Just A Thought..

Have you entered the giveaway yet? Hop on over because I'm picking a winner tomorrow evening!

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Blessings,

Candice

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She Smiles, She Writes

You can find me over at this pretty lady's place today!!

Come say hello! 

Blessings,

Candice

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Teatime Thursday & A Few Faves

Yep, it's vlog time again....hope you enjoy!
: )

Current Favorite: 

Get Gorgeous: Herb Tea for Clear Skin made by The Republic of Tea

Teatime Thought: 

You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.  ~C.S. Lewis

Fact of the Day:

It was discovered in 2737 BC by Chinese Emperor Shen-Nun, who was considered a divine healer, when some tea leaves accidentally blew into a pot of boiling water.




Have Questions? I've Got Answers... well, usually! 
http://www.formspring.me/candiceelaineh

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Cooking Like Julia

Julia Child..that is.
My newest adventure was a couple of lessons in the art of cooking French cuisine. The way it was set up was like being in the audience of a Food Network show; we got to watch the preparation and try the results! Each week was even more delicious than the one before, and my instructor was the sweetest french woman who made cooking in high heels seem effortless. Here's a taste of some of the different weeks..

Soupe carottes gingembre

(Carrot & Ginger Soup)

Croque Monsieur

(almost like the French version of a Grilled Cheese/Ham & Cheese sandwich)

Berries in a Red Wine & Sugar Sauce sprinkled with a hint of Mint

On the menu for the last class was the infamous French crepes. I was pretty excited about this one because I LOVE crepes, but had never made them before; I was lazy and bought the pre-made ones. 

It was surprisingly easy to make the batter, and this time we got to participate and make our own crepes in class!! So fun. Apparently it's good luck if you can flip a crepe with one hand and hold a coin in the other...so of course I tried it for fun! 

(random lady coming in to watch)

Success!

Perhaps I should enter the lottery? 

Here's the recipe for Crepes so you can try it out if you like! 

(oh and if you win the lottery...feel free to share the winnings with me.)

Crepes

 1 Cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups milk

2 eggs

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

a pinch of salt

sugar for sprinkling

1 tablespoon Vanilla extract (optional)

In a large bowl, whisk the flour with the milk, eggs, oil, and salt. Make sure there are no lumps! Cover and let stand for 45 min-1 hour.

Lightly brush a non sticky skillet with a little oil and heat over medium high heat. Whisk the batter and add about 2 tablespoons to the skillet, swirling the batter around to coat the bottom of the pan. (it should be a very thin layer all over) 

Cook until the edge begins to brown (about 30 seconds)

Flip using a thin bladed spatula and cook for 20 seconds. Slide onto a plate and repeat with the remaining batter. Add more oil to the pan when needed. Sprinkle the crepes with sugar. Fold them and serve right away. 

You can add fruit, jam, meat, cheeses, Nutella (my personal fave), potatoes, veggies..etc to a crepe

 Be creative! 

My crepe

(I was so proud of it haha)

All of this French cooking reminded me a lot of the movie Julie & Julia. Have you seen it?

Did you ever try any French cooking yourself?

Bon Appetit!

P.S. Have you entered the giveaway yet??

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1 Year Giveaway

Well, as you know, it's been a year since I began blogging, and to celebrate, I'm going to giveaway some fun stuff to you!!

What's Included:

Pink Straw Tote

Floral Silk Scarf

"Baking: a celebration of the simple joys of baking" Cookbook

2 Ulta Lipglosses in Peach and Vanilla

Bourjois Contour Clubbing Waterproof Eyeliner in #44 Golden Grey Session

Vintage style blankpage journal

Bodycology hand & body lotion in Vanilla Cupcake

Awesome, right? Right.

So you're probably wondering how to get your hands on this fabulous stuff...

Leave a comment for each:

Be a follower of Teatime Thoughts  1 Entry

Follow me on Twitter 1 Entry

Follow Teatime Thoughts on BlogLovin' 2 Entries

Tell me what you love most about blogging 1 Entry

Blog about this giveaway and leave the link in a comment 3 Entries

The giveaway will end on Sunday, May 1st!! 

Good luck!

xoxo,

Candice

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He Is Not Here

via

Matthew 28:6

⁶ He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.

Have a blessed Easter!

Blessings,

Candice

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Teatime Thursday

via

Current Favorite: 

Country Peach Tea

Teatime Thought: 

There is no trouble so great or grave that cannot be much diminished by a nice cup of tea.  ~Bernard-Paul Heroux

Fact of the Day:

Tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world, playing second fiddle only to water. It is in almost every culture, and there are literally thousands of varieties.

