Taking "me-time" & a missing *person* returns

Hello friends,

How are you all doing out there???   Hope you are keeping warm or cool wherever in the world you live & whatever the season is where you are :-)


The last couple of months have been a bit of a blur with all the activities going on (kitchen renovations etc) but this has also been coupled with lots of other goings on - helping a friend run her shop while she had time off,   looking after a neighbour who was ill, having relations to stay, helping a friend pack up & move house    - it is great to be able to help out but sometimes you just need to know when to say enough,  & take some time out to recharge your batteries.  I have been trying to do this lately . . .  without a great deal of  success, but am working on it! ! !   I seem to really struggle being able to simply say "I'm sorry, I'm just not available at present" - & boy oh boy do people know how to take advantage! !

Today - just for myself -  I made a huge pot of vege soup in my old crock pot which I saved for & bought when I was aged 20 - quite a few years ago now ! ! (32 actually)

 This crock pot has been carted around a few homes with me & is still going strong - I can smell the soup still cooking away & it is a comforting, warming smell.  I know the crock pots available today are pretty swish looking appliances but I quite like my trusty old, slightly cracked, stained-in-places crock pot.

We have had a few minus 2 degrees frosts & it has been soooo cold - I look at the poor little plants out in the garden & wonder how they survive & bounce back . . . 

I look out at my wheelbarrow full of pansies & I wonder how they manage to poke their happy little faces up when they have spent a night out in minus 2 . . .

 When my Aunty rang to say they were coming to stay I smiled politely & said "that will be lovely to have you" - then I hung up & looked in at my spare bedroom which looked like this the other week (remember) . . .  (& I think I may have said something I cant actually  print here) ! ! !

Now I am sure there is a bed & carpet in there somewhere! !

To say I had a "white tornado" would be an understatement! ! !     We do not have a big sized house here so you must bear in mind, it is difficult to find somewhere to take the "overflow"
most of the time.  
However I am pleased to say it now looks much more like this here . . . 

And when they left today I even managed to complete the doiley bunting I had begun a few months back for this room.  I had squirrelled away some favourite lace doilies as I had in mind I kind of wanted a "snowflake" effect - what do you think . . .

 When I first made it I sprayed them with spray starch but they still "flopped" so I dragged out my old bottle of "Stiffy" fabric stiffener & painted it onto them.
I have to say - one of my very absolute favourite things in the  whole world - is bunting :-)
For some reason, it always makes me smile wherever I see it.


Whilst clearing out the room I happened to come across a small basket with some craft supplies in it & accidently dropped it & who do you think happened to fall out . . .  my missing Willis golly from a few posts back.  (sorry Nero for blaming you for running off with him) -  after I got over my shock I decided to finish the poor old chap in case he went missing again.

Here he is face down in the masking tape having his boots painted on

Happy at last to have my brother back with me :-)

I had a nice surprise in the post last week - an unexpected one - a customer that had visited the cottage for the first time a month or so ago, sent me a lovely canvas print she had made from a paper serviette - she wrote in her note "I had such a lovely time visiting you & your big fluffy dog, I thought I would send you something that reminded me of your place" 

 It most certainly brightened a bleak, cold day - how lovely of her (& clever)

I am dreaming of times when the lavendar is flowering & I am not hauling firewood all day long

 I have spent this afternoon cutting out another bear order - yes I know I need to do some serious work on learning to say "No" - like my sewing, I am a work in progress.
This particular fur is so fluffy & messy I had to sit on the floor with the vacuum cleaner beside me sucking up the bits before I could move anywhere - a couple accidently got sucked up -  but I have rescued them :-)

 Not very good photography but gives you the general idea.
I hope to be back next week with the finished product to show you all.

Wishing you your own "me-time" folks & take care & have a wonderful rest-of-the-week.
I am off to sample the soup :-)

Love/hugs/smiles,
Julie X x x