Home Sweet Home ~ Tuesday 4

Hello!  Welcome back to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 where each week we are asked to consider 4 questions on various subjects.    The goal is to get us thinking, considering, talking and getting to know ourselves and other bloggers.

1.  In some places people name their homes or properties. What would you name your home and why?

I haven't named my home and I have no plans to name it.

If you would not name it, why wouldn't you?

I'm just not the type of person to name things.

2.  Are you more of a romantic or a pragmatist when it comes to your home or apartment's decor and color?

I'm a pragmatist.  I've always tended to buy things I like at an affordable price point. These days I still do that though I often have to restrain myself from spending more.  I have basically everything I need and things are mostly functional.  I do need to purchase some larger ticket items like appliances and possibly furnishings in the next few years.  I like to 'soften up' all the practical items with all kinds of textiles and plants but the plants don't last long in my home due to heating issues and lack of natural light. I confess that I would probably spend far more money on higher end, sometimes higher quality furnishings but I simply don't feel good about spending because there are just too many other good 'causes' that are more worthy.  I think it's important to be a good steward of what we have and that includes our income.

3.   Do you have enough room in your home? Storage space, kitchen cabinets?  What would you add or subtract from your home?

I like space. A lot of space.  I've always liked a lot of space though I don't really, really need it. I live in the heart of the city where space is at a premium.  My home, though on the smaller side (not quite 1000 sq. ft.), is actually quite a lot larger and has more storage than a lot of the condos on the market in my city and surrounding areas today.  Even so, I'd like far more cabinet and closet space and a bigger outdoor space with a shed to keep gardening implements and furnishings when not in use.

We do have a storage locker in the basement.  This is where I keep things I don't need to access very often and things I need to deal with at some point.  For example, I have a lot of the photos my mother had. She had many and a lot of them are ones I gave her. Before I can whittle them down I need to have a lot of time to just focus on them. Thankfully I've already whittled down a lot of my own.  In the storage unit I also have things that belong to a brother and one of my nephew's. We also keep things like a moving dolly and tires which need changing out a few times a year.

Indoors, the closet spaces have to keep hats, coats, boots, shoes and clothing.  Since I have no linen or other closets, I also keep extra things in the closet spaces including all my hobby items, extra blankets, linens, suitcases and so on.

Little by little I'm getting rid of excess and to make sure it doesn't build up again I have also reduced what I purchase.  Once these tasks are more or less done, I'll look into purchasing a storage sofa and/or a storage bed.  This would really help to keep all the extra pillows, sheets, blankets and let me get rid of a blow up bed.  My DH believes that what we have now, is better quality than most of what can be purchased these days and he's right. It's more challenging to find what we want in good quality without also spending a lot more money.  In any case, I've really been restraining myself from both major and minor purchases. It's probably wiser to complete my decluttering and downsizing to see what is left before I spend more on storing things.

4.  Is your place really home sweet home ?  Would it be hard to leave it ?   Are you firmly rooted in your abode or would you move if a better opportunity came your way?   

My home is comfortable and cosy enough.  Whenever I've had people over for a meal or to stay they've told me that. I've also been told that my home is very peaceful and this makes me happy because I strive for comfortable, cosy and peaceful.  I usually have a patio garden as well but didn't have one last year. The garden gives me a lot of joy though I do find it a lot of work since I don't consider myself a true gardener. I do it because I have a decent garden space and I do love colour in the garden in the summer. It's a wonderful place to enjoy during the growing months.

I will enjoy my home more after I've sorted and decluttered many items I'm currently storing in the living areas.  I keep them there to remind me of what needs doing and when I get the time I will deal with it.  Until then it remains as visual clutter and causes me discomfort.  I'm very slow about doing what needs to be done because I'm juggling a lot of other things at the same time.  I keep plugging because I am making progress.

I am quite firmly rooted in my abode.  I live in the heart of the city. I have a beautiful view from my patio and front rooms.  I life within easy driving, walking or public transit to virtually everything I need.  I also have storage space and a parking space which in this city are premium amenities.  However I always keep my eyes open for something else that may appeal to me at the right price.  

Things I'm looking for: a unit that isn't up too high (I have to be able to get out if there is a fire), and has access all on one level, easy access to shops especially food shopping, access to public transit and services, a nice patio, not too close to other buildings such that another home owner can readily see into my unit, car parking, lots of indoor space, good storage and not in need of renovations.  It would likely have to be in an older building that already has a renovated suite since the newer units are very small with even less storage space than I have now.  So far I haven't found a place that comes close without it costing a whole lot more.  If I do find something to consider, my DH would of course have a look at it and see what he thinks. He is pretty easy going about most things and he often has an interesting perspective that helps when it comes to making final decisions about household and other matters.

