dailyhivevan

Milestone: Our First Renovation
January 29, 2017

What can I say? The past year has been a year of extremes – a multitude of high’s and low’s. This post is to talk about an extreme high!
Mike and I have been looking for a home to fit our needs for a little while.. man, the Vancouver market is aggressive! After countless open houses, hundreds of hours on realtor sites and 3 offers… we finally found the one!

The property is a DREAM! I was glad we saw it early and basically shotgunned an offer… not to mention Mike was leaving town that night! After a stressful 12 hours… the offer was accepted and in 45 days, we got possession! We spent a quite of bit of time in looking at what to change to maximize the space to ensure one day, maybe we can use it for income, but for now, it’s our first special project together. See below for some photos of the “before” stages 🙂

 

I forgot to mention… what a view?! This is the TV/Living space

Looking towards the bathroom and walk-in in the master bedroom

Gorgeous balcony off the master

Looking at through the kitchen to the living space.. and a shot of our awesome realtor Mike Wilcox – not to mention he was super knowledgeable of the current market and had great input in terms of helping us with optimizing the space!!

Kitchen from the media center/ living space

 

Entrance hallway, powder room to the left, washer/dryer, coat closet & storage on the right

Looking for the living space to the dining area… the feature wall + pendant lighting looks like a present! Lol

 

Looking to the second bed/office & stairway to….?

 

Second bed/office space

Second bed/ office space

 

That view though…

Second living space

 

 

After 6 months of planning, designing & working with the city & strata… we are finally ready to renovate!!!! I can’t wait to show you guys the finished product… we will have trades come through next week and start ordering plumbing, furniture & think about tile & furnishings!

This is what design dreams are made of (Ames Tile & Stone)

Trying to find the perfect pairings (Ann Sacks)

I must be dreaming (Aeon Stone & Tile)

Can you guess what our colour palette is?

Mocking up furniture & layout!

The dining table! 

TV/ Living furniture

 

So excited to say that last week we got great news… OUR PERMITS ARE FINALLY APPROVED! Stay tuned to see the full process & the decisions we made to get to the final product!!!

 

XO,

 

Veronica

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Life Well Curated  / Lifestyle

New Year, New Light. Manifesting for 2017.
January 2, 2017


As a challenging 2016 spiraled to an end, it took me a while to put my thoughts together and reflect what to manifest for 2017. Here are my top 7 aspirations/ manifestations for this bright, promising year.

  1. PLAY
    • Last year, I learned that life is too short to let pass by. I challenge myself, (and all of you) to work hard, but also play harder. Make those experiences & make them count. Doesn’t matter what they are – whether it may be cooking, skiing, traveling, photographing… whatever you enjoy, enjoy it to the fullest extent. Laughter is the best medicine!
  2. Learn to let go & don’t give AF
    • Life happens, and it sometimes happens in ways you don’t expect, or want! Friends might hurt you, your family can leave you with a heartache, plans might not happen in a way you want. But that’s the beauty of life! Practice resilience, and take life by the horns. Also remember, it’s going to be ok! Manifest the art of letting go.
  3. ReUSE
    • Get creative! Cooking for two is sometimes hard to control how many leftovers you will have. Seasonal decorations don’t only have to last a month. Push for creativity to make “old” things new again. It’s quite a fun challenge!
  4. Have more “Me” days, do what YOU want!
    • A busy work week and obligations will take up most of your mental capacity. I try to give myself at least a few hours a week for me, and just me. It’s a great way to reset and reflect for YOURSELF, and not for anyone else. Practice self-love and indulge in the little things that make you happy. A happy you makes a beautiful you!
  5. FRIENDS & Make those moments count
    • Relationships! Man, they can go a long way. The friendships and work relationships you make, shape the type of person you are today. Over the years, I always thought, a large number of friends were ingredients of the recipe to my happiness. As I got a little older, I realized that wasn’t the case, but it was the friendships that last a lifetime that truly counts. Quality over quantity! It doesn’t matter if you have 1,600 friends on Facebook or 6. It’s those who love you for your beliefs, values & quirky characteristics! People come and people go, but for the ones who stick around, have your back & refuse to let you go and make poor choices, cherish them. True friends might be hard to find, but when you do, they’re priceless. So make those moments count!
  6. MOVE, EAT and drink more water!
    • Your body is a temple, your mansion, your forever home. So why not invest in making it a healthy home? Aside from the “me” times a week, have some time for the outer shell of you. Work out, sweat &  drink lots of water! This will create a positive change to your routine and will help in the little things for all aspects of your week! Practice eating a cleaner appetite and see how your energy levels spike!
  7. Practice CONFIDENCE
    • We had so much doubt last year, why do it again? Practice CONFIDENCE and BE BOLD in every decision you make, don’t be shy in wanting to pursue an idea, or try a new restaurant! It’s time to say YES and ENJOY what this planet has to offer! Imagine the possibilities!

Sincerely,

 

Veronica

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Life Well Curated  / Lifestyle  / Top

Matcha Glow
December 12, 2016

Good Morning, World!

Do you have your morning routine? Wake up, roll over to the side of your bed, scroll through what you’ve missed on Instagram from the time you were sleeping… (Sadly, I do. The food videos out there are just too hard to resist… and I call it preplanning for our meals for the day..)

In the past, my daily routine was not the healthiest, I was sleep deprived, my body was lacking nutrients, and I was always stressed out. In 2014 – 2016, I forced myself have a reality check and worked hard to live for me and to be the healthiest, happy me as possible.

——–>>> Fast forward to today, as one of my daily morning routines is making matcha green tea. Ready for a quick lesson on Matcha 101?

Due to multiple stomach/gastro issues in the past 2 years, I learned that green tea wasn’t as hard on my stomach (coffee was terrible for me), yet it delivered a decent amount of caffeine into my system, allowing me to feel awake, but not jittery. Where has matcha green tea been all my life?!

Delving into the world of matcha was so exciting! I’m still learning about different types & flavors, but for now, I’m hooked to David’s Tea Grand Cru Matcha. It’s one of the highest grade, creamiest matcha from Nishio, Japan.

Green tea has antioxidants stronger than Vitamin E and C, it’s high antioxidant levels are due to it being made of unprocessed tea leaves. It also contains anti-inflammatory properties (for those who put tea bags on your eyes and skin). It is also great for blood pressure, cholesterol, increasing energy levels, endurance and fortifies the immune system.

Scroll down to see how I make my morning matcha green tea 🙂

Hope this helps, or adds to your daily routine!!

Cheers,

 

V

 

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What you need:

  • 2 teaspoons of matcha
  • Boiling water
  • Bamboo whisk
  • Bowl

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Directions:

  • Put 2 teaspoons of matcha powder into the bowl, boil water, and let the water sit for about 5 – 7 minutes
    • Letting the water boil is to ensure the water does not burn the green tea
  • Pour water into the matcha bowl, only till it just covers the bottom of the bowl
  • Using the bamboo whisk, whisk the matcha + water mixture in “W” formations
    • If you don’t have a bamboo whisk, most people have found that protein bottle shakers or even blenders work well too!
  • Whisk till the mix is blended and there are no clumps
  • To ensure I don’t waste the paste on the whisk, I fill my cup with 75% hot water and about the rest with cold. Swirl the whisk in the cup to loosen the matcha powder off and into the water.
  • Pour some of the water from the cup into the bowl, swish it around and pour that concoction back into the cup.
  • Ta-Dah!!!! Your matcha green tea is served! Add almond milk if desired.

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Food  / Life Well Curated  / Lifestyle


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