365 Days of Happy | 365 Project for 2017

Day 2, 365 Project, 365 Days of Happy, Welcome to 2017

It is easy to get caught up in your life and in the negativity around you, and to forget how great you’ve got it. Even though sometimes it may not seem like it, there is still at least one great thing in your life that makes you happy. It can be as simple as the pretty latte art you were given at the cafe, or as meaningful as a surprise visit from your mom, or as seemingly-random as the comfort of your favourite leggings. Whatever it is, if it makes you happy, you need to remind yourself of it. That is my 365 project for 2017. Every day, for the entire year, no matter what, I will write about something that makes me happy: 365 DAYS OF HAPPY. I invite you to join me in creating the happiest year for yourself! #sdemontigny365daysofhappy2017

THIS POST IS UPDATED MONTHLY


365 Project for 2017

The rules for a 365 project are simple. This year’s theme is ‘365 Days of Happy‘. Every day for the duration of 2017, post a photo of something that makes you happy, or write about something that happened that day that made your day just a little bit better. It doesn’t have to be a professional photograph; a cell snap will do just fine. It doesn’t have to be a novel, heck it doesn’t even have to be explained at all, or public for that matter (that just makes it fun and holds us accountable!). Think of something every day, no matter what. If you are away from the internet, write it down on paper and publish it later, or post a photo of your notes once you’re back on the grid.

Don’t cheat and use previous photos just to fill the space, because you are only cheating yourself out of your daily joy! This project is not to show off, or put others down, because those defeat the purpose entirely. Find YOUR happy, and don’t compare it to anyone else.

When posting online, include the following hashtags so that we can all follow each other’s journey and spread positivity: #365daysofhappy #365daysofhappy2017
#sdemontigny365daysofhappy2017 <– make your own custom hashtag with your username

365 days of happy – february 2017
365 days of happy – march 2017
365 days of happy – april 2017
365 days of happy – may 2017
365 days of happy – june 2017
365 days of happy – july 2017
365 days of happy – august 2017
365 days of happy – september 2017
365 days of happy – october 2017


 365 days of happy – january 2017

DAY 1

365 Project, 365 Days of Happy, New Year, Welcome to 2017, couple photo, couple hugging, vintage floral dress, where's waldo bunting banner, new year celebration

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I got to start the new year with the love of my life 💕🍾🙌🏻💍 and I don’t think there’s any better way to kick-start my 365 challenge than with the one thing in the world that makes me the happiest I have ever been.

#HappyNewYear

DAY 2

Day 2, 365 Project, 365 Days of Happy, Welcome to 2017, living healthy, weight loss journey, facelift friday, before and after, keto, ketogenic diet, ketogenic lifestyle, transformation tuesday, feeling great

After almost 10 years of wearing braces, even though they came off this summer, I still haven’t really felt comfortable smiling with my teeth showing.  For the first time in a long time, today when I looked in the mirror, I finally felt pretty. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think I am ugly, but I’ve never really felt comfortable in my own skin. Today was different. I guess I finally noticed how much of a difference there was on my face from the weight loss, and that all my hard work over the last 3 months has paid off.

#FaceliftFriday

DAY 3

Day 2, 365 Project, 365 Days of Happy, Welcome to 2017, living healthy, cream of broccoli cheese soup, childhood memory

This dish has been a staple in my childhood home for as long as I can remember. It started out as puréed “green soup” so my little brother would eat it and eventually developed into broccoli cheese soup once he decided that broccoli was a good vegetable, but my mother still puréed it so that we wouldn’t know there were onions (shh!). Even long after we were old enough to tolerate eating onions, and to this day living on my own, I still purée the amazing meal that is cream of broccoli cheese soup and relish every second of it!
Not gonna lie, I ate it so fast that I forgot to take a picture. Twice! So I got to enjoy a third bowl (they are super shallow) of it in order to do so. Yumm! 

#BestSoupEver

Day 4

Day 3, 365 Project, 365 Days of Happy, flinstones costumes, family photo, throwback thursday, family is everything mom dad daughter, pregnant woman, waterfrontOie! Today was hard. Really hard. The more the day went on, the harder it got. Tons of bad things happened; some far worse than others… BUT the goal of the project is to seek out the happy, so I did! I did not have one happy moment for today, but rather a handful of little moments that put a smile on my face, and to me that counts for something. At work this morning, even after being delayed by the terrible snowmageddon, I snagged THE last spot in the parking garage (which meant I didn’t have to de-snow my car after work, whoot!). This afternoon I was prompted to convert my personal Instagram account to a business account today, which means I must be doing something right with my posting and engagement levels! And I’ve already got a handful of organic hits to my website from Google searches when I only published my website on December 8th. When carrying a ton of stuff through a narrow hallway on my way out of the office, the gentlemen coming at me moved aside into a little nook so that I could go by undisturbed and not risk dropping my stuff. But most of all, my happiest moment is that when I had to make the dreaded phone call to my mother letting her know my dad had been in a car accident, that I could say “He is fine.” and mean it (black ice is not fun, no matter how slow you are going, especially with a giant trailer dragging you down into the ditch!). This ‘throwback’ photo was clearly not captured today, but it captured the sentiment perfectly: Family is Everything.

