'Grow Your Blog'

It is fair (although a little scary) to acknowledge to relative strangers that I started my personal blogging journey following a life changing accident.  Six years ago my life had changed beyond recognition - my body was broken and for a while my mind was lost.  And then after operations, physical treatments and on-going pain management and physiotherapy, I forced myself to accept my change of circumstances and to... choose happiness - not self pity.  To choose positivity over regret.

 

I had found escapism through reading some wonderfully popular blogs and recognised elements of my own personality in different places across the world.  This combined with the fact that I was journaling to help process changes that were happening in my life meant that starting my own blog seemed like another positive step.    My home journaling was mainly to recognise things each day that were good... positive... made me happy.  They were little glimpses amongst some very hard times but they were to be clung to.  And over time, recognising these things 'despite it all' became habit.  How wonderful is that?  In the bleakest of times, human nature can learn to focus on those moments of happiness and have faith.  And now, when I am incapacitated through pain I value Simple Things; small, everyday, natural, emotional or home based moments.  Please believe I'm not trying to say I have all the answers or that this was easy.  It completely wasn't.  But it did feel like a moment of clarity and helped me to find my new place in our world.

I blog for two key reasons - to more effectively record and appreciate all the transient elements of everyday life that bring happiness and secondly, to find a creative outlet to share all the things that I make, up-cycle or crochet with like minded people.  Through the love of my family, my friends and a few new friends my mind has healed and although I struggle physically... I am more grateful for my life now and SO appreciate the freedom to give more time to my family than I was able to before.

A friend once observed that I have an 'Old Soul' - and it is true that perhaps I was born in the wrong era!  I'm a lover of all things vintage (and did so before it was trendy and will do when it is well out of vogue!) and home made - there aren't too many with a similar attitude to me where we live.  This fantastic thing called blog-land means that I can find other people who value the simple things, nurture their family and home and embrace the randomness of photographing all things that inspire!  The balance on this blog has been largely family focused during the last quarter of 2013 and whilst I want that to remain key I do also want to gain confidence in sharing some more of my own makes this year.

 

So in an effort to go out of my comfort zone, I'm joining in with this 'Grow Your Blog' exchange.  I have been fortunate to meet a few wonderful people through this bit of cyber space and hope that 2014 will bring more my way!

As part of the huge gift Vicki of 2 Bags Full is organising with this Grow Your Blog event, I thought I'd join in the giving by holding my own giveaway.  Please just leave a comment below on this post to be entered.  I'll write a separate post on the giveaway next week - hopefully the light levels will be a bit better than they have been today (torrential rain).

The winner of the Giveaway will be announced on the 15th February so please go ahead and leave a comment on this post.  You can be entered a second time for leaving a comment on the actual Giveaway post next week too.

Happy New Year to all readers and welcome to those of you that are newly visiting!  I hope that you enjoy your visit to my bit of cyber space - take a look back through my first year of blogging and see if any of it floats your boat!!  I'm looking forward to reading some more inspirational and wonderful blogs taking part in the event too!

Janine x

FAMILY - A Perspective in Poetry by my Little Man

I've had this post in my drafted items for months.  I came across it this week while I was endeavouring to get back on track with trying to journal family happenings over recent weeks - which I am dismally behind in!!  It would be a real shame if this was left as a draft, so in the spirit of  valuing the important things in life I'm pressing the publish button.

Way back at the end of July whilst we were writing our summer bucket list, my little man was sooo happy.  He had lots of ideas of crafts to enjoy and places to go.  Like many across blog-land, the summer bucket list has become a ritual that we all partake in and often the requests are so simple.  They don't ask for the world, more often just time in different situations.

The following day he presented me with this saying "Mummy, I love you.  It's great what we do together".

It read:

Family

Family's are the best thing to have.

When you need them they hug back.

You dream about all the happy things that you do with them -

Nothing is better than Family.

They do anything that you like.

I was blown away.  He had just turned six.  Such a wise little man.  Such a proud Mummy.  Of course I've framed it.  Beneath he had drawn a typical house and stick people of our family.  No matter how I try I cannot get the photograph any clearer - but hey, you get the vibe!

I guess, at this time of year when we can get consumed with the commercial image of what modern life 'should be', this can pose an important reminder of what is actually valued by our children.  Plus, I hope that one day, when my littlies are older and find this... hopefully they will smile and remember happy times.

