fun filled day! it was great.
highlights included:
*a little shopping- most importantly H&M got a couple good finds there!
*a delicious lunch at earls
*gossip magazines on the ferry
*catching up with a busy friend that I don't often get the chance to see- it was great to spend the whole day with her!

the weather held out for the majority of the day which was a bonus.
hope everyone had a great tuesday. I have a list of errands for myself today- better get started!

--m

Monday, March 28, 2011

I want one.

a home with a view like this:


and one of these:

actually even better- a convertible one! I love the old bugs, they are just so darn cute!

happy daydreaming!
--m

Sunday, March 27, 2011

weekend.

hope everyone had a great weekend!

mine was just lovely! included:

*girls night saturday with fab food and company

*a brief visit with this little man


*a beautiful walk in the sunshine with D (during which I saw this house and I love the patio off the side)


*a breakfast date with my sister


*a sunday night dinner with leftover peanut sauce


happy monday.
--m

chicken satay with peanut sauce.

[chicken marinating]

[peanut sauce]


[yum!]

I got this recipe here- it was actually relatively easy and quite delicious! I have a bunch of leftover sauce that derek and I are going to use for dinner tonight :) check out some other good eats that we enjoyed at girls night here. it was so great to catch up with the girls! I love a night of gossip and food :)

stay tuned for other weekend highlights!
--m

Friday, March 25, 2011

carb-alicious!

a delicious end to a busy week! asparagus, yorkshires and twice baked potatoes! twice baked potatoes were a new thing for me- I haven't attempted to make them until tonight because they are quite time consuming to make. but currently I have more free time than usual so I thought I would give it a try. I'm glad I did!
after baking the potatoes for 1.25 hours I scooped out the potato goodness and mixed that up with butter, milk, sour cream, diced green onions and some grated cheese. sprinkled some green onions and cheese on top and put them back in the oven for 15 mins. deeeeelicious! I think it is okay to indulge once in a while! well worth it!

here are a couple of pictures from earlier in the week:


[hello- I know, I know, I'm cute]



looking forward to a great weekend. catching up with some friends and family!
happy weekend everyone!
--m

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

iphone case.





























my super awesome friend made me this case for my iphone.. how cute is it?! I picked out the fabric which was ridiculously cheap and used an old button I had lying around and she whipped it up in no time! what a great friend to have.. she also makes awesome earrings and takes beautiful photos. multitalented I tell yah!










In return, I gave her some of these..






delicious nutella rice krispie treats!

hope everyone had a great day- it was absolutely gorgeous here today! spring has sprung(I hope) derek and I went for a nice walk around our neighbourhood after dinner and caught up on the events of the day.

--m

success!

I'm working away on my to-do list for the week slowly but surely..

*yesterday I found a wonderful farm about 5 minutes from my house where I can buy farm fresh eggs. they range between $3-4 which is reasonable in my opinion :) they have a little stand in front of their house where the eggs are held and a little box to deposit the money. what a lovely system. simplicity at its finest!

*I hit up two yoga classes yesterday which was fantastic. a core class at lunch and then a yin and yang class in the evening. this morning I did a rise and shine vinyasa class in the hot room with the worlds greatest teacher. my favourite pose of the week: square pose

*I also cleaned out my closet and have been working away on my book.

so far, so good! now for the not so fun stuff.. homework :(

hope everyone has a lovely day!

[I miss summer]

--m

Monday, March 21, 2011

this week.

hope everyone had a lovely weekend.
mine was nice and relaxing- derek and I tried this awesome new frozen yogurt place. it is all self serve- you choose the flavour(s) you want and then add all the toppings and pay by weight. I have been looking forward to trying it forever after hearing really good reviews. it was fantastic! it was a nice date after D was in vic all weekend.

so far my university remains on strike and class are cancelled day after day.. I found out my favourite teacher has been laid off so I was pretty upset about that. I sent a friendly(ish) email to the president of VIU voicing my concerns.

since the majority of my time is normally devoted to my studies and I am really missing the routine and structure of my schedule I have developed a little to do list for my week.
including:

* find a local farm near my house that I can buy farm fresh eggs
*clean and vacuum my car
*finish my book
*clean out my closet
*make some of these and also make a pie! (I have a crust frozen that I made previously)
*yoga everyday
*also- a few school related things. finish my media analysis on aquaculture and one of my lab reports.

here are a few feel good things I read in a martha stewart magazine this afternoon:
*get busy (I think this is why I'm feeling in a bit of a funk during this period of no school) I miss my busy schedule
*reach out for better posture
*schedule more "me" time
*fit in fitness

ps. I heard about a possible job opportunity today for the summer. keep your fingers crossed!