#FamilyIsEverything

Day 5

365 day 5, 365 Project, 365 Days of Happy, Newborn Photography, Business Planner, Biz CoachToday was a stressful day. But good stressful, if that’s even a real thing… Today I officially decided to hire a business coach to help me strategize my business and launch my new marketing campaign. I’ve always been a do-it-all-myself kind of girl, but I am finally able to change that and only do what I love. How amazing is that! I’m all set with my custom 2017 business planner and ready to make this work! Bring on the babies! I love my job!

#BossLady

Day 6

365 project 365 days of happy challenge stephanie de montigny day 6Today my fiancé and I went thrift shopping and found some great things. It certainly put a smile on my face when he put on these glasses. Not because they look particularly goofy, in fact they suited him quite well, but rather because of the almost gagging he was doing due to the prescription being so strong and affecting his vision.
Top it off with the utter joy and excitement on our faces when these blue suede wingtips made their appearance! They would have been perfect for the wedding if they weren’t two sizes too small for him.. Oh well!
And bonus that I was able to find an awesome button up shirt that didn’t have open at the front and actually fit my torso respectably. Bonus that it was vintage and inspired by a cowboy shirt! Score.
Great trip full of memories. Never thought I’d say that referring to a thrift store visit!

#ThriftStoreTreasures

Day 7

There are two things you need to know about this #happymoment of mine today. The first being that the actual plate itself offers me great joy and brain happiness every time I use it. You see, my brain does NOT like it when my my food touches and freaks out. This plate is magic and it soothes my anxiety. A magic plate. That I can refer to by that name and the fiancé knows exactly what I am talking about. Today, I woke up to him having made me breakfast. How sweet! Surprised by him having a Saturday off (rarely ever happens!) and he even took the time to make me keto-friendly breakfast! I knew I was marrying him for some reason 😉

#TheMagicPlate

Day 8

For the first time in a long time, I was confident enough to post a video today on my business page. Not just any video either; it was live. No do-overs, no filters, no editing or trimming, LIVE! As nerve wracking as it was, I did it, and I am fine. In fact, that video was an announcement for a weekly video of ME! Holy Moley! I am so happy that I don’t care what people think, and I am going to put myself out there. No worrying about my hair or my voice or my weird crooked smile. It’s me, it is who I am, and I am okay with that. THAT is my accomplishment and I couldn’t be more proud of myself.

#beYOUtiful

Day 9

365 project 365 days of happy challenge stephanie de montigny day 9, starbucks coffee miracle caffeineToday was one of those days, where you feel so exhausted and drained by lunch that you need that extra something to keep you going until the end of the day. But, I put it off for so long thinking I could make it until the end of day and then just eat at home and be merry. Wrong. I shuffled my way down the stairs to the cafeteria, come to find out 5 minutes before they closed. There was only one coffee carafe left. Thank the lord, it was the only one I will drink from their selection!! Oh god, there’s like none left… Hallelujah! There’s 2/3 of a cup left, which is great because I normally fill that exact amount of my cup with cream anyways! It was the perfect cup of coffee, right when I needed it, exactly how I like it. Sweet serenity as I danced my way back to my desk to put in my coconut oil and got my well-needed burst of energy to keep me going until the end of the day.

#ButFirstCoffee

Day 10

365 project 365 days of happy challenge stephanie de montigny day 10Every time I attend our monthly #RTSottawa meetings, I am always so pumped up and excited to get to work. This month is no different! Everyone is always so supportive of each other, and so quick to offer solutions and suggestions when people raise their business concerns and struggles. This group is all about “Community Over Competition” and our local chapter really takes it to heart. While the majority of the group are in direct competition with each other in the industry, in this group we are all on the same side and help lift each other up and raise the industry as a whole. There is no greater joy than that of being able to help someone else succeed in their life and business on your own way to success.

#CommunityOverCompetition

Day 11

365 project 365 days of happy challenge stephanie de montigny day 11Today was a day full of happy!
Brainstorming, ideas, planning, GOALS and accountability. Even my fiancé noticed how much happier I seemed today and said it made complete sense now that he knew I had been business planning all day with my fellow #RTSottawa members. We were all super invested in helping each other out, in providing suggestions on how to achieve our goals, and in offering all resources possible to getting each other going in the right direction. 
I love my group, and cannot wait to get me gears going to start achieving my goals for 2017! 

