Tina: [00:00:00] Hi everyone. Welcome back to another episode of Tina's Arena. I have my friend Markie with us today, and she is here to tell us a story.

Markie: Okay? So my story, although I run a business and I'm a designer, most people would love to hear about that kind of stuff, but my story's not about that today.

My story is about, self discovery in a way of finding myself through hobbies. So it was like, seven years ago, I had just moved to Windsor. I'm not from Windsor. I didn't have any friends, didn't really know what I was doing other than I was starting a business and I was full force with that.

I went to, a couple networking events and people kept asking me what do you like to do for fun? What are your interests? And I honestly couldn't come up with a response for them. I kept being like, oh, I like to walk the dogs, or make dinner. And they're like, oh, that's a fun thing.

And I would be like, yeah, yeah, that's my fun thing. And the more I kind of thought about it, I'm like, this is not like a fun thing. Like if you're expecting people to engage with you and talk to you, you have to have other interests other than working, which that's literally all I was doing at that point was working.

Mm-hmm. Which has been the last seven years of working. But it [00:01:00] came to a point where my mental health was declining pretty rapidly. I do have a depression disorder, so it was one of those things where because I was so involved with my job and so involved with my clients, I was just absorbing all of the negative information and energy from them, but also what was going on in the world at that time, which was during the pandemic and everything else.

So I started focusing on finding hobbies. So that way when people ask what I would like to do, I would have a response for them. It wasn't work. Um, so I started dabbling in different things and trying different things. So when I was younger, I used to play like a lot of sports. Um, again, like basketball, soccer, cross country running.

I used to do even like high jump. Um, I would do different leagues. I was actually in Air Cadets as well, so I did drill team, anything that I could try I was literally trying anything at this point to try and fall, fall in love with something.

So with that being said, I took a deep dive into what I like to do. Um, so I'm naturally a creative person. So as a designer, my job is literally to be creative and come up with ideas that people can't come up with for themselves. Um, [00:02:00] so what I was literally trying to find was, a creative way that I could express myself.

Without charging any money for it and without trying to sell it and create it into a new business. 'cause that's also a chronic thing with entrepreneurs is constantly trying to create a new business. So I started, beading. I'm Metis on my mom's side. So I started actually teaching myself how to bead.

I don't know if you're familiar with that, but it's like little tiny seed beads and you can make it into jewelry. So I started kind of small teaching myself how to bead. And then every couple months I'd put a project away and not finish it. It's just one of those things where I pick it up for enjoyment.

Not to have finished projects, I guess. Mm-hmm. Um, but that being said, there was parts of the jewelry making thing where I was analyzing, okay, why am I not finishing things? And there was just like little parts of the beating that I didn't enjoy, like sewing the borders. That's not for me. It's too much work.

It's like if you screw it up, you have to start all over again. You can wreck the piece by not sewing it properly. So I was like, I'm not doing that. So I started doing like landscape. So I started beating landscapes, which then became like, I finished my first one, which is probably 500 to a thousand, like little tiny micro beads.

Mm-hmm. And [00:03:00] it became a thing where I was like, oh, this is really cool, and like it's something that I could sell. Again, thinking to myself, I don't wanna sell this. So I was like, what can I do that people would be able to appreciate the artwork. But not wanna buy it. So, um, slowly behind the scenes I've been working on getting at least a small art installation so I could perhaps submit it to a gallery mm-hmm.

To be able to share my work with people, but obviously not have them purchase it. And then be able to have all these pieces in my home that I can look at and be like, wow, I made that. On top of that I also took golf lessons, which my husband loves to golf. I was not a golfer at all. So I took, a women's golf clinic and that was, two years ago.

And from there I've slowly been golfing. More and more. So we have a couple friends, girlfriends that go out like once a month, sometimes twice a month, started golfing with my husband. We're now talking about planning like a golf trip together. It's slowly becoming one of those things where like, again, I rely on coming to my nine to five job, which is the business that I own, but there's so much more outside of the business.

