Project 365 has its good days and its bad ones. Mainly good. Some bad. Sometimes I get the shot right away and am super pleased with it! Sometimes I never get a shot I’m in love with. Most of the time I feel a bit dejected that my photography isn’t better, but then I remember that the whole point of this project is to practice and improve. And then I feel a bit better.

Thanks for following along! xo.

Last night, on a probably-unnecessary-but-very-necessary late night Skype catchup call with my BFF who lives about 10 minutes away, she said something very interesting:

I need to get back into the habit of reading for pleasure.

Booyah. There it is. Right there! Reading for fun is a habit, just like any other pass-time. The more you do it, the more you enjoy it, the more you work it into your daily schedule – the better it is. I am also of the opinion that reading the wrong things can bum you out and steer your clear of reading altogether. There’s probably some deep metaphor in there for life, but I’m a little out of it this morning so just bear with me.

I have a simple rule, most of the time: I read what I’m really, really excited to read. Choosing a book at random off my shelf can work in a pinch, but most of the time I try to read things that I can’t wait to get my hands on. This might seem like it’d be expensive, but I rely quite heavily on the libraries at my disposal (my school’s system and the Montreal library), which, among them, carry most things. Of course, for the brand-new ones that aren’t yet at the library, I can usually save $10-15 by buying them on Kindle. And sometimes I decide to be patient, and wait until I can get them for free.

All of this is to say: I believe in you! If you decide to make this summer the summer that you get back into reading for fun, you can do it. Let me help you by sharing my personal picks for the next few months! These are all books I’ve either read and enjoyed, am reading, or am psyched to get my hands on.

Let’s Pretend This Never Happened – Jenny Lawson (The Bloggess): If you’ve read my blog for any length of time, you might have picked up on the fact that I think Jenny is the single funniest blogger I’ve ever read. Her writing is usually an unique mix of self-deprecation, quirkiness, and relatability. She also doesn’t hide the fact that she suffers from mental and physical illness, and that it can sometimes be really hard. Her book, which I am about 2/3 through, has made me laugh several times, but has also made me quiet and sad a couple times too. Her memoir is wonderfully written, and doesn’t shy away from that life can be difficult, annoying, or awful. Mostly though, it’s hilarious. I’m loving it. 

Born to Run – Christopher McDougall: It’s a book about running, but not just any running – ultramarathons! Feats of strength I never could have imagined in my wildest dreams. Things so crazy I had to stop and read some parts out loud to friends. It’s about running, but I don’t think you need to be a runner to appreciate it. McDougall is a great writer, and his stories are awe-inspiring and entertaining. If you are a runner though, the book is so motivating: it makes you really want to learn to run better, and learn to love running in the process. 

An Everlasting Meal – Tamar Adler: I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I heard about it from Joy the Baker and Shutterbean, and decided to trust their taste because I’m obsessed with their podcast and agree with almost everything they say. (Yep, I’m a fangirl.) And it was a good call! It’s an amazing book. The subtitle is “cooking with economy and grace”, and that fits so well with the contents of the book. It contains recipes, but it’s not a recipe book. It really is a cookbook, it guides you in how to cook. With economy and grace. It’s difficult to describe the lifestyle that Adler lays out, but it’s light, and good, and wholesome and it really just makes sense. It’s the kind of book I’d like to have my own copy of, to reference while I make eggs, or beans, or grow herbs. It’s just packed full of lovely nuggets of wisdom and joy, and hope, if that makes any sense. It makes me want to be better at cooking. And in life.

The $100 Startup – Chris Guillebeau: I’m pretty sure this is the next one I’ll be reading. I’ve watched the trailer, read reviews and flipped through the book in-store – and was pleasantly surprised to find it a lot more hefty than I expected, for whatever reason. I love Chris Guillebeau, I find his writing really down-to-earth and inspiring – he makes me want to drop everything and travel the world. A few years ago, he was responsible for a couple awesome epiphanies for me. And I think at this point, learning more about his perspective on business would be a wonderful thing. I have no doubt that I’ll learn a lot from this one.

An Economist Gets Lunch – Tyler Cowen: First, read this article (an excerpt from the book). Then come back. Are you back? Awesome, right? Ain’t that just the coolest thing? When I first read it – and yes, granted I’m a foodie – I was chomping at the bit to get my hands on the book, and excitedly spouting the tips to all who would listen (not many). Amazing. Applying economic principles to restaurant-going? Genius. I can’t wait to learn more.

