Summer Jar

This is what my summer looks like. A little jar of colour, that I’m not allowed to open until May 1st. It’s like Pandora’s Box, I’m telling you!

I pinned a date night jar a few weeks back, but I thought it’d work well for summer plans. I realize that it’s not likely for us to be at much of a loss for things to do during the summer, because there’s always something happening that’s fun. I still kind of like the idea of emptying the whole jar before September 1st!

My best friend and I sat in my bed, scrolling through our brains and online summer activity lists to come up with all the most fun things we could think of. I scrawled them all onto multicoloured slips of paper with a black sharpie, and she folded them in quarters and put them in the jar. Teamwork!

We used a little colour-coding system (because I’m more of a nerd than you know) to keep track of which activities take more planning (ex. camping) and which take less (ex. making sangria). We ended up with:

  • Red = we can do it today! (ex. swing on swingsets)
  • Pink = we can do this in a day or two! (ex. throw a dinner party)
  • Orange = we just need to plan a little, but we can probably do it this weekend! (ex. go camping)

Like I said, I doubt we’ll ever be at a loss for what to do, and I’m sure a lot of activities listed in the jar will be ticked off without even having to look at the slip of paper – they’ll just happen naturally. But just in case we do need inspiration, my little colourful jar of summer will be there to offer it.

This is an amazing thing to do on a study break, because it makes you so optimistic about your life post-exams!

Happy studying, my loves. It’s almost summer!

Creative Coping

It’s paradoxical, but all my best creative ideas come to me when I’m too stressed or busy to pursue them. I remember being so confused by this during my first exam period, but excited too: I kept a notebook open next to my work and jotted down ideas all through my study day. It was a way to cope with my inevitable boredom at the long, monotonous hours of library drudgery. Two years later, and I’m still “blessed” with a surge of creativity right around the most stressful part of my year.

I know that many people work best under pressure, staying up all night to get an essay finished or cramming for an exam. I can’t work like that, personally: the mere idea of it stresses me out so much that it’s motivation to just get to work right now! That’s not to say that I don’t suffer from my fair share of procrastination. But I would much, much prefer to start as early as I can – that way I can try to stay healthy, and be able to take some time off, when I need to, so I don’t get burned out. And no, I’m not always able to do this, and yes, sometimes I have to stay up later than I’d like to finish things I didn’t start on time.

Last night, my brain wasn’t having any of it. I hadn’t cared for my body properly – I’d been eating strange meals, hadn’t gone for a run because it was pouring rain all day, hadn’t slept almost at all the previous night (probably also due to stress) – and so it was rebelling. I couldn’t concentrate, I was tired, bored, unfocused.. My sweet mama urged me to take a break, citing the oh-so-wise maxim: “an hour-and-a-half of solid work is worth 3 of half-hearted”. Amen, mama. So I decided to stop trying to force it.

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Project 365: Week 15

I’ll admit: I got a little lazy once or twice this week, but I also got a little creative once or twice too! I think my favourite picture of the week is of my shrimp pasta, which I made in  my new skillet (which is gorgeous, but weighs a ton!). That was one of the best meals I’ve cooked in a while, and it helped that it was so pretty! The ginger syrup has been making a fine companion on those long studying days/nights. Homemade gingerale is the best! And of course, I still love my running shoes. Honestly, what’s great about Project365 (for me, who doesn’t have a dog or children to photograph!) is that it motivates me to document my everyday life. And I think I’ll be really grateful to be able to look back on this time of my life and see exactly what my day-to-day life was like. I love that.

I honestly can’t wait to get these printed as a Blurb book at the end of the year. Until then, I’m considering getting a book of my Instagram photos so far this year printed. If you’d like to do the same, you can use this link and enter 15OFFBLURB at the checkout to save 15% on your whole order. The ad I’ve put up on the sidebar will also work.

Happy Friday!

Best Chocolate Ice Cream

Cabin fevAH. Cabin feverrrr. Got the fever! Fever when you lock me inside, fever all through the night.

Oh great, now the word “fever” looks like it’s spelled wrong. Is it? Better check.

It’s not. It’s right. My brain just isn’t used to having to read the word “fever” 8 times in a row. Oops, did I do it to you too? Forgive me. This is how my brain works when it gets cabin fever.

As usual, I’m being overly dramatic. It’s only been a couple of days since my nose has been glued to my books, and I haven’t yet gone a day without going outdoors. Staying inside for entire days tends to be a staple of my exam-studying prep, but now that it’s gorgeous and sunny outside I don’t know if that’ll happen this semester! Cause for celebration!

Here’s how cabin fever generally manifests itself: I fidget. I switch positions when I’m reading notes – from sitting to standing to the chair to the couch to the floor. I read out loud when my brain gets sleepy and doesn’t want to pay attention anymore. I obsessively use FocusBoosterApp (lifesaver). I leave all the dishes unclean. I take impromptu dance parties. If my phone tells me I have a message, I lunge across the room at it, even if it’s only from like, Amazon.com. Texting becomes a lifeline. I eat, probably too much. I eat the last of this ice cream later at night than I probably should.

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