What's your favorite tea?

xoxo,

Candice

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5 Springtime Essentials

I know I sound like an article out of the latest InStyle or something, but with the beautiful spring and summer weather around the corner, it's the topic on many of our minds. 

Here's a few of my Springtime essentials!

1. Punchy lip color.

via

I don't know about you, but there's something about a fun pink lip that says 'spring' like no other. If you're looking for a super easy beauty update, check this Revlon lip stain out. Passion is my favorite shade, and it seems to not only give a pop of sophisticated, fun color, but also outlasts most of my other lipcolors. 

2. Straw Tote

via

Straw totes are so chic, and seem to be everywhere this time of year. Whether you like your look to fall in the sweeter, girly side, such as this pink bow adorned bag, or channel a more tailored nautical look, this will be sure to make your shopping errands and beach time more fun!

3. Espadrille Sandals

via

I always look forward to the season of sweet espadrille shoes! It's one of my favorite trends, and can look so feminine and flattering. Pick up a pair in a bright color to punch up a classic black or white outfit, or choose a patterned set to add some contrast. To give your legs some added visual length, find a pair in a nude or camel color!

4. Bronzed Skin

via

via

Right after winter, there's that awkward stage when spring is just arriving, and it's time to break out the shorts, dresses and skirts; however, everyone (or maybe just me) can still be mistaken for a Cullen. 

So, I enlist the help of some glow-enhancers, until I can get a few moments to sunbathe. (even after, they help to maintain the bronze babe look!)

For smooth skin and a gorgeous, streak-free glow, look no further than the Jergens Natural Glow. It creates an even, believable color, so everyone will think you've just returned from a week on the beach!

To warm up your face, I love to use the Hoola bronzer by Benefit. This gives a soft, sunkissed look, and is not outrageously tan or sparkly.

5. The Sundress

via

What spring or summer essential list would be complete without the mention of the sundress. I could wear one of these everyday if I had to! There's a ton of styles, colors, lengths, patterns and ideas that you can find and create with these. Experiment with accessories, unexpected combinations and the other items on this list to come up with your perfect warm weather look!

If you need a few ideas, check out this post on Squidoo.com

Do you have any spring favorites?

Blessings,

Candice

12

Soul Surfer

(Dress: Plastic Island, Belt: H&M, Shoes: Diesel, Earrings: Betsey Johnson, Clutch:Thrifted, Hair flower: F21)

If there's someone I can call my modern-day hero, it would be Bethany Hamilton. Her incredible survivor story is brought to the big screen in a most incredibly moving and beautiful way. What was so amazing to me was the way she reacted to her situation. Never once did she whine and complain, or make things easy on herself; she only moved ahead to achieve her goal of becoming a pro surfer, even though she only had one arm. If you haven't already, I highly encourage you to go see Soul Surfer. Undoubtedly you will find something to take away that can encourage and motivate you to persevere no matter the circumstances. 

Two quotes from the movie have stuck with me over the past days, so much so that I just have to share them with you.

(image via)

"I don't need easy; I just need possible."

"Courage doesn't mean you don't get afraid. Courage means you don't let fear stop you."

--Bethany Hamilton

What an encouragement she is to so many people today. I hope you too will go and be inspired by her captivating story, (oh and the beautiful setting of Kauai isn't so terrible to look at either!!) and if you have seen it, what were your thoughts? 

Have a fantastic week!

Blessings,

Candice

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The Copycat

This is totally random, but do people ever come up to you to say that you resemble a certain celebrity or famous person? Recently, a lot of people have told me I look like Carrie Underwood...

What do you think?

Is there someone that people say 'you look just like..'?

What's been interesting to me is that even though we may resemble others, there's no one else on the planet that's exactly like us. How crazy is that?! Billions and billions of people, and yet, not a single exact copy of another. If that doesn't say we have a creative God, I'm not sure what does..

Here's a few quotes that I came across while thinking about this.

"As we grow as unique persons, we learn to respect the uniqueness of others."

-Robert H. Schuller

Remember always that you not only have the right to be an individual, you have an obligation to be one.

-Eleanor Roosevelt

Even though you and I may look similar to another, we each have a unique purpose, talents and abilities that make us who we are. Your life matters, and you can make a difference by being yourself, not a copy of someone else. 

I hope you all have a most wonderful weekend!

Make some time for you today :)

Blessings,

Candice

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Birthdays and Wordless Wednesdays..

Happy Birthday to my beautiful mother! You are such a fantastic, godly and caring example, and I love you so very much!

xoxo

and now off to Wordless Wednesday...

(images via tumblr)

Have a lovely day!

