In hindsight 3

Hello my prittis,
It's been a while and look at us diving into another year. A new year, means new goals and new promises. Last January, as I was dying of an asthma virus, I took the time to blog a bit on evaluating my resolutions of the past year to see how I did.

Well let's just say, things have really changed. You can refresh your memory by referring to "In hindsight 2" one of my January 2012 posts.

Here is the official list of things I wanted and things I wanted to accomplish for 2012:

• A Kitchen Aid Food processor- Bought one on Beyond the Rack early that year. for a great price!

• A guitar and some lessons- Didn't get to do this, but it's still on my list!

• Perform at an open mic- "

• Get back into shape and lose 25lbs- Funny story. I am now 9 months and expecting our surprise baby on February 7th! So, as for losing weight, that did not happen. But, I was part of a study for promoting health and fitness to pregnant women and I am proud to say that I lost about 10 lbs of my own weight and only gained about 12 lbs from my pregnancy. I tried to stay active this year and hope to maintain this once I am on mat leave too :)

• Stay on track with my debt repayment, so far so good. 2 more years and I should be good! Well, S&*% happens, unexpected things like A BABY and car repairs really didn’t help me in this department. But the good news is that we are still on track... kinda.

• Finish some basic renos in the house- Nesting! This is a great way to finish up renovations and get your house baby ready! We did a lot of cleaning and purging to make room for baby too. We still have a little ways to go though. One thing at a time... plus you need to save up for renos!

• Blog more! Guilty, have been a bit lazy on this front. Once again, I will blame it on the pregnancy!

Here are some things I did accomplish that I am proud of:

• Kicked butt professionally
• Got pregnant and had a considerably healthy pregnancy with very little weight gain. (Terrified of giving birth, but we can talk about that in February!)
• Got everything organized for the baby room
• Rekindled some old friendships and made new ones too
• Finally used my airmiles to get the DSLR camera of my dreams!

Lastly, can't start the year without setting some new goals:

1. Get a guitar, get lessons (2012)
2. Perform in an open mic (2012)
3. Kick start my business as a Solidea representative
4. Have an awesome maternity leave and bond with our baby!
5. Come back to work and get that promotion I deserve!
6. Become more active and lose the baby weight that I have gained
7. Go on our first family trip
8. Cut our debt in half by the end of the year
9. Research and design the kitchen of my dreams and SAVE UP for it!
10. Make more time for ME! I know this sounds selfish, but it's the root cause of not being able to take care of yourself if you are trying to stay healthy.

I highly encourage you to do this exercise, it's a great way to see if you can keep a promise to yourslef and what areas you need to work on! What are some of your goals?

Have a safe and happy 2013!
xox

me so greedi

Hello my priitis!

It's been a while. I miss blogging. I have to say the mind has been pritti dry, and I don't want to just blabber on about nothing.

This post is about how the Holidays makes people so greedy. I want this, I want that.

Every time I go shopping, I complete my "I need" list... cozy sweater (appropriate for streaming), work skirts, fun nylons, dress for new year, tights... the list goes on!

Then, not a week goes by and I open a magazine, or watch some TV, only to add more stuff on this "I need" list. I thought I just crossed everything off??

Here is my I need/want list, things that are way to expensive for my debts right now:

1. SLR Camera (maybe a Canon, I hate Nikon's customer service)
2. A chaise for my living-room ( I NEED more seating)
3. Ugg Adirondack boots (I already have SORELS!! but I find them bulky)
4. Brown leather Jacket (not sure what brand)
5. Long CanadaGoose Jacket (sold my Aritzia one, and I have a short red CG already)
6. Longchamps makeup bag (can't justify 50$ for it!)
7. New skis (gotta learn to ski this winter first)
8. BOSE speaker system for my TV (I just need a speaker set, it doesn't have to be bose)
9. Armoir for my kitchen (I just need to spot one at an antique show that I like)
10. Travel to Europe! (I have at least 5 more countries I want to see before we start a family... which is in a while still ....)

