Much needed holiday

We went for a much needed weekend away last weekend.  I was desperate to get away for a weekend before this baby arrives and there are so many things going on over the next few months and we wanted to avoid Easter holiday so I took the plunge and booked up a holiday for us all at a place called Bosinver Farm near St Austell in Cornwall.

It was gorgeous and great for families, we could have spent the whole weekend on the farm if we wanted to, there was so much to do.  The cottage was so stylish, all the furniture was really good quality, it felt like a real luxurious treat.

I was deeply glad of the rest, of being able to get away from the "shoulds":  "I should be doing the laundry, I should be doing the dishes, I should be hoovering, I should be getting dinner ready, I should, I should, I should..."  Do you ever feel like that?  But away from our home there was nothing that needed doing so I got to have a good sit down, just enjoying things like drinking my tea and looking at the view, meditating, making a conscious effort to relax my body into the chair and doing bits of the Kelly Rae Roberts E Course that I recently signed up for.

I also read an entire book, albeit a short one!  The War of Art by Steven Pressfield! Go me!

We visited a friend who lives nearby and met her lovely new baby at Trebah Gardens, and went to the Eden project, (poor show on the "breastfeeding room" Eden Project, disappointed) although I wasn't so fussed about filling our days with activities so we took a very laid back approach to getting out and about.

Time away is always good for reflecting.  I am having some issues with my faith at the moment so had a bit of chance for prayer and thinking about that.  I have always identified myself as a Christian but recently been having some problems with some aspects of the faith and my feelings about it, lots of guilt and fear, so I am having to explore my spirituality at bit, looking for the truth, trying to be open to messages from God and guidance, so some time away from normal day to day life helped a little bit with this.  Still lots of exploring to do though.

I am hoping to have more focus on my art business in the next few weeks, as well as booking up another Gentle Parenting Retreat. Exciting times ahead, and feeling really good pregnancy wise, got lots of energy, though starting to feel uncomfortable at night. I am wanting to pack as much in as I can before this baby arrives. It's ironic that I am feeling the most creative I have in a long time yet have the least amount of time to use the creativity and motivation. It's a challenge and I am still battling my own inability to focus on the task at hand and not be distracted by things like Facebook.  But I feel like things are getting better,  I feel like I am starting to Thrive.  Perhaps it's like spring for me, just as the new shoots are starting to come through the ground my own creative shoots are starting to reach through.  It definitely feels like a time of growth and transformation.  

A Day to Myself

Yesterday my husband took our boys to his parents for the day, this only the second time I have spent a day without them since my first was born, and let me tell you it was much needed.
I had a wonderful long lie in, then had pancakes in the garden reading a magazine, followed by an Epsom salt bath and hair wash.
I then started a cleaning mission. I know what you are thinking, what was I doing cleaning on my "day off"? I have been wanting to get the kitchen sorted for ages, it was getting grimy and there were bits and pieces everywhere.  Is it just me that gets little bits and bobs lying around?  Screws, batteries, blunt pencils, broken bits of plastic waiting for their host; I had lots so I re-homed or disposed of them all, put a stereo in the loft that wasn't sparking joy (will do another post soon about objects sparking joy or not and tidying generally) took down some tired looking children's art work and scrubbed all the walls.
It felt soooo good.  So good in fact that I decided to photograph its splendour and share it with you!

So here it is in all it's tiny glory.  Yes it's a very small kitchen, and we still have the original units installed in the 80's when the house was built. (That means it's almost back in fashion! Practically vintage.)

To the right of the door is this notice board which is just the cupboard door with wadding and fabric covering it. It's still a bit messy looking because there are some paper bits that need dealing with, but it's much better than it was before with bits dropping off all over the place.

This is my little space in the kitchen that I really like, housing a few of my possessions that really spark joy.  Some cake tins, crockery, glassware and recipe books. I love my hen crock (meant for holding eggs) my grandma had one that was similar, when I saw this one in a charity shop I had to have it.  Now it reminds me of her whenever I look at it.

This is the control room of my house, I have my calendar and wall planner on the right hand wall.  I haven't used the wall planner much but I like the visual reminder of how far through the year we are and how much longer I have left to achieve my annual goals. 

So there you have it, my little kitchen, maybe one day I will do a post on the living room, but right now it is waaaay too messy to be made public.  Happy Summer holidays everyone!