Blessings,

Candice

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Weekend's Wanderings..

Take a peek! 

Hope you all had a most lovely weekend!

 It was so fun to relax with a few friends of mine! 

Yesterday I even had some time to sit down and read a book I'd been keeping on my shelf for quite awhile. I love the satisfaction of finishing stories, but at the same time, I don't want them to end right away. If they are really really good, I will drag the last chapter out for a few days.. are you the same way? 

On another note..the book of Psalms is one of my very favorites, and I thought I'd share this as some encouragement for the week

7The law of the LORD is perfect,
   refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
   making wise the simple.
⁸ The precepts of the LORD are right,
   giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
   giving light to the eyes.
⁹ The fear of the LORD is pure,
   enduring forever.
The decrees of the LORD are firm,
   and all of them are righteous.

Psalm 19:7-9

Hope you have a fantastic Monday! Here's to a great week ahead!

Blessings,

Candice

P.S. Thanks for all of your sweet comments on my vlog :) You are wonderful!

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Things I Love Saturday

With spring's arrival, here's what is on my mind..

(all images via tumblr)

Happy Saturday!!

xoxo, 

Candice

7

In Her Shoes

Guess what? I'm over at the lovely Scenic Glory today! 

Come say hello, and

find out what a day in my life is like!

xoxo,

Candice

7

The Balancing Act: Guest Post from Fit, Fierce & Fabulous

I'm so happy to have the lovely and inspiring Cait here from Fit, Fierce & Fabulous! She's a great blogger, and has a lot of good advice! We all live busy lives, so I was really interested to hear from Cait on how to stay balanced! Enjoy!
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Hi friends! I'm so excited to be featured here on the beautiful Candice's blog! I've only been a guest blogger on a few friends sites, so this is EXTRA special! Something that I really try and do in my life is balance everything. I feel like this question comes up a lot when attempting to juggle with every day tasks such as work, school, social life, homework, making dinner, errands etc.

If you're like me and pretend to play "super woman" every day, odds are you're not going to save the world every single time..reality.. you are going to crash at one point or another! But there are 3 tricks that I tend to do in order to make sure that I don't go completely insane!

1. Build "me" time into your schedule.
For me, I tend to jam pack 2398273897 329872873 2987239 (yes thats a REAL number haha) into my 24 hour..or rather 15 hour day. That usually doesn't mean a lot of time for "me". But within those hours, I know I need to take a break, relax and require that I focus on "me" for a little bit. That doesn't mean to take 2 hours of your day, but hey if you have the time go for it! In my case, I love to catch up on your blogs, or write down a few short little notes for an idea I have for a post!

Also- plan to do something exciting once a week! That could mean an outing with friends, a date night, or going on a trip! When you have something to look forward to, your week can go by like that!

2. Drop activities that zap your time!
In this case, my "activity" includes TV. Yes I'm a HUGE TV junkie and I pretend to be like my other friends who can do homework and have the TV on in the background. Well not this girl. I need it to be DEAD QUIET otherwise I can't get anything done! TV can be a "reward' of some kind or part of your "me" time as I stated earlier. Having total concentration and focus is what's key and it won't stress you out later when you look at the clock and yell "IS THAT THE TIME!"

3. Get moving!
Exercise always is a way to clear my head for about an hour. I'm an early bird (blame my father for that one!) and get up around 6:45 to get to the gym. By the time I'm done (around 8am) I'm ready to go with an attitude that say "Bring it on world!" Experts even say that boosts your energy levels and your ability to concentrate! If you don't belong to a gym, even a quick walk outside will do the trick! What about jumping jacks? Running up and down your stairs?

So how about it? Think you can handle doing any one of these 3 ideas to balance yourself? I'm sure your body will thank you later for it!

9

You Asked, I Answered..(the Vlog Edition)

Well, here it is..

Ok, a few quick things to know before watching this...

1. My voice is quiet because I didn't want to wake others up since I did this in the evening..you may have to turn up the volume.

2. I feel odd talking to myself, even though I'm really talking to you, but I can't see you...so it's kinda strange.
3. It's only slightly awkward.. 

Untitled from Candice Elaine on Vimeo.

Other than that,  I hope you guys enjoy, and have a lovely day! 

xoxo,

Candice

19

Weekending

Good morning! 

It's a cool, crisp Saturday, and my plans consist of nothing more than to hit the gym, read,

 relax, and do some writing. 

Hope you get some time this weekend to kick your feet up and enjoy!

Happy Saturday!

xoxo,

Candice

P.S. I'm thinking about doing a vlog soon..any ideas of what I should talk/post (what's it called when you vlog..?) about?

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