#DontQuitYourDaydream

Day 12

365 project 365 days of happy challenge stephanie de montigny day 12, antique key linen booklet notebook vintage laceBig news today! Very happy news indeed! The KEY to my success has surfaced. See what I did there–haha! Unfortunately it has to remain a secret for right now, but you bet the moment I am allowed to share I will be doing so!

#KeyToSuccess

Day 13

Today I got to meet up with an old friend, whom I haven’t seen in several years. It was as though we’d never been apart and just started up in conversation as though our last meeting was last week. It was great.

#CoffeeWithFriends

Day 14

365 days of happy project keto chocolate mug cake day 14 2017In my unique lifestyle there is no sugar because of the way my body reacts to it. It’s not pretty. Quite painful actually. Well, former dessert queen me was absolutely craving something sweet today and decided to play pastry chef and attempt a keto friendly dessert-like thing. I successfully created a keto-friendly chocolate mug cake without any sugar. To keep portions in moderation, I made a mini mug cake. And promptly ate the entire thing before I remembered to take a photo. Hence the empty dish in the image.. Oops!
I’ll post the recipe on the blog the next time I make it with a photo.

#HaveMyCakeAndEatItToo

Day 15

365 project 365 days of happy challenge stephanie de montigny day 15, broccoli, coffee, cucumber, avocado, cheese curds, baconI have the best boyfriend ever. How else do you explain him coming home with all this goodness for me to eat. I didn’t find it until later but there was also bacon in the fridge for me. How amazing! He doesn’t follow my way of eating, but he certainly supports me 100% and puts all the effort in the world to make sure he makes keto-friendly dishes for us, and I couldn’t ask for any more than that!

#BestBoyfriendEver

Day 16

I am very excited after my coaching call today to get the ball rolling with my newborn portrait business revamp. We got to talking about all of the awesome things that my clients get from hiring ME, and started putting thoughts to paper for my goals, how to fix my marketing woes, and next week we are going to go over strategies to make them happen.  Sometimes the solutions are right in front of you, once you recognize the problem.

#PedalToTheMetal

Day 17

Today’s happy moment is quite simple, but as a result of that seemingly small gesture, it made my day. I went to Thyme & Again in Hintonburg for a business meeting and decided to get a bit to eat since I was early and hadn’t eaten since breakfast. As you know, my way of eating and allergies prevent me from being able to consume just anything. The staff at this place was so kind and accommodating to my long list of food sensitivities and went through the effort to go through the ingredients lists of several dishes and found me something that I could eat. I was so hungry, I forgot to take a picture before I ate it–oops!

#LittleThingsMatter

Day 18

bwoman's ottawa keto latte coffee post it meeting sharpieIt never gets old when a company goes above and beyond to serve their customers. Especially when they are still potential clients and haven’t signed on yet. I had the pleasure of meeting to discuss with someone today about booking, and while I was a little skeptical at first about being sold to in a public place, it went great. If nothing else, I feel like I’ve got another friend in my corner 🙂
Shout-out to Bowman’s Bar and Grill for the keto-friendly latte!

#CreativesCurateKindness

Day 19

365 project 365 days of happy challenge stephanie de montigny day 19, vintage floral shirt top dressI got to wear my new (to me) vintage floral top today and I felt pretty. Mostly because of the outfit, but partially because I allowed myself to feel beautiful. Despite my crazy winter static hair and super dry flaky skin, I felt worthy of the word. It helps that I’ve got someone amazing in my corner telling me everyday, and that I’ve lost two dozen pounds over the last few months, but it’s nice to actually feel it.

#NoShameInBeingBeautiful

Day 20

going away card happy wishes goodbye team handmade greeting lace bamboo

It is never easy to say goodbye, but it is certainly made a lot easier when your entire team takes the time to sign a card to wish you well, and throws you a doughnut party! I am going to miss that place… 

#GoodbyeForNow

Day 21

style food photographer floral arrangement florist branding shoot behind the scenes BTS shot vintage lace

It might technically be work, but my photography gigs are often fun. Today I had a blast photographing a local florist and her art. The best part? She ended up sending me home with one of the bouquets she made during the shoot. How sweet is she!? Thank you so much Carla! You made my day 💕🐿💐😘

#WorkingIt

Day 22

meal planning calendar chart recipes food grocery list keto friendlyWhile meal planning isn’t always fun, it’s the highlight of my week since we went full out and planned the whole thing around my busy schedule. Heck, the actual grocery shopping of the best part! Okay, so technically the eating is, obviously, but of the planning portion, the shopping is. We get to spend time together bonding over food, trying new things, and we make a date out if it.

