Favourite Things

Filofax Girl For Life

Well, it’s October. That means, for university students at least, that life seems bleak and crazy, confusing and stressful. You’ve become forgetful, wound up, psychotic even. It certainly doesn’t help that on top of the endless avalanche of assignments, midterms, lectures and readings there is another impending avalanche – of snow – that is descending at a rapid clip.

It’s enough to make any girl cry herself to sleep! Not that I have..or anything..

Now would be a really good time to look at that article on stress-busters and pick me ups. Or the one on how to survive exam season, parts 1 and 2.

But what I want to talk about today is the thing that’s saving my life throughout this hectic time: MY FILOFAX. I have the Mode organizer in pink/green. And I love it.

Here she is, in all her glory:

Wow.

Sometimes I just take it out and look at it. Because I think it’s beautiful.

Our relationship is perfect: I am physically attracted to it and feel very strongly about its personality. Sigh. True love.

Maybe you don’t get it. I don’t reaaally blame you, it’s hard to know what this type of love feels like. Which is why I want to tell you 3 reasons I love this thing.

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Three Reasons I Love My Filofax

1. It consolidates all my crazy.

Grocery lists, books-to-read lists (right up there with groceries, obviously), homework, important dates all the way until next Christmas, to-do lists, study plans, my Mom’s Kili itinerary, my blood donor reminder card, articles I loved and printed out, my wallet, sticky notes, a calculator, notes-to-self, affirmations, quotes, reminders..

There’s a lot of stuff in there. To be honest though, I wish I used it more! I’d love to have more lists in there, but right now I don’t have enough paper.. so I make my lists on other papers and slip them into the pockets. It works well enough, but the point is – I could exploit this thing even more! More paper! More crazy! More compact! I never have to remember anything except: “Bring your Filofax with you” and I’m good.

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2. It’s prettttyyyy.

One thing I love about Filofaxes in general is that they’re all so adorable! I can’t tell you how much time I spent on the Filofax website before buying mine, just looking at all the features and colour combinations available. If you wanted to, you could get one made of ostrich! (Although, why would you want to..?)

They’re not too bulky, they come in a variety of sizes, they’re cute and fun and in every colour of the rainbow. Mine is bright pink with bright green (bright bright bright I love bright colours!!), in the Personal size. Personal is the most common size, I’m told, probably because it’s very handy. Anything smaller and my huge writing would take up the whole page. Anything bigger and I wouldn’t be able to carry it absolutely everywhere! :)

The red Domino was featured in the movie 27 Dresses, if a movie sighting means anything to you. (I think it’s kinda cool!)

Besides, just look at this pretty thing! I can’t take my eyes off it sometimes.. :)

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3. It is amazingly customizable.

One of my favourite parts of shopping for my Filofax in the first place was reading the lists of all the goodies that come with each organizer. It seems endless: world maps, address book inserts, calculators, mirrors, plastic envelopes, sticky notes, to-do lists, notepaper.. so exciting. And if something doesn’t automatically come with the planner you choose, you can just add it into your order. They make it dangerously easy.

And all this pre-shipping customization is nothing compared to what you can do with it once you’ve gotten it into your hot little paws. I have sections for quotes, books I want to read, and affirmations. My front pocket is for important articles, notes-to-self and anything pretty I find lying around. Behind the front pocket is a long-term to do list..

Etc, etc! I have all my grocery lists tucked inside, receipts fit easily, I can even slip change into the pockets, I can fit a pen and a highlighter inside. It’s perfect for me.

:D = big smile demonstrating my love for this thing.

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However..

..obviously this particular system can’t work for everyone. As I mentioned in this post about getting organized for school, there are tons of different methods you can try: anything from wall calendars to scribbled to-do lists. I just wanted to give my personal account of the system that works for me!

Also, I’d like to add: I am in no way endorsed by Filofax to say this stuff. The idea of that is simply ridiculous to me: as if Filofax would know who I was!! But I’ve gotten weird comments asking stuff like that before, so I just wanted to clear it all up beforehand. No people, this post is simply (dorkily) because I have a relationship with my personal organizer.  Someone has to be this dorky in real life, and it’s me. You’re welcome.

Anyone else geek out about stationary/organizers/awesome stuff like that?? I’m looking at you Isabelle..back me up here! Let me know!

