Dear 2016,

Wow, have you been a random year!

I don't really even know how to sum it up. So much has happened this year.. and it has been a very challenging year in so many different aspects. In general retrospect it seems like a pretty annoying year and for some reasons even depressing, however the details and some events have probably made it one of the best years in my life. This really shows how in life everything balances out - there is always something good after the bad.

The difficult things taught me to be patient and to rely on myself. It might sound sad, but I think it is a good lesson - only relying on yourself leaves less room for failure, getting hurt and not being able to follow your dreams because of other people. Yes, for example, to plan to travel with someone is great, but you shouldn't count on the other person to 100% have to be there or you can't go. If you want to go, make your dream come true and go. And if others choose to come, that's even better.

I had to change my views on this, as I had to move out of my apartment in the spring, I had to commute 4 hours every day to work, meaning I didn't really get any rest during the summer. This was in addition to some other issues with my family so to say the summer was pretty stressful is an understatement.

But! As they say, let's focus on the good. So, 2016, here's what's happened:

• Working out and healthy eating. It might not be as apparent as I would like it to be, but to those who know, I am always on a diet, lol. But this year I feel I really understood more about eating, eating mindfully, choosing good foods on a general basis. I also enjoyed working out as much as I could, more in the spring/winter and less in the summer, and taking up running, which I plan to do again when it gets warmer. In addition, I also participated in Maijooks, however, for walking not running. But will run in 2017! I lost weight and I am stronger than I was a year ago. I think the biggest breakthrough was realizing that I took me years to get to where I am today and will take time to get to the "perfect" body (for lack of better description). Healthy life is a life not a quick fix - and I feel happy knowing that it is a journey.

• Veganism. Again this year, but I have learnt so much about vegan food and lifestyle! We created the vegan menu for Kroon and I really started to enjoy cooking and creating recipes, which I wasn't as good as before. I has been a great and inspiring journey, which I hope never ends!

• Finally dyed my hair! Okay, this is a small one, but I finally coloured the ends blonde, a really nice ombre hair and got myself princess hair. Very important step this year, for sure.

• Travelling! I did so much travelling this year- from London to Riga, Stockholm and at the end of the year, the best time in my life - to Los Angeles. Words can not describe Los Angeles. It really does deserve it's own post, a blog, something big!

Yes... I could just stay and add about a million more LA pictures, but they really do deserve separate posts!

• Weekend festival. This year I also decided to go to Weekend Festival in Pärnu and I am so happy I did! The vibe there and the live concerts, despite the rain on the second day, it was a really awesome experience!

Looking back at all the things that have happened, I really feel that this year has been a learning year. I didn't want to do new years promises for 2016, because I felt I didn't need the pressure of having to accomplish or do something - I wanted to do things because I wanted to them. I feel that thanks to 2016, I am ready for 2017 to be a year of accomplishments, and to really do more. 

Thank you, 2016,

I am ready for 2017!

M

Christmas '16

Hey there again!

.. And a little late Merry Christmas! 

I m so sorry for definitely having been naughty on here - yes, I am talking about those promised LA posts (and any other posts a proper blogger should do)! But I haven't had the time/energy to post anything, and have been reflecting on what has been and thinking about what will be.. In addition, my camera didn't work for a while and now that it does, I can really see that neither my phone nor my camera take good enough pictures for me to feel contempt with. So I am on the lookout for a new camera.

In another addition, I am also on the lookout for a new computer - mine has had problems with the adapter / battery since summer and it feels like it shuts down just as I look at it.. Okay, actually, when I slightly nudge the charger. But it is really annoying when it happens 10+ times a day (including twice when writing this post), and I can't really move it around the house or take it with me without the fear it might not turn on ever again. So there's that.

