Almost at the finish line…

A little more than halfway through the year, it has suddenly occurred to me that I had a New Year’s goal that I have just about completely abandoned, simply because I completely forgot about it. Isn’t it funny how we get so caught up in other things that we forget the promises we made to ourselves? Man, even just typing that makes me feel lame.

So just to recap: because I (supposedly) love reading so much, I pledged to read 50 books by the end of this year and so far I’ve read exactly 9. Womp womp. According to GoodReads (where they so kindly keep track of how much I’m failing) I am 48% behind, which translates into roughly 24 books. Eeep.

There are four months left in the year, so I’m going to try and plow through as many books as I can in such a short time. If I reach my goal now it will means a) I have way more time on my hands than I actually thought and b) I will have finally completed one of my New Year’s goals (which, in the end, is probably the most important. Right?)

Here are some of the titles that are waiting on my list:

Fifty Shades Freed by E.L. James

The first book made me blush, the second book just plain made me laugh, but now there’s a faint resemblance of a plot line I’m starting to enjoy myself. It’s funny how you get so desensitized to all those naughty bits after a while.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstrern

L just finished reading this book and she swears that it is one of the best things that she has ever read in a really long. Which is saying a lot, because L manages to read a heck of a lot more than I do. I blame her long bus rides to work.

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Having freshly emerged from a short obsession with teen novels, S and I still have some favorites that we like to follow. The first in the series, Divergent, is surprisingly more gritty and intellectual than most teen novels but maybe it’s because Roth uses words like “divergent”, as in the title of the book. Further teen obsessions include The Mortal Instruments and The Lorien Legacies, which are a billion times better than the movie portrayed.

Who knows what else I might dig out of the woodwork to enjoy? Plus, every fall one of our local universities explodes with various used books fairs that I hit up a couple of years back with a good friend of mine. We missed last year (probably a good thing, as I’m ashamed to admit the amount of abuse my wallet took in those few days) but this year there’s no stopping us. We’re going back and it’s going to be good. Maybe it will even warrant a Twenties Project Post.

What about you guys? Does anyone else have anything they want to accomplish before the year ends? Anyone else as bad at keeping New Year’s Resolutions as I am? Let’s have an interwebs pity party. Email me at thetwentiesproject@gmail.com.

Psst! Wanna keep up with me and the billions of books I haven’t read on GoodReads? Check out my profile here or sign up yourself right here. Check out more of our favorite reads at our Amazon store, too. Who knows? We may have more in common than you think!

New Ideas for the New Year

When it comes to fashion, especially around various North American holidays, art seems to imitate life. Weather forecasts aside, spring brings in showers and stylish flowers… as well as skirts, khakis and pastels, while cords are a fall back-to-school staple and cable knit is king come winter. Good observation, huh? Yet this presents a problem, especially this week while we’re all trying to figure out what the heck we’re going to wear for our New Year’s Eve celebrations- you can never wear the same thing twice, you can never wear the same thing as someone else (similar to prom) and if one more person wears an LBD and silver chandelier earrings, I will make the rumoured world ending of 2012 come true.

I personally think of New Year’s as the bitchy, over-critical friend of all of the different holidays- quite often we find ourselves in slightly awkward and very public situations where we’re required to look our best, be at our funnest and somehow secure that picture perfect kiss at the stroke of midnight, all while getting paparazzi’d by friends and strangers alike who unfortunately can accurately document what number of martinis you’re up to. A lot of fun, a lot of pressure. So naturally, based on the bitch that is New Year’s, many people (girls and guys alike) start going nuts trying to find the perfect outfit for the 31^st.

