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8 Gifts For Book Lovers (that aren’t books)

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Hi guys! I’m so excited for Christmas! Only 10 days left! This post is for all of the last-minutes shoppers out there who don’t know what to by for their book-loving friends, and it’s also to give those book loving friends ideas on what to buy themselves. Sometimes you just need to give gifts to yourself, you know? You deserve it. None of the gifts on this list are books, because it’s hard to pick out books for people, plus books are something that are enjoyed every day of the year. For chritsmas its fun to receive a cool, unique and thoughtful gift. So lets get into this list of awesome gifts for the book lover in your life.

Book Embosser

I have one of these and love it! It basically imprints a customizable design into your books and lets everyone know who it belongs to;)) It’s a really nice touch, especially if you have some favourite books that you know you’ll keep forever and want to personalize them. The ones that I saw online range from $25 to $75, but I’m sure that you could find cheaper ones on Etsy or Amazon.

Transparent Book Weight

I think that this is super cool and really useful. It holds the pages of your book down for a hands free reading experience! This would also be great for cookbooks. I could do so much more reading if I had one of these… I could read while cooking, getting ready in the morning….. I think I need one. The one I looked at was $15.

Reading Light

My eyes have adapted to reading in almost all conditions, because I refuse to stop reading even in the darkness (long car rides in the night are the worst!). I could definitely use another reading light; actually I need more than one beacuase it would be good if I could keep one in my school bag, one in my room and one in the car. This one is a great stocking stuffer and also, your friend’s eyeballs will thank you. I’m pretty sure that you can find these at the dollar store for, like, a dollar.

Clip On Bookmark

Yet another contraption that would make my life a heck of a lot easier. Bookmarks are really handy but when I take them out to continue reading, I forget to put them back in again. This bookmark clips on to your book so that you don’t forget to mark your page. Although I have gotten pretty good at memorizing numbers. See, this is why people need to read; it gives you night vision and a super awesome memory. The bookmark above is $30, but I bet if you dug a bit deeper you could find one for cheaper (hey that rhymed), or you could make your own.

Owl Crate Subscrption

I found out about Owl Crate a few months ago and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the concept; each month, they’ll send you a box that includes a book and a bunch of book-related goodies that are created by small businesses. It’s a great idea and I would personally love one of these boxes! You can purchase a 1 month, 3 month or 6 month subscrption.

Cute Mug

Mugs are the perfect gift for the person who loves to curl up with a good book and a cup of coffee, cocoa or tea. There are tons of cute and funny bookish mugs out there- the one in the picture above was given to me by a friend and it’s so awesome!

“1000 Books To Read Before You Die” Page-a-Day Calendar

This calendar looks friggin’ amazing! Everyday you rip out a page and get a new book reccomendation! This is a gift that book lovers can cherish for the whole year and guess what? It’s only $17 on Amazon!

Reading Journal

These look really interesting and I might incorporate something like this into my bullet journal next year. It’s a book that includes reading suggestions, pages to write reviews, and to keep track of what you’ve read. This is is great gift for the organized reader. It’s $8 on Amazon.

That should keep your voracious reader friends happy! I would love if I got any of these gifts so if my family is reading this HINT HINT WINK WINK NUDGE NUDGE. Hope the rest of your weekend is great and I’ll see you next week!

Yours Truly,

MyDayIsBooked;))

My Favourite Bullet Journal Spreads of 2019

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Hey there! It’s almost 2020 and so I thought I’d post a my favourite bullet journal spreads from this past year. This was a great bullet journaling year for me! I loved all of my themes and I think that my calligraphy improved a ton. As I go through these pictures I’ll try to let you know which was my favourite theme, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to pick. This year I was able to include a reflection and a spot to glue pictures each month and so it’s so nice to flip back through my journal and see what I was doing throughout the year. Here’s my favourite spreads of 2019! I added one picture per month;)

My next bullet journal post will be my 2020 set up! Hopefully it’ll be up just after Christmas;) See you Friday!

