June 12, 2015

I woke up like this


Time and time again, my lovely online friend and fellow vintage blogger Lindsay Lane posts something on her blog that I am so inspired by, I know that I simply must follow her wonderful lead and do an entry on it myself one day as well.

This occurred again last November when Lindsay penned a post called, called #Iwokeuplikethis, in which she answers a series of questions (of the same name/hashtag) that Vogue magazine had been posing to various celebrities about their daily AM routines.

Now, it should be stated, completely matter-of-factly, for the record before we delve into today's post that I am not, let me repeat, NOT, usually a morning person in the slightest, and in fact I'm taking a certain degree of liberty by answering these questions in so much as I define my mornings.

You see, even at the best of times, my health and chronic pain levels makes getting much sleep or staying asleep for long periods of time (a medical phenomena called painsomnia) a serious challenge, and years ago, to give my weary mind a break, I stopped trying to sleep and be awake in the same standard patterns that most folks are able (or opt) to. Of course I do still try to a degree, but unless I absolutely must be awake at a certain time for some sort of important reason, I rarely worry about my sleep schedule any more.

I'm so happy about any sleep that I get, that I don't mind one iota if it occurs at 12 am or 12 pm, and am extremely grateful that being self-employed allows me to work, for the most part, on my own schedule, when I'm awake and feeling well enough to do so.

Okay, that fact clarified, let's proceed with answering these fun questions (again, using my definition of morning, which to me just means anytime of the day in which I wake up and then stay awake for at least a few hours).



What is the first thing that you do when you wake up?



I thank the universe for the fact that I woke and try, no matter how I'm feeling or what's weighing on my mind, to greet the day with a smile.



Early bird or a night owl?


Goodness me, am I the poster child for night owls everywhere. Not only do I love nighttime and feel like my body wants to stay awake when the sun goes down, I find that it's often when I have both the most energy and the most creativity, so I put that to good use and pen the bulk of my blog posts, emails, and other types of writing (such as Etsy shop listing descriptions) under the cover of darkness.



What time do you like to get up in the morning?


As touched on above, I do not usually have a set time of the day when I wake up. That said, if I am aiming to be an early riser, I like to start the day around 5 AM so that I can really get to experience the morning in all its sunrise-kissed beauty and potential.



Do you press the snooze button or jump right up?



I try to get up right away, as I can't stand the sound of any alarm clock or cell phone alarm, plus I find the jolt of such going off really propels me up and on to my feet.



What is your morning beauty regime?


Take my first meds of the day, wash my face (I usually shower or bath in the evenings), brush my teeth, have a glass or two of water, do my make-up (if I'm putting on a face that day), put on my wig, get dressed, and spritz on some perfume.



What do you do to prepare mentally for the day?


I try to set out a detailed schedule, be it in my head, on paper, or on the computer, of what I hope to accomplish for the day, aiming to get the most challenging and/or time consuming things completed first. Then I say a positive affirmation or two and remind myself that anything I get done that day is better than nothing, spend some time with my pets, and have a lovely chat with my husband, as doing so always helps to better my day.



When it comes to deciding what to wear in the morning, do you plan ahead?


Generally speaking, yes. I absolutely love planning my outfits in advance and try to set aside a whole day every now and then (usually at lease once a season) to play dress up in my own closet for this very purpose. Of course I don't come up with all my outfits for a given chunk of the year then, but I find that it really helps me to have some ready and waiting when I need to get dressed on the fly or aren't feeling all that inspired for whatever reason.



What is your breakfast of choice?


I eat very lightly early in the day due to medical reasons, so if I do partake of breakfast, it's usually a little bit of lean protein and/or a small portion of nuts, fruit or natural yogurt. That said, if I am going to go all out for breakfast, it's lean bacon and gluten-free chocolate chip pancakes, pumpkin spice waffles, rice pudding with raisins, or toast with peanut butter and jam or bananas for me all the way!



How much time do you give yourself to prepare for your day in the morning?


Usually about 45 to 75 minutes, just depending on how much time I need to get ready in terms of my makeup and outfit choice for the day.



Outline your routine for a typical morning


On top of the beauty related points mentioned above, my early morning routine involves feeding the cat and cleaning her litter box, checking my email and phone for important messages, printing off packing slips for any Etsy orders that have come in while I was asleep (and often packing up such orders, too), doing a little bit of housekeeping (such as folding freshly washed and dried laundry from the day before), making Tony's breakfast, and planning out the rest of my day as much as I can in advance.



