And just like that, February is over as well. I must admit, it’s definitely my least favourite month of the year – everything is grey outside and Spring is still so far away! I don’t know, March just has a much nicer ring to it. Here’s what February has been about:
Reading | I haven’t shared a reading post this month, but I’ve still enjoyed some pretty great books, especially “The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets” and “The Uncommon Appeal of Clouds”. If you’re looking for books you can just get lost in and have a relaxing afternoon, these are exactly right. I just started reading “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” and it’s just as great as everybody says, I can hardly put it down.
Listening | I had the pleasure of going to a William Fitzsimmons concert this month and it was so much fun. He’s definitely one of my favourite musicians and now his new album is on repeat over here. James Vincent McMorrow’s new songs are favourites as well.
Working | I finished all my exams in February and it feels so good! I still have a few papers to write, but just being able to take an afternoon of without thinking about everything I should be doing feels great!
Creating | Less than I would have wished to be honest. After work and uni I’m often too tired to be creative again, but I miss it.
Moving | I’m happy to report though that I’ve been exercising a lot more this month! You can’t really call it regular yet, but I’ve really enjoyed going swimming and also jogging a lot more. I hope I can keep that up next month!
Meeting | An old friend of mine who I haven’t seen for almost a year came for a visit this month! It was so great, we talked about everything, cooked a lot, planned some trips for the year (yay) and just enjoyed our time together. Why can’t all good friends just live close by?
Eating | I tried a lot of new recipes this month! I’ve tried a few recipes from the Leon cookbooks (again, everything tasted wonderful, you need to get this book if you haven’t) and made pancakes and omelette for breakfast, risotto for lunch and whole bunch of veggie meals I thought of myself as well. I also finally found a bread recipe that’s easy and super-good.
Traveling | I visited Maastricht again this month. It’s a lovely little city in the Netherlands, that’s only one hour away. I definitely want to go again this summer, when it’s warm outside.
Starting | I got the news that I could lead my own small group in church (with a friend). I’m a bit intimidated, but I can’t wait!
Wearing | As almost everybody at the moment, I’m in love with the whole lean closet movement. I started building my wardrobe this month and got some basic, good quality garments that I hope to be wearing for many, many years.
Today I have the pleasure of featuring Dulcie from Human Sea Vintage for Everlasting Apparel.
February. Definitely not my favourite time of the year. Everything’s grey and cold and you don’t even want to leave the house. Winter blues time. There are days that I’m actually looking forward to going back to bed from the minute my alarm clock rings in the morning. Definitely not ideal. If it was possible, I’d move to California or the south of France, at least for the months of January to March. Since that isn’t possible and I don’t want to continue wishing my days away, I’ve come up with some ideas, how to brave this time of year.
I don’t really understand why, but there are some kind of foods that actually make you feel better and have a more positive outlook on the day. They force your body to produce serotonin (which in turn makes you happy and let’s the winter blues go away). The best known examples are bananas, dark chocolate and pasta, but other great examples are nuts, oats, potatoes, lentils, chicken and eggs. Don’t even think about dieting (the good thing about winter is that you can hide those extra kilos under your sweaters ;). Don’t over-indulge too much though: Feeling sick and having an upset stomach isn’t going to make you feel better about winter. Everything in moderation, I’d say.
Even if the sun isn’t shining, just half an hour outside helps you feel calmer and happier. Your metabolism needs light to work properly and artificial light just isn’t enough. And I don’t know about you, but somehow I often feel as if I have achieved something after going outside, even though I just took a walk.
Happy Valentine’s Day everybody! Are you having a day filled with love and joy?
Hi everyone! With my holiday starting today, I finally have some free time to spend on improving this little space of mine and work out some new and exciting things. So today, I have a small favour to ask you: Could you maybe answer this little survey (it will only take a minute!)? Your feedback matters so much and I will do my best to take all your answers into consideration. Thanks so much guys, it means a lot!
Don’t be shy, I can definitely handle criticism as well – just no hate, please.
Good morning, everybody! Today it’s time for the third installment of How We Do (already!). Trina and I love writing this column every month and we can’t wait to read all of your stories as you publish them. Today let’s talk about Spring Cleaning!
You already know that I care a lot about how the way I live impacts the world around me.
A little while ago, I was tagged by Kevin (and Trina) to play along in the Now & Then game.
Last week my good friend Helena nominated me for a Liebster Award, a blogging award that has been going around the blogosphere for a while.
Hanna’s Places is a green lifestyle magazine written by Hanna Ulatowski. It’s all about slowing down in a fast-paced society and finding ways to live a more sustainable, simple lifestyle.