Yours Truly,

MyDayIsBooked;))

Festive Jam Cookies

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Hey people:) I have another dessert recipe today because I have a sweet tooth that cannot be satisfied! Since cookies are the creme de la creme of Christmas baking, I had to put my spin on the classic sugar cookie. These Festive Jam Cookies are crumbly and delicate and filled with a delicious homemade jam. Store bought works too, but making your own eliminates all of the refined sugar. They look beautiful on a holiday dessert platter, are gluten free and vegan! Hope you enjoy these mouth watering treats;))

Festive Jam Cookies

Serves: Makes about 12 Sandwich Cookies

Ingredients:

For the Cookies:

  • 2 cups oat flour
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ginger
  • 1/2 tsp allspice
  • 2 tbs water (plus more if needed)

For the Jam

  • 2 cups frozen berries
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup (optional)
  • 1 tbsp oat flour

Directions:

  1. Stir together the oat flour and spices in a large bowl. Add in the coconut oil and maple syrup and combine until a crumbly mixture forms. Add in the water and use your hands to form a dough.
  2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  3. On a clean surface, roll out the cookie dough. Use a doughnut-shaped cutter to cut out individual cookies and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. If at any time the dough becomes too dry to roll out, and a tablespoon of water and knead it into the dough.
  4. Bake the cookies for about 20 minutes, until they’re slightly browned on the bottom. Let cool completely before filling with jam.
  5. While the cookies are baking and cooling, combine the frozen berries and water in a small pot. Bring to a boil and then let simmer for about 6 minutes, until most of the water has cooked off and the berries are thawed. Use a potato masher to mash the berries, leaving about half of them whole. Stir in the oat flour and continue to simmer for another few minutes until the Jam has thickened. Set aside and let it cool completely.
  6. Once the Jam and cookies are both cool, start assembling. Scoop the Jam onto the bottom flat side of a cookie. Gently press another cookie on top to form a sandwich, making sure that the top of the cookie is facing up. Repeat this process until the rest of the cookies have been filled.
  7. Store in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy!!

See you guys Wednesday! In the meantime I’ll be munching on a bunch of Christmas treats…

Yours Truly,

MyDayIsBooked;))

Banana Walnut Nice Cream

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Hello there;) Tis’ the season to enjoy your favourite holiday treats! Today’s post is a delicious banana walnut nice cream that takes under five minutes to make. It can be enjoyed on its own but goes great with the Walnut Brownies I made not too long ago! Hope you enjoy;))

Banana Walnut Nice Cream

Serves: 1-2

Total Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 2 small bananas, chopped and frozen
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp all spice
  • 1 tbs water
  • 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

  1. In a blender or food processor, blend all ingredients together until creamy and smooth.
  2. Enjoy!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend full of brownies and Nice Cream!

Yours Truly,

MyDayIsBooked;)))

Golden Lentil and Coconut Soup

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Hey there! Soup is one of the best parts of winter- after spending an afternoon sledding or making snowmen, coming inside to a warm bowl of deliciousness is heaven! This Golden Lentil and Coconut soup is full of onion, garlic, coconut milk and ginger, packing it full of flavour and richness. Turmeric lends it’s signature golden colour, and carrots and sweet potatoes offer a slight bit of sweetness to round out the savoury notes. Only 45 minutes are needed to whip up this divine soup. And those 45 minutes are DEFINITELY worth it! Enjoy;)

Golden Lentil and Coconut Soup

Serves: 4-6

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbs coconut oil
  • 1 red onion, diced
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 tbs ginger
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 tbs turmeric
  • 1 small sweet potato, chopped into small cubes
  • 2 large carrots, chopped
  • 1 cup green lentils
  • 4 cups veggie broth
  • 1 can of light coconut milk
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. In a large pot, heat the coconut oil over medium heat. Add in the onion and cook until translucent, about 6-8 minutes.
  2. Add the garlic into the pot and cook for 2 more minutes. Next, measure out the ginger, coriander and red pepper flakes, then dump them into the pot as well, cooking for another minute until fragrant.
  3. Pour the veggie stock and coconut milk into the pot and stir well. Add in the carrots, lentils, sweet potato and turmeric and mix until combined. Bring soup to a boil then let simmer for 30-35 minutes, until the sweet potato is soft.
  4. Serve with some sprouted grain bread and enjoy!!

I actually think that I’m in love with this soup…. it’s so rich and satisfying, yet fresh tasting because of the ginger and aromatics. Make sure to check my blog again on Friday for another post!

Yours Truly,

MyDayIsBooked;))