New Weekly Mantra - The Placeholder Life

Do you ever feel like you're waiting to start your life?

I read a quote from writer and lifestyle host Daphne Oz about what it means to create a "real life." Daphne is the author of Relish - a book about home, style and food and her book focuses on living a life that includes balance, beauty and effort. (Note: I own this book, and really like it).

I found the quote interesting because in a way, I've also talked with my friends about what we all desire for the future, without making any tangible changes to get there.

Sometimes it's hard to admit that you may not just end up in the place you want, if you don't start making new habits today.

Whether it's putting up a new shelf, trying a new recipe or taking a new class, there is no better time than today to start living out the kind of life you imagine tomorrow will someday hold.

Below is the quote from Daphne as taken from The Chalkboard Mag. Enjoy! x

"The idea for this book came out of all the conversations I’d had with my friends in which we had talked about what we hoped our “real lives” would look like down the road in 20 or 30 years. In one way or another, we realized that we were all living “placeholder lives” in the meantime, waiting for the moment when we would suddenly have it all figured out. It dawned on me that living in the now, making the most of this moment, is where real life begins. If we don’t lay the solid groundwork today for a dream life that has all the elements we crave – delicious, healthy, indulgent food; a beautiful home that makes us comfortable; an easy wardrobe and beauty routine that lets us feel our best and show that to the world; a purposeful life and rewarding career; strong, supportive, loving relationships with family, friends & partners – we’re never going to wind up there."

Italian Cooking Class - Homemade Tagliatelle

It's been a sweltering week here in Florence (35 degrees everyday) and while I've nearly melted, the highlight of my week was making homemade tagliatelle in cooking class.

We had a new chef in this week, since our original teacher was sick, and chef Dado meant business. While I've documented making homemade pasta on the blog before, this time felt more grueling than usual, as we were without air conditioning in a classroom with one fan.

And yet, while kneading the dough and cutting the ribbons of pasta, I couldn't help but wonder, why go through all this trouble if you can just buy it?

The moment I tasted the results: fresh, light, shiny egg noodles, my opinion changed. You go through all this "trouble" because it tastes a hundred times better than anything you can buy in a bag.

I also feel like I've been putting on some pounds, (more on this preoccupation with weight that I've concluded seems to be very North American) but there is no real way around it. When you're in a cooking class, you eat everything that is prepared. When you're in Italy, you taste everything in sight.

Below are photos from my class! Hope you enjoy them & have a safe and happy weekend! x 

                                 ^^ Apparently this is my pained expression while making pasta

Read, Listen, Watch

It's the end of the week, and while it feels like November in June here in Toronto, why not spend the weekend reading a new book, listening to some new tunes, or watching a beachy video? Below are a few of my recent recommendations for all three.

Read: Winter Journal by Paul Auster. It's a simple memoir about growing old. This may sound strange, but there is nothing special that happens in Paul Aster's life. He writes about how he feels as a six year old, as a teenager; his feelings when his mother passes away; what it was like to meet his wife; how he feels about being 61; his apartment hopping in Paris and New York, yet nothing dramatic happens. There are no wizards or tricks or catastrophes, but his writing is so descriptive and attentive, that the simple items of life, like sneezing and dying and falling in love turn into magical prose.

“You think it will never happen to you, that it cannot happen to you, that you are the only person in the world to whom none of these things will ever happen, and then, one by one, they all begin to happen to you, in the same way they happen to everyone else.”

Listen: She & Him Volume 3 - I would say that the world needs a bit more nostalgia for a simpler time. She & Him is the musical brainchild of Zooey Deschanel and M.Ward. I adored every She & Him volume (I & II) long before Zooey became a wide-eyed New Girl. Volume 3 brings back the retro charm with the guitar genius of M.Ward. The album is sunshine summer without being saccharine. It's 1950s charm meets wide-eyed romance. Start with: I could've been your girl. The video is pretty cute too.

Watch: J.Crew Surf - Ever since I tried surfing in Montauk last summer, I've had a fascination with real surfers, especially women who surf. J.Crew featured a video (see below) about the inspiration behind Pret‐à‐Surf, a (“ready to surf”) collection of surf gear made by women for women who want to wear fashionable items without compromising their sport.