Heat Wave

The other day, we've had our first mini heat wave in which it finally passed thirty degrees celsius in Ontario. We've had such an unfortunate summer, that I was actually glad to be sticky hot without having to do anything! The only thing that I had in mind was to take a few pictures of the garden in the backyard to keep me from complaining.

Appreciating the natural beauty in life is what it's all about. Sometimes we just have to take a step back to realize what has been in front of us for a while! So here it is, a few snaps I shot of my mini paradise. Now, if you actually have seen my garden, this is only a small snippet of it all. I'd like to share a few of my favourites in the near future, but for now, these are my heat wave feels.

One of the original inspirations of painting my room a certain colour - I am so in love with the uniqueness of this flower

I figured I should sneak in my current favourite artist.. Sam Smith is quite the talent

 I know these are not flowers, but they spent a lot of my day with me and we had so much fun playing around! They were so tired out!

P.S. I haven't blogged in ages due to current renovations in my home. I shouldn't have let it get to me, but I got caught up in what was dominating my life! I thought I should be organized at home before getting organized on the blog. I'll be back soon, don't worry!

Pimm's No 1

Pimm's No 1

It's officially June and the weather is getting warmer and warmer! Spring has officially sprung as the flowers are blooming and the grass is growing green. This is definitely the time when everyone gathers together with friends and family to spend most of their time outside, enjoying the sun while it lasts! And usually during a time like this, they get together and have a few drinks!

I have to admit, I don't drink very often but every once in a while, I do enjoy a glass of wine while relaxing outside at the end of the night. Just recently, I discovered this wonderful liqueur called Pimm's No. 1 while I was in Toronto! I've never heard of it until then, and neither have a lot a people that I've talked to about it!

It originated in the UK and is a gin-based liqueur with different herb extracts and fruit juices! It's surprisingly not too sweet, and there are so many ways to mix it. The first time I tried it, it was called Pimm's Cup. It was a mix of ginger ale, Pimm's no 1, raspberries, cucumber and strawberries! There were so many amazing flavours in the drink, and in general it has a small percentage of alcohol. I hear you can also mix it with lemonade, and when I first made it at home, I tried my own version of Pimm's Cup and used tonic water and added mint leaves! It was delicious!

Anyhow, I've decided to share my love for this drink because it is perfect for summer! It's my new favourite. Definitely try it out (if you are of age of course...)!

Much love,
JessicaLynn

MoRoCo - Chocolate

A few years ago, I (again) was in Toronto and had visited a restaurant called MoRoCo. Not only do they serve great food, but they specialize in chocolate desserts. I am definitely one of those people who is a sucker for chocolate. This past trip that I visited the city, I came across this little place in Yorkville again. The second I saw their sign that pointed towards a cute little pathway, I was practically drooling.

MoRoCo serves all kinds of desserts and drinks that surround the name of chocolate. They serve any kind of chocolate that you can think of. The atmosphere of the place is really calm and collected. It's busy, but not the kind of busy that you have to yell over one another. This posh restaurant has so many different options that I'm determined to try them all. On my recent trip there, I shared a delicious dark chocolate fondu that came with homemade marshmallows, macarons, grapes, strawberries, banana and pretzels. It was everything. My parents and I demolished the dish, and funny enough to say, my dad licked the chocolate bowl... We couldn't stop laughing when he did that, but we were lucky enough that it was somewhat dark enough with the dimmed lighting that no one noticed...

The list of things on their menu were endless and sounded heavenly. They even had a dessert in which they bring an open flame to your table to cook your own luxury s'mores! It was the coolest thing I've ever seen for that kind of atmosphere.

Yorkville is definitely a great place to explore in downtown Toronto, but if you come across this restaurant, definitely take the time to pop in! You can even purchase chocolates to go (so you REALLY have no excuse).

Here are a few photos that I took on my last visit!

Delicious.... No need for any more explanation!

I was thrilled to be back!
What I'm wearing:
Blazer - Bedo
Playsuit - Aritzia

This was in the little boutique area where you can purchase things to go!

This would give great gift ideas to those who have friends who are expecting! Nothing that relates to me, but its adorable!

If you'd like, you can check out more of the restaurant here on their website! It even has the menu so that you can decide a little bit faster when you go there!

Hope you are all having a great day!

Much love,
JessicaLynn

Dineen Coffee Co.

It's been far too long since I've last blogged, and it's time to get back on track. I was first distracted with exams, and then after that, I got stuck in a big rut with nothing to talk about - no new product reviews or anything of that matter.. I had done nothing but school; then I got a little bit lazy with it all to be honest, but I am no longer giving myself any excuses! Roughly two weeks ago, I went on a little trip to my dream city. It's nothing special, but it is my absolute favourite place to be; Toronto!

Dineen Coffee Co.