That being said, I thought to myself, being the little homebody (who’s only been out for New Year’s twice in my life) that I am, in addition to being the self-proclaimed fashionista that I am, maybe it’s time for a person like me looking from the outside in to give a little fresh perspective. Remember earlier when I proposed that art seems to imitate life? Can we not apply that to New Year’s Eve festivities as well? Tuxes, LBDs, silver chandelier earrings, excessive sparkles? Can we not liken these things to nighttime and winter, all topped with glitter and shine from Christmas/Hannukah/Kwanzaa? SNORE. We all know the mission we’ve been given fashion-wise on NYE, so now that we know what’s stale and boring, let’s turn this weather-mimicking mess into a big stylin’ bang to start the brand new year. Here are some tips and tricks:

– Since your pic will be getting snapped all night long, choose an outfit that involves a colour or colour combination that looks fantastic with your skin and hair. Some colours genuinely look great on you, but put a flash and a wide-angle lens on it and you might look like you’re attending the party in between jaundice treatments. Try on some possible options, take multiple pictures at multiple angles and lighting settings and enlist a trusted friend to give you an honest opinion.

– Also take this time to play up a strong feature that you’re proud of. So many women choose short tight dresses because it’s a trend that bombards us in every store we wander into, but frankly, not all of us are blessed in the legs department. Or the looking good in a second skin dress department. And you aren’t doing anyone any favours, including yourself, by pretending you are. Pick one feature or appropriate body part you love and create an outfit that gives it the attention it deserves!

– And speaking of dresses… little does everyone know, you don’t actually have to wear a dress on New Year’s! Guys, that includes you. Skirts, sleek pantsuits, jumpsuits and even a fantastic pair of jeans are all fresh and interesting alternatives to the tried and true dress. Wow, it doesn’t even sound cool anymore.

– Sparkles and shine have been worn over and over again for too long. In the spirit of trying something new in 2012, think texture. Whether that may be in the form of a feather skirt or a brocade-inspired pair of pants, creating visual interest by using different materials as opposed to using different finishes is an easy and fool-proof way to breath new life into your NYE outfit (and your wardrobe too!) Using texture as a fashion tool can also look really cool if you decide to try a monotone or tone-on-tone outfit.

– Finally, if you insist on wearing all black, so be it. But please, for the love of Pete, choose a different metallic other than silver. Why not gold? Or bronze? Copper? Gunmetal? Pewter? (Or otherwise known as “metallic greige”, according to a former co-worker of mine. Again, you want the Mayans to be right about the world ending in 2012? Call it “metallic greige”. I dare you.) Here’s a sneaky tip for red-heads: ROSE gold. Mhmm. You’ll love it. And please choose different accessories than chandelier earrings. Like, hm, I don’t know… a necklace? A bracelet? STUDS?  Have fun with your accessories, that’s what you bought them for!

Make it a New Year’s resolution to try something different- what have you got to lose? It’s one night out of a whole year, so make it count and remember that although there’s a lot of pressure to dress to impress, what’s most important is that you feel good and have fun.

I think my New Year’s resolution is to educate people on proper names of colours. And maybe also to calm down.

Want more tips for a smashing New Year’s Eve outfit? Do you not know what an LBD is? (Shame on you.) Are you the president of the “I Hate Silver Chandelier Earrings” club? I want to hear from you! Drop me a line at l.twentiesproject@gmail.com!

my failed new year’s resolution

At the beginning of the year I signed up for this website called Goodreads, where I can create a virtual library and share with friends some of the books I’ve read and am interested in reading. (If you’re a giant nerd like I am and love to read, then you should sign up too!)

Goodreads has this goal-setting feature where you can set the number of books that you want to read in a year. One of my resolutions for last year was to try and read more, so I set my goal to a lofty fifty.

Ideally, that’s what I would have liked to have read.

Then a couple of weeks ago I got this email from them reminding me that I still had twenty-five books to read until I had reached my goal. I felt like such a failure! That meant I had only accomplished half of my goal and since there was only a couple of weeks left in December there was no way I could read twenty-five books in time.

As we approach the new year those twenty-five books have been weighing on my mind. There doesn’t seem to be a point in making a New Year’s resolution if I never seem to achieve it.

But then I got to thinking about how many books I had read the year before (and believe me, I came up with an embarrassingly low number!) Even though I hadn’t reached my goal this year, I still got a fair amount accomplished.

And maybe that’s the point with resolutions- that even if you don’t completely follow through with them, at least you can say you tried. And  I don’t mean to say that just making the resolution is trying, or that it’s enough just to have good intentions. If you really make a conscious effort to follow through on whatever goal it is that you have, it counts.

