Since my last "Things I'm Loving" post went up, I only published two blog posts. (Remember how I cut these back to every other month so I could spend more time on my other content?) I've been embracing this idea of "slow blogging" where I focus on creating high quality content for this site, even if it takes me 3 weeks to finish a post, rather than just churning out content. The two posts to go out in the last month, my Quest for the Best: Chocolate Chip Cookies post and the recipe for My Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie, were planned before this blog even launched and had been brewing in the background for a solid two years before appearing on here. Now THAT is slow blogging. Thankfully you guys are amazing readers and have shown both of those posts a ton of love, which makes it all that much more worth it to me. THANK YOU. I spent several weeks just on the Quest for the Best post (I did 9 separate illustrations for that one), so the fact that you guys appreciated it as much as you did means a lot to me. That was an extreme example, so you should be hearing from me more frequently from here on out. But I figured I would mention it to give you guys a little peak behind the scenes. Here are some things I was loving throughout the last two months while working on those posts:

WEARING

ThirdLove Bras - BEST. BRA. EVER. I had been hearing about this brand on a million different podcasts and finally decided to pull the trigger. I've always struggled to find a bra that fits me really well (I think most women do), and had recently been on the hunt for new bras, coming up with nothing but fails and a few that were mediocre. Then I ordered the 24/7 Classic Push-Up Bra from ThirdLove and now I NEVER WANT TO WEAR ANYTHING ELSE. I'm serious. It's so comfortable and fits me perfectly. You can also tell this thing is very well made. They create their sizes based on real women's bodies (like a wider width between cups on smaller sizes - GENIUS), and they offer half-cup sizes. AMAZING. I plan to only buy bras from them in the future if I can help it, and I can't wait to expand my bra wardrobe with their collection. (PS this is not an advertisement, although it might sound like one. I JUST LOVE THEM.)

ENJOYING

Snapchat - Yeah, I'm officially on board. I was hesitant to join the ranks of the snappers, but I'm starting to love it. I've been trying to snap more often, but I really enjoy watching other people's "stories" on there. It's kind of like temporary Youtube channels ... or at least that's how I think about it. Some of my favorite snap accounts are: @alieward, @heartbeetkitchn, @bevcooks, @cookieandkate, @karenakatrina, @thefauxmartha and @whatsgabycookin. If you want to follow along with my story (mostly snaps of my dog, random kitchen things and tipsy restaurant snaps), you can follow me at @sara_cornelius.

READING

Spring Cookbooks - This spring cookbook season has been straight up KILLIN IT. Oh man, there are so many that I'm loving right now. We've been cooking a lot of dinners out of the Love and Lemons Cookbook (it's one of my new all time favs), Sweeter Off the Vine by Yossy Arefi is gorgeous and inspiring (not to mention delicious), Eating in the Middle by Andie Mitchell is equally beautiful and I can't wait to cook from it, and I'm psyched to play around with chickpea flour thanks to Lindsey's book Chickpea Flour Does It All. I've also been testing recipes for the upcoming Cookie and Kate cookbook and they've been fantastic so I can't wait for that one to hit the shelves in the future!

LISTENING

My Favorite Murder - I've recently gotten super into true crime podcasts. This is a new one and became an instant favorite of mine. I found it because one of the hosts, Georgia Hardstark, is on one of my other favorite podcasts, Slumber Party with Ali and Georgia. She hosts this one with comedian Karen Kilgariff, and they spend each episode talking about different murders (usually around a certain theme), plus sharing listeners' hometown murders and other interesting tidbits. I like this one because it's very laid back and lighthearted (for a murder podcast) - just two friends chatting about true crime and talking about how weird it is. You'll laugh a lot.

We Should Have A Podcast: A Very Special Episode - I also found this podcast via the Slumber Party with Alie and Georgia podcast. This is a specific episode I wanted to point out from this one. The hosts of this podcast are two very close friends, but this particular episode is important because one host, Courtney Pauroso, opens up about being abused and raped by her ex-boyfriend. You can tell while listening that it's not easy at all for her to come forward about it. If you or someone you know has experienced something like that, maybe this could be helpful to listen to (or maybe it won't be). Either way, I think what she did was really brave and these kinds of situations need to be discussed more openly, so I wanted to share it here.

WATCHING

Friday Night Lights - It took me a good half a season to get into this show, but now I'm there. It has kept me company while illustrating chocolate chip cookies over the past two months. Sometimes it's a little too intense for me with all of the fist-fighting and football drama, but the acting is fantastic, the writing is wonderful and the character arcs are super fun to experience. I've only just started season three, but I'm looking forward to the rest of this ride. Have you guys watched it? Do you love it? I've heard it's one of the best television shows of our time.

USING

Thrive Market - This place has been described as an online Costco but for Whole Foods-type products. It's perfect for me because I don't have a Whole Foods, a Wegmans or a Trader Joe's near me, so it's been great for buying some pantry staples that are more organic and whole-ingredient-friendly. There's a yearly membership fee, but when you sign up they also sponsor a membership for a family in need, and if you don't earn back your fee through your sales with their discounted prices, they'll credit you the difference at the end of the year. I more than earned my membership fee in savings during our 30-day free trial. Things I enjoy buying on this site include: avocado oil mayo, Justin's almond butter, Yogi teas, dried fruits, nuts and dog treats. (This paragraph contains an affiliate link.)

VISITING

Minneapolis / St. Paul - I had a really exciting trip to Minnesota earlier this month to attend the first "advanced" style + branding food photography workshop at the Pinch of Yum studio. I had been planning to attend one of these since last year when they first started doing them, and I can't believe I was able to attend one already. The trip also provided me with the chance to hang out with a bunch of awesome food blogger friends from that area in person. I'll be writing an entire post about that trip soon, so there will be more details to come. That being said, the workshop was fantastic and I feel like I got a ton out of it. It can be difficult to spend that much money on an experience, but I feel it was absolutely worth it for me and where I am with my photography at this point. They just opened registration for their summer workshops, so if you're planning to attend one of those you can use the coupon code "sara" to receive $25 off your fee. (Oh and you can also get a few glimpses of yours truly in this cool trailer they filmed for the workshops while I was there.)

BEING

A "Boss," Not a "Girl Boss" - I had been thinking about this concept recently, and then I read this article which summed up my feelings perfectly. As much as I love the podcast Girlboss and everything they represent, I think that women referring to themselves as "girl bosses" can be harmful. Adding the word "girl" in front of "boss" implies that being a female boss is something unusual, when in fact women are bosses all over the place. Women are bosses every damn day of their lives. Whether you're running a business, working a day job and pursuing other passions during your free time, doing everyday life tasks or caring for children or other family members, women (and men) are constantly being bosses. Just as I'm an "artist" instead of a "girl artist" (<< sounds weird, doesn't it?), I'm a "boss," not a "girl boss." As long as we keep thinking about it in the terms of "I'm a boss, even though I'm a girl - isn't that special?" we'll continue to view female bosses as an anomaly. When in fact we should be thinking: "I'm a boss (who just happens to be a woman)." Please note that if someone refers to me as a girl boss I will gladly take it as a compliment, but I think this is an example of how we need to be careful of the language we use and what it represents. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, too - please weigh in on the comments!