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Saturday, April 12, 2025

 


Is it just me or do we all see something about ourselves that no one else sees. Or others see us how we don't see ourselves. 

Again today, a woman walks in and says "oh you're stunning". Now I appreciate that..and I do get it alot. But I don't see it lol   I get a little self conscious because people always look at me...and remember me...and I just don't get it. I think I look pretty regular. I kind of feel like an alien when I see people looking at me like that. And then people wonder why I won't sing or dance in front of anyone...because I know they are looking right in my direction!! Am I weird?

Now don't get me wrong...I love myself...I feel sexy, divine feminine energy (most days), but I also struggle with body dysmorphia issues. I see something so different a lot of the time when I see myself in the mirror. I know I shouldn't care...but it bothers me. 

Anyway...just had to quickly come on and share. Just getting ready to close the shop!

Later!

Friday, April 11, 2025

 


Hello world!!!  It's been a while!


Got so busy with life that I forgot I had this blog! And I think I should keep up with it because wow...memories I had forgotten over the years! What a great way to keep them documented!

What's going on with my life? Well I now own a vintage clothing store on Vancouver Island. And I love it! I've always loved being an entrepreneur. I've always had or have tried to have my own business. Photography, graphic art, art, singing, selling online, etc.  So I've made the jump to actually have a brick and mortar shop...and I've always loved fashion (used to want to be a fashion designer) so selling and educating about vintage clothing and the sustainability aspect is amazing! I'm happy!!

Still also doing my photography, and singing and recording, and so many things....we'll just call me the multifaceted entrepreneur. lol   I love so many things and have so many hobbies....why stick with just 1?

Here's a shot of my funky little shop!



In the meantime, I'm also working on my photography, hoping to get some images published in magazines in the near future. Gotta do some new shoots! Worked hard today getting images on websites that will help my work be seen by the right people. 

2 of my sons now are living on their own, and youngest (18) is still home. Poor kid just passed his knowledge test for his L drivers license but they had an issue with his eyes during some test. So we took him to eye doctor to sign papers saying everything is good...and took it back again. Eye doc missed 2 questions so we went back again...and then finally took the papers in. Now we wait for some other road guy to sign it. Then my son can finally get his L license. Oh and he also got prescribed glasses for regular sight to see better just before all of this...glasses came same day we took the form back lol

Well, keeping this short and sweet, back to work! Will try to post more often!

And if you're on Vancouver Island..look up Revival Vintage and come check it out and say hello! 


Later Gators!

Dawn



Thursday, January 30, 2020

Sustainability Rules!



What better way to save the planet!

You want to be a part of a revolution? Do your part to save the planet! 
Sustainable fashion= 2nd hand clothing!

Now hear me out.

The fashion industry is one of the biggest polluters of our planet. The amount of new clothing that is produced every day is sending out more and more synthetic fibres into our water, soil and environment.

Cotton is one of the most "dirtiest crops" due to 16% pesticide use allowing nitrates and phosphates into our soils and water supply.

- 1.5 trillion litres of water are used by the fashion industry each year! What a waste!
- The production of 1 kg of cotton garments uses up to 3 kgs of chemicals.
- Textile production (including cotton farming) uses almost 100 billion cubic metres of water annually, representing 4% of global freshwater withdrawal.
- 20% of industrial water pollution comes from textiles treatment and dying.
-  It takes 700 gallons of water to produce enough cotton for one tshirt. 
- More than 90% of cotton is genetically modified.


Facts about recycling garments:

-Nearly 100% of textiles and clothing are recyclable.
- Over 15 million tons of used textile waste is generated in the US each year.
- Synthetic clothing may take 100 years to decompose.
- Only 15% of consumer used clothing is recycled.

Reasons to buy 2nd hand:

Not only because of the listed reasons but....

- Comfort
- High End brands for a fraction of the cost
- Help support small businesses who are doing their part to recycle pre loved goods.
- Look good, be happy!


There's so much more information on this subject so I challenge you all to Google it. Find out what fibres are being put out into our oceans, which is also being ingested by sea creatures and causing a lot of damage to our coral reefs etc. Seems very wrong and unfair! It is our job to protect this beautiful planet we call home. So please do your part!

I've taken a stand and have decided to sell quality pre loved clothing for this reason. I am challenging you to do the same! There is nothing wrong with purchasing and wearing something that another person may have had sitting in their closets and were no longer using. Plus I find that with jeans etc, it is more comfortable after they have been broken in and are no longer stiff. Plus I know that I'm doing my part to help our planet!