In closing, I'm very interested in reading what others have to say about their spaces.  Thank you for stopping by.

Organizing & Small Decor Changes

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

This is a continuation of my decluttering and reorganizing efforts.

I'm so happy that at long last I've been getting to little bits of clutter that doesn't seem to have a permanent home. I should throw it all out but that is not like me, ha ha.  Instead, I stash it and hold on to it.  Now at last I'm going through it, sorting, organizing and disposing of it as needed. I can't tell you how good this makes me feel because these little bits stashed in bags and containers of all kinds is so much visual clutter.  

Visual clutter as opposed to hidden clutter, makes me uncomfortable and anxious every time I look it. I don't have hide away places where I can stash everything until I'm ready to deal with it.  That's probably a good thing. I want things 'out' so it's easier to access them and organize whenever I have a few minutes here and there. That time is now.

Tuesday and Wednesday I dealt with clutter in the living room and organized the TV cabinet shelves. I've still got too much 'stuff' housed there but I did get rid of a large bag of books and CDs & I will be getting rid of more. 

I've got a CD player or two and so I can still listen to them. I have a lot of study materials on them so I've kept those that I want to study soon.  Mainly foreign languages and Bible studies. 

Does anyone out there still listen to CDs?

I also continue making small decor changes. Although the changes are small they take so much time to research or consider products, order them, assess how they are working and package, return and reorder them as needed. Here are some of the recent changes.

This one is for paper recycling.

Replaced shopping bags with covered bins for recycling containers and papers. I got the new to me Sterlite bin from a woman in the neighbourhood. Previously I thrifted a covered Ikea bin which I'm using for containers.

Replaced the blue scatter mats (as in the photo above).  Every time I look at these mats in the entry way and kitchen I cringe a little because the edges are becoming quite frayed and the white-ish gray colour is looking 'dirty'.  I'm loving the lighter, brighter colours in the new mat and I hope they last for a while.

Covered chairs with slipcovers to bring cohesion to 2 different coloured chairs in 2 different styles which I've now put close to one another.  First I tried gray slipcovers.  They were supposed to be a light gray colour but instead they were quite dark. I returned them for this beige colour which I prefer.  The problem is the covers aren't quite long enough to cover the bottom of the chairs. I've ordered another style and I hope they will work better.

I've ordered a different type to see if it will work.

Replacing old outlet covers with new ones. No amount of washing the grooves made the plate look clean. It's hard to wash the switches. They need to be changed or removed to be washed and dried properly. I figure if I am going to remove them or have them removed, they may as well be replaced. Only a few need the switch mechanism changed but this is actually quite a low priority in the long list of things to do.

Old cover

I'm also still dealing with a few items from the recent renovations to the master bedroom and the patio. 

I have to review the patio work and complete a deficiency form. This is straightforward because we've been reviewing the work throughout the long renovation process and little changes were made here and there.  On the other hand, the movers involved in moving our furniture in and out, have damaged 2 items.  It's taking time to deal with because they don't want to pay for replacement costs. On my part, I don't see why I need to shoulder the majority of replacement costs. Hopefully this will be dealt with before the week is out. I'll be glad to put both of these issues completely to rest!

Last but not least, I'm busy moving things around trying to make things function and flow better. Of course that makes it easier for us to live here but I'm also expecting a guest soon. I sure hope I can have her soon because I don't want her to travel on the mountain roads during snowy or stormy weather. Winter comes early in the mountains.

If you're still here, thank you for stopping by. Your visit means a lot. I'd be interested in hearing whether you too are on a downsizing, decluttering and reorganizing mission? Have you jumped on the minimalist bandwagon or are you a maximalist? I would say I fall into the maximalist camp but I am trying very hard to reduce my possessions to live a life of less maintenance of 'stuff' and more freedom.  One thing I've noticed as I've been taking photos to share about the small household changes here and there, is that the photos reveal the flaws in furniture and the interior of the home (walls, corners, paint and so on). I'm finding it helpful in figuring out where to make small adjustments and repairs as well as identifying what areas need more cleaning.

Tuesday 4 ~ Your Town

Friday, April 7, 2023

Your Town

Hello!  This is Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 where we ask just 4 questions each week in an effort to get you blogging, thinking and learning about others.

Maybe we can discuss the town  you live in.  It might be nice to find out more about where you live and why you live there. Sometimes we just fall into a place and other times we choose. 