That's not all... I have a list of things that I need for the house like blinds, rugs and a BED!! This is on my house "NEED" list :S It's okay if you dream about this, but let me remind you that I am in DEBT here people!!

I don't like being greedy though, I have everything I ever wanted and I just have to keep reminding myself that.

I really need to readjust for 2011. I am bad at holding promises to myself, so I will gently remind myself to read this post if I get too greedi.

Now.... all I need to do is copy paste this and my Christmas list is done! haha

oh louis, how we love thee!

You can talk to someone from the North Pole and they will know what Louis Vuitton is. But the quetsion is, do you know who he is and how this great empire came to be?

Louis Vuitton Malletier (August 4 1821- February 27 1892), was born in Jura, France. At the ripe age of 14 he moved to Paris and eventually he was making and designing his own suitcases for royalty and even Napoleon. His unique trunk design was a flat top that enabled the suitcases to be stackable and the material he chose is what made the trunks water resistant rather than the rounded tops which could not be stackable. Imitation of the LV designs isn't a new thing, it started a long time ago.

In 1998, Marc Jac0bs was named art director along side Jae until today. He was the inspiration behond the cherry blossom design and the couloured monogram pattern.

Louis Vuitton is know for its famous brown and beige monogram, which is a laquored canvas material, not leather. This print has been reproduced and copied with so many itterations of the original design.

To learn more about LV fashion history, I would suggest this site.

There is a dispute right now on Wikipedia about the content on LV... it's quite a funny read :)

Do you own any Louis? Maybe a fake?

Tell me what is your favorite accessory? Wallet, clutch, purse?

j'adore dior

Christian Dior (21 January 1905– 24 October 1957) born in Granville, France, was an influential French fashion designer who founded Christian Dior.

Christian began developing his love for fashion when he started sketching and selling his work at a young age. He joined the army during WW2 and started a line of clothing to dress the wives of Nazi officers.

Dior's designs were known to be more voluptuous, curvy and flowery than boxy, which was used to save on fabric during the war. This really enhanced the silhouette of women, but had some backlash due to the rashionning of materials. This new look was a revolution for fashion in Paris after World War 2.

Dior is now known for its houte couture, shoes, purses, wallets, fragrances, makeup, glasses and much more!

Do you own Dior?

Who is your favorite designer?

Guccio Gucci, me likey

Mr. Guccio Gucci (March 26 1881- January 2 1953), founded The House of Gucci in Florence in 1906, a family owned leather saddlery shop. His reputation for hiring the best craftsman and creating the highest quality goods is what lead to the expansion and success of what we know today as Gucci.

Gucci is now owned and operated by a French company Pinault-Printemps-Redoute (PPR).

It is the largest selling Italian brand in the world and remains in "The Top Global 100 Brands".

In the 1970's, Gucci became what it is today, thanks to icons such as Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly.

Despite the brands success, Gucci had seen it's highs and lows. In the 1980's, Gucci started to fall to an ultra low, when they decided to include cheaper and more affordable accessories to their line like lighters, cosmetic bags, and pens. "By the 1980's Gucci had lost it's appeal and became a tacky airport brand."

Today Gucci is well known for their sunglasses, purses, shoes, watches, clothes, frangrance, belts and much more. We know Gucci as being just plain old unaffordable! We weren't the only ones...hence, why the knockoff was created!

Prego Guiccio! Prego!

me love spending money-4

So yesterday on my lunch break I went antiquing! Read more about my adventures on this post.

But... this post is about spending money!! So here is what I bought for $25!!

You are probably thinking, why would you put a laundry board up as decoration. Because I think it's fabulous! That's why. The blue tones in the glass complement the blue in my shower curtain. Plus that wall was so empty... it was missing an accent piece!

So, do you like it? What's your favorite accent piece in your bathroom.

If you read this post, you will see the copper bucket that I want to get and fill with towels and toilet paper and place it under the hand towel.

Tell me what you think.

I am off to measure the space to see if it fits!

me so broke-ii

Hello again my prittis.

I didn't want to have to go there, but judging by my 1 vote it looks like you want to hear about my problems. Well, I can't blame you. It's great hearing about other people's problems, because it makes your life seem so easy.