But on to happier topics- this weekend was Christmas! As usual, every Christmas has drama and somehow I ended up being everyones helper on Christmas Day and getting their last minute presents + wrapping them + wrapping my own! We planned not to give any gifts this year, but as was expected it didn't go that way so everyone made gifts for pretty much everyone. We spent Christmas at my mums house this year and it was such a nice change of scenery as we usually always go to my aunties place.

It was nice to enjoy a different table setting and surrounding this year. I made an awesomesauce Christmas playlist, we put the fireplace on from Youtube, the cats were there being cute as ever. And what made it even more special for me, was that it was my second Christmas as a vegan and it was heartwarming to see that this year, at least half the dishes were vegan or at least had a vegan alternative! As I already explained the camera situation, food photos are too bad to understand anything from, but I can list a few delicious things we had on the table - roasted vegetables, vegan layered mayonnaise salad (peas, beetroot, potato, cheese), lentil carrot loaf, vegan sauces, fresh salad, vegan chocolate cake, pumpkin salad, cranberries... All made by my mum and my sister, who well, are both chefs, so there you go, why it was all beyond amazing! S got home exactly for Christmas, we managed to get all the presents and decorate the tree literally like 15 minutes before everyone arrived and had a really nice night!

Christmas Boy & Snow Boy brought the presents

And wearing paper towels on our heads was The Trend of the season (Trademarked Palvarstyle)

Hope everyone else also had a great Christmas time! I will enjoy this week as I took it off from work and hope you can all relax and think back of this year :)

Love,
M

What has been happening?

So, .. hello?! My last post was forever ago, so I guess a little update is in order! Here are two main things:

First, I am fully living in Tallinn now! As some may know and most don't, S had to go to the army and that meant we had to move out from our nice apartment. For the summer I commuted (yes, for three months!) from Pärnu to Tallinn - about 4 hours every day. Naive as I was, I thought it's no big deal and totally doable. Well yes, it was doable, a lot of things are, but in no way good, I started getting back aches and my legs were hurting, I didn't really rest properly and worst of all, I lost 2 hours every evening of which I could have done something useful. But on the bright side I got really good at planning everything (I packed my lunches and picked my clothes the night before in case I overlsept and had to run to the bus - taking the next bus meant being late for about 1,5h) and I was able to save a lot of money on rent and bills.

Secondly, I just got back from Los Angeles - a trip we spent almost a year dreaming of and planning.. and now it is over! This is one of the main reasons I am blogging again, as I want to write it all down and add all the pictures of everything we did there as it is still fresh in my mind, so I can come back and relive it whenever I want. :)

I will try to make time this week to add at least one LA post, so lets look forward to that!

M

Three things 7th February

Hey!

Another week has flown by! As the weekend has gone really quickly as well, this post is going to be a short one, so here goes.

1- Vegan Burgers. Update! Crown Cafe now offers vegan burger. And it is amazing. I am not saying this just because I should, but this really is beyond amazing! I am not going to tell all the secret ingredients but if you have any opportunity go and try it, whether you are vegan or not. For an additional euro you can add French fries to it, but you don't even need to, because it is so big and fulfilling!

2-  Blogilates community & challenges. So everyone probably knows I am a Blogilates fan. The community there is so supportive and positive, and often there are challenges to participate in. February has two, which I am partaking in - the Powegirlcrush challenge, which is all about getting to know yourself; and the Yogalates, which is about getting more bendy and stretchy. They are fun, you get to know other popsters and likeminded awesome people + on top of it you can win a Popflex outfit (and by the way, Popflex is gorgeous). Go take a look! Just hashtag the challenge!

3- Working out. I have been working out since January (well actually the end of December). It has been subtle, and I haven't been doing too much, but taking baby steps - but progress is progress, right? But even this little that I have been doing is starting to make a difference. And I don't mean much of physical difference, but more of a mental difference - I feel better. I look forward to my little workouts and I actually see some progress! (Or maybe I am just wanting to see it, but that's something too, isn't it :) And I know that with patience and focus, someday difference will be visual to others too! Just gotta keep on going.