Find me online and maybe make a purchase or 2 ;) Or at least like and share!
Poshmark- DharmaBoutique
Ebay- DharmaCollectibles
Instagram- both names






Monday, April 24, 2017

What Happened???


Well I haven't been on lately...so much going on! I don't know how some people can blog every single day lol  My dad finally got results back from his doc....lowest levels of B12 they've ever seen. This is what's been causing his black outs, high blood pressure, swollen fingers, etc. All his other blood work came out great...hearts good, lungs good too. So glad they figured this out. And it makes sense because I've read about people with anxiety, depression etc needing more B12 so maybe it will even help with that...it should!
As for my mom, her pains haven't been figured out. But at least she's feeling better. I get the same thing from her....pains that no one can figure out lol  We are conundrums! I'm just so happy that they are both feeling way better than they were. I was getting pretty worried there.

Another thing I've been having to deal with is my youngests issues with "anxiety" and PSTD type of symptoms. Ive been trying to narrow things down with him and one of the biggest worrisome issues he's been dealing with have been with bathroom trips. He has suffered from bowel issues since he was 1. He walked up to me in his diaper then and cried and then passed out..lips blue. Freaked me out so badly!! We got in the car and drove to the hospital. I just remember being scared and saying "I can't do this!", was so afraid of something bad happening to him at that moment. After xrays, they found that his bowels were totally blocked up and he had fainted from that. 2 yrs ago he went to the washroom (8rs old) and luckily didn't flush the toilet. I came home and saw blood all in the toilet and found out it was from him. He had been complaining about tummy pain a few says in a row around that time and that day so after seeing that we took him up to the hospital. They sent us to Victoria, 2 ambulance rides on the way there, and then tests to figure it out. They thought his bowels were turning inside itself but after excruciatingly painful (even to watch) bowel exams and cat scan, they finally found the issue. He had a bowel blockage that was caused from a cyst on his bowel. So he went into surgery. Any parent knows how terrifying that is...your child being taken away from you into the operating room. I was scared and couldn't shut my brain off from worrying. After the surgery they wheeled him back into the room in the bed...he looked so purple and hot (high blood pressure), so of course I was worried again. It never stops! Being a parent can be so tough because you always worry about your children.
So recently he was having some issues again. He's been getting dizzy, hard to breath, not feeling great and his nerves have been going crazy. Like anxiety overload! They recently xrayed him again and said his bowels were blocked up again. It seems to be an ongoing thing for him. When he goes, he's not going enough. The doc gave us a jug of powder that they give for people preparing for colonoscopy. He said because of his background with bowel issues, it would be a good idea to give him a tsp of this in his juice or water all the time to keep him regular. So he has been feeling a bit better having that stuff. But....
Now I've really noticed that one of his big issues, that cause problems for him going to school...and I mean he doesn't want to go at all, he starts panicking about it, not only because the alarms for drills scare him (the school now gives him headphones while drills happen) but he also is worried something bad will happen at his school...the biggest issue though, he won't use the toilets at school. He worries that he'll have to go and he doesn't want to go there. I think the fact that before he had that surgery, he saw blood in the toilet...and he told me when he saw it he got scared and cried. (so heartbreaking) Anyway, I've summed it up to him having PTSD. It's caused a lot of fear for him so now I have to work on helping him out with that. One good thing is that the heath business I'm involved in has a natural product that has been helping others with this sort of issue and many more issues so I will be starting him on half or less plus the drink. I know it's been helping my middle son with anxiety etc so I need to get him going on it. It hurts too much to see him with this much fear and worry. :(
We really need to listen and pay attention to our children. Their needs, fears, worries, etc. And not make them feel less because they worry but help them to understand where their worries are coming from. And help them by talking. Just sit down and have a conversation with your child. It really does help.


In other news....

Well, today I've planted more seeds, made a great vegetarian turkey sandwich on olive bread and a blueberry, hemp powder smoothie with chai seeds, flax seeds and cinnamom...with a touch of maple syrup for lunch, enjoyed the sunshine out my kitchen window, did some cleaning, a bit of work, and blogging.




I tried to listen to some records but I think my record player has had it. Time for a new one!

 


Ok, I'm loving the color of that one on Amazon! :)  One thing I love is listening to records! For some reason, no matter what the music is..new or old...I just feel the music more...more soulful. Of course I tend to listen more to Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Peggy Lee, Louis Armstrong, etc etc etc. But you know what I mean! Even if I pop on some Elton John, I just love it!!


Well today is gorgeous out, blue sky, birds chirping, lawns being mowed...  I'll be leaving soon to walk down to my youngests school to pick him up. Nothing beats a nice walk on a beautiful day!

