Operation House to Home - Part 1

We are having some pretty major work done on our house and although it is playing havoc with my anxiety, it is really exciting.

We started with new double glazing and I can't believe what a massive difference it has made to the house, inside and out.  When we moved into the house 19 years agoI thought part of it's charm was the dark wood double glazing, of course, we viewed it at Christmas time and there was a beautifully lit tree in the bay window and somehow fairy lights can make you fall in love with anything!

We have gone for white PVC and got rid of the bay window, opting for one big flush window in the living room.  The light coming in to the house is amazing.  It has also made me more willing to get rid of things because we had to clear areas around the windows for the men to work and I am liking this new open space so I don't want to move things back.

The only member of the family who isn't overly happy with the whole situation is Harry!  The big window ledge in the bay window was his spot where he sat and watched the world go by and now when he falls asleep on the narrower window ledge he has a tendency to fall off :(  We are working with him though and encouraging him to try new things, we have even had his hair cut so he's a better fit :) I'll keep you posted on his progress.

The next step in Operation House to Home is the garden, so stand by for updates and major panic attacks

Obsession with Etsy

I don't know why it has taken me so long to really get into Etsy. I have known about it for ages but had never bought anything, probably due to my fear of paypal, but I had followed a link to a stationery club and it took me to Etsy.  The lure of a box of stickers, paperclips and washi tape was too much so I ordered it.  To my surprise I didn't have to pay through paypal, so I can sit that irrational fear to one side to deal with another day:).

Now I don't watch tv, I watch Etsy instead.

Etsy is full of things that you didn't even know existed but now your life feels that bit emptier without them in it. So I thought I would share some of these little gems with you as I find them.

The first thing is an item of pure genius, there seem to be quite a few sellers doing similar things, which surprised me, who would have known there would have been such high demand.  I was looking for a hat for Wear a Hat Day and I came across this:

Who wouldn't want one of these?

This one is from an Etsy shop called Crafty Ridge and they do a selection of other novelty hats that you didn't know you needed:)  There is also a shop called KnotARealBeard, which I think is a brilliant name, they are also from the UK and it's always good to support local businesses.  

In the end, due to time constraints, I had to borrow a selection of hats from my kids but I'm pretty sure that I'll be wearing one of these to the next wedding I attend:)

Gone AWOL!

Life has not been the best for the past 8 months.  It seems that every time I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, it turns out to be a train coming towards me! 

Around the middle of last year I had a very bad time with my depression, things were worse than they had ever been and I had some really black and worrying times. Thankfully, with some tweaks to my medication and a lot of support from my family, things are a lot better now.

Then in November I found a lump under my arm. I went straight to the doctor and she found another lump, I was referred to the hospital and had to wait for what felt like an eternity to have tests done.  This hung over me like a big black cloud over Christmas and finally, in the middle of January, I got the all clear :) It turns out my armpits are fat, nice to see they are consistent with the rest of my body!

Then, on 31st January, my Grandad passed away. He had overcome so many different illnesses that we all just thought he would live forever.  In the end it was a bladder infection that set off septicaemia and he just couldn't fight it.  The whole family was, and still is, devastated.  My Grandad was the most loving, caring and encouraging man and my life was better for having him part of it.

So, what next?

I am going to pick myself up, brush myself off and get on with life.     I have come to the realisation that I need to focus on the positives in life, be thankful for what I have got and not worry about the things I don't have, or that I have no control of.  This is sometimes easier said than done but I'm going to give it a go.

As a family we are going to work on making our home a nicer place to be. We are on a big decluttering mission just now in preparation for having some home improvements done, so watch this space to hear more about that.

I want to get back in to my crafts, making You Tube videos and developing my blog, hopefully those 3 things will all work together too.  As a part of taking control of my life I have discovered a whole new world of organisation and filo faxes which has suddenly given me justification for my stationery addiction:)

So keep popping in to see what's going on in my life.