Monday 24 March 2014

❀ Monday Motivation ❀

Yet another Monday has arrived and I am, as usual, completely exhausted and lethargic. I haven't been good at coming out posts lately as I've found myself in quite a writer's block so I have decided to just share another one of my quotes from my quote book with all of you!

"The hardest battle you will ever fight is between who you are now and who you want to be."

If you live in the same environment as me, you'll understand when I say that it is not exactly the best time of the year right now. While others are thrilled over the arrival of spring, we're crying into the fresh snow, haha :P It's been a long school year as well, so close to summer, yet exams and summatives still stand in the way. Sometimes, there's just no motivation to do work and everything just seems pointless. What I love about this quote is that it makes you realize that it is not the boringness of school, or the exhaustingly long winter which stands in your way. Instead, you must realize that it's all about attitude. With my current situation, this is the view I took on this quote when I read it yesterday.

This week, I'm hoping for a fresh start. Yes, I woke up at 6:45 today and I am exhausted, but at the same time, it was my first time of the year seeing the sun up in the sky so early on into the day. I hope you'll all try with me as I appreciate the beauty of the new fallen snow and truly enjoy learning about atomic structures in chemistry (sarcasm, but I actually will try).

The photo I chose actually plays a huge role on this message and my goal. I took this during the New Year's firework display in my neighbourhood this year. New Year, new me right? Well, this time, it's a new week and a new attitude. So I hope you'll all join me in winning the battle against our negative views this week!

See you next time!

Note: I'm sorry if those of you from Bloglovin are reading this post later on into the week. I seem to be having problems with my feed updating immediately after I post. They always tend to come out a few days later... I'll try my best to fix it or wish it gets better by itself!


Saturday 15 March 2014

Strawberry & Lemon Squares | #2014BloggerChallenge

With my sister's birthday party, which just passed, and this 2014 Blogger Challenge prompt, it was almost the perfect incentive for me to do a little baking over the March Break, or Spring Break, however you like to call it. I found this recipe here and because of my weakness for anything berry or citrus flavoured, I had no choice but to try it out, haha :)

This recipe was surprisingly easy to make. I made it for the first time 2 hours before the party started, finished on time and got amazing feedback on the squares during dinner! If you're looking to bake something simple for your family or need to bring something to a party, this is the perfect dessert. The ingredients are extremely easy to find and the procedure itself is simple and does not take much time.

So let's get started!

INGREDIENTS.

1. 1 cup of all-purpose flour
2. 1/4 cup powdered (or icing) sugar
3. 1/2 cup butter (or margarine)
4. 1 lemon (You will need the lemon juice and peel)
5. 2 eggs
6. 3/4 cup granulated sugar
7. 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
8. 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
9. 5 fresh strawberries
10. (Forgot the picture oops) 1/3 cup strawberry jam

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Combine 1 cup of all-purpose flour and 1/4 cup powdered sugar together in a large container and stir until even.

3. Add the butter into the mixture and, using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Note: Being someone who bakes just for fun, I did not have a pastry blender. Instead, I just used a spoon and gradually combined the mixture myself. In my opinion, using margarine for this method would be easier if you always forget to soften your butter ahead of time like me.

4. Taking an ungreased 8x8x2-inch baking pan, firmly press the mixture into the bottom.

5. Pop your pan into the oven and set the timer for 15 minutes.

6. In the mean time, take half of your lemon. You can squeeze out the juice over a cup using a fork like in the pictures above.

7. In a large container, combine 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, eggs, 2 tablespoons flour, baking soda and granulated sugar. Using an electric mixer, mix the contents on medium for 2 minutes.

7. With what is left over from the juiceless lemon half, use a grater to obtain 2 teaspoons of lemon peel. Add it to the mixture.

8. When you pan is out of the oven, pour your newly made mixture over the hot crust.

9. Put the pan back in the oven and set the timer for 20 minutes.

10. When your pan is almost ready to be taken out of the oven, take out a saucepan and put it over the stove. In the saucepan, combine the strawberry jam and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Stir the mixture over medium-low heat until it is melted.

