{Fresh Baked}

I find peace in baking. Peace in slowly creaming the butter and sugar, the quiet crack of fresh eggs, watching the color lighten as you add your flour, and in this case, the aroma of bananas that are mushed to a gooey consistancy. 

When everyday tasks seem to get overwhelmingly busy, for every box you check of your to-do list at work another two appear, when the laundry piles up, the dishes overflow, and your apartment becomes its own miniature war zone, it's time to take a break. 

A break to clear out the clutter in your mind, to sort your to-do list into separate columns so you no longer find yourself worrying about work at home, and home at work. 

My advice? Flip through your most prized recipes, turn off the television, turn off the computer, take a break from blogging, from texting, from music, from wasting hours upon hours searching for your next DIY project. Commit yourself to the task at hand. Spend the moments alone, celebrating the completion of each followed direction. Steal a few chocolate chips for yourself. 

Allow yourself to get swept away by the warmth and smell of a treat cooking in your oven. The anticipation of the first moist piece of banana bread,  sprinkled with smooth melted chocolate.

Share it with friends. Let the laundry sit for one more day (since you know you have plenty of clothing left), spend time unplugged from electronics and relax. 

When you're ready, load the dishwasher, pick up the piles of socks and outfits you hated, wipe down the counter tops, write your grocery list, give your bathroom some TLC,  light a candle, and allow your apartment to become the sanctuary that it should be.

In my case, repeat the stress, the mess and the overwhelming feeling for a week, then spend the weekend baking, cleaning and managing tasks to finally come back to blogging, happy & refreshed.

Happy Monday!