I get really excited about the start of any new season (except winter), but fall always seems especially full of promise. The weather is perfect for light sweaters and long walks, it’s the perfect time to stay in the kitchen and bake, the holidays are approaching…you all know why fall is great. Lately, I’m feeling especially inspired to make this fall fantastic.

In the spirit of this post, I’ve come up with another seasonal to do list. I think I did pretty well on the last one (8/10!) and I think posting them here helps keep me accountable – plus, I know I like reading these kinds of things on other blogs. Let’s see how I make out! What kinds of things are you looking forward to doing this season?

1. Read 10 books. 2. Find a new brunch spot. 3. Host another board game night. 4. Find a great new fall recipe. 5. See at least two plays. 6. Go to the BSO. 7. Start planning out my trip to France next summer. 8. Learn enough Swedish so I can sort of read a children’s book. 9. Find a new magazine. 10. Gather inspiration in one place.

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I’ve been a little behind on blogging lately – I’ll spare you the details, but last weeks have consisted of some work things rearing their ugly heads, a handful of anxiety attacks over upcoming changes, and some very unpleasant dental work. All of that has left me a little drained, or at least not quite as happy and inspired as I like to be.

sarah kate style just turned three a few weeks ago, and I’m now getting a little reflective. I’m giving myself s small pat on the back for posting so much this summer, but now I’m going to cut myself a little slack. I plan out posts a month in advance, and I tell myself to stay as far ahead of schedule as I can. But then some posts I end up not wanting to do, or I can’t do them as well as I’d like, and then I feel a little guilty, and I usually have no alternative ideas. If I let myself, I go crazy with my blog. And it’s draining. A post that takes a few hours to create gets published and read in a few minutes, and is just as quickly forgotten. Doing that every day can drive you a little mad. I don’t like that, so I’m not going to make myself spend hours in front of the computer if I know it won’t make me happy. Because – and I knew this, I think, but I just said it out loud to myself when I was thinking about my blog last weekend – I don’t want blogging to be my job. Not that I’m in a position where I have to make that choice, but it’s a bit of a relief to recognize that that’s not my goal and I can relax. I started this blog as an outlet (funny how you see that line on so many small blogs, but really, my guess is about half of them want to be full-time bloggers) and I want to fully return to a schedule and content that makes me happy, which maybe means I won’t post every day.

And then, personally, my schedule this summer has left me feeling a little meh. I thought I’d try holding myself to a strict list of deadlines and to-dos this summer, each hour or so having its own activity. And it worked great for a while, but now I’m finding myself uninspired by it. Some days instead of returning to my desk, I’d waste an hour or so online, or watching TV, and end up feeling terribly unproductive and tired and sad, and not get anything done at all. And that’s another thing – I’m feeling almost a little attacked by social media and how superficial it all is, not to mention that there’s always a TV show or movie I should be watching, a blog to catch up on, Internet black holes like Buzzfeed that can snatch all of your free time…so I’m going to be more intentional about the things I take in during the day, so I’m less overwhelmed and less drained, and so that I can ultimately get more done.

I actually wrote all of that a week ago, and it’s taken me this long to get over my inspirationless slump and post it. I have a few more ideas now and some motivation to get back to posting. I’ve been resetting myself with little indulgences like watching Breakfast at Tiffany’s with a scone on a rainy day and a leisurely backyard picnic. Those things work wonders.

(Image source)

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I always have really high expectations for the summer months – and they’re always at least mostly met. Last summer, though, was probably my favorite to date (with the 2 week trip overseas), which makes it pretty hard to top. So, since June is here and the start of summer is right around the corner, I came up with a little list of things I hope to do this summer – some chores I’ve been avoiding, others are more fun – to make sure that I get the most out of the season.

1. Read 15 books.(read 10) 2. Binge watch a new series.(Game of Thrones!) 3. Clean and organize my office. (finally did this!) 4. Start meditating. (it’s not yet a habit, but I’m getting better at it) 5. Actually start a little scrapbook-journal-photo album. (nope) 6. Gather inspiration in one place. (how is it that I couldn’t do the easiest ones?!) 7. Exercise at least 3 times a week. (I got up to 4-5 times a week!) 8. Find an awesome new dessert to make. (coconut cornmeal cake – recipe here) 9. See a play and go somewhere for live music. (saw two Shakespeare plays and went to a small picnic + concert while on vacation) 10. Learn conversational Swedish. (well, I knew I wouldn’t be as far along as I’d like, but I’m getting better! still trying to make studying a daily habit)

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Apologies for the radio silence. It occurred to me that I didn’t post for the entirety of March. I promise you, though, that I have lots of good reasons – but I won’t drag you through those. To make a long story (or, rather, series of stories) short, March kicked my butt. I attribute it to the time of the year, partially because the weather still generally sucks in Baltimore, and there aren’t any holidays to break up the routine. I faced crippling piles of work (what else is new), some totally packed weekends, and, of course, (inevitable) stupidness in my personal life.

