It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!

 

Christmassy crafting has begun.

 

 

It's officially Xmas when the Coca Cola truck arrives!

 

 

The tree has been put up (this was just with the lights, before we decorated)

 

 

The front door has been Christmassified (I think I made that word up!)

 

 

Chrtistmassy films have been watched by the light of the tree.

 

It does feel like Christmas has just crept up out of no where, & all of a sudden we are less than 2 weeks away! The gift shopping is almost done, the gift making is underway, next week is full of Nativity plays, Christmas discos, carol singing. Wow! Im tired just thinking of it!

 

How prepared are you? All done? Or starting to panic!!

 

xxx

Getting Organised

 

 

 

One of the major issues in my life is that I am so unorganised. I just cannot seem to get on top of everything. I feel like Im constantly treading water & trying to keep my head above the crashing waves (Im also feeling slightly overdramatic today!!) In the last few years, I've really come to realise how being so disorganised really adds to stress levels & how stress can really make you ill.  The ongoing issue seems to be how to not only get organised, but how to stay organised, especially with a Husband & three children who chose not to be organised but also expect me to not only know everything going on in their lives but also where everything single little thing in the house is. They also chose to keep every single piece of paper, cardboard box etc etc.

 

 

As you can imagine, the house is a mess, & the stress levels are high, sky high.

 

 

So getting this house & our lives more organised is high on the list of priorities. I set up a Organising Board on Pinterest to help me keep track of the ideas Ive found whilst browsing the net (see! Im getting organised!! LOL!)

 

 

One of my major bugbears is the counter & cupboard by the front door, it seemed to be the dumping ground for everyone & everything in our house.

 

 

Want to see? I'm warning you, its not pretty.

 

 



Yep, not pretty. & very embarassing since this is the first thing people see when they come into our house.

The cupboard above was not much better.

In fact you pretty much took your life into your hands opening it!!

Take a deep breath.

I know.

 

Now dont get me wrong, Ive attempted on quite a few occasions to get this under control. But I was fighting a losing battle, as within a day, things would start piling up. Paperwork, toys, keys, purses/wallets, screws/cable ties/nails/whatever the Husband emptied out of his pocket when he got home.

 

So in order to get this area more under control, I had to change what it was used for, & be brutal when it came to decluttering. Under all this clutter there was a wooden organiser, apparently this is supposed to be used for organising paperwork etc? We tended to use it for shoving whatever paper needed to be dealt with, receipts, take away leaflets etc into it. I decided to remove this from the counter, it wasnt being used properly, therefore there was no need for it.In fact I ended up clearing everything from the counter. All that the counter really needed to be used for, was somewhere to put keys when we came in. I knew that an empty counter would bug me (I have a need to be surrounded by prettiness), so I got rid of the ugly metal bucket that previously held the keys & swopped it for a little wooden tray that was sitting on another shelf being unused. I added to it with a cross stitched picture I made 2 years ago, a oil burner, some HOME blocks & a speaker for the Ipod.

 

Much better, so much better. Still room for improvement though. I think a plant would be perfect here, but it doesnt get much sunlight, so I need to research that idea a bit more. I'd also like to swop out the oil burner for a candle in a jar. Preferably a Yankee Candle, but we'll see how funds are.

 

 

Want to see the cupboard? Ive got admit that I managed to be brutal with it & threw out an entire rubbish bag full of crap.

 

 



So much better :-) & now you dont take your life into your hands when opening said cupboard.

 

 



 

 

Is it weird how happy this is making me? 

 

 

 

Well its a start, a pretty good start I think! Unfortunately its highlighted the rest of the house as being a complete shambles. Next on the list is either the cupboard where all my baking stuff etc is kept, or the bureau which is currently stuffed full of unecessary paper work. I'm hoping to turn this into a Family Command Centre.

 

 

xxx

Where did October go?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ok, what happened to October? I seem to have blinked & missed it! Doesnt time fly when you are really busy & so much is going on?! LOL!

 

I have to admit Ive lost my blogging mojo (& my creativity mojo seems to be awol too). I kept thinking Ive got nothing interesting to blog about, until I sat down one day & made a list of changes I want to make to the blog. I thought I'd take a look around & see if I have anything lying about that I havent blogged yet. Turns out I have nearly 20 'projects' that I havent blogged! I cannot begin to think why I havent!! So,over the next few weeks I shall be attempting to photograph & blog these projects, so that at some point soon there might be something interesting to read about here, woo hoo!!

 

Well, I'd better get on then. Its cleaning/housework day, in preparation for having a relaxing weekend with the family.

 

What have you got planned for the weekend?

 

xxx

Checking In......

.......to say Hi!! How are you? Everything good?

My older girls have been back at school for 2 weeks now, Miss M had a sad start to term with the news that 2 of her best friends were moving that week. It was heartbreaking to watch her try to deal with the news, I dont think I have ever seen her cry so hard. But every day I think she is finding it easier to deal with. I think as adults we forget how huge things are to kids. As adults, we deal with friends moving by agreeing to stay in contact via phone, email, facebook etc. Also I guess with busy lives, we dont see friends as often as we'd like. But as a kid, your friends are there every day in school, its a constant in your life. Them moving away is a huge upheval in their life.