And it's honestly like with having mental health issues, it's brought me a lot of joy because it's something where when I'm having those anxious [00:04:00] times or. Going into like a depression, I can easily pick up a hobby, cut the multitude that I have. I also grow cut flowers. I taught myself how to make really intricate baked items.

I cook a lot. It's just a way to pull myself out of that and to bring like little sparks of joy within my world. Yeah. Awesome.

Tina: How long did it take you, when people started asking you what you do for fun, before you realized that like, oh, wait.

Markie: I don't know. So that's a, I would probably say at least a year.

'cause it's also like, I feel like unless I perfect something, I won't talk about it. So unless I have something that's like perfectly done, I won't talk about it. I won't share it with people. So even going back to like the beta jewelry, I wasn't telling anybody for a period of time because there was a lot of unfinished pieces and I'm like, I can't even wear this earring 'cause it's like half finished.

So it was a period of time. As I started dabbling more into different things, I started sharing stuff on my business Instagram page. Like a story of like, I grow cut flowers, so it'd be like a bouquet. And people would be like, oh, where'd you get that? And I'd be like, oh, I grew it.

Mm-hmm. So it started to kind of be more of like, realizing that half finished things are okay [00:05:00] and participating is good enough. That's when I started talking about it more.

Tina: Yeah, it's so funny how our brains work because you were telling that story. You said that you don't wanna sell it, and as soon as you said beaded jewelry, I was like, oh, that'd be so good to sell.

Yeah.

Markie: Yeah, it would. It just takes a long period of time. And I was like, I feel like it's just gonna become such a stressor too. Like I'm not gonna be joyful about it anymore. 'cause I'm gonna be on a deadline for somebody. And sometimes like a pair of earrings, my first pair of earings that I made and actually finished, took me eight hours to make.

Mm-hmm. And I'm like, can you imagine just me doing a pair of earrings for somebody? And then trying to put a monetary value on that, like eight hours of my time, that's not technically working. I'm like, how do you even value that?

Tina: Mm-hmm.

Markie: Right. So it became a thing, where I tried not to do anything monetarily.

I also host, some craft nights with friends. Once a month. We get together and we literally just. I create like a crafted of nothing. I'll buy the supplies, I do a dinner thing and invite them over, and we literally just sit around a big table doing a craft and everybody's looks different. Some people's turn it really great, some people's [00:06:00] not turn it so great.

I won't say who, but, um, yeah, it's just a great outlet for everybody. And it's actually been my friends, uh, like common thing where they're like, this is something where like, I look forward to this once a month because it just is so like joyful and, there's no expectations.

Tina: Mm-hmm. Because

Markie: if you screw up with the craft, you get to take it home and then you get to look at your screwed up craft,

Tina: When I started Watercolor painting, just let me know if you feel similar. If it was just me and I would show people my painting, I felt like a little girl. I felt like that 5-year-old version of myself, like can you just like tell me that you like it? Like Yeah.

Markie: I need the validation that it looks good.

Yeah. I also watercolor paint and I feel like there is like out of let's just say 10 pieces, three look decent and the rest are kind of super mediocre.

Tina: Yeah.

Markie: So the three that look decent, I either gift 'em to people or I put them in frames the other mediocre ones, they're literally just.

Still in the book because I'm like, this is terrible. But I also go back and like, sometimes I'll go back like six months from now and be like, oh, this was actually decent.

Tina: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I do the same. I go back, I look at it, I'm like, why did I hate it so much? Yeah. It's actually kind of cute.

Markie: [00:07:00] Yeah. And like going back to it when 5-year-old girl, I think of kindergarten class and bringing art home to your parents and being like, this is the best thing ever. That's, the feeling that I still wanna feel 'cause I'm like, it's still something I created. Whether I have a skill of a professional an amateur or below an amateur, I still made it so.

Yeah.

Tina: It's funny how our hobbies challenge us so much and in such different ways, but you can still love it.

