Me Time vs. Creative Time

Everyone female on the planet remembers the movie "The Notebook" right?  I think I saw it at the theatre at least 3 times, and was in line to buy the movie when it came out on DVD.  That movie was life chaning for me, and helped me realize that I had ignored myself, and my creativity for MUCH too long.

The painting scene (captured below) hit me so hard, I was a sobbing idiot in the theater when I saw it for the first time.  I had become so busy being someone that I though I was supposed to me, and stopped listening to myself, and what I truly wanted to be, and do with my life.

I NEED to be creative.  Whether it's crocheting a granny square blanket, or surfing the net for new artwork for our home.  It is a part of me, and I truly NEED that in my life.

This fact really hit me hard - again - last night.  My daughter was staying overnight at her grandparents house, since our sitter was on vacation for a couple days, and we still had to work - my hubby was at softball, and for the first time in likely at LEAST a year, I had the entire house to myself.  And not just for 10 or 15 minutes.  But 4 entire hours!  You have NO idea how happy I was to have this time to myself.   Finally some ME time.  Yet, I did nothing.  Nothing but sit my butt on the sofa, watching HGTV, and catching up on the latest antics on Jersey Shore.

Here I was looking forward to some time alone, yet I felt like I had totally wasted it watching trash TV.  I felt guilty.  Guilty that I wasn't doing the one thing that I kicked myself for so many years ago.  I should of at least picked up my crochet and did some more work on a blanket i'm working on for my daughter's big girl bed.  Or I could have worked on some blog posts.  Or I could have started that mood board I've been meaning to start.

But I didn't.  I sat on my butt, and watched the tube instead, where all I did was miss my kid.

*sigh*

What's the point of me time, if you don't use that me time constructively?  So, i've made myself a promise, to NOT do that again.  It made me realize that sure I need my me time, but I need my creative time MORE.  So, it's come time to make conscious effort to start taking that creative time.  Even if it's only 30 minutes a day.  It's something.  And i'll feel better when that rare 3-4 hour window comes along again for me to JUST DO NOTHING.

Do you take me time?  How to you spend it?  Doing something creative?  Doing nothing like I did last night?  Or do you do something else?

gratitude.....

I am grateful to all my friends and family - I am lucky to have them in my life, even if it means being busy every weekend for the next 2 months.

 I am grateful for extra-large iced coffee's and sugar cookies shaped like ladybugs.

I am grateful to myself, for getting my groove back in blogland.

I am grateful to Minute Rice, for finally letting me eat brown rice without it turning into mush.

40 before 41

Really, with all intents and purposes I meant for this list to be a 40 before 40 list - but times gotten away from me so i've given myself an extra year!

My deadline is September, 2013 - the month I turn 41 !!!  The same month that my daughter will start kindergarten.  OMG!!!

I made this list last September, but neglected to share with all of you...now that I have a few completed, it doesn't feel as daunting and scary, so here you go!!!

1. Eat at one of Gordon Ramsay's restaurants
2. Find and buy an antique vintage vanity and restore and/or paint it
3. Get into the Real Estate market
4. Take a digital photography course
5. Make hollandaise sauce from scratch 
6. Start exercising regularly (2-3 times per week, for approx 1 hour at a time)
7. Take a family vacation somewhere outside the province, but still in Canada.
8. Start printing photos of my daughter and put them in albums
9. Be debt free (or at least reasonably free), or financially in control!
10. Learn another language. Even if it's just a little bit
11. Watch less TV
12. Institute a regular date night with my hubby
13. Try curling
14. Create a slideshow of my daughter's 1st year and beyond
15. Watch more movies - especially chick flicks
16. Be a girl more often
17. Go back to NYC
18. Blog more often/more regularly
19. Organize all my clothes
20. Have a family portrait done (all done)
21. Run a half marathon
22. Implement meatless Mondays at home
23. Make beef wellington from scratch
24. Try tennis
25. Organize our home office
26. Host an uber fancy dinner party
27. Learn how to sew
28. Visit a psychic
29. Grow an indoor herb garden
30. Finish decorating the master bedroom
31. Make homemade pasta from scratch
32. Try golf
33. Sign up for a session of Zumba!
34. Quit my paper towel habit
35. Quit drinking soda
36. Learn how to poach an egg properly (done!)
37. Learn how to make risotto (done!)
38. Teach myself to crochet (done!)
39. Write a children’s book
40. Have more patience

Do you have a 40 before 40 list? or a 30 before 30 list? Or another similar type of list?  Here is a list of other bloggers that are doing similar things...i love browsing them every so often to see what they've been up to, and to see what crazy stuff they want to do!  My own is pretty normal I think.