Miss K has dealt pretty well with the new term. She suffers from some health issues (not majorily serious but enough to impact her day to day life) & she is on the Autistic Spectrum, so change can be a tough thing for her. We've had some tears when trying to deal with homework, remembering teachers & what she needs to do. Plus a nasty bout of hayfever/virus has seen her having to use her inhaler.

Miss L-R starts back to school tommorrow. She'll be going in the mornings rather than the afternoons for this year, which should be easier on our schedule. Its going to be weird not having my little sidekick around, but she loves school so all is good.

That gives me just under 3 hours a day to myself, which is strange. But good. I need to lose some weight & get fitter, so with the time now available I have no excuses!! I also have some other things in the pipeline, but all will be revealed at a later date :-)

Autumn is in the air. I love Autumn, its my favourite season. I'm starting to think about what to plant for spring as some bulbs will need to be planted soon. I cant quite believe I like gardening. For years it was of absolutely no interest to me, & now, I love it!! Im definitely a novice though!! But I guess the best way to learn is to actually do it!!

I havent had much time online to visit blogs etc, but 3 that I have spent some time on lately have been very inspiring so I thought I'd share them with you. (Although they are so good, you probably already know them but I'll share anyway!)

The first is Posie Gets Cozy. Alicia's site is full of beautiful photos, quilts, embroidery, cooking, etc. Its one of those sites that just makes you want to slow down, curl up on the sofa in front of a fire, sew/embroider/crochet something pretty. She also sells some really cute embroidery kits for Christmas.

The second is Heart and Handmade which is full of beautiful photos of beautiful things. I always come away feeling very inspired to make something or somewhere very pretty!!

Finally visit Cherry Menlove. The lovely Cherry has a book coming out soon, which I really want to buy. Her site is full of interior loveliness (she has just moved into her forever home & is in the process of decorating), gardening knowhow, beautiful recipes, lovely crafts & beautiful photos of her lovely twins! Cherrys site was the inspiration for my new kitchen shelves which were made by lovely husband last week, then painted & decorated by moi. I'll use some of my new found time to myself this week to photograph & blog about them.

So thats it really for now. I've got washing & ironing on the schedule for today (Joy!!), plus the usual cooking & cleaning. Miss K has a party this afternoon, so I think some crafting time for me & the other two is in order. I might squeeze in some baking, Im thinking lemon cake maybe?

I hope that wherever you are, all is good with you. Have a Happy Sunday :-)

xxx

Sunday

All is good :-)


Xxx

The end of summer.

 

My older girls went back to school today :-(

 

I really thought that I'd be looking forward to them going back, but I wasnt. We have had the lovliest summer. Dont get me wrong, there have been lots of whining & arguing. But the bad times were definitely outweighed by the good. We didnt complete all of our list (finances are not good right now), but we achieved quite a bit & spent lots of time doing nothing together. Its been really nice.

 

I still have my youngest at home as her school doesnt start for 2 weeks.

 

I am looking forward to getting back into a routine, actually starting a brand new routine which works better for us than last year! & getting the house under control (Im waging war on clutter!) Ive been busy reading organising blogs & pinning ideas. But then I find I have too many ideas & dont know which ones to use!!

 

Do you have any good tips? Or blogs that you read that you can suggest?

 

I am also looking forward to having some specific crafting time for myself. Im toying with the idea of making some bits to sell. Plus before we know it, it will be Christmas!!! I really dont want to be finishing making stuff on Christmas Eve, that was not fun last year lol!!

 

xxx

APAD-day 37

It's a Bank Holiday today.

Which means the weather is absolutely rubbish.

Gray, wet & miserable.

Ideal day for homemade bread & chicken stew :-)

APAD-day 36

We visited Waddesden Manor.

It was beautiful.

But I'm glad I don't have a home that big.

Imagine cleaning it!!!

APAD-day 35

Finally, the photo wall is up. Thank you dear hubby :-)

APAD-day 34

APAD-day 33

It was a crappy day, I felt ill, the kids were whiny & spent most of the day annoying each other. I had so much to do, but instead curled up on the sofa under a blanket (wearing a hoodie & 2 pairs of socks, it August for gawds sake!!) & started a new crochet project :-)

APAD-day 32

It was a day of baking, friends visiting, painting & finally finishing a WIP!!

APAD-day 31

Cushions & a car made from a cardboard box.

APAD-day 30

Yesterday (day 30) was pretty miserable. Ive come to the conclusion that I do not handle the high heat very well. Yesterday hit 29c, & I hated it. There was no air, no breeze, just sweltering heat. I know some people love that & that I should appreciate it as we rarely get temps that high in the UK. But I was miserable & so were the kids. Its was too hot to do anything. I really wanted to bake, but icing cupcakes in that heat was definitely out of the question.

Instead I made choc chip cookies.

& I finally got around to finishing my heart cushion (above photo) & whilst the sewing machine was all set up, I made another cushion using some lovely stripey fabric I bought last year from Ikea.

