A Gorgeous Gift

Yesterday the postie popped a lovely little parcel into my letterbox.  I've been looking forward to seeing this little beauty for weeks.  it was made by the very talented Jane at Hand Made Jane.  She was having a clear out of some of her beautiful handmade clothes and asked for some good homes for them.  I was only too delighted to offer my help on this matter.  Lucky for me my name was chosen for this top.  I really love it to say the least.  It is so well made and it is has really made me want to work a bit harder on my dressmaking skills.  So thank you very much again for the gorgeous parcel in the post.  Cheered me up no end to see it sitting on the doormat.

In other news, work on the studio is slow with the Hubby doing his final exams this week.  To relieve some of the stress, he went out into the garden after college and worked on levelling it.  it look a lot of work to haul it up into place and then to level it on its brick stands but with the help of a few friends and some sweat and cursing he finally managed it on Wednesday evening.  It was a bigger job than he expected but he is happy with it now.  We will be working against the clock now because once the Mayfly hatches on the lake there will be no work done on it at all.  He will be happily sitting in his boat fly rod in hand, free of all worries about studies. Normally it would hatch in the first week of May but with the weather and long winter this year, it is taking a little longer.  May is a month that we see very little of the Hubby and when you are married to a fisherman it's just something that you have to live with.  I'm the definition of a fishing widow!!
If we can manage to get it cleared before the Mayfly hatches then I can potter on with the rest. Painting and decorating isn't his thing anyway.

Sadly with all that has been going on around here my crafting mojo has started playing hide and seek with me.  I've lost all interest in my blankets and sewing jobs.  At the moment just to keep my hands busy, I've been doing a little cross stitching.  I want to make some of these gorgeous little butterflies and hang them in the hoops in the studio.  The work is slow but it is calming my very over active mind at the moment.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend and if you see my stitching mojo please do let me know.
Rosie xx

Things That I've Learned From My Kids

The other morning when the kids and I were staying in my mothers house, my son and Mum were sitting in the kitchen while I was watching some kids telly in the next room....  It just happened to be on. Honest!  They could hear me laughing uncontrollably at the program that was on.  My mother, giggling, said, "I really don't know who is the biggest kid in this family?  Your mother is just a great big baby".  My son looked at her smiling and said, "but Nanny that's what I love most about her.  She is just like us".

This absolutely melted my heart when my Mum told me later and it got me thinking a lot about how my kids have changed my life completely. " Well doh obviously!", I hear you say.  Well no not really.

My own childhood was marred by bullying at a young age and this left it very difficult for me to form friendships or even talk to people at times.  But when I had my own kids it felt like I had a chance to relive my childhood.  Not through them but with them as my best friends.  Like the ones that I always wished I had growing up.

My kids have taught me how to laugh and by that I mean real laughing.  The type that comes from right down in the pit of your stomach and leaves you breathless and with a pain in your side.

They have shown how to be fearless.  They don't worry about what other people think of them.  They just enjoy being who they are and living in the moment.  I realise now that I've wasted far too much of my life caring about others opinion of me.  So now I've been known to skip happily down the main street in town or sing (very badly I must admit) at the top of my voice while pushing the trolly around the supermarket.  Singing songs that we have changed the words of so that they make us laugh.  Even though Patrick’s favourite songs all involve poo and bottoms!

I found that the kids really bring out my creative side. I love sitting on the floor with them building things out of Lego or play dough.  And it is amazing how many really great things that can be made from these if you take the time to do it.  The kids may say to me that maybe I should try making a certain design out of material and they may even tweak it just a little so that I can see what they mean.  For me hearing “Mammy will you knit me this” or “Mammy will you sew that for me”.  Is music to my ears because they often come up with ideas that I've never even thought of.  I may love to feed their imagination but they also feed mine.

Patrick and Lucy have shown me how kind and understanding people can be.  Through my worst days they make me laugh or just make a bed out of blankets for me on the sofa.

I love to sit and watch cartoons with them when I can or go for an adventure in the forest with them.  Their words paint images to help me to see the world through their eyes.  And I love it!  My Mum might think I’m a big baby but I’m one happy big baby.

Sorry about the soppy post today but this has been on my mind the last few days.  AND tomorrow I'm off to Germany for a week.  So I know I'm going to miss them lots.  

Hopefully I'll get some nice piccies for you at the Christmas markets in Salzburg and Munich.

Rosie xx

PS I hope that this makes a bit of sense and not like some mad ramblings.  What have your kids taught you?