Words Unspoken|Today is where your book begins, the rest is still unwritten.

Last week we did cooking and baking blogs on Weekend Wrap-Up. This week, it’s lists! I’m a huge fan of lists - to-do lists, lists of things that make me happy, grocery lists… I’m going to highlight some of the lists I’ve discovered on the internet that just make sense!

• 50 Things Everyone Should Know How To Do has a pretty self-explanatory title, but it also has some good tips! There’s the usual “build a fire” and “perform basic functions on a computer” but it’s also got some that most people don’t think to learn, like “paint a room” and “detect a lie”. This list will come in handy! It also has links for each item, so if you haven’t already learned them, you can!
• 10 Skills You Need to Succeed at Almost Anything is along the same lines, but more general. From public speaking to basic accounting, it’s got links in each item to other articles on Lifehack that will help you learn the ones you’re missing!
• 60 Fun Things to Do for Little or No Money will come in handy - for everyone. It doesn’t matter if you live paycheck-to-paycheck or if you’re a multimillionaire, sometimes it just feels great to go out and not have to pull out your wallet. Have a picnic. Lounge on a hammock. It’s really the simple pleasures in life that make some of the best memories, isn’t it?
• 10 Date Night Ideas Under $15 is along the same lines as the one above, but focused primarily on dates. My husband is a bit less-than-enthusiastic about planned nights or doing silly things, but I think there’s something on this list for everyone, including him!
• 27 Questions to Ask Your Sweetie is a pretty comprehensive list. It’s like one of those coffee table books with conversation starters, except this time it’s a list of little questions to ask the person you’re involved with. Just met? Use these questions to find out more and get to know each other better. Been involved for years? You might find something new out that you didn’t already know!
• Ten Reasons it would Rule to Date a Unicorn and Nine Reasons Not to Date a Tyrannosaurus are from the same site, so I figured I’d post them together. The list is silly, but I can imagine it’s probably very true! Turning mosquitos into skittles and jellybeans is much better than carcass for dinner! Poor T-Rex, though. Always the bad guy.
• Twenty “Real Life” Ways to Say I Love You is a bit silly, a bit serious, and is bound to make anyone laugh with recognition. From “Pretend her cooking isn’t burnt” to “Embrace the power of his farts”, it’s a good companion for day-to-day life with a significant other, in a humorous way!
• Twenty Questions You Should Ask Yourself Every Sunday is a good list for reviewing whether you’re actually living your life to the fullest. The site is where I got the first on the list - the 50 things you should know how to do. I may start asking myself these questions. It’ll be like an exam - gives a sense of purpose to an otherwise purposeless week!

And that wraps up this week’s Weekend Wrap-Up. I’m quite enjoying doing this column now, as it gives me a place to share all the interesting links I’d normally just bookmark for no good reason at all!

For more information about Weekend Wrap-Up, click here. To suggest a site, email me with your suggestion and why you think it should be included!

via videosift.com

I have to say, he’s adorable. I know raccoons are horrible and evil and mean, but you can’t tell me that you didn’t say “aww” once while watching that video. I know I sure did.

For more cute raccoon antics: Let go, that’s expensive!

Matt and I are headed to the post office today to mail my permanent residency application. Am I scared? Not as much as I have been in the past. See, I’ve spent two years staring at this application and praying that things would work out. Now, I’ve done all I can, and I’ve been told that I should be okay. I mean, why would they tear me from my husband? So we mail it, registered, and wait for the response. It’ll still be a while (QUITE a while!) but I don’t care; it’s worth the wait.

In celebration of mailing our paperwork, Matt and I will be heading downtown for the Busker Festival. He’s never seen it before, and I’m sure long-time readers will remember that I didn’t quite make it there last year so I’m excited to go and take some photos. And why wouldn’t I be?

On August 7th, the streets will come alive. For the 22nd year indoor theatres will be emptied and brought to the Halifax Waterfront, across 6 spectacular stages. Over 500 performances will take place between August 7-17th and crowds will be introduced to genuine ‘street theatre.’

Tell me that doesn’t sound cool. I’m so excited!

I am so fatigued lately. It’s not just tired - I know it’s not a lack of sleep because I’m on a more regular sleeping schedule lately than I have been in years. I’m just worn out. I haven’t been to the gym in a few days, but even Matt hasn’t given me a hard time because I’ve felt so miserable.

I’ve been working on my immigration forms and will be mailing them out this week. What should make me nervous feels like a big sigh of relief just on the horizon. Preparing to send them is stressing me out to my limits - “What if I forget something?” “What if this isn’t enough?” “What if something goes wrong?” - but I think once I mail them, I’ll be good. I keep hearing that after they’re sent is the easy part, so I’ll trust in that. I just go along with my life, one day at a time, and wait. I don’t have to do anything but wait. No more blaming myself for procrastination or for anxiety attacks. No more waking up in the middle of the night thinking “Oh my goodness, I’m going to be kicked out of the country for no reason”, just… relaxing. Living. That’ll be a nice change of pace.

Matt’s mom is home for the next two days. She’s been here since last week sometime, and while I don’t mind having her here, I am looking forward to her going back on vacation. There’s something about readjusting to not being the woman of the house that always stresses me out. I don’t feel like leaving my room and I end up feeling claustrophobic and lazy.

I’ve been sick the past few days too. Last night I left my raid early, after killing Archimonde for the first time, my raid group was heading over to Black Temple, but I was so sick. I had chest pains and an upset stomach and my third migraine in as many days. Lately my head just feels cloudy, like I’m walking around in a fog. I’m exhausted (like I said) and just… blah. I’m hoping this weekend will cure that. I’m house-sitting for Matt’s sister next week and am looking forward to a few days out in the middle of nowhere. I could use the silence.

Title quote from Benjamin Franklin

Last week we did photography, this week is cooking and baking blogs. A lot of people know that I enjoy cooking and love what I can do with different flavours or textures or even colours. I like seeing the look on my husband’s face when I find a new recipe that he enjoys. These people have taken it further than I have, recording their recipes and sharing them for the world to see!

So, without further ado, the list:

• Bake or Break has an incredible selection of recipes, including their favourite chocolate chip cookies, which is usually a fairly guarded secret! The photography is incredible - their fresh berry tart is mouth-watering and makes me want to run out and make one! It’s not always cakes and cupcakes, though - there are other recipes, too, such as this one for corn bread bites that looks absolutely delicious!
• Foodgawker has a bit of a different take on the food blog, providing photos on the front page of a variety meals and recipes when you click the photos. The recipes and photos are provided by everyone - not just the person who started the site. With every different person’s input, you can’t go wrong when you’re looking for a new meal to try!
• Foodbeam is a wonderful blog written by a lovely French girl who wants to be a pastry chef! Three years and going strong, the blog is full of fantastic recipes. From the desserts to the delicious entrées, this blog has it all, all the while providing massive quantities of photos - the best way to see what you’re going to make before you make it! And in case you want to take some photos of it later, she even has some tips on food photography!