The 30 before 30 project 

Nicole Balch, from Making It Lovely

Michelle Verdugo, from Design Evolution

The Personal Excellence Blog

If you have a bucket list to share, feel free to link to it below.  It's always interesting to see what others dreams and intentions are, arent' they?

dance to the beat of my drum

I'm in love with the style/fashion in the video. Once I loose all my flab, THIS will surely be my "style", and i'll bounce around the street singing "dance to the beat of my drum".

Can I get dance lessons with that as well please?

thinkin' about.......

How yummy this pasta/chicken dish would be. If only I wasn't watching what I eat right now. Damn you Weight Watchers.

Source: thepioneerwoman.com via Trina on Pinterest

I need to start shopping for a dress, after all, we have 3 weddings to attend in the next 2 months!

Source: None via Trina on Pinterest

I desperately need a new "do". But can't decide on chopping it off, or, growing it out, and just changing up the colour?

Source: tylershields.com via Trina on Pinterest

Source: ukhairdressers.com via Trina on Pinterest

I keep looking at this bedroom (below) and am thinking this should be our inspiration/colour scheme for our new "low" bed (on the floor)

Source: sfgirlbybay.com via Trina on Pinterest

I miss swearing.

Source: None via Trina on Pinterest

Why am I obsessed with all white rooms?

Source: mialinnman.blogspot.com via Trina on Pinterest

I'm learning that pasta is my weakness, but am fulfilled by looking at beautiful pictures of spaghetti.

Source: fuckyeahawesomefood.tumblr.com via Trina on Pinterest

What are you thinkin' about lately?

for a limited time only..... ?????

I'm back.

I've missed the little place of mine that I call home. 

I'm hoping this time i'm back for good.

Let's play a game, ok?

For those of you that have stuck around, what do you like about DecorAddict?  What do you want to see more of on DecorAddict?

As much as this place on the inter-webs is "mine", I like to think that it's yours as well. 

So, discuss!!! 

apartment update

It looks like we may have found "the place", only 2 floors above us, and a flip of our current layout.

The benefit of this is we don't have to rent a moving truck. The problem with this place is the disgusting carpet that the current tenant has totally wreaked.

We haven't signed on the dotted line yet, we're still "negotiating", but we're really really really really hoping that they either replace the carpet, or install laminate.

I vote for laminate. For their sake it just makes more sense. Less maintenance, easier to clean, lasts longer, and they'll have VERY HAPPY tenants. Sure I prefer hardwood all the way, but it's not my place and I can live with laminate.

Cross your fingers for us.

my yorkville

I live in the city that hosts TIFF, the Toronto International Film Festival. Every year, the center of the city (Yorkville), is FULL of paparazzi, movie stars, and tourists.

I, was one of those tourists last week.



I happened to be downtown with hubby, the squirt was at daycare, and we had some time to kill, so we thought we'd lurk around Yorkville for a bit to see if we ran into Colin Firth at Starbucks, or Bruce Springsteen at the PharmaPlus.

No, we didn't see anyone famous, but I got to visit Anthropologie. Yay! I finally scored a monogram mug, and this journal for myself, along with this super cute initial that i've put on the squirt's door.



We also walked around some of the back streets of the neighborhood, something I haven't done in years; I forgot about the beautiful understated homes in the area. Nothing like what you would think would be there, unless you looked at their price tag of course.




Yorkville just has this vibe lately; there's not so much snootyness as there once was. I will have to visit more often I think.




all photos by me

decisions

So, it's official.

We have to be out of our condo by January 15th.

This. Just. Sucks.

The landlady couldn't have waiting one more year to sell. Noooooo. So now we have a huge decision to make. Do we rent for 1-2 more years and then buy a house? Or do we suck it up and buy a fixer upper condo NOW, then sell in 2-3 years, and then buy a house?

Hmmmm. Decisions...decisions...decisions.

We could rent another condo, but then we run the risk of it being sold again. We could rent in a rental building to avoid this issue, but then chances are there will be no dishwasher or washer/dryer in the unit (doesn't exist in the neighborhood). Did I mention we need to be within walking distance of hubby's work due to his crazy hours? Yeah, there are soooo many factor's to consider and it's stressing me out!!!

ARGH!!!!