So maybe my epic fail wasn’t a fail after all. It was a life lesson that leads me to this year’s resolution: be less hard on myself! Instead of dwelling on what I consider to be mistakes or failings I should concentrate on the effort I put into all the things that I do and congratulate myself on what I have accomplished.

For example, we started The Twenties Project this year, which is something that S and I have always wanted to do. We still have a ton of great ideas for the site that haven’t yet come to fruition but we’re still excited to share them with you in the upcoming year. Looking back on what we’ve accomplished since October though still feels like a lot and we’re grateful for all of our readers and followers. There will definitely be more in store for you guys!

What are some of your plans for the New Year? Do you have any resolutions you’re still going to try and work on for the next year? Being more forgiving to myself also means giving myself permission to be less of a workaholic and spend more time doing the things I love and find relaxing. I want to cook more and bake more and put more time and money into decorating my home. My posts will definitely involve a lot more of that this year!

And as for my Goodreads goal? I’m okay with not meeting my goal this year. But for next year, I’m going to try for fifty again.

At least I can say that I’ll try!

Happy New Year’s everybody!

B

P.S. I’d love to hear more about your own New Year’s resolutions and some of your suggestions as to what you’d like to see on the site in the New Year. Do you want to see how well I do with accomplishing my reading goal in the New Year? Be my friend on Goodreads. My username is- you guessed it- B.

Shaping Up for the New Year Starts in Your Pantry

With the holiday season rapidly approaching lets get out of all this festive merriment and set our sights to New Year’s Day. I’m personally not one to make any New Year’s resolutions but I know many people who do AND I know that the top resolution on most peoples lists is to lose weight or become healthier. As you probably know by now I am against the word diet. I am however a true believer in good, healthy eating. So what is the best way to make sure you’re eating healthily and stick to it? Stock your kitchen pantry and cupboards with with these 9 healthy essentials.

1. Broth: Vegetable, beef or chicken broth will help you to prepare fast rice dishes, sauces, reheating grains and braising. They infuse a ton of flavour without adding unwanted calories.

2. Mustard: Consider this your Super Condiment. Tons of flavour, many varieties, low calorie and no fat! You can use this to marinate meats, in salad dressings and you can use it in place of butter when cooking with a skillet.

3. Spices: No surprise here! Spices are the easiest way to add flavour to any dish without adding calories and boosting health benefits. Stock up on some of my favourites: Cumin seeds, Chili powder, Cinnamon, Red Chili Flakes, Tumeric, Nutmeg, Thyme, Oregano, Tarragon, Basil, Garlic Powder and Ginger. (Though I prefer those last three in their fresh state.) With these on hand you will never be stuck for a meal.

4.Lentils: The quick and easy staple for any healthy meal. They’re filled with protein and fiber and will fill you up easily. Plus they’re cheap so you can stay on budget. Make a big batch on Sunday and incorporate them into your meals throughout the week!

5.Dried Fruit: I swear I’m not trying to turn you into a bunch of granola munchers (which is actually another thing you should have in you pantry btw). Dried fruit like raisins, apricots and cranberries (unsweetened) are not only great for snacking but they also add in a nice little bit of welcome sweetness to meals. Try adding them to your salads, sauces or rice and couscous dishes. You won’t be sorry.

6. Vinegar: I recommend having a minimum of 3 different types of vinegar at one time. White, red or white wine and balsamic are the classics. If you want to really branch out I would also include malt and sherry vinegars to your collection. Each has its own unique flavour and will add a special punch of flavour to sauces, vinaigrettes and marinades.

7. Whole Grains: You cannot go wrong when you have this heart healthy ingredient on hand. They’re packed with fiber and can turn any dish, even leftovers, into a satisfying work of art. I would stock up on a few different varieties and play around with them until you find a favourite.

Well, now that you know the secret to keeping on track I’m sure you’ll want some healthy recipes to use your new ingredients in. Stay tuned cause they’re coming up shortly.

Cheers!