Day 98:Productively Resting

Fibromyalgia is kicking my butt.  Yesterday’s flare has sat on me all today.  I’ve had very little energy and spent a lot of time lying down.  However, Hubby has been a gem and helped me by being my mover.  If you saw my house at the moment, you might not realise that I like neat surroundings.  My flat is, frankly, cluttered beyond belief and I hate it.

We moved in as happy newlyweds with no kids, no pets and only ourselves to please.  We live in a quiet 2 bedroom flat and the 2nd bedroom started life as an office space that rapidly degenerated into Junk Room.  You know how it goes, you have guests coming short notice so you throw everything in the spare room to sort out later.  Then stuff piles up on the dining table so you pop in the office out the way to sort out later.  Then you get a delivery of furniture which needs putting together but you don’t have time right now so you stick it in the office to do later.  Then later becomes never.

And then the newlyweds get used to having a Junk Room and it’s ok because we don’t need that bedroom anyway.  Until we do.  Out of the blue (we had given up on having kids), I found out I was pregnant.  Action stations demanded clearing out the Junk Room and making it into a Nursery.  Except at the same time, the flat owners decided to put in a new kitchen and bathroom.  So suddenly there’s boxes everywhere and my fridge is living in the small gap left behind the sofa from all the stuff that was in the Junk Room.

Then the whole babydom thing happened.  Suddenly, the newlyweds are parents and are distracted from all the stuff hiding behind the sofa.  We kinda get used to stuff being there.  We don’t really notice it much.  Except I do.  And I hate it.  And just as I was starting to get it sorted, I was pregnant again.  And, oh my, did I feel rough.

Fast forward a year (let’s skip the nausea and bloating, shall we?) and we have a beautiful baby girl and even less room to swing our poor put upon feline.  We have Girly in a travel cot in our room as Boyo can’t cope with her crying at night.  So things are cramped and cluttered.  And guess what?  I hate it!

Despite feeling like a mouldy damp dishrag, I decided enough was enough.  All my creative project were ending up in a heap beside my bed which meant I couldn’t get to it easily and my bedside cabinet was marooned in a sea of stuff.  With Hubby moving while I directed, we cleared it out and turned round my bedside cabinet so I can access it easily!  My craft supplies now have a proper home and I LOVE IT!!!

I love knowing where my yarn bag is.  I love knowing where my bag of yarn for projects is.  And I have all my new supplies for drawing and journalling to hand too.  Whether I’m trapped in bed (as I have been all afternoon) or able to get up, I know my craft supplies are nearby.  This will hopefully make my crafting less stressful.

Happiness is… a well organised crafting area.

Day 96: Buzzing about

Last week we had Boyo’s friend over for the afternoon and they had a great time.  This week, Boyo went out with his friend to the local Country Park.  Hubby and I decided to go into town together to just relax and have a little fun.  We looked in the shops we don’t normally go in with a cantankerous 4 year old and spent time in a coffee shop relaxing.  Girly fell asleep on the way into town and pretty much stayed that way the whole time we were out.  I bought a couple of new pens (I feel a new addiction coming on) and we looked at all the variety of pens available in our stationery shops.

Time ran very quickly and Hubby headed to home to Boyo while I was again set free to do my own thing.  This evening was a Make and Meet at Bestie K’s cafe.  I met up with another friend and we braved taking a bus to a new destination.  Both of us had only been to the cafe by car so going on the bus was a bit of an adventure.  It turned out to be really easy and I think it’s a nice ride too.  I can see me doing it again.

I sat in the cafe and instead of crocheting, I actually did some drawing.  The look on my friends’ faces was a picture.  I am known for my crocheting morning, noon and night so the sight of me with a pen in hand startled them a bit.  I was practicing with my new brush pens to see what effects I could get with them.  I also had the lovely #DNDChallenge prompt of Flowering Vines to play with.  I had a pleasant evening even with some uncomfortable moments due to an ex-friend.  I am really pleased with my work on the #DNDChallenge so far.  It is pushing me to try new things and I love doing that!  Here’s what I came up with today.

Happiness is… Spending time with Hubby with crafting for afters.

Day 85: A new skill?

Drawing has always been something I pretty much suck at.  I once drew some Pokemon for an 8 year old we were babysitting for and Hubby genuinely thought that the 8 year old had done them.  I’ve recently found myself wandering into the realm of Instagram and I stumbled across a rather nifty tutorial for doodling a sheep.  Being slightly bored, I kinda figured why not have a try?

So, I did it!

I am ridiculously proud of my sheep.  I showed hubby and he didn’t really get why I was grinning like a loon but he did say it looked like a sheep so I will let him off.

 

In other news, I freaking LOVE hand lettering.  I think I have stumbled on a new/rememdered love.  I’ve always admired the calligraphy of hand lettered signs and now I am gonna learn how to do it!

 

Day 84:

Standing in the cold, it was hard to imagine feeling happy but I was.  Boyo walked with his classmates around the school playground sporting his Easter Hat with a smile.  Boyo was quickly overwhelmed by the amount of people but he just came to me and asked to be held.  We often have this happen when we attend school functions because he knows I can calm him.  The great thing is that the staff let him do it.  We have told them we are ok with it and they are happy to let Alex find a calm haven with us.  When he got too boisterous, I gently stroked his back which I’ve recently discovered calms him down.  He leaned into me for the comfort and was able to tolerate 15minutes surrounded by the whole school and all the parents of the school.  There were no meltdowns or flaps that show he is distressed, we are learning together how to keep him calm and I love the difference it is making for him.

