an evening at the park

The sunshine, blossoms and long days have been feeling fantastic. I'm not even sure how I survived the dark days of winter. Thankfully, spring is here. We've been spending our evenings at the park, walking to the pier and going out for dinner - Japanese food, of course. Scout (our pooch) is loving all the extra outdoor time and I love having him with us. He's such an eager & adventure-loving spirit and I always feel incredibly bad leaving him at home... we take him almost everywhere!

As for this week? It's shaping up to be a pretty good one. I'm planning out my Stella & Dot parties for May as well as registering for a few craft fairs, our local farmers market and a bridal show in the late summer. I can't wait to set up my Stella & Dot booth - it'll be so much fun. Wishing you a very lovely Tuesday!

xo veronika

split pea soup

No matter the season, I love making and eating soups. I usually serve mine with a grilled cheese sandwich or a delicious salad. Mmmm, so good! Lately, I've been making a fantastic split pea and thyme soup which I found via the food network. I tweaked mine a bit. Since I'm a vegetarian, I skipped the ham and replaced the chicken stock with a veggie one. I promise you won't be disappointed... let me know if you give it a try! 

You'll need: 

2 tbsp butter

1 yellow onion, diced

1 large carrot, diced 

1 stalk celery, diced 

1 leek, white part only, washed and diced 

2 cloves garlic, minced 

2 bay leaves 

1 sprig of fresh thyme 

1 1/2 cups green split peas 

10 cups vegetable stock

Coriander, small handful, chopped 

Parsley, small handful, chopped

Cracked salt & pepper, to taste 

Instructions: 

Heat your butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, leek and garlic... I usually cook mine for about 5 minutes. Next you'll want to add your bay leaves, thyme, split peas and cook for a couple more minutes. Then increase your heat to high, add your stock and bring your soup to a boil. Reduce heat to low and let your soup simmer for 2 hours or until the split peas are soft. 

Remove the bay leaves and thyme stalks. Puree your soup with a hand-held blender. If it's too thick, you can add additional stock or water. Bring your soup back to a boil, add the chopped parsley & coriander and season to taste with salt & pepper. Enjoy!

an afternoon date

A little peek into our typical Sunday afternoon... we've been attending a five part series at Village Church in White Rock, which we're enjoying immensely. Afterwards, we typically love to go out for sushi. We found a fantastic place that is situated in a cute village (South Point Exchange) - I usually order their yam tempura roll and tofu dish. It's delicious! These days, we're pretty thankful for our Sundays as Martin's job has been extra busy lately and we love getting this time to connect.

Also, I just wanted to take a quick moment and thank everyone for their incredible support of the new space. I'm so glad to know you're enjoying it. I have a million more ideas for the blog and I'm even considering bringing outfit posts back - but this time, with a twist. I'll be sure to keep you posted!...

xo veronika

lately

Lately, I'm feeling liberated. Life is blooming, taking shape and my mind is racing with new adventures + artistic pursuits. I'm learning to create space and time for myself as well as making it a priority to start healing my health and nurture my spirit. I'm learning a lot about nutrition and the importance of eating a protein rich diet to heal the body. Since I'm a vegetarian, I'm relying on things like protein supplements, quinoa, beans, tofu, nut butters as well as Greek yogurt. This week, I've also started working out. I'm running, going for power walks, doing yoga and hitting the gym. It's been incredible. I hope to write a post on nutrition and exercise soon. 

On the home front, Martin & I have been having conversations about marriage, our goals, and how we can support one another in making our dreams a reality. We're also feeling family ready and are praying that my health returns so we can plan for that... which has me excited for buying a bigger home. Probably something a little bit older as I'd love to renovate and design our overall space. I'm dreaming of this kitchen... open shelving, white cupboards and white marble counter-tops. Plus, it'd be fantastic to have a big spacious yard with beautiful trees & garden. Perfect for our pooch and so lovely for summer BBQ's.
 

xo veronika

designer crush, apc

I love discovering new to me designers as well as online shops. So, I thought this would be a lovely addition to the blog and something I could run once or twice a month. My current designer crush is APC. For this spring, I'm choosing to fill my wardrobe with timeless classics: trench coats, modern shift dresses, classic pants, and quality suede booties. The above pieces would work beautifully for that aesthetic. I love choosing well-cut modern classics because they offer versatility and never go out of style. You can shop the collection via Frances May which is a wonderful boutique based out of Portland, Oregon.

xo veronika

diy at home facial

Yup, here I am... makeup-less and with goop all over my face. Ha, all for a good cause though, as I wanted to share my favourite at home facial tips with you today. I discovered these tips via Lauren Conrad's blog and have been hooked ever since. As much as I love getting facials, it's not always in the budget, but I've found doing them at home can be just as fabulous for my skin. Here are step-by-step instructions on how you can do your own at home facial too! Enjoy, and if you have any tips, be sure to share...

► Cleanse. Remove all makeup and wash your face with a mild cleanser. I use Earth Science - it's incredibly gentle & moisturizing, which I love.

► Exfoliate. I'll either do a quick exfoliating mask, or lately I've been using a diamond infused facial peeling gel. I can't stop raving about it. 

► Steam. For this part I use a face towel... I fill my bathroom sink with warm water and soak my washcloth, I ring it out and press it to my face. I do this 2 or 3 times as it's great way to open the pores prior to doing a mask.

► Mask. I tend to do a mud mask in the summer months because that's when my skin needs the extra deep cleaning. However, for colder months I switch to a moisturizing mask instead.

► Moisturize. This is my favourite step, and I swear by Philosophy's Hope In A Jar... it does an amazing job.

xo veronika

new beginnings

Hello and welcome. I'm so thrilled to be starting this new chapter & blog. The change is feeling so good, and so right. I can't wait to get into the swing of things and start posting. I plan to pop in a little more often over the next two weeks just to get things rolling. And I'm thrilled you stopped by. You can follow "By The Shore" here! Also, all of my media portals will be staying the same so no need to update those. Thank you for your continued support, everyone. It means the world to me! I'm excited for this new journey and can't wait to see where it goes...

xo veronika