Where’s Dellie?

So, perhaps some of you are wondering what happened to launching dellie. Let me cut right to the chase – I FUCKED UP! Yah, that’s harsh but it’s the truth. I was lazy, unmotivated, scared and riddled with doubt, I let the shit storms of life stop me in my tracks and wallowed in self-pity. I created really convenient excuses to not move forward because doing nothing seemed easier than just doing something. Let’s face it, that’s total bullshit and we all know it.

What did allowing myself to exist in the above do? It created one confused and lost Adele. I ultimately gave up control of my life and myself. Rather than telling the questions screaming at me (Where do I start? Where do I go? What do I want to do? Can I do this? Will I fail?) to shut the fuck up and talk one at a time, I allowed them to silence me. More bullshit right there but it seemed like the best defense mechanism at the time. The weight of them on my shoulders just sunk me further and further down. Rather than get up. I stayed there. Even I know I’ve overstayed my welcome and it’s time to get back up.

Can I answer all these questions today? Fuck no. But I know the answers will unfold. I just need to put in the work. Some hard fucking work but it has to be done. I don’t have a choice. The routine I’m in now is just spinning me in circles and I’m going nowhere. I don’t expect it to be easy at all. I’m really, really good at slipping back into old habits. But, I’m going to try and on the days where I’m back spinning in my self-destructive circle, I’ll remember this quote by Seth Godin:

“What are you working on? If someone asks you that, are you excited to tell them the answer? I hope so. If you’re not, you’re wasting away.”

I’m not excited to tell people what I do. I want to be. And I certainly don’t want to fucking waste away.

What about you? Are you spinning around in a self-destructive circle? Let’s commiserate for a moment and then get our shit together. Seriously! You with me?

Black & White

With summer over and the nesting seasons in full force, the project for J and I over the Fall/Winter is to finally finish up the condo. While all the major renovations are done, the “pretty-ing“ it up part is yet to really begin. We had planned for it to be done by now (well, as done as it can be, because is it ever really done?), but shit happens and we decided to take a break over the summer. In its current state, the condo feels like a bit of an empty shell and doesn’t give you that “feels like home” hug when you walk through the door. Time to change that!

As the walls are the biggest reason it feels shell-like around here, I figured I would start there. The walls in our condo are pretty much naked aside from the odd print. In fact, I have more prints waiting to be framed then I do on the walls. That makes total sense huh? The thing is, filling the walls with prints has always been an issue for me. I get so overwhelmed by all the choices and immediately turn to my trusty friend – procrastination. Even when I get prints, I go back and forth on how to group them, what style frame, which wall…the list goes on.

As I hunted for inspiration, I realized I was most drawn to collections that were predominantly black and white. Can I get a huge sigh of relief? As mentioned, I have a hard time deciding on prints, but with a narrowed down focus, it feels so much easier. Hopefully, grouping them will feel just as easy. It will right?

Here are a few I recently purchased. Lovely aren’t they?

1 // 2 // 3

I have a lot of wall to cover and so the hunt isn’t over yet. I’ve started to gather them all on a Pinterest board if you’d like to check them out. But, here are a few I have on my potential purchase list.

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6

Of course, the odd colourful print won’t be turned away. I already have some and love them too much not to show them off. I’m just not sure how I’ll incorporate them yet.

How do you approach your gallery walls? Is there a theme? Or do you just group them together randomly? I’d love to hear how you’re doing it and if you have photos, share!

Ready for Change

Fall

The arrival of Fall was bittersweet this year. Usually it’s my favourite time of the year, but now that we have the boat, it also signals the end of boating season. We actually lift the boat out of the water this coming Saturday. I’ve been counting down the days for almost a month dreading it. But, now that it’s just around the corner, I’m feeling an unexpected sense of relief.

The summer was chaotic (mostly in a good way) and the majority of it was spent flying by the seat of our pants. It was fun but also exhausting. I’m a creature of habit and while we can’t plan everything, and sometimes you just have to go with the flow, I need to take care of the part of me that craves structure.

I’m ready to slow down and regroup. I’m ready to plant my feet firmly on the ground and plan my next step. I’m ready to look at where I am and where I need to go. More than anything, I’m ready for change.

What are you ready for right now?

Mornings

Although last week I mentioned how beautiful the sunsets are at the marina, you can’t deny that the sun rising is just as equally beautiful. J and I took a stroll with the dogs quite early last weekend and got to enjoy these views. The marina was so quiet and peaceful. It felt like only the 4 of us were there. I can’t wait to wake up here tomorrow.

Sunset Mornings

The lake that morning was calm and eerily beautiful. You could barely see the horizon line. Within a few hours it was a lot different. You could hear the hustle and bustle of people starting their day and boats were making their way around the lake. Is there any better way to start your day?

All photos taken with my iPhone and shared on Instagram

Have a great Labour Day weekend friends!

A new addition

Early August, J and I added a new addition to our family. Most assumed we’d added someone new to the zoo, but no, this time it’s a boat. Yep, a boat. I still can’t quite believe it myself.

This has been a dream for J since he was a kid and so it has finally came true for him. Thankfully, I’m in total heaven by the water (must be the Pisces in me) and have always daydreamed of one day living by it. So, you could say this is a dream come true for me too.

As the boating season comes to a close in roughly 2 months, we’ve been enjoying every minute we can over at the marina where we are docked. We spent out first overnight there this past weekend and it was so much fun. To be honest, it’s hard to be anywhere else but here. Can you blame us? I sure hope the next 2 months go by slow and provide us with the gorgeous weather we’ve had so far.