How important is a morning ritual for you?


It's nice, but not absolutely necessary by any means. I'm a pretty easygoing person and am used to my morning - and whole days - not going as envisioned in the slightest. Sometimes you just have to go where the wind blows you and make the best of it!



{To learn more about a specific image, please click on it to be taken to its respective source.}



♥ ♥ ♥


By all means, if you want to take a page out of both of our (bedtime story) books and do the same, please have at 'er (then come back here and post a comment letting me know that you have so that I can pop over and read your post right away).

Though most of us share certain elements of the morning, afternoon, evening, and night in common, we have unique points to these elements of the day as well and I really enjoyed how this series of questions let me publicly share some of the ones that apply to my mornings, whenever they may fall. :)

29 comments:

  1. I love your outlook on life, Jessica. You always remind me I should be more thankful than I am and I often read your posts like this and it reminds me of how wonderful my life is :) However, I am your polar opposite in that I am a morning person through and through - by the time it gets to the evening I can barely string a sentence together, but at 6am I could probably write a book ;) x

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    1. Hello my lovely polar opposite :), thank you very much for your deeply touching comment. Though the universe has handed me some challenging cards over the years for sure, I think that my life is wonderful, too, and try always to focus on the blessings and positives, instead of the shortcomings and negatives. Each day I get to wake up is a gift beyond measure and getting to fill my days with vintage is like the icing on the cake of life! :)

      Thank you again immensely. I hope that you have a sunny, stellar weekend!

      ♥ Jessica

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  2. This was an interesting post to read and I found myself mentally answering along. I ponder the night owl or early bird question as I know I like to go to bed at a decent hour but then I am not one for naturally waking early, likely because I don't sleep well but once I am awake, I'm up as lower back pain forces me up! I also have no snooze button on my alarm clock, but it's a polite little thing in the shape of a bumper car which flashes headlights along with a timid little beep. She (for Bonnie is her name) doesn't blast me into the day like some clocks out there x

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    1. Hi sweet Melanie, I don't think that everyone has to nesessarily fall into one camp or another. I can think of various relatives and friends over the years, and even Tony to a degree (though he's more night owl than morning lark), who didn't have strong leanings either way. At times I envy such folks, as it would be amazing to have your body readily want to go to bed and get up at regular times. That must be incredibly handy, assuming you work a job that is in keeping with those sorts of hours, too.

      From the bottom of my heart, I'm sincerely sorry that you're affected by painsomnia, too. It a brutal side effect of so many chronic illnesses and chronic pain situations, and you have my total understanding and sympathy there.

      Gentle hugs & happy Friday wishes,
      ♥ Jessica

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  3. I'm a night owl too! I try my best to keep a routine, but I always end up forgetting something. I usually wake-up take my asthma preventer, splash some water on my face, eat breakfast (and toast with peanut butter or toast with jam is usually what i go for), pack my lunch for work, properly wash my face and moisturise, brush teeth etc and get dressed for work. And there is usually some puppy dog cuddles somewhere in all of that. I like to plan outfits too and i usually have it planned right to the last detail, or, If i haven't planned anything I will end up trying on my whole wardrobe and making a complete mess of my room until I find something comfortable/matching...

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    1. Pet cuddles are a necessary part of the morning for me, too! I swear, spending time with your pets first thing in the AM helps to brighten the day. The fact that Stella, our cat, loves to walk on you the second she suspects you're even starting to stir, means kitty cuddles are a daily morning occurrence around these parts. :)

      Thank you very much for sharing about your own morning routine with me. I really enjoyed reading your comment and nodding over everything that we share in common.

      Big hugs & happy weekend wishes,
      ♥ Jessica

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  4. Me too! I like taking my time dressing up. Putting on makeup (if I have to that day). There's a certain serenity to it.

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  5. I too found myself answering these questions in my head as I read along. This is a great post. It's so nice to get a little glimpse in to your daily life. So often, online, we put only our best face forward and project our best self. Sometimes, letting our readers forget that we are real people too and we deal with real things every day. We don't wake up looking, or feeling, like a Disney princess. I love this idea and will be doing a similar post soon.

    She Knits in Pearls

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  6. I'm most definitely a night owl. Every time I have to crawl out of bed with the work alarm I swear I will go to bed earlier that night but somehow I never do!

