Pink & orange sky

Today:

- Walked to nursery with Ellie under the pink and orange sky as she pretended to be an aeroplane & encouraged me to do the same, obviously I obliged and had a great time.

- Did a whole assignment at uni from start to finish.

- Picked Ellie up from nursery early & had a happy evening together.

- Began my newest customer order, and really enjoyed making it.

- Had a phone call with my marvellous fiance.

- Now watching a film, having a glass of wine, & eating chocolate.

A truly marvellous day. If you haven't had such a perfect day today, I wish you one tomorrow. After a crazy busy week with some pretty upsetting moments, todays perfection came out of the blue and calmed me throughout. I hope for more pink and orange sky in the morning. xxx

Christmas Dinner List

Right-o feel free to comment, add, shout if I've forgotten anything pleeease!

• Stuffing
• Onions
• 1 Lemon
• Potatoes
• Sprouts
• Parsnips
• Peas
• Carrots
• Pigs in blankets (sausages in bacon)
• Gravy
• Cranberry Sauce
• Tin foil (to use, not to eat)
• Chestnuts (not my thing, but t'other half likes them)
• Brandy butter
• Christmas Pudding
• Chocolate Yule log
• No Christmas Cake, last year it stayed in the cupboard until August this year, when it met its demise in the bin
• Mince Pies
• Chocolates
• Crackers
• Drinks: juice/ sparkling stuff/ alcohol

Then I still need to get:

• Crackers
• Napkins
• Candles
• Streamers!

......

and the TURKEY!!!!!

Oh I'm so excited! Can you tell, I've said it quite often. Seriously need to get more decorations to quench my Christmassy feeling. Fake snow too much? Possibly... but the kids would love it hehe. I'll post photos of the chaos in T minus 16 days!! Or maybe 17 if I'm slightly distracted on the big day! (P.S. that is not a pic of my house or table, I WISH!)

Skittles: moreish, yet sickening

Wow I feel like I have neglected my Blog over the weekend with being so busy! But I'm back, ta-da!

So what's happened to me this weekend, well we had all the girls over, went to the Huddersfield Light Festival, which was fab. I recommend you go if you ever get the chance. It didn't start till 5 with the lights but it was well worth such a late trip out and the girls had a great time dancing to the music, watching the light shows, and eating pizza made fresh in a pizza oven from scratch. I could have eaten delicious food from any one of those stalls, but money is a little tight with it being nearly Christmas.

Christmas! Yup, this year I am making Christmas dinner again, this time for 6 people. Only my second year of doing it, but I'm so excited. We got a 'new' extendable dining table from a charity shop so we wont all have to cramp around the tiny circular table we had before. And I am now on a mission to find a pack of 6 placemats, its hard! They come in 4's, so I could buy 8 easily, but 6 is a struggle. Maybe I'll just have to make them myself :)

Skittles, moreish yet sickening. I am sitting writing my shopping list including a list for the Christmas food, while eating a share bag of skittles. Time to close them before I barf!

I will post my Christmas day shopping list so if I've missed anything perhaps you passers by can tell me so I don't forget a vital ingredient on the day.

I could babble on all night, I do enjoy this Blogging lark!

Mummy, you're my best friend

The best words to hear my little Elliephant say to me!

A day of very strong winds, public transport delays, not enough food, uni, and continued cold weather. I was so happy to pick Ellie up from nursery and get home. We got the duvet downstairs and watched The Rescuers Down Under, she loved it. At bed time we had a made half hour being totally silly tickling, playing peek-a-boo, singing, cuddles, and then "Mummy, you're my best friend." I think my eyes lit up and I gave her the biggest cuddle. Tomorrow is our day of fun again, can't wait till she wakes up.....so long as its after 7.30am hehe.

I said I'd share with you the image of the Christmas decorations at the local pub, shame this year you can see the ceiling, but still a bit more bling than I'd have in my own front room.

Tonight I've been doing very little apart from sitting watching TV and having so many ideas for my shop. I have begun a list, perhaps if I make a couple of prototypes for each I may drum up more interest, I know they're good gifts, it's just the internet is a big place and I only have a tiny shop. But the word "Blossoming" suggests that it will grow into something beautiful in time. Just needs nurturing, caring for and tending to. I'm enjoying doing it very much.

www.etsy.com/shop/BlossomingWorkshop

Creativity vs funds

I feel a little dis-heartened today. Maybe it's lack of sleep, or I've run out of energy I'm not sure. I think maybe if I write a little I may feel better, even if no one is reading the blog yet.

It is coming up to the end of my 3rd week having an Etsy shop and I have received orders but not in the steady roll I was hoping for. Perhaps I was a little ambitious and I know I am a little too excited to make things. But I have to hold off while orders are slow as my money wont stretch if there's not much coming in. Aha!! I think I've just identified the cause behind my lull in mood. I really want to make and create, but I need to calm down and respond to demand.

I am doing lots of promoting, I think I should do leaflets or business cards, but these also cost!

Maybe a little too ambitious huh, but as it is my first shop I didn't know what to expect. Let that be a lesson to me :)

I think this afternoon requires cake, a big slice of cake, and then a very very rare evening out with some friends. My lovely mum is coming to babysit and off I'll stroll to the local pub, I'll try get a few pics as it is always decorated to the extreme for Christmas, some years you can't see the ceiling!

Ahh I feel better for taping my thoughts out on the keyboard, and promising myself cake.

Thanks for reading whoever you may be :) if anyone does lol.

Bird Song

So the bustle of a Monday morning was non existent today, did I get up extra early, or have a day off? Nope... I slept in by an hour, woke up a happy 2 year old who ate her breakfast without the usual slow sleepy pace, and then played in the garden until the taxi arrived. I thought I'd order a taxi instead of walking - "it'll be quicker," I was wrong. But still it turned out lovely in the end.

I worked on assignments at home, and promoted my shop by all the media forms I could think of. I also came up with new ideas. But I have to hold back as funds are low and I need to make back some of the money I've already spent :( However maybe a few prototypes during the Christmas holidays will quench my thirst.

At the end of a full day spent inside in front of the computer I can get a bit anxious to go out. It used to bother me, some days it still does. Today was one of the days where it did just a little. But I wrapped up and walked the 15 mins to Ellie's nursery. It was busy on the roads, but once I got on to one of the back streets it was quite quiet and I heard a really loud bird, I don't know what it was, I'm not knowledgable about bird song. But it reminded me of going walking in the countryside when I was little and how much I loved it. There's not any proper countryside near where we live, not within walking distance anyway. It made me think about what I give to my daughter, I hope she has fond memories of being little. Perhaps this blog will be a nice thing to look back on, and my shop will grow to contribute nicely to her future. Those are some of my hopes conjured up on route to the nursery.

Feeling quite calm, happy and thoughtful, I think I'll have good dreams tonight...and hopefully wake on time. Sweet dreams.

New Product Launched Today!

1st of December, another new product!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/171332862/personalised-cork-coasters

These are fun to make, and a unique and personalised gift for everyone! So proud of my little shop :)

We've had such a wonderful weekend here. Christmas has arrived: Christmas Tree is up, decorations are plenty, the kids saw Santa yesterday and what did they wish for? A purple present, and a new yoyo. So cute! Then today Santa delivered a letter down the chimney for each of them to say that they were on the nice list and their presents are being made at the North Pole. Christmas is magical with little ones isn't it!

Merry Christmas one and all! Lots of Love xx