Summer Fun

School finished early on Tuesday so we used the bonus hour at the beginning of our summer holiday to make a list of lots of things we fancy doing.

Unfortunately, when we got up next morning eager to make a start on some serious summer fun, we realised that Big Trouble has chicken pox. Disaster!

Never the less we have done our best. We began with Big Trouble's favourite suggestion: Watch lots of TV. Hmmm not quite what I had in mind but poxy boys need lots of down time so TV it was. Actually, I didn't watch too. I couldn't bear to waste the day. Instead, I pottered about tidying up and sorting out and admiring the thunder and lightening which were pretty impressive.

Next up, Tall Girl's suggestion: Painting nails. Seventy of them. She did her own, but I did mine and the boys. Nail varnish is banned in term time so this is a real summer holiday treat.

Today I had to work and Grandma was on Small duty, but when I got back we had a go at making ice lollies. Chopped fruit and lemonade. We're waiting with baited breath to see ho they turn out...

I reckon we have another 3 or 4 days of keeping away from people, excessive sunshine, sand and salt water. Looks like cooking, sewing and straws will have to keep us occupied until we can hit the beach for some sand art and sea side jollies.

xx

Happy Scrappy Cushions

Hello hello!

New to my etsy shop are these Happy Scrappy Cushions. You can purchase one of these or commission your own.  

I can make one in whatever colour/pattern combination you fancy or I can use fabrics that have meaning for you. Perhaps scraps of those cherished first baby clothes or toddler frocks that you've been hanging onto but don't know what to do with.

Happy shopping!

xx

Putting my head back on

Oh my goodness, how on earth did three months go by?

I think I needed a little break while I put my head back on. You see, over the winter I spent huge gobs of time applying for jobs that I thought I should have, but didn't really want. Unsurprisingly, they didn't want me either. But the constant uncertainty and waiting for the rejections that, in some cases, never came (rude people) did me no good at all. My head pretty much came off. Or at least was very wobbly.

Not long after my last post I stopped. I stopped pretending, stopped wasting all that time and got on with something useful instead. I painted all the downstairs windows on my house, and the front door, and the back door. And organised someone to paint the upstairs ones. I planted things and weeded things and got on with things.

Then what do you know... whilst nattering to some extremely fabulous women friends about the whole pants-ness of job applications and the much-better-ness of getting on with something productive, one of them offered me some work. Not the sitting in an office managing stuff and organising stuff work that I have always done. No, completely out of nowhere, and completely insightfully and brilliantly she asked me to be her gardener. (Or more accurately a gardener for a holiday house owned by her business).

Yes! Yes yes yes!

I love it! And although I have been cramming in the hours a bit trying to get on top of it before the school holidays eat my days, and it has been squeezing the rest of life a bit in consequence, I am happier than I have been in a long time.

Thanks to another friend who heard what I was up to and who knows people who know people, I am going to see another lady next week to see if I can help her get on top of her garden in September.

At the same time I gave up my little high street shop space as a waste of time and money. Instead, I am going to try to master etsy a bit better. The latest development is that another lovely friend has asked me to do some sewing for her.

It may never make my fortune, but I am ok with that. It may be very seasonal (read occasional), but I am ok with that too. The most important thing is that it is life affirming rather than life sucking. I am back in control, and if there is no gardening work, or sewing work to be done right now, then I am free to work on my house, work on my own garden and sew things I want to sew. Or not.

And that's perfect.

xx