Speaking of calming things, I sat and practiced my Hand Lettering while waiting for the Ks to get home.  I sat in the quiet and wrote my favourite fancy writing out.  I experimented with different ways of forming the letters and I’m really pleased with the outcome. 

My toughest challenge is accepting that mistakes are ok.  I have a few things I want to work on but I felt so relaxed afterwards.  I felt totally at ease and capable of dealing with the kids.  That feeling stayed with me all evening.  I could get used to that!

Happiness is… A new relaxing hobby.

Day 76: Superheroes in the Supermarket

We were invited to attend Boyo’s class to help him create a Super Vegetable.  Boyo’s school likes to have lots of parental input and we have been invited in for different things fairly regularly since September when Boyo started school.  Being invited to bring in a vegetable and create a superhero was not something I had expected but being game for most things and wanting to build a good relationship with the school, we went along for the fun.

Of course, Boyo treats vegetables with the contempt only a small child can produce so he chose a banana instead.  We arrived with our bunch of bananas (just in case he takes against the banana we would choose) and we quickly noted that every other parent and child grouping had conformed to the vegetable rule.  Oh well, never mind.

We folded ourselves into the teeny chairs for 4 year olds (I’m 5 foot 7 and Hubby is 6 foot 2) and set to work.  Basically, we let Alex take the lead and I cut out the bits we needed and Hubby glued them down.  Oh, and getting school glue to stick to smooth banana skin is definitely an exercise in patience and determination.  (You WILL stick!!!)

Boyo’s teacher did explain that they had been reading a book called Supertato and Boyo was excitedly telling us all about it and the Evil Peas.

 

Thank you World Book Day for the confusing but fun conversations we have been having about vegetables this week.  Incidentally, Boyo has suddenly taken to eating peas with a vengeance – possibly literally.

It is now my great pleasure to introduce to you, dear reader, the newest, happiest, healthiest Superhero I know… SuperBanana!!

 

Happiness is… A fun, family activity with a fruit.

Day 37: bLOOMing Marvellous

A day with Bestie K is always a Happy one.  We did shopping and coffee then back to Bestie K’s for an evening of weaving and chatting.  It was great!

We both have shiny new Peg Looms and wanted to have a bash at it together.  I bought my Loom way back in the mists of time (A.K.A. October) at the Bakewell Wool Gathering and for various reasons didn’t a round to it.  K got one more recently but we were both crocheting our fingers off for orders in time for Christmas and so we both never got a round to it.  We decided at the beginning of this year to have a Loom Party!  That’s right! We got a round to it!

It was good fun!  Once you get the initial faffy bit sorted (much easier when you have a threader!) it’s really quite relaxing.  You are just going back and forth across the piece with the occasion yanking out of the wooden pegs.  It all comes together at the end and you go home to your beloved and he says ‘very nice dear’.  Or in my case, “Lovely.  What’s the yarn made of? It feels nice.”

I’m gonna make another piece and make a bag.  I feel all enthusiastic about it.  K has also most definitely caught the Weaving Bug.  We may never have time to crochet again!

Happiness is… A crafty time with friends.

 

P.S.  You can thank K for the title. 🙂

Day 36: Catching Up!

I admit it, I was Happy that Boyo was finally back at school today.  I love him dearly but it was a relief to get him back to school.  The walk to school was incredibly stressful due to the re-establishment of routine but it was a blessing to get some downtime after a long week.  Having a sick kid is bad, having a sick kid with Sensory Processing Issues is extremely hard work.  I was even more glad Boyo was well enough to be in school as we had Girly’s 4 month vaccinations this morning too.

I spent the rest of the time playing catch up.  In fact, I caught up on blogging and even managed a few pages of my February Self development Book.  I’ve decided that I want to read/go through one book for my self development each month.  My Shining Life workbook has got me going on my goals and this new goal has grown out of all the awesome books I’ve seen recommended and that appeal to me.  This month, I’ve got Juicy Pens, Thirsty Paper by SARK to do.  I’m enjoying her style of writing and have been taking notes.  I’m enjoying this blog and I want to expand my writing practice more.

I’ve also hooked up with a lovely lady who is going through this book at the same time and we will be touching base regularly to chat. 🙂  I love the supportive circle of people I have found through the Shining Life workbook and I love that I’m moving forward with a purpose now.

I even got a bit of crochet done tonight!  I’ve been so busy with Boyo and keeping up with all the other commitments that I really lost track of my crochet.  And boy, did it show.  When this Mama doesn’t crochet, ain’t nobody happy!!  I love to crochet and when I don’t get time to do it, I get cranky.  I’ve seen a lot of articles recently on the therapeutic benefits of crafting and I can attest that they are real.  I always feel happier for crocheting.

Happiness is… catching up and crochet.

Day #19: Friends

There’s not much better for my soul than a good cuppa and some craft time. Unless that cuppa and crafting comes with friends.

I have laughed so hard this evening that my cheeks hurt.  I’ve also met new people and consoled a good friend.  Then there was more laughter.  I loved the company I was in (Geek Girls of the World Unite) and even did a bit of crochet 🙂

Happiness is… Crafty friends.

Day #18: Crochet commissions

Over the holidays I took a break from the crochet I do for Kev’s Ippos.  I normally do an order a week or so and it keeps me ticking over mentally but I needed a break so took the opportunity to relax.  My crojo has been seriously lacking so I thought I’d ease in gently with a scarf.  It was a little hard on the hands but it felt good to be back on task.

Then came the nerve wracking bit – showing a photo to the customer. This bit always gets me.  No matter how beautiful my work, I always fear that they will hate it.  So when the customer said it was amazing, I did a little happy dance in my head.  I love to crochet and when the person who asked for something loves it, I’m very happy.

Happiness is… A happy customer.