I’ve probably said it on here before, but the end of winter, February-March time of year is always rough for me. In years past, it was usually just stupid teenage drama and me making bad choices, but now it’s becoming a time of significant, personal change (for no apparent reason). I always emerge from it knowing myself a little better – but I think that’s what bothers me the most, that I still don’t totally know myself. I’ve become less averse to change over time, but going through it without my meaning to is always a little jarring. I also had a bout of depression, a recurring problem I thought I’d finally dropped, so I’ve barely been functioning up until yesterday.

So naturally, I talked to my mom, and what she was the same thing as this quote, which I ran across in this cookbook, of all places. I love it, and I’m taking it to heart: I’m making changes, probably the biggest of them being becoming a vegetarian. I went cold turkey (or cold tofurkey, as the case may be. Ha.) this week, and my favorite farmer’s market is opening back up this weekend, which will undoubtedly make the transition easier. I’m on vacation for a while now, so I’m looking forward to spending time outside, blogging more, relaxing, and heading up north for a few days (I’ll be hitting Boston, so be sure to follow me on Instagram!). Spring is indeed a time of renewal, and I plan to take advantage of it (God, sorry for trite that was).

So there you have it, my little cathartic release of thoughts, which aren’t really relevant but I felt like sharing anyway. I look forward to talking to you all in the weeks to come!

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I always love learning weird little things about people. It makes them feel real and relatable, plus I think it’s just fun to peek into other people’s lives. So, here are a few little things about me, so you can get to know me better.

1. I’m weirdly obsessed with the number five.

2. I love American Songbook songs. Especially when they’re sung by Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald.

3. Otherwise, my (current) favorite groups are Electric Guest (that’s my all time fave), Arctic Monkeys, Foster the People, HOLYCHILD, Lana Del Rey, Noosa, Psychic Friend, Purity Ring, Sara Bareilles, Sylvan Esso, Stromae and Wet. Yeah, it’s a mix.

4. Ocksa, jag talar lite grann svenska.

5. It is my dream to meet David Sedaris. (I went to hear him read once, and plan on doing so again this year.)

6. I know all the words to La Vie en Rose and I sing it quite often (in French, obviously). And I whistle it. Every day. All the time.

7. That leads me to a few more: I speak French pretty well (not fluently, but enough to understand Stromae songs – and that’s all that really matters, right?), and I forced myself to learn to whistle – it took several (painful) months of blowing semi-noiseless air out of my mouth, but it’s now one of the greatest joys of my life (WOW does that ever sound sad).

8. My favorite eras are mid- to late- 19th century Russia, and, of course, early 20th century-Jazz Age New York (and the expats in Paris).

9. I can recite an episode (well, probably a few) of spongebob from memory (but who can’t, right? Oh, okay, it’s just me).

10. I was once (briefly) a barista at Starbucks.

11. I just celebrated my 1 year anniversary of being single (woohoo! Go me!).

12. I have one sister who is definitely my best friend.

13. I collect copies of Alice in Wonderland- I currently have 19, most vintage, one in German and one in Jerriaise.

14. That being said, I hoard books. And I’ve been known to pick up books written in languages that I don’t even speak (like Turkish and German – but hey, the cover was pretty)

15. Shows I binge watch: The Office, Parks and Rec, Gossip Girl, Orange is the New Black, Arrested Development and Portlandia. I also love Big Bang, Grimm, The Daily Show and Last Week Tonight.

16. I love cheese and I hate bad grammar (intensely. Like down to when people don’t use the subjunctive mood when they should.)

17. I love poetry. My favorites include Whitman, Auden, and Ella Wheeler Wilcox (and Beat poets, especially Ginsburg).

18. One of my favorite books is Franny and Zooey – I relate to it really strongly.

19. I am super into linguistics.

20. I am an INTP.

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