After making the cushions, I was gutted to realise that I didnt like them :-( They just didnt match the picture I had in my head (does anything ever match up to whats in your head?)

However Im not sure if my hating them was more down to the grump I was in? I think as the temps are considerably lower today (19c) Im going to spend some time prettifying my living room (I may even paint some walls if I can find the paint!!) & see if I can fall in love with them.

So, how was your weekend?

xxx

APAD-day 29

Picnicking in the sunshine :-)

APAD-day 28

I wish I could have spent today snuggled up here.

APAD-day 27

Really should have used a darker thread for her chin & hands!!

APAD-day 26

Plotting & Planning

So I have this wall. Its the wall that greets you when you walk into my house. Its the wall that leads into the kitchen. & its the wall that has been the bane of my 'want to have a pretty house' life for far too long!

Ok, that was slightly over dramatic, but Im feeling ill today so Im allowing myself the drama, lol!

Anyway........

This wall used to be magnolia. There used to be a clock hanging there, some pictures, & I believe there was at one point a crocheted garland? (I cant remember!)

Then I decided to paint said wall 'Duck Egg Blue'.

Well the tin said duck egg blue, but it came out slightly brighter than I was expecting/hoping (See this is why we use testers!!! When will I learn!)

I kept painting said wall in the hope that I would learn to love it & to be honest when it was done I did.

For a while.

I hung (well actually the Hubby did) my Home hooks, & 2 posters that I'd had for ages,with the plans to keep adding to the wall till it was 'right'.

It hasnt happened.

& the wall bugs me everytime I walk past it. Which is a lot.

Grrrr!

On Monday evening (after my mammoth day of cleaning) I sat on the sofa with the laptop ready to spend some time reading one of my favourite blogs by the lovely Cherry Menlove. She'd posted a photo on IG of her new kitchen shelves. Now I'd seriously fallen in love with the kitchen shelves she had in her previous home, so seeing the picture she'd posted I was dying to see the new ones!

I was not disappointed.

The Kitchen Shelves

Ok, now Im guessing you may be thinking 'Lisa, they are just kitchen shelves full of stuff'. Which is true. But I've come to the realisation that I like my home to be full of pretty things that make me happy, is that a bad thing?

So whilst I was drooling reading Cherrys post, it hit me. The shelves, that wall, a possible solution? I've got lots of pretties hanging around in my kitchen, cake stands, teapots, measuring cups.......the list goes on.... Maybe this is the solution? It would clear the sides of my kitchen from the pretty clutter giving me more space to work in. I am tempted to repaint the kitchen white, but to be honest, I dont have the energy right now.

But white shelves against the wall, filled with pretiness just might work.

Now Im going to need the Hubbys help on this one. But I'd really like to actually do it myself, with his guidance obviously. I'm stupidly scared of power tools but really want to get over it.

It can't be that hard can it?

xxx

APAD-day25

Off on an adventure!! :-)

Well actually off to my parents for the day. But for the first time we are going by train instead of car (I don't drive, the hubby does) & I'm taking the 3 girls by myself.

& even though I'm writing this in the present style it actually happened yesterday!!

All went well, however I'm paying for it (& the last few very busy days) by being absolutely shattered & in pain :-(

I had foreseen this & originally planned to spend the day in bed however my hubby & children have eaten all the cereal, eggs, fruit etc so looks like I have to go food shopping. Joy!!

Xxx

APAD-day 24

Today's to do list.

Which did get completed!!!

Which means I'm wrecked :-(

Xxx

Tomorrow marks the start of the Sidewalk Shawl Crochet-Along over at indielovely . This shawl has been on my ever growing To Do List for ages, so when I saw this posted on Instagram, it seemed like the best time to get it done!!

So this afternoon, whilst lying on the sofa trying to rest after visiting the Dino Park today, picnicing at the lakes yesterday & visiting the 'beach' the day before (thought holidays were supposed to be relaxing?) I printed the pattern off (as well as a few others on the list!) & got the wool/yarn ready. Even though the Crochet-Along starts officially tomorrow, some have already started, so if Im still feeling awake once the girlies are in bed, I may attempt to start!

I shouldnt really start a new project as Ive got far too many on the go right now, but I like the idea of working on it at the same time as others.

Speaking of other projects, Im working on the edging of my New Year blanket, which seeing as its now August, might need renaming, ha ha!! Fingers crossed I may have a Ta Dah post for you very soon!!

***

I just wanted to say that I know my blog hasnt been very wordly (well as wordly as it gets) lately. But time is stretched with 3 kids at home. Im enjoying A Picture A Day, as it'll give us a visual reminder of our summer. However Im sure some people will find this boring, so I hope to get my creative mojo working again very soon to get this blog on a more creative footing. I do appreciate all the comments you have left me & Im sorry that I havent been visiting/commenting on your blogs in return. Im aiming to set aside a quiet evening this week to visit & catch up with all the lovely blogs I follow.

I do envy those creative Mums who spend fun times with their kids, have clean homes, create absolute gorgeousness & manage to blog!!

Do they really exist??

xxx

APAD-day 23

At the Dino Park :-)

APAD-day 22