 

ALL MY LOVE & STUFF

XOXO

A Pie That Tastes Like Autumn

Since it’s midterm season, I tend to have long days and early nights with very little fun in between. Depressing, ain’t it?? Food, food blogs, cooking, eating: these have all been my moments of fun and delight in amongst the exhaustion. I love being able to surf the internet looking for delicious recipes and then replicating them as best as I can in my own kitchen. I’ve made so many delicious things lately! Chili, hot & sour soup, caramelized onion pizza, chocolate chip cookies, and more. But my favourite thing I’ve made lately? This pie.

Dubbed ‘Dad’s Perfect Sweet Potato Pie‘ by the oh-so-fabulous Joy the Baker, I can tell you right now that it is not a misnomer. It’s a foolproof recipe, and easily the simplest pie I’ve ever made.

Speaking of simple, did you know that you don’t have to roll out pie crust? Oh my gosh. This information was literally life changing. For a girl as obsessed with pie as I am, I could not be happier that the path to pie has gotten shorter and less complicated. I am eternally grateful!

And did I mention the best part? This pie tastes like autumn. Not a joke. It really does. You bite into it and immediately get transported back to your days of jumping in leaves and picking apples (even if you’re like me and those days happened last weekend). I made it for a lovely dinner I was having with my floor fellow from last year and two great friends. We all (myself included) adored it to bits. I have been hoarding the last slice in my fridge for days..muahahaha!

Alrightie. Now you can get the recipe from here, but I’m going to outline some of the steps with photos, for my own amusement. :)

Get your hands on 2 good sized sweet potatoes. This is a photo from after I boiled them and am about to peel away the skin and mash them all up into amazingness.

Note their beautiful texture and colour!

This is once most of the ingredients have been added: cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander, evaporated milk. Please note also that I had to go back to the store to get evaporated milk since instead I bought condensed? What it wrong with me? Don’t yell and scream, I had just been walked home by a decently attractive member of the opposite sex. Maybe I was distracted. Maybe I had other things on my mind.. ;)

Om nom nom nom. Beautiful. When my friends came over on the way to dinner, I invited them all to try the filling. And they did. And it was delicious. Salmonella be damned!

I’ll let Joy take you through the wonders of this pie crust, but let me reiterate: it is so amazing. It is so simple. My life is so great.

Perfect. Puffy. Yummy.

Ay caramba!!

Do yourself a huge favour and make this pie. Then eat it. Lots of it. Three slices. I won’t judge you. No really. :)

YUM YUM YUM.

Have lovely weekends!

xoxo,


What to Bring to Your Dorm Room

[This post is the last in my Back to School Series]

So you’re going off to University. You must be terrified. Holy moly! Even as I was packing my bags this year, I was remembering my sheer terror as I packed them last year. Luckily, for me that has passed, but maybe you’re still feeling that way? All I can say is: it’s going to be okay! And read this if you want more encouragement. :)

As my last post in my very fun-to-write back to school series, I’m talking about what to bring.

Dorm Room Necessities

 

My dorm room!
My dorm room!

 

Besides the obvious – school supplies, bedding, books and knicknacks – there are tons of things that fill the average dorm room. Food, snacks, and beer abound, along with dirty laundry and stacks of paper. Depending on the size of your room, it could be neater (small space = higher organization!), but nonetheless, most dorm rooms are crammed full of lots of goodies. Now, I know you’ve been scouring the articles online about what else you might need, and you’ve probably heard it all. In case you haven’t though, here are a few awesome lists of what to bring: very comprehensive!

But maybe you’ve read it all before, and want my personal opinion on the subject. The verdict: for rez, you don’t need that much stuff!! I know how exciting it is to be moving away, and I know you want to take everything with you (I sure did..). But remember, you’ll be moving home for the summer most likely, so pack light! I had way, way too much stuff when I moved home! So besides the absolute essentials and a few homey touches, here are my picks for enjoyable dorm living:

 

Journal

 

On a notebook, far, far away
Image by midnightglory via Flickr

 

For me, one of the most indispensable items to have in your toolkit. Even if you can’t manage to journal every day about your crazy adventures, it’s still incredibly useful for when you feel sad or scared or just plain frustrated! I swear by my journal, and always pick ones that are bright and happy. You could also use a sombre Moleskine to record all your seriously serious thoughts.. :)

Plate, cup and cutlery


Because who knows when you’ll be munching on some real Thanksgiving dinner or lemon ricotta pancakes with blueberry sauce or a full Hanukkah feast? (Yes, all of which occurred my first year, along with countless brownies, cookies, muffins and other munchies.) Always be prepared! Who knows when the opportunity for food will come along?