Any suggestions or advise would be greatly appreciated. Now i'll just go dunk my head in the sand and scrrreeeeaaammmmm

fevers & migranes

The last couple of days have been a bit rough, actually this week has been a bit rough. The squirts sleeping schedule has been interrupted by teething - I think the pesky molars are coming through. It's that or she's coming down with something as she's been fighting a fever off and on as well.

Needless to say I've been home from work for the past 2 days, yesterday because the squirt was up from 11pm-4am fussing, and thus resulting in a major migrane for me, thus there was no way I could drive anywhere, so we stayed home.

This morning the squirt woke up with a temperature of 103, NOT good, so I made the call and decided to stay home again. I just can't leave my kid with her grandmother in that condition, not fair. Although my boss and co-workers are probably ready to kill me, but whatcha gonna do, right?



This morning after her brief 45 minute cat nap, her fever was gone and she was acting fine, so I decided to take her out to the park to get her some fresh air since we hadn't left the house in 2 days.



I think she knew that her window of feeling better was about to be cut short, as just after this shot was taken on the BB, she immediately ran up to me mumbling "Ma Ma Ma", and was out cold in the stroller in like 5 minutes, and she's still sleeping as I type; yes the stroller to crib transfer worked out.

Phew.

Depending on how long she lasts napping today, I may actually get a change for a design related post! How about that people! Whoot Whoot!

love.....

.....this diy scrabble wall

*here*

.....these pendant lamps

*here*

.....this pillow

*here*

.....this mug

*here*

.....this polaroid

*here*

What are you loving this week?

Reality Bites (1994)....randomly, uh what?

I loved this movie. Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, and Ben Stiller; his directorial debut (yes, I just looked that up on Wikipedia).

This movie was an iconic one for me. Not just for the storyline, but for the fashion, style, and vibe of the entire film. From the My Sharona scene in the gas station, to Lelaina's addiction to a telephone psychic, this movie epitomized my life at the time. Twenty something's, not knowing what the hell to do with their lives, or how to do it.

It was a time of grunge, flannel shirts, and Dr. Martens. I still have my pair. The pair I bought at a shop on Melrose Avenue on my 1st trip to L.A. in 1995.






You guys are probably wondering where i'm going with this...well, it all started on my drive home from work tonight, the new Smashing Pumpkins song was on the radio, and I started to think back of that time. I realized that that time was not so different from my time now. Well, in a weird sort of way. Back in '94 I had just graduated from college a year earlier, and was trying to find my way in the "real" world. Now, my daughter is just over a year old, and I'm once again trying to find my way in a even MORE real world.

It's made me realize that I need to pay more attention to what inspires me. Sometimes I have this little voice in the back of my head that shoots myself down, I can't really explain what exactly it is, but something keeps holding me back from what it is that I really should be doing, but yet I have no idea what that is exactly.

So, I find myself here, explaining all of this you guys, wondering if you understand what i'm talking about or if this is all just pure gibberish to you? Yeah, I know this post is totally random, and when I started it I was going to go into this whole style post about 90's fashion and decor trends and how I still like them but now it has just turned into something completely different.

Don't you hate it when that happens?

Ok, so now that I got that off my chest, stay tuned for some posts that are actual related to decor. :-)

Alone

Thank you Rebecca

back

I know I said that i'd be back in September, but I couldn't wait until then! I missed you all, and this little place that I like to share my thoughts and inspirations.

I will be posting as often as I can, and about more things than what you are probably used to. I tried to keep Decor Addict centered around interior design/decor, handmade art, design, etc, but there was one aspect that I tried not to touch on, and that was fashion, and personal style. Well, I have to say that subject has recently become a huge part of my life, so I will be including personal style posts, although I will say not sure for how long. I'm tired of my boring wardrobe, so much so that half of it just went to goodwill, so as I restock...slowly mind you, I will be sharing with you my selections for my personal wardrobe re-do.

I need to keep the updated wardrobe VERY cost effective, ever since we've decided to tackle "the jars" for the next few months. Maybe I can share some saving tips to you all as well?

Also, just a quick "calling for submissions" mention as well, if you have any suggestions for me in the realms of fashion or style, please email me, I'd love to see them!

Trinny & Susannah, my favorite fashion/style guru's

Have an amazing Friday, and it's so good to be back!

glitter in the air

Have you ever fed a lover with just your hands?
Closed your eyes and trusted, just trusted?
Have you ever thrown a fist full of glitter in the air?
Have you ever looked fear in the face and said, "I just don't care"?