That's what I wish for...

God Bless,
J9 x

December Days

This year the festive period passed in incredibly relaxed family focused splendour in our household.  We have very few family traditions around Christmas time but fully embrace the opportunity to actively enjoy our time together.  My mum came to stay with us and arrived on the stormiest day (in the SW of England) of 2013.  Bless her - by the time she had made the journey she needed another hour in a chair, cradling a cup of tea before she returned to her normal colour! 




Little Man played a wise man in the school nativity.  It was a moment to treasure as this will be the last year he gets to perform the nativity.  Bless him - he did speak so clearly and concentrated so very hard.









We hosted a get together for Ben's side of the family.  I picked up a multiple games table in the charity shop for a bargainous £15 which I put in the shed for a timely Christmas present.  This party seemed the perfect opportunity to give this to the children- a full day of snooker, table football and table tennis ensued!  Such fun!

On Christmas Eve we went to the village church to take part in the Christingle service.  It was the first time I've been with the children since Little Lady was a baby.  They thoroughly enjoyed the service - Ben is not religious and didn't come so I was really glad of Mum's company.  I love the message of Christingle and the participatory element of this service. 

We managed to avoid eating the sweets (which represent the seasons and all things good God gives us) and they held centre stage on our Christmas table.

The elves delivered new pyjamas on Christmas Eve and suitable snacks were left out for Father Christmas and the reindeer.  On Christmas Eve morning, the children decided to write their letters to FC.  Would you believe it? I managed to encourage them to understand that FC had probably already wrapped and decided what he was to give them considering for the previous 12 hours he'd been delivering to children in New Zealand and Australia etc. so wouldn't have the opportunity to alter anything. 

On the morning, not one item on their lists was in their stockings.  Gladly, it completely didn't matter.  They were so very thrilled with each little package.  They laughed and tore, hugged and skipped.  Magic.

The kiddies had crafted a couple of surprise gifts for us - sew lovely!!

Christmas Lunch was gorgeous, comprising a roast chicken with all the trimmings - can you believe the price of turkey at this time of year!?! We all ate too much (but lots of veggies too!) and it was sooo yummy!

I extended our kitchen table and made a makeshift bench for the children to sit at so we could all sit in our new kitchen.  There's my girl - "Cheers - ing" with a Yorkshire pudding!!

It felt very festive with all our warm white fairy lights (I have to confess they are not coming down from my dresser and are now a permanent fixture!)









Our December Days continued in a Lego making frenzy, craft and cake making and a surprise visit to Paulo's Circus.  Little Man helped Paulo & a Clown with some tricks - confident as anything in front of the audience.  Hubby returned to work quickly after the Christmas celebrations but mum remained plus he was off on the weekends so our days passed in happy contentment. 

I do love the time between Christmas and New Year.  We're not at all materialistic either pre or post "the big day" and our time is very family focused.

As a family we have little expectation; a mixture of playing, eating, crafting and relaxing in PJ's is the order of our days!  Oh yes, that is an eye mask holding Little Ladies hair back - she struggles to sleep and a mask is a real aid for her!!

Its all over far too quickly - the inevitable return to school and routine ensues.  I'm not a fan of the New Year.  January holds both hope and uncertainty for us this year especially.  The Hubby was told in November that is job won't exist in 2014 and he will find out by the end of the month whether he will be made redundant or redeployed.  Either way, his level of job is removed and thus either no job or less money is the result.  Great.

I shall try to keep this space all fluffy and positive but there are definitely some hard times ahead. Christmas and its resulting quality time together was a welcome distraction for us all.  The magic that children find in this time of year is enough to raise the lowest of spirits!!  In the interim, we shall trust in the path that we are on and believe that ALL will be well.

Happy New Year to all my wonderful Bloggy Followers and Friends - here's to a fab one!!
J9 x

A Handmade Christening Gift

Life has certainly been hectic these last few weeks and I've been unable to grab even a tiny amount of time in cyber space.  It would be super nice to have a bit of time this weekend to catch up on some lovely blog reading and feel inspired and connected again!

Recently, my gorgeous new niece was Christened and so we made the 2 hour journey to stay with family in Bucks before the ceremony on the Sunday.  Here is the beautiful blue eyed girl with her doting Aunty J9!  She reminds me so much of my Little Lady as a baby.  Truly blessed.