Michelle Byrne painting

1. What are the good points to living in your town? Could you interest us in moving there?

There are many great things about my city. I think top of the list is the spectacular scenery,  but there is also a good variety of arts and entertainment, public services and transport and lots of parks and touristy places nearby to visit if you can get there and have the time, money or interest.

Most people love it here though I've noticed young people from China think it's very boring. Our city is very small compared to most of the cities in China. If you come from Europe and prefer old, historic buildings, you might be disappointed here because we don't have much of that. I've talked to many visitors to Canada over the years and they are always in awe of our nature, wide open spaces (outside of the city) and wildlife. 

The things we really have going for us are spectacular scenery, lots of green space, walkability and relatively good public transit (at least in the big cities). Unfortunately there are several things making this city and much of Canada not very good places at the moment though I understand nany if these issues are geing experienced in other cities worldwide: the high rate of homelessness and opioid addiction which results in rising crime rates, lack of affordable housing whether for rent or for purchase,  lack of inter-city public transportation and the very high cost of living in general. The recent runaway inflation being experienced around the world has exacerbated many of these issues. I wouldn't advise people to move here unless they already have a place to live. A visit is good but do be prepared for the expense. Though I suppose if you come from Europe our deals may be more affordable to you due to the higher value of the Euro. You will get almost one and a half dollars for 1 Euro right now.

See here and here if you missed some of my recent scenic posts for an idea of what you're missing if you've never visited.

2.  Are the things you need convenient to your home? (shopping, library, schools, entertainment?)

I am very deliberate about where I live so I end up paying more for housing due to living right in the city. For years I didn't have a car and I was always concerned about the time it takes to get to work and whether I could even get to work with a car if unforeseen things were to happen (accidents, storms and so on). Living in the city and closer to things doesn't mean there won't be unforeseen things happening, but it does cut down on some of the lost time that might be involved. I digress. To answer the question, 'yes', I live close to everything. In fact, I can walk to most places I want or need. There is a school or several in the neighbourhood if you have young children, there are several grocery supermarkets within a short walk, there is a library and several gyms and community centres, churches, 

banks, salons, boutique clothing stores, thrift stores, restaurants and so on. I have to go a bit further for entertainment (plays, movies, art exhibitions and sporting events) and usually catch the bus or a friend who lives further away will pick me up so we arrive at the venue  together. 

3.  Did you choose your town or did you just end up there? 

I chose my city for educational advancement. Back in the day, there were not as many accredited universities  (there are many colleges which are more accessible) and you pretty well had to move to a large city for them. One of the cities is on Vancouver Island; the other two are in the Greater Vancouver area. These days there are more universities to choose from. Government realized people need higher education with lower costs and greater accessibility. Also, not everyone wants to live in a larger city like Vancouver and some like people don't want to live on an island, large or small. I stayed in the city due to work opportunities. There simply wasn't, and still aren't, a lot of career opportunities in my field (public policy) in most smaller cities outside of the few large cities we have in the province or in the country.  I also wanted to be reasonably close to my late mom and late sister so I could visit them more frequently.  Otherwise I probably would have pursued opportunities outside of Canada.

4.   Is your town known for any special foods, activities, places or people? 

One of the things I loved about Vancouver when I first arrived is all of the multicultural festivals that occurred. Almost every known immigrant group had a special few days where one could attend to enjoy the sights, music and displays and food. Most of these events were held outdoors and were free except for the food/s.  There are still many festivals.  In fact, many new ones have started up but the old ones have kind of died off or they have changed and they aren't quite as much fun anymore. Maybe it is just me being older and having already experienced these things. I now prefer to go and see the floral displays at botanical gardens or attend a garden show in the park. Besides these activities we are also known for the place people come to go on a cruise up the coast, travel up to Whistler to go skiing (many celebrities come here for that) or as a jump off point to go fishing off the coast or whale watching. I haven't gone on a whale watching tour. I prefer to see them unexpectedly when I'm taking a ferry to the big island or sometimes a pod of whales will even come into the inner harbour and stay a few days.

Tuesday 4 ~ Home Sweet Home

Home Sweet Home

 Welcome!  It's time again for Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.

Today we are talking about some things related to home?

1. What styles of décor do you like?  Mid Century?  Colonial?  Contemporary?

I like too many decor styles to have a favourite.  Having a beautiful home has never been that important to me though. It's more important I feel comfortable in my home. Since I used to travel a lot and I like handcrafted things from my travels or those I make, I prefer to decorate in an eclectic or bohemian style.

2.   What  makes your bedroom comfortable?

My bedroom is comfortable when I have cosy and warm or cool bedding depending on the season. I also like a variety of pillows because some days I need neck support while other days I need less support but I always need my head to be quite elevated.  I also need lots of room for putting water and others things I might need including the phone for the alarm.