#WeeklyMealPlanningDate

Day 23

There are so many things that I am grateful for in life, I could not pick just one for today. Instead, I present you with an on-the-fly, no-do-overs calligraphy mess of happy. The perfectionist in me is dying, but I am happy with it. Another day, another happy.

#AcknowledgeYourHappiness

Day 24

The wedding designer came to visit today so I had my entire studio set up like a china shop it seems. It was so nice to see all of our trinkets and bases and supplies laid out. It was almost like a mini preview of the big day. Super excited!

#WeddingIsComing

Day 25

Normally I wait until the end of the day to look back on it and pick the most happy moments to write about, but today I was greeted with one right after the other on my way to work. I found out that I couldn’t bring my planned lunch to work (nomade gumbo, yumm!) because someone in my office is allergic to shrimp so I had nothing to bring and was going to have to scramble to get something on my way to work. I figured I’d grab some cheese from the fridge as a snack just in case I couldn’t. That’s where I found the first note. With an amazing handmade meal. How awesome of him. So I ran back to the bedroom to give him a huge hug before I left. Then I found the slip about my boots. They had recently broken and he took them into the repair shop on the day I wore a different pair. How sweet! Then I got to my car. The others beside it had several inches of snow but mine only had a small layer of speckles. I didn’t think too much of it until I saw that my windshield had been scraped to get the ice off. Then I found the note. I actually teared up with joy at such a nice gesture, on top of what he had already done for me. I sure picked a good one!

#BestKindOfSurprises

Day 26

365 Days of Happy – DAY 26

A video posted by Stephanie de Montigny (@sdemontigny) on

We discovered the hilarity that can come from a terribly timed boomerang clip! We finally got our cute one though 💕 but you should see the outtakes! Hilarious!

#LaughterCuresEverything

UPDATE from Day 12

couple engagement photos rustic ornate frame desk work job contigo mug glasses notebook windowsOn January 12th, I received word that I was going to be starting a new job this week in a new department. Now I’ve got my own cubicle, my own desk, and a raise! Bring on the new adventures, and leave the debts behind! This contract is just long enough to get the wedding and mortgage down payment paid off, and then I can return to my life as a full-time business owner.

#MoneyCanBringHappiness

Day 27

365 project 365 days of happy challenge stephanie de montigny day 27 winter boots fur repair welling west hintonburg max footwear boutique It’s been over a year since I broke my boots and have been struggling to tie them and walk in them, but the snowy Ottawa winters make it hard to forego boots for a few days. I finally got them done this week (well, the fiancé did..thanks babe!) and getting them back today felt sooo good! Comfy, snug, clean boots! You can barely even tell they were broken 🙂

#TheseBootsAreMadeForWalking

Day 28

For those of you who know me well, you already know that I am that weird girl who doesn’t like really popularly-liked smells like bacon, peeling oranges, fresh cut grass, or coffee. Don’t get me wrong, I will happily enjoy a plateful of bacon but the smell of it cooking is terrible to me; something to do with the burning oil and curing sugars. Well, I finally found one that I can tolerate the smell while cooking, has no sugar in it, and tastes delicious! So much so, that I even cooked my mushrooms in the leftover grease…and they tasted good! Today was a great success in my books!

#Bacon

Day 29

365 project 365 days of happy challenge stephanie de montigny day 29, food styling, food photography, seo squirrel, lace, cheeseboard, cheese, jelly, wineAnother one that might technically be work, but today was different. I got to work with my fiancé and watch him put his professional skills to use as he styled my product photography shoot today. We won’t be teaming up any time soon, but it was really cool to watch him skillfully work and help me out, and to see our skill-sets overlap. Best part? We got to indulge and eat our props once it was done. Yumm!

Day 30

365 project 365 days of happy challenge stephanie de montigny day 30 facebook shout out message inspirationI don’t often think of myself as an influencer or as a role model, so when someone calls me out publicly as a source of inspiration and encouragement, it gives me the warm and fuzzies. It is such a humbling happy moment to know that I changed someone’s life for the better; even if just for a moment 🙂

#BeTheInspiration

Day 31

Today was easy. While I begrudgingly finished up my day’s work, and contemplated having cake for dinner (keto-friendly of course!), my phone rang. It was my grandparents. They typically spend the entire winter in Florida where it is warm and wonderful, but they decided to come back early (I wonder why!). Now I get to see them on Saturday! Ahhmazing! Did I mention I absolutely love my grandparents like a second set of parents..? You betcha! I spent almost every summer during my childhood with them up north in Kapuskasing, and they are some of the best times of my life. I cannot wait to see them! Only 3 more sleeps!

#GrandparentsAreTheBest


[check back for more posts from the 365 days of happy project]

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