Thursday 8 January 2015

Closing......




.....My eyes to last year and opening them up to this new year.

New plans

New enthusiasm

I have spent the week so far trying to be a domestic goddess. Failing miserably I might add. I am fighting a losing battle with the washing piles, and seriously getting cheesed off that I am just moving one pile of rubbish from one place to the next...then moving it back again. There is, however,  a sense of joy at removing all packaging from Christmas stuff and piles not looking so big to put away. I did find my day to day china collection on sale in a shop while I was away (the blinking stuff never goes on sale) so I felt the need to splurge a little. I'm now regretting it as it's giving me a headache trying to fit it in cupboards. I'm pants at sorting that kind of stuff, like I'm pants at sorting out the fridge after a big food shop.

Onwards and upwards though. I shall not be defeated.........






The decorations have come down and the Christmas Mantel shall make way for something more appropriate. A posy of tulips and hyacinths to add a bit of colour. Scented candles are still featuring heavily on the gloomier days.

I know that I want to start the New Year with eyes wide open, and let all the sunshine in. I want it all to be about the sunshine this year. Most definitely.




Last year was a weird one. Really good, yet really rather awful. I left 2014 feeling drained in every way, shape and form. I have realised that I need to spend a bit of time on myself. I have also realised, that I have reached the age where I have no patience for a lot of things. I found this quote by Meryl Streep on Pinterest here, (Well, at least I think it is. I'm not sure you can ever be too trusting of where these quotes come from on Pinterest. I like it all the same.) I think I'm heading that way.


I don't want to be a grump. Maybe it's just how I am at the moment, or maybe it's an age thing, but I'm feeling like I am wanting to spend my energies only on things and people that/who deserve my energy being spent on. I have wasted a lot recently on people and things that I realise don't deserve it, and I do feel like that quote. Time really is limited and I just don't want to waste it anymore. 


 Having spent the last 3 months fighting off one cold after another, it's time to really get to grips with things. Start to boost my immune system. I have half heartedly tried to get fitter over the last year, but always found an excuse not to keep at it. My motivation was never really quite there as I seemed always so distracted. 

So, I have been thinking about a lot of stuff. What I want......what I need, to keep me healthy, both physically and emotionally.

I need to get fitter, and I need to be creative. 

It's pretty simple. 

Only two things. 

Two teeny tiny things.

Two things that can be done to keep me functioning nicely. So, I need to allow time to exercise, and allow time to be creative. I'll just have to work a busy household around both! ha ha!

I do have the dilemma of having a MASSIVE stash of choccies, cheese and alcohol left over from the Christmas binge. I thought, do I do a 'Joey', and eat all the contents from the fridge and cupboards, getting it all over and done with in one gluttonous swoop; or do I allow myself a treat each weekend if I've worked hard all week? Decisions, decisions.

Well, fitness has started, and I'm paying for it already. My poor body is in shock. It can only get better, right?

The creative juices are already in full flow too for this year.



Lots and lots of motifs in the making.....




I made a start between Christmas and the New Year on a new blanket. Yes, yes, yes, I know.......RiDiCuLoUs. Eeeek, but I'm loving it.......and I'm trying my hardest to make it more of a 'lap' blanket than a big blanket. I don't know what's wrong with me and blankets. I just cannot seem to make them single sized things. They are always huge. I guess I feel that I should make them big enough to house the Bears for snuggles, but I really ought to calm my sizes down a bit. It's Alicia Paulson's 'Sunshine Day Afghan', at least it will be, when it's put together. I wanted a base of grey and pops of colour. I'm liking how it's coming together. It's a very good stash buster, a bit eclectic colourwise, but I'm happy with it. Typically, the pic below is my fave colour combination. Although I am liking the bright pops of pink and green to offset the grey.





I have a few other projects in my head I want to get cracking on too, so I'm hoping this will be finished off soon. Yay!

I have some lovely yarn to put to good use, and I'm excited to find a project that it will be perfect for.






Yummy, scrummy yarn. I cannot stop scrunching it in my hands.


I also have plans to do some room decoration this year. I feel a need for change. I went to Ikea and bought lots of tubs to pack stuff away. Ironic as I fill my kitchen up with more stuff. I never learn and make life more difficult for myself.






I realised that my head has been quite cluttered this past year....and the space around me makes it feel more so. I need clean lines and breathing space. So, I have been squirrelling away ideas to be able to achieve this. I want a change of colour and a new view. Nothing drastic, just a splash of paint and some new makes. I feel quite excited in my head to get this year started. If nothing else, this past year has taught me to 'do it' and stop 'thinking about it'. Life really is too short.

I'm opening my eyes to the year ahead.......


xxx

35 comments:

  1. Wow, the quote by Meryl Streep was really thought provoking. I too am trying to be fitter and look after myself more. Exercise seems to be an issue but I haven't as yet found a class nearby, maybe swimming is the answer. Your blanket is stunning a real delight and the yarn is such a beautiful colour. Good luck with your plans for decorating your home.