Happy Monday!!
Dawn The Irish Princess
xo




Sunday, April 16, 2017

Happy Easter!!


Well, it's Easter Sunday....

    Happy Easter to everyone and their families! My kids woke up to their little baskets of goodies and were happy. Of course, that made me happy. :)
As a parent, we always worry that we don't have enough to give to our children but they are always happy with what they get and then we are left wondering why we were so worried in the first place. lol  I think a big part of it is seeing other parents go insane over every holiday and spoiling their children too much that we feel we need to "keep up with the Jones'" but it's so not necessarily and actually just does more bad than good.
People seem to forget that these holidays are meant for family, not for material objects. It's nice to be able to give our children things but it's not necessary to go crazy with it. And we don't need to do what everyone else is doing...just to look good. Our children will always love us and look up to us..and be happy as long as we make time for them.
I just want to take them to the park, maybe play some outdoor games, hiking, etc. Those are the things that stick with kids..not what you got them.

My boys went to have dinner tonight at their grandparents house. I decided to stay home because of this severe fatigue I keep suffering from. Being anemic I guess it goes with the territory but still...it's too much sometimes. Plus I wanted to stay near the phone in case my mom or dad need me today. Both have been unwell at the same time and I don't feel right not being here just in case they call needing someone to talk to. So, I've been here watching Netflix...a movie called Cake...Jennifer Anniston is in it...kind of a slow movie, and seems low budget...but it has it's moments I guess. And closer to the end it is a tear jerker.
 I also had a nice plate of chow mein with stir fry veggies...yummy!


The kids called to tell me their Aunt (their dad's sister) has a big surprise for everyone....  I already know what it is but I'm not too thrilled about it....   more on that another time. lol


One thing that I wish for...is to spend more time with my family for holiday dinners. We don't get to do them often...and it's been a while. It's hard sometimes because me and my sister live here in the same town with our kids, my dad lives here, my mom is about an hour away, my brother is just over an hour away...  and everyone has different schedules going...gets hard to get us all together.  But I want to make it happen more often! It's too important!


Anyway, the movie is almost over, my tea is getting a bit cold, the sun is going down and I need to get up off my butt and turn a light on lol

Have a great night! (or day depending on where you are in the world)

Love,
Dawn The Irish Princess
xo




This is just beautiful! <3

Saturday, April 15, 2017

Parents...


Well this morning I went with my dad to the hospital again so he could have more tests done to figure out why his blood pressure is so high. He asked me to go with him after his thursday appt so we went today. Well last night I get a message that my sister is going to my mom's because my mom was in severe pain and put on morophine. What the heck? Both my parents at the same time? Now for those who don't know me, my parents separated when I was 7yrs old so they don't live together. Seriously, why both at once? And during Easter weekend. Both going in to have tests done today too.
Last night I laid here sending out reiki energy to both of them, for healing and health. For those who don't know about reiki energy....it's not unlike praying really. All with good intention and all with positive energy and thoughts.

Anyway, I need my parents...my children need my parents..and I really want to be able to spend more time with them both. It doesn't happen as much as it really should. We only get our parents for so long so we really need to change things. It gets so hard sometimes because we all get busy...but family should come first! No excuses! Even just taking the time to have coffee, tea, go for walks, to the beach, etc etc. etc. I really want my kids to get to know them both and do more with them.

Today my oldest (he's almost 17) said that he looks up to my dad. He said because he's cool, kind, artistic and funny. And that's true...he has taught me a lot over the years and even though he has always felt like people walked all over him all of his life, he's still the one who is quick to give me some positive advice when I'm having any problems. Even when my anxiety was bad he'd talk to me on the phone and calm me down....even though he suffers from it worse. I've been taking something natural for mine and so far I haven't had any anxiety..thankfully! Now he's taking it so I hope it helps him out too.

I love visiting my mom for some girl time. I help her with her cleaning jobs and we relax at her place with a glass of wine and usually watch a movie or play bowling on the wii. lol  She's also good at listening when I get all excited to talk to an adult lol  (I'm usually with kids or alone) Last time I was there we got to go out for nice lunch/dinner and just chat. It was a great place called SimonHolt...and I recommend the dragon bowl...only this time I asked for thai noodles instead of rice. So delicious!! I really enjoy those times with her.