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    1. I hear you there big time! I honestly think that some of us are simply hardwired differently and are natural born night owls (or conversely, morning larks). I know that I usually feel happier when I just go with my body's natural rhyme of sleep and imagine that rings true for most folks.

      Thank you very much for your comment - have a stellar weekend!
      ♥ Jessica

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  7. Oh Jessica I certainly know all about painsomnia oh yes and because of having children and work having to get up when I don't feel refreshed in the slightest. Having said that gentle movement often helps ease my pain especially walking so it can actually be better than laying in bed awake. Unlike you I can have a good breakfast every day and I do find it helps with my energy levels but I am very British about it with porridge, toast and tea!! One of the things I really enjoyed about your post, other than learning a little more about you, is the lovely pictures you peppered this post with. The one of the lady powdering her face was particularly appealing, I think it is the 'old school glamour' factor. X x

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    1. Hi sweet Philippa, thank you very much for your lovely message - please think of me the next time you're tucking into a big bowl of porridge. It used to be one of my favourite foods ever! Every now and then if I'm having a "carb day" I'll eat a similar hot breakfast cereal made from GF rice flakes, which is pretty tasty too, especially when I "Canadian it up" with some maple syrup or maple flakes (yum!).

      I'm truly sorry that painsomnia has been a longstanding part of your daily life, too. It is such a brutal side effect of chronic illness/pain and something that is not spoken of often enough. So many folks have no idea it even exists and that many people with serious health problems are dealing with it on top of those conditions themselves.

      Yay! I'm delighted to know that you enjoyed the images in this post. I really liked gathering them. A few were harder than others to track down an image for, but thankfully, after an evening of searching, I had found suitable images for every one of the questions here.


      Gentle hugs & many joyful weekend wishes,
      ♥ Jessica

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  8. I loved to read the post and to get to know a bit more of you! I didn't know you had some medical problems, but I see you handle them pretty well, from what I have read here! Well, I liked the way you do things and the approach to life. I can tell you we have some points in common, but I don't plan an outfit. I don't use alarm clocks, I don't push myself (only if I have an appointment), but normally I try ALL my best :) not to have any morning appointments, though I normally wake up around 8 AM. I need loads of sleep, due to anemia, so I may sleep during the day as well. People make fun of me, because while some think "what will I eat later" I think "when can I go home and sleep" :) Once I visited a friend in her city and she doesn't sleep much. To be polite, I tried to fit into her habits, because she wanted to take me everywhere, late parties till 6 AM, waking up at 7:30. After 3 days all I wanted was to sleep on any park bench, whatever natural beauty I saw in her city lost the appeal - I really need to sleep :) I really loved your answers and the pictures put here. Ava Gardner at breakfast, wow! Hope you can sleep well today and that you have a great weekend!
    DenisesPlanet.com

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    1. Hi Denise, thank you very much for sharing your morning routine with me. I'm sorry that some folks make fun of you simply for needing to get more sleep. That's so cruel! It's no one else's business on earth how often you sleep or when you sleep. I too have faced similar situations when trying to abide by someone else's sleep patterns/habits and it never ends well at all.

      Thank you very much. While I don't usually make my health problems (let alone in-depth specifics about it) the focal point of this blog, they constantly at the forefront of my life and that's so much a part of the reason why I don't like to get too heavy handed in discussing them here on my blog - it's a my awesome sanctuary away from such things. :)

      Many thanks again for your great comment. I hope that you have a sunny, fantastic weekend, too!

      Big hugs,
      ♥ Jessica

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  9. It was really intriguing to read your post. I thought I was the only one who suffered so. When describing the condition to people, they think it odd. I had no idea there were others who were like this. Thank you so much for writing about it. I know I try so had to get to a 'normal' schedule, but I seem to alternate between days of pain with no sleep and basically sleeping for days in almost Sleeping Beauty can't wake up for anything state. I don't definitely wish it on anyone, but it's still nice to hear about others with the same problems and it's not just me.

    I wrote about some of my issues here http://flapperdays.blogspot.com/2015/03/rare-disease-day-rules.html it anyone is interested

    Best Wishes,
    Amanda

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    1. Hi sweet Amanda, from the bottom of my heart, I'm truly sorry to hear that you're afflicted by painsomnia, too - as it the chronic illness(es)/disabilities/chronic pain condition(s)/etc a person is already battling wasn't enough to cope with, being robbed of sleep on a regular, if not daily, basis really can feel like adding insult to injury. Your sleep pattern mirrors my own a fair bit too, though for me it's often 24 - 36+ hours of being awake (often longer though), then maybe a few hours or pain riddled sleep, if I'm lucky. Every once in a blue moon I'll luck and get a real stretch of 8 to 12 hours, but that's so rare. I'm elated when it does happen though, as it always gives me a bit of desperately needed energy and can help with the healing of more temporary issues or calm down flare-ups a bit. I too wouldn't wish this state on anyone and it breaks my heart to think of you, and so many others like us out there, dealing with this the rest of their lives (in many cases at least).