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  2. Beautifully put, I totally understand, I feel very much the same about what I have patience for and what I want to direct my energy towards. I love your goals of getting fitter and being creative, I think I shall adopt them too. I haven't started any getting fitter yet, but I'm definitely thinking about it. And I'm down to the last piece of Christmas cheese which has got to be a good start. I love Alicia's blanket, I'm sure yours will be equally gorgeous. I have a bit of a thing about blankets, and I'm completely obsessed with your Portobello blanket, although I fear if I made it it would have to be without pink (all boys here) and wouldn't look nearly as nice. I'm mulling it over. Wishing you luck with your two aims. CJ xx

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  3. hy Vanessa
    the text is from José Micard Teixeira

    lg

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    1. Ah thanks! I wasn't convinced it was by Meryl Streep, but it's a great bit of text......food for thought! : )

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    2. My english is very bad, but i love your Blog 👍
      Many hughs from Vienna 😘

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  4. All the best for a wonderful, healthy, happy New Year. Your work is beautiful. xo Catherine

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  5. The puff stitch on your motifs looks so soft and squishy. That blanket is going to be marvelous!

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  6. 2015 can be the year you want, need and deserve.
    Keep hooking those gorgeous blankets!
    Nicky
    x

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  7. I think along with Fitter and Creative you should add Happy, and if having a chocolate or two (or more) on a week*day* does that then that's ok :-) Don't forget, the fitter you are then in theory the more rubbish you can eat... Sorry, I'm being terrible aren't I?

    Keep up the beautiful crochet, whether this stays small or grows to be huge it will be beautiful x

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  8. I'm with you on the fitness but. I took up swimming again last year and have been fitting in 3 sessions every week since July and signed up to my first swimathon yesterday!! It's taking over my crochet time ;-)

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  9. I understand how you feel - I think. I've got a very low tolerance threshold these days to people who don't add anything positive to my life. Your new blanket is looking lovely.

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  10. Been reading a few blogs and already people are making impossible demands on themselves.....for this coming year. One day at a time, that's all you can live. Your crochet is lovely.

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  11. I very much admire your take on this still new month of January.

    Your recently begun crocheted project is lovely. You have made great use of grey as a color. The aquamarine yarn skeins waiting for deployment are beautiful indeed. Whatever you decide to cast on your knitting needles or start a chain on your crochet hook will be lovely.

    And that impulse to have a needed clear out is also underway in my apartment. I am doing this in stages, and can begin to notice more open space appearing. Might be time to order some more yarn!

    xo

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  12. May 2015 be everything you wish for. The quote is spot on. Something happens midway through life. I so recognize the lack of patience in me. It is hard to embrace that we get more short fused, but at the same time I guess there is a reason for it. Baby years are over and we can look in another direction, starting to swop out our undies to new pretty ones... I think that says it all how neglected a mothering woman can be... I've stared at Alicia's blanket so many times... Love the rustic and natural feel of it. It will be a great blanket for sure. Love the fact that you are using up scraps. When you do, do you mix all kind of materials too. Acrylic, wool, cotton...??? I always find it hard to do so. But really could need a project to just use it all up at once. Maybe just something stripe with anything imaginable... A new idea just popped into my head.

    Health. For the first time in my life I'm struggling with putting on weight... I tried half heartedly too last year but suffered from pains in back and shoulders that put a stop to most of it. And diets. I'm crap at diets. Saying that I just started a 5 day juicing reboot. Never done one before and am feeling great on day 3. Fridge is packed full of delicious fruits and veg going through the juicer 5 times a day. It is working wonders. I see this as a start of choosing different of what I put into my body in the future. Although I can never forbid myself having a yummy new baked muffin, but it is enough with just one... Everything in moderation. And a good 30-60 minutes walk every day. Great start.
    Curious to see what you will make out of that fluffy stuff! I have a bunch of white mohair and have no idea what to make... Any suggestions?
    Hapy New Year dear!
    Xxx
    Annette

    PS Like the thought of turning chores around: First I need to exercise and be creative, then I find a way to do the house work after. My husband thinks this way...

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  13. Hi there, I just found your blog (I don't know how, it was just -- there!) Just wanted to say that everything you make is beautiful. My resolution for the new year is to blog more because I am terrible at downloading/uploading pictures - a total technophobe here (I still have an iPhone 3 and have never once downloaded an app... whatever they are...) Anyway, I am looking forward to reading your blog. Happy New Year! x

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  14. There are never enough hours in the day. We can only do what we can. The important thing is to look after yourself and you will be in better shape to look after your loved ones.