Boat Boats Hanlans Point CN Tower

As you can imagine, the dogs are thrilled too. We managed to score an awesome slip to accommodate them. Not only is it relatively private (aside from the few awesome neighbours we have) but we literally step off our dock onto a decent amount of grass for them to run around on to their hearts content. The cherry on the top is being steps away from a small beach where they can go for a swim. It couldn’t be anymore perfect.

Arthur Seamus

While I love every minute there, there’s something special about that time of day when the sun starts to set. You can’t fight (and why would you?) the inner peace it brings. Stunning isn’t it? I’m incredibly lucky to have a “second home” with views like this . So incredibly lucky.

Sunset

All photos taken with my iPhone and shared on Instagram

Printable PDF: August 2012 Wall Calendar

Yep, I’m 14 days late on this but I figured I’d share it anyway. August has been a bit of a whirlwind for me and so I really need to plan out the rest of August before it slips away from me.

Download August 2012 Planner

PLEASE PRINT RESPONSIBLY.

This printable PDF and the designs within it are for personal use only and may not be used commercially. If you wish to share the PDF with others, please link directly to this page rather than uploading the PDF to your own server.

The PDF is password protected to keep the design intact. However, the file will open without issue in Adobe Acrobat Reader and can be printed directly from there.

Banana Bread

Yesterday, I had a few bananas a day to two away from being too ripe and so I went on the hunt for a banana bread recipe to save them from the trash can. As usual when it comes to searching for recipes these days, I hit up Foodgawker. My search didn’t take long and I quickly stumbled upon a simple banana bread recipe from First Look, Then Cook. I’m so glad I did. It comes together quickly and the results are delicious. Perfect combo if you ask me.

Banana Bread

Original recipe by First Look, Then Cook

3 very ripe bananas, mashed
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup evaporated milk or buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cups chopped nuts (optional)*

Pre-heat oven to 350. Mash bananas with a fork and set aside. Mix oil, sugar, milk, vanilla and eggs well. Add mashed bananas. Mix dry ingredients in a small bowl, and add to banana mixture with nuts (optional) until just combined well. Pour into 2 greased and floured 9 x 5″ loaf pans. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from pans while still warm and wrap with plastic.

My subs: 2/3 cup of olive oil in place of vegetable oil, 2/3 cup of 2% milk in place of other milks options.

* I opted for 2/3 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips

To be honest, I don’t have much of a sweet tooth but after cutting J a slice and having a quick taste test, I promptly gobbled the rest of it down and cut him another slice. It’s perfectly moist and not overly sweet. Simply perfection! J loved it and went back for seconds. This will definitely be the standard banana bread around here.

As you can tell from the photos, I didn’t bake this as a typical quick bread. I only had one 9×5 loaf pan, so I baked it in two 9x9x3 circular pans instead. It worked out just fine and was ready after the recommended 40 minutes. Phew!

So, if you’ve got some bananas lying around, give this bread a shot. You can view the original recipe along with the reviews right here.

Banana Bread

Printable PDF: July 2012 Wall Calendar

Eeep, July is upon us and so it’s time for a new wall calendar. Sorry for the slight delay. It was a long weekend here in Canada and let’s just say that I’m still recovering. Have a great July friends!

Dellie Wall Planner - July 2012

Download July 2012 Planner

PLEASE PRINT RESPONSIBLY.

The PDF is password protected to keep the design intact. However, the file will open without issue in Adobe Acrobat Reader and can be printed directly from there.

A few photos

So I’m still feeling a wee bit blank over here in terms of writing blog posts but I have photos. Lots of them. Here are some of I’ve recently shared on Instagram and Twitter.

Instagram 01

While Stella may look all cute and innocent in this photo, about two seconds after this shot, she had a hissy fit and tried to bite me. Buns have moody moments too ya know.

The same can’t be said for Seamus. He’s always in a good mood. Or perhaps I should say a crazy, almost maniacal mood. Boy has to slow down (or take some Valium). When he takes some time out for a nap, I must admit, it’s much more peaceful around here. Please let his teen phase pass soon. Please!!!

We’ve had quite a few overcast and rainy days lately. While I do love a rainy day here and there, I’m quite excited for the forecast going forward. Lots of beautiful, summer days ahead of us.

Instagram 02

Hands down, my most liked photos on Instagram are the ones I share of my little zoo. I may be biased, but I’m not surprised, they are damn cute and I love them to bits (most days).

Instagram 03

So, we FINALLY got all the wood work done in our condo this week. I can’t tell you how nice it is to have doors again! Hello privacy. Everything looks fantastic and the new baseboards really bring out the concrete floors. I’ll share photos soon. Anyway, as a result, work was a little on the light side due to all the noise and disruption but I did work on some labels for dellie products amongst other things. As you can see, I had some company. There’s always an animal or two under my desk.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Printable PDF: June 2012 Wall Calendar Planner

Is it really time to start planning out June? Apparently so as it’s June 1st THIS Friday. Eeeep. Time to get the productivity wheels at double speed over here, what about you?

Printable PDF June 2012 Wall Planner

Download June 2012 Planner

PLEASE PRINT RESPONSIBLY.

The PDF is password protected to keep the design intact. However, the file will open without issue in Adobe Acrobat Reader and can be printed directly from there.