Vintage Pleasure

Flashback Thursday...

Fancy a Change

Over the last year my increasingly busy life has meant re-evaluating where my time is spent. It's a tricky balance between necessity and enjoyment. As much as I love thrifting and selling vintage it just doesn't feel like it should be a priority anymore. After much soul searching I have decided the time has come to begin selling off all my stock and de-cluttering my house. Hopefully I will be able to find more time to do other things like blogging.

One of the benefits to selling has been the extra cash available and I want to make sure that I don't fritter it away. So I have a list of projects (in my head). The first is a lovely wallpaper for the 'playroom'. I narrowed it down to one of two.

 

As much as I love the colourways of the Roddy and Ginger Log Pile wallpaper I eventually decided that the Mini Moderns Pet Sounds wallpaper would work much better in our playroom, come craft room, come music room. 

So now I just have to find the time to get it hung!

Flashback Thursday

Lily's 18th birthday was the ideal time to embarass her with lots of photos. I thought it might be fun to start sharing some of my most favourite photos of my girls that we found whilst looking. So Flashback Thursday is just that. A chance for you to ooh and ahh at just how cute my girls used to be.

                            circa 2003

       'three of my 'tiger cubs' in our playroom'

Imperfection

When you are handed your baby there is no instruction booklet given at the same time. Your mind is full of your ideas of the perfect mother and your heart is full of longing to be that perfection. Life however isn't like that. Life isn't perfect. Love is the only thing that makes things right. That makes life worth living.

As soon as I saw this image on the screen all those years ago I was filled with pure love. My life took on a new meaning. It became full of fear and hope in equal measures.

The moment my girl was born I felt I had arrived somewhere. Somewhere comforting, exciting and scary. Somewhere that I needed to explore. I knew that the journey ahead would be full of ups and downs but that love would be our guide. 

Along the years I have made many mistakes and we have each had our hearts torn by our harsh words and selfish actions yet through it all we have always had a deep seated love for each other. A mutual love that gives us a base to come back to. That offers forgiveness and acceptance. So somehow despite my imperfectness my first born girl has grown into a beautiful young lady. A young lady I would happily chose as my friend.

 

For her 18th birthday a few weeks ago she chose to have a very grown up cocktail party at home. It was a perfect mix of her friends and our family. They say you can tell a lot about a person by their choice of friends and Lily's are a great bunch of people to know. Just like her. I'm proud to be able to say she is my daughter and humbled to be the person she turns to.

We are off on a very grown up adventure this weekend. 5 days in New York City just the two of us and I cannot wait.

Love you Lily Roisin and I always will. x

Creeping Back In

Just thought I'd pop by and say hello. I spent a nostalgic half hour or so the other day reading my blog archives. It brought back some lovely memories. That's the thing about having a blog it records all the day to day goings on that would otherwise disappear from our overstuffed brains. That little cute conversation can be saved forever. I'm looking forward to reading about our life as a family when my girls have families of their own.

So I'm going to try and come back to the space I once knew so well.

I thought I'd better start by introducing you the newest member of our family. Our little puppy Maggie. She's a Miniature Schnauzer/Bichon Frise cross. 

When she isn't sleeping she is incredibly cheeky!

A Year On

This time last year we had our sweet Kitty home and the enormity of what we had just been through was beginning to hit home. When you are encapsulated in a world of fear and unknown everything else stands still. The only way to get through it is to put things in boxes in your mind and try to forget about them. As a mother I found it so difficult that, whilst we were in hospital, I could do nothing for any of my children. I don't think I have ever felt so useless or numb as in my darkest times last year. If it wasn't for the genuine acts of kindness we countlessly encountered I am not sure we would be who and where we are now.

Our amazing family and friends took control of everything none hospital related. They fed and clothed and comforted my other babies whilst we stayed with the one who needed us most. They did the washing and the ironing they even had a rota to provide food for us everyday for as long as we needed. There were 30 odd people who volunteered to cook for us. I will never forget how humbling and wonderful that felt.

The kindness we were shown gave us the time and space to concentrate on Kitty and her journey. We grew much strength from all the wonderful messages we received from all over the world. People tweeted with stories of throwing pebbles into the sea for Kitty, of thinking of us and offering help. She received almost 100 cards whilst she was in hospital. From as far away as Australia, Afghanistan, India, America to places much closer to home like Brecon and Bradford people were thinking of and praying for Kitty. People we knew and people we have never met covered Kitty in constant prayer for the whole time she was unwell. Each message and prayer gave us strength. The knowledge that people really cared carried us through some very difficult times. One of the joys of having a faith and a church family is the fellowship it brings. Prayer is a powerful tool. Whether you believe in a God or not. 

These 2 photographs were taken exactly a year apart and show just how far we have all come. They remind me how blessed I am. They remind me that anything is possible and that human kindness should never be underestimated.

My prayer now is of thanks and of hope that I too remember to 'Scatter Kindness'.

Kristy x

My Baby Was 10

People say to enjoy your children when they are young as time goes by so quickly. It is so true! My 'baby' was 10 last week. Ten! How on earth can that be possible? It seems only five minutes ago that we were bringing her home from hospital.

She is growing up in to a senstive and amazing young lady. She often drives me to distraction but life with her is never dull. Her mind is whirring hive of information and she is rarely short of an answer. If she is she soon finds one. She researches and plans like no other person I know and her powers of persuasion are second to none. Her current quest involves her dad, jobs and a new puppy next year.

Her sense of style is begining to take shape and I'm loving seeing her put her outfits together. I can see a glimspe of the lovely young lady I know she will become.

She has a few personal battles to deal with at the minute and I'm so proud of the way she is dealing with them. 

Jo-jo, I love you more. Too possible! x

Happy Table Tuesday

The first one after the Easter Holidays. Always a happy day.

Getting Organised

Being at home for the last 15 years much of the day to day stuff such as appointments, piano lessons, birthdays etc have been left to me. I have used the 'it's all in my head' system which has been hit and miss at the best of times but now I am 'working' we need a better way. I want to have a notice board area so we can all see what everyone else is up to. The trouble is that notice boards aren't the prettiest of things. So I did a little search to find some pretty ways of getting organised.

There is so much loveliness out there that is free to print off for personal use. I chose this little lot.

Chore Chart by Leah Remillet

The Pretty Blog's Birthday Calendar

and 2012 Owl Lover Calendar from My Barn Owl (which is great as you can pick and chose the images for each month)

I found heaps more that I have booked marked too like this weekly planner and a whole post dedicated to printable organisation! I have my eye on this meal planner too.

I think it's something I'm going to have to have a play around with to get a system that works for us but I'm enjoying making it pretty. I also thinking of getting some washitape as an alternative to pins. This graph paper one is amazing.

I'm definitely doing a version of this too!

 

 

 

 

Happy Table Tuesday

Today's 'Happy Table'
Some one asked why my table is happy every Tuesday. It's because that's the day I open my house to anyone who wants to come share tea, cake and chat. I've done it for about 12 years now and it has been such a blessing.