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  15. PS did you really make the moon lamp? If so, it is inspired! Love it <3

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  16. Hello my Lovely! Havent been able to comment on your blog for ages (stupid ipad) , thankfully santa brought me a shiny new laptop to play with so here I am!! I wholeheartedly agree with what you are saying, especially about not wanting to waste your time on those who don't deserve it & the need to be fitter & more creative. Last year I didn't take care of myself, nor make enough time to be creative. I didn't realise at the time how much I missed it & how happy it made me. I am now paying for it health wise, so definitely need to get fitter & take better care of myself. I've even started blogging again!
    The blanket is gorgeous! Just stunning! The pattern has been in my Ravelry queue for so long, but I cannot make another blanket as I have too many blanket WIPS! Maybe a cushion?
    Your mantle looks lovely, so bright & springlike! Take care.xx

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  17. I think that as we get older and worry less about what other think of us, we realise that we do not have to spend time on those people or things that don't contribute to our lives in a positive way. We don't worry that we need to please them so we can let them go. It is a hard thing though and definitely not one that comes overnight. I have been moving this way over the last few years, but it is a slow process for me!! I hope that 2015 finds you doing good things that make you happy! xx

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  18. Good Luck with your sorting and fridge-emptying! My motto for the year is 'Onwards and Upwards - I'm heading for the light' and it's been great therapy to start creating again. Good old Meryl - don't you just love her - great quotation! I gathered together only my closest friends and family when I really needed them at the end of last year and it's wonderful to know they're there - never have I appreciated my friends as much I have since Himself passed away - and they've been patient - and loyal. I hope I return it - I have given lots of quilts as Christmas presents! Love your crochet. I'm going to redecorate my bedroom next week - paint already bought in Homebase sale and curtaining chopped up and ready for lining. We'll see how that goes! I've got LOADS of plastic tubs too - what shall we put in them - and then where shall we put them? Mine are all stacked up in the shed at the moment!!!! Happy New Year - Onwards and Upwards!

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  19. Happy New Year to you and my best wishes.
    You need to have in mind that as Victoria inspired you, you're the inspiration to others. You're the inspiration to me. Your colors, your projects, even your house. Cath Kidstone owes you big. I've been checking your blog every day this past month you haven't posted anything & hoping the festivities kept you busy with all the cooking, preparing and the kids indoors & not a health issue. I could finally breath when I read this post.

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  20. What a lovely post! It is ironically exactly where my head is at as well! De-clutter, get projects organized into a manageable grouping and let go of the stuff I don't really need or want to do, including people in my life. I just hit a big landmark in my life and now that I'm on the other side of it I need to be mindful of what I can realistically accomplish and enjoy. Keep breathing in the newness of the year and it will keep you energized!
    Hugs,
    Beth P
    Harrisville, NH USA

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  21. Sounds like you're starting 2015 on exactly the right note! Health and creativity are so important......oh and that blanket, has to be my absolute favourite pattern! I just love the grey on it. I'm looking forward to seeing what you get up to this year :) xxx

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  22. I hope 2015 will be a good year for you and your men Vanessa!

    Happy weekend!

    Madelief x

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  23. I suscribed to the follow ups of this post, but's this last comment? A con?

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    1. Yes, spam. I delete it as I find it. I have to take measures to try and keep it to a minimum, but occasionally there's a run on it and the odd ones get through. : (

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  24. I've been following you by email for some time and decided now to do it 'properly' !! Wishing you a Happy New Year. Suzy x

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  25. I wish you nothing but the best for the upcoming year. I really like your new makings and can't wait to see what you are doing with that blue yarn.

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  26. Happy new year! I think you'd like the book on the KonMari method, I've found it amazing after years of moving clutter from one place to the next and four men who don't care! Sarah

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  27. I'm with Meryl. There comes a time in your life when you need to take that view and I reached that some time ago. There are some casualties as a result, in terms of friends (or probably people who were really just acquaintances) is what I found.
    Do it rather than think about it is also a good mantra. I have decided this year to start to chuck stuff out, stuff that I have hoarded for years. It feels good so far, I chucked a load of old birthday cards that were in a box, then I chucked the box they were in. We had some wardrobes fitted at the end of last year and that process forced me to look at all my clothes and I gave a load to my sister and a load to charity. That also felt good.
    I wish you all the best in your endeavours for 2015, I look forward to hearing about them.

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  28. I know why you make blankets, because you are brilliant at it! I am amazed at how quickly you produce them too, I am still procrastinating over my first one, wool is ready but there are always little projects taking over, a hat here, a few pressies there. I need to focus,like you do and get my running shoes back on! Thanks for you lovely post, inspiring! x

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  29. Great post Vanessa! Love the quote, spot on. And your new blanket, oh my, it's going to be sooo gorgeous. And the picture of the square-in-the-making-behind-the-soft-pink-background-probably-your-lap maked me gasp for breath. Love it!
    The grey as connecting colour is perfect. Aaah, can't wait to see this beauty finished. - Not that I want to put any stress on you to quickly hook on.my friend ;-)
    Happy afternoon to you! xhaafner

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    1. Mmm, I guess that should be 'AGAINST-the-soft-pink-etc.'

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  30. Your new blanket it looking great already. I hope you can get the balance between keeping fit and healthy, being creative and being able to do everything else you have to do.

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  31. I'm feeling so much the same as you. My daughter (a psychology major) says that it is a normal phase of life as you get older.

    I am currently knitting a baby blanket but love the pattern so much I'm thinking of making it in larger size for snuggling. I was wondering if, when making a blanket, you can use yarns of different weights within the same blanket? Would love to use up some yarn in my stash and am such a beginner.

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