 

 

I contemplated what would be a suitable gift for the occasion for some time.  Financially, every spare penny was going to our extension work plus rather than just buy something I wanted something more personal to give to mark the day.  Of course this prompted some crafty time!  I had already crocheted a blanket which was given to her when she was born - so that box had already been ticked!

After some thought, I decided I wanted to create something that incorporated her name - given that this is a key element of being christened - you are 'given' your name as part of the ceremony.

I considered cross stitch but the family décor is more modern in style so I decided to craft a scrabble tab picture.  I used an IKEA box frame and chose some scrapbooking papers as a backdrop.

I was really pleased with the outcome.  They have said that they liked it and I hope that it will be a treasured memory of this special day.

I'd been asked to bake cakes for the occasion too so on the last day that I had my oven (before it was removed during the building work!) I baked and decorated a wonderful fruit cake with a 'new to me' recipe from this book.  My most favourite fruit cake mix so far - I thoroughly recommend it as it is not at all heavy!  As the lovely 'Mummy of the Baby' requested, I also made a Delia Smith coffee cake but sadly I didn't get any photos - that one got devoured really quickly!!

It has been a manic time in this house over the latter part of this year and I have not paced myself well on the pain management front.  I have a few ideas in mind to craft for my new kitchen space which I aim to work on during the new year once Christmas is over.  Generally though I'm planning a slower pace of activities over the coming month - I no longer thrive on rushing around being so busy and list driven that you can't stop to smell the roses as I did in my twenties!  Project managing this build has certainly tested me and I'm looking forward to a return to 'balance'.

That is my promise to myself.  I need to slow down to my usual happy mode and take time to enjoy the passing moments.  I hope you manage a bit of the same - especially over the Christmas period!

Thanks for reading and enjoy your week - whatever you're up to! 
J9 x

Simple Pleasures & Snapshots

Hello there!!  It is just too long since I last posted!  Even so, it's a bit of a short, sharp catch up post!!  So many moments to capture over the past few weeks. 

A Sneak Peak at the Makeover of My Dresser
Weeks of building work, followed by weeks of painting, a little wall papering and some sanding and our build is CoMpLete!  We are gradually growing in to our new downstairs space.  The kitchen is literally amazing.  Of course I'm not talking magazine shoot, Hollywood house amazing - I'm talking achievable, clean, affordable - AMAZING. 

My Dresser is the first part of my reveal - I love it - and it is currently adorned by some sparkly, Christmas star lights, which are giving me lots of joy.  The wall paper behind (Laura Ashley) was purchased some six years ago - when I saw it in a reduced bin for £1.50 per roll.  I had no need for it then but bought two rolls - my late Father was a firm believer in "Something having a use once in every seven years".  Hmmmm.... wall paper you were worth keeping hold of.  It is only on this back wall of the kitchen and breaks up the milk white nicely!

Enjoying Festive Displays on my that Dresser!
I spent a rather joyous day to unpack my treasured china from it's boxed surrounds.  Many items have been kept wrapped for months - for the day when that dresser would be transformed.  I got the contents just as I wanted in in late November - and promptly replaced many items with Christmas decorations (forgetting to take a picture of the display as I was constantly waiting for the light to be in my favour - something that is very tricky in wintery England!!)

However, I've equally enjoyed adding a little festivity to the new area.  It has already changed the way we spend time together as a family for the better but I'll save that for another post.

 
Special Interactions with Granny
 Last week, we had our first overnight visitor to our home in nearly 7 months!  How fitting that it would be my mum to come and peruse the new additions to our home.  She was able to stay for a week as the extension now homes a downstairs toilet and shower room which has previously negated any longer stay than a couple of nights.

Anyhow, mum and I did have some festive plans (a trip to Bath Christmas Market no less - again another post).  But that didn't stop my littlies having lots of fun.  Board games, sugar icing cake decorating, making mince pies for the school Bake Off... all were undertaken with Granny at the helm.

Ahhh.  Simply divine.  That week alone made the last few months of upheaval completely worthwhile.

Christmas Hama Bead Creations
Little Lady and I spent some quality time this weekend creating while the boys were at Football.  The Football thing is fairly recent and very momentous as Little Man has joined a team and is enjoying matches and practising!  All very cute but it does mean that us girls get to spend some time crafting each weekend.

