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:

 
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?

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!

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?

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!

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.

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.

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.

All photos taken with my iPhone and shared on Instagram

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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.

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.

Download July 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.

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.

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).

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!

Download June 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.