 

Sleeping Bag

 

 

A person in a sleeping bag
Image via Wikipedia

 

Very useful! Bring with you when you visit friends, or when they visit you! Also can be used for extra warmth if you live somewhere ridiculously cold.

Earplugs

 

iPod Earplugs
Image by wmbreedveld via Flickr

 

So important! Who knows when the guy directly above you will blast Aerosmith and Led Zeppelin until two in the morning, while bouncing a tennis ball against his wall. Oh wait, I know when he’ll do that! Every stinking night. Avoid the drama and use earplugs. Use them when an ultimate frisbee tournament goes on for a month, every night, until midnight. Use them when you’re at the library for total peace. Love earplugs. Totally a necessity.

 

Flat plastic storage boxes

 

31 January 2007 (2): Stacking Boxes
Image by Ulleskelf via Flickr

 

These are perfect when you have a small space. They fit so neatly under any dorm bed and can act as your little pantry/pharmacy for the year. I kept extra kleenex boxes, contact solution, extra lightbulbs, and way more tucked into those handy little spaces. Great use of space, especially when you don’t have much!

Extra floor lamp

 

IKEA Lamp
Image by Matzelchen via Flickr

 

Ooh. So indispensable for me first year. When it gets dark at 5 in the winter, I get thoroughly depressed, especially if all the lighting I have is an overhead light and a desk lamp. Not feeling it. I favour tall floor lamps, cheap at Ikea that can stand in one corner of your room and cast a loving glow over the whole space. Lovely. :)

 

Rug

 

Afghanmatta.jpg
Image via Wikipedia

 

My rugs kept my feet warm, my room colourful and my floors cleaner. Love rugs. Yay rugs!

 

Your musical instrument

 

 

DanElectro & Kay Guitars - Ottawa 01 08
Image by Mikey G Ottawa via Flickr

 

I found that playing my guitar was a huge stress-reliever last year. anytime I felt overwhelmed, I could just reach into the corner of my room and strum away. I also play the piano, and nearer to the end of the year I started playing the pianos downstairs in our rez. If you don’t play an instrument, sorry! But I really recommend bringing yours if you do have one.

Related Articles

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How exciting!

Isn’t it fabulous to move into a new place and start making it your own?! I love that feeling of settling in somewhere so much, of laying all your things our and getting organized and making everything look absolutely gorgeous! I’m moving into my very first apartment tomorrow, and I couldn’t be more excited to make it wonderfully mine. I’ll keep you posted on that front!

What do you think about my picks for comfy dorm living? What changed your life when you were living in a tiny room? Let me know!

Good luck with the transition my loves!

xoxo,


Introducing the Back To School Series!

Hi guys! Today I’m going to share with you something I’ve been working hard on for next week: my first ever blog series! Starting Monday and going through until Friday, I’ll be posting every day on various topics about going back to school. I chose to do this series next week, because that’s the week before I actually go back to school, but I apologize if you go to school in Ontario and your school starts a week later than mine (lucky things).

Anyways, here’s a sneak peek at some of the possible topics I’m considering!

  • Making, sticking to and loving your budget!
  • Kick-starting your search for the perfect note-taking style
  • Stress-busters and special treats
  • Creating a dynamite routine
  • The non-believer’s guide to easy organization
  • Dorm + Apartment staples
  • Fall fashion!
  • And more…? :)

Click here to see all the posts so far in the series!

I have a few posts already in the works, and I’m getting really excited about this! It’ll be a way for me to:

a) share my hard-won knowledge about getting into the university groove and

b) diminish some of my own stress about second year!

If you have any topics you’d love to see covered in the series, email me and let me know! Or just leave a comment below and I’ll do my best to incorporate it into the series.

I’m really looking forward to hearing your ideas, and sharing mine!

xoxo,

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