last year

Hm, the photo option is working again. That's some good motivation!

no resolution

So I'm not big on New Year's resolutions. I've always been better at back-to-school goals - September is ingrained in my mind as the time for new beginnings. I think once you make it past mid-January you relinquish the opportunity to make New Year's resolutions and you need to find a different name for what you are doing.

This year, I am turning 30. THIRTY. I don't really know what that means but I know that my life is not in the place I expected when I was growing up and imagined 30. There are a lot of exciting things in my world.

Rather than write resolutions, or even specifically goals, I am listing 30 things for my thirtieth year.

I was going to say "things I want to accomplish," or "things that I will do," or even "things to check off my list." Of those, checking off the list is the closest to what I really mean. At the end of the year, I look forward to looking back and seeing that my life has moved. Books that my wonderful friend has recommended about mindfulness have had an impact on me, and more than anything else I want to be true, open, and better.

I am having problems when I am trying to post my photos on here - I try to insert them and nothing happens! I have been less prolific than I would like with my camera lately, but still...it's a little discouraging!

However, I have found this fantastic thing which is such a great colour that I thought I would post the link, instead of a photo of the cowls that I have been making. They are so great to make, and so cozy to wear. I am thinking about maybe opening an Etsy shop, since I really am enjoying making different kinds of cowls but am having a hard time justifying making that many for myself. I am making them for friends too and it's just so much fun!

Oh Blogger, I wish you would let me post photos. You used to work and lately you don't. Sigh.

lunching

I am eating the most fantastic lunch. I love simple things, and simple food never fails to satisfy.

Brown rice, steamed broccoli, sweet potato, onions, mushrooms, marinated tofu cubes, miso gravy. I wish I had a photo but (1) I am at work, and (2) my bowl is almost empty.

Blogger, what have you done with the font options? Why can't I change the size? Poo.

special christmas tilt!

This week, in honour of the spirit of Christmas and general non-denominational holiday goodwill, tilt is all about things that money can't buy. In no particular order, as always:

• Baking. I have rediscovered the joy of baking since reintroducing wheat into my diet, and I have been having SO MUCH FUN I can barely stand it! My boyfriend definitely benefits ("Here, have another slice of cake before it dries out..."; "Let me make you some coffee, I think you need a snack to go with your coffee."), as does anyone that I am visiting this season (boyfriend's family got these for Christmas eve). Gluten-free baking can definitely be done successfully, and vegan baking can be done successfully, but it's a rare occasion where both of these things meet and don't taste, er, healthy. Or more likely, where they meet and don't end in complete disaster, the kind of disaster where loaves of bread weigh 12 lbs and need you to put your shoulder into it to slice off a piece (let's not even talk about that). My biggest fear in gluten-free baking was the cost. Four-cup bags of flour for eight dollars don't lend themselves to experimentation, and honestly, it was just cheaper for me to avoid grains entirely. I've spent the last three years away from baking, which I had only just started to discover, and I didn't realise until I started doing it again that I really, really missed it a lot.
• Family. This year we spent the pre-Christmas frenzy with my boyfriend's family. It was a difficult time - my boyfriend's uncle passed away just over a week ago (hence no tilt last week) - so it felt more poignant somehow, more significant and urgent that we visit and let everyone know that we care. I am truly blessed to have an extended family that welcomes me without prejudice and with such warmth and genuine interest and caring - and I am not the type to throw the term 'blessed' around so you know it's the real deal. Of course, my family is no less important. They are smaller in numbers, and sometimes frustrating in the way that only relatives can be ("What do you mean, you can cook me fish instead? I'm vegan! I don't eat animals! A fish is an animal!" - true story that made me feel like I was 16 all over again), but they have big hearts and have helped to shape me into the person that I am today.
• Friends. Somehow December has been a total dud for seeing my wonderful friends, but I am determined to make January and February the new December. I am not a person who has a lot of friends, but the few people I count among my friends are very important to me and I am extremely fortunate to have them in my life.
• Cats. Okay, so they wake me up at 4:00am, they eat paper, they sleep in my clothes, they knock things off shelves and are pretty much the reason I don't want grown-up (read: expensive) furniture. And this is why I love them so much. Elvis, Fidel and Morgan, you probably scared away potential suitors who took me for one of those types (the social message of a single girl with three cats is not lost on me), and for that I thank you because you have made me more tolerant, more understanding, more caring and more appreciative of the small things.
• Music. Not albums, radio, MP3s, but just notes strung together into an order that commits to memory.
  

tilt

I realise this would be more exciting if I posted more often that just once a week. However, it's gifting season, so I have been busy sewing and cutting and printing and modpodging...but no photos of the crafting, because that would give away the surprise! I did make some ornaments, but on account of my camera not being with me right now I can't upload any photos.

