My 5 favourite things this week

1.) Breaking Bad:

The last episode of the series is airing this Sunday night and I cannot wait! I have been obsessed with this show for a while now and I can't believe it's all coming to an end. I'm a die hard Jesse Pinkman fan and my only hope is that he makes it out of the show alive!

2.) Add More ~ing To Your Life by Gabrielle Bernstein 

I just started reading this book and I am already feeling inspired. Basically the book teaches you how to change your perception in order to fight off your ego (that little thing inside you that feeds your fears and doubts) and become a happier person. It's the first step towards a more spiritual life full of positivity. It also teaches you how to meditate... I'm very intrigued!

3.) Mom's Apple Pie Tea

This tea from Davids Tea is incredible. It tastes exactly how it sounds and is perfect for a cool fall evening. I highly recommend it!

4.) My Ukelele

Last year for Christmas my boyfriend Jesse bought me a ukelele that is painted to look like a watermelon. I absolutely love it! It is simple to learn, there are even a ton of YouTube videos that will teach you how to play different songs. I am a huge Beatles fan and I got the chance to see Paul McCartney live this summer! This week I've been reminiscing about the concert and playing Something on my pretty ukelele. 

5.) Knitting

Now that the cool weather is here I finally have the urge to knit! The projects I am working on now are an infinity scarf, a blanket, and slippers. I figure if I start now I should have some pretty awesome Christmas gifts to give to my family and friends!

HBO's Girls

I'll admit it, I have a bit of an obsession with TV shows. I've seen every episode of SOA, Breaking Bad, Curb Your Enthusiasm, East Bound and Down, and Dexter to name a few. Those shows are all great but they are very hard for me to identify with. I am not in a biker gang, I don't cook meth and I am definitely not a serial killer.

Then I watched HBO's Girls... finally a series that shows what life can be like for 20-something females!!

One episode and I was hooked, I managed to watch both the first and second season within a month! The third season is coming out next year and I cannot wait!

The show is created, written and directed by Lena Dunham... oh and did I mention she also stars in it? Talk about an inspiration! Her writing is incredible. I find it funny, relevant and realistic. That is the best part. The characters in the show are as close to real people as I've ever seen on TV (yes that's right even more real than reality stars).

The show centres around four 20-something friends who live in Brooklyn, New York. They aren't rich, in fact some months they can't even pay their rent. They don't own 1000 pairs of Manolo Blahnik shoes, and they don't meet for brunch every week.

They are just real girls going through real issues and I find it comforting and enjoyable to watch.

I highly recommend this show!

Have you ever seen Girls?

Top picks for fall

My favourite season is finally here! Time for hot lattes, cozy sweaters and brisk park walks!

Here are my top picks for fall:

1.) The Poncho

This sweater style is making a comeback! It's the perfect shape for staying cozy in the classroom or office. This one is MICHAEL Michael Kors. It has a high price tag but the fabric is so soft! There are much more affordable options popping up in lots of stores, I'll be shopping around to find the perfect one!

2.) Ugg boots

The fall shoe that never goes out of style! This is a wardrobe staple that I think every girl should own. I like the caramel coloured ankle boots and the sand coloured moccasins. Costo sells a super affordable knockoff version and they look and feel very similar.

3.) The lululemon vinyasa scarf

This scarf is amazing! It is perfect for fall and you can wear it so many different ways. Check out this YouTube video that shows you how to create all of the different styles.

4.) The Starbucks pumpkin spice latte

The perfect fall drink, enough said!

5.) Navy nail polish

I love fall nail polish colours! They are much more sophisticated than the neon summer hues. This season I am wearing dark navy and loving it! My favourite version is After School Boy Blazer by Essie. 

What are you favourite picks for fall?

-Sarah 

Sweating it out

For a long time now I have been hearing all about yoga and how amazing it is. I read articles about it in my magazines, see yoga inspired selfies on Instagram, and hear about it from my friends. So this summer my friend Leanne and I decided we were ready to see what yoga was all about!