The Joy the Baker Cookbook – Joy Wilson: I’m counting this as a “read” because I plan to read it, cover to cover, and lovingly stroke the pretty pictures and read the funny intros. It’s 100 recipes and 100 photos, the majority of which are not featured on her blog but are so incredible-looking that I cannot wait to try them. I would have bought this book already, if my bookstore had it in stock!

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet – David Mitchell: Well, actually, I plan on reading Mitchell’s entire oeuvre this summer. He’s one of my favourite authors, yet I’ve only read 2 of his books! They were both absolutely outstanding, but still – I must read the rest. I haven’t much to say about this book, except that all his work is amazing, he’s a genius, yadda yadda yadda. Can’t wait to carve out some time to enjoy this one.

Yay! I’m getting excited about reading just skimming through this list. I’m also planning on tackling one long book (The Count of Monte Cristo), and I hope I’ll be reading many more books than what’s on this list as well.

I love the sound of almost every book on Alex Franzen’s summer reading list too – check it out here! And please please share your summer picks in the comments below. I need all the inspiration I can get!

Happy reading.

Feeling tired, but happy.

Craving sleep, a home-cooked meal, and a back massage.

Enjoying warm weather, picnics, and happy hours!

Reading Let’s Pretend This Never Happened and giggling, a lot.

Thinking about going back to bed for half an hour.

Grateful that I have a job, friends who love me, and that my family is healthy and happy.

Excited to watch our little cherry tomato plant grow.

Watching the last few episodes of Game of Thrones!

Happy to feel like I’m finally coming into my own in some ways.

Brainstorming lists for/of exciting new projects.

Wishing there were a few more hours in the day.

Getting more enthusiastic about running.

Eating far too many cold bagels for my liking, not enough fresh fruit and homemade pizza.

Obsessed with Instagram and now VSCO cam.

Crazy about this playlist.

Entertaining the idea of creating a bar, so we can make margaritas at home.

Hoping to make it through the day with a smile on my face.

Sending you happy vibes for a Happy Monday.

I love having photos to look back over: it helps me to re-live the special moments of my life and remember how happy and blessed I am. Even the photos that seem so half-baked at the time seem to be more full of colour and more exciting than they felt at the time. The whole really is greater than the sum of its parts.

I’m happy. I’m in a good place. Big, fun things are happening and I finally feel like I’m coming into my own in some small way. I hope that you are happy too.

xo

Don’t ask me why I feel compelled to do a round-up of my 2012 goals in mid-May. It’s not quite halfway through the year, nor is this a quarterly report, I just feel like it’s the right time for me to assess my progress and get motivated for the next half-ish of the year. Ready? Okay!

In general, I have been so happy about these goals. I love that they’re tangible, I love that they’re check-off-able, and I love that they give me a bit of a direction in how I live my life. They help me focus on what I think is important, and that winds up shaping my everyday life in positive ways. That being said, I’ve made a lot of progress on some of my goals, and next to no progress on others. I’ve already scrapped one, and another is starting to seem like it doesn’t jibe with who I am or what I want anymore – funny how quickly things can change, right!? Anyhow, let’s go into a bit more detail.

Personal

• Read 75 books this year/ I’ve read 14 so far
• Take 5 trips/ I haven’t taken a single trip, unless you count going home for reading break and my birthday. I’ll hopefully be taking a couple in the summer, but 5 seems a little far off at the moment.
• Bake & decorate 5 cakes [1, 2]/ I’m hoping to make a few more – not quite so elaborate as the first two! Maybe something light and fun for summer birthdays.
• Bake 4 “breads” from scratch [1, 2]/ I have my eyes on PW’s X Bread, for one.

Creative

• Write 100 blog posts (2 a week!)/ I’m currently at 54 posts, counting this one, which means I am well on-track for this goal! And it’s probably my favourite goal of all of them.
• NaNoWriMo 2012/ Luckily, don’t have to worry about this one until November. But I am still totally motivated to write my 2nd novel!
• Submit writing to 3 different newspapers or magazines/ This I have made no headway on. In fact, in all the hullabaloo of the past few months I completely forgot I’d even made this a goal. I’ll be getting on it ASAP!
• Project 365 (see the photos on Flickr)/ I love this goal and I’ve been dutifully doing it every day. Haven’t missed a photo yet, knock on wood!
• Complete 10 DIY projects (check them out here)/ I’m at 7/10 (haven’t posted the latest on the blog yet) and I hope to end up doing more than 10. This is my other favourite 2012 goal, it has been so much fun.
• Write an ebook/ Nope. But I’ve started working on a cookbook, and I have thoughts milling about in my brain, so we’ll see if this will happen!