Markie: Yeah. Yeah. Golf is like one of those things where, again, never played golf before in my life. Took lessons. It's a very hard game to get. Some days you'll play really good and other days you'll play terribly.

I would say most days I play terribly.

Tina: Mm-hmm.

Markie: Um, but it's still the fun of it, it's such a challenge every time you go out 'cause there's so many different courses. I actually actually got my clubs regripped and I found that, made a huge difference to my game. It's weird little things like that, practicing more is good, but it's also just like the joy of practicing and be able to make time for it.

Yeah.

Tina: How has your crafting challenged your [00:08:00] perfectionism?

Markie: I think it's just the willingness to try things. Normally I would never try things unless I was really good at it. I try to let go of the term of perfection in general. Even in my work, I used to say to clients oh, your kitchen will be perfect, but then I'm like.

What if there's one little thing that's not perfect, it would drive me insane, or eventually it would drive me insane to the point where I would bring it up to the client and they'd be like, oh, I didn't even notice that.

Tina: Mm-hmm.

Markie: Um, so I think it's just the vague term of perfection, I've tried to let go.

So with crafting, it's like I'll make something and if I don't like it, someone else likes it, I'll literally just give it to them. Mm-hmm. I'm like, oh, you like this? Sure you can have it. Or I'll keep it and put it somewhere in my house and I can know that I can always go back and fix it, or I can change it or I can just redo it in general.

So actually with my craft nights, I usually buy one extra set of something in case somebody has a meltdown and doesn't like theirs. That way they can always restart without having to like scrap everything.

Tina: So you've taken up, beading painting and golf.

What is the last new thing that you've tried?

Markie: The last new thing I have tried, [00:09:00] um, I'm just trying to think here. So, I mean, I grow cut flowers. So I've tried some different breeds of flowers this year that are a little bit unorthodox. Um, so probably that, um, even cooking wise, I always challenge myself to make new dishes.

So I've been buying, I'm that person that goes to a grocery store I'll go to the culinary of the world aisle. Mm-hmm. And I'll pick up an ingredient and I'll try and make something with it. Or I'll see like a health trend on like Instagram, like people eating a ton of cucumber and I'm like, I'm gonna make a cucumber salad that again, like I like and maybe it's using unorthodox ingredients and then perfect it.

I wanna see perfect it. And then I start forcing people to eat it and see if they like it. And then if they like it, then I'm like, ah, see I made this. So I would say stuff like that is, definitely something I challenge myself with. And then just find new joy in it, whether it's like a terrible recipe, last night I made.

This marinated zucchini salad. Mm-hmm. It was literally like five ingredients. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't amazing. Will I ever make it again? Probably not. But again, just trying different things and seeing, if it's something that's a hit or not. So [00:10:00]

Tina: what ingredients surprised you?

Markie: I'm not a spicy person 'cause I have stomach problems.

I did, a chili garlic oil that I've been seeing everybody put on. You're familiar with this? Mm-hmm. I know you like spicy stuff. Yeah, I seeing everybody put it on salad and eggs and stuff, so I made a simple cucumber salad with it and it was really good. I'm a big herb person, so I always do like herbed aioli and stuff like that.

So just adding herbs into. Places where I'm like, maybe this herb isn't expected to be, like, when I make Rosetta, I'm like, oh, I'm not gonna put basil. I'm gonna put like tarragon instead. Mm-hmm. And just doing something different.

Tina: It's funny you said chili garlic oil, because that's one of my recipes from my restaurant that I capped.

It is my favorite thing and I don't make it because when I make it, I'll finish a jar in a week.

Markie: Oh really?

Yeah, I can see that. Like I have a hard time with super spicy, but I find it's like the perfect amount of spicy, 'cause it's not like over the top like burn your mouth. It's just like an enjoyable one.

Mm-hmm. My dad likes spicy. I made it for my dad. He said it was like the perfect amount of spice. I made it for my husband. He said it was really good. I made it for my craft friends when they come over. [00:11:00] See, I pushed on everybody and they were all like, oh, this is really good. But yeah, it's one of those things where I try and challenge myself on capabilities of what I can eat.