Okay, so this it it for this time! Hope everyone has a lovely week to come :)

Three things 31st January

Hey guys!

This week has been so tiring and busy! At work we had seminars and collection presentations and meetings... So the whole week was full of running around, getting to work early and staying later than usual on many days. Nevertheless we all got through it and I even managed to go and do a little shopping.. So here are my 3 things!

1- The BodyShop Cocoa Lip Butter. I have super dry lips and I have been looking for a got lip balm. I usually don't like the ones you can buy from most shops (and typically I can't name any at the moment.. Loreal? Nivea?), because I feel they leave this layer on my lips and soon it just gets weird. The best ones I have used have been from Maxxima, for about 60 cents! They have them in many colours and flavours, but on the down side I have no idea of what it consists of or where it was made.. Lately I used a vanilla lip balm by Oriflame, which I can vouch for as it was really really good! Unfortunately it was a gift and I don't know anyone who sells Oriflame, so I went on a hunt for a good one. Once in Bodyshop I decided to give it a try.. and I am happy! For now (have been using it for about a week) I can recommend it, as it looks cute, smells/tastes nice, gives your lips a little shine and does the job!

2- The BodyShop Asian Flower bodybutter. In addition to lips, I have very dry skin, haha. So I have also been looking for a good body lotion or body butter. In the summer I have been using natural coconut oil, but in the winter I feel my skin needs something a bit more.. tender? So I decided to give this a try. To everyone, this is currently on discount and only available for 11€ (normally costing 18€ for the big jar!) so it was a bargain! Nice fragrance and concistency, I am happy with this!

3- Pretty Little Liars. Haha! Yes. The new season has started and I am so excited. I only started watching it today so I have three!!! whole episodes to catch up on! So here I go, hope you enjoyed this and have a good weekend!

Three things 24th January

Hello guys!

Another week has flown by and I am starting to realise that January is an extremely busy work month (unlike December, which was very relaxed). So what I am trying to say is that finding time to blog is a bit of a challenge for me! But so far so good and a post a week is better than none for a year, right? Haha, so here goes.

This weeks three cool things are:

1- Avon Sun Glow bronzer. I have to admit, and I am embarassed - I have never had a bronzer. So non-girly, I know. And I'm in fashion, I should be all glam, right? Haha. Well, no. I have had blush and that has pretty much been all the jazz for face products apart from foundation and concealer. But now I felt that hmm, maybe a bronzer would be a good investment. I have only used this a few times, but I like it! Now there might be better ones out there (I'm sure there are! So feel free to let me know of any worth buying) but for a first one I am happy. Firstly, I like how it looks, it has a very nice simple packaging. Secondly, I like the smell of it! Haha, buy it does smell so nice. I generally don't prefer face cosmetics with fragrance, but this has a nice minimal scent which I do like. And thirdly, it complements my skin well and looks exactly as I wanted :)

2- Vegan as a human right. I read news that in Ontario, veganism is now a human right. This means that hospitals, schools etc must offer vegan options if you ask, as it is your right, as your beliefs are, and not offering any is discrimination. I know that for some reason a lot of people hate vegans, but I really don't understand this. Why are you upset if I choose not to eat animal products? And I know that a lot of countries are very focused on pushing animal products on people, including Estonia. In kindergartens for example, children are almost forced to drink cow milk and if not, then the parents are blamed of starving their kids. ?! This makes me so upset! If people would educate themselves a little more, it would be obvious that eating plant based is NOT starvation. And forcing children to drink cow milk from an early age is terrible! At least in Ontario something like this can't happen anymore. Hope we will move in the same direction in the future. At least to accepting others and their views more.

Read more here!