      Gentle hugs & the happiest of Sunday wishes,
      ♥ Jessica

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  10. As I answered along the only thing that never changes in my morning is my cup of tea. Everything else seems to happen when it happens. Seems kind of scattered but in my world it works. Lol

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    1. There is a lot to be said in favour of spontaneity and going with the flow. To a degree, in so much as I can, I try to do the same actually and find that it helps to lower one's stress and/or anxiety (if applicable) levels a fair bit (well, sometimes at least!). How lovely that a steaming hot (I assume) cup of tea is your daily morning ritual. That sounds really enjoyable and relaxing at the same time.

      Big hugs & tons of happy end of spring wishes!
      ♥ Jessica

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  11. What a charming idea. I feel like I know you a little better now. I was also answering along, while reading it. Have a lovely day, dear. :)

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    1. That's very lovely to know, dear Sanne. Did you find that our answers different a lot? Are you a fellow night owl, too?

      Tons of hugs & many sincere thanks for all of your great blog comments today,
      ♥ Jessica

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    2. I've always been a B-person, but that has changed over the years. I think getting up damn early for so many years, and therefore going to bed early has tricked my body into being an A-person. But that's OK. Nowadays I have to get early up every day to avoid getting a migraine. And I want it quiet in the mornings. Dear husband and son always dance and make fun, and I'm just like "leave me alone, will you!". ;)

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  12. I don't know that I would have pegged you as a night owl! Something about your sunny personality just screams early riser to me, I guess.
    I love what you said about planning your outfits ahead. I find that sometimes when I just grab any old thing out of the closet, I might still like it, but it never comes out as well as when I can play with it a little bit, maybe change the top or pick a different pair of shoes. Taking a little time to play once in a while is such a good thing for that, it makes it so much easier when you have to just get something on and get out the door.

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    1. Oh that's neat, isn't it interesting how we sometimes have really preconceived ideas about someone that we only know online (or ways we'd expect them to be), but then they'll share something that blows that out of the water?

      It's soooo fun! I honestly can't imagine how anyone who likes fashion wouldn't want to do so at least once in a while. I've been known to devote whole days to playing dress up, especially if I just got a number of new items (say after returning from a vacation that involved clothes shopping) and am keen to plan upcoming photo shoots with them in advance.

      Thanks so much for your comment, honey. Have a great night!
      ♥ Jessica

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  13. I am a total night owl, and don't wake up well in the morning at all... XP As such my mornings usually consist of little to no coherent thought; let alone a routine! Though I am learning to love a cup of hot water with a lemon wedge in it before breakfast. Supposedly it's good for flushing out toxins? I don't know, but it's nice to have something is beginning to be a routine for me in the morning.

    As usual, I did love reading more about your outlook on things. I adore these types of Q&A posts, so thank you for taking the time to share! :) ❤

    xox,
    bonita of Lavender & Twill

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    1. Aww, you're truly sweet, Bonita, thank you very much! I'm very fond of them, too, especially when they come at things from an angle - as this one did - that I haven't explored in depth before on my blog.

      Thank you as well for sharing about your mornings with me, my fellow night owl. I wonder, given the immense time zone differences, if we're often up at the same time because our natural predilection for being awake at night/early morning? It's neat to think that we might be. Goodness knows that I do the bulk of my blogging and blog commenting under the cover of darkness - my mind is just so much more alert and responsive usually then.

      Tons of hugs,
      ♥ Jessica

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  14. MMM… the first thing I do when I get up is not very glam: I go to pee!
    and I am usually up by 6:30 am, the dogs want to eat and take a walk so they are the alarm clock of the house.

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  15. It was interesting to read all about the different parts of your morning routine. It is a great idea to shine a spotlight on parts of the day that we don't really think about.

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  16. Oh, this is a lot of fun. I enjoyed reading your daily routine and might have to try this myself. :)

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    1. Awesome! Please let me know if you do, I'd love to read your answers as well.

      Big hugs,
      ♥ Jessica

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