***

Have you ever wished for an endless night?
Lassoed the moon and the stars and pulled that rope tight?
Have you ever held your breath and asked yourself will it ever get better than tonight?

Checking in .....

My oh my have I ever missed all of you!

It has been a very busy month, let me tell you! Getting the squirt adjusted to daycare, and myself back to work, has been nothing but exhausting. BUT, I will say, I totally missed work, now that I'm back. I was really stressed out about how I would adjust, but I've been very lucky that the squirt has been nothing but cooperative, and has amazingly adjusted to her caregivers home.

I have barely been only over the past few weeks, so I feel as if I'm lost in the loop so to speak about what's going on in the design blog world. I'm slowly getting on track, and getting up to speed with all my favorite blogs, artists, and shopping destinations; so much so in fact that I should have no problem being back online in full force come Labour Day.

How has your summer been so far? What have you been doing to keep yourself busy?

Toodles for now,
xo

TiltShift

The hubby has been on vacation this week, not to mention our condo has been upgrading the hydro systems, therefore we've had no power or water during business hours for the majority of the week, hence with a baby this makes existing at home almost impossible.

This has forced us to get out of the house for the majority of the week...this is a good thing, right? Well, I'm freakin' pooped, and Adelaide is just pissed off that she hasn't been able to sit on her play-mat all week and just PLAY. Yeah, i'd be pissed too.

Anyways, we ending up in Niagara on the Lake the other day, and I had a chance to play around with the old digital camera....now keep in mind I have NO IDEA WHAT I'M DOING, i'm just shooting stuff I like, or that I think looks pretty, whatever.

Yes, I realize this has absolutely NOTHING to do with decor, or design, but since I'm a super-duper fan of photographers worldwide, I thought i'd share with you what I envy in those super-duper talented photographers out there.

I know that sentence made no sense either. Remember I've had no toilet this week outside of a Tim Horten's or McDonald's.







All photos edited in TiltShift Generator

Time Flies

Can you believe it is May 1st already? Wow. Where has the time gone. We didn't really have much of a winter this year, so that would explain how spring snuck up on me. Not to mention, the past month has been totally chaotic as we just returned from our first "family" vacation to Mexico.

Yup, you got it...hubby, Addy, and our parents took off for a week down to Playa del Carmen, my absolute favorite place to escape too outside of Canada. It was absolute bliss, but at the same time, totally exhausting that I think I need a vacation from my vacation.

Addy's first vacation

I've also been thinking about this blog, and how I've been neglecting it lately. Life with an infant has taken over, and I really don't mind. I don't miss the computer when I'm reading her a book, or stacking blocks, or pushing her on the swing at the park.

I'm going back to my day-job at the end of June, and if I can't find the time now to blog, when will I possibly find the time once I'm working a real job full time? No, I haven't decided to quit.....but I've afraid I just may have too. My focus and my drive just hasn't been there lately.

Maybe I'll start a new blog? About what? I have no idea. I know that I love blogging and interacting with you all as much as I can, I just have no idea how to balance all of it.

Maybe I'll have to just make some changes with DecorAddict? But i'm not sure how or what or when.

As you can tell i've got some serious soul searching to do, DecorAddict and I. It's a deep relationship i'm not quite ready to end, but it has definitely changed. I'm just not adjusting as quickly as I thought I would.

Happy Monday!

How is everyone doing today?

It's been awhile since I've sat down to really talk to everyone out there. I hope you have all been doing well, and have had a great winter this year! Mine has been super busy of course, raising an infant has kept me busy 24/7 (of course), but I'm loving every second of it. She's almost 9 months old already, can you believe it?

Adelaide, 8 months

My days lately have been filled with the hunt for daycare since I will be going back to work. This has proved to be no easy task, it's such a hard decision to make, and finding the right person is even harder.

We've been spending Tuesdays at our local pool taking part in a Parent & Tot swim class to get Addy used to water as soon as possible, and she's loved every second of it!

Now that the weather is nicer, we are going for lots of walks around our own neighbourhood, and driving to other parts of the city for walks in new neighbourhoods as well. I want her to experience all parts of our city, not just the area she lives in.

photograph by Lynda Narango

Wishing you all a great day/week, and a fantastic spring! It's almost here yaknow, and I can hardly wait!

Luv, Trina

Nikole & Lance Herriott

A collaboration of father & daughter.

Lance creates hand carved spoons, plates, platters, cake stands, and so much more.

I love Nikole's talent for cakes & cookies too.

Yummies.

*blog* *shop* *flickr*