Wednesday 26 January 2011

A new day begins..........

Did the day get better? Well, it took a while that's for sure. The headache seemed to linger all day, the washing machine...well and truly broken (and piles of dirty laundry seem to be piling up as I type!). My history with broken washing machines and dishwashers is not a good one. Those stupid extra warranty plans you take out are more hassle than they are worth. Suffice to say, rather than making my life easier, The last time those two appliances broke I was without a dishwasher for 10 weeks and a washing machine for 12! Now, I know some of you are reading this and laughing as you may not have a need or a want for a dishwasher. But living in a family of 5 with a tiny kitchen and baby bear, who was a baby at the time....I just couldn't stand it. I was glued to the sink, and hated, hated, hated there being a constant set of dirty dishes by its side. I seemed to have the appliances that nobody could fix, companies that were useless, and engineers who were even more so. Not being able to face the hassle of trying to get someone to come and inspect it and then tell me it will be impossible to fix, I spent a good hour searching online for prices.......ouch...they made me whince. Not a January expense Mr H and I are looking forward too.

I caught a beloved cup on the kitchen counter and it smashed to smitherines on the floor, spraying hot tea everywhere with it. Luckily, although it was a fave, it was not one of my brand new cup purchases....otherwise.....well.....that would have seriously topped things off!

So, during the day, I tried to take all your advice! I settled with a little hooky project, just a quick, satisfying one to calm me. I drank steaming hot tea from my recently purchased fave cups and tried to sooth my troubles away. A tad difficult with a raging head, but I did try!



I am completely in love with these cups! Is that weird? I know a fair few people who are funny about their cups. You know, how in the office, people take their own cups in to drink from instead of having the generic company cups provided. Somehow, a drink tastes much nicer from a cup you like! Well I certainly like these. I adore their shape and their texture. They are fine bone china, so the drink stays at it's hottest (incredibly important for me! Anything other than piping hot is just urrrggghhhh!). That's how I justified them to Mr H...he gets it, he knows what I am like! Their whiteness is pure and makes me smile, and their texture when you wrap your hands around them is soothing. To trace your fingers around the flowers as you drink. Okay, so yes, I am a little weird, but it is a very nice way to have your drink! Although I didn't get them straight from this company (and paid less for them too!), the company that makes them is this one. They are called 'plum mugs' as I guess their shape is...well...plum like! I like the way you can wrap your hands neatly around them to get the full warmth of the drink on your hand on a cold day. I am rather taken with their 'tubby mugs' also. Ah, what's a girl going to do!

So, feeling a little less devastated that it wasn't one of these new beauties that I broke, I drank out of them all day! They put a teeny tiny smile back on my face.



I tried to take pleasure in my hyacinth purchase that morning. Luckily they weren't in the bag with the broken eggs! They smell divine and look beautiful. They put a second little smile on my face......





My narcissus have opened and are the cutest little things. Little smile number three.



...And I have been indulging in toast and jam...rather a lot. little smile number four.


I indulged in a long luxurious bath in the evening complete with candles, ipod and wine......did a girly pamper...and felt all the better for it. Mr H made sure baby bear gave a me a good nights sleep, so all is better with the world (so far!) today!

Thank you ladies for your comments. More appreciated than you will know. Looks like we all get them. You are all just so awesome!

Happy Wednesday!

xxx


32 comments:

  1. I loved your new mug - both lovely to hold and to look at! And all your beautiful flowers are so cheerful. I do sympathise with the machines breaking down thing - when you've got a family to take care of it's the last thing you need! Hope your headache disappears and you feel great! Thanks for a lovely bright post. Helen x

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  2. Oh, I love those cups!! I want one of each! I don't know how you manage to find such treasures everywhere you go. Guess I just don't get out enough. I know too well the effect of a terrible headache and do hope you are headache free today and for many more to come! :-)

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  3. Oh boy, those sorts of days are the pits. I sure hope today is much better for you!! Love those cups too. And I am one who gets partial to fav mugs! Your flowers are ever so pretty!

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  4. Glad your day got better, just looking at your lovely pics has perked me up :)
    Love from
    Jane x x x x

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  5. Sorry for your troubles but glad you are finding things to make you smile. The right mug is VERY important.If Mr Boo makes me a cup of tea it has to be in a certain mug,otherwise I can't enjoy it! :0)

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  6. Those are gorgeous mugs, and lots of tea and toast certainly helps me on a rough day. Hope your headache goes away and the day goes better.

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  7. Glad you managed to slowly turn your day around, dont you just hate them days!
    Your mugs are gorgeous, I could drink tea from them all day too :)

    enjoy the rest of your day!

    Jade xx

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  8. Good to hear that your day improved. Love the new cup, very pretty xx

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  9. Glad your day got better. Those hyacinths are stunning! I'm new to your blog - how can I have missed this?!

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  10. awwwwww im glad you had a well deserved pampering! you know i sooo am amazed by you that you have 3 boys + a hubby and have such a pretty pretty home!!!! and it always seems so bright and cheery. You must be finding it a struggle without a washing machine, i lived for 3 months without one after it went dead!- and hand washed every other day! back breaking!!!!
    sooo having to cope with 5 lots of clothes must be very hard work.
    i really hope you get the parts fixed! ;0)X
    I sooooooo love your piccys vanessa a real inspiration! x Love the mugs!- how adorable!
    im with you about a fav mug...i only buy nice ones- boring is sooo out the door!
    i too play with the mug with the ribbed effect
    while im drinking hot coffee/tea/hot choco.

    great styly- as always beautiful xxxxx

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  11. I normally take myself off to bed on days like that - though tea and toast works too.