I'm so blessed and grateful that I have them not only as my parents but as my best friends. Even though they have both dealt with a lot of crap over the years they are always there for our family.
I can talk to them about anything in the world without judgement and not too much advice that I don't want to hear lol

We should all spend more time and do more for our parents while we have the chance. I hear too many people complain about their parents, saying they disown them etc.  But even when you think you don't have much of relationship with a parent, you never truly know what they have gone through, but should always show them love. You're here now....so they must have done something right.  ;)

Love starts with us, with our families...take care of each other.....keep a positive heart full of love when it comes to your family and you will see that comes back to you. I love my family! <3



Love,

Dawn The Irish Princess
xo


Want to know why we call our parents Mom and Dad?  Check this out... http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2014/11/curious-origins-words-mom-dad/



haha on DVD and BluRay










Thursday, April 13, 2017

Seeds & Bees


Ch Ch Ch Chia....Seeds...

Well this morning was tough! I had fully planned on coming on here to write about my chia pudding. I whipped up yesterday to have this morning for breakfast and more things happened to write about lol I guess that's always good too though. So I have a few things to write about today.

The chia pudding I decided to quickly put together yesterday afternoon. I used 2 cups of coconut/almond milk and about a half cup or less of chia seeds, then added cinnamon, cacao with coconut flakes and seeds and only had about a tsp of honey. Well it turned out good but I could have used more honey for sure but I ran out.  I added some more cinnamon and fruit on top and it turned out pretty yummy!
Chia seeds are so good for you and so easy to add to many things like smoothies, salad, baking etc.

Here's some of the nutritional facts:

Amount Per 
Calories 486
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 31 g47%
Saturated fat 3.3 g16%
Polyunsaturated fat 24 g
Monounsaturated fat 2.3 g
Trans fat 0.1 g
Cholesterol 0 mg0%
Sodium 16 mg0%
Potassium 407 mg11%
Total Carbohydrate 42 g14%
Dietary fiber 34 g136%
Protein 17 g34%
Vitamin A1%Vitamin C2%
Calcium63%Iron42%
Vitamin B-120%Magnesium83%
I like to use about a tbsp of chia seeds per individual container when I'm making smoothies in the morning for me and the kids. Also because I have anemia and I'm hoping it will increase my iron intake, which today I really need it! I've had a hard time today with being severely tired, like a heaviness over my head and eyes so besides the chia seed pudding bowl I had also taken an iron supplement as well as some B Complex. I find it hard since I'm not a meat eater and red meat just grosses me out. My body just doesn't want it. And usually it's good to
listen to our bodies, mine just doesn't want meat. lol  I just need to always make sure I have other sources of iron in my diet.







Say Hello To My Little Friend....

Anyway, another thing I wanted to write about was that bee I had mentioned the other day. The one I swear is here every year living in my carport ceiling ...the huge orange and black fuzzy bee that tries to come up into my kitchen window. Well somehow he got into my place today. I was here doing some research online and I hear buzzing next to my bearded dragon cage by the sliding door. I go check it out and there he is! Some people might be thinking, "well how does she know it's the same bee?"....this one is huge! lol  I never see any around his size and color. (maybe it's just me lol)  Anyway, somehow he got in and got stuck behind the plastic on the sliding door (it's been cold all winter and even into the spring), well there was a bit of a hole in the plastic and he got on our side of the plastic, I was trying to slowly rip the plastic all off the window after I took a couple pics of him of course and as I was going to open the door, my dog Presley (he's a little yorkie) lunged at the bee and grabbed him in his mouth. I yelled at him and he dropped the bee. I got a little worried because a dog we had when I was a kid did that to a bee but he was allergic and got stung in the mouth and started throwing up and swelling. It was pretty scary! I kept an eye on Presley and the bee, looking back and forth to make sure both were okay. Presley was fine and the bee wasn't. He was still alive and slowly crawling but not really well. He crawled under the lizard cage and I left him for a bit while leaving the door open in case he flew out. After a while I checked on him again...he was still there on the carpet...still moving very slowly. He crawled on a paper I had and I let him out on the patio..hours later he's still there. :(  I'm hoping when Presley grabbed him it just stunned him but it's not looking too good. Fingers crossed that he'll be ok. I really enjoy watching him outside flying around my windows.  (The pic doesn't do him any justice. He's bigger than he looks and super fuzzy with a lot of black)

By the way....I hope everyone is doing their part to help save our bees. Grow the right flowers that attract them, start a small bee house in your back yard (which I want to do), and please please please don't kill them!! They won't bother you if you don't bother them! Take time to smell the flowers, and just watch these amazing little creatures. I for one am a bee lover! <3
Oh...and in case you don't know what flowers to grow to attract bees....David Suzuki has a great page about it...

David Suzuki- Creating a bee friendly garden


And I also found pretty awesome bee houses on Amazon!





Thanks for reading!
Love,
Dawn The Irish Princess
x0