3   What do you think makes a home comfortable and welcoming?

A home where people don't feel that they are going to get something 'dirty' because it is too white or too elegant. Other than family and a few friends, I don't invite that many people to my home.  Invariably they comment on how comfortable or peaceful my home is and that is the feeling I'm after.  Some people also like to investigate all the books on the bookshelves. Over time I've downscaled a lot of books but I still have more I'd like to give away in due course. 

4. Do you share your home with pets? Would you tell us about them please?

Long ago I had a beautiful while, long haired Turkish Angora. The cats I like tend to have long hair and require a lot of maintenance. These days I don't want to spend so much time brushing a cat or vacuuming after it but I do miss having one. From time to time, I think about getting another cat though it will likely be a medium haired cat. So far, the timing doesn't seem to work out to get a cat but I'm sure eventually I will have another fur companion.

Tuesday 4 - Home Sweet Home

Home Sweet Home

 

a 1939 Living Room

 Welcome once again to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.

This week the subject is Your Home.

1. What kind of home do you have and does it need repair or improvements this year?

I have a smallish condo (986 square feet and a deck that is 518 square feet) in the heart of the city. It's handy to everything I need.  I can walk or take a short bus ride to where I need to go and this is a major factor in why I purchased the place.  

Over the past year I've made some cosmetic changes to refresh my home (painting, changing out door knobs, bathroom shower curtains/cabinet knobs and towels).  But major improvements are needed in both the kitchen and master bathroom.  I would like to replace the kitchen cabinets and counters and convert the master bathroom tub to a shower but it's doubtful those changes will be made in 2023.  I would also like to change out the flooring throughout the condo but the other changes are more important. 

New shower curtain and of course new towels are coordinated with the colours.

New door knobs. The old ones were gold colour that had worn off.

2. How do you accessorize your home inside and out?  Plants, art, books, wall hangings, maybe music in the background?

I do accessorize my home both inside and out. Outside it is primarily with an outdoor dining table and chairs for enjoying an outside meal or relaxing. I also plant a lot of container plants.  

In the front rooms the colours are mainly earth tones (beige, orange, gold, deep red an pops of black) whilst in the master bedroom and bathroom the colours are various shades of blue and some complementary colours (white, burgundy, rose pink).  Basically I kept the same colours that were in the unit when I moved in though it has been repainted a few times over years.

Inside I try to have plants but there isn't enough warmth or light for most of them to survive, let alone thrive.  The plants are always changing because I buy more when they eventually die off even though it is a waste of money.  Lately I've been wanting large artificial plants to fill some corners. Though I did buy one it turned out to be far too big so I returned it and my search continues. I also have ethnic art, wall hangings like soapstone plates and calabashes from Africa, mirrors, lots of books and a few knick knacks.  I love music but no longer play it for the home since the CD player went the way of the Dodo bird.  My computer doesn't have a good stereo set up to play the music for the home so I mainly just listen with headphones whenever I have some down time.  I have a lot of crafting supplies and so they are stored in every nook and cranny or bin I can find. It is a challenge and I've been trying to pare everything down but still save what I hope to use one day in the not too distant future.

 

 3. What objects reside on your coffee table? Night stand? Side tables? Kitchen/Dining table?    

I had this ladder custom made and ordered it wider than their standard.

Artificial flowers with fairy lights fill the space in a dark corner.

The side table holds the phone and a place for pens, paper and coffee/drinks. I also have some storage containers on the other side of the sofa which has space on top for someone else to place their refreshments when visiting or relaxing. The dining table is always covered with a tablecloth and usually has a centrepiece of some kind. At the holidays, the centrepiece is usually a seasonal one.

A Christmas display of artificial flowers.

 

4.  Do you like your kitchen organized and with counters cleared off or do you prefer to have  the things you use often out on counters?     Do you mind  what some might see as clutter or do you hate having to dig out tools and appliances  when it comes time to use them? and prefer to have them within easy reach?

above : a 1940's Kitchen.

I dislike clutter and am doing my best to get rid of it. If I had adequate space in the kitchen I would prefer to have everything organized and put away but with easy access to tools and appliances since it's a pain to get them out and put them away if you use them often.  For now the kitchen hasn't been my priority for decluttering but eventually I will get rid of a lot of dried goods and things I haven't used for a long time. In future I hope to also be more selective about what I buy that needs to be stored. It's been a process of learning as I've also been making so many changes to diet and cooking over the years.

Thanks for visiting. I hope to read you soon!