    I've been smothering my toast with carmel smudge this past week - not great for my waist, but as it's only I that cares then smudge away!!!

    take care and I hope today has been better? I woke up with a little one snuggled up to me at 3am this morning!

    Nina xxx

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  12. Glad you are feeling better! It really is pants when you have days like that.

    Really hope you can get your washing machine fixed. I know how much washing builds up! And I hated it a few years ago when our dishwasher broke. I couldnt live without mine. I dont like washing and wiping up for hours on end. Life is too short.

    Love your mugs. I love a pretty or quirky mug. it does make your drink taste even nicer. Although i am a lukewarm tea drinker! lol. Gorgeous pics as ever. Hope today is a lot easier on your soul.


    MBB x

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  13. I have a girlfriend who loves to do dishes and handwashes most of her clothes too! She would go on and on how much better it was and cleaner too!
    She worked full time on top of it....I thought she was super woman till I found out her mother did all the washing.....I had to laugh!
    I love pretty mugs too I think they make every cup of coffee and tea a special moment especialy when your looking at a pile of dirty dishes!

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  14. Lovely mugs - they would make me smile! Sounds like you're managing to find quite a bit to smile about, in spite of hassles. The flower pics are gorgeous - I can smell the hyacinths! Take care X

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  15. Sorry to hear you were having "one of those days" yesterday. Why is it everything goes wrong when you are least able to deal with it? Glad you are feeling brighter today. M x

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  16. Oh, what a day you had! I completely agree with you about the mug thing. I have one (handpainted, given to me by my son) which I use at breakfast - it's lovely to wrap your hands around, as you say. And I have a sampler-pattered one I bought in a charity shop which I use later in the day. I don't like to muddle them up - sometimes I worry about myself!

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  17. :-( I hated it when my washing machine broke, a nightmare with 3 kiddies - where does all that washing come from! When I bought a new one our local engineer who is fab said that Bosche are the best make - they cost a bit more but , fingers crossed, it hasn't let us down once - phew!

    Love those cups, gorg!

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  18. I have a thing about mugs too. My grandad bought me a bone china clown mug with an egg wrapped in cellophane just before he died. I adored the mug and wouldn't let anyone borrow it. If they did I'd be very upset in case they broke it. In the end I dropped it myself and broke it - sob - I wish they'd make bone china mugs again at easter.

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  19. So glad all was well that ended well, well mostly. I've only had a dishwasher for 3 years but would cry if it broke, its also all about keeping things tidier too.

    Hope some luck comes along for you in the next few days. And good on you, cups form Stoke-on-Trent and not China....we need all the support we can get in Stoke.

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  20. I' so with you on the mug front, the OH used 'my' mug when making someone a cup of tea and I couldn't drink out of it again. I'm very protective of my mug. Luckily just after I received a Strawberry mug from Hookin with LaaLaa in a swap or I don't know what the consequences would be! :) x

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  21. Beautiful photos there, love the scarf and jug one! Those cups are beautiful, I prefer a china cup too.
    Hugs to you
    Kandi x

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  22. Hi you poor love! I can remember standing at the front door waiting for steve to come home and thrusting a small child immediately into his arms so I could have a break!add into the mix broken appliances and oh the misery! you are quite right to treat yourself and have a pamperooni night! jennyx

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  23. I'm so glad your day got better, then again I don't think it could have got much worse bless you. Why is it all these things have to happen to us at once, talk about trying your patience.
    Sending some better luck your way with a big hug xxx

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  24. I agree with you about the tea tasting better from a cup you like. I am a coffee drinker and like to drink it in a low, wide cup rather than a mug. I love the look of your coffee machine by the way, does it make good coffee? Let's hope tomorrow is a better day for you. Linda

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  25. Good days bad days! Glad your day turned out okay in the end. Lovely mugs. xx

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  26. Sometimes...we owe it to ourselves to have a generous scoop of Me Time.
    You know, when you feel good, it spills over onto everyone else so all benefit from your new good mood.
    Love the mugs by the way!

    Much love
    Julia x x x

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  27. Hi Vanessa,

    I am glad you are feeling a bit better. I hope you won't have to wait for twelve weeks for your washing machine to be repaired. That is so long!! I already find a week far too long. I hope you have friendly neighbours who can help you out. You can bring your washing over to me, but I guess it's a bit tooooo far away :-)!

    Your mugs look lovely! I can imagine why you fell in love with them. They look very sweet!

    Lieve groet & take care,

    Madelief

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  28. I love your photos, glad things are a little better x

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  29. Gorgeous mugs, are you going to share where you got them from cos I have looked at their website and they are way out of my price range? I am trying to convince myself that herbal teas are nice and a new china mug might just make that more believable! If it's any consolation, my washing machine appears to be on the blink too.

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  30. I totally understand why you are in love with those cups!!1 I'm too!

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  31. It is so important to have a hot cup of tea, especially when things are just not going right! That is pretty rubbish about the appliances, it is a nightmare then they die and always at the wrong time.
    Loving those mugs and the scarf wrapped around the jug is pretty stunning :)

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  32. Mug is adorable!:) For me mugs is a very important thing for my own comfort.

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