And I also love to bake too, so I'll just randomly try a very fancy cookie from the fifties for some reason, even though it's like either really good or it takes a really long time to make. Yeah. I remember one Christmas I made shortbread. It was a special recipe with decorative, dipping chocolate and shaved orange and stuff like that.

It took me four hours to make it and I only made 12 cookies we ate them in five minutes. So it was a lot of effort for five minutes of joy. So yeah,

Tina: that's the thing with baking, the effort is usually a lot. And you eat it so fast.

Markie: Yeah. You eat it so fast.

And then usually with baking it. Sweet. So it's usually not good for you. So like literally yesterday I made mixed berries, muffins, and had a dozen, I ate six in one day and I'm like, what am I doing? Why am I eating six muffins? And then I had two this morning for breakfast. So yeah. Nice. But again, I don't like anything to go to waste, so I'm just making sure nothing gets wasted.

Tina: That's also why I don't bake. Yeah. Like I

know I'm gonna eat it anytime I've done. Um, my favorite cookie is oatmeal chocolate chip.

Markie: Oh yeah. And I [00:12:00] just

Tina: can't not

Markie: eat it. I know, I know. It's so good. Semi-sweet chocolate chip or milk chocolate?

Tina: I do semi-sweet. I'm a dark chocolate person.

Markie: I also do semi-sweet. I usually don't like milk chocolate and cookies. I feel like it doesn't have as much of a contrast as the semi-sweet does.

Same with white chocolate. I'm not a big white chocolate person either.

Tina: White chocolate's not real chocolate.

Markie: It's butter.

Tina: It's

Markie: butter.

Tina: Yes. It's cocoa butter, right? Yeah. Yeah.

Markie: I think it's cocoa butter. Cocoa. It's just sugar.

Tina: Yeah. So not real chocolate. It's the fake

Markie: chocolate of the world. Sorry to burst everyone's dreams if they thought white chocolate was real.

Tina: So what happens when you like something but not too many other people like it?

Markie: I haven't really encountered that to yet because I am a person where I like validation, so I will literally like force people into giving me compliments. But it has happened with my work once or twice where I did a kitchen design for someone and it wasn't a total hit.

Internally, I'm crying inside because obviously I can't show that I'm disappointed that a customer doesn't like something.

Tina: Yeah.

Markie: But that being said, it does happen. And because I feel like the industry I'm in, I usually get used to either a rejection of someone not [00:13:00] going with you for a project or.

Someone just changing an idea you had. So I feel like I manage it pretty well. I feel like at the beginning of my design career, I probably didn't as well because I'm like, this is my ideas. Why don't you like this? You paid me to do this, and now I'm just like, oh, you don't like it? Okay, well we can change it and here's your options.

Tina: Yeah.

Markie: It's much more logical in terms of thinking if someone doesn't like something.

Tina: Yeah, it does hurt when the thing that we work so hard on is not appreciated.

Markie: Yeah.

Tina: But it does happen and not everyone. Can agree,

Markie: I guess, right? Yeah. Yeah. Like I planned a camping trip once for friends, and I literally was like, every time we would do something, I'm like, is everybody having a good time?

I had to keep reinforcing that everybody is having a good time and people are enjoying themselves. Um, it's just one of those things with me, I like personal validation. I like external validation. If nobody praises me, I will be severely worried that nobody liked what they ate, had spent time doing, came to an event.

I just like validation for everything.

Tina: I think that I am the same way. Need that validation.

Markie: You needed someone to [00:14:00] tell you you did a good job and pat you on the back. Yeah, me too, me too. It's kind of like a curse and a blessing at the same time. Because I like feedback, and feedback is always good to get.

'cause it makes you improve on the things you need to improve on. But at the same time when someone says nothing, I get very disappointed.

Tina: Yeah. Well, have you always been good at receiving feedback? Because for me, I always used to take stuff as a criticism, but sometimes I have to be like, oh wait, like they're not.