My love for coffee has grown so much in the past few years. I've tried quite a few different brands, and I think I found my most favourite place to be: Dineen Coffee Co. It's a cute little coffee shop on near Yonge and Queen and has the best atmosphere ever. Everything is homemade, they have the cutest little breakfast foods and treats and the most delicious freshly squeezed juices! My favourite would have to be the kale one. It was so refreshing and tasted delicious. I went there only twice because I discovered the place on the last two days that I was visiting the city. Both days I had the Vanilla Latte with almond milk, then I switched up the little treats I ate. I tried both the blueberry muffin and the Almond Croissant which were literally the best things ever. I've never had a croissant before, but it was so light and tasty and the muffin was amazing as well. Anyhow, here are a few photos that I took while I was there. I highly recommend this coffee shop if you're in the area, or are ever planning to visit the city!

Also, check out their website! It has such a cool vibe, and I guarantee you that it'll convince you to take a stroll down to the Financial District in Toronto!

The Atmosphere

Dineen Coffee Co. had the neatest atmosphere and really cool vibes. The music was great, the service was great, and even the other customers were friendly. I felt like it was my calling. Everything was perfect.

Dineen Coffee Co. from a different angle..

Surprisingly, there was a lot of seating and so many neat antique looking decorations!

The booths were my favourite, though!

The Coffee and Food

Both days that I went for a latte, I got heart designs, but they also do different ones like swans and leaves... 

 

And like I said, the food was out of this world!

Almond Croissant - I highly recommend this one!

The only photo that I got of the blueberry muffin. It was homemade and delicious!

This last one, I had a lovely breakfast with my parents.. Thought it would be cute to add this!

Me

DAY 1 - I honestly couldn't have been more excited to have found this place!
What I'm wearing:
Blazer - Bedo
Dress - H&M

DAY 2 - I admit to looking a little sleepy in this one.. We stayed out late this night before and this was the morning that we had to leave, sadly! (As you may see all of our luggage!)
What I'm wearing:
Coat - H&M
Tee - Forever 21
Trousers - RW&CO

Hope you enjoyed this post and are convinced on visiting this place soon!

Much love,
JessicaLynn

A Mini Health Haul

The other day, I was in the mood to go on a big health kick. So far so good! Instead of calling it a diet, I prefer to call it a lifestyle change. I'm willing to do what it takes to be healthy. I'm exercising way more often than usual, eating healthy and I even feel more energetic. Anyhow, I went to a store called the Nutrition House, in which they sell all kinds of different products for healthy living. They sell everything that you can't normally buy in a grocery store. The products that I bought for myself are pretty random. I went there specifically for two ingredients that I wanted to try in a smoothie. I came out with a couple more things than I expected and I'm tempted to go back!

So first of all, I got chlorella powder. It is a natural detoxification powder that binds all of the heavy metals and toxins in your body and gets rid of it! One of the neat things about it is that it doesn't get rid of anything that your body actually needs. It also originated in Japan (if that's of any interest). It's great to add into smoothies!

 Next up, I bought Wheat Grass Powder. I love adding this to smoothies as well because it doesn't really affect any flavouring of the drink! It's great to retain all of the enzymes that we loose in our food from cooking it. It has amazing benefits!

Now this is one of the products that I just HAD to buy. I've always heard such great things about hemp seeds. It's so versatile because you can literally mix it with anything you want! I love it for homemade granola bars! So tasty and so healthy for you! It's great for your digestive system, increased energy, and controlling blood sugars.

Last, but certainly not least, I decided to pick up some goji berries! These are great with anything. I normally eat them plain, with tea or in smoothies (can you tell I love smoothies??) but you can mix them with SO many other things! They are packed with Vitamin C (supposedly mores than oranges) and are a great antioxidant! I love the taste of them!

Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed this post. It's not something I normally do, but I enjoying sharing awesome health tips when I find them! Yay nutrition!

Much love,
JessicaLynn

Plans for 2014

As I sit here by my fireplace, I decided to plan a few things for this year. All in all, a lot of it involves travelling. I thoroughly enjoy travelling and living life to the fullest. I stayed in my hometown to go to university for a few reasons. My main reason was so that I could spend money on certain luxury items that I truly enjoy. In this case, I have a few plans to go to a few concerts and possibly travel to Europe at the end of the year if the odds work in my favour. I also want to do a lot of in-the-moment decisions. Whether I say yes to more positive things or just think of something fun to get out of the house, I want to make this year better than any other.

I have high hopes to actually do what I say I'm going to do. Visit family more often, travel more often and everything in between. I don't want to sit around and complain that I'm bored or that I have nothing to do. Whether you live in a big city or small town, there's always something to do. All you have to do is make the effort to think of something and do it.

I feel that I could be a better person if I do these kind of things. Maybe I'll be happier. As of right now, school is starting again tomorrow. It's going to be busy, but I need to ensure that I make an effort to do something extra.

Do you have any fun plans for 2014?

Much love,
JessicaLynn