I have also been job hunting. I am employed, but my little start-up company is rumoured to have only a short time left, and morale is at an all-time low (probably the most dangerous thing, more dangerous than not having money). I am suprised at how the job market is...well, beyond slow. It shouldn't be shocking, but I can't remember ever having seen such a low volume of new postings. Oh well, it's almost the new year, and things will look up. Convincing?

Since it's Thursday, I bring you another TILT!

• Driving shoes. Specifically these ones - which are somewhere between a loafer and a driving shoe, but most importantly they can be thrown in the washing machine! So they don't get stinky! I don't like socks so much so these are perfect. I already have two pairs BUT NOT IN THAT COLOUR! So these are on my list for this year.
• Having a heater under my desk at work. The office is freezing but I am toasty while I am working, thanks to an extra heater finding its way under my desk and keeping my legs and feet warm.
• Denim. Yes, I love jeans, but that's not what I am talking about here. I have been making my holiday crafts using pieces of denim from my collection and then embroidering festive motifs on them (photos soon!) and I just love how they have ended up looking clean and modern, yet rustic at the same time. I think it helps that our tree is white and then all the ornaments are either light or dark denim (I like a theme).
• Eyeglasses! I have been switching up between my old frames and really like them as an accessory.

tilt

I am taking a cue from Gala Darling and am going to try to post TILT entries. For those of you who have never seen Gala's site (how you have been missing out!), it's called iCiNG. TILT is "Things I Love Thursday." When it's so easy to get distracted by either the nonsense small things or the nonsense big things, it's important to remember the things you love. Although I try to be thankful every day, putting it in writing really makes me think about what it is that keeps me going every day.

1. My boyfriend. Maybe a given, but I often take him for granted. He is the one that gets the short end of my day, and it's not fair so I am trying to do better. It's easy to fall into a rut where he only gets the leftover energy at the end of the day, which is so often bad energy, and he is so deserving of more. This is why they say it takes work to keep a relationship. Honorable mention to him also for eating my (often experimental) vegan dishes without any bias, and actually requesting repeats!
   
   
2. Holiday crafts. I've never been especially festive or keen on doing a lot of decorating. This year I feel differently, and will be making some of these guys for display in both seasonal and non-seasonal colours.
   
   
3. Weleda. I have been using their Skin Food for the extra-dry spots on my hands (they don't respond well to winter) and just picked up their Sea Buckthorn Hand Cream. Such pretty smells! To me they smell healthy and clean. Plus the Sea Buckthorn Hand Cream doesn't leave greasy fingerprints on my keyboard (a big issue).
   
   I just noticed that the website says that Skin Food is an all-over cream. For me it is a little too greasy so I just put it on the spots where my skin is red and chapped.
   
   
4. Bigelow Cinnamint Mentha Lip Shine. Seriously fantastic.
   
   
5. Crisp fall/winter air. Every year it's so disheartening when the days get shorter and it's dark well before leaving work, however my secret favourite thing is the feeling of the air when the seasons change from summer to fall and then again from fall to winter.
   
   
6. Mason jars. So timeless and chic! I use them for absolutely everything, from storing leftovers to carrying smoothies to keeping bathroom goodies organized. The wide-mouth ones are my favourite. You can buy them new for cheap, and if you are so inclined they are very easily embellished.
   
   
7. Eyeliner. Thanks to the always lovely Janis, I found myself with a DuWop EyeCatcher pencil. At first I only used it for special occasions, but it's slowly become part of my everyday morning routine. Secret: I use the one for brown eyes, even though my eyes are blue, which was not intentional however I love the office-appropriate drama it creates!
   
   
8. Menswear for women. Annie Hall is the cultural benchmark, and I love how this look can be updated with different silhouettes. I'm slowly moving towards a work uniform of sorts, and the menswear shirt with trousers is a strong frontrunner. Add a vest in the spring/fall, and a pullover or cardigan when temperatures are cooler. Librarian chic is also a possibility, however I really am partial to a good trouser and the librarian chic does best with a skirt I think.