We researched local studios and settled on Moksha Yoga Winnipeg since they have a wide range of classes and an intro pass for only $40 (the cheapest we could find). We read up on the classes they offered and found one that was at a good time and was supposedly appropriate for beginners. When we got to the studio with our adorable new yoga mats we were told that the class we signed up for was actually better suited to experienced yogis... uh oh.

We decided to be brave and give it a try and we actually really enjoyed it! By the end of the hour we both felt like we were going to faint but we realized we'd been concentrating so hard we barely took any breaths! I have never experienced the feeling of heat that I did in that yoga studio but somehow (my guess is from all of the sweating) I actually felt calm and relaxed.

We went to our second class (one that was for beginners) and found it even more enjoyable. We both felt relaxed and peaceful and remembered to breathe. I am an over thinker and I found that yoga helped me clear my mind and gain serenity.

Unfortunately our plan to go at least twice a week didn't work. The 30+ Winnipeg weather and our busy schedules kept us from going back, but I did manage to catch the yoga bug! I really want to go back and try more. They even offer Barre; a mixture of yoga, ballet and Pilates, which I am dying to try.

I want to make more time to do things like yoga, I think it is important to take time to relax and relieve stress.

Have you ever tried yoga?

-Sarah

Fast and Easy Cinnamon buns!

Hi everyone!

Tomorrow morning I am leaving on a bus trip to Saskatchewan to see the Bombers play the Riders! I am super excited and hopeful that the Bombers will pull off a win! The only downside to the trip is that the bus only stops at McDonalds!

In an effort to avoid eating fast food at all costs I am whipping up a batch of fresh, crumbly cinnamon buns tonight!

This recipe is so fast and easy! I often bake a batch in the morning for breakfast because my boyfriend Jesse loves them! I think tonight I'll make a double batch because I have a feeling they won't last the bus ride there! :)

Here is the recipe, I hope you'll try them!


Ingredients:

Dough
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tbsp sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp butter, softened
3/4 cup milk

Filling
4 tbsp butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
3 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in softened butter. Stir in the milk to form a soft dough.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 1/4" thick.

Spread the filling on the dough. Roll up the rectangle, and with a sharp knife slice into 18 small rolls.

Place the rolls in the 9x9" pan and bake in a pre-heated 400-degree oven 20-25 minutes.

Let the buns cool down for at least 5 minutes and then enjoy!


-Sarah

Year 1 Complete!

It is so crazy to think that I'm already finished my first year of CreComm! It flew by. I am only one year away from graduating and being a grown up!

I remember being so nervous and I didn't know what to expect coming in to the program. I thought I would never be able to make it through but I did!

I had so many great experiences and I created so many projects that I am proud of.

My electronic publishing assignment from the first week compared to my last assignment shows a huge improvement in my design skills.

After finishing the PR and AD exams I realized I have learned so much and retained so much of the discussions we had in class.

I am so excited to be majoring in PR next year and I can't wait to see what kind of challenges will be thrown at me.

I am also going to try and redesign my blog over the summer so stay tuned!

IPP Approved!

I am so glad I can finally say that my IPP has been approved! It was a stressful few months coming up with an idea and then waiting to find out if the instructors would let me do it.

For my IPP (or independent professional project) I am going to be the social media coordinator for Ken Peter's Dance Express and I will also be running their website!

I have been dancing at Dance Express since 2007 and teaching there since 2008. I love being a part of the Dance Express family and I knew that I wanted to do something dance related for my IPP.

I came up with the idea to run their website and social media accounts because I knew it would be a way to combine all of the skills I learned in CreComm with my love of dance.

So now that my idea has been approved I can finally get started on my project! I am going to meet with the owners of Dance Express to go over my plan and then I am going to start a Twitter account, a Facebook page, an Instagram account, and also redesign the website.

I am really excited to learn more about photography. I am going to be taking photos at all of the competitions, recitals, and classes this year. I am also going to be making a few videos to add to the website.

I am so excited!

So please stay tuned for the launch of my IPP and then you can follow Dance Express on Twitter and like us on Facebook! Woo!