First was some felt craft and second we sat making Hama bead creations which I'd seen on Pinterest.  We modified some but were completely inspired and influenced by Purple Cards although the original page seems to have disappeared so in an effort to link back you can find it through my Crafts To Do with Kids board.

 

The intent Concentration...

...and sheer delight that the erection of an artificial Christmas Tree can create!  In my pre children life I was somewhat obsessed with Christmas Tree Decorations.  I have some from New Zealand, some from France and Germany as well as many from all over the UK.  I treasure them and it is true that the majority have a story linked to them.  I LoVE that the children adore the process of decorating the tree. 

 

This year it was Little Lady's turn to put the fairy on top! (See that changing smile? So many teeth have been lost and found by the Tooth Fairy over the past couple months).

So in short - building work is over!!  Painting has stopped until January (life is too short to aim for perfection) and Christmas is definitely on its way.  My posts will be a little like buses over the coming days... you wait ages for one and then a couple come at once!!  I have so much to share with you, so many half drafted posts but still so much to do!

How do you all manage to post and organise yourselves sooo much better than I?!  I congratulate you on your organisation anyway and can only aspire to do better ;o)

Happy December Folks!
J9 x

Half Term Happiness

Just popping by to write a quick post about our half term break last week.  Well, I say break but really it was only a break from routine - which 'they' do say is as good as a rest.

Hmmm.  I'm not sure I agree in this instance.  The hubby and I spent 3 days juggling the children and painting new plaster at the latter end of the week off - such a challenge!

Aside from the home front we managed a lovely trip to my Mum in Cornwall for four days.  Sadly Hubby had to work so the children, Granny and I spent some much needed down time...

#  Nature walks (and/ or skipping!) - gorgeous autumnal colours and much needed fresh air

#  Pooh Sticks - the river was running fast due to high rain fall so the game was lots of fun and there are 4 bridges of this type on the route so lots of opportunity for play!

#  Decoupatch Time

#  And Pumpkins - of a happy and a scary kind. 

Our build is due to finish in the last week of November- I cannot wait!  It's a mixture of excitement and a need for it to JUST BE DONE ALREADY!!

I'm not meaning to be ungrateful - it's just been a long time cooking for a family in this space.

Watch this space - I'll be showing you the blank canvas next time!  Apologies to all you lovely bloggy friends out there - by December I should be back in the land of blog!!

J9 x

Today I'm partying with:

 Today I'm joining in with these lovely blog parties!

Share your Cup Thursday

Simple & Sweet Friday

Reality - the Good and the Bad!

Hello lovelies,

Apologies for the longest break I've taken from cyber space since starting this blog.  This was partially because life has gotten in the way and partially because reality has Not been too pretty here of late.  That and electricity, telephone and internet cables being cut accidentally at various points over the last month!

Don't get me wrong - it's mainly good stuff happening in our home.  Just messy, dusty, exhaustingly dirty and energy sapping StuFf.  Progress on the home front is GReAt though.  The walls (in photograph below) are being plastered (at this very moment) and we hope within a fortnight to reclaim the house from the builders.  Below you can see our new hallway and front door - now to the side of the house.  All those boxes have been there for 5 days now - my new kitchen.  The knowledge of this 'potential kitchen loveliness' is the only reason I didn't pull my hair out when I stubbed my toe for the hundredth time!!

 

The whole building experience has been a combination of awful and wonderful moments.  It's not a pretty reality but the space is really taking shape.

 

I know that this invasion of my home is temporary and the outcome will make enormous differences to the way we live in our home and how I manage my disability in the future.

To escape from the clutter in my home - and my mind, I've been purposely seeking joy in Simple Things.  

#  These gladioli were in a reduced bucket at the local corner store and have provided so much pleasure in my make shift kitchen.

# Purchases from the charity shop - lovely pastel pots and some gorgeous lemon Pyrex lidded pots!  Not sure what I'll use them for but my goodness I love them!

I have been creative over the past month - not much baking (due to lack of kitchen!) but other creative efforts which I hope to share next time. 

Apologies for being behind on my blog reading too - I've had so little opportunity but can't wait to catch up on what's been happening in your part of the world!

Thanks for reading,
J9 x