The May Edit
Flower bathing, a smoothie snob, links from Platonic Love, and finding fulfillment in a Japanese convenience store.
The Monthly Edits are a casual curation of my consumptions from the past few weeks: eats, reads, finds, sights, and experiences. Buon appetito!
to attend a funeral, fired up the blender for summer, and flower-bathed in neighbourhood meadows. May was fuelled with emotions, patience, and an abundance of beauty. Although the days had a few more bumps in the road than I would have liked, and I spent the past week with a wicked head cold, it kept me humble and grateful for the sweet in-between moments. Sometimes life has a funny way of presenting things and what feels like a burden in the moment will blossom into a blessing later on. Rather than feeling guilty about the time that was “wasted” this month, I’m choosing to remind myself of this quote that Aliza recently shared:
You can’t waste time. It’s impossible.
You’re doing what you’re doing and that’s just what’s happenin’ baby!
May is the marvellous time of year when the sun rises at 5:15am and sets at 9:00pm. Summer is quickly approaching—the season that I survive all the other months for. I’m trying my best to savour these days while they’re here—as they will only continue getting longer for another few weeks until we reach the solstice. Scott hung our hammock in the backyard, which provided space for afternoon naps and Saturday morning smoothies (recipe below). Here’s a little glimpse at some of those sweet in-between moments from the past few weeks:
The new Billie Eilish album, have you heard it yet? It’s so good!
My most recent hobby is flower bathing. It’s a simple, free, and most enjoyable activity that anyone can do. I like to put on my favourite new runners, grab my Airpods, a hat, and a camera, then walk out the door and into the neighbourhood to observe the bounty of spring florals. A couple weeks ago my flower-walk led me to this Garry Oak meadow just down the road that was blossoming into a sea of gorgeous purple camas lilies. This is actually an endangered ecosystem native to Vancouver Island. We have several of these protected woodlands around the city and honestly, the photo doesn’t do it justice. It’s pure magic—a fairytale setting. I sat and watched the sunset in awe as deer, bunnies, squirrels, and birds all frolicked by (no joke).
The Vitamix has officially been powered up for the summer months. I’ve gone back to my roots of smoothie making, a practice that earned me the title of Smoothie Snob many years ago. I quite like the name and have tossed around the idea of putting together an mini ebook with the same title to house my blended recipes. Until then, I’m just happy serving up delicious creations in the backyard and pretending we’re in Hawaii. If you want a taste, here’s my classic green smoothie (shown below):
La Muvi Star: spinach, mango, banana, sunflower seed butter, ashwagandha, vanilla protein, cardamom, lime, & sunflower seed milk. Dried calendula petals to garnish.
If the early summer head cold that took me down last week has also made its way into your house, this tea is the best. Also, this echinacea throat spray.
You know I’m a sucker for a good link list. Which is exactly how I found my way over to Platonic Love - a weekly newsletter by Aja Frost & Aliza Sir. Two friends in conversation around creativity, motherhood, friendship, and everything in between. Each Monday they send an article called ‘Links We Sent Our Friends’ and reading it feels like you’ve been included in the community group text (in the best way possible!). I’m a big fan of their work (love the vulnerable essays) and super excited to have them here today. Please enjoy Lauren’s List Vol. 12 curated by Aliza + Aja of Platonic Love!
Aliza’s Links:
- So happy to see this ad is back.
- A new album I’ve been enjoying lately. (Especially since the title references my beloved hometown.)
- Speaking of Nashville… you don’t need to live there to love writer and owner of Parnassus Books Ann Patchett’s Tuesday series, Laydown Diaries, on all things books (follow along on YouTube or Instagram).
- This print.
- The bowls you’ll need if you’re hosting BBQs, etc. this summer. (I love the colors.)
Aja’s Links:
- The rise of indigenous doulas.
- A running list of the coolest places in Paris (bookmarking several of these for my trip in August).
- An interview with one of my favorite contemporary writers.
- How pretty!
- How cool!
This month in reading:
The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin. I really enjoyed the bite-sized sections of this work (only ranging 1-3 pages each) and found myself wanting to screenshot so many quotes! A beautiful and very intentional collection of wisdom and guidance for living a creative life, I recommend.
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata. A quirky story about a mid-thirties woman in Japan who struggles to fit in but finds peace and life purpose through working at a convenience store. A witty take on discovering happiness in unconventional ways and dealing with social pressures to conform.
This month in watching:
A Gentleman in Moscow (2024). Ewan McGregor was absolutely brilliant in this mini-series based on the novel by Amor Towles. A charming period drama about a 1920s Russian aristocrat who is sentenced to house arrest at the opulent Metropol Hotel. I fell in love with these characters and the hotel—highly recommended.
Funny Face (1957). After reading this article by Kelsey Rose, I had no option but to watch this darling film. A shy NYC book clerk is discovered by a fashion photographer and whisked off to the modelling world of Paris. It’s Audrey Hepburn, Fred Astaire, Givenchy wardrobes, and 1950s style at its absolute finest—such a treat to watch.
We spent the long weekend in the prairies with family. It was a quick but meaningful visit. We celebrated a life, danced with our niece, and got to try out some new pickleball courts. I hope you’ve had a lovely May. Thank you so much for reading and as always, I would love to hear from you!
Favourite flower?
Do you prefer to consume smoothies with a straw, spoon, or sipped from the cup?
What are you most looking forward to this summer?
This was sooo much fun! Thanks for the collab with Platonic Love 🩷🧡
I too am obsessed with flower bathing lately 🌸 my entire camera roll is filled with wildflowers from my neighborhood walks and it brings me so much joy. Loved this list!