Homemade Sunscreen

I've been making an effort over the last little while to use more natural products on my skin. When I saw this recipe for natural sunscreen, I figured I'd give it a shot. It was surprisingly easy to make, went on clear, and made a pretty big batch.

I used it during our trip to Whitefish to see if it would actually work and I loved it! If you're planning on making it yourself, I got most of the ingredients at a natural foods store. I found the zinc oxide at Cambrian Pharmacy here in Calgary, but it's also easy to order online.

Blurred Lines

It's no secret that I love Robin Thicke's 'Blurred Lines,' but when someone went ahead and did a mash-up of it with the Growing Pains theme song, it made me embarrassingly happy . Check out Robin's ever-so-handsome father, Alan Thicke, in the video.

Fun Fact: Alan Thicke actually sang the Growing Pains theme song!
Fun Fact #2: If Pharrell is involved in anything in any way, I'm pretty much guaranteed to enjoy it.

Have a good weekend!

Watermelon Feta Salad

I've been laid up most of this week with a wicked sinus infection. I'm feeling much better now, but I think my antibiotics made me oversleep while I was home, because now, when I try to go to bed, I just lie there...for hours. While in bed last night, I tried to come up with something to say about this salad- something about it tasting like summer, perhaps a clever anagram, and then the melatonin kicked in and it was lights out. So, I don't have much to say about it, except that it's totally delicious and perfect for your next BBQ or picnic.

Watermelon Feta Salad
3 c. Arugula
Half a small watermelon, cut into cubes
1 avocado, sliced
100g feta, crumbled or cut into cubes

Honey Lime Dressing
1/4 c. fresh lime juice
1/4 c. olive oil
2 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro (optional)
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tsp. jalapeño, chopped
salt

Add all salad ingredients to a bowl. Mix dressing (I like to do it in a blender, but you could just whisk it) and pour over.

The Wedding- Our Honeymoon

In exactly one month, Eric and I are heading to Italy for our honeymoon. Eric's family is part Sicilian, so we'll fly into Palermo and spend three weeks travelling north until we end up in Venice. I did a very short trip to Italy when I was 12, but I'm looking forward to enjoying it as an adult (read: drinking a lot of wine). We'll spend about three nights in each spot hitting Positno (pictured below), Florence, Rome, Tuscany, Cinque Terre, and Venice.

I'm hoping to see a lot of men, women, and children reading, running, cooking, and eating since that's about as far as I've got into my Italian Rosetta Stone. It might be time to hunker down and learn a few more useful phrases. If you have any Italy recommendations, I'd love to hear them!

Whitefish

Our girls trip to Whitefish was a blast! It was my first time there and I completely fell in love with it. We took the breathtaking Going to the Sun Road on our way there and then spent most of our time enjoying the lake and the sunshine.

I would highly recommend the Lodge at Whitefish Lake. They were incredibly accommodating (especially when we asked for 4 shots of Baileys to go at 10am). I finally got to try stand up paddle boarding which they have available to rent along with kayaks and boats. One of us might have been a bit too optimistic in booking a kayak at 9am Sunday morning after a night at the Northern. Needless to say, she didn't quite make it down to the marina. ;)

The 101st!

Just like that, the greatest outdoor show on Earth is over.This year felt a bit different- I didn't wander the grounds, I missed the rodeo, and I opted out of a few parties choosing sleep instead, but there were a couple traditions that still held up. The second annual white dress party:

And the second annual ice cream and fireworks Sunday:

It was incredible to see how quickly the whole thing came together after the flood. Kudos the to Calgary Stampede staff and volunteers for making the 101st Stampede just as memorable as the centennial. On that note, Corb Lund- who is no stranger to this blog- has recorded an incredible song about the resiliance of our beautiful province. I might've shed a tear the first (and second, and third) time I heard it. Have a listen...
Corb Lund – Blood, Sweat & Water – A Song for Southern Alberta | Corb Lund

The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth

After a rough couple of weeks, the Calgary Stampede kicks off today! People worked tirelessly to get the grounds and the parade route in order and after driving past there last night, you'd hardly know that this year was any different. Not only does the Stampede bring in tourism dollars for our city, but hopefully it'll give people a chance to enjoy themselves- if only for a few days before getting back to cleanup. We still have a long way to go, but for the next ten days let's focus on how far we've already come. Yahoo!!

The Stampede is still selling these Hell or High Water T-shirts to raise funds for flood relief. Get your hands on one here.

Summer Reads

Happy 4th of July to my American friends! I'm heading down to your lovely country this weekend for a girls trip to Whitefish. I went on a Kobo shopping spree to load up on summer books. Here's what I bought:

Those ought to keep me busy for a while. Have you read any of them? Any other summer must reads?

The New Crew

A couple of weeks ago, I got a chance to check out the new J. Crew in Chinook Centre and it's gorgeous!

I walked away with a few new items, but it was tough to decide what to choose. There were so many beautiful, flowy, honeymoon perfect tops- not to mention patterned shorts and basic tees. I see many trips to this shop in my future.

Ahh the Weekend...

Happy belated Canada Day and Happy Birthday to my main squeeze! Because Eric's birthday falls shortly after the long weekend, he has spent the last four years celebrating some occasion with my family. Although, we did spend this long weekend in Camrose to see my beautiful cousin Jill get married, I surprised him with a night in Edmonton to make sure he knew that his birthday sacrifices haven't gone unnoticed. We stayed at the Union Bank Inn where we enjoyed matching robes, cheese plates, and wine. We went for dinner at Red Ox Inn, and we hit up the antique mall on the way home.

Hope you had a good long weekend!