11. After removing your pan from the oven and setting it onto a wire rack to cool off, wash your strawberries and cut the into quarters.

12. Apply an even spread of the jelly solution onto the squares and distribute the strawberry quarters evenly so each of your 20 squares will have one strawberry. Leave to cool completely.

Once it's been chilled for at least an hour, you can go ahead and cut out the bars!

This recipe honestly only required stirring and pouring mixtures into a pan, haha! It's so easy and convenient and doesn't take much time to prepare. Not to mention it was a big crowd pleaser, my sister's friends loved it so much that she didn't even end up getting one, haha :P Not a big deal though since it's so easy for me to make again!

There you have it, my first attempt at Strawberry & Lemon squares!

Leave a comment below if you also took this challenge or if you're going to try out this recipe! I'd love to see how it goes for all of you :)

That's it and I'll see you next time!


Wednesday 12 March 2014

Music Obsessions | February 2014

I just felt like writing a short and sweet little post today so I hope you guys enjoy this!

 Since there's been a Facebook tag going around asking for everybody to list their favourite albums, it reminded me that it's been a while since I've shared my music taste with all of you!

So without further ado, here are the albums that I have been (and still am) obsessed with!

Back Again...


Night Visions by Imagine Dragons
It is definitely not a surprise that this album is making an appearance on this post. I'm just so extremely excited because my sister's friends bought her this album for her birthday and I completely flipped out. I've already blasted it in our house... I just love how the Imagine Dragons create so many different styles of music and they manage to make each song sound unique and amazing. If you somehow don't know who this band is, go check out their perfection.



Storms by Hedley
I've always been slightly in love with Hedley's music. Their lead singer's voice is super unique, making all their songs different from the normal pop-rock songs. Ever since hearing their album, Storms, I've been completely obsessed. They recently came out with a new album called Wild Life and amazed me yet again as they seem to always change their style of music, but have mastered it again. Their new album literally added a funky element to pop-rock, haha... I listen to it all the time, but I have to say that I still love Storms more!

New Loves...

Blisters by Adam Barnes
I was first introduced to Adam Barnes' music when I watched Zoella's Autumn Lookbook video. She used Adam Barnes' She Will Stay Beneath the Moon and I loved the song so much I went and found it on YouTube. Turns out, Adam Barnes is a YouTuber who only has a few thousand subscribers! He is so amazingly talented and if you need an idea on his style, he reminds me a lot of Ed Sheeran, only with a little more instrumentals, but still very acoustic... be sure to check out his channel! This is honestly my favourite album of the month!

Clarity by Zedd
I'm not usually a fan of electronic and dubstep music, but when Clarity and Stay the Night were released and became popular, I found myself constanting listening to the songs and trying to sing along. I finally committed and went onto YouTube to search up more of his music last month and Zedd's songs are definitely what I go to now for a little energy and pick-me-up!

In a Perfect World by Kodaline
My friend, Francesca, has recently taken me under her wings and has already introduced me to so many amazing musicians. I still remember in tech class a few weeks ago when she turned to me and said the words: "I have a band for you that I know you'll love."
I fell in love... :P
If you've never listened to Kodaline before, you definitely must go find one of their songs on YouTube! I would recommend All I Want, not only because the song is perfect, but because its two, yes two, music videos are so beautiful and touching!

Breath by Chen and Zhang Li Yin
This isn't really an album, but let's not worry about that... :P If you're a fan of EXO, then you'll probably already know about Chen's collab with Zhang Li Yin. When this song came out, I instantly fell in love with it, not to mention the beautiful and sad music video. It probably won't suit most of you guys who aren't exposed to the Asian culture, but to those that are, go give this song a listen! I have to say that it's probably my favourite song of the month! :)

So there we have my current favourite albums (and song)! I hope you enjoyed looking into my music taste again, and I'll be back soon with a 2014 Blogger Challenge post! :)

What are your favourite songs and albums at the moment? I'm always looking for new music so be sure to leave a comment below!