3- MyFitnessPal. Okay, so. Unfortunately I have been eating quite badly and lacking workouts. Yes, even though I have been eating plant-based, this has lately included a lot of vegan pizzas, hamburgers, ice cream etc. Which obviously should not be a daily part of a healthy diet. In addition to that, going into a job where I sit through the day, not working out and not even walking much, have not had a good impact on my body and I have gained quite a bit of weight. Now I also now that counting calories is not a forever sustainable way to eat/live. But I also know that it is a good place to start and I know myself that once I get back into choosing healthier foods and paying more attention to what I am eating and why, I will be able to eat better. So to start, MyFitnessPal has been a good helper in showing me how much and what I eat and how many calories I burn. Why I chose MFP instead of other counters, including Chronometer, is the conviniency. I can just scan most of my foods and it so much easier + more accurate that guessing at similar foods.

Okay, this it for this week! I am planning on making a special recipe-testing soon and will post this here! Also I am planning on a post about veganism, exercice and diet, and lots more! So I will try to pull myself together.. and actually do them!

Three things 17th January

Hello!

Here are the three things last week. I wish these were more cool, but well, it was a busy workweek followed by a work party on Friday which somehow resulted in me now being ill in bed and all my energy is going towards getting well for tomorrow as I really don't want to go to work again feeling sick!

So here goes:

1- Fluffy pillows. Ok, this is very random! Haha, but getting our flat better and cosier is one of our goals at the moment. So when I saw these cutesy pillows in JYSK I had to buy them. I have always wanted to buy these and now I have. I can already imagine chilling on the couch, which, well at this point, is not very comfy yet... We still need to make couch cushions and covers etc... but we have the pillows, which are almost like the essence of the couch.. right?

2- BonnyRebeccas vegan cookbook. Now, let me tell you! It costs only about 7 euros!!! It's an e-book filled with simple and delicious vegan recipes from breakfast ideas such as smoothies and oats to snacks and main meals. All are simple to make (even I can do them) and are really good too!

3- Epic smoothies. Yes, I have named this epic smoothies. But I am trying to lose weight now (umm, always) so trying to include more smoothies to my diet. And I have discovered the best smoothie. Ever. Tastes like strawberry chocolate milkshake. And in reality is totally healthy! Basically add frozen bananas (they need to be ripe first!), frozen strawberries, 1-2 teaspoons of peanut butter, 4-5 dates, water and blend it up. I'm telling you - the best smoothie e v e r. (Excuse the photos, they do not do it justice!)

Three things 03.01

Hey-hey!

One of the new things I thought of doing in this blog, is to write about three new things each week that I have liked. Maybe there are weeks when I don't have three particularly favourite things, but on the other hand this will hopefully show me more little things to enjoy and maybe encourage someone else to do the same.

So three things this week:

Vanilla Soy Lattes

After becoming vegan I was a bit worried about lattes. Yes. This does sound stupid, I admit. But let me tell you, I love love LOVE lattes. It's the perfect combination of coffee, creamyness and general perfection. And while regular latte with vanilla syrup is good as it is, vanilla soy milk lattes are even better. Less calories, better taste and healthier. Awesome!

Scented Christmas candles

I am a fan of scented candles. But I admit, it takes a bit of work to find good ones. Most have very intense smell that usually make my head hurt or are just plain annoying if not disgusting. At the moment my two favourite are Cinnamon Maple from Primark and Christmas by Estonian hand made brand HIIL (Check them out in Facebook!). Both smell adorable, are nice to look at and don't cost a fortune.

Flavoured gingerbread

For Christmas my mom gave me a box full of gingerbread. Now, everyone loves gingerbread right? And thankfully some brands do manufacture them without egg powder (and yes, they taste exactly the same, so please someone tell me, why do most brands even put that in?!). But they were no ordinary gingerbread - they were orange flavoured. Orange flavoured vegan gingerbread. What even is life! Best things! Luckyly I have been able to restrain myself and not eat all of them, but we will see how that will play out!

This is all for this week! Hope you enjoyed this and I am excited to see what my next favourite three things will be!

Maria

2015 - What did you bring?