Physical

• Take a photo of everything I eat / This was a nice thought, but it’s just not going to happen! I was in a very different headspace at the beginning of this year, and I no longer feel the need to obsess over food, count calories, or strictly monitor anything. I feel a lot more balanced, which is why I have no qualms about striking this goal from the list.
• Lose 20 pounds/ I have similar feelings about this goal – I have not weighed myself since January (I don’t have a scale), and even though I lost probably about 10 pounds that month on the slow-carb diet, I no longer care. Yes, I’m still working at getting healthier, but no, I don’t really care about the weight itself. So this one too is getting struck from the list!
• Be able to run 10K/ This goal, on the other hand, is still a happy and positive one for me. It’s a great milestone to aim for, and I have been slowly improving my running ability and distance over the last couple months. My last run, I ended up going 4.68km at a nice easy gait, and enjoyed it. Meaning I’m almost halfway there! Yay. 

Overall, mixed results. Some of my goals have gotten more attention than others (blogging, DIY), but that probably has a lot to do with the fact that it’s been wintery and more conducive to indoor pursuits. Hopefully more trips, running, and reading can take place this summer. I’m so excited for what’s to come.

Thanks for reading! How are your New Year’s Resolutions or 2012 goals going?

And all that light makes the apartment absolutely perfect for dance parties, watching movies, doing your hair or makeup, and of course: baking and photographing the results. We spend the majority of our time doing all of the above. These cookies were created on a grey, dreary day made brighter by friends and food. What isn’t made brighter by friends and food?

Thanks Joy the Baker, I owe you an eternal debt for all the amazing recipes you’ve provided me, and all the laughs I get (often in public) while listening to the Joy the Baker Podcast. Also, your site re-design is fantastic, girl. These cookies were terrific: here is the recipe!

Due to a mysterious absence of granulated sugar, we couldn’t roll ours in sugar before baking. The cookies were still amazing, but I bet it wouldn’t have hurt to have the extra sparkly finish. We baked them for about 13 minutes, taking them out before they looked totally done – because that’s the key to chewy cookies! Take them out a tiny bit early and let them settle down into ooey-gooey-chewy-love. These cookies are a bit more cake-y than chocolate chip cookies, for example, but still end up having a nice chew.

Best enjoyed warm from the oven, looking out over grey skies, with your best friend. D’aww. Happy Wednesday everybody!

My first page has a few self-portraits, plus a photo of my zippered bag which was a total highlight of that week. The yellow graph paper holds some journalling about the week. The grey card just lists some of the things I liked during those 7 days. And the little tag has a few mottoes that kept popping up: capture magic, don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good enough, and the whole is greater that the sum of its parts. The photo at the bottom left is of me right after I got my sewing machine – I was so happy!

The back side of the title page has a bunch more self-portraits from throughout the week. I kept some sewing machine instructions, and wrote a little about the week. The right hand page is the day of the 23rd! I kept a to-do list, slotted in some photos, and wrote a bit about what I did that day.

More of the same – photos and journalling cards. The page for the 25th is one of my favourites, because I custom-made the layout using my sewing machine.

And I am obsessed with that photo of eggs! I also printed my stats from the Nike+ GPS app for my run on the 26th. The 27th was a quiet, study-filled day, and I like how the page and photos reflect that.

For the final 2 days, I didn’t have very much to add – only a handful of photos and very little else! I barely left my house those last few days before exams. So I packaged them into one page, and I like how it turned out.

I love this album. It was really fun to make, because I got to play around with paper and photos. And it is fun to look back at, because it keeps track of all the little details of everyday life. My album certainly doesn’t look like some of the other Week In The Life albums, mostly because I’m a bit amateurish, especially with this new plastic photo-sleeve type of scrapbooking. But that’s okay – I did my own thing! And I had lots of fun with it. It was a welcome distraction after a long night of studying.

I hope sincerely that today (and all days) your life is great, your life is grand, and that you smile to yourself when you walk down the street today for no reason except for that life is amazing. I hope you laugh a lot and get 20 hugs. I hope you get everything checked off your to-do list and see a friend and start or finish a book and enjoy some nice weather. Count your blessings and keep on smiling! Happy Monday.