Trying to criticize. Yeah, it's like constructive. It's just, yeah, like I could have improved.

Markie: Yeah, I did do something weird. I feel like when I was younger I probably didn't take it as well. But again, I think it's just getting older. It just comes, especially with the career I chose. It comes with the career.

Um, but I feel like, I do remember a time when I feel like when I was in public school, I wrote like a book report or something and I didn't get a good grade on it, and I just didn't understand why I didn't get a good grade because I met all of the qualifications of what to. Was supposed to be done. So it's like you need to have the written portion, you need to have the drawing.

You need to have, um, I think it was like you had to bring a prop or [00:15:00] make a little structure of a scene in the book. I did all that. But the written portion felt rushed and didn't translate what the book was about

I was looking at the checklist. And I had completed everything. So I was like, of course I'm gonna get a good grade. And then I didn't. And then I was very disappointed in that. And I think that was probably like my first thing where I was like, oh no, this is gonna stick with me forever and look at this.

I'm still talking about this. So yeah, I don't remember which teacher it was, but thanks for teaching me something.

Tina: The one low grade I got in high school was a 68. And it was in art.

Markie: Oh, that's surprising.

Tina: How the heck does that happen? I don't know.

Markie: Yeah. I remember one time in art we were doing pottery and I made a beautiful, I think it was a teapot.

There was a couple students around me that didn't really care about the art project. They were taking art 'cause they thought it was like an easy pass. So they made, plates or bowls or something to go in the kiln and theirs had big air bubbles in it and there's exploded and broke mine as well.

Tina: So then

Markie: like the teacher, I felt bad 'cause it's like how does the teacher really grade you on something that got broken by somebody else's piece in the kiln? She had to grade me on the construction of it. So like the preamble before it even went in the kiln. [00:16:00] But yeah, I remember it coming out and like literally being like shattered into a billion pieces and I'm like, I spent so much time on this and somebody else because they didn't care, just threw theirs in and it got destroyed.

I still think about that teapot.

Tina: That would be heartbreaking.

Markie: Really heartbreaking. I spent a lot of time, I feel like it was weeks on it. Then everybody gets their pieces outta the kiln. You get to glaze them and I'm like, there was nothing for me to glaze. So I just sat there and the teacher was like.

Do you wanna do something different? Do you wanna draw something? And I was like, no, I wanna glaze my teapot, which is broken. So I think I, someone had like an extra piece or she had made extra pieces, so I was glazing a bowl or whatever. But uh, yeah, it was just like everybody did basic pieces and I went big and did the teapot, which is a big deal.

So, yeah. Regrets.

Tina: For anyone that is not familiar with Markie, okay. What do you do?

Markie: Uh, so I'm a designer, so I'm a kitchen and bath designer specifically. So I design, supply, install custom cabinetry. So I physically don't install it. I have installers that install it. And then I manage, renovations for start to finish. My business is basically we focus on residential construction. So not necessarily new builds. [00:17:00] I've done commercial construction as well, but I feel like residential is really where Sweet spot. Um, so I have a showroom here in Old Riverside, in Windsor. Um, and that's kind of like my day to day.

And then outside of that, I, work with different organizations. I mentor, new business owners, starting up businesses. Mm-hmm. I work with a couple colleges for students to, mentor them, get them into the field, structure the programs properly so that way when they're graduating they're able to find a job.

ASAP. I'm also the co-chair of our BIA for the old Riverside area. I do a multitude of things 'cause I don't know how to relax. And that's the other problem about hobbies is I literally don't know how to relax. So if I have a hobby, it makes it a well-rounded day because I'm always busy.

Tina: Yeah. Do people actually challenge you on that?

Like you didn't install my cabinet?

Markie: Uh, I had some people be like, oh, I thought you were installing 'em before. And I was like, no, we have an installer, you don't want me installing your cabinets. I'm sure I could fumble my way through it, but it would take me a lot longer. But again, it's just the installation portion.

