I’m halfway through reading a book that I was initially embarrassed to buy.

My mom and I spent a rainy afternoon at a Waterstone’s when she was here, and when I brought the book over to show her I immediately felt like I needed to explain myself.

I have no problem with self-help-type books of any kind (whatever works), and also this is my mom, so why the immediate defensiveness? Something about a book called The Happiness Project just makes me feel like I need to explain myself. Social stigmas, probably? Whatever. Either way, so far so good—the book has realistic advice on small things that you can actually do everyday that help to make you feel less annoyed, more grateful, etc.

Here’s what I’ve picked-up halfway through:

1. Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. (AKA stop being such an f-ing perfectionist)

2. Complaining or speaking negatively about something actually makes you feel bad. Try stopping yourself before your next rant and you’ll see what I mean.

3. Men and women find relationships with women to be more enjoyable than those with men. The most reliable predictor of not being lonely is the amount of contact a person has with women. In other words—hang out with your girlfriends, your mom, your female cat, whoever. If you have a sister, even better.

I’m also happy to report that the author is just as much of an organizational nerd as I am. She has a revelation in the book based on filing boxes, and I was glad to dog-ear this page. 

Srsly, even if you think it sounds cheesy, small things make a big difference. My sister and I are both convinced that the secret to a fulfilled life is making your bed first thing every morning. You would be amazed at the impact it has on you, whether you realize it or not. 

From here!

If you’re not familiar with Emerson Fry, you totally should be.

Aside from the fact that Emerson herself seem super normal and relatable (not to mention that her name is awesome), her stuff is nice, basic, and wearable with just the right amount of cute trendiness. 

Her fall pieces have just gone on pre-sale and I’m really eyeing these pupperinos:

and again:

Speaking of pupperinos, check out her dog!

because this outfit is gorgeous

because these are the answer to every problem

because this is my favorite color palette, and because Sophia Amoruso sounds awesome

because this coat is huge! (and looks adorable with cuffed jeans + oxfords)

because this would be my new uniform

and because one pair of new fall shoes wasn’t enough

From here, here, here, here, here—oh, and here!

My second round of vegetarianism has been going on for about two and a half years and I’m really terrible at it. 

The first time I tried on vegetarianism I was in college (bro). I was basically only eating bagels and the very cliché ramen noodles, so I had to return to my meat-eating ways after waking up several mornings in a row covered in bruises. (Hint: I wasn’t getting enough iron.)

For the past two years, I’ve done a better job varying my diet which is because I was influenced by my friend Mardi’s cooking. Mardi cooks healthy food that’s also yummy and not scary. 

It’s because of Mardi that I’m not currently covered in bruises. Unfortunately when left to my own devices, I’m a terrible vegeterian because I really hate cooking and I hate most vegetables.*

This will never change, but here’s a few things that are totally worth the effort of cooking:

White Bean Burritos

Super Simple Quinoa (made simple and delish by Mardi, made half-assed and mediocre by me)

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (obvs worth your time/effort)

*Being a vegetarian doesn’t mean that you love vegetables so much that you decide to stop eating everything else, it only means that you don’t eat meat.