As one year ends it is almost mandatory to make this post. And if not to post, then for the very least think about what the year has been about!

For me, this year has been one of the most stressful years of my life for various reasons from work and university to personal life. However, there have been amazing moments as well, and as I want to remember the good, this is a nice way to be thankful and reflect back on all the positive moments from 2015.

1) Events!

2015 started with a big party at Crown - as we have done for years by now. Last year, we wanted to do something bigger, so we decorated all the rooms and set all the tables etc. We were also inspired by photo booths - unfortunately we didn't get one for the event, but we made frames to use for pictures as you can have in photo booths. This turned out to be the hit of the party, and it will be forever known as the frame-party.

In between, life carried on pretty basically... Or as it is for anyone in their last year in uni - all of the time you had was consumed by projects, deadlines and hand ins! So there are no very interesting pictures from that time.. Unless you would have wanted to see a bit crazy looking tired no-sleep-for-weeks me, who looks a bit scary to be honest! Or a very messy room. Or the library.

In the summer it was time for my graduation! 4 years of hard work has paid off and I graduated. During my final presentation I felt really good as I believed in my project and its vitality and success. And as it turned out, it was justified as I got a first! Thanks to that I also graduated with a first, so I now have an honours degree in Fashion and Textile Buying Management!

In May, we celebrated S's birthday in London as I planned this as a surprise for him! And also planned a surprise birthday for him in Estonia as well.

2) Work and life update

First half of 2015 was spent travelling back and forth Estonia and UK, and thankfully S travelled with me several times. We also celebrated his birthday in UK, which as very nice!

I had planned to spend my summer in London, but things didn't work out that way. Instead, I had to travel between London and Huddersfield with all my things before I decided to go back to Estonia. In here, I ended up going to Tallinn so often for different reasons, before I landed a job in Baltika. I started applying to several companies, but was offered a job as Assistant Merchandiser for Monton Ladies brand. I didn't really plan on working as a merchandiser, as I wanted to be more in buying or marketing, but as I have been there for 4 months now, I have to say, I have enjoyed this and definitely learnt a lot!

Moving to Tallinn was also a bit hasty as we had to find a flat within a week! We ended up taking one which was really low priced and literally 3 min walk to Baltika. But unfortunately there were loads of hidden problems with the flat so we ended up moving out after 2 months. And had to find another in about a week again! But luckyly we now have a good flat, apart from the fact that it is far from Baltika and I am really not that into the cold... But well, not a real life problem so we will deal with that, haha!

3) Changes

Through the summer I got more and more interested about veganism. As I had been a vegetarian for a year, I decided to try to be a vegan. This has been a big change for me and I haven't said that this will be for forever, but for as long as I feel good and can live my life the way I feel happy. Which is what I feel now. Writing this, maybe this topic needs a post of its own? But anyway, here is a collage of some delicious vegan food photos from this year. And also, I have a plan to start posting one vegan recipe each week! So we will see how that goes. :)

Besides veganism, all the issues this year have thought me so much about myself, what I value and the life I want to live. I had so many plans - I like to have a sort of guideline of what I'm doing or what I want to accomplish. Even if it doesn't end up happening, I want to have a destination or something to work towards. However, most plans in 2015 kept changing, mostly due to other people, so I had no control over the situations. At first it was very scary and I was really stressed, but eventually I learnt that it is up to me to decide what I want to feel. And that it's like a plot twist - something doesn't go as planned? Okay, whats the next step? What happes now? I learnt to be more open to new things and going with the flow with less stress.

I have also learnt not to try to prove myself to everyone. Try to prove I am as cool, as pretty, as smart or whatever. I realised that there is no point in proving myself to people who don't want to see me as I am. There are people who know who I am and people who choose not to and that is fine too. What other's think of me is none of my business and it's not up to me to stress over how to please other people or how to be more liked.

Here's to the end of 2015 and really looking forward to this year being even better!