Monday 3 March 2014

Spring Is Coming...❀

Spring is on its way at last! Even though it's still -15°C (or 5°F for the Americans) here in Ottawa! Anyway, my mom just showed me one of her flower pots and it was so beautiful that I had to take some pictures to share with you guys!





As cheesy as this sounds, this flower actually has a really interesting story. It originally started out in our garden, and as winter slowly came, our garden began to die out. Surprisingly, my mom noticed that this one flower was still very much alive. Out of pure spontaneity, my mom saved it from the garden and planted it into a pot for the winter. It actually seems to know that it's almost spring time again with such an amazing blossom...

So this was kind of just a short little post to share these photos with you guys! I'll see you soon with an actual post soon hopefully! xx 


Saturday 1 March 2014

Vintage Floral Nails | #2014BloggerChallenge

Spring is fast approaching, though the weather in Ottawa begs to differ. It has been absolutely freezing here this past week and for the first time in forever, all five of the Great Lakes have frozen. Anyways, ever since last year, I've been obsessed with the light pastel and floral designs. Wanting to attempt the nail art for quite a while, I finally have.

First thing to note is that I have a horrible habit of chewing on my fingers, which I've been trying to break for a while, so my hands are in no way able to model for this. Instead, I always find myself having fun while painting my older sister, Connie's nails. Therefore, she gets credits for being the amazing hand model.

Now let's move on to the tutorial!

The first thing you need is bare nails. If you have any left over nail polish on your nails, make sure you remove them before starting with this design.

Another thing you may want to do is to cut your nails if they're getting a little long. And being me, I always forget to moisturize my hands, so while you're paying some attention to your hands, you might as well do that as well.... Lately, I've been using the Body Shop Cranberry Joy Hand Cream I received on my birthday. My friends and I have all been obsessed with this product all winter.

In terms of nail polishes and tools, here's what you'll need.

1. Light Pastel
I recommend a mint or lavender for this design. For my sister's nails, I used Sally Hansen's Lacey Lilac 270. Perfect name for spring time if you ask me...

2. Light Pink
Personally, I chose the OPI Royal Flush Blush NL VO8.

3. Dark Pink
In this, I'm using the Sally Hansen Sonic Bloom 260. This is actually another perfect name for the spring time!

4. Dark Green
I chose to use Rimmel's Camouflage 830.

5. A pencil
Yes, a pencil. If you have other tools such as a dotting tool and a thin paintbrush, you might want to use those as well. For me, a dollar store pencil is the most convenient since the tip and eraser can be used for both of these techniques.

Start off by painting your nails in the pastel shade that you have chosen. I used two coats since this nail polish is getting kind of old, but choose to do whatever suits you!

Next, (shame on me for forgetting to take photos of this step) using your light pink polish and dotting tool, dot two or three medium sized dots onto each nail.

Now you will need your dark pink polish and the tip of your pencil. Starting from the center of the dot, draw a small swirl outwards and border about one third of the dot.

On the opposite side of what you have already bordered, add another short border, but do not connect it with the line you have already created.

Now, clean off the tip of your pencil with a small strip of tissue. Then dip it into your dark green polish. Create a thin line sticking out from a section of your 'flower' which has a gap in the border. The next strip you paint will be across the flower.

So there we have it, a vintage floral nail design to welcome in the spring time! I hope my instructions were clear enough since this is my first time doing a tutorial...

It would be so amazing if any of you decided to attempt this nail design as well! If you do and happen to take a picture of it or something, it would make my day if I saw that my tutorials were actually helping people. (So tag me @jennyyouu on Instagram if you do happen to try this out! Doubt I'll actually get any tags though haha xD

Hope you enjoyed! I'll see you soon xx