You know that saying..."blah, blah, blah, you would never want to switch with someone else problems in the end"... "blah, blah, blah, walking a mile in my shoes for a day.", "blah, blah, the grass is always greener on the other side.". The point is having problems SUCKS, no matter who you are.

Here are some of my problems:

• Dept :$ (Did I mention I bought my house and got married all in the same year?)


• Shopaholic (I shop because I am unhappy, and I am unhappy because I shop.... Ya right!)


• Excessive renovation planning (I want my house to look like Sarah Richardson decorated it)


• Delusional about everything!


• Need to replace my car- something reasonable like a Honda or Toyota


• Need to redo my kitchen- make all I can really afford is a facelift


• Need to repair the bathroom- seriously, the walls are cracking and the tub is ugmo!


• Excessive planner in general = no time to do anything productive!


• Excessive NEED/WANT to travel (Do you realize how many countries are in Europe?... I haven't even scratched the surface!)


• Excessive travel planning


• Excessive streeming of entire seasons in an unhealthy amount of time


• Awe man, I didn't want to go there but... My P.A.D.D ( Physical Activity Deficit Dissorder)

Before I started this list, I'm thinking to myself... "what should I put on this list? I don't really have any problems, do I?". By the end of this list, I am cutting my wrists and now clinically depressed. Just kidding!

Anyways, the conclusion of my list is that I am BROKE! But I am on track to paying off my debts, one post at a time. I promise. You just have to keep reminding me that I don't NEED a $2,000 chair, that my closet is full and I don't need to buy more shoes or purses or clothes for that matter. That I have to save up for my car if I want one.

Admit it though, you wouldn't tune in if my life was perfect!!!

Let's just say hypothetically that my total debt was $ X... I will attempt to give you a monthly financial statement so you can keep track of my progress!! Now I HAVE to be good! No excuses!

Have a great Tuesday everybody.

me love spending money-2

I just want to say one thing here.

If your friends can't support you and your shopping guilt, who will?

All I am saying is be there for one another and support each others bad habits. Don't judge. Just be happy and live vicariously through others. The last thing you need to hear is "Don't you already have that?" from your closest friend.

What you want to hear is "That looks fabulous on you! Can I borrow it?"... "Maybe, if you're nice".

On another note, I cleaned out my closest the other night and I wanted to show you. Slowly, I am getting my life in order... One blog at a time!

Okay, so maybe it's not super organized, but at least I can see where all my stuff is. Note: this is the guest room closet which holds only my "stuff", not

my clothes... and it's possible that the blue bins contain more shoes and purses (I just displayed the nicer ones :) ).

.... see why do I feel guilty showing you this. I should be proud!

Next blog: Let's talk about my finances :S

me love spending money

Doesn't this picture just screem "$PEND YOUR MONEY HERE!!!".

What it is with pharmacies? There is nothing like taking an hour and going through each aisle slowly and asking yourslef "Do I need this?", "Maybe I should get two, it's a great sale", "Oh, my friends use this, I should get one... I'm here anyway".

This weekend, I did just that. Spend money on things I probably didn't need. Although some of my purchases were legitimate, at least I think they were. You tell me.

1. Shaving cream- I needed some
2. 3 toothpaste tubes- they were on sale
3. Thin rubber headband- I wanted to see what the hype was all about.
4. Milk- main reason why I went to the store... and to check a loosing lotto ticket
5. Hand cream- was on sale... it's supposed to be very moisturinzing. Do I have a million at home? Yes, but this one is different.
6. Lady stuff- was on sale, you need to buy this stuff when it's on sale.
7. Cards, Cards, Cards- it's always someone's birthday or something, so I always buy cards together for many events. This way I save lots of time!

Total= $74.00!!! (I know, right?)

I think that's about it. The fact of the matter is, this type of slow shopping is very therapeutic. I hate rushing. I also hate running out of stuff at home, this is why I always have backup!

I would love to know where you like to spend your money or where you practice retail therapy?

Aug 10 2010- This blog post was featured in "Modern Vintage" August 2010 issue!