My Coffee Favourites

I definitely cannot live without my morning cup of coffee! While many drink coffee for the caffeine kick, I love the taste of coffee and truly enjoy every single sip! I will admit that I do get an extra cup of coffee from time to time in the afternoon to keep me awake but my morning cup is essential to my morning routine. Since coffee has a important part in my life I thought I would share my favourite coffee products that make my cup extra special!

When my husband and I first got married, we were gifted a Tassimo coffee machine. We drank coffee from that for a year and got really bored. At that point we were really into coffee and didn't think the Tassimo was the 'real' thing, so we then switched to a French Press. The problem we had with the French Press though, was that we either never knew how many scoops of coffee we should put or how long it should be brewed for. At that point, we said "Enough was enough!" and we splurged on a electric coffee drip machine - best investment ever! We have enjoyed coffee every day from this machine without a single regret! The coffee is always hot and tastes perfect! What I love the most about this machine is the timer on it. We can set it so that every morning when we wake up, coffee is ready for us!

I've also been loving the Starbucks Pike Place coffee. I've been drinking Pike Place for a long time but every time I tried to brew it in the French Press, it never came out right. I feel like it's perfect when brewed with the drip coffee machine. I love the strength of the Pike Place - it's a medium blend. I've tried other brands but I keep coming back to this one specifically!

In Canada we have a coffee and donut shop called Tim Hortons. They are notoriously famous for their 'double double' coffee. Basically this means 2 creams and 2 sugars. Every Canadian knows the 'double double' lingo! It's hard to describe the taste, but the combination works really well and leaves you with a creamy, perfect cup of coffee. I then saw this coffee creamer at the grocery store called 'Double Double Mate' and I had to get it! It's been a favourite for my husband and I over the past month. I definitely can see this being a continued favourite in the future.

My favourite drink ware for coffee is my owl coffee mug and my Starbucks travelling mug. I've been through so many different travel mugs (and probably have spent a lot of money too). Plastic and stainless steel make the coffee taste completely different. Glass and ceramic are the best materials for making coffee taste like coffee, in my opinion. My owl mug is a favourite because it makes me smile every time I use it. I love the Starbucks travelling mug because its ceramic and it also has a removable top. This makes it easy for me to take coffee to work.

There you have it! My coffee favourites! I'm always willing to try new coffee products. If you have any recommendations on a specific coffee brand to try, like a brewing method, drink ware, etc... please let me know!

~RANDOMiss

Edible Easter Basket!

With Easter only about a couple of weeks away, I thought it would be unique to switch out the old boring Easter basket to something edible and exciting! That's right, an edible Easter basket! How fun and cute would this be for all of the little kiddos in your life - I'm thinking major brownie points! Here's what you need to do to make your own!

Materials You Will Need:
-Candy to make the shape of the basket
-Candy to put in the basket
-Green straw grass
-Cardboard
-Construction Paper
-Hot Glue
-Scissors

Let's get started!
1. Start off by gluing your candy into a rectangle or square (The shape depends on the candy that you buy). I found Easter chocolate specifically for this but you could use any candy.

2. Once it's dry, cut a piece of cardboard to fit the bottom of your basket.

3. Fill your basket with your green straw.

4. Cut construction paper for the handle of your basket. I found that construction paper isn't the strongest so I reinforced mine with some cardboard underneath. Thinking back, it would be cool to use candy for the handle such as Laffy Taffy or Twizzlers!

5. Fill your basket with Easter candy!

You're done! Never mind the kiddos but I think all the adults would appreciate this edible creation just as much - think of all the Easter baskets that are collected and just thrown away every year. This little project eliminates all of that!

Happy Easter basket making!

~RANDOMiss

How To Wear a Red Lip Confidently

Everyone loves to wear a red lip from time to time. However, I know that many of us aren't that confident on how to carry that red lip either casually, to work or for a fun night out! Wearing a red lip makes every women feel powerful, confident, sexy and fun! If you haven't tried to wear a red lip or just don't know where to start, here are some simple, fool proof steps that will make you feel confident enough to strut your stuff!