I always thought maybe I would go hands on with it, but I'm like, no. I think [00:18:00] financially wise, I don't think it would make sense for the business for me to do that. Yeah, because to be honest, your

Tina: time

Markie: should be spent. Designing, getting new projects. 'cause honestly, if I think if I installed the cabinets, I probably do like three kitchens a year, and that would be it, because by that time I'd be exhausted.

Tina: Mm-hmm.

Markie: But I do manage the deliveries, making sure things get to the house, making sure projects are wrapped up properly. It's like a full, like it's full-time job, but it's like full start to finish. Like some projects last for six months. Some projects last a year. We have a couple projects where we finish it and then we end up going back for the second phase.

So I'll know clients for like two years, three years sometimes. Yeah. Mm-hmm. It's a very busy career path that I chose, but I'm the type of personality that fits,

Tina: mm-hmm.

Markie: Yeah.

Tina: You mentioned that you're doing so much work and you use the hobbies to relax, and I wanted to ask are they actually relaxing

Markie: depending on which one it is.

So like organizing craft nights. The hosting is not relaxing. 'cause obviously I usually make food or order in food. I have to buy all the supplies for the [00:19:00] craft. But the act of sitting down with my friends and getting to do the, yeah, the fruits of my labor, I would say is relaxing. Um, things like gardening, it's physical labor and sometimes it's like in Windsor it's really hot.

For example, it's really hot today. And I know I have to go home and cut a bunch of flowers out 'cause I have a bunch of cut flowers I need to cut outta the beds. Um, so that is relaxing in a sense where it's mindless work. But it's physical.

Tina: Yeah.

I took up sewing. And it is not relaxing. It's not relaxing. No, it's not

Markie: relaxing. No. Um, so originally when growing up I actually thought I wanted to be a fashion designer. So I actually had, uh, Christmas, my parents got me a little sewing machine, just a starter one.

Mm-hmm. And I used to sew bedding and stuff like that. 'cause clothes were really hard. I thought clothes were gonna be so easy. But the measuring portion and oh my gosh, fabrics, it is so much. And even like cutting pieces and the pinning, it's so much work. But when a piece is finished, it's very cool. So actually this last Christmas, my.

My old sewing machine, someone borrowed it, I won't say who, and then sold it to someone else on me and never gave it back. Yep. [00:20:00] Well not say who she knows who she is. Um, so anyways, I have a new sewing machine, which is not a new sewing machine. It is my great-grandmother's old sewing machine. Okay. That she used to use.

I was looking into classes and there's a course in Windsor where they teach you how to use the sewing machine that you have. So I'm thinking of enrolling in it because I know how to sew, it's just, I dunno how to use this particular machine. Mm-hmm. But it's one of those things where I'm like, you have to, in order to sew, you have to have a dedicated amount of time to do that.

It's not something you can easily do.

Tina: Yeah.

Markie: When you're sewing, what were you making? Clothes or something else?

Tina: Trying to make clothes.

Markie: Yeah. It's really hard.

Tina: That's really hard. Yeah. I started sewing because I'm a very rectangular body shape, so the clothes just don't fit me super well. So I'm like, oh, no problem.

I'll just make my own clothes. Because also when you go shopping and a dress is like a hundred dollars, you're thinking like, no way. I am spending a hundred dollars on that. And then I started sewing and I'm like, oh, a hundred dollars is so cheap.

Markie: It is so cheap when you go price out fabric and all the things you have to buy, like zippers and buttons, and the time it takes to make it.

And then the tools you even have to buy to actually sew. Yeah. Like cutting the Oh, like [00:21:00] accessories, ss. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's so

Tina: expensive and people don't realize, so I thrifted a white pair of jeans. Yeah. And the crutch was too low for me. So originally in my head I thought I would like to. Easily raised a crotch up.

Yep. And then they would fit perfect. So I spent about, four or five hours trying to move the crotch up. It never worked. So I'm like, forget it. I'm just gonna give up. I'm gonna cut the legs open. I'm gonna make it a skirt. I was just gonna say, make it a skirt. Yep. And I did that and I was ripping the seams open.

