New........

So......out with the old and in with the new.

Christmas was good......yes.....it was very good.

We were away for the first half visiting family, then cosily tucked up in our little house for the second half.

Fresh air was lovingly inhaled, places were visited, beaches were walked upon, cousins played together, mulled wine was drunk, mince pies were had, babies were cuddled and midday naps were enjoyed.

Isn't it lovely when that happens? It's always the true sign of a holiday when days roll into the next and you completely lose track of the day and date.

 

 awe....cousins

Back to reality......well, almost. The Bears go back to school tomorrow so I got to have one last lazy morning.

The weather has been really rather grotty all round. Dark and grey....wet and windy. Not the best Christmas and start to the New Year for many in the UK. High winds, flooding and power cuts have made Christmas a misery for many. I am always thankful to be living on a hill when the rain just pours and pours....although a complete nightmare in the ice!

But, these sort of grotty days make for snuggly days in. Lamps on, candles burning. The homely smells of fresh coffee pots on the go throughout the day and freshly baking bread. A really old cliche, but nothing beats those two together in a house. Yet, I must confess, I still have to perfect the art of bread making. It's bugging me. I am determined to crack it and make a loaf that I won't pick apart and scrutinise. But, until then, the aroma, coupled with fresh coffee makes me smile and warms the cockles of my heart no end.

Lazy breakfasts and fresh hot lattes. Porridge with lashings of cinnamon, nutmeg and juicy raisins. This is the weather to be indulgent. This year I simply DO NOT CARE.

Wow, so a new year has landed on our doorsteps. The decorations are down. Truth be told, I went very minimal this year, so it wasn't too much of a wrench taking them down. I went for little and bright and was pleased with that.

I am now relishing spring bulbs in the house and less clutter. I am always ready to take down the decorations. I don't feel sadness, I like the feeling of new and fresh, even if the days are dull and grey. I have new crafty projects lined up for 2014. My head is buzzing with what I want to make this year. I did tell myself 'NO MORE BLANKETS', but I can't see myself sticking to that. I have plenty, way more than enough to satisfy my brood on a chilly day, but I am very much drawn to them. It'd be nice to have lots of smaller, less time consuming projects on the go this year, but i'll just go with the flow of what my crazy head wants throughout the twelve months.

I do always walk into the new year feeling a tad uneasy. Wondering what my overall feeling of the year will be by its end. A little silly I know, and i'm not wishing it away already, it's just that feeling I always get of treading into the unknown. I don't really do New Years resolutions, but I like to have a word to use for the year.

This year the word is 

SIMPLE

It's a nice word, don't you think? I want this year to be a year of simplicity. To really enjoy the simple things.

I want a slow pace where I can really look at all the small things and enjoy them. I want a year where I remind myself, that feeling rich in life isn't about winning the lottery. Having family that loves you, friends who are there for you, a roof over your head, food on your table, senses to enjoy this planet to its fullest and Bears to hug and make my heart ache with love.......

....well, that's pretty darn rich isn't it. And I am so grateful for it all. I don't want to take it for granted.

Last year was a mixed year for me. There were highs and lows, and I came away from the year realising that life always twists and turns in unexpected ways. New family enter your life and old family depart. You cannot fight it. You roll with it, you learn from it and hopefully become a little wiser for it. Sometimes it's great, sometimes it's not, but you need to have faith that it will all even out and there will be many smiles to look back upon.

2013 was a year where I realised that I had lost myself, and a year when I had to stand back and really remind myself what made me ME. Re-discovering who I was, was an uplifting little journey. It's a very hard feeling to describe, but the sense of calm and happiness that you feel inside is energising...if that makes sense. I felt like I had broken through a cocoon that had formed around me. As much as I love this whole great big crafting community, all the crafty mags, pinterest (and IG when I started on it), I do think that you have to be careful with it. It's completely inspiring and can open your mind to so much creativity, but it can also suck you up without you realising it. To the point where, if you realise it (as I did), you are riding the waves of other peoples dreams and not your own. I'm not so sure that that came across as succinctly as I would have liked but it was how I felt. Has anyone else felt the same? Or is it just me? Breaking that cocoon, remembering what I ACTUALLY love instead of what I THINK I should love because every one else loves it, has been liberating. I did have to step away form everything for a bit, but it was just so right....and now I have a rejuvinated love for blogging. That can only be a good thing.....right?

So, this year. It's simple. It's being grateful for the riches in my life. It's pootling around in my own little world, doing what I want to do and what makes me smile. After all, life is so much better with a smile on ones face.

XXX