1. Before wearing a red lip, use a lip exfoliator to take away any dead skin. This will make for a smooth surface. My favourite is ELF's lip exfoliator - for a dollar, you can't go wrong!
2. Always use a moisturizing lip balm to give your lips moisture. This is key.
3. Invest in good lip liner! This is such an important step and one that is often overlooked - especially for a red lip. Having a good quality lip liner will prevent your lipstick from running outside the lines. My favourite lip liners are from MAC. They are expensive, but completely worth it!
4. Line your natural shape of your lips with your lip liner and then, colour your lips in. This first layer will act as a stain and make your lipstick last longer throughout the day.
5. Apply your lipstick!
6. Follow up with relining your lips with the lip liner to have a nice, clean edge. Use your leftover foundation on an angled brush to line the outside of your lips. This will act as an extra barrier so your lipstick won't run.

There you have it! Now go and try on some red lip stick and wear it confidently! You go girl!

~RANDOMiss

Last Minute DIY St. Patrick's Day Treat!

Hi all! Hope your weekend has been going well! With St. Patrick's day right around the corner, I thought I would share a quick post on a last minute DIY treat! I've never been one to hold a grand celebration for this occasion, but there's nothing wrong with getting into the spirit, whether that means wearing the colour green, painting your nails green or making a special, green-themed treat! I came up with this really cute and easy idea for St. Patrick's day that I call Leprechaun Loot!!!

Here's what you need:
-Green molding chocolate
-Gold chocolate loonies
-Pretzels
-Cellophane
-Ribbon

Let's get started!
Melt the green molding chocolate. The easiest way to do this is by filling a pot with water (less than half way) and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, shut off the heat. Place a heat resistant bowl (clear glass bowl is best) on top. Place the green molding chocolate in the bowl and allow to melt by stirring consistently.

Next, add your pretzels into the melted chocolate and coat all of the pretzels evenly.

Spread your covered pretzels onto a flat, waxed surface and allow to harden.

Combine the green chocolate covered pretzels and gold chocolate loonies into cellophane and tie with ribbons (green and gold work the best!). You now have Leprechaun Loot!

It`s quick, easy and an affordable treat! You can make these for your kids classmates, friends, family, co-workers or even have them as a favour at your upcoming St. Patrick`s day party! The green pretzels represent three leaf clovers while the gold chocolate loonies represent a pot of gold - everything that Leprechauns like...! You can even add little labels or tags that say Leprechaun Loot to dress it up even more.

Do you have any plans for St. Patrick's Day?

Enjoy!

~RANDOMiss

Life is Simple

Hi everyone! I've finally had some time to write a post on the blog. It's been such a hectic week that I was completely caught off guard. This has inspired me to write today's blog post.

About a week and a half ago I attended a family birthday celebration where I met my cousin's fiance for the first time. In fact, this was also his first time meeting the entire family. Naturally, everyone was super excited! He had such a great time at the party, he fit right in and he made himself comfortable. It was as if we've always known him. He made an effort to speak to every single person, that night; aunts, uncles, cousins, even friends of the family.

However, on the very next day, my cousin tried to wake him up but he never woke up... he had passed away in his sleep.

This was a huge shock to all of us, as we had just been having the time of our lives literally a few hours before he passed. What shocked me the most was that this thing we called life, can be taken away in an instant.

He has left me with a piece of his outgoing and friendly personality that will always be remembered and be a part of who I continue to be. He reminds me to live every single moment of your life to the best and to enjoy every moment you have. He reminds me to share my happiness with others and leave a lasting impression. He reminds me to take risks and challenges and live the life you want to live. I am so grateful to have known him for the few hours that I got to meet him. He has forever left me with these thoughts that I hold onto so dearly.

These are cliched thoughts that we always hear time and time again. But how many of us actually take the time to really think and carry them out? I have to be honest that I'm guilty of not doing just that. However, after last week's lost, I've chosen to take a different approach to how I live everyday. I don't think I've been more shocked or stunned by how quickly I can know someone and how quickly they can be taken away. Life has a lot to offer and even in the days that we think are horrible, there is always something good to find. I hope you can find that goodness in just the simple little things that life has to offer. My top 10 simple little things are:

1. A fresh cup of coffee
2. When you cross items off of your to do list
3. Sleeping in freshly washed linens
4. Experiencing the four seasons (winter, spring, summer and fall)
5. Having good and meaningful conversation
6. Spending quality time with the ones that you love
7. Reading a great book that leaves a lasting impression
8. Sleeping while its rains outside
9. The smell of freshly baked cookies
10. Looking out at the bright stars at night

This is such a small list of all of the wonderful things that we can appreciate in our life everyday. With each new day comes new challenges. If we can remember to appreciate the small things and to make the best of every moment, we can start to appreciate a whole lot of more.

~RANDOMiss