I accidentally ripped the jeans. Luckily it was right around the knee area. Okay. So you cut it off. So I just cut it off a little bit shorter, but it was like. When it was new, it was probably a $20 pair of white jeans from h and m. Yeah. And I put like 12 hours into this thing to make it a white skirt.

So now it's a $300 white skirt. Yeah, that probably I could have bought for 20 bucks too. I

like this. It's just the most ridiculous hobby.

Markie: I see people on Instagram that go in again, they thrift like old quilts and they're like, [00:22:00] oh, I'm gonna make a cool jacket or make it like a vest. And I'm like, oh my God, that's so cool.

I could do that. But then I'm like, wait, could I do that? Yeah. Because I know what sewings like. So that's why when I was a kid I started doing clothes and it was really hard, so I shifted to bedding and curtains. 'cause I'm like, oh, it's not hard to sew a curtain. It's a rectangle. Yeah, you do your little pleat detail on top or you sew your grommets in or whatever.

I'm like, that's easy. Sew bedding. I used to buy like two flat sheets and sew it together and be like, there. Do they cover done? But again, it's one of those hobbies where it's like very much, yeah. You have to be immersed in it. And the other thing is people don't realize the manual labor on your back.

Mm-hmm. Because that was the other thing is when I used to sew, especially when I was a kid, I didn't feel it as much, but trying to do it now my back is done from the bending standing and hunching over. And it's the same with gardening.

Tina: And your eyesight too.

Like there tiny little needles. Yeah. Then thread, I'm like, oh, that's how I know I'm getting old. Oh my gosh. I know's how, I know I'm getting

Markie: old. Even beating, I'm like at 8:00 PM at night. Sometimes I like to sit up back and do it. Anything past like seven 30, I'm like, where is the thread? I, where's the needle?

I'm trying to put them together. I'm like, Hey, I'm done. I have to do it in a pocket of time even at home, I [00:23:00] need to get a little reading light that I can clamp onto my workstation and sit on the couch because I'm like, I can't see anything. 'cause our house is darker, especially like weather wise.

When it gets rainy or overcast, I can't see anything. Yes. I'm like blind. Yes. And even with contacts and glasses and I can't see anything.

Tina: The day I realized I was old was 'cause I had to increase the font size on my phone. Yeah, yeah. Because it was always on the minimum. And then one day

Markie: I had to up it and I was like,

Tina: oh

Markie: And you feel so much better about it afterwards, but at the same point you're like, wow, am I really getting that old? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Mine was like getting old, was realizing like, oh, I can't just eat crappy food for lunch and then feel good all day. Or like, oh, I can't. Drink like a bottle of water for one day and be perfectly fine.

I'm like, now I'm constantly being mindful of that and I think that's just getting older and a perk of it. I actually said to my husband, I would like to take up running. I used to do cross country running. I don't do running now. I have planter fasciitis in my feet, but it's something where I'm like, I think I could be good at this again and I'm starting to look into it.

I have to look into orthotics, which is, something you. Get when you get older so I have to look into orthotics and then I gotta look into running shoes and I might actually take up like a running [00:24:00] course to see if I can get back into it.

Tina: Markie talked about her work, she does design work. And if people wanted to find more about you

where do they find you?

Markie: At Instagram, my username is at Timber Plumb. I also have Facebook for my business but I don't use Facebook as much as my Instagram. Um, I have a Pinterest page as well, which is Timber and Plumb Kitchens and Cabinetry, and my website is www.timberPlumb.com.

Awesome. And I will

Tina: definitely link that in the show description. Awesome. And people should definitely look at it if they're interested in kitchens and stuff. 'cause MarKie does incredible work.

Markie: Yeah. Or if you're an entrepreneur in the Windsor area or anywhere else, kind of in Canada and you're looking to connect, send me a message.

We'd love to hear from you.

Tina: Yeah, thanks for being on the podcast. Yeah, thanks for having

Markie: me. It's fun.