--m

Saturday, March 19, 2011

book sale!

I went to a used book sale this morning not knowing what to expect and I was pleasantly surprised! some of the books were donated and others were previously used at the library in town. either way, the majority of them were in good shape and I scored a couple great finds!

--committed by elizabeth gilbert (I have wanted to read this forever and I am on the waitlist at the library to get it but now it is mine to keep!)



--the book of negroes by lawrence hill (canadian author, score!)



--say you're one of them by uwem akpan


I won't have the chance to dig into these good reads until the summer. for now, they will sit pretty on the bookshelf. get this! I got them for $1 each! a great start to my weekend :)

happy saturday!
--m


Friday, March 18, 2011

at times like these..

at times like these... it really, I mean really, pays to be my friend..

especially since this recipe makes 3 dozen cookies.





do yourselves a favour and make these. you will not regret it.
--m


brace yourself..

I would suggest picking up some of these next time you are at the grocery store..




the BEST cookies I have ever made. stay tuned..

--m

eating animals.

since this strike I have had more free time than usual.. there is a new yoga studio that opened which had a great "new student" deal on so I decided to join. I have been going there about 3 times a week as well as once a week to the hot room! the new studio is great! they have such a wide variety of classes and the main teacher/owner is fantastic! this morning I did a great rise and shine class and yesterday a power yoga class.
the other benefit to this studio is it is right downtown- and right beside the library! I have been borrowing lots of magazines lately to keep me busy and the other day I happened to stumble upon a book I have been dying to read! eating animals


so far it is amazing! I have only read a couple chapters but it takes such a different approach to the topic of vegetarianism. I can already tell that I am going to love it. he covers a lot of different areas of science while tying it into his personal experiences with animals. now I am getting into the part where he discusses the worldwide depletion of fisheries and how he relates this to war in a sense. he states: "our situation is so extreme that research scientists at the Fisheries Centre of the University of British Columbia argue that our interactions with fisheries resources have come to resemble.. wars of extermination" fact: for every ten tuna, sharks, and other large predatory fish that were in our oceans fifty to a hundred years ago, only one is left. many scientist predict the total collapse of all fished species in less than fifty years- and intense efforts are under way to catch, kill and eat even more sea animals. -- jonathon safran foer

a must read! and I was so fortunate to snatch it up at the library before someone else did :)
happy reading and yoga-ing.
--m


Wednesday, March 16, 2011

lovely day.








































this is what happens when I'm not at school(silly strike). it was a lovely day for a nice walk by the ocean. and great company too! this is one of my favourite parks, it is so gorgeous. but last time I was here someone broke the window in D's car and stole my purse.. I made sure to not even bring my purse with me this time!

happy wednesday!
--m

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

thought..

[derek, morg, rhys]


love doesn't make the world go 'round. love is what makes the ride worthwhile. --franklin p. jones

happy tuesday.
--m

Monday, March 14, 2011

daydreaming..





one day my house will look like this. I love light, beachy colours. and I especially love the white floors in the first picture. I want those someday.
what I'm listening to while daydreaming: sia- we are born. love it :)

happy monday.
--m

ps. this is what happens to me while my school is on strike. can you blame me? now- time to hit the books.

weekend.



























highlights included: making homemade pizza with abby on friday night, homemade fish and chips with great friends on saturday night, sunday morning visit with megs, tye and rhys(he would be the charmer pictured above), new banana bread recipe- so yummy, no-bake cookies which also turned out great, and a couple rounds of scrabble :)

hope everyone has a great week!
--m