Smells like happy
On home office makeovers, happy smells and hot chocolate breaks.
Project home office makeover
To me, March always feels like a second-chance January—another opportunity to start fresh and in harmony with nature. It’s when I get a second wind and want to start all my home projects. This year, one of them is to redo my home office and I’m feeling very motivated. If you have tips on what makes a great work space or have things you love to keep on your desk (cute stationary? storage ideas? desk organizer?), please share them with me! Recently, I’ve been inspired by Alexandra Gater’s dark academia-inspired office makeover and I’ve also been adding ideas to my Pinterest board.
Smells like happy
A few days ago, my husband I were driving in the car with our toddler when I remarked how something “smells like happy.” Without missing a beat, our two-year-old started repeating, “It smells like happy.” Suddenly, those simple, sparkly words became my new favourite sentence. Since then, I’ve opened a blank page in my Notes app and called it ‘Things that Smells Like Happy,’ jotting down any and all smells that spark joy: the roses in my garden during the height of summer, onions slowly caramelizing on the stove, freshly baked bread, books both old and new. It’s been a joyful little exercise and I highly recommend doing it. I hope we’re all finding things that smell like happy.
A decadent hot chocolate break
Last week, I did something I never do. Instead of going into my kitchen to make a quick cup of tea in the afternoon, I decided to make hot chocolate instead with the intention of making it properly and without rushing. I brought milk to a boil in a saucepan, stirred in two heaping spoonfuls of hot cocoa and let it slowly thicken to a creamy consistency. The actual act of making it felt like a meaningful and much-needed pause in my workday. The hot chocolate was decadent, but so was the deliberate pause amidst the flurry of meetings and never-ending things to cross off my list. I’m allowing myself more of these kinds of moments in my day and hot chocolate seems like a good place to start.
Mary's Brigadeiro Signature Drinking Hot Chocolate, $22
This is the hot chocolate I made, which was a gift from one of my best friends, and absolutely worth the time spent making it!
How Domino’s chief creative officer Kate Berry shops for her own apartment.
Adding this French onion bucatini to my list of things I’d like to make.
The grounding and anxiety-easing benefits of adult “floor time.”
I love a good cheese ranking. The best grocery store cheese in Canada.