the happiness project: new desk

At some point during June, I bought a beautiful desk at an estate sale in the neighborhood. It took a little maneuvering, and negotiating with my sister to get her to take my old dresser, but I finally have the desk set up.

Here's the room before the desk - (this is from January, right after I painted & re-arranged)

The purple lamp is leftover from when we moved into the house (it matched the lavender walls). I had since replaced the lamp, but I was doing all of my schoolwork on my bed in the meantime, and Kelsey was always coming in to use the mirror. 

Since coming home, I've put up two Monet prints, re-arranged my bookshelves, and designed my desk to create a good working space. This summer I finally feel like I have a space truly my own, that fits my taste and is works better with my lifestyle. 

Here's the end result: 

the Happiness Project: fun reading

One of the main things that has kept me sane this summer, and kept motivating me to read my school books, is always having something that I am reading simply because I want to. Reading fun books reminds me why I love reading, and keeps my mind engaged and stimulated so that when I do sit down to read Darwin or Melville, I know how to be present with the book. Here's a list of the fun reads I've tackled thus far this summer:

The Little Prince ~ Saint-Exupéry

I re-read this book at the beginning of the summer after finding a beautiful copy at Half Price Books. It's so good. It totally made me cry. And the illustrations are always a winner.
I read this a bit at a time at night, just a chapter here and there when I could stay awake for it. I finished it in a week.

A Grief Observed ~ C.S. Lewis

I've had a tiny paperback copy of this for about two years but never got to it. I was so glad I chose to start my summer with this because it felt like he put words to my own journey with doubt. Interesting, heartbreaking, but fascinating. I went back and re-read sections when I was done.

Bread and Wine ~ Shauna Niequist

I've heard this book recommended by several bloggers whose book recommendations I trust, but I checked it out from the library as a last-resort when the book I wanted was out. I was so glad I did. A memoir on hospitality, community, and food, this book is full of stories that will make you want to cook and have people over. I've still got it sitting on my dresser with post-it notes where I want to copy recipes.